Is it summer already?

Finale...no climbing today...no miles either for that matter

Sat, 19 May 2012 08:08:39 -0500

Another ride is in the books and the final day’s photos are up and ready. This has been a great adventure filled with challenges, rewards, and life’s lessons. Groups come and go and like groups in the past, we’ve made life long friends and acquaintances, we laughed, we shared, we endured, we tolerated, we struggled, we hurt, we rode, and now we return home. The experiences of the road change many lives. I know that sounds like a cliché and many don't realize it for sometime after they return home...how something like this does affect the rest of their lives. Last night at the banquet, several expressed that they had checked off an important item on their bucket list and wasn’t sure what could ever top this experience...if it wasn’t the most significant physical thing they’d accomplished, it ranked right up there with what ever was the top. So...what’s next?
For the most part, it's been a great ride for us and we have mixed emotions as we reflect on what we've done. Basically, we are glad it's finally over, but we hate to see it end. We've developed some lasting relationships this ride and we will miss being around them after they depart their separate ways. There were several riders still milling around the motel when we finally got moving Saturday morning...were they waiting for a route rap so they could plan their day? Or were they waiting for us to unlock the trailer so they could load their luggage? What ever it was, they looked lost not having to ride to their next meal and they'll miss Barbara's chuck wagon this afternoon for sure.
Karen, Barb, and I finally got moving around 7 this morning...had to eat then load the van for the trip to Alabama where we’ll dock until it's time to drive to Astoria OR for the next trip in June. Jim took the other van with the trailer to the office in New Hampshire and he’ll be able to have some much needed time off at home before heading out west to meet us in June.
Last night we put the capstone on the ride with a final dinner at the Moon River Pub on Bay Street in downtown Savannah. After dinner we reassembled back at the motel for our final get together. It was a memorable affair that allowed each member the opportunity to share their thoughts about the ride and to share the evening with loved ones and friends who were in attendance. I think this group was pretty tired, but they mustered the strength to laugh at themselves and we even saw a tear of two as they shared their feelings. To end the evening, I ran a slide show of various photos we took of the riders all the way across the country...some of the scenes seemed like a lifetime ago.
Everyone had a different reason for doing this ride and I'm sure there was sometime during the course of the ride when they all questioned their sanity for even thinking about doing such a thing. This group's emotions ran the gambit as they went from jubilation at the departure beach to the realization that this was a serious ride soon after they reached the desert at the 80 mile point on the first day. I saw a tired bunch as we rode into Albuquerque for our first rest day...a well deserved break as they had covered over 800 miles in the first short week and had endured extreme heat in the desert and hypothermia in the high country around Flagstaff. They continued their trek into the winds and even got their first relatively easy day into Dalhart aided by welcomed tailwinds to push them down the road at speeds they’d never before ridden over such a distance. From Dalhart, their luck held as they conquered the Panhandle of the Longhorn state. Then they hit Oklahoma to endure the two back to back 130 plus days into slight headwinds, record breaking heat, and over the constant hilly terrain on the day into McAlester. It seemed like an afterthought as we finished our second leg as, tired and beat up, they limped into Fort Smith for their last rest day before the final assault to the east coast. After Fort Smith their spirits seemed to be lifted as they hit the road. I don't know if it was the tailwinds, the much needed rest, or the time to reflect and collect their thoughts from the prior two and a half weeks, but what ever it was, they were armed with a new purpose and new focus as they took on the final 10 days. Their focus was keen on the eastern leg and held up all the way to the beach. When they triumphantly arrived at the beach, they celebrated. The Pacific water was poured, hugs were exchanged, and congratulations were in order.
As they go their separate ways, it will take them awhile to fully appreciate what they have accomplished and all will take something different from the ride. Some will continue their cycling adventures while others will not want to see a bicycle for awhile. But tomorrow or the next day when they return home and are flooded with questions from friends and family about the trip, it will begin to sink in. They will start to appreciate their immense accomplishment and will begin to miss the life on the road and their newly adopted family. They will wake up at 5:00 in the morning and suddenly realize their routine of the last 27 days is no longer applicable. They won't have to pack their bags, find the luggage van, sign in, mix their Gatorade, and pump up their tires, and put their butts on that hard bicycle seat for 5-8 hours a day. Greg will try to remember not to forget anything where ever he winds up that day and I personally don't know what I'm going to do with myself while I'm home the next two weeks and especially what to do with the 2 hours a day I'll have by not doing a journal for awhile.
Their bodies will scream for the stress of a 100 mile ride, the taste of peanut butter, dill pickles, and the usual 6000 calories it has gotten used to for the last month. Every time they see a silver 15 passenger van, they will hunger for an oatmeal cookie and feel the need to tap the top of their head to get it to stop...it probably won't. It will be a shock when they get back to the regular grind, but they will all have a new perspective on life and on what is and what isn't important...for those who are going back to careers, they will have a recharged attitude to deal with the stresses of their job. I told them on day 1 they would stretch their comfort zone beyond their imagination and they did that. They endured heat, cold, rain, traffic, gravel road surface, rough chip and seal, snow, headwinds, and even a dog or two all across the nation. If they can handle the stress of this ride, they can handle anything and maybe they will start planning on their next ABB adventure and try to do it all again somewhere else. During the ride they were too busy riding and eating to notice the end of the ride was closing in. Yesterday, all of a sudden, it was over.
As for me, I will miss these folks and hope we can ride again someday. Although we will never ride together again as a group, I'm sure we'll keep in touch after the ride and many of them will get together for reunion rides. That's what it is all about...the friends, the challenge, the memories. We had the pleasure to share experiences with a rider with a foreign background: Kari from Finland. This diversity only added to our experience...great to have him as part of our adopted family. And it was exciting for him also as he got to see much more of the country than any of the rest of us did...and he made tons of “new” friends that came to his aid during his efforts to find his way back on route.
From what was heard at the banquet, the riders realized it's not the destination that is so important, but it's the journey to get there. But something I don't think they do realize is, the journey's not over. Now that they've completed this ride they will yearn for other challenges and will relive the memories of this ride for the rest of their lives. Getting to know everyone and making lifelong friends is part of the journey. A ride like this bonds a group beyond imagination...they become a family when they all endure the same hardships, the same pains, and all strive for the same goal for whatever their personal reasons. The friendships that were made on this trip are like all the other trips I've been involved with...they will last forever. They have joined the elite fraternity of riders that have crossed the US in short order. As you all know, I retired from the military where the salute is rendered as a symbol of respect. I am honored to salute them all for their grit, good nature, and final success.
I hope you have enjoyed following our progress across the country. As I close this edition of our spring adventure, may you be blessed with good health and be prosperous in the coming year. It's been a great ride...a tough ride, but one the riders will always remember. Maybe you will come out and make your own memories with us in the near future. On behalf of America by Bicycle and the on-road staff, I'll say good bye until we meet again. To the riders, it's been our pleasure being your support staff. May you continue to have tailwinds and strive to be an ambassador to our sport. Keep the rubber side down.

Savannah GA...Only 900 feet of climbing on this last day

Fri, 18 May 2012 18:41:57 -0500

Today was a day of celebration...but first there was some riding to do. We still had another routine century day and a couple more hills to climb before we could take a deep breath and contemplate what had just happened. I wonder if anyone remembers California? Usually when we ask that question at rap someone would say, "Was that where the other ocean was?" It seems like a lifetime ago when we rode in California, Arizona, and New Mexico...at least I think I remember riding in those states. Then on the other hand, it seems like we just left...where did the time go? We had our last rap last night to discuss the last day's activities...going to the beach, packing up bikes, and the final banquet. I think it really set in...it was almost over and although the staff crew is ready for a break, we hate to see the ride come to an end...our new adopted family will be departing to their "real lives" by this time tomorrow. This morning we rode into the last sunrise of the trip...the last morning they get to load luggage and ride into the morning air with the dew glistening on the grass by the roadside...the last breakfast as a group...the last SAG stop...the last lunch break and fellowship...and tonight, the last meal together...I'll miss this bunch.
Before I forget to mention it, I appreciate all the emails I've received commenting on the journal. I'm happy to have brought the journal to you and am thrilled so many people have been following our progress...hope you'll continue to be readers of ABB adventures and maybe my efforts will inspire others to join us on the road.
We started the day with an early breakfast so we could get on the road as soon as it got daylight. We usually handicap the faster riders to load a bit after the "normal" people so we could get everyone to our rendezvous point near the same time, but this group moves along without help. Lots to do today for the fitting finale of our journey. With the banquet at 7:00 and the fact we needed to get all those bikes taken care of before dinner, we needed all the time to get to Savannah we could get. Our plan worked to perfection as it was late in the day before the normal order of riders on the road transpired and by the time that it did, we were pretty much grouped closely together.
Our luck has just been good as far as weather. We had a short shower about 20 miles in today, but the sky only stayed overcast after that and the temperature stayed on the “very comfortable” side all the way to the beach. All in all it was a perfect finishing day for a long ride across the country. In spite of being bone weary, nothing seemed to bother them today as they powered themselves into the final miles eastward to the sweet smell of Vidalia Onions being harvested in the early morning.
Our route today took us on more highways than usual. As we get closer to our destination, fewer and fewer back roads are available, but the traffic was generally light until we got to town.
Our arrival into the Savannah area took us down 52nd and Washington streets, a marked bike route that skirted old residential areas with Spanish Moss laden live oaks growing along the roadway. Trees that stood majestically as they have for hundreds of years before streets or houses were even thought of in this area. The final miles into Tybee were narrow and busy, but they pedaled on not to be denied the final goal.
We all arrived at our rendezvous point and at the Tybee Island post office just past Savannah by the appointed time of 2:00. The final rider to the post office was 11 minutes after the appointed deadline for rendezvous, but they had ridden a couple bonus miles before getting to Tybee. After a few obligatory photos of our anticipated triumph, we all set off to the beach for the final tire dip and transfer of Pacific Ocean water we had transported from Newport Beach in Irvine.
When the riders arrived at the beach the celebration broke out with a vengeance. Even though the beach was crowded, we made our way to the water's edge and found a pretty large area just empty...like it knew we were coming and just reserved that spot for us. Maybe it was red tide or something, but whatever it was, we had plenty of room to do our thing without entangling ourselves with the beach crowd. Peter bolted cyclocross style across the sand to be the first to touch the water...he was trucking pretty well when he got to the water’s edge...whoa big fella, it’s a long way to swim to the next land.
As the riders made their way to the water, they were bombarded with questions from the locals..."What's with all the bikes, Where did you all come from, When did you start, and You did what?" Almost without exception, the beach goers were dumfounded or in disbelief. Many of them couldn't imagine what we'd just accomplished but all showed great respect when they finally accepted what was accomplished. After getting to the water, several people had to be restrained from throwing their bikes into the ocean or just leaving them. Karen assured them they would be ready to ride again in a few days so they'd better keep their bikes. Reluctantly, they retrieved them for future use. Others were more introspective. Like Kari who was just standing on the shore looking toward the water while taking stock in what he had just accomplished. We weren't sure what he was thinking but it probably had something to do with: WOW! His mood was broken when a couple of his new riding family enticed him to try to swim home. Luckily, he quickly became satisfied, for the moment, with his present accomplishment.
It was a joyous celebration...they've been hammered with the heat, cold, rain, and winds; they've endured chip seal, dogs, potholes, and urban traffic...but they were all standing on the beach together...victorious! They celebrated with the ceremonial pouring of the Pacific water into the Atlantic...ocean water they collected when they were at New Port Beach. As all stood around in support, Kari was given the honor of joining the waters...it's a small country when you really think about it. Heck, we were just dipping our wheels in the Pacific a mere 26 days ago...just a bike ride to us.
After the celebration at the beach, we loaded all the bikes on the vans for transport to a bike shop for shipping home. This works well so all the logistics are left to the shop and the riders don't have to worry about getting bikes disassembled before the banquet. The staff coordinated all the post ride activities with aplomb...load all the bikes, get to the bike shop, unload all the equipment, unload the luggage, acquire parking, coordinate dinner, store our belongings for an early departure tomorrow, sort out the guests spare parts, and finally prepare for dinner...busy afternoon, but tomorrow they can rest.
After a rushed shower and quick shuffling of duties to get all the guest's equipment taken care of, we were off to the final dinner. The food was great, the company was super, we had some laughs and tossed around lots of fond memories of our adventure. Several people had guests who came to share in the revelry of our accomplishment. It's always great to see family and friends after our rides...it makes it all come together.
Wow...what a whirlwind. I close today's activities with this page. I'll put a final wrap on this ride in the post ride summary page tomorrow where I'll try to put it all this in perspective...tune in...good night.

Vadalia GA...3200 feet of climbing

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:02:01 -0500

Week 4 photos are up and running.
Everyone was in great spirits this morning...and why shouldn't they be? It was another great day to be on a bike. We woke to mild temperatures and a promise of a warm and slightly humid afternoon...with a chance of thunderstorms that materialized at lunch time in our area but not on our route. Everyone was anxious to get going...they can smell the ocean from here...we’re closing in!!!!
The terrain still rolled today and everyone is about ready to see the flat approach to the sea tomorrow. The lumber industry is big in this area as it has been ever since we left Arkansas. We've passed several paper mills along the way and we see logging trucks even when we are out in the country. We are still seeing a lot of cotton fields albeit hard to recognize this time of year, and we are seeing more pecan orchards, peanut farms, and small towns as we get closer to Savannah. Many of these areas were large plantations in the late 1800s, but now many of them have been parceled out to smaller farm lots and some are used as pasture for horses and cattle.
Today we provided the group with a real southern treat...RC Cola and Moon Pies. You just can't say you've experienced the south if you've never had an RC Cola and a Moon Pie. Some think the real defining moment of a southern experience is when you eat grits, but no...it's RC Cola and Moon Pies. I'm not sure the Yanks were too fond of the treat, but they politely partook.
I got to ride from the first SAG today and got in about 65 miles. It will probably be my last time to ride on this trip as the last day is a bit busy for me. I had a good time stretching my legs on the highway and really enjoyed pushing the pace up some of the large rollers. I’m beginning to feel good on the bike as I’m just now getting in the shape I should have been in when the ride started. Two cases of bronchitis before the ride put me a long way behind my usual mileage this year so it’s taken me a bit longer this year to get into form. It felt good to push the pace a little today although Karen wasn’t too thrilled with me a time or two, but she hung in there like a trooper. We’ll be flying by our next ride in June.
We had our second SAG stop (lunch) at a farm house about 2 miles out of Glenwood GA. The farm is owned by Dick and Susan Sohn who were kind enough to allow us to set up right in the middle of their property and by their house. On our first trip through a few years ago, Susan gave Barbara an overview of the history of their homestead. She explained her farm used to be an old cotton plantation and the house was the master's home. On the plantation, they had 38 "Little Houses" that housed the tenant farmers. To each "Little House" had a team of mules and a wagon to farm the plantation. When the cotton season was in full swing, all the 38 wagons would be in a line to the gin. The master paid all the tenants in "chits" to use in the plantation commissary. The tenants bought all they needed, or at least all they could get, from the commissary which was the building we used for our lunch. Sounds like a tough life to me. It was good to see Susan again this year (and she even brought her mother by for a visit, she’s 101!)...we meet some great folks on these rides and we get to visit them every season.
The riders all got in by 2:30 and began to disperse to the local eateries. A couple insisted on Mexican, but we warned them not to indulge in Mexican food in the south when there was a good BBQ place right next door. One of the things I've learned over all these trips is not to order out of the region...don't order seafood in Arizona, order Mexican; don't order Mexican in New England, order seafood; and don't order Chinese in the south (or anywhere for that matter), order BBQ!
To top of a perfect day, we were able to celebrate Steve Schwartz’s 54th birthday after RAP. A friend of his from home set up a cake delivery and we all had our cake before dinner in his honor (well, the official dinner...most had already eaten at least twice before RAP at 5:00). I just don’t know how they can handle much more excitement in one day...first it was moon pies and RC Cola...now birthday cake! Happy birthday Steve!
Tomorrow we do our final ride to the sea...we need to stay focused one more day. Tonight we had our last Rap to cover the last day's logistics and talk about the final meal together. I think we've gotten everyone on the same sheet of music as far as what's going on tomorrow. It seems that every year there is something going on in Savannah when we ride through, but whatever we encounter tomorrow, I think we're up to the task to complete the ride with aplomb. Tonight we're tired, we're ready to finish...I hope Savannah is ready for us...see you tomorrow.
PS: To people following the site and who will be meeting the riders at the beach. The riders will be gathering at the post office on Tybee Island before making the final assault to the beach. We ask that friends and family refrain from stopping there to meet the riders. There's not much room there and it’s our time to finalize our plans for the mass ride to the beach. Please drive on through and wait for them at the pier at the end of Tybee Island. The pier is almost at the end of the road...to the left. Pray for one more safe day and we'll celebrate their achievement tomorrow evening.

Perry GA...3150 feet of climbing

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:00:38 -0500

Yawn...hard to roll out this morning...it’s always that way when we get to the Eastern Time Zone. But we can see the light at the end of the tunnel...or more appropriately...we can smell the surf of the Atlantic. We only have 3 more days counting today...we’re closing in on our destination.
Our route departed out of the motel straight to the city’s River Walk Bike Path for a leisurely 11 mile ride to Fort Benning. It was a beautiful departure along the Chattahoochee River in perfect conditions at departure and our forecast was good for the day again...highs in the low 80s and partly cloudy. I wasn’t too concerned about their progress since all of them were together and they were on a bike path... WHO COULD GET LOST ON A BIKE PATH??? HOW CAN YOU GET LOST ON THE BIKE PATH? There's a major highway on the left and the river on the right...the only thing that runs between them was the bike path! Maybe I should have been more concerned since in the past, we’ve had several riders show up AWOL before they got to Benning, but this bunch rode with aplomb.
The bike path led us right into the middle of the base which is home of the Army Ranger School, Sniper School, and Infantry Training Center. The path cut off about 15 miles of busy urban traffic on our way out of town and allowed us to pass the Infantry Museum and several impressive monuments honoring fallen heroes. We tell the group to exercise caution if they approached any troop movements or mechanized infantry maneuvers while riding on base. An M1A1 Abrams tank operator might just like to try to see how flat he could squash a titanium bike if he got a chance. I also told them that the new tanks could travel about 45 MPH and shoot a gnat off the butt of a cow at 3000 yards while bouncing on rough terrain. With them wearing bright colored clothing, they'd be easy to sight in. Scott volunteered...or rather he volunteered Steve to ride out front to draw fire so the rest of them could sneak through unscathed. After hearing that, everyone was really looking forward to riding on the base...especially Steve.
It’s always a little nerve wracking getting on the base since it’s out of our normal routine to have to coordinate with authorities to ride on a roadway, but we had to alert the base on what we were doing. As it turned out, getting on the base was a piece of cake and the construction they were doing last time we were here was completed so we had clean sailing all the way through. Our only non standard maneuver we did today was getting off the base. Instead of riding out the new gate and adding a mile or two of highway 27, we follow the road to the sniper school and just go through a barrier as the road gets close to the highway. Beats me how they secure the base with the river on one side, an open bike path onto the base at another and lots of unsecure sections all along the highway with the only thing keeping folks off the base is a barrier for cars. You can walk right on to the base at hundreds of locations. I guess with all the armor, army rangers, and snipers in the area, they figure someone would be pretty foolish to try to access the base without authorization. I’m sure the ranger snipers would have had a field day...FRESH TARGETS!!!
The terrain after the base was anything but flat. It had large rollers that a rider referred to as large "stoppers" since they seemed to really slow him down...but the ride down the other side was great. There were no really big climbs, but we kept having those 150 foot rollers one after the other and after the last couple days in Alabama (you remember, the flat state) we had some pretty tired legs. After the first SAG at 40 miles, the terrain was pretty tame and with the lack of headwinds, everyone was moving pretty well. The day surprisingly turned out to another perfect day to ride a bike...perfect temperatures and no worse than light winds to contend with. Plus, we didn't have a bridge out all day, no lightning, no tornadoes, no rain, and no headwinds...now I ask, what fun was that?
The scenery is starting to change a little, but we are still seeing lots of cotton and more dairy farms than Alabama and Mississippi. We also started to see lots of pecan orchards and lots of peanut farms along the way. We are in the land of boiled peanuts...which I'm not fond of, but many of our riders in the past have tried them for the first time and seem to like them OK.
Everyone got in by 3:30 so it was a relatively easy day...we needed it after the climbing into Tuscaloosa and Prattville. Tonight we had rap to discuss the final two days and logistics and we held our famous ABB T-shirt swap. I told the riders this may be the highlight of the ride...or not.
Time's running down, we only have 2 more days left on our long journey. We are about ready for this to be over, but we hate to see it end. We will miss everyone when we wake up on Saturday morning and head for home...but until then, we need to focus for 2 more days on getting to Savannah safely. Thanks for following...see you tomorrow.

Columbus GA...3200 feet of climbing

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:45:06 -0500

Today we entered our last state...Georgia. We only barely got into the state, but we got in far enough to enter the eastern time zone. It's all down hill from here...well, not quite yet, but we're closing in on some tamer terrain. I think I said yesterday that the hardest thing about this morning was the fact that we had to ride out of town this morning...I was thinking I'd give them the next 4 days of route sheets and send them on their way...nah, I guess that's not a good idea. But it did cross my mind...more than once.
Our roads today were a bit fickle to say the least. The riders were either shaking and rattling on chip seal roads or they were on smooth as silk pavement. They had more smooth, but they might not think so. That's the nature of Alabama backroads...either way it's better than mixing it up with traffic.
We had a rather late departure this morning. After yesterday's tough climbing day, everyone's legs were a little on the tired side to say the least. Plus, the mayor of Prattville, The Honorable Bill Gillespie, came by to say hi to everyone, welcome them to Alabama and Prattville, and wish us well on the remainder of our journey. It was a nice touch to our visit to the south...thank you Mr Mayor.
At the first SAG several said they thought I told them today was easier than yesterday. On paper it is, but when you have the climbing we've had the last couple days, just getting on the bike today was a chore to some. All told, we had half the climbing as yesterday and not nearly the steepness even when we did climb.
Our route today took us through Wetumpka AL where they filmed Big Fish. Except for a 3 mile stretch on Hwy 14, we were pretty much in the back country the rest of the day. After Wetumpka, we cycled through Tuskegee and Tuskegee University. From there we stayed south of Auburn crisscrossing hwy 80 arriving in the south part of Columbus. I think it's only about 80 miles if we rode direct, but the backroads usually meander back and forth...safer but longer for sure.
I was in the van all morning trying to coordinate tomorrow’s trip through Ft Benning, but I got to ride from Tuskegee to the motel. Karen held back to wait for me so we pretty much cruised...my legs are tired too. We caught up with Greg who was standing on the side of the road with his second flat of the day. I pulled a quarter inch wire out of his tire that was hidden in the tread, but about 6 miles down the road, he had another one...time for a new tire Grego. We rode behind him the last 20 miles or so just in case he had more trouble...he made it without further tire trouble. I really noticed he’s getting much stronger for sure...as are most everyone. They are tired, but in the long scheme of things, they are kicking out the miles routinely now...what are they going to do this weekend after this ride is over? Go for a bike ride?
All in all it was a pretty quiet day. Everyone was moving along well and I think everyone is seeing the end of the ride looming before them. It's a shame the ride is almost over, but I think a couple of them are about ready to embrace a day without pedaling. I told them they wouldn't know what to do with themselves on Saturday and not to call us for a Rap.
Tomorrow we ride through Fort Benning and right by the Army Sniper School. I hear they are pretty good at moving targets...tune in and see if we sneak by unscathed.

Prattvile AL...6100 feet of climbing

Mon, 14 May 2012 21:02:55 -0500

Welcome to Alabama...what a tough day. Today weary legs set out to tackle some pretty tough terrain and even though most everyone thought it was a tougher than average day, the riders did an excellent job...something 3 weeks ago would have been much tougher. Now they are road hardened, strong, and motivated.
Monday morning in Tuscaloosa was beginning to get busy at 7:00 when we packed up to leave...seems like Tuscaloosa is the busiest town in the country during rush hours, especially on highway 82 in front of our motel. Life was good in Tuscaloosa, but we had another day of pedaling toward Savannah to accomplish. I always like the early morning departures with the sun shining through the trees and glistening off the early morning dew that covers the hillsides. It's always so fresh in the mornings...our legs sometimes aren't as fresh as we'd like them to be, but you have to enjoy the scenery as the sun rises before us in the east.
Today we rode to Barbara's and my hometown...Prattville, a small bedroom community of Montgomery, Alabama that is growing by leaps and bounds. The population, the last time I checked, was approximately 40,000 and is home to one of the largest active Cotton Gin factories in the south...and we even have a WAL Mart and 3 Robert Trent Jones golf courses that I'll be spending time on when I get home next week.
As I said before, there were some weary legs departing town this morning after all the climbing we did yesterday and our route today did not give them any respite from the hills...actually, today was the third biggest climb day of the trip with over 6000 feet. Even right out out the motel, we got into some pretty good pitches as we departed through a couple of housing areas in the outskirts of Tuscaloosa. It was interesting to see the differences in the houses as we left. One street would have $500,000 homes while just around the corner there would be mobile homes with 5 rusty cars cluttering up the yard...all part of the culture of Alabama.
We departed town through several residential areas to avoid the narrow highways that feed the sprawl. The navigation was very precise and clear, but a bit complicated if you lose focus. Last year Karen and Barb were parked along highway 11 and saw riders coming at them from all directions. Barb was wondering how they could be so confused after only 5 miles and how could they be coming from so many different places? Sort of a keystone cops routine...cheap entertainment for the van folks to say the least. This year’s group did much better...I didn't hear of anyone getting lost getting out of town or at least no one admitted getting lost.
After 13 miles of urban and residential riding, we turned out into the Alabama back country and we had already climbed over 1200 feet. The road surfaces were mostly good...some were excellent and we had a time or two where it was a little rough. Some of the roads out here are only hard top because they haul lumber out of the forest areas and they don't have to be silky smooth for logging trucks.
Another challenge was the fact there is nothing out there...only a store or two along the way to supplement our vans. We were pretty stretched with the terrain and the distance between the front and the back today. After today's ride, we'll probably modify next years SAG spacing for support.
The hardest part of today for me was knowing we have to leave here tomorrow. I'm home...I'd just as soon stay! Barb and I went to the house to do laundry and drop off some clothes since we will be back in less than 5 days. As we were leaving, we both had to make each other keep walking to the truck to go to the motel. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring the ride through here after all. I heard someone say he fully expected to get 4 days of route rap and not see us again and some of the other riders were also taking bets as to whether we would come back or not. I'll take that bet, but I won't tell you which side I'm on yet.
Tomorrow, we depart for new adventures and a new state...Georgia, our last before getting to Savannah. It should be a good ride if I can get them all out of bed in time to leave. Actually, we are going to sleep in and not depart until 8:00 to allow traffic to thin out on our departure route.
PS: Thanks to members of the Montgomery Bicycle Club (Robert and Bonnie) for taking the time to stop by and say hi to the riders and offer to shuttle to eateries. It was much appreciated and it was nice to chat for a bit...you guys are great!

Tuscaloosa AL...5400 feet of climbing

Sun, 13 May 2012 19:33:08 -0500

Well, the weather gods giveth and the weather gods taketh away...today was a taketh day again. Yesterday we started in the dry and the rain caught up with us by afternoon. Today, we started in the rain and it sort of cleared out by late afternoon. I was in the van in the morning taking photos...you’ll see by the ones to the right that we were getting soaked in the beginning. I rode in after lunch...hey, it was clear. But it was hit and miss showers and I got caught in a pretty good rain shower myself...I guess I can check off “riding in the rain” on my dance card now. The riders knew if I was riding in the afternoon, they would have a better chance of staying dry...I guess it worked.
We had an early breakfast this morning to give us time for the challenging terrain and the excitement of entering our 8th state...Alabama. If you think it's flat in the south, just ask anyone on this ride for their opinion. I think you'll get a resounding, "I didn't know it was this hilly in Alabama” answer to that inquiry. Today and tomorrow are pretty good climbing days with well over 5000 feet today and 6000+ tomorrow. After all the flat terrain we've had around the Mississippi River, the next couple days will definitely use different muscles. There's nothing big, but there are a couple that are steep and they just keep coming at you...70 feet at a time. A rider's GPS logged a couple 13% knee busters just before entering Alabama...I guess if it's worth getting here, it's worth working for. Most of the riders are getting a bit tired due to the long mileage days they had last week, but now the hills are slowing them down a bit too. Everyone seems to be pacing themselves well though...they'll need to because it's still a couple of days before the terrain will tame down.
After everyone made up their mind to get rolling in spite of the downpour, the first turn out of the motel is left...well, guess what...everyone took off right so the first thing on my agenda was to track everyone down and get them turned around. I guess they didn’t have that bright shining sun to give them a clue where east was. It didn’t take long before everyone got headed in the right direction...it was wet that way too.
Our route today was almost all out in the deep back roads of Mississippi and Alabama...we had 41 turns in our 109 mile route. Even with the navigation challenges, most everyone seemed to do much better than rides in the past where it seemed we were looking for riders all the time (except for the first turn out of the motel). I think it was the fear of getting so lost no one would ever find them and that's not too hard to do in Alabama...so today they paid attention. We had about 4 miles on open highway right out of the motel, but when we turned toward the east, it was difficult to even find a convenient store anywhere. We were on roads that only have pavement because logging trucks need a hard surface to haul the lumber to the paper mills. We saw a couple log trucks, but most of the day was pretty quiet on the road...except for all the country yard dogs we had to deal with. Some houses had some pretty big packs to test our skill in riding around moving and attacking obstacles. We are so deep in the back country, I imagine a lot of these dogs have never seen a bicyclist before...they probably think it's really neat to chase us. They've got to get their exercise somewhere. All kidding aside, I’m always concerned when dogs dart out at our riders. I chased a dozen back into yards while in the van this morning.
Alabama greeted us with smooth roads...a welcome fact since the last two days have been pretty bumpy in spots. I was surprised to see so many new road surfaces this morning...but we're not complaining...we’ll get some bumps before we get out of Alabama for sure.
As we neared Tuscaloosa, our route took us through Northport, a bedroom community of Tuscaloosa across the river. North Port's an artsy town with lots of great eating establishments...during weekdays. They were closed up tight on Sunday so no luck today. After Northport, we rode right through the University of Alabama's campus and through a quiet residential area to the motel. It was an eye opener to ride through the path of the April ’11 tornado that destroyed lots of Tuscaloosa. You can still tell where the storm went through.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the quiet back roads we were on even with all the climbing. Much of this landscape was pine forest that is used primarily by the paper mills. We passed several areas that had been clear cut in the last year or so. Clear cut leaves the terrain looking like a war zone, but most of the time we were riding on tree lined roads where you could only see for several hundred yards in any direction. It's hard to imagine only 2 weeks ago we were in New Mexico where you could see for miles in ALL directions! Was that on this ride?
Most everyone got in by 4:00 so they should have plenty of time to rest for tomorrow...they'll need it. We had lots of climbing today, but we have even more tomorrow. Another day of up and down all the way...we have some tired puppies in our group, but I'm sure we'll do fine. We'll be riding into my home town...Prattville. I sure hope the town is ready for them...tune in and see for yourself.

Aberdeen MS...5800 feet of climbing

Sat, 12 May 2012 17:38:40 -0500

After Flagstaff, this is nothing!!! I think I heard that a couple times today. The weather caught up with us as the low that’s been churning to our west caught us just after lunch. The last 55 miles were pretty juicy to say the least. Come to think of it, it was pouring for a short while. Everyone sloshed on with aplomb...nothing’s too tough for these folks now.
I’ve affectionately referred to my job as “herding cats.” Today was a good example as several riders got bonus miles on what was already a long day even without miscues. I think I’ll use that title when I write my memoirs someday. Tom made a couple wrong turns early and when his mileage got off, missed a couple more late in the day. I was afraid to ask him how many miles he logged today. Steve, on the other hand, was zooming with GPS precision well ahead of the group as he was trying to stay dry...not even he could outrun mother nature, but he gave it a good try. Yep, they all got soaked, but they were all still smiling at ride’s end. It’s the “hard” that makes this worth doing...if it was easy, why bother?
We started out on a non busy highway for about 2 miles then we turned out into the Mississippi back country. Our route was much more rural than our first taste of Mississippi. Today we rode several miles on roads that didn't even have a centerline...those are the kind I like. Although some of them get a bit rough in places, I think it's worth it to get out in the country and relax without all the traffic of the highways. At one point on our route, we had noted a short area that we identified as "Rough in spots" and last time through it didn't even have any pavement. Luckily, they had fixed that section so we didn't have to ride through gravel this trip.
The terrain was rolling to say the least, but nothing big. We just had constant rollers of 50 to 100 feet that just kept coming at us...on the flip side, we also had just as many down hills as we did up so it evened out. If I had to describe the landscape and scenery, I'd say it was very rural with smaller farm lots than in the delta. There were small houses scattered all along our route and every so often we'd come into a small village of 100 or so people. We also saw many abandoned shacks and old houses that probably had a great story to tell if they could talk. But now, they just sit rotting under the Kudzu and the families they sheltered long ago has long since departed. Small businesses like filling stations and country cafes were also unable to escape the changing times and population flight. Many filling stations probably never even saw gas over $1.25. It's sad, but a sign of the times. I guess agriculture is the main source of income out here, but we saw small horse or cattle ranches among the crop farms too.
To say this part of the ride is a little depressed would be an understatement. I guess there's a little life around here in Aberdeen, but not during a weekend. We had trouble finding eating places when we got to town. The only things open were a McDonalds, a food store deli, and a Subway. The two restaurants were closed on weekends and the restaurant that used to be at the motel was also permanently closed. Most of the riders stopped on their way to the motel to eat, but those that didn’t eat early found themselves high and dry...not even a pizza delivery available. The nearest pizza joint is 25 miles from the motel. We ran a food shuttle at 6:00 for those who hadn’t eaten. We needed a gun to hunt for dinner...now that’s an idea. The rest of the way we'll be in much more vibrant areas...Tuscaloosa, Prattville, and Columbus are all happening places...if we can just get enough food here to get us on our way. But in spite of the boarded up Main Street, there was some beautiful architecture as we rode through...there were several Antebellum homes as we rode through town.
Even with the long mileage and the foul weather today, people got in at a reasonable time. It's amazing how much easier it is to ride 130+ when you don't have a headwind and you have 2000 miles in training in the last 18 or so days. Even with all the climbing, it's not as bad as headwinds all day. Tomorrow we get to my hood...Alabama! There's lots of turns and plenty of climbing to wile away the day...definitely a good day not to get bonus miles. Y'all come see how we do...see you then.

Senatobia MS...1200 feet of climbing

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:48:40 -0500

The Week 3 photos are up for viewing.
I think the riders are starting to smell the barn as they say in the east. The Atlantic looms a mere 7 days in front of us...hard to believe we've come so far in such a short time. Today, we crossed the Mississippi River...officially in the east. Our only challenge today was the weather...actually it was a brilliant day except for the wind which was pesky in our face almost all day. We were hoping for a little push today with the flat terrain...Well, they got a push but it was in the wrong direction. Everyone slugged through though and finished in good order. We’re not going to let a little wind in our face stop us.
We had an early scheduled breakfast at a remote location which required us to load a little earlier than normal to make sit down time. From the motel, it was get to breakfast and expect slow service. Historically it’s been hit and miss...sometimes they get it right and sometimes they drag out a breakfast for an hour and a half. This morning was somewhere in between...hey, in the south you have to wait for good grub. I ate at the motel so I could get on the road in the van when the riders departed the restaurant. As it worked out, everyone left at the same time...one big wad attacked the east Arkansas flatlands.
All in all it was an uneventful day on the road. Other than several riders checking in with bonus miles after missing a couple turns (Kari always seems to have an adventure when it comes to navigation), there was nothing much to speak of. Everyone got in by 4:00 in spite of the winds and scattered to the four corners to find food. I like it when we just have a boring, trouble free day.
We're starting to see more and more signs of being in the south so I tell the riders every trip about the unusual things they'll see when they get here. Aside from the obvious rusty cars in yards and graffiti on the dumpsters, I tell everyone to look out for fire ants...nasty little critters that will swarm a bike or a helmet if you lay it down in an active ant hill. The sting of a fire ant is toxic and will smart for quite some time...and if one gets enough stings, it could be fatal. Crop dusters are another site this time of year. About 25 mile out this morning, I spent a few minutes watching one spread insect spray on new cotton plants. I took a few pictures until my speech started to slurrrrrr and thought I probably should get out of there.
This is really a beautiful portion of our ride and many are seeing several things they haven't seen before. Besides cotton country, we are also entering the Kudzu zone...Kudzu is a voracious plant that covers everything in its path. It was brought here by the Japanese (I think) to help stop erosion. Well, it's done that, but it's become more of a pest than something we should feel good about. Some say you can see it growing and if you stop to take a picture and you stand in one place too long, you will become a prop for some of its beautiful artwork as it will cover you in no time. This time of year it's usually not in full bloom, but this year it’s a little ahead of schedule due to the mild spring. In the summer though, everywhere you look Kudzu will be covering entire wooded areas, fence rows, and even telephone poles with wires...it's eerie. You'll see shapes that resemble giraffes, elephants, dogs, human faces, and just about anything else you can imagine. The plant has taken over, but it's beautiful to view. I told the riders not to stand by the side of the road too long or they'd become part of the scenery.
We entered our 7th state today...Mississippi. The terrain today was extremely flat until the last 20 miles where it began to roll all the way to town and the roads were smooth and mostly quiet...except for about 6 miles after crossing the river at the Helena bridge and into Senatobia where we popped out in the country on a bone jarring road for a couple of miles. The traffic was fast on the road just past the bridge for about 6 miles, but they gave us a wide berth most of the time. Gone are the smooth shouldered roads of Arkansas...welcome chip seal back roads of Mississippi and Alabama. It kinda goes with the territory, we ride highways that are pretty smooth but have traffic. If we get to the back roads, they will be a little more bouncy and there will be a dog or two to contend with. What ever, we'll deal with it and continue our trek to the ocean. Only 7 more days of this riding...it won't be long until we are home wondering where the time went. I can wait.
Tune in again tomorrow for another chapter in the Fast South 2012...we'll be here if we don't blow away tonight.

Brinkley AR...1900 feet of climbing

Thu, 10 May 2012 19:45:18 -0500

If everyday was like today, everybody would be doing this! It was a relatively warm morning when we departed after breakfast at the motel in Conway. We loaded at 8:00 this morning and had plenty of daylight as we left on this relatively easy day. We only had about 1900 feet of climbing today and there were many portions that were dead flat...a preview for tomorrow. We even had 20 miles of new road that wasn’t even on my new GPS...it showed me out in a field.
The farther we got out of town, the flatter the terrain became. We are entering the Mississippi River flood plain with fertile farm land and will be there for a couple of days until we get well into Mississippi. The last 60 miles of our route today consisted mainly of rice, soybean, and sorghum fields with several fish hatcheries thrown in for variety. In the past, we've always come through here right in the midst of harvest as everywhere there's combines harvesting soybeans, trucks hauling cotton to the gin, and big semis carrying loads of beans to small coops to be shipped to ports. But this year we are riding in the spring and the fields are mostly being prepped to sow. We did see several rice fields that were starting to sprout and a few corn fields that have already been planted. The tallest corn we usually see is about 6 inches high, but this year it’s about 3 feet already...early spring this year. We also saw our first cotton fields today, but the only way you could tell it was cotton was because there was some on the ground from last year's harvest. I hate it we won't see any harvest of the cotton this trip. It's always neat for folks that have never seen cotton in the fields to get a glimpse of T-shirts in their early stages. Plus, I always encourage people to stop by a gin and see that process...interesting to say the least.
Our southern route is working out pretty well so far. Our weather's been relatively good and everyone seems to be having a good time. If we were riding the usual Fast Ride up through the north country, we'd be getting hammered with stormy weather and it looks like they will be having that for the rest of the time we would have been riding up there...but we are enjoying perfect riding weather and we like it that way.
The group is definitely bonding well; it's a laugh a minute at the SAG stops. We're beginning to see signs of the south as we get closer to the Mississippi River. Life is a little slower down here and the people are really friendly. It looks like we will have good weather for a couple more days so hopefully everyone will enjoy their trip through the deep south where cotton is king, Elvis is still living, fried catfish is the “other white meat,” and where the first day of deer season is a holiday.
The day was topped off with Fried Chicken from Gus’s shipped in from Memphis for Tom’s 50th birthday. Everyone had a feast on chicken, slaw, and beans.. Thanks Tom...and happy birthday.
Tomorrow we ride to Senatobia...it's a flat day and the riders are praying for the westerlys to keep blowing...don’t think that’s going to happen. I’ll take everyone getting in safely. Tomorrow we see Kudzu! I'll talk about that tomorrow. See you then.