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

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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.

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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.

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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


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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
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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.

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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
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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

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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.

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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
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Day #34, Wisconsin Dells to Fond du Lac WI

I started today with two breakfasts, first in the hotel I had an orange and some yogurt, then to Denny's for a Build Your Own Grand Slam of, Oatmeal, Pancakes, Eggs, and Sausage. I was on my bike at 7:15, and rode alone for about ten miles, then was joined by John Nixon. We rode thru some rain starting in the town of Packwaukee. Then rode by some lakes and were joined by Warren, Al and Marion at about the twenty-five mile mark. I pulled them into the first SAG Stop at mile thirty-one in the town of Montello. In the middle of town is an old quarry that has a couple waterfalls cascading down into a pool. We rode as a group of five to Princeton where we stopped at the American Legion Brat Fry for a mid-morning snack. The second SAG Stop was in the town of Ripon next to the Subway Shop (I did not go for a forth meal quite yet). On the final route to Fond du Lac, we had our choice of riding on the road or a bike path. The group split, with Al and Marion taking the bike path, while John, Warren and I chose the road. We lucked out as the road was freshly paved and as smooth as glass. I took the opportunity of the smooth road to see how fast I could go and pulled the group into Fond du Lac topping out at 27 mph. We are staying at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, which was built in 1923, and has accommodated guests such as John F. Kennedy and Eleanor Roosevelt. Not our normal trip accommodations. While waiting for the luggage truck I did eat my forth meal and had a sub at Cousins Subs (I recommend the Big Daddy) next door to the hotel. We had dinner here at the Ramada, salad, bread, mashed potatoes, cabbage, spaghetti with meat sauce, and baked chicken.

I felt very strong today, and could stay with the group without overextending myself. We have covered 541 miles in the last six days, quite a stretch of riding. We are backing off a bit on Sunday only doing 57 miles into Manitowoc on the coast of Lake Michigan.

Total Miles 2584.97
Total Hours 175.51
Trip Speed 14.7 mph
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Day #33, La Crosse to the Wisconsin Dells WI

The day started great, Shannon was in La Crosse for a wedding, (she got in last night after my 9:00 bed time), so we met at the hotel for breakfast at 6:00 am. She filled me in on all the latest news on her move to Greenville SC and job search. She got to meet a few of the riders at breakfast, but we didn't have time to introduce her to everyone. We spent a grand total of an hour together but it was nice to see her smiling face. Shannon says she will be reporting my health status to Peggy. By the time I said my goodbyes, my normal Type A riding companions had already established a ten minute head start on me, so I decided to join another group for the day. I rode with the "Turtles", one of the slower groups of riders for most of the day, a much more relaxing experience I must say when you are not looking at how fast you are going (I did get sidetracked from them for a while when Max and Laural forced me into stopping for Pie and Ice Cream in Wilton, they didn't even have to twist my arm). We rode part of the day on the thirty-four mile Sparta-Elroy State Trail. The trail starts at the Sparta Train Depot where many of us posed on a giant "Penny Farthing" high wheel bicycle. The trail has three old railroad tunnels that you walk your bike through with a flashlight. The state of Wisconsin has a large network of these bike trails and many of them pass through Elroy. Once off the trail, we were on country roads all the way to the Dells. Dinner tonight was at Denny's, we each were given a $15 gift card, I won the contest at my table on how close you could get to fifteen, without going over. We are at the Best Western tonight, and it will be back to Denny's in the morning for a Make your own Grand Slam Breakfast. We got a reminder today at map meeting to keep our concentration on safety, so that we all make it to New Hampshire safely. Mike has taken the string of accidents as a reflection on the job he is doing as trip leader. We need to, and can do a better job out on the road of staying safe.

Total Miles 2500.86
Total Hours 170.31
Trip Speed 14.7 mph
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Day #32, Rochester MN to La Crosse WI

Another great breakfast at the Clarion in Rochester, they were well prepared for us. We started at 7:00 am, which normally would be a little late, but we had heavy overcast and fog this morning and it took a while for the sun to burn through and warm things up. The roads were much better as a whole today, but we did have a few areas that could use a resurfacing. At the first SAG Stop at a roadside park, there was a small creek that was damned, it was a very pretty setting and a saw a couple trout attempt to jump up and over the dam. Later in the day between Rushford and Houston we were on the Root River State Trail, another beautiful place to ride. We had another accident on the bike path, Ray Black, was taking a photo while riding and slipped into the grass and crashed, we would later find out he had broken a bone in his shoulder and would be leaving the tour. We will all miss Ray during the remaining days we have together. When we arrived in Houston for the second SAG Stop, everyone pretty much ignored the normal spread that Kathy put out and headed to the little coffee house and bakery for a few fresh treats that Jeff had been touting. I had an enormous Cinnamon Roll and a Blueberry Smoothy, both were excellent. We then had to tackle a mile long climb with a gradient of 10.5%. I was soon in Wisconsin, and had to wait at the sign for another rider to take my picture. Then it was across the Mississippi River Bridge and into La Crosse. We are staying at the Best Western tonight and ate at the North Country Buffet for dinner.

Total Miles 2410.08
Total Hours 164.15
Trip Speed 14.7 mph

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Day #31, Mankato MN to Rochester MN

We had a great breakfast at the City Center Hotel, a large private room, with plenty of food and staff. We needed the extra fuel for the hill that overlooked the hotel. The hill started gently but peaked at 12.9% grade. That is enough to get your heart going early in the morning. Soon after we crested the hill we ran into a little road construction, but I lead a group through the dirt and we were on our way. I think back-to-back centuries had me dragging a little today as I never really got into a rhythm on the bike. My speed was off a couple mph from yesterday, but we had a little tail wind and didn't do as much climbing going into Mankato, as we did leaving today. More farms today, but thankfully the pigs were gone. As we ate lunch of subs in West Concord the clouds rolled in and there were thunder storms in the area, but I managed to dodge them. I am not sure if anyone else got dumped on out on the road. We are staying tonight in Rochester MN, home of the Mayo Clinic. Some of us may need to check in the Mayo for a little tune up tonight. We had dinner right here in the Clarion Hotel, Salad, Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken, Zitti in Tomato Sauce, rolls and ice cream.

Total Miles 2321.48
Total Hours 157.90
Trip Speed 14.7 mph

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Day #30, Worthington MN to Mankato MN

I was up early today and on the road at 5:45am, (you know its before sunrise when your GPS is in "black" nighttime mode). Breakfast again overwhelmed the hotel staff as fifty people all tried to eat in a ten minute time span. Many skipped out and headed to McDonalds, but I snagged a couple muffins and a couple yogurts and was on my way. We had 108 miles to ride, and were again attempting to beat the heat and wind. I got an early jump on most of the pack and was averaging about 16 mph in the cool of the day. Today we must have been in "PIG Country", as we passed a couple processing plants, a rendering plant and countless pig farms on our route. The oder of each were memorable. My body has adapted well to all the riding and doing a hundred miles seems to be just a matter of putting the time on the bike necessary to get there. The heat seems to rob you of your motivation, so starting early is a good idea. When we approached Mankato near the town of Rapidan, we were directed onto "The Red Jacket Trail"(a rail trail named after a Seneca Indian Chief) that took us down into the city center without any hassles with traffic. When we arrived at the Minnesota River, we turned onto the North Minnesota River Trail which follows the river, within some concrete flood levees built by the Army Corp of Engineers. As we neared our hotel we passed Reconciliation Park, which was built to heal bad feelings from the hanging execution of 38 indians in 1862 who were involved in an uprising after the US Government broke a treaty with the Dakota-Sioux tribe. We also passed the Mankato Train Depot and the Public Library with a Korean War Memorial statue out front. We are staying tonight at the City Center Hotel, one of the nicer hotels we have seen on our trip. After my shower, I grabbed a bagel at Tandem Bagels down the block.

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Day #15, over Teton Pass to Jackson WY (additional video)

On Day #15 we climbed Teton Pass on our way to Jackson WY, here is a helmet-cam video of one of our riders (Randall Mellin) descent down the mountain. You may want to watch it in full screen mode at high resolution. It will give you an idea of the scenery that day.

Day #29, Sioux Falls SD to Worthington MN

We started our ride this morning on a great bike path that circles the entire city of Sioux Falls, think of it as the Washington DC Capital Beltway of bike paths, it ties together a bunch of city parks and makes for a very enjoyable ride. When you have seen three hundred corn fields this month, do you really need or want to stop and take a picture. Not me. I did get some good pictures of the Falls at Sioux Falls, at one time there was a large mill located there. We entered the state of Minnesota at about the twenty five mile mark this morning. We passed through several farm communities like Brandon, Luverne and Adrian before we arrived in Worthington. Our arrival must be a big deal in Worthington, because the Super 8 Hotel gave us all gift bags and had fruit, yogurt and drinks waiting for us in the lobby, and the President of the Chamber of Commerce welcomed me to Worthington after seeing a small group of us at Bennlee's Cafe for lunch (no "Key to the City" though). On the way back to the Super 8, we rode by Lake Okabena, a stiff wind was blowing across the lake, I can see why they have held several International Wind Surfing competitions there. Dinner was at the Ground Round and I had Chicken and Broccoli Fettucini with a Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread. Another 100+ mile day coming up on Tuesday, so its in bed early tonight with an early wake up call.

Total Miles 2112.08
Total Hours 143.95
Trip Speed 14.7 mph
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Day #28, Day Off in Sioux Falls, SD

I actually slept in until 8:00 am this morning and had a leisurely breakfast in the hotel breakfast room. No wolfing down bagels and eggs this morning. I tried out the waffle machine and had Strawberry Waffles. My laundry is clean and my bike is ready (had the chained replaced on Friday) so I really have nothing on my schedule all day long. It will be a day of relaxation and chilling out. I killed time by reading email, writing a blog post and surfing the internet before walking over to the Empire Mall at 11:00. The mall is actually the largest tourist attraction in South Dakota (seven million visitors a year), a surprising claim in the state that includes Mount Rushmore. The economy must be doing well in this area, because I saw no evidence of the closed and empty stores I have seen in the east. I was a "Senior Citizen Mall Walker" and did two laps of the mall for exercise or just to fight off boredom. I browsed at the cell phone kiosks for a phone upgrade, cell reception has been spotty on the trip for Peggy and my's generation one cell phone, I was satisfied to look but not buy anything for now. Lunch was a Grilled Chicken Burrito at Taco John's with dessert a DQ Strawberry Blizzard. (theme for the day must be Strawberry) I walked back to the Comfort Suites and watched part of the NASCAR race from New Hampshire. The big decision for the day will be where and how far to walk for dinner. I will need to research that on Google Maps. Looks like I have my choice of Old Chicago, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Chili's, Fudrucker's, Applebee's and Texas Roadhouse. Not much local flavor available but a full slate of Americas favorite chain restaurants. I went for the Texas Roadhouse, and had barbecued chicken and strawberry cheesecake for dessert

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Special Edition: Life without TV

TV WASTELAND: as I move eastward on my trip, (passing thru basic cable territory), I have missed many of my favorite TV shows. The DVR's back home do not have unlimited storage and there are limited numbers of episodes available on-demand. What should I do, ask how things turned out, go to wikipedia and read the episode summaries, wait til I get home and see what i can. Breaking Bad is starting this week without me. I missed the last episode of The Killing. I think the Closer is on. White Collar, etc. This could be a blank area in my TV knowledge base. Maybe I never go back to watching.

Day #27, Mitchell SD to Sioux Falls SD, more small town fun

Another early start today as we tried to beat the heat and wind. Breakfast was at 6:00am, but our crew was at least 15 minutes early and overwhelmed the attendant, by eating everything in sight. The waffle machine was in constant use until all the batter was exhausted. Some resorted to eating cold cereal or instant oatmeal, while others went down the street to McDonalds. We loaded at 6:30 and were soon on the road. This is the most enjoyable time on the road as temps are still cool and the wind hasn't shown its teeth. The first and only SAG stop today was at 40 miles in the little town of Canistota, which was celebrating its 102nd Annual Sports Day with a toddler tractor pull while we were there. I am not sure what other events are planned, but the toddlers gave their all as the miniature John Deere pedal tractor was hooked to a miniature pulling sled that increased the resistance the farther they rode. We faced into the wind the last thirty miles into Sioux Falls as temperatures rose into the 90's. Some of us stopped at a convenience store for a cold drink and then peddled and coasted the last ten miles into The Comfort Suites Sioux Falls about 12:15. After luggage was unloaded and a quick shower, our pace line reformed as we had lunch at The Old Chicago Bar & Grill. Dinner is at the Royal Fork Buffet, another place than can withstand our onslaught of big eaters. We are all ready for a slow rest day on Sunday.

Total Miles 2043.20
Total Hours 139.56
Trip Speed 14.6 mph


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Day #26, Chamberlain SD to Mitchell SD

Luggage load was at 6:00 am, and we rode up to the center of town for breakfast at the Anchor Grill. This place is my favorite so far as far as providing home cooking. Homemade pies last night and this morning it was homemade cinnamon rolls. We climbed out of town and then headed for Mitchell. The roads out here must suffer from hard winters because the last few days we have suffered ourselves as we crossed a bone jarring seam every eight to ten feet. It didn't matter if it was asphalt or concrete, it had the seams. Your hands and wheels take a beating, and its a wonder we didn't have a bunch of broken spokes to fix. We passed through a series of small towns, Pukwana (home of the Puk U Bar & Grill and lawn mower races), Kimball (home of the SD Tractor Museum), Plankinton, and Mt Vernon. Then it was Mitchell, home of the world famous Corn Palace. Each year the downtown civic center (The Boston Garden of SD) is covered with murals made from corn cobs and other farm products stapled to the plywood walls. I stopped for ice cream (peanut butter brownie) across from the corn palace and then on to the Budget Inn, our base for the night. We had Mexican food next door for dinner and I had chicken fajitas. Seventy-one more miles today, so we are getting closer to the end in Portsmouth than the beginning in Astoria. Another seventy miles tomorrow, and then a day off in Sioux Falls, SD.

Total Miles 1970.41
Total Hours 134.48
Trip Speed 14.7 mph

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Day #25, Pierre to Chamberlain SD, (Half Way Home)

It doesn't take much to upset our routine. We all have gotten pretty used to someone else deciding when and where we get up, eat breakfast, stop for snacks, and eat dinner. So a broken ice machine at the hotel, sent me wandering the streets at 6:00 am looking for ice, the gas station across the street was still closed, so I went back to McDonalds for breakfast, and filled my CamelBak with ice and water from my drink cup. On the road at 6:30, we followed the Missouri river most of the day. At the first SAG stop, strategically positioned at the half way point of our journey across the country, we all took photos and celebrated with a piece of watermelon. We then passed through an Indian Reservation near Ft Thompson. The last of three big climbs was through a road construction site, so we did a little off-roading through the gravel and dirt, just to make it a little harder. I pulled into Chamberlain about 1:30, and after a quick stop at the Best Western to change into some shorts, I headed back to McDonalds for the second time today to enjoy another Chocolate Shake. Dinner tonight and breakfast on Friday are at the Anchor Grill. We enjoyed fried chicken and roast beef, along with some freshly baked homemade rhubarb pie.

1897.04 miles
129.70 hours
14.6 mph

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Day #24, Wall SD to Pierre SD

Today I got up with the chickens, because it was going to be a long ride of 117 miles. After a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal, orange juice and a bagel with peanut butter, I was on the road at 5:30 am. One last look at the giant dinosaur that greets all the visitors to Wall Drug and I was on my way. I rode alone today as I wanted to control my own pace, trying to ride with a group that was a little too fast can wear you out quickly as you over extend yourself. I rode through some road construction where they had just laid down a fresh coat of chip-seal gravel and then had pretty good road the rest of the way. I had to deal with a steady following cross wind today, some gusts tried to knock you over, but it did give you a little boost in speed. I had bought a couple six inch subs last night and they were waiting for me at the SAG stops, they were a great addition to the normal snacks and fruit we devour everyday. I passed farm after farm, each field could be a mile or two long, I can't imagine plowing or harvesting in a field that large. Someone told me that the modern tractors are controlled by GPS. As we arrived in Pierre, we also crossed the Missouri River and into the Central Time Zone, so we lost an additional hour of a very busy day. John, Warren and I stopped at McDonalds for Chocolate Shakes before heading next door to the Governor's Inn where we are staying. Dinner is at the Chinese Buffet down the street and afterwards we will be celebrating Al's birthday. I almost forgot, today was a Poker Ride, at luggage load and at each stop, we drew a playing card, tonight after getting one last card, who ever has the best hand will win the pot of fifty dollars, my hand looks pretty poor right now, 2 hearts, 4 clubs, 8 diamonds, and a Jack of diamonds.

Want to see who I am riding with? Check this


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Day #23, Rapid City SD to Wall SD (home of Wall Drug)

I started today off with a real restaurant breakfast at Perkins in Rapid City, after weeks of hotel style continental breakfasts, it was a joy to order off the menu. We started late this morning at 8:00 am because we were only riding 58 miles. I would have preferred an earlier start because both the heat and winds arrived early in our ride and stayed with us all the way to Wall. As we wound our way thru Rapid City, we saw a few of the complete set of Presidential Statues that adorn the city. We are out of the mountains but we did have a lot of rolling hills to test our stamina. the scenery was provided by vast farm fields of wheat, hay and corn. No irrigation is required here in South Dakota, in contrast to what we saw earlier in the ride farther west. We had been seeing a large number of signs for "Wall Drugs" the past week on the road and finally we were here in Wall. The best way to describe it is South Carolinas "South of the Border" with a western flavor. I looked around but I couldn't seem to find a thing I really needed, except maybe some "Anti Monkey Butt Powder", which amazingly is offered in both mens and women's versions. Fox News must be following my trip, because I just happened to see this article today. Tomorrow is another big day with 120 miles, hopefully we get an early start and get some miles in our pocket before it heats up.

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Day #22, Hot Springs to Rapid City

I started out alone this morning at 6:30am, today was going to be a day to take pictures, there were several attractions I wanted to capture along our route and I couldn't be tied to a groups whims when I wanted to stop.  We were doing 75 miles plus 5200 feet of climbing. Our route took us through Wind Cave National Park where we saw bison, dear and prairie dogs. It is an amazing area to ride in. The first 37 miles were a steady climb to the "Crazy Horse Memorial". Originally commissioned by Chief Standing Bear in 1924, work was started by sculptor Korczak Paderewski in 1948 who had worked on Mount Rushmore. When Korczak passed away in 1982, his family continued his work from detailed drawings and models.  I don't know if it will ever be finished but its starting to look like an indian. Then it was a series of ups and downs to the fifty-two mile mark at Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore was designed by sculptor Gutzon Borglum (who worked on Stone Mountain in Georgia) in 1927 and was originally going to show each of the presidents from the waist up, but plans were scaled back due to lack of funds. I squeezed in line for a picture with George, Tom, Teddy and Abe. They stood there all day as their fans snapped away. I met a couple doing a self-supported cross country ride, they started a couple weeks before us and will finish about three weeks after us. Not sure I could do without the hotel bed and a strict schedule of milage each day. Down the hill for a snack in Keystone, and then back up another monster climb before riding about 15 more miles to Rapid City. We are staying at the Super 8 and eating at Perkins here in Rapid City. We have cycled over 1638 miles so far and should be getting to the half way point in a couple of days. At this point the challenge is more mental than physical, we can do it, we just need to remind ourselves at the base of every hill.

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Day #21, Lusk WY to Hot Spring SD

I am not sure the Covered Wagon Motel in Lusk was ready for us this morning at Breakfast. They laid out frozen French toast and "corn dog style" sausage on a stick with a pancake batter coating, again frozen requiring microwaving. Sure slows down the line when all fifty of us have to microwave something before eating. I left Lusk WY this morning at 6:30, with the Braselton TX crew of four. We rode for a while and then Fred suffered a flat and Warren stopped to help him fix it. Al, Marian and I soldered on and then picked up Max, Laural, and Marie to share the pace line work. We cycled through a fog bank as we headed north. We were averaging over 18 when we hit the first SAG stop. After refueling on energy bars, I got impatient and left the stop early and rode for fifteen miles by myself before they caught me and I rejoined the group. Someday I will learn my lesson. When we turned east the wind started to pick up, and it was in our face again, so it was good to be part of a group. We soon crossed into South Dakota, stopped for pictures and then rode about ten miles to the second SAG stop. We had about a four-mile climb after the stop and I lost contact with the group, (if you haven't figured it out yet, I am slow going uphill). I rode by myself again until I found Marie sitting on the shoulder with a little road rash on her elbow. The shoulder of the road had suddenly gone from being ten foot wide to three foot wide and she had ridden straight into the gravel and fallen. I assisted her getting it cleaned up and we rode on in to Hot Springs. I stopped at DQ for a shake, and Marie went next door to the Best Western to get her wounds tended to. Refreshed by my chocolate milkshake, I checked into the hotel and got cleaned up. Ray Black (a lawyer from London) who I allowed to share my washer/dryer load a couple weeks ago is doing my dirty laundry. We will see if he has any domestic skills. Tonights dinner was at the local bowling alley, not in a dining room, but among the scoring tables. I guess there were not many choices in the small town of Hot Springs SD.

P.S. Ray did lose one of my socks, along with one of his gloves, but did find both after dinner on the laundry room floor.

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Day #20, Casper to Lusk WY

Today was predicted to be another long day, with 107 miles and a headwind. The strong wind did not arrive as expected and we dodged a bullet. I started out by myself at 6:30 am and caught the group of  Bob, Deb. Linda and Jeff. I rode with them the rest of the morning and we were flying at over seventeen miles an hour. They stopped for a long lunch and I headed on with John Nixon to do the last forty miles. It was slower and we had a little wind but we made it into Lusk about 2:15 pm. The city of Lusk was holding their annual Rawhide Day Parade and it passed right by our Motel. Tonight we had a pizza party at the motel for dinner, we devoured them in a matter of minutes and then walked over and had ice cream at the drive-in next door.

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Day #19, A day off in Casper WY

Lets see, what to do on your day off. Remember you don't have a car, you just rode 120 miles yesterday, you may not want to subject yourself to riding a bike, so you are limited to maybe a ten block radius from the hotel if you are walking. I managed to walk to a bike shop with Marian, Al and Warren, three quarters of the Braselton TX quartet, and bought a CamelBak to carry more water on the bike. Hung out with the guys for a while at the bike shop, went to lunch at the Wonder Bar with Max, Barry and Jeff and had a great burger and onion rings. Hung out at the hotel for a while and watched tennis on TV. In the evening I went to a Casper Cutthroats Baseball game with a TJ, Dave, Lauran and Marian. We had to explain a few things to Dave, one of the Brits on the trip, but he picked things up quickly. We will refer to him as a resident of Iowa for the rest of the trip. Its back to riding on Saturday and the forecasts are for wind from the east again, so it could be another hard day on the road.

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Day #18, Riverton to Casper WY, Wind can be your friend, but not today

We had 120 miles to ride today, you look at the map and the elevation profile the night before and start calculating how long you expect to be on the road. My estimates were way off due to the brutal wind we encountered starting around the first SAG stop at mile 30. We were generally headed up hill for those 30 miles and I averaged at least 15 mph. The winds kicked in and my speed began to plummet. During the second half the ride while going downhill I was barely able to average 12 mph. It made for a long ten hour day in the saddle, and many of us joked at dinner that we still felt like we were sitting on our bike seats. Some of the slower riders were caught in a hail storm as they approached Casper, they said it was quite an experience, and proved to be a big motivational factor as they sped to the Ramada Inn. There was one interesting attraction along the route today, "Hell's Half Acre", its a canyon that groups of Indians herded Bison off the cliff's to their death. I also saw a couple Antelope and was able to do  a quick draw of my camera and capture one in a picture. Well its a rest day on Friday, we will see what fifty bikers can find to do with a day off in the big city.

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Day #17, Dubois to Riverton WY

We left the cowboy town of Dubois before 8:00 this morning and were treated to a new flavor of scenery, Red Rock Mountains. We were all "rubber necking" and stopping for pictures as we cruised to the first SAG stop. Todays elevation profile was in our favor, as it was a gradual downhill slope, we had the added benefit of a tail wind for the first 30 miles, but the winds shifted as the day heated up to a headwind. We passed the site of a major Indian battle at Crowheart Butte in 1866 between the Shoshone and Crow on our route. There was only one town along the route today, Kinnear (population 44), so we were pretty isolated with very little traffic. It was in the 90's according to competing bank thermometers as we arrived in Riverton. I joined my riding partners for the day, John Nixon from Texas and Vern Johnson from Tulsa, and headed for the local Dairy Queen as we hit town about 1:00 pm. Luggage was already unloaded as we arrived at the Comfort Inn, so after a quick shower and a load of laundry, I am ready for another long day on Thursday as we ride 121 miles to Casper WY. We will have earned our second rest day of the trip in Casper.


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Day #16, Jackson to Dubois WY

The plan for today was to go even higher into the mountains, we would cross the continental divide at Togwotee Pass (9658 ft of elevation). First Richard Carey and I headed out of Jackson on a brand new bike path that took us into Grand Teton National Park. THE VIEWS WERE SPECTACULAR. Pictures don't do the scenery justice. I saw a small heard of Bison grazing off the road. We rode through the park and to our first SAG stop just outside the park boundary. There we loaded our bikes on the van for a short shuttle through some road construction, and then I continued on up the mountain with John Nixon from Texas. The gradient was not as extreme as yesterdays 10%, but the views were. Stopped at the top for some documentation photos and started down the other side. We had thirty miles of downhill, that I rode at an average of about 23 mph, on our way to the small cowboy town of Dubois. This place is right out of the 19th century or Cowboy movie set with wooden sidewalks, and hitching posts. Elk antlers as an architectural accent are everywhere. Not to mention, I saw the world famous Jackalope.

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Day #15, Lets be careful

Last night one of our riders (Mike White from Davenport Iowa) was taken to the hospital in Idaho Falls by an ambulance and later had heart surgery (quadruple bypass). He came through surgery OK, and his wife was on her way to Idaho Falls this morning. That is the third Mike to be injured on this trip. Today was supposed to be the "Signature Ride" of our trip, we would cross into Wyoming and over the Teton Pass (8431 ft) on our way to Jackson. 90 miles with 5000+ feet of climbing. We kept Mike in our thoughts and prayers as we rode up and over the mountain. I made it to the top and road every inch of the way. While descending down into Jackson, another of our riders, Thomas crashed, and broke his pelvis and sacrum. We all need to be more careful as we continue our ride. I promise I will. Tonights dinner was at Bubba's Barbecue in Jackson, the beef brisket was great and I finished it off with Pecan Pie w/Vanilla Ice Cream. We had a serious safety discussion at our map meeting tonight.

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Day #14, Pocatello to Idaho Falls

We started today at 6:00am with a hearty breakfast at the Best Western in Pocatello, we were joined at breakfast by both firefighters and families displaced by the fires near here. Breakfast was followed by a Bike Safety Check at 7:00. I had a loose spoke and gear cassette that needed attention which Bud and Mike took care of before the start of todays ride at 8:00. I rode part of the day with Ray Black from London, who is doing our ride in support of a charity, today the charity is holding a large bike ride in England to raise money, Ray will be there in spirit as he rides in Idaho. Ray also still owes me for doing his laundry one night early in our trip, I will let it go for now until I have a huge load for him to do. I also rode with Laural who also grew up in Michigan and graduated from Western Michigan University. Another Western grad is also on the trip, Mike from Florida, (who suffered a crash on day #2). What are the odds of three Western grads out of 50 riders? We were blessed with favorable winds today as we headed to Idaho Falls. We seemed to zig-zag across the country side, but the winds seemed to be at our backs 98% of the time. We stopped along the Snake River so that Al could take a swim, he assured us that he was an experienced cold water swimmer before he dove in. I finished todays ride with Mimi and Polly a couple of retired school teachers from Colorado and Richard Carey from New York. Richard is also doing the ride in support of legalizing gay marriage.

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June 2012 Ride Log

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Week
5/27	5/28 80.0 mi      +1,913 ft  05:26:39 Avg Watts 245 Calories 4794	5/29	5/30 80.0 mi    +1,968 ft  05:12:51 Avg Watts 255 Calories 4780	5/31	6/1	6/2 80.0 mi     +2,101 ft  05:26:19 Avg Watts 245 Calories 4789	240.0 miles +5,982 feet 16 hours 5 min 14363 calories
6/3 31.1 mi     +965 ft  02:03:41 Avg Watts 250 Calories 1853	6/4 80.0 mi     +2,075 ft  05:36:58 Avg Watts 237 Calories 4793	6/5 31.0 mi     +968 ft  02:03:29 Avg Watts 245 Calories 1812	6/6 80.0 mi      +2,097 ft  05:09:59 Avg Watts 242 Calories 4503	6/7 31.1 mi      +988 ft  02:04:17 Avg Watts 227 Calories 1693	6/8 80.0 mi     +2,013 ft  05:25:19 Avg Watts 230 Calories 4480	6/9	333.1 miles +9,107 feet 22 hours 23 min 19134 calories
6/10	6/11	6/12	6/13	6/14	6/15	6/16	Travel Week
6/17 30.0 mi     +522 ft  02:03:52 Avg Watts 270 Calories 2005	6/18 68.5 mi       +2,878 ft  04:34:42 Avg Watts 252 Calories 4156	6/19 57.5 mi     +2,001 ft  04:11:54 Avg Watts 225 Calories 3393	6/20 66.1 mi      +4,864 ft  05:51:27 Avg Watts 245 Calories 5158	6/21 59.3 mi      +3,168 ft  04:34:36 Avg Watts 262 Calories 4320	6/22 115.7 mi       +5,001 ft  07:54:09 Avg Watts 227 Calories 6459	6/23 81.0 mi      +4,696 ft  06:20:52 Avg Watts 199 Calories 4556	478.1 miles +23,131 feet 35 hours 31 min 30047 calories
6/24 83.6 mi      +1,757 ft  05:30:38 Avg Watts 242 Calories 4803	6/25 63.9 mi      +1,495 ft  04:03:52 Avg Watts 217 Calories 3175	6/26 Rest Day	6/27 53.4 mi      +1,435 ft  03:23:07 Avg Watts 370 Calories 4513	6/28 100.1 mi     +2,676 ft  06:54:36 Avg Watts 242 Calories 6023	6/29 38.9 mi      +1,083 ft  02:21:11 Avg Watts 209 Calories 1774	6/30 86.1 mi      +1,828 ft  05:48:37 Avg Watts 217 Calories 4539	425.9 miles +10,273 feet 28 hours 2 min 24827 calories

Totals	1317.1	+44,612	78,797	91:23
	miles	Elevation Gain (ft)