Saturday 8-04 Day 41

Start: Burton, OH
End: New Waterford, OH
Scheduled Miles: 58.6
Actual Miles: 60.16

We wake up fairly early this morning, and while I don't have to take down a tent, we still need to drive to camp from the hotel, and put John's bike together. Once we get to camp, John (He is joining me on the ride today to experience what it is like to spend a day on the road with this group)and I head over to Cogans for breakfast along with all the other riders. They advertise "Lousy food and bad service" but don't believe it! Their T-shirts are a hot item for the rest of the riders.

John and I head out and it is just like being in SE Wisconsin. Except the Amish buggies, and there seems to be a lot of them this morning. The roads are in good condition and we go from rural, to city to suburban very quickly. It is amazing how fast the settings change even at 17 miles per hour. We spend a lot of time, catching up and talking about the future of our kids. It is so good to ride with him again. We even take it easy on each other, rather than trying to out race the other. I think I have him talked into doing a ride like this in 15 or 20 years! (Hey if Bob Sr. can do do it at 76.....) John gets the full experience of the trip as he gets a flat, while we are at the second stop of the day in Canfield.

We are the first to pull into camp that day, but I suspect others are eating ice cream. At the same time Evelyn and Darin pull in to(in the SUV). So John and Darin get to help unload the truck too! The full experience! After a quick shower, John Evelyn and Darin take off back home to Milwaukee a nine hour drive. Hopefully they pull off somewhere along the way at a hotel overnight, but I suspect they won't. It was so great of him to come down and visit, he really missed being able to help out with dinner in Madison, WI. I am again reminded of what a great family I am blessed with.

Dinner was by Boston Market, and quantities ran a bit short, but I got enough to tide me over till morning, if not I can always have a Power Bar. After the mandatory call to Barbara, I am in bed by 8:30 and write in my journal with lights out at 9:00.

Friday 8-03, Day 40

Start: Burton, OH
End: Burton, OH
Scheduled Miles: 0
Actual Miles: 0

Woke up in the room at 8:00, wow! I start out the day doing my laundry and having some breakfast. I do a bit of blogging on the hotel computer, but there is a line of people waiting to use it.

John and his family drop me off at camp as I have to do maintenance on the bike and fix my sunglasses. In the rain yesterday I broke them when my bike started to fall in the rain as we went from side to side around the outhouse. They are going to the Football Hall of fame as Darin has taken a great interest in becoming a kicker and is working very hard at it. So I spend the afternoon lubing and cleaning Martins bike, I glue the glasses back together with some 5 minute epoxy I have along, and reinforce the broken joint a bit with a piece of plastic from a water bottle.

When John, Evelyn and Darin get back we head out to a real nice little Italian resturaunt for dinner. One of the kitchen helpers is a young Amish girl. For dessert we had Brownie Sundaes that were huge! On the way back to the hotel, we stop at a football field so Darin can get his kicking in. It has been a few days of car travel for him and he is a bit rusty but he is determined! He shows me the proper kicking form and it is not much different from soccer.

We stay the night at the hotel, and Evelynn remarks she can tell I've been outside a bunch, cause I'm not using the furniture, but instead am sitting and sleeping on the floor.

Tomorrow, John will ride with me, as he brought his bike along just for the occasion.

Friday 8-03 Day 40

Thursday 8-02 Day 39

Start: Sandusky, OH
End: Burton, OH
Scheduled Miles: 92
Actual Miles: 94

This morning I helped the breakfast crew, as I am waiting on Steve and Andy. The three of us are going to the game and we decided to ride in together. Ane, Sean and Ben are going too, and have left already to so as to get a head start on us. The three of us head out with Andy doing most of the pulling, both of these guys are really strong, and even though Steve isn't feeling all that well, it is all I can do to hang on to their wheels. After a bit we pick up Jodi so we have a four person pace line going.
Going through Vermillion, OH, we stop at Granny Jo's. A nice little Ice cream parlor / Coffee shop. I have a cup of tea and a muffin. Which is very tasty. The building is one of the oldest in the area and at one time was a funeral parlor; Thus their motto, "Ice cream to die for” A few blocks away is group of people waiting for another bike ride to come through town. The "Ride for Hope" is group of people doing a trans ride too, as a fundraiser for the disabled. They ride in the morning and in the afternoon, visit and talk to community groups. They are doing some 4,000 miles and started June 11th.

At this point, Jodi drops out of our little pack and the three of us mush on. At the water stop, just outside of Cleveland we meet up with Ane, Ben and Sean and we head into to the city. The stadium as it turns out is visible from our route and is only 2 blocks off course. As we come into the plaza outside the stadium they are handing out free cupcakes to celebrate the "birthday' of their mascot. The boys eat up heartly. After checking with security guards, they let us put our bikes in a fenced in area in the parking structure that is only accessible by them, sweet! At this point, five other riders join us and we go in together. We stop for pictures and it is almost comical as we get two game day attendants to take our pictures. Each of us gives them a camera and between the two of them, they have 12 cameras dangling from them. The game is fun, and a guy sitting next to us is also a biker, so we had much to chat about during the game. I try to get him to sign up for next years ride.

After the game, we head out to the lakefront, past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and as we get to the airport, it starts to rain. We decide to continue, but soon it is a downpour with heavy winds. We take shelter under the eaves of a restroom building that is "closed for the season"! So, do they open it up in winter? The wind is constantly shifting and our little group is chased around the building as we try to stay out of the wind. After about an hour it finally lets up enough that we can ride. It is still raining, but at least we are moving and generating some body heat which was getting to be a problem at our "shelter". When the rain stops, we stop for a burrito and coffee at Querdoba's and Starbucks. After that the sun comes out and we finish a hilly ride into Burton. Once inside Burton, the kids and I are trying to decide whether to go in to camp and get set up or stay in town for dinner as it is 8:00 at this time. Our longest day on the road. Andy and Dave who where coming from camp convince us to go to camp first, which is the county fair grounds. As I roll into camp, there is Crickette, waving at me! John, Evelyn and Darin are here! They were in the area "looking at Collages" for Darin. So, rather than camping out they invite me to stay with them at their hotel, that was a no brainer choice. So we had a nice visit in the evening along with delivery pizza. I had a great laugh on seeing Crickette, John and Darin had rigged her up to a telephone post and with some wire and John's shoelaces could make her wave as they hid behind a bush. My family is a bit on the crazy side.

As it turns out, the Storm we were in dumped 4.75" of rain on the area in 1 1/2 hours and wind gusts up to 60mph were recorded! Glad we didn't try riding in that!

Wednesday 8-01 Day 38

Start: Napolean, OH
End: Sandusky, OH
Scheduled Miles: 87.2
Actual Miles: 87.6

Didn't sleep so good last night, we were staying at the county fairgrounds, and there was a mockingbird up all night. Lots of different calls, and was he loud. We also had some local hot rodders buzzing by us an yelling as we were fairly close to a main street. Oh well. The night was a bit chilly and woke up a little more stiff than usual.

A good day to ride none the less. Started out with Iron Mike as usual, and then we caught up to Jerome and Rodney and rode with them a spell. Then about mile 27 we were going through Bowling Green, and Dan and I stopped for our 2nd breakfast at a little lunch counter. Eggs/bacon/toast and tea for $8 not bad, plus it gave me a chance to do some stretching on the ole back. Once Dan and I got back on the road again. Ye haa, we got us some tail winds, and pretty soon I get into the zone and start cruising about 22-25 mph. Does that feel good. Dan drops off and soon I'm on my own happy as a clam. Temps are getting pretty warm so I look for some shade to have my lunch and find it under a church(?) portico. After a nice peanut butter sandwich I get back on the road just as Jodi rides by. After a few miles together we stop at a little cafe; Knobbier Cafe for some water. I have a "Cows Tail" a long skinny piece of candy with Carmel on the outside and a white nougat on the inside. Down the road, and old riding buddy of Jodi meets us. I move on and let them ride together and visit. Coming into town, I meet up with young David. As we come into town, we stop for ice cream and see Dan there. Not sure when he got past me! Once in camp, I boil up 3 dozen eggs for breakfast the next day, than set up my tent, and have a few beers. Tonight is ten dollar night and there is a nice deli a few blocks from camp that most of us go to for sandwiches.

The terrain for the day started out hilly, but with the tail wind and clear skies it was no problem. Most of the ride was flat and through lots of corn and soybean fields. The roads have been of very good quality, but going through the farms and such they sometimes get really narrow, not sure how two cars could pass each other. On the plus side there was almost no traffic, so we had the roads pretty much to ourselves, almost like a paved bike path.

Tomorrow we head to Burton OH, and we go right through the city of Cleveland. Andy and Steve found out that there is an Indians/Rangers game starting at noon, so a bunch of us are planning on going. Should be fun, even though I don't care much for baseball.

Tuesday 7-31 Day 37

Start Kendalville, IN
End Napoleon, OH
Scheduled Miles: 70
Actual Miles: 71.6

Today started out the same as many others previous. Up at 5:00AM and get everything packed up and ready to go, then help clean up the breakfast "buffet".

Heading out of camp on My own, I immediately take a wrong turn, but so does Gerry in the Box truck and Mark in his car, so I don't feel too bad, and get back on track right quickly. The morning road brings some real pretty rollers and I catch up to David and Andy about mile 15, we ride together for a while, then at mile 22 I stop for a 2nd breakfast at McDonalds. I spot the collage kids going in and my back is knotting up again so it is a good time to get off the bike and stretch and refuel.

Liz and Ane are such fun, they got some tattoos and put them on in the McDonalds. Crossing over the Ohio state line, there was just a small road sign indicating the line, so our crew painted one on the road for us. We ride as group for a while then I move on and catch up with Margo, Lisa, Adam and Poppa Greg at mile 51 which is our second water stop of the day. We all then ride into camp together after stopping at an ice cream stand, I had the pistachio nut and it was delicious.

In Camp, which was the county fair grounds, dinner was catered and a local Ice Shop owner, brought over dessert when he heard we were in town!

The terrain has been a lot like south eastern Wisconsin. Lots of corn and soybean fields and nice rolling hills with lots of curves, so you can't always see that endless road ahead of you. The weather was clear and sunny, about the mid 90's with a slight headwind, but all in all very pleasant!

The Last Week: Readers Digest Version

I am currently sitting in the library in historic Gettysburg, and I just wanted to give a quick update on events for the month of August.

It was such a great surprise and so much fun to be able to spend my "weekend" with John, Evelyn and Darin. Thus, no updating last weekend.

The road rash is healing and the back is getting a bit better day by day and I hope not to have to wear the back brace for the last two days.

By now the daily events are very routine. It has truly become: eat, ride, sleep.

For the most part the weather has been good, we have had rain, during the rides and while trying to set up camp one night and into that night. It has been getting more warmer and the humidity has really picked up, making all the difference. The roads have been very good for the most part, with some minor construction from time to time.

We spent a day and a half on the YRT trial which is a rails to trails path paved with crushed limestone. The grade was only .212% but it was a continuous uphill, so there was no coasting. There were some spectacular views from some of the old rail bridges, but the limestone did build up on the bike as the trail was still damp from the rains.

Yesterday, was supposed to be the hardest day, 100 miles into Gettysburg. There were some really tough climbs, with some wickedly fast curving descents. Temps hit 100 degrees, and the humidity felt really high, so it was "100 miles, 100 degrees and 100% humidity" (it did rain a bit) as Trish said after the ride.

Today is a rest day, and I will explore Gettysburg a bit and do the laundry. Tomorrow, Friday, is only 53 miles and we'll be having a nice last dinner together at a restaurant. Than Saturday, 50 miles, a last lunch together, and we roll into Henry Bacon Park, on the Mall in Washington DC just after Noon, and after over 3,300 miles.

It is hard to believe it is almost over. It sunk in yesterday as we were riding, that by golly we did it! We rode our bikes across the USA!

I will update this blog with daily entries as soon as possible, but it may not be for a week or so till I can get to a computer or time to do so.

I want to thank everyone who has followed along, and left notes or comments here or with my family with all the words of encouragement or said prayers for myself and my fellow riders.

I especially want to thank Barbara for allowing me to do the ride and putting up with all my training and being gone for 2 months, Mary and DJ for stepping up and helping while I was gone. I could not have done it with out you. To my Mom, sisters and brothers and extended family, you guys are the best, your support and enthusiasm made it so much easier in so many ways.

And a special shout out to my fellow workers: Thanks for your support, you'll probably have to retrain me all over again when I show up on the 15th.

See ya all real soon!

Bob