Day 19 - 7/31 - Fancy Gap, VA

Today we headed North by RV to bypass construction on the Blue Ridge and to position us for the key areas we still want to ride.

The trip from Asheville, NC to Fancy Gap, VA was about 170 miles and places us very close to the Blue Ridge where we can ride south to visit the Blue Ridge Music Center and cross the Virgina - North Carolina border; or north to ride one of the flattest sections.

With our new plan in place, the first thing we did was get lost. The second thing we did was find ourselves in a 10 mile long traffic jam. So we really shouldn't have been surprised when we checked into the KOA campsite, we discovered they had screwed up our reservation and didn't have a spot for us for a third night. I love it when a plan comes together;)

On the flip side, the campsite is beautiful, the Blue Ridge is less than a mile from the campground; and they are predicting a bright sunny day tomorrow!

The new plan has us riding south tomorrow on the parkway before heading to the next campsite where we will now spend an extra day.

7-31 Day 19

Day 18 - 7/30 - Asheville, NC

Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day.

Before we began this journey my father explained that he didn't mind riding in the rain, he just didn't like starting the day in it.

This morning we got to test that theory as we once again woke to the sound of rain. After a brief conversation we decided that rather than starting out in the rain, to ride a section we had already seen by car the day before, it was time to have a plan for the days we had left.

What once seemed like a very long vacation was already more than half over and we all had people and places we still wanted to see. So while construction crews worked around us to improve the campsite, we plotted a route that allowed us to hit the best of the Blue Ridge and visit family and friends within the time we had left.

It must have been a sign we had made a good decision, because about the time we completed our plan, the skies cleared, so we set out to explore the area beyond our campsite.

As the pictures show, we discovered a wonderful park next door that among many other attractions included a velodrome (bike track).

Not the day I had expected, but one it seems we needed to take.

7-30 Day 18

Day 17 - 7/29 - Asheville, NC

After 4 days of using the Fort Wilderness RV campground near Cherokee, NC as our base, it was time to relocate further Northeast. Not to mention, it was another morning we woke up to the sound of pouring rain.

Rather than trying to squeeze a ride in we used the day to refuel the motorhome; get settled into the new campsite; do a little sightseeing and shopping with our wives; and enjoy a great meal at a little Italian restaurant close to the new campground.

We also found the time to drive most of the Blue Ridge we will be riding tomorrow and visit both the Blue Ridge Visitor's Center and the Folk Art Center - both well worth a stop if you find yourself near Asheville.

Back on the bikes tomorrow, once again starting uphill ;(

7-29 Day 17

Day 16 - 7/28 - Highest Point on Blue Ridge

The plan was to get an early start so we could "summit" and then do as much of the parkway as possible before repositioning the RV in Asheville, NC.

That was before the storms came. The rain started about bedtime last night followed shortly by the thunder. Bo, my parents' dog, doesn't like thunder, so he kept us up with his pacing. Then the wind picked up blowing the rain into the motorhome forcing us to close the windows. Then the CO2 detector went off...just because.

So I wasn't all that surprised when I woke a little before 8:00 this morning and found everyone else still sleeping. Of course even if we had gotten up earlier the idea of riding to the summit in the rain wasn't all that exciting.

Fortunately, by about 10:30 the skies cleared and Vicki shuttled us the 40 minutes back to the parkway where we had finished the day before. Getting on the road about 11:30, with far too little sleep, we decided reaching the highest point was more than enough of a goal for today.

With cooler temperatures and a clear sky, we once again began climbing. Hopefully the pictures tell the story of the views, road, and sights along the way.

What the pictures will never do is tell what a wonderful feeling you get when you stop at one of the lookouts and realize the only sound you hear is the wind rustling the leaves of the trees. Or how discovering the mystery of the "bouncing flower" up the road is the bee landing and then taking off as it gathers pollen.

If you take the time to view all of today's pictures they will however reveal how lucky we have been. While the weather cleared giving us near perfect riding conditions just about the time we were awake enough to ride, the moment we hit the summit the dark clouds filled the sky again and rain started to fall just as we finished loading our bikes on the car.

Having completed about 40 miles from the southern entrance to the highest point tomorrow is an RV travel day and then we will once again head northeast out of Asheville trying to find some combination of day-trips and RV campgrounds that work for everyone.

7-28 Day 16

Day 15 - 7/27 - Blue Ridge Day 2

It's late and we are hoping to get an earlier start tomorrow so I'm going to post more pictures and write less today.

We covered a little over 20 miles today, more than twice as many as yesterday, but less than we hoped for. Climbed about 3,500 feet today vs. over 5,000 feet yesterday. Tomorrow we expect to reach the highest point on the Parkway at just over 6,000 feet.

Today's photos include several of the flowers we are seeing as we travel (at Vicki's request)...if any of you can help identify them please do.

We are having a great time, the views are spectacular, the hill climbs are satisfying and the downhills are exhilarating. Once again my thanks for all your emails and comments, please forgive me for not always responding but the days simply get away from me out here on the road;)
..Keith

Jul 27, 2009

Day 14 - 7/26 - Blue Ridge Parkway

Day 14 of our trip, day 1 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. (click here for Parkway info)

The Blue Ridge Parkway links the Great Smoky Mountains in NC to the Shenandoah National Park in VA. We are starting at the official end of the parkway (Milepost 469) near Cherokee, NC.

It turns out the southern end is also the highest point on the parkway rising to 6047 feet above sea level. When people asked us how far we planned to ride our answer quickly became as far as our legs would take us, as the first 10 miles go almost straight up at 6-10 degree grades.

Our plan for this section of the parkway it to have our wives stay in camp near the Southern End and use the car to "rescue" us when we have gone as far as possible.

Today's ride turned out to be a slight departure from this plan as we rode about 10 miles to an elevation of 5150 feet, and then decided it would be easier to simply coast back to the start and have them pick us up back at the base.

The ride was like two completely different experiences. Going up we averaged about 4 MPH and took lots of breaks to catch our breath. The four tunnels we passed through were scary because you hoped the cars would see us as we slowly made our way through the darkness.

Coming down, we averaged about 25 MPH and the tunnels were scary because riding 20-30 MPH into almost complete darkness on a road surface that was sometimes littered with gravel conjured up images of really nasty road rash.

Plan is to have Vicki drop us off at the point we reached yesterday where today we hope to make better time or this is going to be a very long ride!

Thanks to everyone who has been commenting here or on Facebook - your words of encouragement or stories help keep us pedaling.

Jul 26, 2009

Day 13 - 7/25 - Whittier, NC

We are back on the road...in the RV.

Driving several of the roads in Canton, GA we decided the Trace had spoiled us and rather than fight the construction and traffic we would head straight for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The drive north took us through rolling hills that climbed to the base of the Smoky Mountains and eventually into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where once again Dad's driving skills were tested as we followed the Nantahala River on State Route 19.

For those of us not driving, we got to enjoy watching the (literally) hundreds of rafts and kayaks negotiate the white water of the Nantahala for several miles.

Arriving at the Fort Wilderness Campground around 4:00 I found a quiet corner to join a conference call while everyone else set up camp.

Dad and I managed to take the car into Cherokee and then up to the entry to the Blue Ridge Parkway where we hope to get back on our bikes tomorrow morning.

7-25 Day 13

View Larger Map

Day 12 - 7/24 - Canton

Today was our first full day of no travel...or at least no bikes or RV travel. We did spend a good part of the day traveling between our campsite and family as we tried to get as much visiting in as possible.

After a lazy morning, dad ran his bike down to the local bike shop to have his back wheel trued up. He claims it has been out-of-round and was slowing him down...one less excuse on the next hill as I see it.

My cousin Sherill invited us over to her house for a great lunch including her homemade bread and salad with ingredients from her garden. Sherill's mom and both Sherill's and Robert's kids were also there. We had a mini-reunion and the kids did wonderful job of entertaining us as they demonstrated how to properly have a water fight while bouncing on a trampoline.

For dinner we headed back to my Uncle David's place where I got a chance to drive his tractor before going to one of their favorite local restaurants. After dinner it was time for Susan's outstanding chocolate chip cookies and ice cream sundaes as we were treated to David and Susan playing their handmade Dulcimers.

7-24 Day 12

Day 10 - 7/22 - Canton, GA

Temptation is a terrible thing.

Yesterday as we enjoyed the salt water pool we could look out at the road and see the "endless" hill we would get to climb the next morning. Fortunately a storm blew in making it relatively easy to persuade Dad it would be much better to bag the ride and take the RV to visit his brother instead.

Digging out the maps we found a shorter route that took us over some winding roads, or a longer but faster route via highways. Agreeing we didn't want to deal with the winding roads in the RV, we plugged the new campsite into the GPS and hit the road.

Everything was going well until we turned south on I-59 rather than continuing over to I-75 as originally planned. Grabbing the map book I saw that Route 136 actually was a shorter route over to I-75 and directed Dad off the next exit.

Our GPS suggested we "turn around" for the next several miles. The problem of course was Route 136 is a narrow winding mountain road that would have made a great bike ride if it wasn't for the sheer drop 100's of feet to the valley floor.

Dad maintained his sense of humor as the rest of us left permanent indentations in the furniture as we hung on for dear life.

Fortunately dad kept the motorhome on the road and shortly after arriving at camp his brother David and his wife came to visit giving him almost no time to harass me over my directions;)

Two of David's children Sherrill and Robert joined us for a great evening of food and family.

The plan is to take a couple of days here in Canton to rest, restock, and plan the rest of the trip.

The route so far this week looks something like this:

View Larger Map

Today's photos:

7-22 Day 10

PS (Pat's Story)

it's 8:30 AM on Wednesday.....Keith Sr is cooking bacon – Keith Jr is out standing (yes, he's also outstanding) in the rain – Vicki is 'working' her computer on the bed – and I'm corresponding with the world....yahoo....it's a beautiful world - wish you were all traveling with us – xoxoxxox

Day 9 – Tues, Jul 21, Woodville, AL

A guest post from the driver's perspective:
While the guy's adventure is much more interesting than the gal's, I can give you an idea of a typical day on the road. Dad is always up first, between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. He gets the coffee ready and feeds Bo (the dog). We all start waking up and planning the day. Mom and I usually stay out of the way while the guys get their gear together and hit the road. We kiss them goodbye between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. That gives us the motorhome to ourselves to do our own cleaning up (ourselves and our RV home). Time to break camp means disconnecting water, power, and septic (cable, if we're lucky). Then raise jacks, program the GPS for the next park and hit the road. We carry our phones because we always get a morning report....either the guys are ready to be picked up, they fill us in on the road ahead, or anything else they see.

This particular morning seemed pretty routine to start with, but the guys called to say once they had gone about 15 miles, the shoulder, while still nice and wide, was made from large gravel and as such, was pretty hard to ride on. Most of the time when they ask to be picked up, they're in a parking lot or rest area....easy to find. This time we had to travel to a certain mile marker where Keith was standing, start merging into the shoulder, where Dad was to direct me off the road enough to not be a hazard. We then traveled to the next RV park (I'm always happy to turn the wheel back to Dad), Parnell Creek. After doing all the usual hookups, everyone rewarded themselves with a swim in a salt water pool, and Mom, Dad and Keith played miniature golf while I started dinner.
...Vicki

7-21 Day 9

Day 8 – Mon, Jul 20, Tuscumbia, AL

Monday morning we woke up to another beautiful cool day. The night before we talked about getting an early start on the bikes and having the ladies start late with the motorhome so they could pick us up.

While the day before had been great, there were more cars on the Trace than I had expected. Turns out this was likely a combination of the beautiful weather and the weekend because this morning we almost had the road to ourselves.

Like the day before we stopped at almost every historical marker along the way. We both found the burial mounds especially interesting as they have dated them back well over 2000 years.

Another highlight of this morning's ride was when we crossed the Tennessee river. The bridge gives a panoramic view up and down the river which looks like it may still have some barge traffic.

The original plan was to meet at the northern visitors center but when we couldn't find it we called and arranged to stop at a roadside pull-out we had found. It was a little after 1:00 and we had ridden over 36 miles of scenic, but mostly uphill roads and were more than ready for lunch.

Once again putting the bikes on the car, dad moved from saddle to driver's seat and we drove to the Heritage Acres RV Park in Tuscumbia, AL (birthplace of Helen Keller).

For dinner, we headed just up the road to a place called The Old Rocking Chair Restaurant for dinner where the food must have been good because many of the things we asked for they were already out of ;)

In total we covered about 74 miles today (36 by bike, 38 by RV) bringing our trip total to 693 miles.

7-20 Day 8

Day 7 – Sun, Jul 19, Tupelo, MS

If you ever find yourself in the Grenada area the Frog Hollow Campground is worth a visit. The owners (Larry & Beth) obviously enjoy camping and have done a great job of using the local frog populations as a theme for some really fun decorations and interesting colors in places like the recreation room and laundry area.

Taking advantage of the RV, today was our first day riding the Natchez Trace. Our wives were once again good sports as we broke camp early to drive from the Frog Hollow Campgrounds just north of Grenada back down I55 to pick up route 8 over to Houston, MS. Near Houston we took the bikes off the car to ride north along the Trace to Tupelo.

The pictures I've taken really don't do the Trace justice. The rich and varied greens from the different trees and vines contrasted perfectly with the fluffy white clouds overhead keeping the sun under control. A cool front had settled over the area making the ride even more enjoyable.

We rode a little over 26 miles from the drop point up to the Barnes Crossing RV park in Tupelo. If you read any of the park signs they may give you a feel for the history in this area and what a nice job the park service has done in preserving it.

The visitors center turned out to be less than a mile from the RV park and made a great rest stop before finishing the day's ride. They also had a map of the Trace that is probably 3 feet long we can use to help plan out the next day.

With the combination of riding and RV'ing we made it to camp early enough to unhook the car and head over to the local Walmart to restock groceries and give Vicki a little time away from the motorhome to relieve some of her “cabin fever”.

7-19 Day 7

Week 1 in review with pictures

Day 1 - 7/13
56.5 miles from Post Oak Place in Denton, TX to Marpe RV Park in Farmersville, TX
100+ degree heat, no map, lost in Denton, but we find our way to the RV!
Day 1 pictures

Day 2 - 7/14
54.2 miles to Shady Lake RV Park in Sulphur Springs, TX
Another day of 100+ degree heat, but the GPS is working and we are feeling good.
Day 2 pictures

Day 3 - 7/15
42.6 miles to the KOA in Mt Pleasant, TX
The day is cooler, but still hot, we both look forward to this “easy” short ride.
Day 3 pictures

Day 4 - 7/16
65.9 miles to the KOA in Texarkana, TX
Longest day yet, fast pace on a very hot day, construction makes last 10 miles fun - NOT
Day 4 pictures

Day 5 - 7/17
0 miles on the bike, 127 miles in the RV to Crossett RV Park in Crossett, AR
Storms and lack of a closer RV park means a day off the bike
Day 5 pictures

Day 6 - 7/18
10 miles on the bike, 171 miles in the RV to Frog Hollow Campground in Grenada, MS
A late start, another flat tire, and questionable roads shorten today's ride and we decide to skip a campground to gain time
Day 6 pictures

Day 7 - 7/19
26.4 miles on the bike, 75 miles in the RV to Barnes Crossing Campground in Tupelo, MS
Vicki drops us off near Houston, MS so we can ride the Natchez Trace 26.4 miles to the RV
Day 7 pictures

The map below will give you an approximate view of our route so far.

View Larger Map

Day 6 - Grenada, MS - 170.5 miles

Vacations plans and reality sometimes get in each others way.

We were up and on the road about 8:30 Saturday morning heading for Mississippi on our bikes out of Crossett Arkansas. The temperature had dropped a good 20 degrees since leaving Texas and we had near perfect riding conditions on Route 82 with a good wide shoulder and little traffic.

We stopped a couple of times, as the day before we had changed dad's back tire after the second flat, and it was running a little out-of-round. Just as his tire seemed to smooth out, I noticed a couple of hard bumps...my turn to have a flat tire.

Same problem as before, a small of wire from a steel belted radial tire had worked its way through my rear tire into the tube creating a slow leak.

By now we were getting pretty good at changing tires so 15-20 minutes later we were ready to get back on the road. Of course our supply of tubes was shrinking rapidly and dad had suggested it might be a good idea to pick up some CO2 canisters rather than continue to use our pumps.

About 10 miles from camp we found a Wal-Mart and decided to stock up. While we found tires, canisters, and soda, we also found that everything took longer than expected. After calling the RV and discovering they were only a few minutes from the store we did a quick calculation and decided that at our current rate of progress we would get to the campsite about 10 that evening.

That didn't seem like a great idea, so when the RV pulled up we put our bikes back on top of the car and started thinking about plan B.

Plan B turned out to be, skip the original campsite and head to Grenada, MS where we could start riding the Natchez Trace Parkway (http://www.nps.gov/natr/).

Along the way we found a great roadside meat market / bbq restaurant; discovered that Arkansas was much more scenic than I imagined; and that the miles go by much faster in a motorhome!

As the trip continues to unfold it has been really nice that dad is comfortable with a mixture of bike riding with the occasional RV trip between rides. It allows us to avoid some of the more dangerous roads and ensures we will enjoy the sections we have both been looking forward to.

I have been taking pictures but uploading isn't working right now so look for links in a future post.

Day 5 – Crossett, AR – 127 miles!

Well today was by far our best progress! Of course it was also a day when our bikes rode on top of the car behind the motorhome.

Shortly after getting to camp last night the sky really opened up and we got quite a storm. I took that as just the sign needed to convince dad to take a break today and cover some of the route by motorhome.

When we first talked about this trip my schedule was more flexible and time on the road wasn't an issue. Fate being what it is, work has picked up, and now I need to be back mid-August.

Looking at our route and our current rate of progress it was starting to look like time would run out before we finished. Since we are both looking forward to the Blue Ridge Parkway, skipping this section, which looks an awful lot like the roads we have been traveling the last few days, seemed like the right thing to do.

The other challenge is finding RV campgrounds in this area. We have been finding campgrounds about 100 miles apart, which is a little farther than we want to try and ride right now.

Once again there is no internet at this campsite so I will post this the next time I can get online.

Day 4 Texarkana

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...I've always wanted to start a story with that line.

We looked at a couple of different routes from Mt Pleasant to Texakana and decided to ride the shoulder of route 30 - a four lane highway.

From a storytelling perspective this started out being a bit of a problem. If you have driven almost any interstate in the US then you have a good idea of what we saw most of the day.

The difference of course is that most of us see the interstate at 70 MPH vs. 10-15 MPH. Surprisingly it looks much the same at both speeds. There are some differences however, for example off ramps can be very scary places when you are on a bike trying to get across one and there are really big trucks going fast trying to get off one.

Another interesting difference is how you tend to notice the remains of tires, bottles, and various other garbage that lines the shoulder of the the highway when you are dodging them while trying to stay as far away from traffic as possible.

On a more positive note many of the truckers clearly went out of their way to move to the far lane when passing us. A surprising number of them also honked and/or waved their support as they went by.

In general however the first 55 miles of today's trip was largely uneventful. The smooth shoulder and gentle hills allowed us to average over 14 MPH most of the day - fast for us ("the best of times").

The last 10 miles were a different story.

First dad's back tire started losing air. After dumping most of the items in our bike bags we found pliers to pull the wire out and a new inner tube and we once again on our way.

Then we reached the construction that had eliminated the highway shoulder. So we took the makeshift exit almost wide enough for a small car leading a growing parade of cars and trucks.

Fortunately a nearby lane had been blocked by construction cones that we quickly turned into a bike lane. That worked really well until we found the road we had exited on turning south in exactly the wrong direction.

By this time we had climbed enough of a hill to get a fairly good view of all the construction around us. Given this new information we proceeded to rappel down a construction hill to the closed road below us. From there we sprinted across a nearby highway to the small island of safety that was to be our launching point back onto I30.

This worked better for dad than it did for me as one of my back bike bags must have come loose coming down the hill as was now trying to pull spokes from my rear wheel as I dodged oncoming traffic.

About the time I managed to catch up with dad we discovered that the section of I30 we could see from our hill was the only section that still had a shoulder so it was time to get off again. By now rush hour had begun in Texarkana so we suddenly had lots of company trying to figure out how to navigate the construction.

Reaching an intersection now fully in gridlock, we opted to get off the road and wait out rush hour in a nearby Quiznos. In case I forgot to mention it, the heat index today was 110, so the idea of air conditioning and something cold to drink was not all that hard to sell to my dad.

Calling our wives, we reassured them we were close (about 4 miles) and would be home soon. That of course was before we left the restaurant to find dad's back tire once again flat.

Remember my comment about tire parts on the shoulder of the interstate? Turns out some of those tires also shed small wires as they break apart. Dad found two of those wires with his back tire today in case anyone is missing them.

About 30 minutes later we had found the new puncture, replaced the tire, replaced the tube, repacked everything, and armed with new directions around the construction we were on our way.

Touring the back streets of Texarkana trying to avoid road construction after riding 60+ miles in sweltering heat and fixing two flat tires would likely have been the highlight of our day had it not been for the storm.

Just when it looked like we might actually find our way to the RV park the sky darkend and the wind started blowing so hard that I was being attacked by balloons from a car dealership.

Finding a building to shield us from the weather I called Vicki to make sure the RV hadn't blown away. Once she confirmed they were safe and verified the directions I turned on the new flashing light my kids got me for the back of the bike and we set out to cover the last couple of miles to the RV.

Other than the looks of stangers passing in cars that confirming we were crazy to be out on bikes the rest of the trip was fairly uneventful.

Given today's adventure we are rethinking tomorrow's ride...details may follow;)

Last but not least, Vicki and mom have been doing a great job of taking care of us during this adventure and without their support none of this would be possible.

Google blogger vs. Facebook

Technology is wonderful when it works...but it doesn't always work;(

The Google "blogger" site that I use to create these posts makes it really easy to post new information including pictures and links to other sites.

Unfortunately several people have commented how hard it is to leave comments or get regular updates from this site.

That's why I set up my Facebook account to get regular updates so it would be easier for most people to follow and comment.

Unfortunately I just learned that embedded pictures don't show up on Facebook and sometimes posts end up being put on the "wall" out of order.

Until I find the perfect answer I'll go back to posting pictures at the end of each update.

For those of you using Facebook who would like to see today's pictures just click on the link below (note: you may need to scroll down in the blog to find the post from Day 3)
http://09cross-countrybikeride.blogspot.com/

Day 03 Mt. Pleasant, TX

Today's trip took us from Sulphur Springs to Mt. Pleasant, TX - a little over 43 miles on bike.

8:20 start...our earliest yet...and the air almost feels cool!

New day, new format for the blog. I'm trying embedded pictures to help tell the story.

One of the "traditions" we seem to be establishing is to call our wives at our first rest stop to see how they are doing. (less distance we need to ride back if there is a problem;)



Early in my training I started carrying snacks.

One of my favorites is a mixture of peanut butter pretzels and peanut M&Ms.

Today I had my first "casualty"...mixing the two while balancing on a hill most of them dumped on the ground.

I probably made some of the local animals happy.




We found our first "real" rest area today.

While we may not like the heat clearly the local plants and grass do.

Beautiful stop with lots of shade and places to enjoy the day.

One of the signs entering the rest area explains that no vendors are allowed.




This being Texas, some entrepreneur set up shop right behind the rest area.

A gate on the back fence of the rest area leads directly to this roadside stand where a husband and wife seem to do everything.

I walked in hoping to get a soda and some ice and walked out with the best blueberry pie I've ever had.




In another first we were able to reach our wives and let them know we were at the rest stop in time for them to join us.

Vicki seems to be getting much more comfortable driving the motorhome having no problem parking it with the car in tow in the rest area.







The downside of inviting them to join us is they decided it was time for me to be in some of these pictures.

In case you are wondering, that is an Apple iTouch in my hand as I was enjoying the free internet service having just finished my blueberry pie...a very hard life;)






While the motorhome is very large to drive, the living space is tight for 4 people.

This is as close to a "candid" shot as I was able to get as we celebrated another successful day.









Last shot of the day.

If you look closely you may be able to see the bikes leaning next to the motorhome as we enjoy the shade of one of the beautiful large trees in this RV park.

Tomorrow is scheduled to be our longest ride yet at close to 65 miles...wish us luck!

Day 2 – 54.2 miles – Sulphur Springs, TX

We had talked about getting an earlier start to avoid some of the heat, and managed to get off a little after 8:30. Turns out rushing to do anything in a motorhome packed with four people and a dog is difficult.

We plan to visit family and friends along the way and many have asked when we expect to reach them. Using this morning's start time as an example the answer is...it depends. Right now my guess is we will average 50-60 miles a day, assuming our legs hold up, the heat doesn't get worse, the motorhome keeps running, etc. etc.

Unlike yesterday I managed to get today's route loaded into my bike GPS/computer. Just like yesterday we ignored it much of the day. We did use its earlier routing that took us along smaller back roads south of highway 380 which were very scenic, but also much slower than riding the shoulder of the highway.

For those of you not crazy enough to try an adventure such as this, there are many factors that determine how fast you go on a bike. Your physical strength and condition are certainly important, but the bike you are riding, the amount of climbing (hills), wind (in your face or at your back), and road surface (hard and smooth or rough) all play a significant roles.

Yesterday the ride was mostly flat or downhill with a slight wind at our backs on hard smooth roads...translation, the riding was “easy” so at the end of the day we were feeling pretty good about ourselves!

On today's the ride there was much more climbing, the road surfaces were often rough or even dirt during one stretch, and the wind sometimes felt like we had a hairdryer pointed at our faces...translation, we took a lot more breaks and didn't feel like Lance Armstrong by the end of the day.

Most importantly we did make it. We are still talking about getting up and riding again tomorrow morning. And each day we get a little better at dealing with the 100+ degree days and never ending sun that seems determined to convince us global warming is real.

One of the highlights I should mention is lunch today was at the Texas Beach Club near Greenville. We had planned to stop in Greenville for lunch but couldn't find anyplace that served food along the main road through town. About the time we started to wonder if we would find someplace for lunch we spotted a golf course and found the “Beach Club”. As the only guests we received outstanding service including two pitchers of ice that quickly vanished into our Camelbaks.

Unfortunately the campsite we are at doesn't have internet so I'm writing this offline and will post the next time we have access to the internet.

Tomorrow's destination is Mt Pleasant which is “only” a little over 40 miles so hopefully we will get in early and be well rested for the longer days to come.

Day 1 - Farmersville TX

We are on the road at last!

Our daughter Katie drove us to the RV park in Denton a little before 8:00. Shortly after we arrived Tom and Ann, friends and business partners showed up to see us off. By about 9:00 my father and I were dressed, the bikes were loaded, and we were on our way.

Of course not everything ever goes according to plan;) The carefully created day 1 route was not on my GPS and the Denton RV park didn't have internet access so we set out without maps or directions.

I packed what my parents thought was everything except the kitchen sink, but forgot to pack my water bottles for the bike.

And did I mention that it is really hot.

Despite the less than perfect start we managed to find a set of roads through Denton that put us on route 380 near the original plan. Route 380 proved to be a fairly flat road with mostly wide shoulders ideal for riding. We quickly found a pace that worked for both of us and also learned to take advantage of every shady spot we could find.

Today's trip ended up being about 56.5 miles with 1607 feet of climbing and 1724 feet of coasting. Total riding time was just under 4.5 hours but with lunch and breaks we took the better part of 7 hours.

As dad pointed out when we finally arrived, we found a couple of really nice shady spots that were hard to leave.

Lunch today was at a Chik-fil-a where dad had never eaten before. Of course the air conditioning was great, but so was the service. When dad asked for ice for his Camelbak the cashier filed it for him. While we were eating the manager brought us new drinks and each table got samples of a new desert. Like the shady spots, it was hard to leave and we joked as we entered the double doors we were in the decompression chamber.

One big change since dad did this 25 years ago are cell phones. We called several times to see how my wife Vicki and mom were doing with the motorhome (great as it turns out), and they were able to determine we were still alive amd making progress.

The RV campsite we are staying at is really small and many of the campers seem to live here year-round. The owner is great and when she learned of our ride brought pictures of when she and her son biked from Plano to the Gulf of Mexico.

Turns out she also has a pet camel that we all enjoyed feeding and who was only to happy to pose for pictures.

Hopefully tomorrow goes as well!

Bike Trip Pictures

Training route pictures

Today's post is an experiment to see if I can embed pictures into these posts. If all goes well you should be able to view a collection of shots I took this morning along one of my favorite training routes. As always, your comments are welcome and may influence what gets posted in future updates!

Bike Trip Pictures

last training ride?

Today was a beautiful day in the DFW area with temperatures in the 80s rather than the 100+ degree days we have been having. It was also likely the only day I will be able to get out for a "long" ride due to work, so I took advantage of it.

Our first day out is planned to be about 55 miles so that was my goal for today. When the ride started my plan was to take it easy. While I certainly didn't push myself it was a day when everything just felt good so my time for today's ride was my best so far.

The route took me north through Denton near where Dad and I will ride next Monday but just to the west of where we will be riding. From there I headed west to Krum, a town of about 2000 in the middle of nowhere. The roads were mostly empty, and I was surprised there weren't more bikers out taking advantage of the great weather.

I completed just over 55 miles in just over 4 hours and still felt strong at the end of the ride. Today's training route is fairly flat, about 2,000 feet of climbing, but makes me feel I'm ready.

Looking forward to Mom & Dad getting here on Friday and getting at least a few miles on the "new" bike before Monday. Otherwise I expect the rest of this week to be a little crazy getting everything done at work and home before I leave.

raining inside out

After many days of 100+ degree temperatures this morning a steady rain pulled the temperature down at least 10 degrees.

While riding in the rain is never my first choice it would be silly to think I can ride cross country without at least a few days of wet weather so this morning seemed like as good a time as any to go get wet.

My father had suggested using a poncho because it lets air flow near your body. Since I didn't plan to go far this morning I decided to try a rain suite I've had sitting in the closet for years.

The rain suite did a great job of keeping the rain from getting in! Just as dad predicted, it also did a great job of causing a downpour inside the suite. By the end of the first 30 minutes the suite was sticking to my skin leaving me at least as wet as if I hadn't used anything at all.

I relearned a couple of other lessons riding in the rain today. One, fenders really are worth the extra weight - between to stripe up my back and the steady flow of water to my face I would have gladly traded the extra pound for a little protection.

I also relearned how wonderful our body is at adapting versus most of the accessories we use. Clearly sunglasses were out of the question this morning so I tried using clear safety glasses for the ride. While they did a nice job of blocking the spray coming off my front tire, and the water drops did create a really interesting visual show, the lack of visibility relegated them to my pocket after about 10 minutes.

good things come to those who wait

I've commented in prior blogs about my frustration that with all the training my weight has failed to budge.

With today's blog I'm happy to say my scale reported this morning that I've now lost 10 pounds since starting training.

Early on my family was very supportive...you are building muscle and muscle is heavier than fat. While I'd like to think I have built muscle with all this training, my guess is it took my body a while to speed up my metabolism based on my new activity level.

Whatever the reason, the last week or so the weight has started to finally come off, which is good with the start of the trip about a week away. Just as you notice hills and wind more when on the bike I also certainly notice the weight every time I climb a hill.

On a completely different note, Mom made me laugh with an email she sent late last night. It seems one of her neighbors follows this blog more closely than she does, so she was caught off guard when the neighbor commented on my "sore bottom".

My thanks to all of you who have been following the training and have sent your well wishes and comments. I'm looking forward to getting started and hopefully experiencing some interesting stories to share!

plans coming into focus

With a little over a week until our trip begins everything seems to be coming together.

I've only managed to get in about 75 miles this week but the rides felt really good so at the risk of being over confident I think my body is ready for the real thing.

Talking with my parents last week my Mom asked why I was driving to Santa Fe to ride back past Dallas. Since neither my Dad or I had a good answer the new plan is for them to come to the Dallas area and we will start from here.

I suppose we are not doing a half-cross-country trip...but it sure makes the planning easier and will get me back to work sooner which (I think) will make my partners happy.

Mom & Dad will hit the road next Wednesday and take a couple of days before getting to the campground near Denton on Friday. Vicki (my wife) will meet them at the part to learn about hooking up the motorhome.

The weekend will hopefully be enough time for her to get comfortable driving the motorhome and for me to get a few miles on the "new" bike.

Plan is to start the trip on the 13th (our anniversary) with a relatively short 60 mile first day.