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......

Tuesday, July 31, 2007, Niagara Falls, NY to Henrietta, NY, 82.2 miles, 6 1/2 hrs, 6 hrs on the bike, Ave. speed: 13.8 mph, Climb: 2650 ft.

This was a day that gets put in the brochure! What wonderful ride! Lovely temperatures, sunny, mostly flat with a few hills for variety and TAILWINDS!!!!!! I just cruised along and did not have to exhaust myself. There are more people and cars in NY, but we were still mostly on country roads, so overall traffic was light. I was moving so well I actually got in before 2:00 pm! (That is extremely rare for me....). I was in early enough to bring all of our luggage up to our room. Usually I'm in so late Cindy or Colleen have already brought my luggage up; it was nice to be able to return the favor today.

I almost didn't know what to do with the extra time, but I got cleaned up, did laundry and wrote out postcards and got caught up on my journal. Ahh, this is the life!! Alas, we only have 6 more days of riding left - less than 500 miles to go....

Tomorrow we head to Syracuse, NY - a longer day, but similar terrain...stay tuned....

Monday, July 30, 2007 Niagara Falls, NY, O miles - Rest Day

Had a great day off. Will elaborate later - it's time for bed!

OK, here's more details. First, last evening we went out and saw the American Falls lit up with colored lights and then we saw a fireworks display that was shot off from the Canadian side of the river. We were up until 10:30 pm!!!

Would have slept in this morning, but no one checked the room's alarm clock and it went off at 6:30 am! (heavy sigh - I am just not meant to sleep in on this trip....). We (roommates Cindy, Colleen and I) had a fun day though. Went on the Cave of the Winds tour - you get a pair of sandals and a yellow rain jacket, go down an elevator and come out at the base of the American Falls. Then you walk along a wooden pathway up next to the cascading water. It's pretty fun - at one point the force of the water coming over the falls creates winds and "rain" - we got soaked!

Next, we took the trip on the "Maid of the Mist" boat that goes to the base of the Horseshoe Falls (the Canadian Falls). We got a blue rain jacket for this adventure and we got soaked again! More fun! It was a very hot, sunny, humid day so the showers from the falls felt great.

Then Colleen and I walked back over the Rainbow Bridge to Canada (I had $14 in Canadian money I had to spend) to do a little shopping. Spent most of the Canadian cash on fudge and a few souvenirs. Back to the states and took a nap, cleaned my bike, had a nice Italian dinner and lights out. A great day off!

Sunday, July 29, 2007, Brantford, ONT, Canada to Niagara Falls, NY, 72.4 miles, 7 1/2 hrs, 6 hrs 9 min on the bike, Ave.speed:11.7 mph, Climb:1650 ft

We have been blessed with yet another great day for bicycling - warm and sunny, somewhat humid but bearable - we had a headwind and crosswinds to keep us cool. This was a classic ride through the countryside and in addition to flat roads we got a few hills thrown in - just to remind us that we do have to climb sometimes.....

Those headwinds had some substance and I was fortunate to ride with Penny and Bill - we took turns drafting - this gave us all a break from the wind and it forced me pick up my pace a little - that's a good thing for me - I would have puttered along much more slowly otherwise.

The big event for the day was coming in to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side - it is very impressive! - and then making our way across the Rainbow Bridge and through Customs on the US side. We had to be in the car traffic lanes with our bikes (the bikes wouldn't go through the turnstiles on the pedestrian walkway) and that took a good 40-45 minutes. We did make it into my 9th state plus one province.

At the hotel my roommates and I were able to get our laundry done right away (always a chore we are glad to get done) and then we were off to dinner. From our hotel room we can see the spray from the falls rising above the trees.

Tomorrow we plan to take the boat trip (Maid of the Mist) and hopefully the hike that goes behind the falls..... stay tuned......

July 28, 2007, London, ONT to Brantford, ONT, Canada, 66.8 miles, 6 hrs, 5 hrs 18 min on the bike, Ave. speed: 12.5 mph, Climb: 1350 ft.

Oh Canada - I like it! We had another beautiful day of biking. More farmland, a few little hills, and some headwinds to keep things interesting. The crops changed from just corn and soybeans to more variety- today we saw asparagus, tobacco and ginseng too. In the photo, the tobacco is in the foreground and in the background are some poles with black netting stretched across the top - under the netting is where the ginseng grows.

It is so fun to be able to ride 60+ miles and think of it as an easy day - even with some headwinds. I stopped a few times to take photos, find some lunch and even treated myself to ice cream on the way in to Brantford.

Our room was not ready when we got in, so my roommates and a few others practiced some yoga moves in the hotel lobby (some of it was quite funny) - what we do to pass the time.

Tomorrow we bike to Niagara Falls and back in to the US - if they will let us in - and then we have a rest day! Hurray! Unfortunately, it will be our last rest day, which means we're getting close to the end of the trip (*sob!*). I am finally getting into condition to do this ride and it is ending. I am so used to being a bicycling gypsy that I could continue on indefinitely - aren't there more states to cycle through??!!!

Keep the good energy coming - please! We've had some nice days, but the days we cycle through Vermont and New Hampshire have the Berkshire Mountains in them and we will have climbing days of 5100 ft. and 5800 ft. respectively. My knees ache just thinking about it. I'll make it, but it won't be painfree......

Friday 27, 2007, Port Huron, MI to London, Ontario, Canada, 82.1 miles, 7 hrs 25 min, 6 hrs 6 min on the bike, Ave. speed: 13.4 mph, Climb: 1070 ft.

What a special experience we all had this morning. We left the hotel with the silver van leading the way, then we all followed on our bikes with the white van and the luggage truck bringing up the rear. At the bridge going across to Canada, they shut down all lanes of traffic going our way and an official car led us across the bridge. I was in the back of the group and it was a very cool sight to see us all biking across in our red, white and blue jerseys.

Once on the Canadian side, we stopped and customs officers checked several people's passports. I was one of the names they called, but the man pronounced my name as the French for "John". In any case, he OK'ed my passport and I was on my way. Needless to say, everyone has been calling me "John" (with a French accent) today.

It was another great ride - flat, not much headwind (and some nice tailwinds at the end of the ride), and Canadian countryside - farmland with corn and soybeans for the most part - not much different than the states. So far the biggest differences are the currency and that everything is metric. [The photo is of a farm and you may be able to see the Canadian flag flying in it - but probably not - I'm not a great photographer.]

Rode fairly strong and I still like having the break from the hills. We had chances of showers in the morning and in the afternoon, but none materialized until we had to sprint across the parking lot to the restaurant for dinner (at least Daco and I did).

Tomorrow we head to Brantford, ONT and I think it will be another "easy" day - yahoo!

Note: If you would like to read what some of the other riders are writing on their blogs, go to: http://del.icio.us/maxtheman36/abb. My blog is listed there too.

Thursday, July 26, 2007, Birch Run, MI to Port Huron, MI, 89.5 miles, 7 hrs 15 min, 6 hrs 54 min, Ave. speed: 12.9 mph, Climb: 470 ft.

Yet another day in paradise - the morning scenery was lovely - a light mist/fog over the fields and a beautiful deep orange red sun rising over it all. We pedaled through more of the Michigan countryside - mostly flat and all farms. Had overcast skies for most of the ride and that helped keep things a little cooler. The humidity is increasing somewhat.

Once again I was slow to get started and picked up power as the day went on. We did have some headwinds to provide a little more challenge and as we got closer to Lake Huron, the clouds started building. I ended up getting caught in a rain shower 8 miles from the hotel. It didn't last long and my shirt was dry by the time I got to the hotel. The socks and bike shorts were not however. I enjoyed the shower - it was refreshing in its own way.

Got in by 2 pm (early for me) and can actually relax a bit. Tomorrow we ride across a big bridge into Canada (they close the bridge just for us - so we can ride across safely).

Wednesday, July 25, 2007, Mount Pleasant, MI to Birch Run, MI, 74. 8 miles, 6 hrs, 5 hrs 37 mins on the bike, Ave. speed: 13.2 mph, Climb: 700 ft.

The string of delightful days continues! Got to sleep in 'til 6 am to start, and then had wonderful weather - cool enough, sunny, no wind and almost no hills!!!!!!! I just put myself in cruise mode and enjoyed the day. Traveled through more farmland - lots of old farms dating back to the mid to late 1800's. I would love to have several more of these kinds of rides. I know many of the other cyclists like the variety of the hills and climbs, but I thoroughly love the flats!!!

Got in by 1:30 pm and was all excited to do laundry, only to find out that the laundromat had closed. I am now waiting to use the one hotel dryer (I did get my clothes washed in the one hotel washer), but there are still 3 other people ahead of me. Ah, the adventures of cycling across the country......

Tuesday, July 24, 2007, Ludington, MI to Mount Pleasant, MI, 114 miles, 9 1/2 hrs, 9 hrs on the bike, Ave. speed: 12.6 mph, Climb: 2120 ft.

A long and lovely day - started early, barely light out (we lost that hour, remember?....) and very cloudy and cool - threatening to rain. I was very, very slow to start - had nothing in my legs for the first 30+ miles. Picked up steam as the day went on. We had gentle rolling hills, lots of woodlands and smaller farms - lots and lots of corn. We had the cool and the clouds until about midday (it never did rain) and then the sun came out.

For a century ride, it sure was nice. I didn't get in until 5 pm, but I wasn't exhausted either - by jove, I think I really am getting stronger!!!!! I got in just in time for maintenance and Jim the mechanic did some fine tuning on my shifting and I should be good to go for tomorrow.

I had time to clean my bike drive chain and catch up on some journaling. It feels good to not be totally wiped out at the end of a long day.

Monday, July 23, 2007, Manitowoc, WI to Ludington, MI, 7 miles on bike, 4 hours by ferry

This was our rest day - sort of..... We did get to sleep in and I enjoyed breakfast with my sister and her girls - we even went to the local bakery for fresh donuts. Then we had a wedding to go to! It was a lovely ceremony in a park and athe bride and groom even posed for photos wearing their special bike helmets.



I said good bye to my nieces and sister and biked to the ferry. We all had to load our bikes in the bottom of the S.S. Badger and then go to the upper decks for the 4 hour trip across Lake Michigan. We had calm waters and an uneventful crossing, though we did get to here the Bingo caller keep saying "Big Ship, More Fun!" a gagillion times.





We landed at 6 pm eastern time (lost another hour!) in Michigan - my 7th state. Had a sloooow dinner in town and biked to the hotel at dusk - just made it in before dark! Between the ride on the WI side and the ride on the MI side, I put 7 miles on my bike today.




Tomorrow is a 113 mile day, but the terrain should be gentle. This will be my last century + ride on this trip - yippee!!!!

Sunday, July 22, 2007, Fond du Lac, WI to Manitowoc, WI, 57.5 miles, 5 hrs, 4 hrs 26 min on the bike, Ave. speed: 12.9 mph, Climb: 1300 ft.

Yet another good day in Wisconsin! First - we didn't have to load the luggage truck until 9 am! That meant we got to sleep in - yahoo! (This group likes to start waaaaay too early...)

I moseyed my way to Manitowoc - a pretty ride with rolling hills and farmland. It was neat to see the big lake (Lake Michigan) as we got close to Manitowoc.

Today was more about visiting family than about the ride. My sister Sarah came back with Garrett and the girls and we spent the rest of the day and evening together.

As part of the tour group we are also preparing for a wedding tomorrow. Two of the staff are getting married tomorrow - Jeff and Sondra. My roommate Cindy had the great idea to decorate bike helmets for the bride and groom and at rap we presented them to the couple (my other roommate, Colleen, and friend Daco are modeling the helmets in the photo) along with group cards and gift.

Saturday, July 21, 2007, Wis. Dells, WI to Fond du Lac, WI, 84.4 miles, 8 hours, 6 hrs, 44 min on the bike, Ave. speed: 12.4 mph, Climb: 2240 ft.

Ahhh, a delightful day! Started by having breakfast with my folks and sister. Then, wearing a borrowed University of WI Badger jersey had a college jersey photo taken by the trip leader. Four of us in WI jerseys took our own photo later. Don't we look good?

Said good bye to TEAM JEAN and hit the road. Had absolutely no power in my legs for the first 30 miles, I just pedaled 'til I got to the first SAG stop. It was in the small town of Montell0 - right at a little waterfall, complete with swans and a miniature church on the rocks that played chimes.

Picked up steam as the day progressed and got in to Fond du Lac by 3 pm. Another contingent of TEAM JEAN arrived - My sister Carol and her children, Chloe and Aidan AND my sister Sarah, her husband Garrett and their girls Clara and Elsa - what fun! These TEAM JEAN members came through with more goodies - fudge, brownies, Dutch cookies for our international riders and of course, cheese curds.

It was great to see more family and we had a fun dinner together. I introduced them all at our rap meeting and then they hit the road for home.

Tonight we had a t-shirt exchange and I ended up with a Tour de France t-shirt - I scored!

Tomorrow is an easy day - only 57 miles to Manitowoc.

Interim Post #6 - Still biking, just been busy!

Hi TEAM JEAN - All is well, just been busy with family and didn't have good internet access last night. Should be all updated by the end of today.

Friday, July 20, 2007, LaCrosse, WI to Wis. Dells, WI, 91.5 miles, 9 hours, 45 min, 7 hrs, 56 min on the bike, Ave. speed: 11.4 mph, Climb: 2350 ft.

Today I experienced the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good was cool temps and low humidity once again - the weather gods have been more than generous to us on this trip. More of the good was taking the Sparta to Elroy Trail. This is one of the first Rails to Trails pathway in the country. It is gorgeous - it's an old railroad bed and goes through woods and farmland and 3 tunnels. The tunnels were fun. We had to walk our bikes and use flashlights to see (one tunnel is 3/4 mile long) and we got dripped on from leaky spring water. The photo here has me in front of the first tunnel we went through. (Sorry, the picture is blurry, but you get the idea....) I also saw a deer on the trail - pretty neat.

The trail was 33 miles long and because is is hard packed dirt, you can't go very fast, so by the second SAG stop where we got off the trail, things started to get bad. I had no power left in my legs and I had 30 miles to go. I kept pedaling - but very slowly. Then things really got ugly when I started to hit the hills again. By the time I got close to the Dells I was cursing under my breath - it was not pretty!





However, things ended on the good side - when I got to the hotel, members of TEAM JEAN were waiting for me - but looking in the wrong direction!!! This is what I saw as I rode in.


My Mom, Dad, sister Anne and my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Bill cheered me in - once I yelled to them "You're looking the wrong way!" Mom also brought oodles of freshly baked chocolate chip and ginger cookies and I shared them with all of the group. Mom was the favorite person of the day!

I had a good visit with the family and then went out with 4 of my college girlfriends who were in town - another good to offset the bad and ugly of the day.