Wednesday, December 31, 2008
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:29.6921
Longitude:-82.4519
Nearest Location: Pine Hill Estates, United States
Distance: 3 km(s)
Time:12/31/2008 13:03:32 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=29.6921,-82.4519&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:29.6921
Longitude:-82.4519
Nearest Location: Pine Hill Estates, United States
Distance: 3 km(s)
Time:12/31/2008 13:03:32 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=29.6921,-82.4519&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Day 39 - Tuesday, December 30
Description: Finished the 62 mile ride in Live Oak Florida. Tomorrow will be an 80 mile ride to Gainesville for New Year's Eve!
I woke up around 6:30 this morning in the Blue Room of our B&B and was moving VERY slow ( I am sure it had nothing to do with the amount of wine I had last night). Breakfast at the John Denham House B&B was served around 7:15 and it was stellar. It started with hazel nut coffee with fresh cream. Then we were seated and treated to the best Florida citrus juice I have ever had. It was loaded with pulp and chunks of tangerines, oranges, grapefruit, and pineapple. Pat (the inn keeper) said you can either drink it or eat it with a spoon. I had 2 large glasses - um um good. Then Pat brought out homemade pecan waffles with warm syrup and fresh cream butter. I ask her if the butter was low fat and she just smiled. Then out came scrambled eggs made with cream cheese (outstanding) plus sausage links purchased from a local farm. The waffles were huge and Pat challenged me to eat 2 or more the night before. I ended up only eating one and a half (Theresa's) plus everything else. This was clearly the best breakfast of the entire trip. During breakfast, we met another couple who were from Charlottesville Virginia which is just down the road from where I went to high school in Staunton. They had property in Highland County and drove through Staunton often. They also have a son who is going to start attending NC State in January. To really make this tie together, the guy lived in Cary in the late 60s and went to Broughton high school in Raleigh. Small world - ehh? After breakfast, I was really moving slow and everyone was waiting on me. Sherpa Kevin decided to drive forward all the way to our final destination in Live Oak and ride back to our lunch target of Madison. I finally got my Sh#* collected and we started riding at 9:00. Some of my spot followers thought something was wrong. Once rolling, it was real chilly which we were not prepared for as we all had shorts on. Once moving, we generated some heat and the temps warmed up to yield a spectacular day for riding. Carl was still under the weather but stepped up big time again with a great ride considering how he felt. Kevin is still fighting the Austin crud and Theresa was sore and a bit tired. I was feeling great and was starting to wonder if my friends will make it to St. Augustine. We ended up riding on rt 90 all day (again) which is very smooth with a great shoulder. There were some rolling hills which flattened out as the day wore on. We rode 30 miles to the beautiful and historic town of Madison. They had a really old and cool courthouse which I took several pictures of. Kevin caught up with us in Madison and we all had lunch at a Subway. I had a sub, bowl of soup, and a cookie. Then I drank one of those 5-hour energy shots that my sister Holly gave me in my surprise stocking that Jae made for me. I was jacked up all afternoon. When we were done lunch, I rounded up Wilson and Spot and loaded them up on the Mean Green Machine for an afternoon cruise of 30 miles. Kevin, Theresa, and I broke away and rode in a tight pace line at speeds over 20 mph at times. Kevin was like a big locomotive with me tucked tight on his wheel and Theresa right behind me. We looked like a break away group in The Tour De France. We stopped briefly at the historic Suwannee river for pictures and to check out the sights. As I was shoving off, Wilson decided to attempt an escape. He jumped off my bike and bounced toward the river. Kevin leaped quickly and caught him just in time. Wilson was scolded and told to stop balling like a baby on the back of my bike. He was told that the trip is just about over. Back on the bikes again, Kevin put the hammer down and it was all we could do to keep in his slipstream. Then we had an interesting challenge thrust upon us. There was a large peanut farm with big irrigation sprinklers - the kind that spray back and forth and are on big wheels. One of them was real close to the road and we had to carefully time our speed to get past the farm without getting soaked by the spinning sprinkler. We JUST made it through dry and then celebrated with high fives. On we went in a tight formation that the Blue Angles wished they could hold. Then uh ohhh. Kevin swerved quickly to the left and pointed down on the shoulder at an 8 foot blue plastic electrical conduit that was in our path. I swerved as well and pointed down. Poor Theresa was not ready for this as it appears that she was up close to my rear wheel trying to read the signatures on Wilson and was consoling him after the stern message he just got from me. BLAAM, screech, bang, CRAP. Theresa's front wheel touched my rear wheel and she went down hard. Kevin and I heard a loud scream as the bike slammed down on the pavement ejecting Theresa off into the grassy shoulder. She hit and rolled to a stop as the bike lay out in the road. Kevin saw this all unfold through his rear view mirror in horror. I slammed on the breaks and quickly circled back to her. While quickly riding back, I asked her if she was OK. She bounced up and was worried about her bike. I scooped her bike with my right hand (I was glad it was a 15 lb carbon fiber bike) like Superman scooped up Louis Lane from an oncoming locomotive before it got hit by passing cars and then stopped in the grass to check on Theresa. Kevin was right on my heels. Theresa landed on her shoulder and fore-arm and did a perfect Stop, Drop, and Roll. She did hit her head and broke the mirror off her helmet. This was a perfect example why every cyclist should wear a helmet! Theresa had a few scratches and brush burns on her arm and a nasty bruise on her ankle where the pedal likely hit her during the hasty ejection. The bike's seat was damaged and amazingly, that was about it. To everyone's surprise, Theresa wanted to get back on the bike and finish the final 10 miles of the ride. Due to the seat damage, she had a lopsided ride back to home base. Kevin and I just shook our heads and rolled on. We decided to be nice so we backed the pace down to 17-18 mph for the final stretch. Once we checked into the Best Western in Live Oak, Kevin and I performed surgery on Theresa's bike seat and successfully made it usable and it only took one beer with minimal cussing and screaming. Theresa was a little sore from the fall but insists she is doing fine. If this type of crash happened to Kevin, he would be in the hospital or at a minimum, would be miserable to be around. Now I understand why Theresa wears the pants in their family. Carl came rolling in a half hour later and was glad to get off his bike. Even with the crash, we all agreed it was an amazing day to be on a bike! Dinner tonight was another Chinese buffet. I had my typical 4 heaping plates plus soup and ice cream and a cream puff.
Good night!
Weather: Very chilly (low 40s) early on and then it warmed up into the low 60s with low humidity and Carolina blue skies. There was no wind early and we actually caught a little tail wind late in the ride. Maybe the wind gods just want me to finish so they can pick on somebody else.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 62 Trip: 2,794
Total travel time: 6:30 Trip: 292:30
Bike Riding time: 3:51 Trip: 225:33
Avg speed: 15.35 Trip: 12.80
Max speed: 24.83 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 631 Trip: 61,282
Avg pedal RPMs: 74 Trip: 85
Avg heart rate: 96 Trip: 108
Max heart rate: 152 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 3,867 Trip: 168,271
Weather Statistics:
High temp: 64 Trip: 77
Low temp: 42 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Favorable
Total good wind days: 13
Total bad wind days: 25
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 11
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Best Western
Total hotel nights: 37
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 3 Trip: 119
Pints: 2 Trip: 75
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I can smell the barn. Only 188 miles left. Having a blast with my sick and tired friends and Theresa.
I woke up around 6:30 this morning in the Blue Room of our B&B and was moving VERY slow ( I am sure it had nothing to do with the amount of wine I had last night). Breakfast at the John Denham House B&B was served around 7:15 and it was stellar. It started with hazel nut coffee with fresh cream. Then we were seated and treated to the best Florida citrus juice I have ever had. It was loaded with pulp and chunks of tangerines, oranges, grapefruit, and pineapple. Pat (the inn keeper) said you can either drink it or eat it with a spoon. I had 2 large glasses - um um good. Then Pat brought out homemade pecan waffles with warm syrup and fresh cream butter. I ask her if the butter was low fat and she just smiled. Then out came scrambled eggs made with cream cheese (outstanding) plus sausage links purchased from a local farm. The waffles were huge and Pat challenged me to eat 2 or more the night before. I ended up only eating one and a half (Theresa's) plus everything else. This was clearly the best breakfast of the entire trip. During breakfast, we met another couple who were from Charlottesville Virginia which is just down the road from where I went to high school in Staunton. They had property in Highland County and drove through Staunton often. They also have a son who is going to start attending NC State in January. To really make this tie together, the guy lived in Cary in the late 60s and went to Broughton high school in Raleigh. Small world - ehh? After breakfast, I was really moving slow and everyone was waiting on me. Sherpa Kevin decided to drive forward all the way to our final destination in Live Oak and ride back to our lunch target of Madison. I finally got my Sh#* collected and we started riding at 9:00. Some of my spot followers thought something was wrong. Once rolling, it was real chilly which we were not prepared for as we all had shorts on. Once moving, we generated some heat and the temps warmed up to yield a spectacular day for riding. Carl was still under the weather but stepped up big time again with a great ride considering how he felt. Kevin is still fighting the Austin crud and Theresa was sore and a bit tired. I was feeling great and was starting to wonder if my friends will make it to St. Augustine. We ended up riding on rt 90 all day (again) which is very smooth with a great shoulder. There were some rolling hills which flattened out as the day wore on. We rode 30 miles to the beautiful and historic town of Madison. They had a really old and cool courthouse which I took several pictures of. Kevin caught up with us in Madison and we all had lunch at a Subway. I had a sub, bowl of soup, and a cookie. Then I drank one of those 5-hour energy shots that my sister Holly gave me in my surprise stocking that Jae made for me. I was jacked up all afternoon. When we were done lunch, I rounded up Wilson and Spot and loaded them up on the Mean Green Machine for an afternoon cruise of 30 miles. Kevin, Theresa, and I broke away and rode in a tight pace line at speeds over 20 mph at times. Kevin was like a big locomotive with me tucked tight on his wheel and Theresa right behind me. We looked like a break away group in The Tour De France. We stopped briefly at the historic Suwannee river for pictures and to check out the sights. As I was shoving off, Wilson decided to attempt an escape. He jumped off my bike and bounced toward the river. Kevin leaped quickly and caught him just in time. Wilson was scolded and told to stop balling like a baby on the back of my bike. He was told that the trip is just about over. Back on the bikes again, Kevin put the hammer down and it was all we could do to keep in his slipstream. Then we had an interesting challenge thrust upon us. There was a large peanut farm with big irrigation sprinklers - the kind that spray back and forth and are on big wheels. One of them was real close to the road and we had to carefully time our speed to get past the farm without getting soaked by the spinning sprinkler. We JUST made it through dry and then celebrated with high fives. On we went in a tight formation that the Blue Angles wished they could hold. Then uh ohhh. Kevin swerved quickly to the left and pointed down on the shoulder at an 8 foot blue plastic electrical conduit that was in our path. I swerved as well and pointed down. Poor Theresa was not ready for this as it appears that she was up close to my rear wheel trying to read the signatures on Wilson and was consoling him after the stern message he just got from me. BLAAM, screech, bang, CRAP. Theresa's front wheel touched my rear wheel and she went down hard. Kevin and I heard a loud scream as the bike slammed down on the pavement ejecting Theresa off into the grassy shoulder. She hit and rolled to a stop as the bike lay out in the road. Kevin saw this all unfold through his rear view mirror in horror. I slammed on the breaks and quickly circled back to her. While quickly riding back, I asked her if she was OK. She bounced up and was worried about her bike. I scooped her bike with my right hand (I was glad it was a 15 lb carbon fiber bike) like Superman scooped up Louis Lane from an oncoming locomotive before it got hit by passing cars and then stopped in the grass to check on Theresa. Kevin was right on my heels. Theresa landed on her shoulder and fore-arm and did a perfect Stop, Drop, and Roll. She did hit her head and broke the mirror off her helmet. This was a perfect example why every cyclist should wear a helmet! Theresa had a few scratches and brush burns on her arm and a nasty bruise on her ankle where the pedal likely hit her during the hasty ejection. The bike's seat was damaged and amazingly, that was about it. To everyone's surprise, Theresa wanted to get back on the bike and finish the final 10 miles of the ride. Due to the seat damage, she had a lopsided ride back to home base. Kevin and I just shook our heads and rolled on. We decided to be nice so we backed the pace down to 17-18 mph for the final stretch. Once we checked into the Best Western in Live Oak, Kevin and I performed surgery on Theresa's bike seat and successfully made it usable and it only took one beer with minimal cussing and screaming. Theresa was a little sore from the fall but insists she is doing fine. If this type of crash happened to Kevin, he would be in the hospital or at a minimum, would be miserable to be around. Now I understand why Theresa wears the pants in their family. Carl came rolling in a half hour later and was glad to get off his bike. Even with the crash, we all agreed it was an amazing day to be on a bike! Dinner tonight was another Chinese buffet. I had my typical 4 heaping plates plus soup and ice cream and a cream puff.
Good night!
Weather: Very chilly (low 40s) early on and then it warmed up into the low 60s with low humidity and Carolina blue skies. There was no wind early and we actually caught a little tail wind late in the ride. Maybe the wind gods just want me to finish so they can pick on somebody else.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 62 Trip: 2,794
Total travel time: 6:30 Trip: 292:30
Bike Riding time: 3:51 Trip: 225:33
Avg speed: 15.35 Trip: 12.80
Max speed: 24.83 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 631 Trip: 61,282
Avg pedal RPMs: 74 Trip: 85
Avg heart rate: 96 Trip: 108
Max heart rate: 152 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 3,867 Trip: 168,271
Weather Statistics:
High temp: 64 Trip: 77
Low temp: 42 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Favorable
Total good wind days: 13
Total bad wind days: 25
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 11
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Best Western
Total hotel nights: 37
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 3 Trip: 119
Pints: 2 Trip: 75
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I can smell the barn. Only 188 miles left. Having a blast with my sick and tired friends and Theresa.
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.3264
Longitude:-82.9674
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:12/30/2008 12:54:42 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.3264,-82.9674&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.3264
Longitude:-82.9674
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:12/30/2008 12:54:42 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.3264,-82.9674&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Brrrrrrr - A Cold Start
It was in the low 30s this morning when we rolled out of our B&B after a BIG breakfast. I was moving very slow today and we did not get riding until after 9.
We are in Florida - right? So what is up with this cold morning stuff.... It has rebounded and now is beautiful and warm like it is supposed to be.
Gotta roll...
Steve and Wilson - from Greenville FL
We are in Florida - right? So what is up with this cold morning stuff.... It has rebounded and now is beautiful and warm like it is supposed to be.
Gotta roll...
Steve and Wilson - from Greenville FL
Monday, December 29, 2008
Day 38 - Monday, December 29
Description: Finished the 72 mile ride in Monticello Florida. Tomorrow's destination is Live Oak Florida.
Woke up around 6:30 and packed up the Mean Green Machine and Wilson. We had a contentental breakfast at 7:00. I had some cereal, a banana, a danish, OJ, and coffee. After breakfast we dispatched Sherpa Kevin to Wiciassa to drop the van and the dog and to ride back to us. Just before Kevin left, Theresa noticed a flat tire in the hotel room - crap!! She quickly replaced the tire and was ready to ride. More bad news was that Carl was under the weather from something he ate the day before. He clearly did not feel well as we started the day's ride. We started the ride and stayed close to Carl to ensure he kept moving forward and did not get into trouble. . We rode through Midway (quick break) and into Tallahassee with a good wind at our back - finally. Thank you to everyone who prayed to the wind gods for favorable winds as the wind was at out back for the first time in weeks! Tallahassee was very hilly but very nice and biker friendly. We enjoyed our ride through this city which led us to an awesome bike path south to Woodville. Kevin caught up with us just south of Tallahassee and all 4 of us rode together to Woodville for lunch. We stopped at an oyster bar and restaurant which was OK for lunch. Kevin, Theresa, and I had a blackened grouper sandwich and Carl had a grilled cheese sandwich and a salad. Then we blasted off and rode to the van drop off point of Waciassa. The road was down hill and the wind was at out back - yes. After reaching our destination, Theresa loaded up her bike and headed on to Monticello to find us lodging while we continued to move forward and support Carl as he hung in there despite how he felt. The skies cleared and the weather became beautiful in the afternoon - we beat the odds of the weather forecast for the second day in a row. Did I mention that Theresa rode very strong today and continues to amaze us? Kevin, on the other hand, continues to fade as the miles continue to wear him down:-). Kevin, Carl, and I rode through the beautiful rolling farmlands toward Montecillo. Lots of cattle and horse farms and amazingly green pastures along the way. I was surprised by the challenging hills. I will bet the steaks and milk from this area taste great due to the awesome pastures.
I also saw a Progress Energy (I work for this company) truck which signaled that I am close to home! We dragged Carl into town to an incredible bed and breakfast in Montecillo (thanks for the tip Cliff). Did you know that a pharmacy in Montecillo created the recipe for Coca-Cola? Theresa hooked us up good and had a wonderful spread waiting for us at the B&B on their patio. She had wine, beer, chips, dip, crackers and fruit. We had a great time relaxing at this awesome B&B. Then we cleaned-up and went out to the Sage restaurant for dinner. This place was great and had an outside patio with a fire pit that we enjoyed. Tristan was our waitress and she hooked us up with an excellent dinner. She was a lot of fun. We had an artichoke and spinach dip appetizer, some wine, and then I had a NY Strip steak entree with risotto. Theresa had crab cakes and Kevin and Carl had Salmon entries. The food and atmosphere was great and we had a great time.
Good night!
Weather: Overcast and rain threat all morning but the rain held off. Afternoon cleared and I got a little sun burn in the afternoon and the humidity backed off. A GREAT day for biking. I only have 4 days left on my trek which ends in St. Augustine. I can "smell the barn" as others have said in blog entries. I have been having the best time with my friends and really do not look forward to this trek ending.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 72 Trip: 2,735
Total travel time: 9:00 Trip: 286:00
Bike Riding time: 6:03 Trip: 221:41
Avg speed: 12:00 Trip: 12.70
Max speed: 30.53 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,284 Trip: 60,651
Avg pedal RPMs: 75 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 86 Trip: 108
Max heart rate: 122 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 4,240 Trip: 164,404
Weather Statistics:
High temp 70 Trip: 77
Low temp: 62 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Helped
Total good wind days: 12
Total bad wind days: 25
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 11 (note - Theresa had a flat before leaving the hotel)
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - 1872 John Denham House B&B Inn
Total hotel nights: 36
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 116
Pints: 2 Trip: 73
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I continue to be pumped up. I can almost see St. Augustine!!!!!!
Woke up around 6:30 and packed up the Mean Green Machine and Wilson. We had a contentental breakfast at 7:00. I had some cereal, a banana, a danish, OJ, and coffee. After breakfast we dispatched Sherpa Kevin to Wiciassa to drop the van and the dog and to ride back to us. Just before Kevin left, Theresa noticed a flat tire in the hotel room - crap!! She quickly replaced the tire and was ready to ride. More bad news was that Carl was under the weather from something he ate the day before. He clearly did not feel well as we started the day's ride. We started the ride and stayed close to Carl to ensure he kept moving forward and did not get into trouble. . We rode through Midway (quick break) and into Tallahassee with a good wind at our back - finally. Thank you to everyone who prayed to the wind gods for favorable winds as the wind was at out back for the first time in weeks! Tallahassee was very hilly but very nice and biker friendly. We enjoyed our ride through this city which led us to an awesome bike path south to Woodville. Kevin caught up with us just south of Tallahassee and all 4 of us rode together to Woodville for lunch. We stopped at an oyster bar and restaurant which was OK for lunch. Kevin, Theresa, and I had a blackened grouper sandwich and Carl had a grilled cheese sandwich and a salad. Then we blasted off and rode to the van drop off point of Waciassa. The road was down hill and the wind was at out back - yes. After reaching our destination, Theresa loaded up her bike and headed on to Monticello to find us lodging while we continued to move forward and support Carl as he hung in there despite how he felt. The skies cleared and the weather became beautiful in the afternoon - we beat the odds of the weather forecast for the second day in a row. Did I mention that Theresa rode very strong today and continues to amaze us? Kevin, on the other hand, continues to fade as the miles continue to wear him down:-). Kevin, Carl, and I rode through the beautiful rolling farmlands toward Montecillo. Lots of cattle and horse farms and amazingly green pastures along the way. I was surprised by the challenging hills. I will bet the steaks and milk from this area taste great due to the awesome pastures.
I also saw a Progress Energy (I work for this company) truck which signaled that I am close to home! We dragged Carl into town to an incredible bed and breakfast in Montecillo (thanks for the tip Cliff). Did you know that a pharmacy in Montecillo created the recipe for Coca-Cola? Theresa hooked us up good and had a wonderful spread waiting for us at the B&B on their patio. She had wine, beer, chips, dip, crackers and fruit. We had a great time relaxing at this awesome B&B. Then we cleaned-up and went out to the Sage restaurant for dinner. This place was great and had an outside patio with a fire pit that we enjoyed. Tristan was our waitress and she hooked us up with an excellent dinner. She was a lot of fun. We had an artichoke and spinach dip appetizer, some wine, and then I had a NY Strip steak entree with risotto. Theresa had crab cakes and Kevin and Carl had Salmon entries. The food and atmosphere was great and we had a great time.
Good night!
Weather: Overcast and rain threat all morning but the rain held off. Afternoon cleared and I got a little sun burn in the afternoon and the humidity backed off. A GREAT day for biking. I only have 4 days left on my trek which ends in St. Augustine. I can "smell the barn" as others have said in blog entries. I have been having the best time with my friends and really do not look forward to this trek ending.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 72 Trip: 2,735
Total travel time: 9:00 Trip: 286:00
Bike Riding time: 6:03 Trip: 221:41
Avg speed: 12:00 Trip: 12.70
Max speed: 30.53 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,284 Trip: 60,651
Avg pedal RPMs: 75 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 86 Trip: 108
Max heart rate: 122 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 4,240 Trip: 164,404
Weather Statistics:
High temp 70 Trip: 77
Low temp: 62 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Helped
Total good wind days: 12
Total bad wind days: 25
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 11 (note - Theresa had a flat before leaving the hotel)
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - 1872 John Denham House B&B Inn
Total hotel nights: 36
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 116
Pints: 2 Trip: 73
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I continue to be pumped up. I can almost see St. Augustine!!!!!!
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.5437
Longitude:-83.8737
Nearest Location: W Palmer Mill Rd, Monticello, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/29/2008 14:15:49 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.5437,-83.8737&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.5437
Longitude:-83.8737
Nearest Location: W Palmer Mill Rd, Monticello, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/29/2008 14:15:49 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.5437,-83.8737&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Whoops - forgot to turn Spot on!
Was so alarmed by having a favorable wind that I forgot to turn it on until 13 miles into the ride today in Midway.
Sorry!!!
Gotta roll ... Steve
Sorry!!!
Gotta roll ... Steve
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Day 37 - Sunday, December 28
Description: Finished the 74 mile ride today in Quincy Florida. Tomorrow will be a similar distance ride to Monticello which is a small place.
I woke up at 5:45 to get an early start and get on the road before the predicted rain hits. Nobody likes to start riding in rain. The Holiday Inn Express had a great breakfast and I enjoyed scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, OJ, and coffee. For desert, I had a hot cinnamon swirl which my grandmother would have loved. Everyone else pounded the breakfast bar as well. Then we saw Santa in the lobby and had to have a group picture. I asked him to hold off on the rain today which he did but forgot to ask him to have a talk with the wind gods as we fought the winds once again. After breakfast, we dispatched Sherpa Kevin to our targeted lunch destination of Chattahoochee which was 50 miles out. The rest of us shoved off around 7:30 with major rain clouds just over our back. It had rained earlier and we decided to tuck in behind the cloud and draft it across the State. The plan worked as we did not get a drop all day. We followed rt 90 again for most of the day which has an awesome shoulder. We rode through Cottondale and then Marianna which had a really cool downtown with big beautiful homes and city buildings. Coming out of Cottondale, Theresa picked up some road debris and flatted out - crap. Once fixed, we rode through Blue Springs which is known for cave diving in their clear springs. We thought of Ron and Tracy when we rode past those wacky dive signs. Shortly after the springs, Kevin caught up with us after riding 20 miles back from Chattahoochee. Theresa and I had a very aggressive pace all morning and were ready to back down some so that Kevin could keep up. In the mean time, Carl was enjoying the day and doing some mushroom hunting. He rode a few miles behind us but never let us get out too far. He is a much stronger rider than he claims to be and he is not fooling us with his laid back style. Just after passing the sign for Two Egg Florida (can you believe there is a town called this?), we stopped for a quick bio break in Grand Ridge. While in the gas station, an older good ole boy local asked me where I have ridden from. I said San Diego and he just chuckled. Then he quickly snapped back that there was a mental institution just down the road for me. We all laughed and enjoyed the conversation with this crusty guy who moves houses for a living. Back on the bikes again, we breezed the final 11 miles into Chattahoochee for lunch and were punished with a major 7+ percent climb into town. This place was a real disappointment and we decided to load Theresa's bike on the van, bag lunch, and finish our final 25 miles to Quincy. Just out of town, we passed a sign for Norway. Wow did we make a bad turn again! First Bagdad and now Norway. We were getting tired (at least kevin was) so we put our heads down and hammered home. At one point, we almost got taken out by 2 nasty dogs - yikes! I had never seen Kevin move so fast. Carl finished a half hour behind us and has some awesome mushroom pictures from his ride. He was pumped. Another observation that I have is that every final destination has been guarded by big hills and strong head winds. I think they are trying to keep biker gangs out! At the hotel, we snacked, cleaned up and then went to a Wal-Mart for some microwave chow, salad, cream horns, and ice cream. We ate in Kevin and Theresa's room and watched TV. Everyone was real tired, except for Theresa and me so it was an early lights out.
Weather: The forecast had a good chance of rain and thunder storms all day. We got behind one wave of showers that hit just before breakfast and drafted them all day. Not a drop of rain today as a second line of clouds never caught us. The temps were pleasant and the humidity was not that bad. The overcast skies with some sun was perfect for riding.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 74 Trip: 2,663
Total travel time: 7:30 Trip: 277:00
Bike Riding time: 6:18 Trip: 215:38
Avg speed: 14.80 Trip: 12.82
Max speed: 29.54 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,582 Trip: 59,367
Avg pedal RPMs: 89 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 100 Trip: 109
Max heart rate: 144 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 5,221 Trip: 160,156
Weather Statistics:
High temp: 74 Trip: 77
Low temp: 62 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: hurt - in the face most of day
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 25
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 11 (Theresa had a flat today)
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Parkway Inn
Total hotel nights: 35
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 144
Pints: 3 Trip: 71
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I beat the rain today and had a great ride. I am bearing down on my Friday completion. Only 5 days of riding left :-(
I woke up at 5:45 to get an early start and get on the road before the predicted rain hits. Nobody likes to start riding in rain. The Holiday Inn Express had a great breakfast and I enjoyed scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, OJ, and coffee. For desert, I had a hot cinnamon swirl which my grandmother would have loved. Everyone else pounded the breakfast bar as well. Then we saw Santa in the lobby and had to have a group picture. I asked him to hold off on the rain today which he did but forgot to ask him to have a talk with the wind gods as we fought the winds once again. After breakfast, we dispatched Sherpa Kevin to our targeted lunch destination of Chattahoochee which was 50 miles out. The rest of us shoved off around 7:30 with major rain clouds just over our back. It had rained earlier and we decided to tuck in behind the cloud and draft it across the State. The plan worked as we did not get a drop all day. We followed rt 90 again for most of the day which has an awesome shoulder. We rode through Cottondale and then Marianna which had a really cool downtown with big beautiful homes and city buildings. Coming out of Cottondale, Theresa picked up some road debris and flatted out - crap. Once fixed, we rode through Blue Springs which is known for cave diving in their clear springs. We thought of Ron and Tracy when we rode past those wacky dive signs. Shortly after the springs, Kevin caught up with us after riding 20 miles back from Chattahoochee. Theresa and I had a very aggressive pace all morning and were ready to back down some so that Kevin could keep up. In the mean time, Carl was enjoying the day and doing some mushroom hunting. He rode a few miles behind us but never let us get out too far. He is a much stronger rider than he claims to be and he is not fooling us with his laid back style. Just after passing the sign for Two Egg Florida (can you believe there is a town called this?), we stopped for a quick bio break in Grand Ridge. While in the gas station, an older good ole boy local asked me where I have ridden from. I said San Diego and he just chuckled. Then he quickly snapped back that there was a mental institution just down the road for me. We all laughed and enjoyed the conversation with this crusty guy who moves houses for a living. Back on the bikes again, we breezed the final 11 miles into Chattahoochee for lunch and were punished with a major 7+ percent climb into town. This place was a real disappointment and we decided to load Theresa's bike on the van, bag lunch, and finish our final 25 miles to Quincy. Just out of town, we passed a sign for Norway. Wow did we make a bad turn again! First Bagdad and now Norway. We were getting tired (at least kevin was) so we put our heads down and hammered home. At one point, we almost got taken out by 2 nasty dogs - yikes! I had never seen Kevin move so fast. Carl finished a half hour behind us and has some awesome mushroom pictures from his ride. He was pumped. Another observation that I have is that every final destination has been guarded by big hills and strong head winds. I think they are trying to keep biker gangs out! At the hotel, we snacked, cleaned up and then went to a Wal-Mart for some microwave chow, salad, cream horns, and ice cream. We ate in Kevin and Theresa's room and watched TV. Everyone was real tired, except for Theresa and me so it was an early lights out.
Weather: The forecast had a good chance of rain and thunder storms all day. We got behind one wave of showers that hit just before breakfast and drafted them all day. Not a drop of rain today as a second line of clouds never caught us. The temps were pleasant and the humidity was not that bad. The overcast skies with some sun was perfect for riding.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 74 Trip: 2,663
Total travel time: 7:30 Trip: 277:00
Bike Riding time: 6:18 Trip: 215:38
Avg speed: 14.80 Trip: 12.82
Max speed: 29.54 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,582 Trip: 59,367
Avg pedal RPMs: 89 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 100 Trip: 109
Max heart rate: 144 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 5,221 Trip: 160,156
Weather Statistics:
High temp: 74 Trip: 77
Low temp: 62 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: hurt - in the face most of day
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 25
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 11 (Theresa had a flat today)
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Parkway Inn
Total hotel nights: 35
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 144
Pints: 3 Trip: 71
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I beat the rain today and had a great ride. I am bearing down on my Friday completion. Only 5 days of riding left :-(
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.5357
Longitude:-84.5955
Nearest Location: Pat Thomas Pkwy, , FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/28/2008 12:07:38 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.5357,-84.5955&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.5357
Longitude:-84.5955
Nearest Location: Pat Thomas Pkwy, , FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/28/2008 12:07:38 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.5357,-84.5955&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Breakfast in Chipley with Santa
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Saturday, December 27, 2008
Day 36 - Saturday, December 27
Description: Finished the 76 mile ride in Chipley Florida. Tomorrow, the destination is Quincy Florida after about 70 miles.
We woke up early and ate breakfast in our rooms as the Hilton "motel" did not provide any. Pop Tarts, bananas, and instant cappuccino got me going. After breakfast, I had to repair the flat tire that I discovered last night - no fun. We then dispatched Sherpa Kevin all the way to our final destination of Chipley with the van and the dog. The plan was to meet half way back at Ponce De Leon for lunch. This committed Theresa to do the entire 70+ mile ride instead of the half days she had been doing since Texas. Theresa, Carl, and I pushed off just after 7:30 to an overcast, somewhat chilly, and windy morning. Guess what direction the wind was blowing? IN OUR FACE - again ! We rode just over 8 miles and took a coffee break 5 miles west of Mossy Head. A quick cup of Community coffee and we were ready for the tough day's ride. Then, CRAP, I had another flat rear tire. I could not believe it as I had one last night as well. I think my tires are getting real ragged out and starting to be a problem. I am going to try to finish the ride with these dogs because I am cheap. Then I realized I forgot to activate Spot this morning so my first 8+ miles are not documented on the web site - oh well. Finally, we got rolling again and Theresa rode like a scorned woman as she torched the road into the wind at a blistering pace. All I could do was try to keep on her rear wheel. She rode like this almost all of the way into DeFuniak Springs. Kevin caught up with us just east of DeFuniak Springs and we rode together into Ponce De Leon for a well deserved lunch after 43 miles. We ate at Sally's where Carl had the salad bar and the rest of us had cheese burgers that were great. Kevin and Theresa had fried sweet potatoes and I had tater tots. I drank lots of water and was surprised later how much energy I had and how much younger I felt (this was Ponce De Leon):-). Anyway, back on the road, Kevin, Theresa, and I took off like we were in the Tour De France team time trial. We cranked the next 18 miles at a 17-18+ mph pace into the wind. Theresa rode amazingly well as she is getting stronger and stronger. We cruised through Westville, Carryville (not far from Cary), and then took our final bio break in Bonifay. We finally wore Theresa down a little and backed down on the pace for the final 8 miles into Chipley. I would describe the ride as boring from a scenery perspective but do not want to upset my Floridanian followers. We stayed on rt 90 all day which parallels I-10 and the rail road tracks - that about describes the day's ride. No beaches, bluffs, mountains, or deserts to check out and explore. I will say that the road was very smooth and had an EXCELLENT shoulder except when we rode through the towns. We have noticed that every town eliminates the shoulder when you are inside the city limits. I believe that is when you really need the shoulder! The weather was perfect for riding today except for the nagging wind. Please, everyone who reads this blog post, pray to the wind gods for favorable winds for my final week. I would even be happy with a neutral or cross wind for a day or two. I have been punished for the last few weeks with no relief. Once we reached Chipley, we checked into the Holiday Inn Express, hydrated, cleaned-up, and then went to Cancun's Mexican Grill for a big dinner to carbo load for tomorrow's ride. After dinner, we hit the Wal-Mart to get provisions and then retired to our rooms. Kevin was spent as the Austin Crud has got a hold of him full force and he did not look good. We put him down early (like an infant) and then Theresa, Carl, and I watched some TV before crashing.
Good night!
Weather: Very nice bike riding weather today. Just a little cool early and then some overcast followed up with some sun this afternoon. The humidity was down today which made it very comfortable.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 76 Trip: 2,588
Total travel time: 8:00 Trip: 269:30
Bike Riding time: 6:47 Trip: 209:20
Avg speed: 14.30 Trip: 12.76
Max speed: 27.36 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,092 Trip: 57,785
Avg pedal RPMs: 78 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 105 Trip: 109
Max heart rate: 154 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 5,018 Trip: 154,935
Weather Statistics:
High temp 76 Trip: 77
Low temp: 62 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Against
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 24
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 1 Trip: 11
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Holiday Inn Express
Total hotel nights: 34
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 112
Pints: 3 Trip: 68
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - it is all good and the finish line is in sight!
We woke up early and ate breakfast in our rooms as the Hilton "motel" did not provide any. Pop Tarts, bananas, and instant cappuccino got me going. After breakfast, I had to repair the flat tire that I discovered last night - no fun. We then dispatched Sherpa Kevin all the way to our final destination of Chipley with the van and the dog. The plan was to meet half way back at Ponce De Leon for lunch. This committed Theresa to do the entire 70+ mile ride instead of the half days she had been doing since Texas. Theresa, Carl, and I pushed off just after 7:30 to an overcast, somewhat chilly, and windy morning. Guess what direction the wind was blowing? IN OUR FACE - again ! We rode just over 8 miles and took a coffee break 5 miles west of Mossy Head. A quick cup of Community coffee and we were ready for the tough day's ride. Then, CRAP, I had another flat rear tire. I could not believe it as I had one last night as well. I think my tires are getting real ragged out and starting to be a problem. I am going to try to finish the ride with these dogs because I am cheap. Then I realized I forgot to activate Spot this morning so my first 8+ miles are not documented on the web site - oh well. Finally, we got rolling again and Theresa rode like a scorned woman as she torched the road into the wind at a blistering pace. All I could do was try to keep on her rear wheel. She rode like this almost all of the way into DeFuniak Springs. Kevin caught up with us just east of DeFuniak Springs and we rode together into Ponce De Leon for a well deserved lunch after 43 miles. We ate at Sally's where Carl had the salad bar and the rest of us had cheese burgers that were great. Kevin and Theresa had fried sweet potatoes and I had tater tots. I drank lots of water and was surprised later how much energy I had and how much younger I felt (this was Ponce De Leon):-). Anyway, back on the road, Kevin, Theresa, and I took off like we were in the Tour De France team time trial. We cranked the next 18 miles at a 17-18+ mph pace into the wind. Theresa rode amazingly well as she is getting stronger and stronger. We cruised through Westville, Carryville (not far from Cary), and then took our final bio break in Bonifay. We finally wore Theresa down a little and backed down on the pace for the final 8 miles into Chipley. I would describe the ride as boring from a scenery perspective but do not want to upset my Floridanian followers. We stayed on rt 90 all day which parallels I-10 and the rail road tracks - that about describes the day's ride. No beaches, bluffs, mountains, or deserts to check out and explore. I will say that the road was very smooth and had an EXCELLENT shoulder except when we rode through the towns. We have noticed that every town eliminates the shoulder when you are inside the city limits. I believe that is when you really need the shoulder! The weather was perfect for riding today except for the nagging wind. Please, everyone who reads this blog post, pray to the wind gods for favorable winds for my final week. I would even be happy with a neutral or cross wind for a day or two. I have been punished for the last few weeks with no relief. Once we reached Chipley, we checked into the Holiday Inn Express, hydrated, cleaned-up, and then went to Cancun's Mexican Grill for a big dinner to carbo load for tomorrow's ride. After dinner, we hit the Wal-Mart to get provisions and then retired to our rooms. Kevin was spent as the Austin Crud has got a hold of him full force and he did not look good. We put him down early (like an infant) and then Theresa, Carl, and I watched some TV before crashing.
Good night!
Weather: Very nice bike riding weather today. Just a little cool early and then some overcast followed up with some sun this afternoon. The humidity was down today which made it very comfortable.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 76 Trip: 2,588
Total travel time: 8:00 Trip: 269:30
Bike Riding time: 6:47 Trip: 209:20
Avg speed: 14.30 Trip: 12.76
Max speed: 27.36 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,092 Trip: 57,785
Avg pedal RPMs: 78 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 105 Trip: 109
Max heart rate: 154 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 5,018 Trip: 154,935
Weather Statistics:
High temp 76 Trip: 77
Low temp: 62 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Against
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 24
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 1 Trip: 11
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Holiday Inn Express
Total hotel nights: 34
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 112
Pints: 3 Trip: 68
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - it is all good and the finish line is in sight!
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.7508
Longitude:-85.5519
Nearest Location: Motel Dr, Chipley, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/27/2008 13:38:57 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.7508,-85.5519&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.7508
Longitude:-85.5519
Nearest Location: Motel Dr, Chipley, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/27/2008 13:38:57 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.7508,-85.5519&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Day 35 - Friday, December 26
Description: Finished the ride in Crestview Florida after a fast 96 mile ride. I told Carl last night that today's ride would be the toughest one yet. Carl quickly responded that tomorrow is always the toughest one. Oh, and YES, I have crossed into my final state (Florida) and entered the home stretch. Tomorrow, I plan to ride to Chipley Florida which is estimated at 68 miles.
Today was an outstanding day even though the wind gods frowned on us again. We all got up early, packed up, and hit the contentions breakfast in the hotel lobby by 6:30. I had peanut butter and jelly toast, yogurt, a danish, OJ, and coffee. We packed the van and we dispatched Sherpa Kevin to our lunch destination of Milton. The plan was for him to ride back to Pensacola to meet us and then ride back to lunch together. Theresa, Carl, and I rolled down the beautiful white sandy beaches of the Gulf coast including several big bridge crossings that provided outstanding views. There was a very nice bike lane all the way up the coast and through Pensacola. We left Alabama as we rolled through Pleasant Grove and just after the Pensacola Navel Air station. Florida has impressed me thus far as a biker friendly place with bike lanes, bike trails, wide shoulders, and mostly smooth roads. As Theresa and I road past the Navel base, a guy popped out onto the road just ahead of us on a nice racing bike all decked out with riding gear. He never acknowledged us and then put his head down to drop us. This was more than I could stand and after a quick shift to my big gear, I came out of the saddle on the attack (Slow Todd would be proud). I do not take kindly to being dropped plus I just watched Breaking Away last night and my pistons were itching for a fight. I quickly chased this guy down and when he looked in his rear view mirror, he looked shocked that this cross country tourist with a heavy steel bike, racks, and saddle bags has caught him. I got right on his rear wheel to see if he would make another attack. The dude did not even acknowledge my presence and appeared quite put off by my actions. I did not push the issue and pulled back to rejoin Theresa and to chuckle over the excitement. Theresa and I then rode into Pensacola which is celebrating it's 450th anniversary. Did you know this place was America's first settlement? We met Kevin coming from the opposite direction in downtown and stopped for a coffee and slice of ameretto cheesecake at Chrisoula's Cheesecake Shoppe - um um good! Carl was just a few minutes behind us and quickly joined us. Theresa was good and had a small Italian pastry while Carl enjoyed a slice of praline cheesecake. Kevin just had some coffee. Then we all rolled east toward Milton. The rode got very hilly and we rode up to some bluffs overlooking Pensacola Bay with some large beautiful homes. Several of them were also wacky - see my photo album. The area reminded us of Carmel or Malibu and was definitely not the low rent district. We rode through the towns of Riverview and Pace before reaching Milton for lunch after 47 miles. Theresa rode great despite fighting off a cold. We are calling this sickness the Austin Crud. Carl picked it up there before he and I joined up and I got the crud within days. Then Theresa picked it up 4 or 5 days ago. Now it looks like Kevin may be coming down with it - yuk! Anyway, back in Milton there was a Starbuck's next to a Quiznos which was perfect. I started with a dark roast coffee and some oatmeal with fruit which I bought with one of my many gift cards (thank you all who gave me these). Then I walked next door for a 4 meat and cheese sub. It filled the tank for the long afternoon ride. Everyone else had Quiznos subs - um um good. At this point, Sherpa Theresa hung up her riding shoes and blasted off in the van with Eve (the Sherpa dog) to find lodging in Crestview which was nearly 50 miles away. The 3 amigos then took off with the threat of showers looming in the dark skies ahead. We rode past a sign for Bagdad and thought for a minute that we may have missed a turn - big time:-). After Milton, we got on the Blackwater Bike Trail which meandered through a bunch of swamps and the blackwater river basin for 9 miles. This bike trail was very nice and scenic. Kevin and I were feeling very strong today and decided to throw the hammer down and make the day a training ride. We were riding at break neck speeds of 20-22 mph and flew down the smooth trail. We were so heads down that we rode right past our turn and eventually ended up at a Navel base entrance - whoops. We got turned back around by the security guard and eventually got back on the trail. This cost us an extra 7 miles to an already long day. Once again, Kevin put the hammer down and we were on a mission to chase down Carl who we believed was now ahead of us. After about 45 minutes, we spotted Carl ahead of us on a hill and sprinted to catch him. Carl was surprised and said he was trying to catch us. He said we must have ridden around the world to catch him based on our speed. We all took a Snickers break as it started to spit from the sky. I put my rain covers on the Mean Green Machine and then it quit - this is what usually happens. It threatened to rain and had a few light sprinkles all the way in but never really did anything. Kevin and I once again cranked up the speed and cruised through the towns of Holt and Milligan before reaching our hotel in Crestview. Carl was about a half hour behind us as he took his time and took some pictures of several good mushrooms along the way. At our rooms, hydrated, snacked on cheese and crackers, and took showers to prepare for a well deserved dinner. Dinner was awesome as we ate at Earl's Seafood Dinners & Oyster Bar. We feasted on raw and steamed oysters, fried shrimp, cheese grits, hush puppies, and cole slaw. Carl had coconut cream pie and I had key lime pie for desert and both were some of the best we had ever had. I asked if it was home made and our waitress told us they did not have a license to make pie so it was bought. We laughed over this concept and really did not believe her. Then Earl himself came bye our table dressed in his hunting camo outfit. We stopped him and asked about the pie license requirements and he chuckled. We think the bottom line is that they did not have an oven so they just buy them. At any rate, the pies were outstanding! We took pictures and chatted with Earl for a while and enjoyed his fishing and hunting stories. We all had a great evening. Then back to the Hilton Motel (note the motel suffix) to put the Smit's to bed as they both had full days as Sherpas and they were wiped out. As I was writing this blog entry, I looked over at the Mean Green Machine and CRAP, my rear tire was flat (#10 for the trip). I must have run over some trash on the road at the end of my ride. I will change the tube tomorrow after breakfast.
Good night!
Weather: Overcast, windy, warm in the morning. Some periods of sun and then it clouded up with a few sprinkles. The day was very humid - especially in the afternoon. I actually broke a sweat for the first day of my trek.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 96. Trip: 2,517
Total travel time: 9:00 Trip: 261:30
Bike Riding time: 6:24 Trip: 202:32
Avg speed: 15.00 Trip: 12.72
Max speed: 29.73 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,693 Trip: 56,693
Avg pedal RPMs: 88 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 117 Trip: 110
Max heart rate: 178 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 6,119 Trip: 149,917
Weather Statistics:
High temp 72 Trip: 77
Low temp: 65 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Against 5-10 mph
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 23
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 1 Trip: 10
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Hilton Motel
Total hotel nights: 33
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 4 Trip: 110
Pints: 3 Trip: 65
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - a great long ride today with awesome scenery and roads. Theresa, Kevin, and Carl also had a great time and all rode very strong.
Today was an outstanding day even though the wind gods frowned on us again. We all got up early, packed up, and hit the contentions breakfast in the hotel lobby by 6:30. I had peanut butter and jelly toast, yogurt, a danish, OJ, and coffee. We packed the van and we dispatched Sherpa Kevin to our lunch destination of Milton. The plan was for him to ride back to Pensacola to meet us and then ride back to lunch together. Theresa, Carl, and I rolled down the beautiful white sandy beaches of the Gulf coast including several big bridge crossings that provided outstanding views. There was a very nice bike lane all the way up the coast and through Pensacola. We left Alabama as we rolled through Pleasant Grove and just after the Pensacola Navel Air station. Florida has impressed me thus far as a biker friendly place with bike lanes, bike trails, wide shoulders, and mostly smooth roads. As Theresa and I road past the Navel base, a guy popped out onto the road just ahead of us on a nice racing bike all decked out with riding gear. He never acknowledged us and then put his head down to drop us. This was more than I could stand and after a quick shift to my big gear, I came out of the saddle on the attack (Slow Todd would be proud). I do not take kindly to being dropped plus I just watched Breaking Away last night and my pistons were itching for a fight. I quickly chased this guy down and when he looked in his rear view mirror, he looked shocked that this cross country tourist with a heavy steel bike, racks, and saddle bags has caught him. I got right on his rear wheel to see if he would make another attack. The dude did not even acknowledge my presence and appeared quite put off by my actions. I did not push the issue and pulled back to rejoin Theresa and to chuckle over the excitement. Theresa and I then rode into Pensacola which is celebrating it's 450th anniversary. Did you know this place was America's first settlement? We met Kevin coming from the opposite direction in downtown and stopped for a coffee and slice of ameretto cheesecake at Chrisoula's Cheesecake Shoppe - um um good! Carl was just a few minutes behind us and quickly joined us. Theresa was good and had a small Italian pastry while Carl enjoyed a slice of praline cheesecake. Kevin just had some coffee. Then we all rolled east toward Milton. The rode got very hilly and we rode up to some bluffs overlooking Pensacola Bay with some large beautiful homes. Several of them were also wacky - see my photo album. The area reminded us of Carmel or Malibu and was definitely not the low rent district. We rode through the towns of Riverview and Pace before reaching Milton for lunch after 47 miles. Theresa rode great despite fighting off a cold. We are calling this sickness the Austin Crud. Carl picked it up there before he and I joined up and I got the crud within days. Then Theresa picked it up 4 or 5 days ago. Now it looks like Kevin may be coming down with it - yuk! Anyway, back in Milton there was a Starbuck's next to a Quiznos which was perfect. I started with a dark roast coffee and some oatmeal with fruit which I bought with one of my many gift cards (thank you all who gave me these). Then I walked next door for a 4 meat and cheese sub. It filled the tank for the long afternoon ride. Everyone else had Quiznos subs - um um good. At this point, Sherpa Theresa hung up her riding shoes and blasted off in the van with Eve (the Sherpa dog) to find lodging in Crestview which was nearly 50 miles away. The 3 amigos then took off with the threat of showers looming in the dark skies ahead. We rode past a sign for Bagdad and thought for a minute that we may have missed a turn - big time:-). After Milton, we got on the Blackwater Bike Trail which meandered through a bunch of swamps and the blackwater river basin for 9 miles. This bike trail was very nice and scenic. Kevin and I were feeling very strong today and decided to throw the hammer down and make the day a training ride. We were riding at break neck speeds of 20-22 mph and flew down the smooth trail. We were so heads down that we rode right past our turn and eventually ended up at a Navel base entrance - whoops. We got turned back around by the security guard and eventually got back on the trail. This cost us an extra 7 miles to an already long day. Once again, Kevin put the hammer down and we were on a mission to chase down Carl who we believed was now ahead of us. After about 45 minutes, we spotted Carl ahead of us on a hill and sprinted to catch him. Carl was surprised and said he was trying to catch us. He said we must have ridden around the world to catch him based on our speed. We all took a Snickers break as it started to spit from the sky. I put my rain covers on the Mean Green Machine and then it quit - this is what usually happens. It threatened to rain and had a few light sprinkles all the way in but never really did anything. Kevin and I once again cranked up the speed and cruised through the towns of Holt and Milligan before reaching our hotel in Crestview. Carl was about a half hour behind us as he took his time and took some pictures of several good mushrooms along the way. At our rooms, hydrated, snacked on cheese and crackers, and took showers to prepare for a well deserved dinner. Dinner was awesome as we ate at Earl's Seafood Dinners & Oyster Bar. We feasted on raw and steamed oysters, fried shrimp, cheese grits, hush puppies, and cole slaw. Carl had coconut cream pie and I had key lime pie for desert and both were some of the best we had ever had. I asked if it was home made and our waitress told us they did not have a license to make pie so it was bought. We laughed over this concept and really did not believe her. Then Earl himself came bye our table dressed in his hunting camo outfit. We stopped him and asked about the pie license requirements and he chuckled. We think the bottom line is that they did not have an oven so they just buy them. At any rate, the pies were outstanding! We took pictures and chatted with Earl for a while and enjoyed his fishing and hunting stories. We all had a great evening. Then back to the Hilton Motel (note the motel suffix) to put the Smit's to bed as they both had full days as Sherpas and they were wiped out. As I was writing this blog entry, I looked over at the Mean Green Machine and CRAP, my rear tire was flat (#10 for the trip). I must have run over some trash on the road at the end of my ride. I will change the tube tomorrow after breakfast.
Good night!
Weather: Overcast, windy, warm in the morning. Some periods of sun and then it clouded up with a few sprinkles. The day was very humid - especially in the afternoon. I actually broke a sweat for the first day of my trek.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 96. Trip: 2,517
Total travel time: 9:00 Trip: 261:30
Bike Riding time: 6:24 Trip: 202:32
Avg speed: 15.00 Trip: 12.72
Max speed: 29.73 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,693 Trip: 56,693
Avg pedal RPMs: 88 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 117 Trip: 110
Max heart rate: 178 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 6,119 Trip: 149,917
Weather Statistics:
High temp 72 Trip: 77
Low temp: 65 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Against 5-10 mph
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 23
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 1 Trip: 10
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Hilton Motel
Total hotel nights: 33
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 4 Trip: 110
Pints: 3 Trip: 65
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - a great long ride today with awesome scenery and roads. Theresa, Kevin, and Carl also had a great time and all rode very strong.
Friday, December 26, 2008
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.7623
Longitude:-86.5784
Nearest Location: W James Lee Blvd, Crestview, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/26/2008 14:30:09 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.7623,-86.5784&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.7623
Longitude:-86.5784
Nearest Location: W James Lee Blvd, Crestview, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/26/2008 14:30:09 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.7623,-86.5784&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Day 34 - Thursday, December 25
Description: Today was Christmas day and I did not ride. I woke up around 7:30 and hit the continental breakfast in the hotel lobby. I enjoyed cereal, toast, yogurt, OJ, and coffee. After breakfast, I just hung out in the lobby and read the paper. Carl was not far behind me and also had a light breakfast as we did not need the calories today. Kevin and Theresa were up much earlier and hit the breakfast bar and then took the dog (Eve) for a walk on the beach. Eve loved the sand and had a blast chasing birds all around and even into the water. The boys then gave all of our bikes Christmas baths with Mean Green degreaser and WD-40. A quick lube of the chains and tire pressure check and we were done. Theresa was also busy setting up an awesome brunch spread that included fresh vegetables, ranch dip, nuts, shrimp, crackers, cheese, olives, cream cheese, sparking wine, and some red wine. She made these great appetizers that included taking a Triscuit cracker, cream cheese, shrimp, cocktail sauce, and a green olive. They were a taste sensation! After lunch, we just chilled out in the room, posted some pictures to my web site, took walks on the beach, and Carl even stole a nap. Kevin made a video of me riding the Mean Green Machine all dressed up with my Santa hat on and garland wrapped on the bike (thanks Sparanos). Wilson joined me and wore his Santa hat (thanks Jae) as well. I will try to post the video in the next day or so. Some folks have been wondering how Wilson and I are getting along since my friends joined me. We still get along great but I must admit, our amount of dialog has dropped significantly. I did promise Wilson to hook him up with Miss Spaulding again once we get back home and he smiled.
For dinner, we went to Bubba's Seafood House which was outstanding and a great value. Kevin, Theresa, and I all had the prime rib Christmas special with a salad and boiled potatoes. Carl enjoyed fried fish with shrimp and crab with a salad. We all shared an appetizer of fried pickles. After dinner, we went back to the room for some cupcakes that Carl had picked up. Then Kevin surprised us by pulling out a copy of the old cycling classic - Breaking Away. It was a perfect movie for the group and an excellent night cap. Throughout the day, we all were able to catch up with our families to exchange Christmas spirit.
Weather: Warm and fog in the morning. We also had a brief shower early and then the sun came out and it was real nice.
No metrics to report today.
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I had a very relaxing Christmas day with good friends.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
For dinner, we went to Bubba's Seafood House which was outstanding and a great value. Kevin, Theresa, and I all had the prime rib Christmas special with a salad and boiled potatoes. Carl enjoyed fried fish with shrimp and crab with a salad. We all shared an appetizer of fried pickles. After dinner, we went back to the room for some cupcakes that Carl had picked up. Then Kevin surprised us by pulling out a copy of the old cycling classic - Breaking Away. It was a perfect movie for the group and an excellent night cap. Throughout the day, we all were able to catch up with our families to exchange Christmas spirit.
Weather: Warm and fog in the morning. We also had a brief shower early and then the sun came out and it was real nice.
No metrics to report today.
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I had a very relaxing Christmas day with good friends.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Merry Christmas!
Thank to everyone who has been following my great adventure and supporting me, especially those who have been posting comments. I have really enjoyed all of the banter and encouragement as it keeps me going. I must say that Jim P's post last night had me laughing well into the night.
Take care, enjoy the day, and do not be alarmed if you do not see Spot moving today. I intended to sneak it on Santa's sleigh last night to track him on my web site but fell asleep and missed him. Maybe next year.
Steve
Take care, enjoy the day, and do not be alarmed if you do not see Spot moving today. I intended to sneak it on Santa's sleigh last night to track him on my web site but fell asleep and missed him. Maybe next year.
Steve
Day 33 - Wednesday, December 24
Description: I finished the ride today in Orange Beach Alabama after a light 48 mile ride. This is right on the Gulf coast below Mobile and is beautiful with white sand, crashing waves, and warm temps. A great place to spend Christmas for sure - especially when compared to some of the small places I have been through over the last 4+ weeks. Home with the family would be best but this will do. No riding tomorrow as I promised my Mom to take Christmas off. This will be my first and only rest day of the trek.
Teresa, Kevin, Carl, and I got up early and were at the buffet breakfast at 6:30 sharp to fuel up our tanks. The Homewoods Suites breakfast was excellent as I enjoyed eggs, sausages, biscuits with sausage gravy, a big waffle with strawberry preserves, OJ, and coffee. This was the best breakfast I have had in weeks. While eating breakfast, we plotted our attack for the day. We determined it would not be worth fighting the heavy holiday traffic through Mobile. So, we loaded up our bikes in the Sherpa van and were shuttled through town and beyond the tunnel under the bay. Once on the other side, we pulled our bikes, saddled up, and hit the road around 9. It was a smart move and my mother would be proud of me as we avoided some nasty traffic. As with prior days, we dispatched Kevin to our lunch destination and then he was to ride back to meet us. As with prior days, the wind gods were angry with us as 20+ mph winds were blowing north straight into our face. The good news was that it was very warm today. Teresa, Carl, and I rolled south and hugged the bay shoreline as we were headed for the sandy beaches of the Gulf coast. We rode through the quaint towns of Daphne, Montrose, and Fairhope which had a high concentration of coffee shops and very large homes. Believe it or not, there were a lot of big rolling hills that caught us off guard. According to a historical marker, this area (Ecor Rouge) is the highest coastal point between Maine and Mexico). Carl elected to ride slower to smell the roses and take some pictures while Teresa and I blasted forward to catch up with Kevin. At one point, we got off the route and had to ask for help. I stopped a guy in a truck and asked how to get to Point Clear or Rt 98. He quickly said 98 was just ahead but then said he had never heard of Point Clear. We said thanks and moved on. Then we immediately saw the Point Clear golf course and the Point Clear apartments. This guy must of been on drugs. We got back on course and then stopped at the Punta Claro Bakery and Candy Store for a bio break and to sample their goods. They had the highest concentration of free samples of candies, fudge, and other sweets that I have ever seen. I was almost full in 5 minutes. By the time we got out, Carl caught up with us again and the 3 of us moved on. In another mile, Kevin caught us and our whole party was riding together once again. The road turned away from the bay and went through lots of big farms (most for sale) including several sod farms. We made good time against the warm wind and rolled into Magnolia Springs for a well deserved lunch. We ate at Jeanne's Seafood restaurant. This place was a little upscale and the food was good. Kevin and I had Grouper Po Boys, Carl had a scallop Po Boy, and Teresa opted for a crab cake sandwich which was not very good. Kevin and Carl also had some cheese beer soup which they liked. Carl and I had onion rings with our sandwiches while Kevin and Teresa opted for the lower calorie cole slaw. After lunch, Teresa loaded up her bike and headed for our beach destination to await our arrival. The 3 amigos headed directly into a stiff 20+ mph wind for the remaining 25 miles. Kevin was full of energy and attacked the wind gods with all of his might. I could not let him do this all alone so I jumped on his rear wheel to witness the battle. He rode straight into the wind god's best gusts and maintained an impressive 17-18 mph pace for the rest of the ride. He was a man possessed and he beat the wind gods - at least for today. After arriving at the coast line in Gulf Shores, we stopped for some pictures of the beach and admire our accomplishment. Then we headed up the coast to the Sleep Inn to retire for the day. As I dismounted the Mean Green Machine, I reached back to turn off my Spot tracking device. Uh ohhhh, it was gone. I had no idea how far back it fell off. After some quick thinking, I asked Teresa to check on my blog site for my last data point. It was 3 miles down the road. I dropped all of my bags and blasted down the beach front road for the rescue. I found it on the bike path, right were my web site said it was - you gotta love technology! Carl rolled in about 45 minutes later and also had a great ride. The hotel is ocean front and we have rooms looking over the beach. As with prior days, Sherpa Teresa found a great hotel at a great price - well done! We all showered and then went across the street to stock up on supplies at a grocery store. Then we went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant called Grazie Pasta Pizza Seafood. Dinner was an A+. Kevin had a grouper dish with crab meat and a bowl of crab and artichoke soup, Teresa had the same soup and a house salad, Carl had eggplant parmasian, and I has spaghetti and meatballs. We had a stuffed portobello mushroom with crab and some calamari with warm bread for appetizers. This meal really hit the spot. After dinner, we retired to the hotel rooms.
Good night!
Weather: Warm, humid, windy, and overcast for the start of the day. It warmed up as the day went on and was sunny and beautiful when we reached the Gulf Shores.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 48 Trip: 2,418
Total travel time: 6:00 Trip: 252:30
Bike Riding time: 3:39 Trip: 196:08
Avg speed: 13.13 Trip: 12.65
Max speed: 30.54 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 849 Trip: 55,000
Avg pedal RPMs: 86 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 98 Trip: 110
Max heart rate: 162 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 2,896 Trip: 143,798
Weather Statistics:
High temp 74 Trip: 77
Low temp: 63 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Major against - 20+ mph
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 22
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 9
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Comfort Inn
Total hotel nights: 31
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 4 Trip: 106
Pints: 3 Trip: 62
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - Day before Christmas and I am taking a rest day tomorrow. I am in an awesome mood! Great ride day today and the weather cooperated very well.
Teresa, Kevin, Carl, and I got up early and were at the buffet breakfast at 6:30 sharp to fuel up our tanks. The Homewoods Suites breakfast was excellent as I enjoyed eggs, sausages, biscuits with sausage gravy, a big waffle with strawberry preserves, OJ, and coffee. This was the best breakfast I have had in weeks. While eating breakfast, we plotted our attack for the day. We determined it would not be worth fighting the heavy holiday traffic through Mobile. So, we loaded up our bikes in the Sherpa van and were shuttled through town and beyond the tunnel under the bay. Once on the other side, we pulled our bikes, saddled up, and hit the road around 9. It was a smart move and my mother would be proud of me as we avoided some nasty traffic. As with prior days, we dispatched Kevin to our lunch destination and then he was to ride back to meet us. As with prior days, the wind gods were angry with us as 20+ mph winds were blowing north straight into our face. The good news was that it was very warm today. Teresa, Carl, and I rolled south and hugged the bay shoreline as we were headed for the sandy beaches of the Gulf coast. We rode through the quaint towns of Daphne, Montrose, and Fairhope which had a high concentration of coffee shops and very large homes. Believe it or not, there were a lot of big rolling hills that caught us off guard. According to a historical marker, this area (Ecor Rouge) is the highest coastal point between Maine and Mexico). Carl elected to ride slower to smell the roses and take some pictures while Teresa and I blasted forward to catch up with Kevin. At one point, we got off the route and had to ask for help. I stopped a guy in a truck and asked how to get to Point Clear or Rt 98. He quickly said 98 was just ahead but then said he had never heard of Point Clear. We said thanks and moved on. Then we immediately saw the Point Clear golf course and the Point Clear apartments. This guy must of been on drugs. We got back on course and then stopped at the Punta Claro Bakery and Candy Store for a bio break and to sample their goods. They had the highest concentration of free samples of candies, fudge, and other sweets that I have ever seen. I was almost full in 5 minutes. By the time we got out, Carl caught up with us again and the 3 of us moved on. In another mile, Kevin caught us and our whole party was riding together once again. The road turned away from the bay and went through lots of big farms (most for sale) including several sod farms. We made good time against the warm wind and rolled into Magnolia Springs for a well deserved lunch. We ate at Jeanne's Seafood restaurant. This place was a little upscale and the food was good. Kevin and I had Grouper Po Boys, Carl had a scallop Po Boy, and Teresa opted for a crab cake sandwich which was not very good. Kevin and Carl also had some cheese beer soup which they liked. Carl and I had onion rings with our sandwiches while Kevin and Teresa opted for the lower calorie cole slaw. After lunch, Teresa loaded up her bike and headed for our beach destination to await our arrival. The 3 amigos headed directly into a stiff 20+ mph wind for the remaining 25 miles. Kevin was full of energy and attacked the wind gods with all of his might. I could not let him do this all alone so I jumped on his rear wheel to witness the battle. He rode straight into the wind god's best gusts and maintained an impressive 17-18 mph pace for the rest of the ride. He was a man possessed and he beat the wind gods - at least for today. After arriving at the coast line in Gulf Shores, we stopped for some pictures of the beach and admire our accomplishment. Then we headed up the coast to the Sleep Inn to retire for the day. As I dismounted the Mean Green Machine, I reached back to turn off my Spot tracking device. Uh ohhhh, it was gone. I had no idea how far back it fell off. After some quick thinking, I asked Teresa to check on my blog site for my last data point. It was 3 miles down the road. I dropped all of my bags and blasted down the beach front road for the rescue. I found it on the bike path, right were my web site said it was - you gotta love technology! Carl rolled in about 45 minutes later and also had a great ride. The hotel is ocean front and we have rooms looking over the beach. As with prior days, Sherpa Teresa found a great hotel at a great price - well done! We all showered and then went across the street to stock up on supplies at a grocery store. Then we went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant called Grazie Pasta Pizza Seafood. Dinner was an A+. Kevin had a grouper dish with crab meat and a bowl of crab and artichoke soup, Teresa had the same soup and a house salad, Carl had eggplant parmasian, and I has spaghetti and meatballs. We had a stuffed portobello mushroom with crab and some calamari with warm bread for appetizers. This meal really hit the spot. After dinner, we retired to the hotel rooms.
Good night!
Weather: Warm, humid, windy, and overcast for the start of the day. It warmed up as the day went on and was sunny and beautiful when we reached the Gulf Shores.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 48 Trip: 2,418
Total travel time: 6:00 Trip: 252:30
Bike Riding time: 3:39 Trip: 196:08
Avg speed: 13.13 Trip: 12.65
Max speed: 30.54 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 849 Trip: 55,000
Avg pedal RPMs: 86 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 98 Trip: 110
Max heart rate: 162 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 2,896 Trip: 143,798
Weather Statistics:
High temp 74 Trip: 77
Low temp: 63 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Major against - 20+ mph
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 22
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 9
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Comfort Inn
Total hotel nights: 31
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 4 Trip: 106
Pints: 3 Trip: 62
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - Day before Christmas and I am taking a rest day tomorrow. I am in an awesome mood! Great ride day today and the weather cooperated very well.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.268
Longitude:-87.591
Nearest Location: Perdido Beach Blvd, Orange Beach, AL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/24/2008 12:57:32 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.268,-87.591&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.268
Longitude:-87.591
Nearest Location: Perdido Beach Blvd, Orange Beach, AL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/24/2008 12:57:32 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.268,-87.591&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Day 32 - Tuesday, December 23
Description: I finished the 85 mile ride today in Mobile Alabama. Yup, Mississippi was just a flash! I have now ridden through California, Arizona, New Mexico, TEXAS, Louisiana, and Mississippi. I will be leaving Alabama for Florida after another 2 days of riding. Wow, am I really in the home stretch? Having my parents, Carl, Kevin, and Teresa join me has really made this trip easier and MORE enjoyable as I have been able to share my experiences in real time. Anyway, my target destination tomorrow is Gulf Beach Alabama with a 65-75 mile ride.
We all got up early, packed up, and were at the Best Western breakfast buffet at 6:30. I was once again disappointed with Best Western's offering. No eggs, no sausage, no waffles, no good. I made due with several danishes, a muffin, a big bowl of cereal, OJ, and some crappy coffee. After breakfast, Sherpa Kevin raced 35 miles east with the van to our targeted lunch destination of Lucedale. From there he headed back west on his bike at break neck speed (wind at his back) to join us half way. Teresa, Carl, and I were bundled up in our winter gear as it was around 38 degrees and very windy for our start. As with previous days, Teresa lead the group on this raw morning all the way to lunch with a very strong wind breaking effort with us boys struggling to keep on her rear wheel through the rolling hills. The Pine forests and some small farms continued to be the predominate landscape with many of the trees clear cut by loggers. As we moved further east, we started to see Magnolia trees mixed in with the Pines which signals a climate change according to Carl. The road was full of hills and this gave us a good workout. Now that the mountains are gone, I am losing some of the punch from my daily training rides. We passed through an area called "The Big Level" that we thought would bring flat ground but we were disappointed as it did not last long. After 20 miles, Kevin caught up with us and we had a party of 4 once again. After a few more miles, we took a rest break at a Chevron gas station in the middle of nowhere. We grabbed some coffee and snacks to recharge our fuel cells. I had a chicken fried steak biscuit and a Little Debbie coffee cake which hit the spot. Carl grabbed some sugar loaded garbage and went out front to sit on the rocking chairs to feast. It was there that he met his long lost identical twin that he must have been separated from at birth. Get this, another electrician who retired early. The guy retired at age 48 (this made Carl jealous) and was just hanging out BSing with customers like us. Carl started telling his tall tales and the other guy was doing the same thing back. When it was time to roll, we could hardly separate the 2 lost twins. We then motored against the wind and some steep hills the remaining 15 miles to Lucedale for lunch. Teresa was spent from dragging us guys around all morning and looking forward to hanging up her shoes for the day and playing with the dog. We ate at a place called Pockets Diner. The whole theme revolved around billiards including the menu. I went for a chicken tortilla thing, Teresa had a chicken pita (I think), Kevin went with a hogie, and Carl jumped on a grilled cheese & pickles sandwich with grilled potatoes. The food was good and we were just about the only folks in there. We asked a guy about the town name (Lucedale) and he said in French it means lice town...hmmm. We took a group picture in front of their X-Mas tree and then packed up for the road. Teresa drove the van south to Mobile to secure lodging and to begin her recovery routine. Us 3 amigos put our heads down and started cranking as we had a lot of ground to cover in a very short period of time. Kevin fought the wind for us which never backed down. When we went east in the morning, the wind blew from the east. When we went south in the afternoon, the wind shifted and nailed us again. I believe the wind gods are still angry at us for some reason that I cannot figure out. We made great time despite the conditions and rolled through the small towns of Wade and Hurley. We took a quick bio break in Wade. Then we crossed the border into Alabama which was 14 miles short of Mobile. We stopped for pictures at the border and then rode on in an attempt to race the sun to the hotel - my favorite challenge! Immediately after entering Alabama, we noticed that drivers were very aggressive, would not move over, and would not slow down. One guy nearly took me out and then Kevin (ahead of me seeing this in his mirror) stuck out his arm to the driver asking him to give us a break. Then the guy swerved over at Kevin and hit his hand with his rear view mirror - what a jerk! It was dusk as we hit the city limits and we still had 5 miles to go. Then bam, I rolled over a large object which punctured my rear wheel. It was just east of the Mobile Regional air port and just after Carl stopped to take a picture of a gigantic fire works store. I was frustrated as I had invested in heavy duty tires, tubes, and liners back in Phoenix after my prior bout with the goat heads. I changed the tire quickly as darkness was setting in. We jumped back into heavy traffic with all of our lights on and finished in the dark at 5:30. The sun had won the race to the hotel - rats. The Homewoods Suites hotel Teresa hooked us up with is awesome and she got a great rate by leveraging Kevin's AARP card. The deal came with free happy hour from 6-8 pm that included wine, beer, and a full buffet dinner of fried catfish, bratwurst, slaw, baked beans, bread sticks, and a nice salad. We feasted until we could not move any more. Kevin nearly fell asleep in his chair as he had burnt all of his matches for the day and the large meal nearly pushed him over the edge. One final observation that Carl and I have noticed since Texas. We are very surprised at how many dead animals are just laying right in front of houses on the roads. It is clear that the animals are left to decay rather than being cleaned up and buried. This includes a lot of dogs and some cats. Can you believe that people would let their family pet chase cars (and bikes), get run over, and then just leave them there to rot? They almost have to run over some of them to get to their mail boxes or driveway! Nasty.....
Good night!
Weather: cold, overcast, and a strong 10-20 mph wind in our face. It was not as cold as yesterday but it was still downright raw. After lunch, it warmed up and we actually saw the sun for an hour or two before it clouded up later in the day and threatened to rain.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 85 Trip: 2,370
Total travel time: 9:30 Trip: 246:30
Bike Riding time: 8:40 Trip: 192:28
Avg speed: 12.25 Trip: 12.63
Max speed: 26.73 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,449 Trip: 54,151
Avg pedal RPMs: 86 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 95 Trip: 110
Max heart rate: 149 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 5,117 Trip: 140,902
Weather Statistics:
High temp 61 Trip: 77
Low temp: 38 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Hurt ALL day
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 21
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 1 Trip: 9
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Homewood Suites - Teresa did great on this one
Total hotel nights: 30
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 4 Trip: 102
Pints: 3 Trip: 59
Mood rating (1-10): 9.5 - great day today and my cold is just about gone. One more day of riding and then I will take my first full rest day on Christmas day.
We all got up early, packed up, and were at the Best Western breakfast buffet at 6:30. I was once again disappointed with Best Western's offering. No eggs, no sausage, no waffles, no good. I made due with several danishes, a muffin, a big bowl of cereal, OJ, and some crappy coffee. After breakfast, Sherpa Kevin raced 35 miles east with the van to our targeted lunch destination of Lucedale. From there he headed back west on his bike at break neck speed (wind at his back) to join us half way. Teresa, Carl, and I were bundled up in our winter gear as it was around 38 degrees and very windy for our start. As with previous days, Teresa lead the group on this raw morning all the way to lunch with a very strong wind breaking effort with us boys struggling to keep on her rear wheel through the rolling hills. The Pine forests and some small farms continued to be the predominate landscape with many of the trees clear cut by loggers. As we moved further east, we started to see Magnolia trees mixed in with the Pines which signals a climate change according to Carl. The road was full of hills and this gave us a good workout. Now that the mountains are gone, I am losing some of the punch from my daily training rides. We passed through an area called "The Big Level" that we thought would bring flat ground but we were disappointed as it did not last long. After 20 miles, Kevin caught up with us and we had a party of 4 once again. After a few more miles, we took a rest break at a Chevron gas station in the middle of nowhere. We grabbed some coffee and snacks to recharge our fuel cells. I had a chicken fried steak biscuit and a Little Debbie coffee cake which hit the spot. Carl grabbed some sugar loaded garbage and went out front to sit on the rocking chairs to feast. It was there that he met his long lost identical twin that he must have been separated from at birth. Get this, another electrician who retired early. The guy retired at age 48 (this made Carl jealous) and was just hanging out BSing with customers like us. Carl started telling his tall tales and the other guy was doing the same thing back. When it was time to roll, we could hardly separate the 2 lost twins. We then motored against the wind and some steep hills the remaining 15 miles to Lucedale for lunch. Teresa was spent from dragging us guys around all morning and looking forward to hanging up her shoes for the day and playing with the dog. We ate at a place called Pockets Diner. The whole theme revolved around billiards including the menu. I went for a chicken tortilla thing, Teresa had a chicken pita (I think), Kevin went with a hogie, and Carl jumped on a grilled cheese & pickles sandwich with grilled potatoes. The food was good and we were just about the only folks in there. We asked a guy about the town name (Lucedale) and he said in French it means lice town...hmmm. We took a group picture in front of their X-Mas tree and then packed up for the road. Teresa drove the van south to Mobile to secure lodging and to begin her recovery routine. Us 3 amigos put our heads down and started cranking as we had a lot of ground to cover in a very short period of time. Kevin fought the wind for us which never backed down. When we went east in the morning, the wind blew from the east. When we went south in the afternoon, the wind shifted and nailed us again. I believe the wind gods are still angry at us for some reason that I cannot figure out. We made great time despite the conditions and rolled through the small towns of Wade and Hurley. We took a quick bio break in Wade. Then we crossed the border into Alabama which was 14 miles short of Mobile. We stopped for pictures at the border and then rode on in an attempt to race the sun to the hotel - my favorite challenge! Immediately after entering Alabama, we noticed that drivers were very aggressive, would not move over, and would not slow down. One guy nearly took me out and then Kevin (ahead of me seeing this in his mirror) stuck out his arm to the driver asking him to give us a break. Then the guy swerved over at Kevin and hit his hand with his rear view mirror - what a jerk! It was dusk as we hit the city limits and we still had 5 miles to go. Then bam, I rolled over a large object which punctured my rear wheel. It was just east of the Mobile Regional air port and just after Carl stopped to take a picture of a gigantic fire works store. I was frustrated as I had invested in heavy duty tires, tubes, and liners back in Phoenix after my prior bout with the goat heads. I changed the tire quickly as darkness was setting in. We jumped back into heavy traffic with all of our lights on and finished in the dark at 5:30. The sun had won the race to the hotel - rats. The Homewoods Suites hotel Teresa hooked us up with is awesome and she got a great rate by leveraging Kevin's AARP card. The deal came with free happy hour from 6-8 pm that included wine, beer, and a full buffet dinner of fried catfish, bratwurst, slaw, baked beans, bread sticks, and a nice salad. We feasted until we could not move any more. Kevin nearly fell asleep in his chair as he had burnt all of his matches for the day and the large meal nearly pushed him over the edge. One final observation that Carl and I have noticed since Texas. We are very surprised at how many dead animals are just laying right in front of houses on the roads. It is clear that the animals are left to decay rather than being cleaned up and buried. This includes a lot of dogs and some cats. Can you believe that people would let their family pet chase cars (and bikes), get run over, and then just leave them there to rot? They almost have to run over some of them to get to their mail boxes or driveway! Nasty.....
Good night!
Weather: cold, overcast, and a strong 10-20 mph wind in our face. It was not as cold as yesterday but it was still downright raw. After lunch, it warmed up and we actually saw the sun for an hour or two before it clouded up later in the day and threatened to rain.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 85 Trip: 2,370
Total travel time: 9:30 Trip: 246:30
Bike Riding time: 8:40 Trip: 192:28
Avg speed: 12.25 Trip: 12.63
Max speed: 26.73 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,449 Trip: 54,151
Avg pedal RPMs: 86 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 95 Trip: 110
Max heart rate: 149 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 5,117 Trip: 140,902
Weather Statistics:
High temp 61 Trip: 77
Low temp: 38 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Hurt ALL day
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 21
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 1 Trip: 9
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Homewood Suites - Teresa did great on this one
Total hotel nights: 30
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 4 Trip: 102
Pints: 3 Trip: 59
Mood rating (1-10): 9.5 - great day today and my cold is just about gone. One more day of riding and then I will take my first full rest day on Christmas day.
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.6832
Longitude:-88.2039
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:12/23/2008 15:35:40 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.6832,-88.2039&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.6832
Longitude:-88.2039
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:12/23/2008 15:35:40 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.6832,-88.2039&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Day 31 - Monday, December 22
Description: Finished the 70 mile ride in Wiggins Mississippi. Tomorrow is a big question mark. We want to go south and across a ferry below Mobile but it might not be running due to the high winds. Our other option is to go more south east and straight to Mobile. The forecast is for high winds in our face, cold in the morning, and maybe rain. You will have to watch Spot to see which way we decided to go.
We made our own breakfast in our rooms this morning and I had 2 yogurts, Pop Tarts, a banana, and a cup of hot Cappuccino. Carl had a similar meal. After loading up the van, Kevin performed the now routine Sherpa duty. We agreed on the day's route and then Kevin blasted to Poplarville to park the van and ride back to meet us for a brunch in Bogalusa. This way, Kevin gets just about as many miles as Carl and me. Teresa typically rides with us to the van and then takes it in the afternoon to find lodging and get provisions for the evening. This Sherpa system has worked great and I feel fortunate and spoiled. After Kevin took off from the hotel, Teresa, Carl, and I bundled up big time and braced for a cold day. Today totally redefined any prior definitions I have given for a "raw" day. Freezing cold (puddles had ice), 15+ mph winds in the face, and overcast. We should have just stayed in bed. This weather did not help my cold as well. Anyway, enough complaining. We sucked it up, bundled up, and pushed Teresa to the front of the pace line to break the wind for us. We rode out of Franklinton and into the countryside. The area was full of rolling hills (this continues to shock me) and lots of pine woods that are farm raised for lumber. Many of the forrests were clear cut. We also saw a lot of hunter's stands in the empty fields as hunting is big around here. We rode for 27 miles through Springhill and Plainview before entering Bogalusa to meet Kevin and grab a bite. Bogalusa is a big paper pulp mill town complete with a Wal-Mart and a Donut Palace. Kevin had asked that we meet further down the road but Carl's and my bike would not go past the Donut Palace (a fueling station) without stopping. We called Kevin and said to come meet us there. After pounding grease and fat and washing it down with strong coffee, we bundled up and made a break for Poplarville which was about 20 miles away. We rode in a nice pace line with Kevin doing all of the pulling. He was a man on a mission and pulled almost as good as David, Ron, Dayn, Brian, Fast Tim, Slow Tim, Josh, Teresa, Susan, Jae, Doug, Sheila, Slow Todd, Norris, Christy, Christine, my daughters, and every other rider I have ever known. He tried and we appreciated the effort. We crossed into Mississippi over the Pearl river which was flooded well over it's banks. the river had all kinds of floating houses (like house boats) on it and the area looked exactly like the location of the great movie - Frankenfish. If you have not seen this Sci-Fi flick, check it out and you will know exactly what we saw. After several border pictures, we had a long and steep pull out of the river basin. At one point, Teresa was feeling strong and spunky and passed me with a smile on her face. This hurt me real bad and I reached down deep to find the strength to pass her back. Wilson was screaming GOSTEVEGO with what little air he had left in him. Kevin was watching this race play out in his rear view mirror and had a big smile on his face. Carl just thought we were nuts. We continued battling the winds through rolling hills, cattle farms, and catfish farms until we reached Poplarville. Teresa had another great ride and did most of the work earlier in the day. She was ready to warm up and drive on to perform her Sherpa responsibilities. Kevin, Carl, and I wolfed down Snickers bars for a quick fix and rolled on for the final 24 miles of this cold and raw day. We arrived in Wiggins around 4 and celebrated with high 5s as this was a tough day. We checked into the Best Western and Teresa had snacks and beverages waiting for us. She could do this Sherpa thing for a living! We warmed up with hot showers and then walked next door to a Pizza Hut for supper. Teresa, Kevin, and I had baked pasta dishes and Carl had an entire pizza plus a salad. I also had their tater tot nacho appetizer. We all were real full and waddled back to our rooms to retire. Believe it or not, we all still had a fun day.
Good Night.
Weather: Bitter cold today. It was 23 degrees when we woke up and it was only 27 and very windy (15 mph+) when we began riding. It never warmed up above 38 all day and the strong winds fought us all day. The wind gods were very angry as the forecast was for light winds.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 70 Trip: 2,285
Total travel time: 8:00 Trip: 237:00
Bike Riding time: 6:02 Trip: 183:48
Avg speed: 11.55 Trip: 12.65
Max speed: 22.48 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,603 Trip: 52,702
Avg pedal RPMs: 82 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 99 Trip: 110
Max heart rate: 143 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 3,781 Trip: 133,785
Weather Statistics:
High temp 38 Trip: 77
Low temp: 27 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13.30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Against us
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 20
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Best Western
Total hotel nights: 29
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 3 Trip: 98
Pints: 3 Trip: 56
Mood rating (1-10): 9.25 - need more warmth and favorable winds to get back up to 10. Overall, still loving this trip and appreciate all of the support and followers. Thanks
We made our own breakfast in our rooms this morning and I had 2 yogurts, Pop Tarts, a banana, and a cup of hot Cappuccino. Carl had a similar meal. After loading up the van, Kevin performed the now routine Sherpa duty. We agreed on the day's route and then Kevin blasted to Poplarville to park the van and ride back to meet us for a brunch in Bogalusa. This way, Kevin gets just about as many miles as Carl and me. Teresa typically rides with us to the van and then takes it in the afternoon to find lodging and get provisions for the evening. This Sherpa system has worked great and I feel fortunate and spoiled. After Kevin took off from the hotel, Teresa, Carl, and I bundled up big time and braced for a cold day. Today totally redefined any prior definitions I have given for a "raw" day. Freezing cold (puddles had ice), 15+ mph winds in the face, and overcast. We should have just stayed in bed. This weather did not help my cold as well. Anyway, enough complaining. We sucked it up, bundled up, and pushed Teresa to the front of the pace line to break the wind for us. We rode out of Franklinton and into the countryside. The area was full of rolling hills (this continues to shock me) and lots of pine woods that are farm raised for lumber. Many of the forrests were clear cut. We also saw a lot of hunter's stands in the empty fields as hunting is big around here. We rode for 27 miles through Springhill and Plainview before entering Bogalusa to meet Kevin and grab a bite. Bogalusa is a big paper pulp mill town complete with a Wal-Mart and a Donut Palace. Kevin had asked that we meet further down the road but Carl's and my bike would not go past the Donut Palace (a fueling station) without stopping. We called Kevin and said to come meet us there. After pounding grease and fat and washing it down with strong coffee, we bundled up and made a break for Poplarville which was about 20 miles away. We rode in a nice pace line with Kevin doing all of the pulling. He was a man on a mission and pulled almost as good as David, Ron, Dayn, Brian, Fast Tim, Slow Tim, Josh, Teresa, Susan, Jae, Doug, Sheila, Slow Todd, Norris, Christy, Christine, my daughters, and every other rider I have ever known. He tried and we appreciated the effort. We crossed into Mississippi over the Pearl river which was flooded well over it's banks. the river had all kinds of floating houses (like house boats) on it and the area looked exactly like the location of the great movie - Frankenfish. If you have not seen this Sci-Fi flick, check it out and you will know exactly what we saw. After several border pictures, we had a long and steep pull out of the river basin. At one point, Teresa was feeling strong and spunky and passed me with a smile on her face. This hurt me real bad and I reached down deep to find the strength to pass her back. Wilson was screaming GOSTEVEGO with what little air he had left in him. Kevin was watching this race play out in his rear view mirror and had a big smile on his face. Carl just thought we were nuts. We continued battling the winds through rolling hills, cattle farms, and catfish farms until we reached Poplarville. Teresa had another great ride and did most of the work earlier in the day. She was ready to warm up and drive on to perform her Sherpa responsibilities. Kevin, Carl, and I wolfed down Snickers bars for a quick fix and rolled on for the final 24 miles of this cold and raw day. We arrived in Wiggins around 4 and celebrated with high 5s as this was a tough day. We checked into the Best Western and Teresa had snacks and beverages waiting for us. She could do this Sherpa thing for a living! We warmed up with hot showers and then walked next door to a Pizza Hut for supper. Teresa, Kevin, and I had baked pasta dishes and Carl had an entire pizza plus a salad. I also had their tater tot nacho appetizer. We all were real full and waddled back to our rooms to retire. Believe it or not, we all still had a fun day.
Good Night.
Weather: Bitter cold today. It was 23 degrees when we woke up and it was only 27 and very windy (15 mph+) when we began riding. It never warmed up above 38 all day and the strong winds fought us all day. The wind gods were very angry as the forecast was for light winds.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 70 Trip: 2,285
Total travel time: 8:00 Trip: 237:00
Bike Riding time: 6:02 Trip: 183:48
Avg speed: 11.55 Trip: 12.65
Max speed: 22.48 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,603 Trip: 52,702
Avg pedal RPMs: 82 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 99 Trip: 110
Max heart rate: 143 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 3,781 Trip: 133,785
Weather Statistics:
High temp 38 Trip: 77
Low temp: 27 Trip: 27
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13.30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Against us
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 20
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Best Western
Total hotel nights: 29
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 3 Trip: 98
Pints: 3 Trip: 56
Mood rating (1-10): 9.25 - need more warmth and favorable winds to get back up to 10. Overall, still loving this trip and appreciate all of the support and followers. Thanks
Monday, December 22, 2008
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.8527
Longitude:-89.1543
Nearest Location: E Frontage Dr, Wiggins, MS, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/22/2008 14:00:18 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.8527,-89.1543&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.8527
Longitude:-89.1543
Nearest Location: E Frontage Dr, Wiggins, MS, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/22/2008 14:00:18 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.8527,-89.1543&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Day 30 - Sunday, December 21
Description: Finished the 83 mile ride in Franklinton Louisiana. Tomorrow, the target will be Wiggins Mississippi with a solid 70-75 mile ride.
Bad news - I have come down with a cold and suffered some today with my nose and a sore throat. Got some good drugs and hope to kick it tonight. I think I got it the day we went without stopping at a Donut Palace:-(
We all got up early today, grabbed some light breakfast snacks (I had a Smores Luna bar) and hit the road at 7:15. Kevin lost the coin toss again and reluctantly agreed to be the Sherpa for the morning. He took off north with the van to drop it off at Chipola and then ride back our way to join our party. Teresa, Carl, and I headed north out of Baton Rouge to look for a Donut Palace for some good Community coffee and some sugar bombs to fuel our day. From the beginning, Teresa charged to the front of the pace line and broke wind (I guess that could have been worded better) all morning for us 2 guys. The wind was very fierce and blowing at 15-25 mph straight into Teresa's face which she fought for the first 27 miles of our day. After about 5 miles, we found Mary Lee's Donuts & More shop and immediately hit the breaks. We could smell the grease and sugar from the road. The apple fritters were just coming out of the oven so all 3 of us snagged one and some Community coffee to wash it down. It was great and hit the spot. We then zipped up and charged into the wind knowing we would be turning east at our 27 mile marker and hoped for some wind relief. After about 20 miles, Kevin caught up with us and he helped Teresa out in the breaking wind duty. Kevin is great at breaking wind and if you have ever ridden behind him, you know what I mean. We stopped in Clinton for an early brunch at T-Man's Downhome Cafe and Bar-B-Que. This place was real proud of Obama as there were pictures, posters, and printed shirts of him all over the place. I was going to ask if they had a McCain shirt but was advised to shut my trap. We warmed up with more Community coffee (this is a local brand that is very smooth and in my opinion, much better than Dunkin Donut's coffee) and placed our orders. Carl went with a shrimp po-boy and a salad. Teresa had a bar-b-que chicken sandwich and fries (that I ate). Kevin and I had the breakfast special with 2 eggs, sausage, grits, and a biscuit. The food was excellent. Outside we went and into the cold again as we were on a mission We finally got rolling and made our turn east and out of the wind god's breath. It ended up being a cross wind for the remainder of the day and we were happy with that. We rode another 15 miles up to Kevin's parked van at just over 40 miles into our day. Teresa loaded up her bike and then took over Sherpa duty. The record will note that she rode extremely well today in very difficult conditions (A+). She then jumped in the van and blasted 45 miles east to Franklinton to secure lodging, purchase snacks, and beverages. Kevin, Carl, and I had a long and difficult ride ahead of us. I was excited as it looked like it would be a good race with the sun to the motel (which I love doing). Carl said for Kevin and I to go on ahead as he planned to have a slower pace and to take a number of pictures - remember that he is retired! We passed large plantation homes, big pine woods, small dairy farms and rode on some very hilly roads (almost Texas like) which surprised us. We rode through the small towns of Easleyville, Tangipohoa, Bolivar, and Richardson before ending our day in Franklinton. In Tangipohoa, Kevin and I ran into a young couple who were also touring. They were stopped a lady's house who was offering them (and then us) some hot chocolate which was cool. Their names were Ben Becker and Christine Compton (I will call them BB & CC) and they were from Baltimore Maryland. They have been riding for 2 months and were heading west and then south to Argentina - can you believe that? Also, CC had the exact bike as my Mean Green Machine but without the dents. BB was riding a classic Schwinn. Their web site is www.lettherebmorebikes.com. I also just put their link and Carl's on my web page link list. Back to riding again, Kevin and I had a bad dog encounter. As we were going up a hill, a big Pit Bull came running from the front porch of a house next to the road. This guy was bounding so fast that his front legs and his back legs would all be stretched out at the same time with nothing on the ground on each stride. It was wild looking and I wish my camera was available. He came within inches of getting his teeth into my rear wheel or from biting my rear bags. I pulled away just in time. From here, we rolled into town and made it to the hotel just before dark so we beat the sun today. Carl came in about a half hour later and lost to the sun as he had to use his lights. Carl had a tremendous ride today and this was one of the longer rides of his entire trip. Carl also saved the day by noticing and then finding Teresa's computer that had fallen off of her bike plus he notified me when my Spot device and Wilson almost fell off my bike. The roads were rough at times which is why stuff was falling. I must also give Kevin kudos for a job well done today as he was a great Sherpa plus got in close to 90 miles of riding himself with a lot of pulling against the strong winds. I just don't understand why he does not ride this well on his normal weekend rides where he regularly bonks after just 30-35 miles. After cleaning up, hydrating, and snacking, we hit the town for dinner. We ate at the Grand Buffet which had one of the best all-u-can-eat spreads I have seen in a long time. Tons of fresh local shrimp, crabs, and every other Chinese food item you would ever want. Kevin and Teresa just shook their heads as Carl and I gorged ourselves with 4 or 5 plates each. Then we went to a Win-Dixie to get breakfast supplies and finally back to the room to plot out tomorrow's ride. Everyone is crashed now. Our Sherpas looked very tired and worn out from their long day of babysitting Carl and me.
Good night.
Weather: Cold, overcast and strong winds in our face for most of the day. Some sun peeked through the clouds for about an hour but it never warmed up. It was not a bad temp for riding.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 83 Trip: 2,215
Total travel time: 9:30 Trip: 229:00
Bike Riding time: 6:34 Trip: 177:46
Avg speed: 12.57 Trip: 12.68
Max speed: 28.48 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 2,094 Trip: 53,193
Avg pedal RPMs: 85 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 111 Trip: 111
Max heart rate: 153 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 4,604 Trip: 130,004
Weather Statistics:
High temp 48 Trip: 77
Low temp: 40 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13.30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: mostly against and hurt bad at times
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 19
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 1
Mechanical failures: 1
Hotel or camping today: hotel
Total hotel nights: 1
Total camping nights: 1
Cups of coffee: 3 Trip: 96
Pints: 3 Trip: 53
Mood rating (1-10): 9.25. The wind was real tough today plus I have come down with a cold - haaachoooo. Overall, I continue to be in a great mood and still love the adventure and friends.
Bad news - I have come down with a cold and suffered some today with my nose and a sore throat. Got some good drugs and hope to kick it tonight. I think I got it the day we went without stopping at a Donut Palace:-(
We all got up early today, grabbed some light breakfast snacks (I had a Smores Luna bar) and hit the road at 7:15. Kevin lost the coin toss again and reluctantly agreed to be the Sherpa for the morning. He took off north with the van to drop it off at Chipola and then ride back our way to join our party. Teresa, Carl, and I headed north out of Baton Rouge to look for a Donut Palace for some good Community coffee and some sugar bombs to fuel our day. From the beginning, Teresa charged to the front of the pace line and broke wind (I guess that could have been worded better) all morning for us 2 guys. The wind was very fierce and blowing at 15-25 mph straight into Teresa's face which she fought for the first 27 miles of our day. After about 5 miles, we found Mary Lee's Donuts & More shop and immediately hit the breaks. We could smell the grease and sugar from the road. The apple fritters were just coming out of the oven so all 3 of us snagged one and some Community coffee to wash it down. It was great and hit the spot. We then zipped up and charged into the wind knowing we would be turning east at our 27 mile marker and hoped for some wind relief. After about 20 miles, Kevin caught up with us and he helped Teresa out in the breaking wind duty. Kevin is great at breaking wind and if you have ever ridden behind him, you know what I mean. We stopped in Clinton for an early brunch at T-Man's Downhome Cafe and Bar-B-Que. This place was real proud of Obama as there were pictures, posters, and printed shirts of him all over the place. I was going to ask if they had a McCain shirt but was advised to shut my trap. We warmed up with more Community coffee (this is a local brand that is very smooth and in my opinion, much better than Dunkin Donut's coffee) and placed our orders. Carl went with a shrimp po-boy and a salad. Teresa had a bar-b-que chicken sandwich and fries (that I ate). Kevin and I had the breakfast special with 2 eggs, sausage, grits, and a biscuit. The food was excellent. Outside we went and into the cold again as we were on a mission We finally got rolling and made our turn east and out of the wind god's breath. It ended up being a cross wind for the remainder of the day and we were happy with that. We rode another 15 miles up to Kevin's parked van at just over 40 miles into our day. Teresa loaded up her bike and then took over Sherpa duty. The record will note that she rode extremely well today in very difficult conditions (A+). She then jumped in the van and blasted 45 miles east to Franklinton to secure lodging, purchase snacks, and beverages. Kevin, Carl, and I had a long and difficult ride ahead of us. I was excited as it looked like it would be a good race with the sun to the motel (which I love doing). Carl said for Kevin and I to go on ahead as he planned to have a slower pace and to take a number of pictures - remember that he is retired! We passed large plantation homes, big pine woods, small dairy farms and rode on some very hilly roads (almost Texas like) which surprised us. We rode through the small towns of Easleyville, Tangipohoa, Bolivar, and Richardson before ending our day in Franklinton. In Tangipohoa, Kevin and I ran into a young couple who were also touring. They were stopped a lady's house who was offering them (and then us) some hot chocolate which was cool. Their names were Ben Becker and Christine Compton (I will call them BB & CC) and they were from Baltimore Maryland. They have been riding for 2 months and were heading west and then south to Argentina - can you believe that? Also, CC had the exact bike as my Mean Green Machine but without the dents. BB was riding a classic Schwinn. Their web site is www.lettherebmorebikes.com. I also just put their link and Carl's on my web page link list. Back to riding again, Kevin and I had a bad dog encounter. As we were going up a hill, a big Pit Bull came running from the front porch of a house next to the road. This guy was bounding so fast that his front legs and his back legs would all be stretched out at the same time with nothing on the ground on each stride. It was wild looking and I wish my camera was available. He came within inches of getting his teeth into my rear wheel or from biting my rear bags. I pulled away just in time. From here, we rolled into town and made it to the hotel just before dark so we beat the sun today. Carl came in about a half hour later and lost to the sun as he had to use his lights. Carl had a tremendous ride today and this was one of the longer rides of his entire trip. Carl also saved the day by noticing and then finding Teresa's computer that had fallen off of her bike plus he notified me when my Spot device and Wilson almost fell off my bike. The roads were rough at times which is why stuff was falling. I must also give Kevin kudos for a job well done today as he was a great Sherpa plus got in close to 90 miles of riding himself with a lot of pulling against the strong winds. I just don't understand why he does not ride this well on his normal weekend rides where he regularly bonks after just 30-35 miles. After cleaning up, hydrating, and snacking, we hit the town for dinner. We ate at the Grand Buffet which had one of the best all-u-can-eat spreads I have seen in a long time. Tons of fresh local shrimp, crabs, and every other Chinese food item you would ever want. Kevin and Teresa just shook their heads as Carl and I gorged ourselves with 4 or 5 plates each. Then we went to a Win-Dixie to get breakfast supplies and finally back to the room to plot out tomorrow's ride. Everyone is crashed now. Our Sherpas looked very tired and worn out from their long day of babysitting Carl and me.
Good night.
Weather: Cold, overcast and strong winds in our face for most of the day. Some sun peeked through the clouds for about an hour but it never warmed up. It was not a bad temp for riding.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 83 Trip: 2,215
Total travel time: 9:30 Trip: 229:00
Bike Riding time: 6:34 Trip: 177:46
Avg speed: 12.57 Trip: 12.68
Max speed: 28.48 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 2,094 Trip: 53,193
Avg pedal RPMs: 85 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 111 Trip: 111
Max heart rate: 153 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 4,604 Trip: 130,004
Weather Statistics:
High temp 48 Trip: 77
Low temp: 40 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13.30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: mostly against and hurt bad at times
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 19
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 1
Mechanical failures: 1
Hotel or camping today: hotel
Total hotel nights: 1
Total camping nights: 1
Cups of coffee: 3 Trip: 96
Pints: 3 Trip: 53
Mood rating (1-10): 9.25. The wind was real tough today plus I have come down with a cold - haaachoooo. Overall, I continue to be in a great mood and still love the adventure and friends.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.8454
Longitude:-90.141
Nearest Location: Washington St, Franklinton, LA, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/21/2008 15:06:58 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.8454,-90.141&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.8454
Longitude:-90.141
Nearest Location: Washington St, Franklinton, LA, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/21/2008 15:06:58 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.8454,-90.141&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Day 29 - Saturday, December 20
Description: Finished the ride in Baton Rouge LA after a light 54 miles. Tomorrow the target is Richardson LA and a longer 85+ mile ride.
We were up, packed, and at The Palace Cafe for breakfast by 7:20. This is the same place we had dinner last night. They had the best Community brand coffee to go along with a great breakfast. Kevin, Teresa, and I had sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits and Carl had a plain biscuit and hash browns. I also had a double stack of pancakes to ensure the tank was full. All of our food was excellent. We plotted our route to take a ferry over the mighty Mississippi and end up in St Francisville. Kevin lost the coin toss to Teresa and agreed to be the Sherpa today. His plan was to drive up to the ferry, drop the van, and then ride back to us to join the party. Teresa, Carl, and I started rolling at around 8:15 in perfect riding weather. There were no shoulders leaving Olpelousas but it opened up once we got on Rt 190 heading toward Baton Rouge. Carl (feeling spunky without all of his packs) jumped out front and did most of the pulling in the morning. Eventually, Teresa took over the "pull" position and led the way for the rest of the day. She is a very strong and consistent rider, unlike her husband. Shortly after leaving the Opelousas city limits, a car passed us, waived hi, and then pulled over to talk with us. At first, I was not sure what was going on. It was Gordy Heitzman who is a biker and wanted to know where we were going. He is from Minnesota but is temporarily working on a local FEMA project. He is also a regular in the Iowa RAGBRAI event which Kevin, Teresa, and Carl have all done multiple times. After exchanging web and email info, we rode on. Then we spotted a cajun night club called Bada's Bar which had a sign that said "Biker's Welcome". We wondered if they ment motorcyclists or cyclists. We met the owner, used his facilities, and got the grand tour of his bar including his huge rear deck on the bayou. Off we rolled again with Teresa pulling and the wind at our back. We stopped for lunch at a place called Lottie for some good home cooking. Kevin was supposed to meet us there on his bike but instead arrived in the van. It turned out that all of the ferrys were shut down today and there was no way to cross the mighty Mississippi river by boat. During lunch, we had to recast our plans for the day. The lunch was good as Kevin and Teresa shared a big shrimp po-boy, Carl had a grilled cheese with pickles, and I had a Shrimp sandwich with pretzels. Sherpa Kevin also provided a chocolate milk to me from the support van to help with my recovery. We decided to change course and set sail for Baton Rouge instead of going north. We agreed to stay on Rt 190 which had a good shoulder but was full of garbage and had heavy traffic. Kevin drove toward Baton Rouge to scout out the road and to find us a cheap motel. We rolled on and continued to maintain a great (14-15 mph) pace. Then Kevin called and said there was a 4 mile bridge over a big swamp that had no shoulder and would be a problem for us. He drove back to meet us and the plan was for him to ride behind us with the van with his flashers on for protection. We felt very special with this "escort" service and were glad to reach the other side. Then Kevin raced on to Baton Rouge for a hotel. After 4 miles, we stopped at a gas station for a bio break. As we were mounting our bikes, we spotted another cross-country biker and flagged him down. His name was Tom and he was riding west to San Diego solo. He is riding to raise money for MS. His web site is http://myspacetimebicycle.blogspotcom. I advised him to get better tires and liners to protect against the goat heads in New Mexico and Arizona. After a few pictures and chit chat, we rolled on again. We saw numerous farms, some donkeys, and also some sugar cane fields. One sugar cane field was on fire! There was also miles and miles of road work where they were clearing lots of big trees out of the swamps for a road expansion project. We also saw miles of cool swamps and lots of wind damage from recent hurricanes. Then we called Kevin for an update and he informed us of good news and bad news. The good news was that he found a cheap motel that it was a step above the dirtbag lodging we had last night. The bad news was that he did not recommend crossing the Mississippi river bridge due to heavy traffic and zero shoulders. For the day, we tried to cross the river by 2 ferrys and then by bridge. Eventually, we finally submitted and threw in the towel. We loaded our bikes into the van and got shuttled across the bridge which deeply disappointed Carl and me. However, we lived to tell this story so I guess that is good. We checked into our motel, showered up, hydrated ourselves, and gorged on snacks that Teresa provided. We then headed into town for a good meal. We found a great Cajun/Mexican restaurant called Superior Grill which was packed. They were able to quickly squeeze us in and we had a huge meal. Kevin and Teresa had fish tacos, Carl had a shrimp quesdillia with beans & rice, and I had the Superior Mexican Platter. We also ate about 5 lbs of chips and salsa which was washed down by a few margaritas and Modelos. It was a hopping place and we had a great meal. We then headed back to the motel to settle in, plot out tomorrow's route, and crash.
Kevin gets gold stars for his Sherpa role today as all he did was drive all over the place in the van with the dog. He was not able to turn the cranks at all today. I know it must have been frustrating for me. He said he was anxious about our safety with all of the bad bridges and traffic. This was probably good as I am sure he was sore and tired from the whooping Carl and I put on him yesterday.
Good night!
Weather: Overcast and warm all day with a good 5-10 mph wind at our back all day - the Smit's are good luck! There was a rain cloud just ahead of us most of the day and but we never had any rain. It was very comfortable riding today.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 54 Trip: 2,133
Total travel time: 6:30 Trip: 219:30
Bike Riding time: 3:44 Trip: 171:11
Avg speed: 14.32 Trip: 12.69
Max speed: 26.99 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 174 Trip: 51,099
Avg pedal RPMs: 84 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 94 Trip: 111
Max heart rate: 132 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 3,382 Trip: 125,400
Weather Statistics:
High temp 77 Trip: 77
Low temp: 64 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13.30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: favorable
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 18
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Vel Rose
Total hotel nights: 27
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 93
Pints: 3 Trip: 49 - plus 2 bonus margaritas
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I really enjoyed the day even though the Mississippi river beat me today! Kevin, Teresa, and Carl were a lot of fun and we did move east.
We were up, packed, and at The Palace Cafe for breakfast by 7:20. This is the same place we had dinner last night. They had the best Community brand coffee to go along with a great breakfast. Kevin, Teresa, and I had sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits and Carl had a plain biscuit and hash browns. I also had a double stack of pancakes to ensure the tank was full. All of our food was excellent. We plotted our route to take a ferry over the mighty Mississippi and end up in St Francisville. Kevin lost the coin toss to Teresa and agreed to be the Sherpa today. His plan was to drive up to the ferry, drop the van, and then ride back to us to join the party. Teresa, Carl, and I started rolling at around 8:15 in perfect riding weather. There were no shoulders leaving Olpelousas but it opened up once we got on Rt 190 heading toward Baton Rouge. Carl (feeling spunky without all of his packs) jumped out front and did most of the pulling in the morning. Eventually, Teresa took over the "pull" position and led the way for the rest of the day. She is a very strong and consistent rider, unlike her husband. Shortly after leaving the Opelousas city limits, a car passed us, waived hi, and then pulled over to talk with us. At first, I was not sure what was going on. It was Gordy Heitzman who is a biker and wanted to know where we were going. He is from Minnesota but is temporarily working on a local FEMA project. He is also a regular in the Iowa RAGBRAI event which Kevin, Teresa, and Carl have all done multiple times. After exchanging web and email info, we rode on. Then we spotted a cajun night club called Bada's Bar which had a sign that said "Biker's Welcome". We wondered if they ment motorcyclists or cyclists. We met the owner, used his facilities, and got the grand tour of his bar including his huge rear deck on the bayou. Off we rolled again with Teresa pulling and the wind at our back. We stopped for lunch at a place called Lottie for some good home cooking. Kevin was supposed to meet us there on his bike but instead arrived in the van. It turned out that all of the ferrys were shut down today and there was no way to cross the mighty Mississippi river by boat. During lunch, we had to recast our plans for the day. The lunch was good as Kevin and Teresa shared a big shrimp po-boy, Carl had a grilled cheese with pickles, and I had a Shrimp sandwich with pretzels. Sherpa Kevin also provided a chocolate milk to me from the support van to help with my recovery. We decided to change course and set sail for Baton Rouge instead of going north. We agreed to stay on Rt 190 which had a good shoulder but was full of garbage and had heavy traffic. Kevin drove toward Baton Rouge to scout out the road and to find us a cheap motel. We rolled on and continued to maintain a great (14-15 mph) pace. Then Kevin called and said there was a 4 mile bridge over a big swamp that had no shoulder and would be a problem for us. He drove back to meet us and the plan was for him to ride behind us with the van with his flashers on for protection. We felt very special with this "escort" service and were glad to reach the other side. Then Kevin raced on to Baton Rouge for a hotel. After 4 miles, we stopped at a gas station for a bio break. As we were mounting our bikes, we spotted another cross-country biker and flagged him down. His name was Tom and he was riding west to San Diego solo. He is riding to raise money for MS. His web site is http://myspacetimebicycle.blogspotcom. I advised him to get better tires and liners to protect against the goat heads in New Mexico and Arizona. After a few pictures and chit chat, we rolled on again. We saw numerous farms, some donkeys, and also some sugar cane fields. One sugar cane field was on fire! There was also miles and miles of road work where they were clearing lots of big trees out of the swamps for a road expansion project. We also saw miles of cool swamps and lots of wind damage from recent hurricanes. Then we called Kevin for an update and he informed us of good news and bad news. The good news was that he found a cheap motel that it was a step above the dirtbag lodging we had last night. The bad news was that he did not recommend crossing the Mississippi river bridge due to heavy traffic and zero shoulders. For the day, we tried to cross the river by 2 ferrys and then by bridge. Eventually, we finally submitted and threw in the towel. We loaded our bikes into the van and got shuttled across the bridge which deeply disappointed Carl and me. However, we lived to tell this story so I guess that is good. We checked into our motel, showered up, hydrated ourselves, and gorged on snacks that Teresa provided. We then headed into town for a good meal. We found a great Cajun/Mexican restaurant called Superior Grill which was packed. They were able to quickly squeeze us in and we had a huge meal. Kevin and Teresa had fish tacos, Carl had a shrimp quesdillia with beans & rice, and I had the Superior Mexican Platter. We also ate about 5 lbs of chips and salsa which was washed down by a few margaritas and Modelos. It was a hopping place and we had a great meal. We then headed back to the motel to settle in, plot out tomorrow's route, and crash.
Kevin gets gold stars for his Sherpa role today as all he did was drive all over the place in the van with the dog. He was not able to turn the cranks at all today. I know it must have been frustrating for me. He said he was anxious about our safety with all of the bad bridges and traffic. This was probably good as I am sure he was sore and tired from the whooping Carl and I put on him yesterday.
Good night!
Weather: Overcast and warm all day with a good 5-10 mph wind at our back all day - the Smit's are good luck! There was a rain cloud just ahead of us most of the day and but we never had any rain. It was very comfortable riding today.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 54 Trip: 2,133
Total travel time: 6:30 Trip: 219:30
Bike Riding time: 3:44 Trip: 171:11
Avg speed: 14.32 Trip: 12.69
Max speed: 26.99 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 174 Trip: 51,099
Avg pedal RPMs: 84 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 94 Trip: 111
Max heart rate: 132 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 3,382 Trip: 125,400
Weather Statistics:
High temp 77 Trip: 77
Low temp: 64 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13.30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: favorable
Total good wind days: 11
Total bad wind days: 18
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Vel Rose
Total hotel nights: 27
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 93
Pints: 3 Trip: 49 - plus 2 bonus margaritas
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I really enjoyed the day even though the Mississippi river beat me today! Kevin, Teresa, and Carl were a lot of fun and we did move east.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.508
Longitude:-91.1408
Nearest Location: N Foster Dr, Baton Rouge, LA, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/20/2008 12:53:19 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.508,-91.1408&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.508
Longitude:-91.1408
Nearest Location: N Foster Dr, Baton Rouge, LA, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/20/2008 12:53:19 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.508,-91.1408&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Day 28 - Friday, December 19
Description: Finished the ride today in Opelousas Louisiana after 61 miles. We plan to shoot for St. Francisville tomorrow but had to modify our route due to a lack of "acceptable" lodging. I found out that Kevin requires silk sheets, down pillows, and gourmet food and we could not accommodate that with the official Adventure Cycling route plan so he made us change directions to meet his personal needs:-)
We all started stirring around 6:45 this morning and the plan was to be packed and ready out in front of the motel at 8:00 sharp. We could not wait to go next door to the Donut Cafe to fill our tanks with pure energy. Bad news - the cafe owners must have heard we were coming and figured they could not supply enough sugar and fat for us so they closed their doors for the day - ouch. Not a problem as our new Sherpas directed us across the street to a Shell gas station for coffee and Bear Claw danishes which were not bad but not the same as the Donut Palace. Eventually, we were ready to roll at 9:00. Kevin drove the van (with Eve - their dog in the back) ahead to Mamou to scout out a lunch spot and then rode back toward us to join the group. Teresa, Carl, and I headed out into a warm, overcast, and breezy day. The Smit's must be in good standings with the wind gods as we had an excellent tail wind all day. Kevin, on the other hand, had to fight a strong head wind all the way back to meet us but that is OK because he needs the exercise. We had very smooth roads with good shoulders and Teresa was quoted as saying "this is perfect, I could ride all day with conditions like this". Carl and I agreed as we had unloaded several of our bags into the Smit's van earlier and our bikes were feeling light and fast. Teresa rode strong and we could hardly keep up with her fast pace. We stopped several times to take pictures of the many rice fields which also raised crawfish. What a great combo ehh? The fields were all flooded and ditches along the roads were full of standing water. We were afraid to stop too long for fear the mosquitos would carry us off. Later in the day we saw numerous cattle and horse farms which looks to be the local business. Man is this area flat! For the first 50 miles, we only climbed 40 feet of total elevation. After a while, Kevin caught up with us and we all rode together toward Mamou for lunch. Shortly after Kevin arrived, we came across a 3 legged dog (I think his name was Skip) who had just chased Kevin a few minutes ago. The angry dog took skipped into the street in an attempt to eat all of us. This guy had a big bark and could really move with only 3 legs. Since Kevin is the slowest rider, he was the one most at risk of getting caught but somehow, he out paced this monster for the second time. After recovering from the dog, we breezed into Mamou which was a really neat little town with a population of 2,711. We stopped for some pictures on the downtown streets and then entered Maxie's Cajun Diner for some real home cooked bayou food. Kevin, Teresa, and Carl all ordered the Shrimp Etufe and I had the grilled shrimp with pasta and an awesome cajun cream sauce. Carl and I also had a side orders of fried mushrooms and french fries. They were very nice and even gave us a free dessert of a white cake with cream cheese icing - em em good. After saying our goodbyes, Teresa loaded up her bike and rolled forward in the van as she had a work conference call. Kevin, Carl, and I walked the streets some more and enjoyed the local color before mounting our bikes. Back on the road, we rolled through Ville Platte, Grand Prairie, and then arrived at our targeted destination of Washington. The tall stories and trash talking was significant as we often road 3 abreast on the country roads. We also were chased by rain clouds all day long but never were rained on - wow were we lucky. Teresa did not get off of her conference call before we arrived in Washington so we started looking for housing options. We consulted with a bunch of locals at a gas station and they all said the only place in town was a dump and even dangerous. After a group discussion, we agreed to ride another 5-6 miles to Opelousas to check out a cheap hotel recommendation. After paying for a couple of rooms, we found out this place was a dive. The rooms looked as if they had no maintenance for many many years - especially Kevin and Teresa's. Carl summed it up best by saying it was better than camping and it was fairly cheap. We did not feel like looking anymore so decided to gut it out. We unloaded, cleaned up, and then smacked on crackers & cheese, celery, carrots, and a beverage or 2 while planning out the route for tomorrow. Then we got hungry and walked up the street to The Palace Cafe for dinner. This was a Greek/Cajun place and it looked like it was frozen in time from the early 60s. Teresa had a stuffed eggplant with crawfish (not so good), Carl had the deluxe seafood stuffed eggplant (very good), Kevin had a Greek salad and chicken gumbo (very good), and I had the crawfish bisque which was most excellent. With the meal, we had salads and rolls to help replenish the carbs from the day's ride. For dessert, Carl and I had root beer floats from the Dairy Queen that was between the restaurant and our flea bag motel. We tried to find some Zydeco music but they told us there was none on Friday nights. We thought that was strange as this place claims to be the Zydeco capitol ot the country! We did have an option however, Cherl (our waitress for dinner) said she would dance Zydeco style at our table for $5. Carl offered her a buck and she stood firm on the five. Cherl was "real local" and we had fun with her. Earlier, Carl had asked about some Greek options and she said "this ain't no greek restaurant - it is Cajun. I have been here 33 years and it ain't Greek!". We tipped her well.....
We all enjoyed the ride, the local food, and most importantly the people in the small towns we visited today. It was a lot of fun!
Good night.
Weather: Warm but very comfortable all day with a good breeze and overcast skies. It showered all around us but we were spared!
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 61 Trip: 2,079
Total travel time: 8:00 Trip: 213:00
Bike Riding time: 4:59 Trip: 167:26
Avg speed: 12.29 Trip: 12.63
Max speed: 19.56 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 85 Trip: 50,925
Avg pedal RPMs: 84 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 86 Trip: 112
Max heart rate: 127 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 4,800 Trip: 122,018
Weather Statistics:
High temp 74 Trip: 75
Low temp: 68 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: favorable
Total good wind days: 10
Total bad wind days: 18
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Townhouse motel
Total hotel nights: 26
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 91
Pints: 4 Trip: 46
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - lots of fun today with great riding, weather, company, food, and the local people.
We all started stirring around 6:45 this morning and the plan was to be packed and ready out in front of the motel at 8:00 sharp. We could not wait to go next door to the Donut Cafe to fill our tanks with pure energy. Bad news - the cafe owners must have heard we were coming and figured they could not supply enough sugar and fat for us so they closed their doors for the day - ouch. Not a problem as our new Sherpas directed us across the street to a Shell gas station for coffee and Bear Claw danishes which were not bad but not the same as the Donut Palace. Eventually, we were ready to roll at 9:00. Kevin drove the van (with Eve - their dog in the back) ahead to Mamou to scout out a lunch spot and then rode back toward us to join the group. Teresa, Carl, and I headed out into a warm, overcast, and breezy day. The Smit's must be in good standings with the wind gods as we had an excellent tail wind all day. Kevin, on the other hand, had to fight a strong head wind all the way back to meet us but that is OK because he needs the exercise. We had very smooth roads with good shoulders and Teresa was quoted as saying "this is perfect, I could ride all day with conditions like this". Carl and I agreed as we had unloaded several of our bags into the Smit's van earlier and our bikes were feeling light and fast. Teresa rode strong and we could hardly keep up with her fast pace. We stopped several times to take pictures of the many rice fields which also raised crawfish. What a great combo ehh? The fields were all flooded and ditches along the roads were full of standing water. We were afraid to stop too long for fear the mosquitos would carry us off. Later in the day we saw numerous cattle and horse farms which looks to be the local business. Man is this area flat! For the first 50 miles, we only climbed 40 feet of total elevation. After a while, Kevin caught up with us and we all rode together toward Mamou for lunch. Shortly after Kevin arrived, we came across a 3 legged dog (I think his name was Skip) who had just chased Kevin a few minutes ago. The angry dog took skipped into the street in an attempt to eat all of us. This guy had a big bark and could really move with only 3 legs. Since Kevin is the slowest rider, he was the one most at risk of getting caught but somehow, he out paced this monster for the second time. After recovering from the dog, we breezed into Mamou which was a really neat little town with a population of 2,711. We stopped for some pictures on the downtown streets and then entered Maxie's Cajun Diner for some real home cooked bayou food. Kevin, Teresa, and Carl all ordered the Shrimp Etufe and I had the grilled shrimp with pasta and an awesome cajun cream sauce. Carl and I also had a side orders of fried mushrooms and french fries. They were very nice and even gave us a free dessert of a white cake with cream cheese icing - em em good. After saying our goodbyes, Teresa loaded up her bike and rolled forward in the van as she had a work conference call. Kevin, Carl, and I walked the streets some more and enjoyed the local color before mounting our bikes. Back on the road, we rolled through Ville Platte, Grand Prairie, and then arrived at our targeted destination of Washington. The tall stories and trash talking was significant as we often road 3 abreast on the country roads. We also were chased by rain clouds all day long but never were rained on - wow were we lucky. Teresa did not get off of her conference call before we arrived in Washington so we started looking for housing options. We consulted with a bunch of locals at a gas station and they all said the only place in town was a dump and even dangerous. After a group discussion, we agreed to ride another 5-6 miles to Opelousas to check out a cheap hotel recommendation. After paying for a couple of rooms, we found out this place was a dive. The rooms looked as if they had no maintenance for many many years - especially Kevin and Teresa's. Carl summed it up best by saying it was better than camping and it was fairly cheap. We did not feel like looking anymore so decided to gut it out. We unloaded, cleaned up, and then smacked on crackers & cheese, celery, carrots, and a beverage or 2 while planning out the route for tomorrow. Then we got hungry and walked up the street to The Palace Cafe for dinner. This was a Greek/Cajun place and it looked like it was frozen in time from the early 60s. Teresa had a stuffed eggplant with crawfish (not so good), Carl had the deluxe seafood stuffed eggplant (very good), Kevin had a Greek salad and chicken gumbo (very good), and I had the crawfish bisque which was most excellent. With the meal, we had salads and rolls to help replenish the carbs from the day's ride. For dessert, Carl and I had root beer floats from the Dairy Queen that was between the restaurant and our flea bag motel. We tried to find some Zydeco music but they told us there was none on Friday nights. We thought that was strange as this place claims to be the Zydeco capitol ot the country! We did have an option however, Cherl (our waitress for dinner) said she would dance Zydeco style at our table for $5. Carl offered her a buck and she stood firm on the five. Cherl was "real local" and we had fun with her. Earlier, Carl had asked about some Greek options and she said "this ain't no greek restaurant - it is Cajun. I have been here 33 years and it ain't Greek!". We tipped her well.....
We all enjoyed the ride, the local food, and most importantly the people in the small towns we visited today. It was a lot of fun!
Good night.
Weather: Warm but very comfortable all day with a good breeze and overcast skies. It showered all around us but we were spared!
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 61 Trip: 2,079
Total travel time: 8:00 Trip: 213:00
Bike Riding time: 4:59 Trip: 167:26
Avg speed: 12.29 Trip: 12.63
Max speed: 19.56 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 85 Trip: 50,925
Avg pedal RPMs: 84 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 86 Trip: 112
Max heart rate: 127 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 4,800 Trip: 122,018
Weather Statistics:
High temp 74 Trip: 75
Low temp: 68 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: favorable
Total good wind days: 10
Total bad wind days: 18
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Townhouse motel
Total hotel nights: 26
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 91
Pints: 4 Trip: 46
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - lots of fun today with great riding, weather, company, food, and the local people.
Friday, December 19, 2008
We have been in rough territory today.
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OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.5333
Longitude:-92.0864
Nearest Location: Opelousas, United States
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/19/2008 13:57:48 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.5333,-92.0864&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.5333
Longitude:-92.0864
Nearest Location: Opelousas, United States
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/19/2008 13:57:48 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.5333,-92.0864&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Day 27 - Thursday, December 18
Description: Today was an awesome day. I finished the ride in Oberlin Louisiana after 80 miles. Not Texas - this is not a typo. The plan for tomorrow is an easy 50+ ride to Washington Louisiana.
Carl and I began stirring at 6:30 this morning and grabbed our own breakfast as the motel did not provide any. We had yogurt, bananas, tangerines, Pop Tarts, and cheese sticks. No coffee and this almost was a major mistake as we both are used to the morning jolt. As we loaded up our gear, we noticed it was still raining outside - crap. By the time we were ready to ride at 8:30, the rain had stopped but it was quite foggy. We had an 80 mile ride planned and knew we had to get moving and soon. We actually rode right past a Donut Palace without stopping - can you believe that? We left Kirbyville and rode through Bleakwood before stopping in Bon Wier for some coffee and some chow at a gas station. I opted for some Nekot peanut butter cookies while Carl jumped on a large bean and cheese burrito - he must have heard that Dayn recommends these. I typically do not do burritos this early. Shortly after getting back on the road, we achieved a major milestone - we exited Texas! That is correct, we escaped the border patrol and had a clean break into Louisiana. For me, I have ridden over a thousand miles in Texas and was ready for some cajun food. After some quick pictures, we rolled forward toward Florida. We then rode through Merryville and had planned to ride another 20 miles to DeRidder for a late lunch. As we came around a sharp bend in the road, Carl yelled out, hey, there are 2 bikers ahead of us. I started twitching and smelled a quick kill as they did not appear to be moving very fast. We looked closely and figured out they were not self supported cross-country riders as they did not have saddle bags. Carl said that I should go ahead and chase them down and he would catch us later. I said, there is no need as these 2 riders were moving VERY slow and we were already quickly catching them. Then Carl said they look like German riders maybe on a catered tour of the US. Then I told Carl that my friends Kevin and Teresa Smit had sorta talked about driving a van down to Louisiana to join me on my trek but then laughed it off. As I got closer, I noticed an interesting picture on the back of both of their jerseys. Then I recognized the picture - it was Wilson with an Arrogant Bastard Ale on their backs. I could not believe it as Kevin and Teresa were just riding along enjoying the countryside. I was shocked and quickly gave Teresa a huge hug and gave Kevin some high 5s. Carl was just watching this all unfold in amazement. Kevin has been planning this from the beginning of my trip and only told one other person for fear his plans would be leaked. After some quick pics to document the event, we all rolled east toward DeRidder for lunch. We stopped at a great restaurant called Cecil's Cajun Cafe. Teresa had to pack up her bike and drive to the motel in Oberlin for a conference call (she was working today) so she ordered a grilled shrimp salad to go. Kevin and I had red beans, sausage, and rice while Carl had an awesome fried shrimp Po-Boy. We washed it all down with some cold beverages and then packed up for the final 36 miles of the day. We took a break at 18 miles at a gas station and then did a time check. Kevin did not have his headlight with him and we figured that we were running out of daylight. We agreed that Kevin and I would blast off to the hotel and that Carl would take his time and come in after dark if needed as he has lights. Kevin took off like a scolded dog and it was all I could do to hold his wheel. He pulled into a head wind at over 19 mph. This type of a pull would surely make Mr Bridenbaugh and maybe Ron real proud. After 12 miles, we realized that Kevin's rear tire was going flat. There were new tires and tubes on his bike - how could this happen?! I asked Kevin who installed them and he would not answer - hmmm. In his defense, the road shoulder was full of trash. After stopping once and adding air, we finally stopped and did a tire change that would rival any NASCAR tire change in terms of speed. Back on the road again, we were racing the sun to the motel - which I love to do. We won as we arrived at the motel just as the last rays of light were hitting the street. The countryside today was surprisingly rolling and with your typical Louisiana swamps. There were a few rice farms and farm raised pine forrests as lumber industry is big around here. Carl rolled in about a half hour later as he stopped for numerous photo opportunities and he rode at a more relaxed pace - remember, he is retired. Everyone cleaned up and we eagerly headed to Roy's Catfish Hut for some home cooked local chow. We all opted for some sort of combo platters that included fried and broiled catfish, fried oysters, fried shrimp, stuffed crab, and hush puppies. The meal included a salad bar and a big bucket of peanuts that you throw the shells on the floor. We had a good and filling meal and a great time talking about our adventures.
Prior to leaving for dinner, Kevin and Teresa shared another big surprise with me - an early Christmas stocking full of goodies. He made up some BS story for our biker community and said that he had a connection on my route to ensure delivery to me. Then lots of folks brought in small gifts and handed them to Kevin for delivery. They had no idea that he was going to hand deliver these to me. Jae hand made an incredible stocking for me and also one for Wilson. There are awesome - thanks Jae!!! Then Kevin proceeded to give me 2 bags FULL of gifts from my friends AND my sister Holly (hi Ed and Nick) who was brought into this scam. I would like to thank every one of you that provided me with the thoughtful and useful stocking stuffer gifts. I also greatly appreciate everyone who has been following my adventure which I will never forget. In no particular order, below is a list of the gifts I received: stockings for me and Wilson, Starbucks Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, a Starbucks gift card, another Starbucks gift card, a Caribou Coffee gift card, Tiramisu Dark Chocolate Wedges, Beano, Santa on a bike cycling socks, a double-shot of 5-hour Energy, a mini-me Wilson soccer ball (company for Wilson), 2 Cliff 20g Protein Builder's bars, 2 Powerbar Recovery bars, 3 Powerbar Performance bars, 2 mini PayDays, 2 Espresso Love GU energy gels, 7 Mint Chocolate GU energy gels, 2 boxes of raisins, 12 large Snicker's bars, 6 large PayDays bars, a bag of Snicker's mini bars, an 8-pack of Lance Toast Chee peanut butter crackers, 11 Ghirardelli Intense Dark Espresso Escape mini chocolate bars, a 2-pack of hand warmers, a 2-pack of toe warmers, a 6-pack of Stone Pale Ales, 2 large bottles of Stone Arrogant Bastard Ales, and finally.... An iron transfer sticker of Wilson with an Arrogant Bastard Ale for me to put on a riding jersey.
Thank you, thank you all.
Weather: started out warm (60s) with fog and later cleared up some with the highs in the 70s. It was really good riding weather even though the roads were wet early on.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 80 Trip: 2,018
Total travel time: 9:00 Trip: 205:00 - Kevin slowed us down today
Bike Riding time: 6:27 Trip: 162:28
Avg speed: 12.37 Trip: 12.64
Max speed: 21.73 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 527 Trip: 50,840
Avg pedal RPMs: 84 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 95 Trip: 112
Max heart rate: 162 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 4,343 Trip: 117,218
Weather Statistics:
High temp 73 Trip: 75
Low temp: 62 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Against
Total good wind days: 9
Total bad wind days: 18
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Oberlin Inn
Total hotel nights: 25
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 1 Trip: 89
Pints: 4 Trip: 42
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I have new Sherpas and lot to folks to talk to now. I am currently 2 days ahead of schedule.
Carl and I began stirring at 6:30 this morning and grabbed our own breakfast as the motel did not provide any. We had yogurt, bananas, tangerines, Pop Tarts, and cheese sticks. No coffee and this almost was a major mistake as we both are used to the morning jolt. As we loaded up our gear, we noticed it was still raining outside - crap. By the time we were ready to ride at 8:30, the rain had stopped but it was quite foggy. We had an 80 mile ride planned and knew we had to get moving and soon. We actually rode right past a Donut Palace without stopping - can you believe that? We left Kirbyville and rode through Bleakwood before stopping in Bon Wier for some coffee and some chow at a gas station. I opted for some Nekot peanut butter cookies while Carl jumped on a large bean and cheese burrito - he must have heard that Dayn recommends these. I typically do not do burritos this early. Shortly after getting back on the road, we achieved a major milestone - we exited Texas! That is correct, we escaped the border patrol and had a clean break into Louisiana. For me, I have ridden over a thousand miles in Texas and was ready for some cajun food. After some quick pictures, we rolled forward toward Florida. We then rode through Merryville and had planned to ride another 20 miles to DeRidder for a late lunch. As we came around a sharp bend in the road, Carl yelled out, hey, there are 2 bikers ahead of us. I started twitching and smelled a quick kill as they did not appear to be moving very fast. We looked closely and figured out they were not self supported cross-country riders as they did not have saddle bags. Carl said that I should go ahead and chase them down and he would catch us later. I said, there is no need as these 2 riders were moving VERY slow and we were already quickly catching them. Then Carl said they look like German riders maybe on a catered tour of the US. Then I told Carl that my friends Kevin and Teresa Smit had sorta talked about driving a van down to Louisiana to join me on my trek but then laughed it off. As I got closer, I noticed an interesting picture on the back of both of their jerseys. Then I recognized the picture - it was Wilson with an Arrogant Bastard Ale on their backs. I could not believe it as Kevin and Teresa were just riding along enjoying the countryside. I was shocked and quickly gave Teresa a huge hug and gave Kevin some high 5s. Carl was just watching this all unfold in amazement. Kevin has been planning this from the beginning of my trip and only told one other person for fear his plans would be leaked. After some quick pics to document the event, we all rolled east toward DeRidder for lunch. We stopped at a great restaurant called Cecil's Cajun Cafe. Teresa had to pack up her bike and drive to the motel in Oberlin for a conference call (she was working today) so she ordered a grilled shrimp salad to go. Kevin and I had red beans, sausage, and rice while Carl had an awesome fried shrimp Po-Boy. We washed it all down with some cold beverages and then packed up for the final 36 miles of the day. We took a break at 18 miles at a gas station and then did a time check. Kevin did not have his headlight with him and we figured that we were running out of daylight. We agreed that Kevin and I would blast off to the hotel and that Carl would take his time and come in after dark if needed as he has lights. Kevin took off like a scolded dog and it was all I could do to hold his wheel. He pulled into a head wind at over 19 mph. This type of a pull would surely make Mr Bridenbaugh and maybe Ron real proud. After 12 miles, we realized that Kevin's rear tire was going flat. There were new tires and tubes on his bike - how could this happen?! I asked Kevin who installed them and he would not answer - hmmm. In his defense, the road shoulder was full of trash. After stopping once and adding air, we finally stopped and did a tire change that would rival any NASCAR tire change in terms of speed. Back on the road again, we were racing the sun to the motel - which I love to do. We won as we arrived at the motel just as the last rays of light were hitting the street. The countryside today was surprisingly rolling and with your typical Louisiana swamps. There were a few rice farms and farm raised pine forrests as lumber industry is big around here. Carl rolled in about a half hour later as he stopped for numerous photo opportunities and he rode at a more relaxed pace - remember, he is retired. Everyone cleaned up and we eagerly headed to Roy's Catfish Hut for some home cooked local chow. We all opted for some sort of combo platters that included fried and broiled catfish, fried oysters, fried shrimp, stuffed crab, and hush puppies. The meal included a salad bar and a big bucket of peanuts that you throw the shells on the floor. We had a good and filling meal and a great time talking about our adventures.
Prior to leaving for dinner, Kevin and Teresa shared another big surprise with me - an early Christmas stocking full of goodies. He made up some BS story for our biker community and said that he had a connection on my route to ensure delivery to me. Then lots of folks brought in small gifts and handed them to Kevin for delivery. They had no idea that he was going to hand deliver these to me. Jae hand made an incredible stocking for me and also one for Wilson. There are awesome - thanks Jae!!! Then Kevin proceeded to give me 2 bags FULL of gifts from my friends AND my sister Holly (hi Ed and Nick) who was brought into this scam. I would like to thank every one of you that provided me with the thoughtful and useful stocking stuffer gifts. I also greatly appreciate everyone who has been following my adventure which I will never forget. In no particular order, below is a list of the gifts I received: stockings for me and Wilson, Starbucks Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, a Starbucks gift card, another Starbucks gift card, a Caribou Coffee gift card, Tiramisu Dark Chocolate Wedges, Beano, Santa on a bike cycling socks, a double-shot of 5-hour Energy, a mini-me Wilson soccer ball (company for Wilson), 2 Cliff 20g Protein Builder's bars, 2 Powerbar Recovery bars, 3 Powerbar Performance bars, 2 mini PayDays, 2 Espresso Love GU energy gels, 7 Mint Chocolate GU energy gels, 2 boxes of raisins, 12 large Snicker's bars, 6 large PayDays bars, a bag of Snicker's mini bars, an 8-pack of Lance Toast Chee peanut butter crackers, 11 Ghirardelli Intense Dark Espresso Escape mini chocolate bars, a 2-pack of hand warmers, a 2-pack of toe warmers, a 6-pack of Stone Pale Ales, 2 large bottles of Stone Arrogant Bastard Ales, and finally.... An iron transfer sticker of Wilson with an Arrogant Bastard Ale for me to put on a riding jersey.
Thank you, thank you all.
Weather: started out warm (60s) with fog and later cleared up some with the highs in the 70s. It was really good riding weather even though the roads were wet early on.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 80 Trip: 2,018
Total travel time: 9:00 Trip: 205:00 - Kevin slowed us down today
Bike Riding time: 6:27 Trip: 162:28
Avg speed: 12.37 Trip: 12.64
Max speed: 21.73 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 527 Trip: 50,840
Avg pedal RPMs: 84 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 95 Trip: 112
Max heart rate: 162 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 4,343 Trip: 117,218
Weather Statistics:
High temp 73 Trip: 75
Low temp: 62 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 13:30
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 3
Wind factor: Against
Total good wind days: 9
Total bad wind days: 18
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Oberlin Inn
Total hotel nights: 25
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 1 Trip: 89
Pints: 4 Trip: 42
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - I have new Sherpas and lot to folks to talk to now. I am currently 2 days ahead of schedule.
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