Day 39: Corning to Cazenovia NY

My enjoyment of 100+ mile rides in the rain came to an end today.  A combination of persistant light rain, stong northerly winds and cool temperatures made for a very unpleasant day of riding.  I did ok until about 20 miles to go and then started feeling mentally and physically fatigued - more so than any other ride on the entire trip.  To make matters worse, we had a tough climb just before reaching our destination in Cazenovia.  However, I did get it done and kept my "ride-every'mile" goal intact.

Our ride took us directly through Ithaca, home of Cornell University.  We didn't pass by the campus, but did see enough of this very hilly city to give it a big thumbs up for beauty.  It's definitely a city that I would like to come back to visit - hopefully on a warm, sunny day.

I stayed relatively dry today, but still looked like a drowned rat when I finished.  Here are several photos of me yesterday just after I got off the bike.  I looked pretty much the same today, but with somewhat different rain attire.

Here's the front view

Here's the back view:

Cazenovia is a small, affluent town of about 7,000 people located about 40 miles south of Syracuse. We are staying tonight at the Brewster Inn located on Lake Cazenovia.  It's a lovely old inn in a nice setting overlooking the lake.  Unfortunately the weather is so crappy that we can't really enjoy the setting.  They did serve us an excellent dinner in a lovely private room - one of the best meals of the trip.

Tomorrow we have our 5th consecutive 100+ mile day since our rest day in Cleveland as we pedal our way to Spectulator NY.  The very good news is that it is forecast to be dry with early AM temperatures around 40 degrees raising to the mid-50's by afternoon - perfect cycling conditions.  This will be our 19th and final century ride of the trip - and could be the last one I ever do.  Hopefully the combination of it potentially being my last century ride and the dry weather will re-engergize me from my very worn-out condition this evening.

Steve

Day 38: Bradford to Corning NY

As predicted, today's 100 mile ride was a vitural repeat of yesterday's ride - same distance, nice fall scenery, lots of climbing, and lots of rain.  Fortunately the rain did not start until about 3 hours into the ride  - so at least we did not start out getting soaked.  It was still dry when we crossed into New York (our 13th state) at the 25 mile point of the ride.  Temperatures were mild, so I again battled getting soaked from the outside in versus the inside out.  I was overdressed during the morning, but happy to be wearing my full raingear when the heavens opened up during the afternoon.

In the rational world that I normally live in I would never consider doing a century ride in the rain - but I've just done two in a row and will likely extend that to four over the next two days.  Perhaps more suprisingly, I've actually enjoyed both rides.  

I again rode strong and was at the hotel a few minutes past 3pm (there was no lightning so no delays). This gave me a chance to do a bath tub full of wash, which I now have hanging all over my room.  The Trek Travel folks rinsed off all of the bikes before we brought them to our rooms and I am now using mine as a cloths rack by leaning it against the AC unit in the room. Not everything will dry overnight, so I will repeat the drying process again tomorrow night.

We were on our own tonight to explore Corning and eat at the place of our choice.  However, since it is raining heavily I had a pizza delivered to my room and passed on the opportunity to get soaked again while exploring the town.  Too bad, because our hotel is only a short walk from the Corning Glass Museum.

Tomorrow we pretty much do the same thing again - 100 miles, lots of climbing, nice scenery, and lots of rain.  The forecast is for 2"-3" of rain tonight gradually tapering to showers by tomorrow afternoon - and much cooler temperatures.  So it appears I will need full raingear right from the start. We'll see if my enjoyment of doing century rides in the rain continues.

Steve

Day 37: Meadville to Bradford PA

As planned, I pulled back on the throttle today and had a good, strong 101 mile ride to Bradford.  However, as forecast, it was wet - periods of drizzle and light rain throughout the day.  It gave me a chance to try out my rain gear - which it appears will get almost constant use all of the way to Maine.  Overall the gear kept me from getting soaked from the rain, but the mild temperatures combined with a lot of climbing resulted in me getting soaked from the inside with sweat.  I played around with various ventilation schemes and eventually found a good balance between not being cooked or drowned.

We started out this morning with some large "rollers" with numerous 1/4 to 1/2 mile climbs of 5-7% grade.  This was followed in the afternoon by a several mile 5-7% climb.  For the day we climbed 5400 ft. This was the first day that we were treated to brilliant fall colors - which were quite pretty even if somewhat muted by the low clouds and rain.  This is really a beautiful part of the country.

Bradford is a nice town of about 9000 people best known as the home of Zippo lighters.  It is located about 25 miles south of the border with New York.  We walked a few blocks into the pleasant appearing small downtown area for dinner - it was excellent.

We have three more consecutive 100+ mile rides ahead of us and we're told that they will be very similar to today's ride - including the rain.  Tomorrow could be particularly challenging with heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast throughout the day.  We are not allowed to ride if there is lightning in the area so it could be a day of starts and stops as we try to go 100 miles to Corning NY.  Don't be surprised if there is no blog post tomorrow - it could be a long day.

Steve

Day 36: Cleveland to Meadville PA

Today's ride had an interesting start as we pedaled out of downtown Cleveland through at least 20 stoplights passing by the world renown Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University.  Thank goodness it was early Sunday morning with very light traffic.  I can't imagine how stressful this would have been on a weekday morning.  Once we got past the stoplights we passed through some beautiful neighborhoods before heading out into the equally beautiful rolling countryside of northeastern  Ohio. 

I had a unique sensation as I started pedaling this morning.  It's difficult to describe, but I felt that my bike was an extension of my body - and vise versa.  Everything felt totally in sync.  I guess this shouldn't be a surprise after nearly 3000 miles together - but it was unexpected and I hope it continues.

Dave Edwards, one of our guides and the architect of all the daily routes, did a masterful job of designing today's route.  We passed by fields, farms, forests, and lakes as we covered 106 miles and climbed almost 4000 feet.  As we crossed Pymatuning Lake on Highway 85 at about mile 80 we entered Pennsylvania - our 12th state.  Traffic was light and the weather was great - except, of course, for the ever present easterly winds.

I rode with a large pack for the first 30 miles and then pulled back on the pace to about 17 mph for the remaining 30 miles to lunch.   I soloed most of the afternoon maintaining an aggressive pace which kept me only a few minutes behind the faster group.  I again felt strong, but probably rode harder than I should have given that we have four more consecutive 100+ mile days ahead of us. Tomorrow I'm planning to dial back the pace.  

It looks like tomorrow's 101 mile ride to Bradford PA will be wet and cool.  I'm laying out my raingear tonight with the expectation that it will be raining when we start out in the morning.  And the chance of rain is forecast to stay with us during most of the week followed by much cooler temperatures.  I guess it's only fitting that we should be tested by the elements as we enter the home stretch of our journey across the country.

Steve

Day 35: Cleveland Rest Day Recap

This fourth, and last, rest day of the trip has involved a lot of "horizontal time" as I've napped, and watched football and golf - plus the usual laundromat visit (this time in the hotel) and a trip to a local CVS.  It was capped off by a very nice dinner at the Urban Farmer (bottom floor of Westin Hotel) restaurant a few blocks from my hotel.  I arrived at 5pm when they started to serve dinner, got an outside table, and then noticed all of the security people just up the street.  It turns out the Cleveland Browns stay at the Westin Hotel the night before home games (they host the Raiders tomorrow) and I was seated near where their valet parking is located. So throughout dinner I was treated to a parade of very big men getting out of very nice vehicles.

The last five days of riding since our rest day in Madison have gone very well.  The scenery has been nice, but nothing very special.  I have enjoyed going through the many nice small and medium size towns along our route.  I did not enjoy the bad roads in Michigan -  most states at least attempt to patch potholes.  Michigan appears to be attempting to set records for pothole depth. 

What's been most gratifying about the last five days is my overall physical condition.  I am pedaling stronger at a faster pace and have almost no muscle soreness.  I don't know what to credit it to, but I know that I don't plan to change any of my routine for the rest of the trip.  After each ride I use a rubber band to stretch my legs, followed by a leg massage with a rolling pin device that I carry with me. Before each ride, I get up at 4:30am to soak for 20 minutes in a tub of hot water and then repeat the stretching and massage.  I continue to take magnesium, calcium, and potassium supplements - and I've been off of my low dose of statin (Crestor) since early June.  I certainly hope my good fortune continues.

The last portion of the trip involves nine straight days of pedaling with each of the first five being over 100 miles.  Our route avoids any major northeastern city and instead takes us through the following towns: Meadville PA, Bradford PA, Corning NY, Cazenovia NY, Speculator NY, Ticonderoga NY, Fairlee VT, North Conway NH, and then to our destination in Portland.  The fall colors should intensify each day and reach their peak as we ride into the mountains of upstate New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire.  

As always the wild card will be the weather.  Moderate to strong easterly headwinds are forecast for at least the next several days which will make the 100+ mile days more challenging - but at this point we are pretty much calibrated to constant headwinds.   However, we are not used to rain - and rain is in the forecast for later this week.

No matter what the weater brings, I am really looking forward to this final portion of what continues to be a great cycling adventure.

Steve

 

Day 34: Rossford to Cleveland

It actually turned out to be a really good 127 mile ride.  We continue to be blessed with nice weather, except for the persistent easterly winds to which we have become accustomed - I can't remember what a tailwind actually feels like.  And the ride into downtown Cleveland was not near as bad as I had envisioned.

Our 60 miles before lunch were very nice with about 30 of the miles on bike paths.  I rode with a large group of 10-12 people at a comfortable 16-18mph pace.  I dropped back slightly just before lunch when we encountered a 6.6 mile stretch of gravel bike path.  The "thrill seekers" in the group (which seemed to be almost everyone) accelerated to 18-20mph while I felt proud of myself for maintaining 15mph.

The fun began after lunch when I joined up with Raimundas Cekanauskas ( he wisely goes by Rai).  Rai is a very interesting "mate" from a small town near Newcastle Australia.  He is a 56 year old truck mechanic and "renaissance man" who grew up in very humble surroundings as one of seven children of parents who immigrated from central Europe at the end of WWII.   He also happens to be a strong cyclist.  We took off from lunch a few minutes before the "pack" and decided to combine our talents for at least the beginning of the afternoon.  As stated, his talent is cycling - my talent happens to be navigating.  We agreed that if he "pulled" me through the worst of the headwinds, I would keep us from getting lost through the maze (see picture of turn-by-turn instructions) of turns facing us on our way into Cleveland.

We made a great team.  I rode strong behind his pull and we did not get lost; and we were the first to arrive at the hotel!  During portions of the ride when we were on bike paths, I had the opportunity to chat with Rai and came away very impressed - his many activities include building 1/4 scale cars; and "bridges" which he donates to wheelchair bound children to encourage them to get out of their chairs to cross the bridge.  It also appears he can fix almost anything mechanical.  

All but the final few blocks to our hotel were actually quite nice.  Almost 10 miles was through the very pretty Rocky River Reservation followed by a long stretch on Lake Ave which was lined on both sides with attractive homes.  The final mile was somewhat of a survival contest as we dodged buses and turning cars (whose drivers seemed oblivious to our presence) to make it to the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Cleveland.  The hotel is a little "tired" but will still provide a welcome rest day home.

Steve

Day 33: Marshall to Rossford OH

Today's 120 mile ride to Rossford went very well.  I rode with a group of 5-6 people for the entire day which really helped offset the impact of a 10-15 mph headwind.  I rotated through the pace line for portions of the ride, but moved to the back when road condition were bad - which was at least 50% of the time.  Without doubt Michigan has the worst secondary highways of any state we have been in on this trip.  Besides generally rough surfaces, there are many randomly located potholes some of which appear to be bottomless. While hanging out at the back of the pace line,  I doubled my 5ft rule to 10ft which allowed me to avoid any encounters with the worst of the potholes - but we all got bounced around by the rough roads.

During the day we pedaled through a number of nice small to mid-sized towns - Albion MI seemed particularly nice. We also spent a very pleasant 7 miles on the Falling Waters Trail which was in excellent condition (much better than the roads) and lined on each side by big trees. We crossed into Ohio (our 11th state) at the 87 mile point and immediately noticed an improvement in road conditions. The Hampton Inn that we are staying in tonight in Rossford is located at the intersection of Interstates 75 and 80 just south of Toledo - I may need my earplugs tonight to block out the traffic noise.  

Tomorrow we go another 127 miles to Cleveland directly into headwinds expected to be in the 10-15mph range.  I hope to ride in the same group that I did today, but only if they stay in the same 17-18mph range that they maintained today.  If they increase into the 19-20mph range I'll need to drop back to another group and/or spend most of the time soloing - which will be tough with the expected headwind.  

I have not been looking forward to riding into downtown Cleveland on a Friday afternoon.  Hopefully it will not be as stressful as I anticipate - but it will certainly be a relief to get settled into our hotel for Saturday's rest day.

Steve

Day 32: Holland to Marshall MI

I hung out with the fast crowd again for the first part of today's 91 mile ride to Marshall.  The group is willing, out of respect (or pity) for my age to let me loiter at the back of the line and it certainly helped to be with a large group as we left Holland with heavy early morning traffic and a complicated set of turns before gettting out into the open countryside.  At about 23 miles the group accelerated from their initial 18-20mph which caused me to immediately decelerate to my normal 15-16mph pace. 

I soloed for the rest of the day through nice rolling farmland, but with considerably more trees than in the farm country of Iowa.  I came across this pretty little church as I pedaled along.

The overall ride was quite pleasant, helped my near perfect weather, and I hopefully finished with plenty of "fuel in the tank" for the big rides of the next few days.  

Marshall is a town of about 7000 population and is known as a "virtual textbook of 19th-Century American architecture". I didn't get to see the town pedaling in, but we are being shuttled to dinner tonight to Schulers restaurant and I hope to see some of the town in the process.

 The next two days are the two highest mileage days of the trip - 120 miles tomorrow to get to Rossford OH (near Toledo) and then 127 miles the next day to get to Cleveland.  We are certainly going to have to earn our Day 35 rest day in Cleveland.  The weather forecast looks great except for some modest to moderate easterly headwinds coming off of Lake Erie. (Note - we have had only one or two days with a "W" in the wind direction since somewhere back in Wyoming.)

The combination of the sun not rising until almost 7:30am and the high mileage will likely result in late arrival times the next two days.  Don't be surprised if their are no blog posts until my rest day on Saturday. 

Steve 

Day 31: Milwaukee to Holland MI

This day broke our normal routine.  We had to have our luggage ready at 8am so the luggage van (which was to tall to go on the ferry) could be driven around Lake Michigan and arrive in Holland by the time we pedaled in.  Since we didn't need to depart for the ferry until 11am this left us some free time which I used to walk over to the Harley Davidson Museum.  

I'm not a motorcycle guy so the $20 entry fee was enough to keep me out of the museum.  I did spend some time in the nice gift shop, but realizied I have no Harley friends so no need for gifts.  I did get a picture of our excellent hotel looking across from the very nicely landscaped grounds of the museum.

We rode our bikes about 3 miles to the Lake Express Ferry Terminal.  When it came time to board the ferry we rode the bikes right up the ramp before any of the cars were boarded.  I enjoyed a 2 hot dog lunch during the 2 1/2 crossing to Muskegon MI.  The ride was fairly smooth and I even took a brief nap.

Since we lost an hour as we entered the Eastern Time Zone, it was 4:30pm when we landed and everyone was ready to get going.  And boy, did we take off.  I rode at the end of the lead 10-person pace line which averaged around 18-20 mph during our 37 mile "sprint" to Holland.  I felt stong and had no problem keeping up with the pace - but I did invoke my "5 ft rule" since the road surface was not very good.

Our hotel in Holland is  the very nice, but "funky" City Flats Hotel.  Since we didn't arrive until about 7pm, I grabbed a quick meal at a local pub and brought a rapid end to my day.  Holland seems like a very nice place, but I'll have to wait until another time to really see it.

Steve

Day 30: Madison to Milwaukee

Today's 90 mile ride to Milwaukee was uneventful and sort of a mixed-bag.  We were led out from our hotel in Madison by Tania Burke, Owner of Trek Travel, on what I thought was going to be a relaxing  ride on Madison's excellent network of bike paths.  But, due to detours caused by bike path repairs, we ended up on very busy streets at morning rush hour for much of the first 15 miles.  It was made more stressful by the fact that almost the entire group was bunched together behind Tania.  It was definitely no fun.  The rest of the ride was fine and I was in and out of various groups of cyclists as I pedaled at a fairly brisk pace. The weather was once again near perfect.

We were on portions of various bike paths throughout the day including the final 3.5 miles coming into central Milwaukee.  Me and several other riders made a wrong turn a few blocks from the hotel and ended up putting our brakes on as we passed an ice cream store called the Purple Door.  A nice milkshake confirmed that our wrong turn had actually been the best turn.  

We are staying at The Iron Horse Hotel which is described as a "Boutique, warehouse-style hotel offering chic, industrial rooms".  It is the result of an extensive renovation of a 100 year old warehouse and it is very nicely done.  My 6th floor room looks across the Menomonee River to the Harley-Davidson Museum and the skyline of Milwaukee beyond. Based on it's style and location, I'm sure the hotel caters to Harley enthusiasts from around the world.  

Lake Michigan is off to my right and just out of view.  Based on what I have seen so far of downtown Milwaukee, it is definitely nicer than the "old, dirty, rust-belt" image that I previously had of the city - an unfair image that I am happy to discard. 

Tomorow should be a fun and interesting day with only 40 miles of cycling.  From the hotel we pedal 3 miles to the Lake Express Ferry Terminal and then depart around noon for a 2 1/2 hour ferry ride across Lake Michigan. Once in Michigan, we pedal 37 miles to our hotel in the town of Holland. Michigan will be the 10th state of our journey and also marks our entry into the Eastern Time Zone.

Steve

Day 29: Madison Rest Day Recap

This was a busy rest day.  It started with the obligatory trip to the laundromat which I find to be a humbling and down-to-earth experience that everyone should occasionally do to stay "grounded". This was followed by an early lunch at the Great Dane Pub with Jack Bierman, our friend from Stevens Point, and Jan's sister Suzie and her husband Rocky who drove up from their home in northern Illinois.  It was a very enjoyable lunch in the outside beer garden on another picture perfect Wisconsin day.

After a lazy afternoon which included a long nap, I was treated to dinner at a local restaurant by my cousin Betty, her daughter Betsy, and Betsy's husband Peter all of whom live in Madison.   It was great seeing them and having a nice conversation over an excellent dinner.  And they had me back to the hotel by 6:30 - of course they were motivated to get home for the kickoff of the Packer's game at 7:30.  This town and probably every other place in Wisconsin appears to go crazy on a Packer's game day - Packer's jersey's are definitely the preferred attire.  I'm a longtime Packer's fan and I find the whole scene exhilarating.

This past portion of the trip from our rest day in Rapid City to our arrival in Madison has been a real physical and mental challenge.  Mentally I hit my low point as we crossed the unchanging landscape of South Dakota while strong winds, which were never at our back, sapped our energy.  I seemed to have snapped out of my mental slump during our short ride into Sioux Falls and our relaxing stay in this very nice small city.   (My cousin Betty reminded me at dinner today that my parents lived for a time in a small house near downtown Sioux Falls at the beginning of WWII - I wish I had known so I could have located the house). 

Physically, I am doing great and exceeding my expectations.  Only on my Day 26 30+ mile "sprint" to West Union have I exceeded my self-imposed average speed limit of 16mph.  I am a very competitive person so it has not been easy to dial back my pace to be a "middle to back of the pack" guy.  But it has been hugely important to maintaining my good physical state.  I need to have the same discipline as we continue across the eastern part of the country.

We have only five days of riding to our next rest day in Cleveland - including a 3 hour ferry ride across Lake Michigan on Day 31 and two back-to-back days of 120 and 127 miles on days 33 and 34 respectively. I've sort of known what to expect as we've made our way across the west, but what we'll  experience as we pedal across the more heavily populated states of Michigan and Ohio is more of an unknown to me.  I certainly hope, and expect, that the Trek Travel folks will continue to do their outstanding job of routing us on scenic and less traveled roads.

Steve

Day 28: Boscobel to Madison

It just does not get any better.  Almost the entire 96 mile ride was on quiet backcountry roads through lovely rolling countryside with numerous picturesque farms.  The weather was perfect with blue skys, cool temperatures, and light NW winds - yes, we had a tailwind for the first time since somewhere in Wyoming. With Trek Bicycle and Trek Travel both headquartered in Madison, the routing benefited from a lot of local knowledge - and it was fabulous.   However, it did include the steepest climb of the trip - a 15% grade that got me out of the saddle and my heart rate above 150. Fortunately, it was relatively short

The final few miles into Madison were along the shores of Lake Mendota through some beautiful neighborhoods.  We pedaled by the state capital building as we neared our destination at the Hilton on Lake Monona - downtown Madison sits directly between the two lakes. My room has a nice view out over the lake.

Upon arrival I took a walk around the capital building and down State Street, near the University of Wisconsin, in search of the best milkshake in town.  I found the shake and also had the opportunity to get a feel for the area around the campus - the Badger's home game was in-progress so the crowds on State Street were not too crazy.  While I enjoyed experiencing the "vib" of the area, I didn't enjoy being approached by panhandlers every few minutes nor seeing the hundred's of homeless/street people camped out around and on the steps of almost every state office building.   I guess I'm just getting old. but the two "very liberal" towns we have visited on this trip ( Portland OR and Madison WI ) that are rated high in the "best places to live" rankings just don't work for me - give me a Walla Walla, Missoula, or Sioux Falls any day.

This evening we had a casual dinner at the home of John and Tania Burke, owners of Trek Bicycle and Trek Travel respectively.  We arrived in their backyard to a beautiful sunset over Lake Mendota.

The Burke's home is a lovely, comfortable, hundred-year-old cedar shake structure which would fit nicely on the New England coast.  I had good conversations with both John and Tania and found them to be nice, down-to-earth midwestern people.  Not surprisingly, they are both avid cyclists who commute long distances by bike to their respective workplaces whenever weather permits. It was a nice evening which kept me up past my curfew time - but tomorrow's a rest day so "what the heck".

Steve

Day 27: West Union to Boscobel WI

After yesterday's fast finish, I pulled back on the throttle for the relatively short 80 ride to Boscobel.  It was a perfect day to cruise through the beautiful rolling countryside of northeast Iowa. Probably because of it's very hilly topography this area has retained the look of the rural Iowa that I grew up with and has avoided the "industrialized agricultural look" that has robbed much of the Iowa landscape that we pedaled through of it's character and natural beauty.

 

The 48 miles of riding before lunch under blue skys, light winds, and cool temperatures was some of most relaxing and enjoyable of the trip - of course knowing there are "only" 32 miles remaining after lunch also helps boost the spirits.

We stopped for lunch in Marquette IA on the west bank of the Mississippi River - our lunch spot was actually under the bridge that spans the river.  After lunch we pedaled across the bridge leaving Iowa and heading into Wisconsin - our 9th state of the trip.  Then things got even better.  County Road C isn't a very glamorous name for a road, but the 13 miles of pedaling on this road, much of which was along side the Wisconsin River, was wonderful.  All-in-all it was a great day of cycling.  And we really lucked out on the weather.  Yesterday's rain had moved on and the rain forecast for this evening through the overnight had yet to arrive.  

Boscobel doesn't appear to be much of a town. It's known for having a state prison and calls itself the wild turkey hunting capital of Wisconsin - we didn't see any turkeys or convicts on the way into town.

Tomorrow we head 96 miles to Madison, the state capital and home of the University of Wisconsin.  The route is supposed to be very nice and the weather forecast looks good. Hopefully the roads won't be clogged with fans heading to the Badgers home football game against the mighty Troy Trojans - one of those early season mismatch games that provide the big school with a win and the small school with money.

Trek Bicycle and Trek Travel are headquartered in Madison and tomorrow night our group is having dinner at the home of Tania & John Burke - John is the President of Trek Bicycle and Tania is President of Trek Travel. It will be a special occasion worthy of my best dress up clothes - blue jeans, running shoes and, yes, even a collared shirt.  

Because of tomorrow evening's activities, I will not plan to post to the blog.  I'll catch up on Sunday - our third rest day of the trip - with a Day 28 post and a rest day recap.

Steve

Day 26: Clear Lake to West Union

After over 2200 miles of pedaling we had only been rained on briefly as we went over LoLo Pass on Day 8. Well, mother nature got even with us today. Our 6am breakfast was accompanied by lightning and thunder which caused our rollout to be delayed until 8:30am.  After departing we traveled on wet roads with only occasional light showers until about 10 miles from our lunch spot at mile 56 by the Cedar River in Nashua.  Then the heavens opened up, with some lightning and thunder, as I pedaled solo into Nashua.  By the time I reached Nashua, the street  gutters were running full and I was drenched - my rain jacket was only marginally helpful.

We ate lunch under a small pavilion with soaked cycling gear and chattering teeth - even though the temperature was in the 70's.  As the storm moved off to the east, we immediately took off on our bikes in order to warmup.  I took off like a rocket and rode the remaining 36 miles to our destination in West Union at my fastest sustained speeds of the entire trip. I was motivated by the likelihood of another band of showers coming through around 4pm. But frankly, once I got cranked up I was feeling so strong and enjoying it so much that I just didn't want to slow down.  With about 5 miles to go, I even caught up with one of the faster pace lines - needless to say they were surprised to see me pull in behind them.  My days of being allowed to loiter at the back of pace lines is probably over - which is ok with me because I still prefer to ride solo. We were able to make it to the hotel before anymore rain arrived.

Tomorrow we have a relatively short 80 mile day as we leave Iowa, crossing the Mississippi at Marquette, heading into Wisconsin (9th state of the trip) to our destination in Boscobel. Even with the winds and rain I've enjoyed cycling through the fields and small towns of northern Iowa.  I've worn my Iowa State Fair teeshirt each of our 3 nights in Iowa which has been a good conversation starter. As expected, Iowan's are very friendly when chatting with them in person. But, totally unexpected by me,  when on our bicycles we were taunted, honked at, and "brushed back", more times than any other state we've cycled through.   Frankly, I don't get it - it seems very out of character to the Iowa that I know.

So, on to Wisconsin - reported to be one of the most bike friendly states in the country.

Steve 

Day 25: Okoboji to Clear Lake

Today's 114 mile ride was much like yesterday's - enjoyable, but windy.  But windy is the norm in this area as evidenced by the hundreds of wind turbines that lined portions of today's route.

I particularly liked the final 10 miles of the ride as we made our way along the north shore of Clear Lake into the downtown. It's probably been over 40 years since I was at Clear Lake and it brought back a lot of good memories of our many family vacations at the lake.  

I rode strong today and arrived at the hotel at about 4pm in time to be ready for my dinner date.  I thought it was going to be with Ben and Jerry, but it turned out to be with Ben and his wife Jeanne. We had a nice visit, a good meal, and finished it off with a milkshake - and they got me back to the hotel before my 8pm curfew.  It was great to see my friends - and I reminded Ben that the last time we were in Clear Lake together was a mere 55 years ago.

Tomorrow's 92 mile ride to West Union could be wet.  Showers and thunderstorms are forecast throughout the day.  So at last we may be able to try out the expensive cycling raingear that we all brought on the trip, but have had no reason to use.  The good news is that after the unsettled weather moves through over the next few days, the wind direction should have a "W" in it.

Steve

Day 24: Sioux Falls to Okoboji

Today's 109 mile ride to Lake Okoboji was made even more challenging by a constant 20-25mph wind out of the south.  Heading east out of Sioux Falls we entered Minnesota at mile 16 and then continued east on County Highway 35 which parallels I-90.  Here's a picture of CD and I as we entered Minnesota - our 7th state on the trip.

The strong crosswind during this portion of the ride was tiring as we tried to keep control of our bikes. But things got much more difficult after lunch as we started working our way east and south on a grid of paved county highways.  Every time we turned south it was like hitting a wall and our speed dropped to 10mph or less.  CD and I rode together all afternoon and tried as best we could to alternate pulling - but I don't think it made much difference. As we worked our way across southern Minnesota we did see this really cool barn.

We entered Iowa at mile 99 on a county road with no "Welcome to Iowa" sign - a very unceremonious way to enter my home state.  Then the winds really smacked us as we headed south towards our destination at Bridges Bay Resort on Lake Okoboji. As we pedaled around the north shore of Spirit Lake (one of a half-a-dozen lakes in this area) the wind was particularly strong as it came across the lake whipping the water into large whitecaps.

My hotel room is a huge suite overlooking the lake - it's off season so there must be an excess of suites available.  Unfortunately the only use I am making of the suite is to spread all of my stuff over a much wider area than normal.

I didn't say it earlier, but I actually enjoyed today's ride.  My legs are feeling strong and my various aches and pains seem to be diminishing.  I guess my old body has finally decided to more graciously accept the daily punishment that it is being put through.

Tomorrow we do it all over again - 114 miles to Clear Lake with 20-25 south winds forecast.  At least we will be heading almost due east most of the day.  My high school friends Ben Tillotson and Jerry  Reed plan to meet me for dinner tomorrow night. I've told them that due to the special occasion I will extend my curfew to 9pm.  It will be great fun seeing them and I really appreciate their effort to arrange their return to Des Moines from a Minnesota fishing trip to intersect with my arrival in Clear Lake.

Steve

 

Day 23: Mitchell to Sioux Falls

Sorry, no exciting pictures of an illuminated Corn Palace. We couldn't get a quorum ( actually we couldn't get anybody) interested in going to see it after dark.  

I soloed the entire 73 miles to Sioux Falls today and really enjoyed it - my mental slump appears to be over.  The route was almost entirely on Highway 38 with light traffic and good road conditions, except for an 11 mile section which was closed for repairs. Most of us pedaled right around the road closed barrier and, except for one area where we had to carry our bikes through a large ditch in which a new culvert was being installed, made it through without difficulty.  Several in the group took a detour on I-90 to avoid the construction - I'll take a little road construction over pedaling on an interstate highway anyday.

I arrived in Sioux Falls about 1pm and settled into my room in a one year old Hilton Garden Inn located in the downtown area on the Big Sioux River - it is a very nice hotel in a great setting. The bridge on the right in the picture is an historic railway bridge converted to pedestrian/cycling use. 

As I walked around downtown in search of a chocolate milkshake, I was really impressed with the look and feel of the area.  I've probably said this before, but one of the great pleasures of my cross-country cycling trips is to see and experience some of the really nice mid-sized cities across the U.S.  Sioux Falls, which has a population of around 150,000, appears to rank with the best.  To those of you who live on the coasts and have not taken the opportunity to see first hand what's taking place in these very livable mid-sized towns of middle-America I encourage you to do so - it will give you renewed faith in the future of our country.

I was successful in my search for a milkshake - and it was excellent!!

The group is on our own for dinner tonight so I think I'll have a burger out on the hotel patio overlooking the river and then spend a quiet evening watching the 1st quarter of Monday Night Football before lights out time - if it's a really good game I might even make it to halftime.  

I need a good night's sleep because we have two high mileage days ahead of us. Tomorrow we pedal 109 miles to Okoboji IA, crossing into my home state of Iowa after spending about 80 miles going across the southwest corner of Minnesota.  Winds are forecasted to be up to 25 mph from the south with temperatures in the low 80's which, combined with the mileage, might make this one of the most challenging days of the trip. Then on Wednesay we go another 114 miles to get to Clear Lake IA.  I've really been looking forward to the ride across northern Iowa, but it's going to be challenging - think of doing Ragbrai (look it up if you don't know what it is) in less than one-half the normal time.  

Steve

 

Day 22: Oacoma to Mitchell

Today's relatively "short" 76 mile ride to Mitchell was certainly less arduous than yesterday's - but still mentally challenging.  I am clearly going through a mid-trip mental slump - which is not unexpected.   I had the same issue in Oklahoma when doing the southern route three years ago.  However on that trip I also had severe leg cramping - whereas on this trip my legs continue to be strong and almost totally free of cramping.

Our route today was almot entirely on Highway 16  as it follows the I-90 corridor through this part of the state.  The road had minimal traffic which allowed CD and I to ride side-by-side for much of the day.  CD likes to tell stories which helped pass the time on an otherwise boring ride.  I guess I should have been more excited - we passed about 50 miles south of my birthplace soon after leaving Oacoma; and we passed the halfway point of the trip right after lunch.  But the unchanging scenery and endless miles of straight road, combined with a strong crosswind  suppressed whatever sense of excitement that I should have felt.  

Speaking of excitement - how about the Corn Palace in Mitchell.  I'm pretty sure I was the only one in the group that had ever seen it so I received numerous questions about it over the course of last evening and during today's ride.  My response - "everyone should see it once in there life".  Since I had seen it countless times as a child (and again this May) during our family trips from Des Moines to visit relatives in Ree Heights SD, I chose not to ride the extra miles to see it.  However, there is a chance we'll get into the vans after dinner and see it when it is illuminated.  If we go, I'll include an "exciting" picture in tomorrow's post. If not you'll have to check it out online.

Tomorrow's 73 mile ride to Sioux Falls should be much like today's ride.  It looks like we will continue to be blessed with nice weather - only a few light showers or sprinkles since leaving Astoria OR.  But that does not stop us from complaining about the ever present winds in this part of the country - tomorrow they will be blowing strongly out of the southeast as we head straight east.

Steve

Day 21: Kadoka to Oacoma

Today's 113 mile ride to Oacoma (on the west bank of the Missouri River) was, for me and many others, the toughest of the trip so far.  We pedaled east on frontage roads adjacent to I-90 into a southeasterly breeze of 10 to 20mph for the entire day.  And as much as I enjoy the South Dakota landscape it never changed.  No matter when you looked around, things looked pretty much like they did the last time you looked.  In combination these factors made for a very challenging day mentally - the little voice in my head saying things such as "why are you doing this", "is it ever going to end", and "why don't you just quit".  I think all endurance athletics have these thoughts at one time or another during an event (this one lasts 45 days) and all you can do is just suck it up and finish - which I did.

I rode all day with CD Smith, the pediatric surgeon from Charleston.  He rode strong today as we alternated pulling each other through the wind.  CD, who is 73, was really challenged by the long, steep climbs in the western mountains, but now that we are on flatter terrain he is doing much better.  I think CD and I (the septuagenarians) will be riding a lot more together.

We crossed into the Central Time Zone near the town of Murdo so it was after 5pm CDT when we finally arrived at our hotel - a very long day even without losing the additional hour. We will get to sleep in a little bit longer over the next few days, since being on the western edge of the time zone means the sun does not come up until about 7:15 - and we are not allowed to start riding until after sunrise.

Tommorw's ride to Mitchell is a relatively short 76 miles and the weather again is forecasted to be good - except for winds blowing 15-20mph from the south. When we get off our bikes in Mitchell we will have reached the key halfway milestone - 1,862 miles traveled and 1,842 to go.

Steve

Day 20: Rapid City to Kadoka

It looked like South Dakota today

except when it looked like the surface of the moon.

The first 50 miles of our 112 mile ride was either on a frontage road adjacent to I-90 or on I-90 itself (about 20 miles).  We stopped for a roadside lunch in Wall.  Our lunch spot was close to the "famous" Wall Drug - too close for my comfort.  Some of the group went to visit Wall Drug, but I got out of town as fast as I could - it's just not my kind of place.

Leaving Wall we headed south to Badlands National Park (which is my kind of place) where we pedaled for 30 miles on the HWY 240 loop that goes through the park.  As shown above, the Badlands looks like a moonscape - but as these two bighorn sheep by the side of the road demonstrate, it's full of wildlife.

The ride through the park was very enjoyable, with several tough climbs providing an opportunity to elevate the heart rate.

You may have figured out by now that we are not taking the most direct route across the nourthern U.S.  We did not have to go over the Bighorns, or up Spearfish Canyon, or through the Badlands - but I'm sure glad we did!

After leaving the park, we followed a frontage road paralleling I-90 all the way into Kadoka.  Upon arriving in Kadoka I called my cousin Terry Deuter, who lives in Kadoka, and he came over to the hotel for a short visit.  He arrived in his sheriff's vehicle and in full sheriff attire - turns out he was on duty around the park as we cycled through it. We'll pedal right by his house as we leave Kadoka tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow we have another long day as we pedal 113 miles to Oacoma, which is on the west bank of the Missouri River across from the town of Chamberlain.  Once again the weather looks great with only a light headwind predicted; and there is not much climbing so the day should not be too stressful.  My cousin Susie (Terry's sister) lives near Chamberlain, but I doubt I'll get to see her - I did talk with her on the phone tonight.  I don't have a close relative in every town in South Dakota - it just seems like it.

Steve

Day 19: Rapid City Rest Day Recap

Wow - What a ride!  We have covered 840 miles and climbed 37,000 feet during the eight days since our first rest day in Missoula.  Each of the rides has been great - with the climb over the Big Horn Mountains and yesterday's climb up Spearfish Canyon being my favorites.  It seems like it is always the big climbing days that I like the best  Even though it hurts, there is something about getting into a climbing rhythm and grinding my way up a steep slope that gives me satisfaction - probably also  indicating a need for some serious mental health counseling.   

The weather has been very kind to us.  Early mornings in the mid-40's have warmed into the low 70's each day - and no rain.  At times we've had some nice tailwinds and only on our Day 14 ride into Lovell did we get slammed by some nasty headwinds.  I've become a real fan of Highway 14 from Sheridan to Sundance and, of course, Highway 14A over the Big Horns and up Spearfish Canyon.  If you're driving through that part of the country, get off I-90 and take Highway 14 - you might lose a little time in your schedule, but it certainly won't be wasted time.

My health report is good.  Except for daily post-lunch occurrences of REFS ( see Day 12 for explanation) I am pedaling strong with only minor aches and pains - my "energy conservation" strategy seems to be working. The bruises are gradually fading and the abrasions slowly healing from my Day 2 crash - and I'm even walking without a limp.  However, there is an interesting new painful bump on the top of my left shoulder which has been added to my "needs fixin" list that I'll present to my orthopedic surgeon when I get back to Scottsdale in late October.  

As planned, I have not been very productive today, but did get in some quality laundromat time plus a big breakfast and lunch followed by a nice chocolate milkshake - and a short nap. I took a stroll around downtown and found it to be nicer than I originally thought - yesterday's bad hotel experience definitely created the wrong first impression.  My 8th floor room looks directly down on, and is less than a 1/2 block from the  downtown pavilion where they have a summer outdoor concert series on Thursday nights!  As I write this on a Thursday afternoon,  I have my windows wide open listening to the very loud music of the group "Girls Guns and Glory" from Boston go through rehearsal for tonight's concert.  They sound great.  

My "action packed" evening begins with meeting up with my cousin, Mike Bowers, from Rapid City  and one of his friends - they're tri-althetes and very interested in my trip.  Then I hope to watch some of the Patriots game on Thursday night football (my first TV of the trip), and listen to the concert while seriously violating my 8pm curfew. If Girls Guns and Glory are still playing at 10pm it will be time to shut windows, turn air-conditioner on high, and insert earplugs.

Much of the next portion of the trip to our next rest day in Madison WI will be on or near my home turf.  South Dakota is where I was born (we'll pass about 60 miles south of my birthplace) and where my parents both grew up. I have cousins in several of the towns where we will be stopping and hope to say hello to some of them.  Then it's on to Iowa where I grew up and am still proud to call home.  We'll stop in Clear Lake where we spent many family vacations growing up and where I hope to meet several of my high school  buddies from Des Moines.  It should be a great stretch of riding - unless the wind decides to blow from the east - in which case it could be hell.  So say a little prayer for westerly winds for the next 10 days.

Steve

Day 18: Sundance to Rapid City

Today's 105 mile ride ranks right up there with the best of the trip.  The first 30 miles was easy pedaling as we gradually descended on Highway 14 paralleling I-90 - during which we crossed into South Dakota. We then worked our way around the western side of Spearfish before starting the spectacular 21 mile climb up Spearfish Canyon on HIghway 14a.  I pedaled alone up the moderate grade (3-5%)  with the Belle Fourche River (a bubbling stream at this point) along side me and the beautiful canyon walls on either side. I stopped at Bridal Vail Falls and had someone take a picture of me.

During the ascent up the canyon I thought a lot about my mother.  She went to college in Spearfish to get her teaching credentials during the height of the depression at what today is called Black Hills State University. She talked fondly of Spearfish and my guess is that those two years were some of the happiest of her life.  I'm sure she traveled through this beautiful canyon many times.  I enjoyed having her along for this ride.

After lunch at the General Store in Cheyenne Crossing we had a tough 2.5 mile climb with grades up to 8% - I might have eaten a little less for lunch had I known what lay ahead.  We had several other challenging climbs as we made our way through Lead.  And then came Nemo Road - what a treat! For 33 miles we followed this rolling secondary road towards Rapid City - with the last 15 miles being all downhill. Coming into the city we followed a series of very nice bike paths along Rapid Creek to within a few blocks of the hotel.

Of course, all good things must come to an end.  Arriving at the historic (that means "old") Alex Johnson Hotel in downtown Rapid City was quite a shock. I've traveled enough to immediately recognize a poorly managed hotel - and this one ranks near the top of the badly managed list.  My experience has been almost uniformly bad.  It appears that just about every member of the hotel staff has been trained (or maybe they just come that way) to be unfriendly and/or inefficient.  My recommendation - don't even think about staying here if you come to Rapid City. The only redeeming feature is a giant Starbucks located just off of the lobby. 

I haven't had time to look around the downtown but will do so during tomorrow's very welcome rest day.

Steve

Day 17: Gillette to Sundance

What a nice birthday treat - an interesting and beautiful 75 mile ride.  Once again we were on U.S. Highway 14 for the entire day.  Leaving Gillette in the early morning cold was the interesting part - not the beautiful part.  Paralleling us on our the left for mile after mile were rail cars loaded with coal - some were sitting, but many others were on the move pulled by powerful engines. And paralleling us on our right for mile after mile were hundreds of sections of pipe ready to be placed in the ground to create a new pipeline to transport natural gas or oil ( I did some research online, but could not identify the specific project - there are actually numerous pipeline projects going on in the Gillette area).  The Gillette area is truly one of the major energy hubs in the U.S., if not the world.

The beautiful part started about 20 miles outside of Gillette and continued for the remainder of the day. Rolling hills dotted with cattle, antelope, and the occasional deer.  I took it really easy all morning, riding at a comfortable pace with Dan, a UBS financial advisor from New Jersey, and CD, a pediatric surgeon from Charleston.  We stopped for a roadside lunch beside the Belle Fourche River where the group had a little birthday celebration for me complete with a balloon.

For those of us not doing the optional 13 mile side trip to Devil's Tower there were only 23 miles between us and the hotel to cover after lunch. ( Note, I'm saving those extra 13 miles for my ride from Portland to Yarmouth at the end of the trip. )  For those of you disappointed that I did not go take pictures of Devil's Tower, here is one I took this past May when Jan and I drove across Wyoming - I can assure you that the tower has not changed much in the past few months.

There were two tough climbs after lunch so I ended up soloing most of the time into Sundance.  Here's a picture looking down toward Sundance as I began the final long descent into town.

I arrived in Sundance about 1pm and have had the luxury of an entire afternoon to take it easy.  I took a short walk around the town (it's a small town so there is no such thing as a long walk around town) and located an ice cream shop - but unfortunately it didn't open until 4pm.  It's an interesting little town which seems to cater to bikers (the kind with motors and leather - not spandex). 

The town is named for the Sun Dance ceremony practiced by several Native American Indian tribes. It became more widely known when Harry Longabaugh, an outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, acquired the name of the Sundance Kid after being released from the town jail in 1888.  Of course it was really the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", with Robert Redford playing Harry Longabaugh, that made it famous - with Redford then naming the Sundance Ski Resort in Utah and the Sundance Film Festival after the character he played.  

Tomorrow I will do my first big bike ride as a septuagenarian (look that one up) and it's a tough one - 105 miles with 6200 feet of climbing through the Black Hills region.  However, I am really looking forward to it - a lot of important U.S. history took place here in the late 1800's and I also have a lot of family history in this area.  Of course I'm also looking forward to the end of tomorrow's ride in Rapid City because that means "REST DAY" which will be greatly welcomed by all of us.

Steve

 

Day 16: Sheridan to Gillette

A great 108 mile ride! The weather was again almost perfect with bright blue skys, cool temperatures, and moderate winds.  We followed U.S. Highway 14 the entire way - there was almost no traffic and the road condition was good.  The 62 miles I soloed before lunch was through some of the prettiest countryside I have seen from the seat of a bicycle. Here are a few of the views along the way.

After lunch I cycled with a few others and we just had to stop for some ice cream at the town of Spotted Horse which has an official population of 2 - one of whom served us ice cream in the interesting shop shown here while her husband (resident #2) was out back doing chores.  

As we neared Gillette we stopped to look at the huge Eagle Butte open pit mine where coal is extracted and shipped by rail for use in power plants all over the U.S.

There is not much to say about Gillette - it's a working town where a lot of wealth has been created from mining, but it appears that little or none of that wealth has been invested in beautifying the town.

Tomorrow I am going to spend my 70th birthday pedaling 75 miles to Sundance WY.  There is the option to visit Devils Tower for an additional 13 miles of pedaling.  As a present to myself, I am skipping that option since Jan and I visited there in May.  Only pedaling 75 miles will be a real birthday treat after doing 650 miles in the past 6 days.

Steve

Day 15: Lovell to Sheridan

It was a great 99 mile ride in near perfect weather. The climb on Highway 14A over the Bighorn Mountains was definitely challenging, but I did well.  We left Lovell just as the sun was rising above the Bighorns and it was cold - about 45 degrees.  The first 19 miles were relatively flat and the view of the mountains looming in front of us as the sun rose above them was spectacular, but also quite intimidating - it looks like you are approaching a wall.  I took about a half-dozen brief rests on the steep part of the climb from mile 19 to the summit at mile 38.4, but was able to maintain about a 6mph pace when pedaling.  Here's the view from one of my stops.

The climb really was steep.  If you don't believe me, here's a road sign for truckers near the top of the steepest portion of the climb depicting what I had just climbed.

A nice tailwind kicked in about halfway up the climb and stayed with me until the summit. I was watching my heart rate pretty close during the steepest part of the climb. It stayed in the low 140's most of the time and only briefly touched 150 -  a rate above which my cardiologist gets nervous.

I climbed well and was the 10th one in our group of 20 to make it to the summit. Here's the proof I made it. If the image of me is blurry its because I was so cold I was shaking - a combination of sweat and wind chills in the 30's. I was cold all the way to lunch.

Once reaching the summit there was another 14 miles of descent to get to our lunch spot at the Moose Crossing Restaurant at the Bear Lodge Resort.  Being Labor Day weekend and being in Wyoming, the restaurant was very crowded with hunters - some of whom seemed somewhat disturbed by our spandex cycling attire.

There was one more moderate climb after lunch and then began the long descent towards Sheridan.  I held to my conservative 30mph descending speed limit ( Note: I have a cardiovascular system that lets me hold my own with many of the younger riders when climbing; but I have the reflexes of a 70 year-old and the eyesight of a 90 year-old so a 30mph descending speed limit seems appropriate - some in the group descend at speeds in excess of 50mph). I also took numerous stops on the way down to enjoy the wonderful views of the valley below.  At one of the stops I watched hang gliders prepare to jump off a cliff.

 

Many miles later and several thousand feet lower one of the hang gliders swished over me and landed nearby.  I thoroughly enjoyed my slow descent, but ended up arriving at the hotel with only 45 minutes to get ready for dinner. So once again a late posting to my blog.

Jan and I had a favorable impression of Sheridan when we stayed overnight here during our drive through Wyoming in May.  I think I like it even better this time around - very neat, clean, and friendly with great food.  We had an excellent dinner tonight at the Wyoming Rib & Chop House.  I suppose you're supposed to order steak in Wyoming, but I had salmon and it was great.   Fortunately there is a DQ right by the hotel so I was able to finish off the evening with a large chocolate milkshake.

I'm stiff and sore tonight, but nothing too severe.  I need to recover overnight because tomorrow we pedal 108 miles to Gillette.  No rest for the weary!

Steve

Day 14: Columbus to Lovell

We headed out of Columbus at the crack-of-dawn crossing a bridge over the Yellowstone River and then followed the river for several miles as we headed south on Highway 421 for about 20 miles.  This was a beautiful stretch of riding through rolling countryside dotted with some very nice ranch homes and lots of horses and cattle - plus several tough climbs.  At mile 26 we turned south on Highway 310 which we stayed on for the next 64 miles to our destination in Lovell WY.

This also should have been an enjoyable stretch of riding - the road was excellent, the traffic light, and the scenery great.  But strong headwinds of 15-20mph plagued us the entire way.  I soloed some of the time and also hooked up with several different pace lines over the course of the 64 miles.  Dave Edwards, one of the guides, pulled me and several other riders the last 15 miles into Lovell - which my legs greatly appreciated. We crossed into Wyoming about 20 miles outside of Lovell - our fifth state so far.  

All things considered this was another nice day of riding - but, because of the wind, not the easy day I was planning in preparation for tomorrow's epic climb.

Tomorrow's 99 mile ride to Sheridan over the Big Horn Mountains is the defining day of the entire trip.  The climb on Highway 14A is ranked within the top 25 most difficult climbs in the U.S. - 6000 ft of elevation gain over 20 miles with grades up to 14%; and it tops out at 9430 ft where there is a real shortage of oxygen.  Jan and I drove the route this Spring and, after seeing it, I've been thinking about tomorrow for the last 3 1/2 months.

I feel pretty good about my chances of making it over the summit without getting into the van - I'll certainly give it my best shot!  The weather looks ok - although a violent thunderstorm with hail that came through Lovell this evening may have left some snow at the higher elevations. The wind could make all the difference and there are conflicting forecasts as to whether it will be helping or hurting. 

So far I have pedaled 1161 miles over the past 14 days - except for the final 8 miles on Day 7 which would have required pedaling through flames (I think that's grounds for declaring force majeure).  Anyway, I hope I can keep the "pedal every mile" goal intact for another day. Tune in tomorrow night for an update.

Steve 

Day 13: Bozeman to Columbus

Today's 112 mile ride to Columbus MT could have been very challenging due to the strong (and cold) headwinds that we encountered for most of the day.  However, I played my senior citizen card and was allowed to hang out at the back of an 8 person pace line without ever rotating to the pull position at the front of the line.  I now have 7 new best friends!  As a result, my level of effort was moderate and, while I am certainly tired after 353 miles in 3 days, my legs feel pretty good.

One of the highlights of the day was crossing the Yellowstone River where we all stopped for some photo opportunities.

Another really cool place that we pedaled through was Reed Point MT.  The main street looked like it was right out of a western movie - unfortunately the two parked cars detract from the scene. According to the 2000 census 180 live here - appears to be a saloon for each one of them.

All-in-all it was a good day of riding and our last full day in Montana.  Tomorrow we head southeast to Lovell WY.  I plan to take it as easy as possible in an attempt to save my legs for the "Big" climb on Sunday Day 15 - up an over the Big Horn Mountains on infamous HIghway 14A.  Anyway I'm trying to stay in the moment and take it one day at a time - so let's not talk about Day 15 until Day 14 is complete.

Steve

Day 12: Helena to Bozeman

Another big (116 miles) ride and another after dinner blog post.  I made it to the hotel in Bozeman about 3:30pm but simply did not have the energy to start working on today's post.  However, after a big dinner and a milk shake from the nearby Five Guys I am now up to the task.  

This mornings ride was very nice as we spent most of the time on secondary highways with light traffic.  The passing landscape was once again spectacular with lots of cattle and mountains.

Our route took us through the Missouri River headwaters area crossing over both the Madison and Gallatin rivers as well as the Missouri.  We passed right by the Headwaters State Park, but had neither the time nor energy to take a detour to see it.

The 60 miles after lunch was not near as enjoyable due to a combination of fatigue and busy roads with little or no shoulders. On one of the quieter portions I passed by a llama ranch where the llama on the left seemed as interested in me as I was with him.

On the way into Bozeman I pedaled through the town of Manhattan, where it turns out my nephew Mark Specker owns property - evidently I went right by the entrance to the property. Coincidently,  Mark and several of his friends were there fishing as I passed by.  No, we did not see each other, but I had an email from him when I got to the hotel and we did talk by phone.  He and his friends might stop by my hotel tonight to say hello, but he only has 25 more minutes to do so before my 8pm curfew goes into effect.

Our hotel is about 2 miles from downtown Bozeman so I have not had any chance to see the town.  We do go right through downtown as we pedal out early tomorrow morning so I'll at least get some sense for the look and feel of the place. Tomorrow's 112 mile ride to Columbus MT will be our third big ride in a row - 353 miles in 3 days.  I am looking forward to the day after tomorrow's "short" 90 mile ride from Columbus to Lovell WY.

It's day 12 and I have not yet complained about my backside.  But ( no pun intended) that ends tonight.  I am closing this post by registering a formal complaint regarding my rear-end fatique syndrome (REFS). A bike saddle and a 70 year-old man's behind are simply not able to be in close proximity for 8 hours a day, day after day, without it becoming a real pain-in-the-ass for the behind's owner.  I well say no more.

Steve

  

Day 11: Missoula to Helena

Today we began our journey across the beatiful state of Montana with a big ride - 125 miles with 6,100 feet of climbing. We were aided most of the day by a nice tailwind, but it was still a long, tough day - about 8 hours in the saddle.  The climb over the continental divide at MacDonald Pass was about 4 miles with a steady grade of 6% - not so bad as climbs go.  However, it was made more challenging by the fact that we started  the climb after having already pedaled 105 miles.  Today's entire ride was filled with magnificent vistas of ranchlands and mountains interlaced with streams and rivers - just the way Montana is supposed to look.  

I soloed almost the entire way again today and have decided that I much prefer it over riding in a pace line.  When soloing, I can vary my speed to my liking over the rolling terrain, enjoy the passing scenery, and relax.   None of this is possible in a pace line.  I guess I'm willing to accept the "energy penalty" of not being able to draft behind other riders in order to gain the freedom to do my own thing.  

I've never been to Helena before and won't get to see much of it during our short stay.  However, I was surprised at the number of beautiful Victorian style buildings and residents.  So I checked it out on Wikipedia and learned that around the year 1888, about 50 millionaires lived in Helena, more per capita than in any city in the world. Their fortunes were made in gold taken from the nearby Last Chance Gluch and they used some of it to build the fine buildings and residences that we still see today. We are staying downtown and there is a very interesting pedestrian mall incorporating many of the old buildings.  I found it very much to my liking - particularly because it has an ice cream shop which makes excellent chocolate milk shakes.

Tomorrow we continue are journey across Montana with another long 116 mile ride to Bozemen.  There is only about one-half the amount of climbing as we did today, so it shouldn't be as demanding. However, the winds may not be as favorable as they were today and there is the threat of rain later in the afternoon - hopefully we will arrive in Bozemen before the rain arrives.

Due to our long ride and late arrival it has already reached by 8pm bedtime and I still have to get everything ready for tomorrow.  So goodnight!

Steve