Waiting out the rain and lightning near Pippa Passes, Kentucky.
Brian, Matt, and Michael coming down Rogers Mt. into Damascus, Virginia.
Matt in what looked like an old rail depot, near Lexington, Virginia.
Michael had all the best intentions.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Brian!
Sorry I haven’t posted anything until now but for some reason the block of time hasn’t come until now. I know some of you may have thought that the guys left me in DC from the lack blogs but, alas, I am here.
The trip has been nothing but interesting and entertaining. There are several occurrences of Benton brother feuding, which has been always been a stalemate despite their relentless attempt to top one another. They keep Matt and me entertained for hours. As Matt had said before, it is truly amazing how well these two have organized and prepared everything for this trip. They have been on top of their game and the Benton family should be very proud of them.
Two days ago, I was reminded that this is a small world. Will, Matt and I stopped for a little afternoon snack in the shade next to a tool shed in rural Kentucky. After our cool off, we noticed a transamerican east-bounder headed our way, only the second cyclist we have seen in Kentucky. This was a rare occurrence as opposed to the plethora of cyclists we met in Virginia. As we do with everyone we meet on the road, we discussed the route ahead and what to expect. After having mentioned that Matt and I went to LSU, our fellow traveler told us that his nieces went to LSU as well; their last name was Keegan. The name shuffled through my head and I remembered Jenny Keegan from Baton Rouge High and LSU. She is a good friend of mine although I haven’t seen her in a long time. John Keegan, our new acquaintance, is her uncle and even tried to convince Jenny’s father, his brother, to join him on his transamerican journey. John was born in New York, currently lived in Atlanta, flew to Oregon to begin his bike trip, had nieces in Baton Rouge and met a friend of his nieces on one of the most abandoned roads in Kentucky; it is a small world.
Thankfully, we are finally out of the mountains and into the rolling hills of Kentucky. The Appalachians can be described as many different things. Some refer to them as steep, long, gradual; I call them painful. They were a challenge both mentally and physically. I would constantly have to think of happy thoughts and inspirational stories, provided by my pep talk from Ms. Amy B. Physically, it has been a tough two weeks but I have enjoyed every moment of it.
One thing I have enjoyed the most is observing how each of us seems to be growing younger and younger as the days go by. Without the pressures of a daily working routine, we are letting go of many of the stresses that plague each of us in the “regular” world. It seems to be a common occurrence when I take any extended trip. We laugh, joke, cut up, have fun and enjoy ourselves. While we are still on a mission, no one ever said that we couldn’t have fun doing it.
An incident that has stuck out in my mind was in Charlottesville. You will have to get a testimony from each of the Benton brothers to be the judge but I will give you my unbiased, third party observer’s perspective. Michael, Will and I were lost in downtown Charlottesville and trying to get our bearings, although there are about four different streets with the name Monticello. As we sped along to avoid the treacherous Charlottesville traffic, we weave in and out of the debris on the shoulder of the highway. I then see Michael turn his head to speak to Will, who is second in the pace line. As Michael turns back towards the road and resume riding, I see him suddenly swerve. Within the same half second, I hear a sudden whoosh and white smoke exploding in front of Will. At first, I thought that Will had hit a soda can that had exploded. Will then pulls off to the side of the road with an airless tire. Apparently, (I say that with some hesitancy after hearing both sides of the story) Will had said something to Michael, who then turned to hear him better. However upon looking back at the road, Michael saw a large rock split into two halves with a small gap in between them. He then quickly threads his front wheel through the opening. Will, unaware of the impeding obstacle, hits the massive boulder, as Michael describes it, head on. The impact then flats his tire. The course of events is actually quite boring but the playful argument between two siblings is pretty humorous. I imagine two grown men suddenly reduced into two young boys arguing over some trivial matter like who can throw a rock the farthest. These two are trying to put fault onto each other as I simply sit there, giggling to the point of an abs workout. Michael teases with statements such as, “Will, how can you distract me like that? If you had spoken louder, I would not have had to turn my head. I was just trying to be polite and face you while you were speaking to me.” Will then retorts with comments such as, “Michael, how could you be so careless as to not warn your own flesh and blood about a life-threatening obstruction? What kind of responsible older brother are you? If you had been paying attention to the road ahead rather than aimless looking around, we could have all avoided the rock that you failed to point out.” I, as I have said before, am sitting on the wayside simply laughing my heart out at their hysterical back and forth. By the end of it, I was convinced that it was the rock’s fault for just being there. However, it was not enough for Michael to simply argue; he had to have proof. Thus, he tells Will to put the tire around his neck, hold the two rock halves in his hands and pose for a picture. Will obviously refuses. Michael tries to justify the picture with comments like, “We have people following our journey. We must have accurate documentation of our trip and all the events that ensue.” This continues for several minutes and finally culminates in Michael holding both the rock and flat tire in one hand near the camera lens and placing Will in the middle of the tire in the frame of the picture. At this point, I am completely tickled with the whole situation and cannot control my laughter. Neither of the Benton brothers can help but crack a smile either. Their whole situation reminds me of the little pointless arguments that my brother and I had when we were young. They always went nowhere and ended with a humorous story to recount. In that moment, I realized that we were all boys at heart and would get through anything together. We will take a stressful situation like a flat tire in a busy, unknown city and transform it into an experience that we can get through together, laughs included.
That is just some of the happenings that have gone on during the trip. We love and miss our family and friends back home and wish the best. More stories to come soon.
PS: One of the pictures is posted on the website. Check it out.
Brian
The trip has been nothing but interesting and entertaining. There are several occurrences of Benton brother feuding, which has been always been a stalemate despite their relentless attempt to top one another. They keep Matt and me entertained for hours. As Matt had said before, it is truly amazing how well these two have organized and prepared everything for this trip. They have been on top of their game and the Benton family should be very proud of them.
Two days ago, I was reminded that this is a small world. Will, Matt and I stopped for a little afternoon snack in the shade next to a tool shed in rural Kentucky. After our cool off, we noticed a transamerican east-bounder headed our way, only the second cyclist we have seen in Kentucky. This was a rare occurrence as opposed to the plethora of cyclists we met in Virginia. As we do with everyone we meet on the road, we discussed the route ahead and what to expect. After having mentioned that Matt and I went to LSU, our fellow traveler told us that his nieces went to LSU as well; their last name was Keegan. The name shuffled through my head and I remembered Jenny Keegan from Baton Rouge High and LSU. She is a good friend of mine although I haven’t seen her in a long time. John Keegan, our new acquaintance, is her uncle and even tried to convince Jenny’s father, his brother, to join him on his transamerican journey. John was born in New York, currently lived in Atlanta, flew to Oregon to begin his bike trip, had nieces in Baton Rouge and met a friend of his nieces on one of the most abandoned roads in Kentucky; it is a small world.
Thankfully, we are finally out of the mountains and into the rolling hills of Kentucky. The Appalachians can be described as many different things. Some refer to them as steep, long, gradual; I call them painful. They were a challenge both mentally and physically. I would constantly have to think of happy thoughts and inspirational stories, provided by my pep talk from Ms. Amy B. Physically, it has been a tough two weeks but I have enjoyed every moment of it.
One thing I have enjoyed the most is observing how each of us seems to be growing younger and younger as the days go by. Without the pressures of a daily working routine, we are letting go of many of the stresses that plague each of us in the “regular” world. It seems to be a common occurrence when I take any extended trip. We laugh, joke, cut up, have fun and enjoy ourselves. While we are still on a mission, no one ever said that we couldn’t have fun doing it.
An incident that has stuck out in my mind was in Charlottesville. You will have to get a testimony from each of the Benton brothers to be the judge but I will give you my unbiased, third party observer’s perspective. Michael, Will and I were lost in downtown Charlottesville and trying to get our bearings, although there are about four different streets with the name Monticello. As we sped along to avoid the treacherous Charlottesville traffic, we weave in and out of the debris on the shoulder of the highway. I then see Michael turn his head to speak to Will, who is second in the pace line. As Michael turns back towards the road and resume riding, I see him suddenly swerve. Within the same half second, I hear a sudden whoosh and white smoke exploding in front of Will. At first, I thought that Will had hit a soda can that had exploded. Will then pulls off to the side of the road with an airless tire. Apparently, (I say that with some hesitancy after hearing both sides of the story) Will had said something to Michael, who then turned to hear him better. However upon looking back at the road, Michael saw a large rock split into two halves with a small gap in between them. He then quickly threads his front wheel through the opening. Will, unaware of the impeding obstacle, hits the massive boulder, as Michael describes it, head on. The impact then flats his tire. The course of events is actually quite boring but the playful argument between two siblings is pretty humorous. I imagine two grown men suddenly reduced into two young boys arguing over some trivial matter like who can throw a rock the farthest. These two are trying to put fault onto each other as I simply sit there, giggling to the point of an abs workout. Michael teases with statements such as, “Will, how can you distract me like that? If you had spoken louder, I would not have had to turn my head. I was just trying to be polite and face you while you were speaking to me.” Will then retorts with comments such as, “Michael, how could you be so careless as to not warn your own flesh and blood about a life-threatening obstruction? What kind of responsible older brother are you? If you had been paying attention to the road ahead rather than aimless looking around, we could have all avoided the rock that you failed to point out.” I, as I have said before, am sitting on the wayside simply laughing my heart out at their hysterical back and forth. By the end of it, I was convinced that it was the rock’s fault for just being there. However, it was not enough for Michael to simply argue; he had to have proof. Thus, he tells Will to put the tire around his neck, hold the two rock halves in his hands and pose for a picture. Will obviously refuses. Michael tries to justify the picture with comments like, “We have people following our journey. We must have accurate documentation of our trip and all the events that ensue.” This continues for several minutes and finally culminates in Michael holding both the rock and flat tire in one hand near the camera lens and placing Will in the middle of the tire in the frame of the picture. At this point, I am completely tickled with the whole situation and cannot control my laughter. Neither of the Benton brothers can help but crack a smile either. Their whole situation reminds me of the little pointless arguments that my brother and I had when we were young. They always went nowhere and ended with a humorous story to recount. In that moment, I realized that we were all boys at heart and would get through anything together. We will take a stressful situation like a flat tire in a busy, unknown city and transform it into an experience that we can get through together, laughs included.
That is just some of the happenings that have gone on during the trip. We love and miss our family and friends back home and wish the best. More stories to come soon.
PS: One of the pictures is posted on the website. Check it out.
Brian
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Late, Date.
To clear any confusion, all dates in previous post are July, not June. It was past my bedtime.
Michael
Michael
Hell and High Water
Rest assured, both have come and gone. For the riders, yesterday (24 June) was an exercise in the endurance of misery.
We awoke at 615AM to a cup of coffee and breakfast, provided by a youth group from Tennessee on a mission trip to the Caney Creek Valley in KY; the youth leader’s father is the pastor at the Caney Creek Baptist Church, where we were given shelter from the storm of the previous day, when, having ridden only 39 miles or so, lightning and dangerous road conditions forced us to turn in earlier than anticipated.
As we drove past the church in search of a nearby hostel, Pastor Baldridge flagged us down and informed us that the proprietor of said hostel was ill. Alas, no room at the inn.
He did, however, quite generously invite us to stay in his church and to join his son’s youth group for dinner. We ate heartily and turned in.
After breakfast (24 July), we returned the endpoint of our ride of 23 July and kitted up (that’s cyclist lingo for getting dressed and readying one’s bike/gear). As we clipped in to our pedals, we were baptized by storm clouds which Noah would have surely envied.
We huddled just outside the convenience store on the corner until the lightning and thunder subsided and the rain let up a bit, then set off to cover what miles we could before we could again be halted by precipitation of Biblical proportions.
We spun for a few miles through a valley, gaining only a few feet of elevation per mile. After a couple of turns, we found ourselves cranking up a pothole-strewn, switchback-laden, lane-and-a-quarter excuse for a road with no deliverance in sight.
After an eternity of cranking to our hearts’ redline (and malcontent), we crested the climb and cautiously navigated another treacherous descent, winding through the switchbacks and, at one point, stopping for a road crew to clear a landslide so we might continue.
We pressed on until our midday meal, which we ate roadside. We hid our bikes in a small cave and took in hot soup and sandwiches Matt prepared for us. Again as we tried to leave, rain began to fall.
Onward for miles, until, as we rode on a terribly busy stretch of road, we pedaled into the clouds and another part of the same storm which had plagued our progress for the past two days.
The rain came suddenly and the lightning and thunder followed soon after. We zipped off an exit ramp to an animal shelter, where we, against a backdrop of pouring, bone-chilling rain, asked the keeper, “Do you shelter people, too?”
“No.”
We weren’t expecting five-star accommodations, like a fancy cage or anything, but we wouldn’t have minded sitting in the foyer. To his credit, the guy offered us the ‘porch’.
‘Porch’-small area on front of animal shelter building in rural Kentucky, often not larger than this: []. Just enough ‘shelter’ to ease the conscience of keeper while providing zero protection from the elements.
The wind was blowing the rain directly onto the ‘porch’, so Will, Brian, and I ran ‘round the side of the building to stand underneath the eaves, where at least the water was coming straight down. Fortunately, I had a poncho which we split down the sides to cover us and hold in what body heat we had left. We shivered there until a lull in the storm, then mounted our bikes and rode a few more hills to the Wal-Mart, where we rendezvoused with Matt, bought some chemical hand-warmers, some emergency blankets for our packs, and some hot food.
Sidebar: It’s midsummer (24 June), I’ve double-layered jerseys, stashed hand-warmers into my shorts, tied a bandana on under my helmet, and I’ve been exercising for four hours, yet still my teeth are chattering at the bottom of any downslope more than a few yards long.
Global warming=tomfoolery.
There were more than a few strange looks cast our way while we shopped, the reasons obvious: we were 1) wearing Spandex 2) not wearing shoes 3) soaking wet 4) spattered completely with mud, grease, grit, and road grime 5) in rural KY.
We rode out of Wal-Mart with sixty miles behind us and maybe 2.5 hours daylight remaining. Despite the rain and nasty conditions, we made decent time as the terrain flattened out into a valley and we left the high-traffic area through which we’d been riding.
With about 8 miles to go, the pavement rose steeply before us, and we soon found ourselves cranking hard, getting up out of the saddle for extra leverage on our pedals.
We stopped for just a minute or so to snap a photo, and Dad called. I answered Will’s phone, and Dad told me that he had double-checked, and that we had, for sure, raised over $20,000!
That news provided the extra boost we needed to polish off our ride.
After a particularly brutal climb, and another, and yet another (good news can only do so much after that many miles), we topped out and cruised into Buckhorn State Park, near Buckhorn City, KY, a little over six hours in the saddle (only time spent pedaling, does not include lounging at the animal shelter) and 84.9 miles on the odometer.
A hot shower, lots of Gold Bond, a hot dinner, and off to bed.
More to come.
Still at large,
Michael
Berea, KY
We awoke at 615AM to a cup of coffee and breakfast, provided by a youth group from Tennessee on a mission trip to the Caney Creek Valley in KY; the youth leader’s father is the pastor at the Caney Creek Baptist Church, where we were given shelter from the storm of the previous day, when, having ridden only 39 miles or so, lightning and dangerous road conditions forced us to turn in earlier than anticipated.
As we drove past the church in search of a nearby hostel, Pastor Baldridge flagged us down and informed us that the proprietor of said hostel was ill. Alas, no room at the inn.
He did, however, quite generously invite us to stay in his church and to join his son’s youth group for dinner. We ate heartily and turned in.
After breakfast (24 July), we returned the endpoint of our ride of 23 July and kitted up (that’s cyclist lingo for getting dressed and readying one’s bike/gear). As we clipped in to our pedals, we were baptized by storm clouds which Noah would have surely envied.
We huddled just outside the convenience store on the corner until the lightning and thunder subsided and the rain let up a bit, then set off to cover what miles we could before we could again be halted by precipitation of Biblical proportions.
We spun for a few miles through a valley, gaining only a few feet of elevation per mile. After a couple of turns, we found ourselves cranking up a pothole-strewn, switchback-laden, lane-and-a-quarter excuse for a road with no deliverance in sight.
After an eternity of cranking to our hearts’ redline (and malcontent), we crested the climb and cautiously navigated another treacherous descent, winding through the switchbacks and, at one point, stopping for a road crew to clear a landslide so we might continue.
We pressed on until our midday meal, which we ate roadside. We hid our bikes in a small cave and took in hot soup and sandwiches Matt prepared for us. Again as we tried to leave, rain began to fall.
Onward for miles, until, as we rode on a terribly busy stretch of road, we pedaled into the clouds and another part of the same storm which had plagued our progress for the past two days.
The rain came suddenly and the lightning and thunder followed soon after. We zipped off an exit ramp to an animal shelter, where we, against a backdrop of pouring, bone-chilling rain, asked the keeper, “Do you shelter people, too?”
“No.”
We weren’t expecting five-star accommodations, like a fancy cage or anything, but we wouldn’t have minded sitting in the foyer. To his credit, the guy offered us the ‘porch’.
‘Porch’-small area on front of animal shelter building in rural Kentucky, often not larger than this: []. Just enough ‘shelter’ to ease the conscience of keeper while providing zero protection from the elements.
The wind was blowing the rain directly onto the ‘porch’, so Will, Brian, and I ran ‘round the side of the building to stand underneath the eaves, where at least the water was coming straight down. Fortunately, I had a poncho which we split down the sides to cover us and hold in what body heat we had left. We shivered there until a lull in the storm, then mounted our bikes and rode a few more hills to the Wal-Mart, where we rendezvoused with Matt, bought some chemical hand-warmers, some emergency blankets for our packs, and some hot food.
Sidebar: It’s midsummer (24 June), I’ve double-layered jerseys, stashed hand-warmers into my shorts, tied a bandana on under my helmet, and I’ve been exercising for four hours, yet still my teeth are chattering at the bottom of any downslope more than a few yards long.
Global warming=tomfoolery.
There were more than a few strange looks cast our way while we shopped, the reasons obvious: we were 1) wearing Spandex 2) not wearing shoes 3) soaking wet 4) spattered completely with mud, grease, grit, and road grime 5) in rural KY.
We rode out of Wal-Mart with sixty miles behind us and maybe 2.5 hours daylight remaining. Despite the rain and nasty conditions, we made decent time as the terrain flattened out into a valley and we left the high-traffic area through which we’d been riding.
With about 8 miles to go, the pavement rose steeply before us, and we soon found ourselves cranking hard, getting up out of the saddle for extra leverage on our pedals.
We stopped for just a minute or so to snap a photo, and Dad called. I answered Will’s phone, and Dad told me that he had double-checked, and that we had, for sure, raised over $20,000!
That news provided the extra boost we needed to polish off our ride.
After a particularly brutal climb, and another, and yet another (good news can only do so much after that many miles), we topped out and cruised into Buckhorn State Park, near Buckhorn City, KY, a little over six hours in the saddle (only time spent pedaling, does not include lounging at the animal shelter) and 84.9 miles on the odometer.
A hot shower, lots of Gold Bond, a hot dinner, and off to bed.
More to come.
Still at large,
Michael
Berea, KY
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Ride faster--I hear banjo music!
Hey, y'all, it's Matt again. I hope y'all read this because Will is always getting on me about updating the blog. I'll try to make this interesting.
In case it hasn't been mentioned, a cold front passed through and it has been in the 60's or coller at night and in the mornings. The others brought jackets, and I did not. I though to myself while packing, "It's July, what will I need a jacket for? I'll just save some space in my bag. It's been a little chilly. Another mistake I made was to pass up a shower a few days ago. I was tired and ready for bed thinking I'd catch one the next day. Well, the chance hasn't come around for a few days now. My beard is long and my hair spikes itself. I'm not completely alone in my absence of shower, but I do believe I have the record for now.
Two nights before last we stayed in a hostel. This was a new experience for me. We were in Damascus, Virginia, population: ~900. Their whole economy is based around cyclists and the Appalachian Trail. It's a trail town, very cool. BUT--no cell phone reception, which is OK if you live there, because you can yell to anyone anywhere in town.
At the hostel, we met a man named Ken who lived in Boston, but was born in Georgia--this being a useful background to relate to both Yankees and Southerners. Ken was hiking half of the AT, having through-hiked the entire trail last year. He provided us with knowledge of the town and some good conversation. We also met a fellow named Bong, from Japan. He informed us that he was riding from coast to coast (west to east), and gave us a few tips.
Two days ago, we crossed from rural Virginia to very rural Kentucky. Bong told us that Kentucky is flat--either he was lying or we need to go a lot farther. The hills here in Kentucky are shorter than in Virginia, but they are very steep. On top of that we have gotten rained on the past two days. Honestly, my first impressions of Kentucky haven't been very good. It's rural here and the only industry in coal mining. The people here drive fast and litter a lot. It's beautiful country, though, if you can get past the constant trash in the ditches.
Two evenings ago, we were looking for a hostel after getting rained out a little earlier in the day. We came across a group of people standing in front of a church. They informed us that the man who ran the hostel, which was right up the road, had had a heart attack and was in the hospital. They then promptly invited us to stay in their church and have dinner with a youth group that was in town to do some service work. This was great news--we had no place to stay and were cold and wet. So we graciously accepted. They fed us hot dogs and chips, and we learned about the different religions of the mountain people and how those religions have influenced each other over the years. The church where we were was the Caney Baptist Church, of the "Ole Regular" Baptist beliefs. Absolutely wonderful people, and the youth group's church offered to put us up in their home church when we passed by there. They also fed us breakfast yesterday morning. It was nice to meet those people, because my view of this area was starting to become gloomy, and they definitely brought big smiles.
To the Benton family:
Than you so much for the use of your van and all your support (especially in the form of cookies). Michael and Will are masters at the art of argument and love to show this off to Brian and me. They provide us with hours of entertainment while they try to decide which one if better at whatever. Just kidding around, they are awesome and have done a fantastic job orchestrating this trip.
If you haven't heard from us lately, it's because Cingular doesn't have cell phone coverage out here. We're hoping to find it soon. Sometimes the internet works, sometimes it doesn't--please be patient with us. We're all safe and we miss you back home. Yesterday morning Will said to me, "You don't know how good home is until you're in another place." So true.
In case it hasn't been mentioned, a cold front passed through and it has been in the 60's or coller at night and in the mornings. The others brought jackets, and I did not. I though to myself while packing, "It's July, what will I need a jacket for? I'll just save some space in my bag. It's been a little chilly. Another mistake I made was to pass up a shower a few days ago. I was tired and ready for bed thinking I'd catch one the next day. Well, the chance hasn't come around for a few days now. My beard is long and my hair spikes itself. I'm not completely alone in my absence of shower, but I do believe I have the record for now.
Two nights before last we stayed in a hostel. This was a new experience for me. We were in Damascus, Virginia, population: ~900. Their whole economy is based around cyclists and the Appalachian Trail. It's a trail town, very cool. BUT--no cell phone reception, which is OK if you live there, because you can yell to anyone anywhere in town.
At the hostel, we met a man named Ken who lived in Boston, but was born in Georgia--this being a useful background to relate to both Yankees and Southerners. Ken was hiking half of the AT, having through-hiked the entire trail last year. He provided us with knowledge of the town and some good conversation. We also met a fellow named Bong, from Japan. He informed us that he was riding from coast to coast (west to east), and gave us a few tips.
Two days ago, we crossed from rural Virginia to very rural Kentucky. Bong told us that Kentucky is flat--either he was lying or we need to go a lot farther. The hills here in Kentucky are shorter than in Virginia, but they are very steep. On top of that we have gotten rained on the past two days. Honestly, my first impressions of Kentucky haven't been very good. It's rural here and the only industry in coal mining. The people here drive fast and litter a lot. It's beautiful country, though, if you can get past the constant trash in the ditches.
Two evenings ago, we were looking for a hostel after getting rained out a little earlier in the day. We came across a group of people standing in front of a church. They informed us that the man who ran the hostel, which was right up the road, had had a heart attack and was in the hospital. They then promptly invited us to stay in their church and have dinner with a youth group that was in town to do some service work. This was great news--we had no place to stay and were cold and wet. So we graciously accepted. They fed us hot dogs and chips, and we learned about the different religions of the mountain people and how those religions have influenced each other over the years. The church where we were was the Caney Baptist Church, of the "Ole Regular" Baptist beliefs. Absolutely wonderful people, and the youth group's church offered to put us up in their home church when we passed by there. They also fed us breakfast yesterday morning. It was nice to meet those people, because my view of this area was starting to become gloomy, and they definitely brought big smiles.
To the Benton family:
Than you so much for the use of your van and all your support (especially in the form of cookies). Michael and Will are masters at the art of argument and love to show this off to Brian and me. They provide us with hours of entertainment while they try to decide which one if better at whatever. Just kidding around, they are awesome and have done a fantastic job orchestrating this trip.
If you haven't heard from us lately, it's because Cingular doesn't have cell phone coverage out here. We're hoping to find it soon. Sometimes the internet works, sometimes it doesn't--please be patient with us. We're all safe and we miss you back home. Yesterday morning Will said to me, "You don't know how good home is until you're in another place." So true.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Back home when we told people about our plans for this trip most would say, "You're crazy." Here people say, "What's that van for?"
Hey ya'll it's matt, sorry I haven't posted anything earlier. Some of you know how hard it is to get me to write. Also, I'm not sure how to put pictures on here so you will have to wait.
We're in Virginia and they have hills here. The people we have met along the way all seem to be very nice and supportive, good ole southern people. We stayed with a family lastnight who Cecil (the man who runs the park we slept in night before last) told us about. Turns out that the Lee family and Cecil have never met but by being on the bike route have become connected through years of cyclist passing through. The Lee family opened the doors to their home for us like we were family friends, it was amazing. We are meeting lots of hospitable people so I have changed my opinion that to be considered a southern state, it must touch the gulf :) I know a lot of people who would beat me for that previous notion :)
We are also very thankful for the support of everyone back home. It feels so good to look at the guest book and know that people at home are thinking of us. With all this encouragement we may just have to keep riding past Baton Rouge for a few months ;)
For those who know me, you might find this funny. Twice yesterday I was accused of being the quiet one of the group by people we met on the road.
Well, I don't know what else to say, we are having fun and in good health.
Thank you everyone.
Matt
We're in Virginia and they have hills here. The people we have met along the way all seem to be very nice and supportive, good ole southern people. We stayed with a family lastnight who Cecil (the man who runs the park we slept in night before last) told us about. Turns out that the Lee family and Cecil have never met but by being on the bike route have become connected through years of cyclist passing through. The Lee family opened the doors to their home for us like we were family friends, it was amazing. We are meeting lots of hospitable people so I have changed my opinion that to be considered a southern state, it must touch the gulf :) I know a lot of people who would beat me for that previous notion :)
We are also very thankful for the support of everyone back home. It feels so good to look at the guest book and know that people at home are thinking of us. With all this encouragement we may just have to keep riding past Baton Rouge for a few months ;)
For those who know me, you might find this funny. Twice yesterday I was accused of being the quiet one of the group by people we met on the road.
Well, I don't know what else to say, we are having fun and in good health.
Thank you everyone.
Matt
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Some pictures
On the first day of our ride.
Brian and Matt getting some shade before they get on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Matt and Michael on Monday, near Lake Anna, Virginia.
17 July Finish; 18 July
Today is another off-day for me, so I'm going to fill you in on the details from yesterday. Will's post yesterday at lunch didn't quite capture the significance of the 'hills' we climbed yesterday. If you noticed, we'd only ridden 25 miles as of mid-day. We usually try to get a minimum of 40 in before lunch, so the afternoon ride in the heat won't be so long and we don't hve to push so hard.
We left Charlottesville, VA on US-250, then turned up into the hills and climbed our way up various county roads back to US-250, where we stopped for lunch. We picked up a couple hours later after lots of eats and a nap in the shade and rode a few hundred yards uphill to where the real fun began: the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway is great; little traffic and beautiful vistas.
We climbed to an elevation of over 3,000' ( I think 3200' or so) Which was nearly 2000' above the valley floor. We climbed, and we climbed, and we climbed. I was climbing at about 8-10MPH, though sometimes slower. We all climb at different paces, so I eventuially found myself alone and a few minutes ahead of the other guys, with just my bike and a few deer to keep me company.
I ran low on fluids, but Will was well-placed at an overlook with a cold bottle of sports drink, which he handed to me on the fly. I drained the bottle and dropped it before I passed the end of the overlook-it was kinda neat; I felt like I was on le Tour de France.
After a couple more hours climbing, (27 miles on the Parkway alone) it began to cloud up and rain. The cool-down was nice, but it got super-windy and the rain started to sting, especially after I began the descent into the next valley and started hitting 25-30MPH. I had a nice coast down to the next turn, where I stopped to wait for Will, Matt, and Brian to catch up. It started to rain a bit harder, and we rode the final 7 miles or so in the rain. When we made the turn, we were rewarded with a 5 mile downhill with steeply banked hairpin turns. It went from fun to scary pretty quickly. On the way down, I was hitting 32-35MPH so quickly that I had to pump the brakes the whole way down; my hands got cramps from riding them so hard, and I was still going 30MPH. It also chilled me to the point I was shivering with goose bumps at the end of the descent-we ended just before things got really dangerous. At the bottom, we high-fived each other before quickly changing into dry clothes, stowing our bikes, and grabbing a hot bite to eat at Gertie's Country Store, in Vesuvius, VA, where they are very hospitable and have free camping behind the store for cyclists. We didn't have to cook dinner, so we were able to get in another hour of sleep, and we ate a cold breakfast this morning, so the riders left a little earlier than usual; let's hope this gives them an edge over the hills today.
I am sitting in front of Stonewall Jackson Barracks at the Virginia Military Institute as I write this; I've popped into the museum and now I have to find the fellows for lunch. That's all for now.
At large,
Michael
We left Charlottesville, VA on US-250, then turned up into the hills and climbed our way up various county roads back to US-250, where we stopped for lunch. We picked up a couple hours later after lots of eats and a nap in the shade and rode a few hundred yards uphill to where the real fun began: the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway is great; little traffic and beautiful vistas.
We climbed to an elevation of over 3,000' ( I think 3200' or so) Which was nearly 2000' above the valley floor. We climbed, and we climbed, and we climbed. I was climbing at about 8-10MPH, though sometimes slower. We all climb at different paces, so I eventuially found myself alone and a few minutes ahead of the other guys, with just my bike and a few deer to keep me company.
I ran low on fluids, but Will was well-placed at an overlook with a cold bottle of sports drink, which he handed to me on the fly. I drained the bottle and dropped it before I passed the end of the overlook-it was kinda neat; I felt like I was on le Tour de France.
After a couple more hours climbing, (27 miles on the Parkway alone) it began to cloud up and rain. The cool-down was nice, but it got super-windy and the rain started to sting, especially after I began the descent into the next valley and started hitting 25-30MPH. I had a nice coast down to the next turn, where I stopped to wait for Will, Matt, and Brian to catch up. It started to rain a bit harder, and we rode the final 7 miles or so in the rain. When we made the turn, we were rewarded with a 5 mile downhill with steeply banked hairpin turns. It went from fun to scary pretty quickly. On the way down, I was hitting 32-35MPH so quickly that I had to pump the brakes the whole way down; my hands got cramps from riding them so hard, and I was still going 30MPH. It also chilled me to the point I was shivering with goose bumps at the end of the descent-we ended just before things got really dangerous. At the bottom, we high-fived each other before quickly changing into dry clothes, stowing our bikes, and grabbing a hot bite to eat at Gertie's Country Store, in Vesuvius, VA, where they are very hospitable and have free camping behind the store for cyclists. We didn't have to cook dinner, so we were able to get in another hour of sleep, and we ate a cold breakfast this morning, so the riders left a little earlier than usual; let's hope this gives them an edge over the hills today.
I am sitting in front of Stonewall Jackson Barracks at the Virginia Military Institute as I write this; I've popped into the museum and now I have to find the fellows for lunch. That's all for now.
At large,
Michael
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
July 17
Hey, y'all,
We're in the mountains. We didn't get much farther after lunch yesterday-- sketchy directions and a flat tire. That plus afternoon Charlottesville traffic was enough to call it an early day.
Last night was at another KOA campground, this one a bit south of Charlottesville. It rained earlier that afternoon, so things were a bit damp, but we had some nice neighbors in tents next to us. I joined the conversation a little late and missed their names, but they were from Ontario and heading to Outer Banks on two Suzuki motorcycles. I also talked with John and Beverly Mueller, from Annapolis, MD, for a long time while waiting for our clothes (we were all breaking the laundry-closes-at-10-pm rule, and they the no-dog rule (with a very gentle Portuguese water dog) which the yellow-shirted and mustachioed KOA man was a bit snippy about).
Everyone we've talked to so far has been really nice and very interested in what we're doing. I'd imagine that a lot of them think we're crazy, too, though they've been polite enough not to mention it. At any rate, we're having a pretty good time with things, even if the trip is getting harder.
And we've just begun the hardest part of our ride--the next six or seven days will be pretty tough. Right now, we're stopped for lunch at "Carter's Fruit Stand/ Ed's Collectables and Antiques", which is closed. Matt, Michael, and Brian rode a really steep 25 miles before lunch, and they've got about 35 ahead of them, which they'll probably start soon.
Hope everything is well back home! Thanks again for keeping up.
Will
We're in the mountains. We didn't get much farther after lunch yesterday-- sketchy directions and a flat tire. That plus afternoon Charlottesville traffic was enough to call it an early day.
Last night was at another KOA campground, this one a bit south of Charlottesville. It rained earlier that afternoon, so things were a bit damp, but we had some nice neighbors in tents next to us. I joined the conversation a little late and missed their names, but they were from Ontario and heading to Outer Banks on two Suzuki motorcycles. I also talked with John and Beverly Mueller, from Annapolis, MD, for a long time while waiting for our clothes (we were all breaking the laundry-closes-at-10-pm rule, and they the no-dog rule (with a very gentle Portuguese water dog) which the yellow-shirted and mustachioed KOA man was a bit snippy about).
Everyone we've talked to so far has been really nice and very interested in what we're doing. I'd imagine that a lot of them think we're crazy, too, though they've been polite enough not to mention it. At any rate, we're having a pretty good time with things, even if the trip is getting harder.
And we've just begun the hardest part of our ride--the next six or seven days will be pretty tough. Right now, we're stopped for lunch at "Carter's Fruit Stand/ Ed's Collectables and Antiques", which is closed. Matt, Michael, and Brian rode a really steep 25 miles before lunch, and they've got about 35 ahead of them, which they'll probably start soon.
Hope everything is well back home! Thanks again for keeping up.
Will
Monday, July 16, 2007
July 16
Long morning ride, and we're in Charlottesville, Virginia (about 51 miles from our camp last night).
Here's the list of our arrival dates/towns we're passing through. As of right now, we're on schedule. Most of these should be pretty close--I don't think we'll be more than a day or two off for most of it. This list takes us to just north of Nashville, so we'll be on the Natchez Trace from there--I haven't gotten to that part yet. If you know anyone who lives near these and might be willing to take us in, let us know.
Thank y'all!
Will
Monday, July 16
Tabscott, Vigirnia (until otherwise noted)
Kents Store
Palmyra
Charlottesville
Tuesday, July 17
White Hall
Greenwood
Afton
Rockfish Gap
Reeds Gap
Vesuvius
Wednesday, July 18
Lexington
Natural Bridge
Buchanan
Troutville
Thursday, July 19
Daleville
Catawba
Ellet
Christianburg
Radford
Friday, July 20
Newbern
Draper
Grahams Forge
Ft. Chiswell
Max Meadows
Wytheville
Rural Retreat
Cedar Springs
Saturday, July 21
Sugar Cove
Troutdale
Konnarock
Damascus
Meadowview
Hayters Gap
Sunday, July 22
Rosedale
Honaker
Coucil
Davenport
Birchleaf
Haysi
Breaks
Monday, July 23
Elkhorn City, Kentucky (from here on)
Ashcamp
Hellier
Lookout
Melvin
Bypro
Bevinsville
Dema
Pippa Passer
Mallie
Hindman
Carrie
Tuesday, July 24
Emmalena
Dwarf
Chaviers
Buckhorn
Booneville
Vincent
Wednesday, July 25
Bighill
Berea
Kirksville
Thursday, July 26
Bryantsville
Burgin
Harrodsburg
Rose Hill
Mackville
Fenwick
Springfield
Maud
Friday, July 27
Bardstown
Holy Cross
Howardstown
Buffalo
Sonora
Munfordsville
Here's the list of our arrival dates/towns we're passing through. As of right now, we're on schedule. Most of these should be pretty close--I don't think we'll be more than a day or two off for most of it. This list takes us to just north of Nashville, so we'll be on the Natchez Trace from there--I haven't gotten to that part yet. If you know anyone who lives near these and might be willing to take us in, let us know.
Thank y'all!
Will
Monday, July 16
Tabscott, Vigirnia (until otherwise noted)
Kents Store
Palmyra
Charlottesville
Tuesday, July 17
White Hall
Greenwood
Afton
Rockfish Gap
Reeds Gap
Vesuvius
Wednesday, July 18
Lexington
Natural Bridge
Buchanan
Troutville
Thursday, July 19
Daleville
Catawba
Ellet
Christianburg
Radford
Friday, July 20
Newbern
Draper
Grahams Forge
Ft. Chiswell
Max Meadows
Wytheville
Rural Retreat
Cedar Springs
Saturday, July 21
Sugar Cove
Troutdale
Konnarock
Damascus
Meadowview
Hayters Gap
Sunday, July 22
Rosedale
Honaker
Coucil
Davenport
Birchleaf
Haysi
Breaks
Monday, July 23
Elkhorn City, Kentucky (from here on)
Ashcamp
Hellier
Lookout
Melvin
Bypro
Bevinsville
Dema
Pippa Passer
Mallie
Hindman
Carrie
Tuesday, July 24
Emmalena
Dwarf
Chaviers
Buckhorn
Booneville
Vincent
Wednesday, July 25
Bighill
Berea
Kirksville
Thursday, July 26
Bryantsville
Burgin
Harrodsburg
Rose Hill
Mackville
Fenwick
Springfield
Maud
Friday, July 27
Bardstown
Holy Cross
Howardstown
Buffalo
Sonora
Munfordsville
Sunday, July 15, 2007
July 15
Hey, y'all,
Sorry that we haven't been more on top of things with our posts--mostly we've just had time for eating, sleeping, and riding bikes.
Still riding, by the way, which is good news; Virginia is hilly. Our route has been really pretty so far, lots of shade and green and some swampy parts that look like Louisiana. Those parts are usually hot like Louisiana, too.
We've met some nice folks, too: This morning, another rider, Rich, who gave us directions and wished us luck. And this afternoon, too, when we stopped in Ashland, the two ladies at the visitors' center (I didn't get their names) were lovely. So was Ashland, and one of the bumper stickers inside billed it as the "Center of the Universe". Although it was quite nice, I noticed that Amtrak runs straight through, and noisily. But who am I to disagree?
There have been nice people at our campgrounds, as well, although they are, as a rule, much more energetic and better-showered than we. This is our third night camping since Matt and Emily Braud hosted us in Washington (thank you!). It's really not too bad, but if you know someone along our route (we'll post the towns we'll be passing through and our expected arrival dates on the website soon) who wouldn't mind sharing a floor and/or shower, we'd be delighted.
We're going to try to make it a little bit past Charlottesville tomorrow, which means another early morning and fairly long day. Hope to write some more when we get there--it wil be my off day on Tuesday, so I won't have to worry as much about bedtime. But it's mine now, so off I go.
Thanks for keeping up with us!
Will
Sorry that we haven't been more on top of things with our posts--mostly we've just had time for eating, sleeping, and riding bikes.
Still riding, by the way, which is good news; Virginia is hilly. Our route has been really pretty so far, lots of shade and green and some swampy parts that look like Louisiana. Those parts are usually hot like Louisiana, too.
We've met some nice folks, too: This morning, another rider, Rich, who gave us directions and wished us luck. And this afternoon, too, when we stopped in Ashland, the two ladies at the visitors' center (I didn't get their names) were lovely. So was Ashland, and one of the bumper stickers inside billed it as the "Center of the Universe". Although it was quite nice, I noticed that Amtrak runs straight through, and noisily. But who am I to disagree?
There have been nice people at our campgrounds, as well, although they are, as a rule, much more energetic and better-showered than we. This is our third night camping since Matt and Emily Braud hosted us in Washington (thank you!). It's really not too bad, but if you know someone along our route (we'll post the towns we'll be passing through and our expected arrival dates on the website soon) who wouldn't mind sharing a floor and/or shower, we'd be delighted.
We're going to try to make it a little bit past Charlottesville tomorrow, which means another early morning and fairly long day. Hope to write some more when we get there--it wil be my off day on Tuesday, so I won't have to worry as much about bedtime. But it's mine now, so off I go.
Thanks for keeping up with us!
Will
Day Three Finish
Ok, we've made it to the end of our ride today. We pulled into Mineral, VA, after a 37 mile ride this afternoon for a grand total of five hours in the saddle (today) and 77 miles behind us.
Our distances thus far have been: 54, 62, and 77 miles on the three days of riding.
We hit some pretty fierce wind today; so fierce, that when we crested a particularly large hill (with joy in our hearts and copious amounts of lactic acid in our legs), we were looking forward more eagerly than usual to the downhill coast and respite from the climb.
Too bad I started slowing down.
"What?" says you. Aye, says I. Slowing down. We've posted our top speeds before, so you know that speeds of up to 40MPH are possible on a good downhill. I crested this enormous hill and waited for Will and Matt to catch up to form our paceline (single-file line of riders that helps save energy by letting the lead rider "pull" the others, then rotate to the back to have a rest until it's his turn to pull again; uses around 30% less energy than riding alone in the wind), so I was traveling around 8MPH without pedaling. The wind was horrendous, and we were riding directly into it, so I decided to test the effect the wind had on my non-pedaling speed. Sitting up in my saddle and holding onto my top bars, it slowed me down to 7.5, then 7MPH. Tucking into my aero position and putting my hands in the drops (ram's horn part of the handlebars), I sped back up to 8MPH. Downhill. And a nice grade at that, maybe 10% or so. Then we continued pedaling through that for another 30 miles. See why we burn so many calories?
Speaking of, it's time to round out the calorie count for today.
I didn't drink that shake at lunch, so my total at the beginning of the ride stood at 2400 calories. Along the way, I took in:
220 cal Powerbar
200 cal in sports drink
o cal of Special Atkins Diet Water (really expensive stuff)
...then we finished our ride in Mineral.
Brian pulled up to us in about 30 seconds, and I scarfed down:
900 cal Cyto-Gainer
150 cal Wheat Thins
1/2 pound grapes
...then dinner:
640 cal beef stroganoff
296 cal dinner beverage
...which brings my total calorie count for today to: 4806 calories!
I'm not sure how many calories are in the grapes, so it's probably a little more than that.
Funny thing is: I'll be starving when I wake up in the morning. Really.
Another big day tomorrow; stay tuned. It's off to the sack to rest my weary bones.
At large,
Michael
Our distances thus far have been: 54, 62, and 77 miles on the three days of riding.
We hit some pretty fierce wind today; so fierce, that when we crested a particularly large hill (with joy in our hearts and copious amounts of lactic acid in our legs), we were looking forward more eagerly than usual to the downhill coast and respite from the climb.
Too bad I started slowing down.
"What?" says you. Aye, says I. Slowing down. We've posted our top speeds before, so you know that speeds of up to 40MPH are possible on a good downhill. I crested this enormous hill and waited for Will and Matt to catch up to form our paceline (single-file line of riders that helps save energy by letting the lead rider "pull" the others, then rotate to the back to have a rest until it's his turn to pull again; uses around 30% less energy than riding alone in the wind), so I was traveling around 8MPH without pedaling. The wind was horrendous, and we were riding directly into it, so I decided to test the effect the wind had on my non-pedaling speed. Sitting up in my saddle and holding onto my top bars, it slowed me down to 7.5, then 7MPH. Tucking into my aero position and putting my hands in the drops (ram's horn part of the handlebars), I sped back up to 8MPH. Downhill. And a nice grade at that, maybe 10% or so. Then we continued pedaling through that for another 30 miles. See why we burn so many calories?
Speaking of, it's time to round out the calorie count for today.
I didn't drink that shake at lunch, so my total at the beginning of the ride stood at 2400 calories. Along the way, I took in:
220 cal Powerbar
200 cal in sports drink
o cal of Special Atkins Diet Water (really expensive stuff)
...then we finished our ride in Mineral.
Brian pulled up to us in about 30 seconds, and I scarfed down:
900 cal Cyto-Gainer
150 cal Wheat Thins
1/2 pound grapes
...then dinner:
640 cal beef stroganoff
296 cal dinner beverage
...which brings my total calorie count for today to: 4806 calories!
I'm not sure how many calories are in the grapes, so it's probably a little more than that.
Funny thing is: I'll be starving when I wake up in the morning. Really.
Another big day tomorrow; stay tuned. It's off to the sack to rest my weary bones.
At large,
Michael
Day Three, IP
IP= In Progress
Up this morning a little past 630AM, to a breakfast of Cyto-Gainer (which is like a really healthy, really thick, super-calorie/carb loaded milkshake), grits, and oatmeal, for a total of about 1150 calories, which is the going rate on this trip.
We were hungry again at 10AM.
We've had another 100 calories from our sports drinks, then another 220 or so from an energy bar, and now we've stopped for lunch in Ashland, VA. So far, I've eaten two ham sandwiches (340 calories each), another sports drink (100 cal), a serving of wheat thins (150 cal).
That's 2400 calories as of lunch.
I'm about to toss another Cyto-Gainer (900 cal) down the hatch, for a grand SUB-total of 3300 calories, and we've got another few hours to ride; we've ridden about 40 thus far.
After a big dinner, we'll tally up the rest of the calories and give y'all the scoop. We're not even taking into account the leftover energy from our pasta dinner last night.
We're still worried about losing too much muscle, so we'll be monitoring this closely.
The ride so far has been really pretty, rather shaded, and it's a nice quiet Sunday morning on the road, with few cars to disturb us. Lots of rolling hills, with a few monster climbs thrown in for good measure (that's where we're burning our energy), and we've been passing some really pretty farms with racehorses out to pasture-nice and peaceful for the morning ride, but the temperature was really cool this morning, and we're now approaching the hottest part of the day. We'll let that pass, then get on the road a bit after three. It'll be hot, but cooling down. Better grab a nap and that shake and some water so I'll feel good on the climbs later.
At large,
Michael
Up this morning a little past 630AM, to a breakfast of Cyto-Gainer (which is like a really healthy, really thick, super-calorie/carb loaded milkshake), grits, and oatmeal, for a total of about 1150 calories, which is the going rate on this trip.
We were hungry again at 10AM.
We've had another 100 calories from our sports drinks, then another 220 or so from an energy bar, and now we've stopped for lunch in Ashland, VA. So far, I've eaten two ham sandwiches (340 calories each), another sports drink (100 cal), a serving of wheat thins (150 cal).
That's 2400 calories as of lunch.
I'm about to toss another Cyto-Gainer (900 cal) down the hatch, for a grand SUB-total of 3300 calories, and we've got another few hours to ride; we've ridden about 40 thus far.
After a big dinner, we'll tally up the rest of the calories and give y'all the scoop. We're not even taking into account the leftover energy from our pasta dinner last night.
We're still worried about losing too much muscle, so we'll be monitoring this closely.
The ride so far has been really pretty, rather shaded, and it's a nice quiet Sunday morning on the road, with few cars to disturb us. Lots of rolling hills, with a few monster climbs thrown in for good measure (that's where we're burning our energy), and we've been passing some really pretty farms with racehorses out to pasture-nice and peaceful for the morning ride, but the temperature was really cool this morning, and we're now approaching the hottest part of the day. We'll let that pass, then get on the road a bit after three. It'll be hot, but cooling down. Better grab a nap and that shake and some water so I'll feel good on the climbs later.
At large,
Michael
Day Two
Today was my off day, so I drove the support van as the guys rode from Independent Hill to Guinea, all in VA. I made our first grocery run and stocked up on lots of high-carb food to fuel us on our journey.
The guys rode a little over 62 miles and hit a top speed of 40.3 MPH. On a bike, that's a thrill! We stayed at a fantastic KOA campground, but were all too tired to take advantage of the pool, and we didn't even look twice at the pedal-powered paddle boats! The guys were able to ride straight into the campground-no inconvenient shuttle to/from the endpoint of our ride in the evening/morning. The guys stopped along the way to pick wild berries and apples, and to visit with a guy whose apparent job (the factory at which he worked had burned down) was to sit in a lawn chair and drink beer. Sign me up. Both driving and riding, we passed lots of stuff that reminded us of home. I've never heard of a swamp in the mountains until now.
We finished the day with a couple hard climbs and then a nice downhill into the KOA, where I had spaghetti ready to eat.
After dinner, we really didn't have energy to do much more than shower, run a load of really, really smelly laundry, and crash.
The guys rode a little over 62 miles and hit a top speed of 40.3 MPH. On a bike, that's a thrill! We stayed at a fantastic KOA campground, but were all too tired to take advantage of the pool, and we didn't even look twice at the pedal-powered paddle boats! The guys were able to ride straight into the campground-no inconvenient shuttle to/from the endpoint of our ride in the evening/morning. The guys stopped along the way to pick wild berries and apples, and to visit with a guy whose apparent job (the factory at which he worked had burned down) was to sit in a lawn chair and drink beer. Sign me up. Both driving and riding, we passed lots of stuff that reminded us of home. I've never heard of a swamp in the mountains until now.
We finished the day with a couple hard climbs and then a nice downhill into the KOA, where I had spaghetti ready to eat.
After dinner, we really didn't have energy to do much more than shower, run a load of really, really smelly laundry, and crash.
Friday, July 13, 2007
They're off!
Well, we left the Capitol this morning after some photos and a send-off from Holly Booth and Matt and Emily Braud-some of the best hosts and helpers we could have hoped for. We owe them much gratitude for the comforts they provided while we were politickin' in DC. We'll write more on that later-there's so much to say.
We rode out of DC and caught the MT. Vernon trail south along the Potomoac-I wish we had bike paths like this one in LA-wide, smooth, and absolutely beautiful scenery. We stopped for a bite in Alexandria , then continued on.
No real mishaps, except Will's cleat came loose and we had to pull off to fix that before it gave us a real problem. After a few minutes with my multi-tool, Matt had it reset, and we pedaled on towards Lorton.
Now, Virginia is an interesting state. Up here they have these things called "hills"-you'll have to check Webster's for the pronunciation and a technical definition, but I can tell you that they are a lot like levees or the Indian Mounds, except lots bigger. We're learning about them-the hard way. They are fun to go down, though; our top speed so far has been 38.5 MPH. Special thanks to Mike and Tish, a couple of locals out for a spin who helped us up the largest "hill" we've yet seen.
Louisianians can be proud; we've got something Virginians know nothing about, too. They're called potholes. We've been cruising along some of the smoothest tarmac imaginable-butter smooth, which is nice.
Well, battery's about to go, so that's all for now; we'll upload the pictures when possible.
We rode out of DC and caught the MT. Vernon trail south along the Potomoac-I wish we had bike paths like this one in LA-wide, smooth, and absolutely beautiful scenery. We stopped for a bite in Alexandria , then continued on.
No real mishaps, except Will's cleat came loose and we had to pull off to fix that before it gave us a real problem. After a few minutes with my multi-tool, Matt had it reset, and we pedaled on towards Lorton.
Now, Virginia is an interesting state. Up here they have these things called "hills"-you'll have to check Webster's for the pronunciation and a technical definition, but I can tell you that they are a lot like levees or the Indian Mounds, except lots bigger. We're learning about them-the hard way. They are fun to go down, though; our top speed so far has been 38.5 MPH. Special thanks to Mike and Tish, a couple of locals out for a spin who helped us up the largest "hill" we've yet seen.
Louisianians can be proud; we've got something Virginians know nothing about, too. They're called potholes. We've been cruising along some of the smoothest tarmac imaginable-butter smooth, which is nice.
Well, battery's about to go, so that's all for now; we'll upload the pictures when possible.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
On the road...
Kerouac has nothing on us. We had dinner and a couple of beers with a couple of friends last night at Zippy's after we loaded the van, then went home and crashed early. Up at 230AM and off by 3AM, as was the plan. Matt drove us all the way to Ft. Payne, AL, where we pulled off for a stop, only to find the van wouldn't crank...
A local high school coach tried to jump us off, but we figured it was the battery and sent Will across the parking lot to the Kmart to buy a new one. Sucker! It started to rain on his way back across the parking lot-it was REALLY coming down. Will got a little damp, but his spirits are fine. We swapped out the battery, grabbed a huge, unhealthy bite at Burger King (we figured we'd work it off in a few days) and hit the road again.
The battery incident fouled up our plans for lunch in Chattanooga at the Pickle Barrel, but we kept a-rollin' and are headed up to DC via Knoxville.
Stay tuned; we're able to update on the fly with this nifty Verizon broadband card donated by the Unified Recovery Group.
At large,
Michael
I-75, mile marker 35, TN.
A local high school coach tried to jump us off, but we figured it was the battery and sent Will across the parking lot to the Kmart to buy a new one. Sucker! It started to rain on his way back across the parking lot-it was REALLY coming down. Will got a little damp, but his spirits are fine. We swapped out the battery, grabbed a huge, unhealthy bite at Burger King (we figured we'd work it off in a few days) and hit the road again.
The battery incident fouled up our plans for lunch in Chattanooga at the Pickle Barrel, but we kept a-rollin' and are headed up to DC via Knoxville.
Stay tuned; we're able to update on the fly with this nifty Verizon broadband card donated by the Unified Recovery Group.
At large,
Michael
I-75, mile marker 35, TN.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
The Beginning
Hello everyone! We're making our final preparations for trip, as we leave in five short days. We're super-excited, especially since we're close to passing the $10,000 mark in donations-keep them coming and spread the word! Keep in mind that these donations are tax-deductible, and we'll mail you a receipt when we return from our trip.
If you have any questions, feel free to post them here or email them to us at: capitoltocapitolride@gmail.com .
Stay tuned!
At large,
Michael
If you have any questions, feel free to post them here or email them to us at: capitoltocapitolride@gmail.com .
Stay tuned!
At large,
Michael
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