Ride Log: July 2012

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Week
7/1 65.5 mi +650 ft  03:42:01 Calories 2890	7/2 90.4 mi +5,306 ft  07:01:44 Calories 4727	7/3 86.2 mi +4,150 ft  05:07:26 Calories 5115	7/4 79.7 mi +1,102 ft  04:45:32 Calories 4320	7/5 119.6 mi +2,407 ft  09:08:49 Calories 7559	7/6 REST DAY	7/7 106.9 mi +2,559 ft  06:35:59 Calories 5095	548.3 miles +16,173 feet 36 hours 21 min 29706 calories
7/8 93.4 mi +2,529 ft  06:10:51 Calories 5275	7/9 74.9 mi +5,230 ft  05:59:42 Calories 2947	7/10 57.9 mi +1,636 ft  03:59:36 Calories 3011	7/11 117.4 mi +2,853 ft  06:52:37 Calories 4874	7/12 83.2 mi +2,249 ft  05:59:02 Calories 3429	7/13 73.4 mi   +916 ft  04:46:44 Calories 3128	7/14 72.8 mi +1,047 ft  05:04:56 Calories 3464	572.9 miles +16,460 feet 38 hours 53 min 26128 calories
7/15 REST DAY	7/16 68.9 mi +1,157 ft  04:24:45 Calories 3447	7/17 107.5 mi  +828 ft  06:43:30 Calories 3306	7/18 100.9 mi +2,422 ft  07:13:59 Calories 4668	7/19 88.6 mi +2,834 ft  06:17:39 Calories 2012	7/20 90.8 mi +2,275 ft  06:10:16 Calories 3927	7/21 84.1 mi +1,836 ft  05:12:10 Calories 2369	540.8 miles +11,352 feet 36 hours 2 min 19729 calories
7/22 58.1 mi +1,301 ft  03:30:15 Calories 2642	7/23 9.6 mi +214 ft  00:46:18 Calories 135	7/24 113.5 mi +2,461 ft  07:27:22 Calories 5554	7/25 76.2 mi +367 ft  05:07:24 Calories 3029	7/26 87.8 mi +925 ft  05:08:36 Calories 1319	7/27 82.8 mi +1,195 ft  05:54:31 Calories 2851	7/28 67.7 mi +1,100 ft  04:43:18 Calories 2834	495.8 miles +7,562 feet 32 hours 37 min 18364 calories
7/29 74.3 mi +1,122 ft  04:40:13 Calories 2465	7/30 REST DAY	7/31 86.8 mi +1,651 ft  05:40:37 Calories 2020	8/1 91.8 mi +1,334 ft  05:58:36 Calories 2019	8/2 79.6 mi +1,424 ft  05:24:11 Calories 2803	8/3 35.4 mi +1,184 ft  02:27:48 Calories 1300	8/4 79.3 mi +4,954 ft  06:02:21 Calories 1876	447.2 miles +11,670 feet 30 hours 13 min 12483 calories

Totals	2318.8	+54,320	98,412	154:15
	miles	Elevation Gain (ft)	Calories	hours

Riding on home turf

My bike was dropped of by the FedEx truck on Thursday afternoon, I put the pieces back together that night. On Friday I took it into my local bike shop, The Bike Lane for a couple adjustments to the brakes and drivetrain. So this morning I headed out on my home turf for a chance to see if I really was a stronger rider, or maybe it was all in my head. My basic training course is along the Fairfax County Parkway bike path to the Route 123 bike path and then down into Occoquan Regional Park. Its seventeen miles out and then another seventeen back home. My best previous time was 2:16:15 last fall, this morning my time was almost five minutes faster at 2:11:30 a new personal best. I also set a new personal best on my assent of Occoquan Park Hill, with a time of 6:02, nineteen seconds faster than my previous fastest time on April 1, 2012. While I am still at the bottom of the rankings, I am getting close to that guy in front of me. We will see if I can knock him off before the end of the year.

Day #51, On my way Home

We had another early wake up in Portsmouth for a 6:00 am breakfast (I cut back a bit) and a 6:45 shuttle to Boston Airport and for a couple of us to the AMTRAK Station. We loaded into three passenger vans and we were off. The Traffic Gods smiled on us today and we missed most of the expected morning backup. We dropped off everyone but Keith and I at the Airport and then "Limo Dave" headed downtown to the AMTRAK station. We were there with plenty of time to spare for my 11:05 train to Washington. I picked up a Patricia Cornwell paperback at a newsstand and something to eat later on the train for lunch. I was soon on my way. When I arrived in Washington, I expected to be met by my brother-in-law Frank who has encouraged my riding and I expect someday to make a similar trip when he retires. As I came through the gate Frank had Peggy and her sister Linda in tow to my surprise. A good homecoming for me. I did have to drive home from the station, having not driven for two months, it felt a little strange, and it took me a while to get up to speed. (I did pass my old workplace at GPO, a new building is going up next door that I had no idea about, someone will have to fill me in on the details) When I arrived at home Peggy had a large map poster with photos to celebrate my accomplishment, and a special cake she had baked. I just heard from Portsmouth Trek that my bike has shipped and should arrive on Thursday, so I won't be off it for very long. Maybe I can get back to spin class for a refresher on Thursday and to catch up with my classmates. Everyone asks what my next adventure will be, I really don't have one in mind yet, but it will be tough to top this one, so I may have to scale things back.

Total Miles 3659.26
Total Hours 247.88
Trip Speed 14.8 mph
P.S. I did lose six pounds while eating like a pig for fifty days, so exercise can work

slide show

Day #50, Manchester NH to Portsmouth NH

We enjoyed a great banquet last night and celebrated a little early. We enjoyed a catered barbecue along with a couple skits and about sixty testimonials, but most of all enjoyed dinner with a bunch of new friends.




We leisurely rode about fifty miles to the coast, stopped once for our last SAG stop, flooded a bakery in Exeter with RED-WHITE-BLUE jerseys while sampling pastries. Stopped at a little diner for a cold drink. Gathered at a Junior High School and got a Police escort to Wallis Sands Beach. We dipped our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean in front of a crowd of friend, family, and strangers enjoying the beach. I dropped my bike off for boxing and shipping. We finished today. It will take me a while for all this to soak in. Not a lot to say right now. I look forward to my own bed and a normal schedule real soon.

Day #49, Brattleboro VT to Manchester NH

I started the day at 7:00 with another good breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Brattleboro. We loaded luggage at 7:30 and I was on the road a minute later, a mile into the route, I was already in New Hampshire. I was riding alone, so I took a picture of the sign rather than waiting for assistance from the next rider. At last nights Map meeting, I somehow misunderstood how much climbing we were going to be doing today, I thought they said that they had rerouted us to reduce the amount of climbing. I still ended up with over four thousand feet at the end of the day. We passed thru several small towns and villages this morning, most very quiet because it was Sunday, but when I arrived in the town of Greenfield I was serenaded by the Congregational Church carillon. Not far away we had a SAG stop next to the Town Hall in the village of Francestown. Both of these towns are exactly what you imagine a small town in New England looks like. Tonight we are in Manchester, I was here once before in 1997, my daughter Shannon was competing in her very first Junior Olympic Qualifier race and edged out a couple local girls for a spot in the Junior Olympics in Charlotte NC. The kayak slalom race course was downtown on the Merrimack River next to some old mills. 2012 Olympic Slalom Paddler Casey Eichfeld was also competing in that race in 1997 at about age 7.

Tonight is our trip celebration banquet and Ray from London who was injured a couple weeks back and had to leave the trip, has rejoined us for the banquet and at the beach in Portsmouth on Monday.

Total Miles 3606.43
Total Hours 244.32
Trip Speed 14.8 mph

slide show

Day #48, Latham NY to Brattleboro VT

The trip staff switched things up on us this morning, we loaded luggage before breakfast, as the Holiday Inn didn't start serving until 7:00 am. The Hotel staff seemed to handle our crowd pretty well, they were restocking items before things ran out. I rode alone today, we were doing about five thousand foot of climbing and I wanted to set my own pace. I rode without my usual bag in back to lighten the load a bit. We had about five miles to warm up before the first climb as we crossed the Hudson River and started climbing out of the river valley. At the thirty-two mile mark, we entered the state of Vermont (home of the Vermont Dairy Association, the makers of Bag Balm, an essential component of providing seat comfort to most of the riders on the trip). We passed through several small towns today such as Bennington, Wilmington and Brattleboro. In Bennington we passed the Burlington Battle Memorial which looks similar to the Washington Monument, as well as a collection of colorful moose statues. We passed the Big Moose Deli outside Hoosick Falls. I was also surprised to see a lake at the top of one of our climbs at "Big Pond". After summiting Hogback Mountain, it was almost all downhill to the hotel. As we approached Brattleboro, we stopped at a covered bridge for some pictures.  We also stopped at a couple bike shops looking for jerseys to commemorate are arrival in Vermont. My bike performed well today after yesterdays mechanical problems. Climbing seemed easier than those first big climbs back in Oregon. I think both me and the bike are in better shape at the end of the trip.

slide show

Day #47, Little Falls to Latham NY

You start a trip like this with the goal to ride every single inch from coast to coast. What we don't understand during the goal setting process is that part of reaching this goal is under your own control, but there are other factors which can prevent you from what you set as your goal. Weather, road construction, and mechanical issues, all out of your personal control can all cause you to miss part of a riding day.
Today I had my crank bearings disintegrate about twenty miles into our scheduled seventy five. I got a call in to Mike Munk the trip leader and he was able to shuttle me up to the first SAG stop. Mike put my bike on the work stand and took apart the crank, what we found was not good, one of the bearings had disintegrated and wore a large groove into the crank shaft. The damage was bad enough that the crank set would have to be replaced. I trip to a bike store would be required because we were not able to remove one of the bearings with the tools at hand. I also was presented with a couple additional options, Mimi's husband Ward, who had joined the trip in Niagara Falls, offered me his expensive bike for the day, saying it was more important for Joel to do every mile than for him to complete this one day of a partial trip. Mike also offered to tear apart his wife Barb's bike and use parts of it to repair my bike (the parts would be removed at the end of the trip). I decided that I needed to be at the bike store to approve of whatever charges they wanted for the parts and labor to fix the bike. Both were very generous offers from people who were strangers two months ago, but who now are part of my bike family.
Mike and I set out for a bike store, the first place the internet sent us was no longer a bike shop, the second was Trek dealer, but so small as to not stock the required parts, third times a charm as Freeman's Bridge Sports was able to obtain the parts from a local distributor within an hour. They then pointed me to the diner across the road for lunch. The mechanic installed the parts and had me back on the road, sadly not where I left off at the twenty mile mark, but right on the planned route to the hotel in Latham. I rode the last fifteen to twenty miles and finished the day. In someway I think the problem was preventable, I had the bike gone over before the trip by my home bike shop, I had Jim the trip mechanic take a look at it the last two nights and he was not able to diagnose the problem. Maybe I didn't communicate the symptoms I was experiencing clearly enough to lead him in the right direction. It could be my style of riding, I push as high a gear as you can for as long as you can before thinking about down shifting. But it doesn't matter, because in the end its not the total miles, its the places, experiences, the people, the new friends. My life has been enriched by the trip and I am sure it will open new possibilities for more adventures during the rest of my life.

slide show

Day #46, Liverpool NY to Little Falls NY

Breakfast was at 6:00; I made myself a waffle in the machine and had some instant oatmeal and yogurt.

We were on the road at 7:00, I rode with three of the Turtles, and we set a leisurely pace of about 14.5 mph and stuck to it all day. We passed some more sections of the Erie Canal but they were not as picturesque as yesterday. The roads were once again for the most part great, nice wide and clean shoulders to keep us out of the road.

The number of days is getting short, as I write this its only four more. Everyone seems to have slowed down their pace because they don't want the trip to end too quickly. We are stopping more often and I hear more chatter while riding.

As we travel east, we are doing much more city riding and having more interaction with cars and traffic. An eighty plus little grandmother cut off the group I was with today as she wandered over the white line and onto the shoulder as she passed. It was a narrow miss. Sam tracked her into a parking lot and told her how close she had come to wiping out the whole group.

The surgery on my shoe the other day was a total success, the toe is healing and I feel no pain or irritation while riding. Fashion wise some may question me calling it a success, you be the judge.

I made my last trip to the laundromat and now have four clean pair of bike shorts for the four remaining days of riding. The place was jammed with our group, it seemed everyone had the same idea after they arrived at the hotel. I also had Jim the trip mechanic take a look at the crank on my bike, it had developed a little wobble that he tightened up, but I do need to get a complete checkup on the bike when I get home.

Total Miles 3413.28
Total Hours 229.95
Trip Speed 14.8 mph
Slide show

Day #45, Henrietta NY to Liverpool NY

We devastated the Continental Breakfast again this morning, the trip breakfast rule is, show up for breakfast 15 minutes early, (to get the first batch of food) or 15 minutes late, (when the hotel staff has had time to recover and restock the line). We left Henrietta at 6:45 am and were on the Erie Canalway Trail five minutes later. We rode the trail for twenty three miles this morning, it passed thru several little towns along the canal. I can't imagine some of them have changed much in the last one hundred and fifty years. The trail was paved in some sections and in others it was covered in crushed limestone. Once off the Canalway Trail in Palmyra, we followed Route 31 for most of the day. Lots of farms and small towns along our route to Liverpool (near Syracuse). Today is retired school teacher Polly's last day of riding with us, she is attending a wedding in London this weekend and will finish the remaining miles of the trip on her own this October. I think she may convince some of our New England riders to join her for a day or two. We also have had a few segment riders join us for the last few days, it must be hard joining a big group that has been together so long and all us being in great riding shape. We are staying at the Quality Inn in Liverpool and had dinner tonight next door at Tully's the local sports bar.

Total Miles 3333.68
Total Hours 224.52
Trip Speed 14.8 mph

slide show

Day #44, Niagara Falls to Henrietta NY

Most of us were up early for a 7:00 am breakfast, the door to the breakfast room was locked to we clogged the lobby for about thirty minutes with bodies, bags and bikes. There were a few other tour groups in the hotel to see the falls, I am not sure they knew what was going on with all the bikers. I only got one pass through the buffet as there was still a line waiting when my plate emptied out, I guess I need to start cutting back anyway. The day after a rest day always seems to be hard, maybe we actually need to rest. We had eighty seven miles to do, I was with a group for about twenty miles, then tired and dropped off the back and rode alone. I started to get a blister on my little toe, so at the first SAG stop I performed a little surgery on my shoe to cut away the offending area and stop the irritation. It seemed to work well, but my toe now kind of sticks through the hole. We rode through a mixture of farms and state forrest land, nothing spectacular that made we want to stop and take pictures. The temperature warmed up as we rode and I drank a lot of water, on one leg of the ride I sucked the Camelbak dry before all the ice could melt. We are staying at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Henrietta, a suburb of Rochester NY. Its laundry day for me, I was hoping this would be the last time I had to do it on the road, but the numbers just didn't work out for me to have a clean pair of bike shorts every day. I think we are eating at TGIFridays tonight, that is something new for the group to try.

Total Miles 3241.85
Total Hours 218.51
Trip Speed 14.8 mph

slide show

Day #43, Day off in Niagara Falls NY

We had today off, not like last time when we rode a hot ferry boat, this time we had places to go and sights to see. I started at Denny's for breakfast, we picked up a few riders on the walk over and had a table of about seven by the time we got there. After breakfast I headed over to ride the Maid of the Mist, you entered a a giant observation tower overlooking the gorge, and the descended into the gorge via an elevator. Interestingly, I think 90% of the passengers were Asians. We got up close looks at both the American and Horseshoe Falls from the boat. Afterwards I walked up a set a stairs to take a few pictures, but had already removed by disposable rain poncho. I got drenched but luckily had quick drying shorts and shirt. I next rode the trolly to the Cave of the Winds, where you walk up close to the American Falls on wooden catwalks. Another wet experience where they issue you a poncho and sandals. After that I went to the overlook of Horseshoe Falls on Goat Island. Then it was back to the Visitors Center for an IMAX movie on the history of the Niagara Gorge and some ice cream. Another Trolly ride took me to the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center which explains the geological and scientific history of the gorge. I then walked over to the Aquarium for a tour. After another stop for ice cream, at the Twist O'the Mist. I saved the best for last, a Helicopter Tour of the whole Niagara Gorge area. I report no problems with air sickness at all.

slide show

Day #42, Brantford Ontario to Niagara Falls NY

We had another great breakfast this morning at the Best Western with a private room, cloth napkins and table cloths. Plenty of fruit to go along with the standard ABB breakfast, even had omelets to order, but I didn't waste time standing in line for one. Breakfast was at 6:30 and luggage load at 7:00, so you didn't want to get in our way. We were all decked out in our Red-White-Blue jerseys for a return to the USA at Niagara Falls. We left early to allow for plenty of time to sight see on the Canadian side, for those who didn't relish going through customs a couple extra times on our day off on Monday. We had a single SAG Stop and a couple alumni riders from a previous trip brought Canadian "Butter Tarts" which bear a close resemblance to Peggy's Aunt Hazels Pecan Tarts. They also brought a huge fruit tray. I rode 90% of the day with John Nixon, one of many Texans on the trip. We  took some pictures on the Canadian side before crossing the Rainbow Bridge and going through US Customs. We were waived into the "Express Lane" where NEXUS Card holders are normally processed and got through without any hassles. We are staying about three blocks from the bridge at the Quality Inn. Tonights dinner was supposed to be at Denny's, but many of us opted to use the Denny's gift card for breakfast tomorrow on our day off and head elsewhere tonight. My group tried an Italian restaurant, but it was booked solid, so we walked back past the hotel to the Hard Rock Cafe. I am not in bed yet because directly across the street a RAP Concert featuring Gucci Mane is still blasting a base beat. I plan to do the full tourist thing on Monday, the Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, Adventure Theater, and even Fort Niagara. Check back for a full report.

slide show

Day #41, London to Brantford Ontario Canada

I had a leisurely breakfast at the Travel Lodge this morning, breakfast opened at 6:30 and we didn't load luggage until 8:00, so the normal fifteen minutes of group gluttony was spread over an hour, much more civilized. We started late because we had only sixty-seven miles to ride, but rain was threatening, so I started with a jacket, but tucked it away before going ten miles. We are still in farm country, but we saw a few new crops to go along with all the corn and soy beans we have been seeing. I saw some cucumbers, tobacco and even some large ginseng farms today. The ginseng is grown under a huge sun shades and is only harvested every four years. I also saw strawberries under some of the same type of sun shades.

An ancestor of mine, Foster Reeve (1817-1886) of Simcoe (south of Brantford) was a farmer in this area. I imagine farming operations were smaller and much more labor intensive in those days, and I doubt he was growing ginseng. I didn't make it to Simcoe, but our route took us within ten miles. I also saw a lot of Dutch names on mailboxes along the roads.

Some of us stopped at an interesting place for lunch, Cora's Restaurant, they serve mainly breakfast items although I did get a Chicken Melt sandwich with a giant fruit plate with six or seven different fruits cut up into fancy shapes, even tried a gooseberry. I great place to end a ride and great to see something other than french fries with a sandwich. We are staying at the Best Western in Brantford Ontario, home of Wayne Gretzky the hockey player and Jay Silverheels who played Tonto on the Lone Ranger. They served us a great buffet, a couple notches above Golden Corral or Ponderosa. Dessert was fresh baked pies that some of the riders bought at a road side fruit stand and transported to the hotel by Karen.


Total Miles 3080.74
Total Hours 208.07
Trip Speed 14.8 mph


slide show

Day #40, Port Huron MI to London Ontario Canada

Last night we were given a schedule that rivaled the D-Day invasion. They were shutting down the single-lane Blue Water Bridge to Sarnia Ontario for us at 0630 and we needed to be there with Passports in our pockets, no joking allowed. Yesterday semi-trucks were backed up for miles trying to get over the bridge, so shutting it down was a big deal. It was the first day we really rode as a single group anywhere. The first climb of the day was the 150ft bridge itself. The bridge has a couple dangerous expansion joints that would trap a bike wheel that we walked our bikes over, and then it was down the other side to Canadian Customs. We all made it into Canada with no more than a cursory look at a few Passports. We passed through Sarnia and then were out in the countryside, the corn fields look the same, the cows smell the same, but I did see a very large solar farm. I seemed to be tired today, I may have pushed too hard to keep up with the wind yesterday or was just excited to see family. I stopped for lunch in the small town of Delaware at a small market where they mad me a deli sandwich and sold me a diet coke in the old style glass bottles. That seemed to rejuvenate me and I finished the remaining twenty miles much stronger. I stopped at McDonald's for a Chocolate-Banana shake (not sure if thats a Canadian thing or not, but its the first time I saw or tasted one). I am still waiting for my first taste of Poutine. We are staying at the Travel Lodge in London. I did a load of laundry after exchanging my quarters for a Looney and some Canadian Quarters.

Total Miles 3013.04
Total Hours 203.40
Trip Speed 14.8 mph
slide show

Day #39, Birch Run to Port Huron MI

I woke up at 4:00 am to thunderstorms and tried to sleep until the alarm went off at 5:00am. I ate breakfast at the hotel at 6:00 and then heard that "Luggage Load" had been pushed back an hour in hopes that the storm would pass thru. 8:00 passed and it was still raining. At 9:00 Jeff, (who was in charge today with Mike down with the flu) made the call, we would leave in fifteen minutes. I wasn't real confident, but we started, the rain seemed to stop immediately, and within two miles I was peeling off my rain jacket because I was too hot already. Many riders reported seeing a large rainbow. We picked up a tail wind and were enjoying the rural scenery. I stopped for lunch in the village of Brown City at Mary Ann's Restaurant and had the largest Club sandwich I have ever seen. I rode hard the rest of the day, because I had guests arriving and I didn't know when they were showing up. The wind kept pushing and I tried to keep up with it. We caught a glimpse of Lake Huron about ten miles north of Port Huron and then rode along the lake front road until we were in town. I got cleaned up and the my brother Rick, his wife Pam, and my daughter Shannon showed up at the hotel, we talked for a while and then we attended the "Map meeting" for the next day's ride. Then I was treated to a restaurant with (what we say on the ride) no pictures on the menu. We went to the Quay Street Brewing Company in Port Huron. I had Chicken Parmesan and Shannon had Fish and Chips. On the way out I spotted a group of our riders jumping in a cab after celebrating Polly's sixty-second birthday. It was great to see part of real family after spending six weeks with my new trip family.

slide show

Day #38, Mt Pleasant to Birch Run MI

Another late start today, with breakfast at Bob Evans at 7:00, Map meeting at 8:00 and I was on the road at 8:15. I rode with the "Turtles" until the SAG Stop at the "Reeves Farm" between Alma and Ithaca, I talked with the owner Sandra, and as far as we know, we are not related. Wind was from the South today, at times it was pretty strong, so we fought it most of the day, especially on legs that took us directly south. Stopped at Culver's for Frozen Custard when I hit Birch Run. We are staying at the Comfort Inn in Birch Run near Frankenmuth. We ate dinner at the EXIT Restaurant near the hotel.

Total Miles 2842.47
Total Hours 192.36
Trip Speed 14.8 mph
slide show

Day #37, Ludington to Mt Pleasant

I didn't eat or sleep well last night, so I had doubts about how well I would ride the 113 miles today. Breakfast was at 6:00 and we loaded luggage at 6:30. I rode by myself pretty much the entire day except when I was being passed by other groups. Early in the day as I was passing a small one room schoolhouse, I slipped into some sandy gravel on the shoulder and fell off my bike. Suffered a bruise near my knee, but no road rash or blood, and I was able to ride on without any problems. We are staying at the Baymont Inn in Mt Pleasant and ate at Ponderosa tonight. Today was one of the last big tests of our tour, the last day over one hundred miles, we have a couple of big climbing days left in Vermont.


Total Miles 2766.24
Total Hours 187.24
Trip Speed 14.8 mph

slide show

Day #36, Manitowoc to Ludington MI (Via SS Badger)

Today we were taking a shortcut on the Ferry SS Badger from Manitowoc to Ludington. It was also supposed to serve as a rest day. It turned out to be anything but a rest day. I woke up late and had breakfast a Perkins at 8:00. We loaded our luggage on the truck at 10:00 and then did set off on a sight seeing trip. But first we stopped at Culver's for more frozen custard, some had banana splits, but I had a cone. We then went to the Manotowoc Maritime Museum, where we toured the USS Cobia, a World War II sub. Manitowoc had a shipyard during WWII and built 28 submarines for the US Navy. Marinette Marine of Marinette Wisconsin still builds the LCS class ships for the Navy. We then went to lunch and had burgers, before boarding the SS Badger at 1:00. Due to technical difficulties, the ship didn't sail until 3:00. Sitting there motionless was hot. Once underway things cooled off a bit, I watched a couple movies in the theater to pass the time. We docked in Ludington about 8:00 and were able to get our bikes about 8:30. We were off to the Ramada Inn, but we had to stop for pictures at the Michigan Welcome sign. By the time we unloaded luggage it was bedtime, I ate a Cliff Bar and went to bed.

slide show

Day #35, Fond du Lac to Manitowoc, WI

With only fifty-seven miles on our schedule we could sleep in today. Breakfast was at 7:30, and the Ramada Plaza did a great job, table cloths and cloth napkins are not what we are used to seeing in the breakfast room. The buffet spread included muffins, banana bread, scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, cereal, orange juice and fruit punch. We loaded luggage at 8:30 and were on our way. We headed north to Lake Winnebago and stopped in Lighthouse Park to see the lighthouse built in 1933. A couple quick photos and we were again on the road.  We had one big climb on the route today and it was in the first eight miles. With that behind is, we started to cruise through dairy country, every farm we passed had a sign proclaiming which dairy product their milk was used in. After our SAG Stop we even passed a large Sargento factory. We continued toward Lake Michigan, and caught glimpses of it for a few miles as we headed up its coast before moving a little inland. Once in Manitowoc, most of us headed to Culver's, famous for butter burgers and frozen custard. I did without a butter burger, but ordered a tall cement mixer custard with strawberries and blueberries. Then to the Holiday Inn to get cleaned up. Many of us used a hotel shuttle to get to a laundromat, as the last couple hotels lacked guest laundry facilities. I also changed my rear tire (Continental Gator Hardshell), earlier in the day I noticed you could start to see threads through the tread area. That tire has served me well, with over 3000 miles including the last month of training. We ride the SS Badger ferry across Lake Michigan to Ludington on Monday, so we only cycle seven miles, but we have another hundred plus day on Tuesday to challenge us.

Total Miles 2643.07
Total Hours 179.02
Trip Speed 14.8 mph
slide show