Gregg here: Bob called yesterday afternoon and reported that his overnight stay on Sunday night was in a town called Houston, Minnesota, about 10-12 miles west of the Wisconsin border. He managed 90 miles on Sunday alone thanks to less severe winds than those he had otherwise faced in central Wisconsin. The weather seemed to generally cooperate as well with temperatures in the mid to high 70s and only 54% humidity. As has been expected, a few thunderstorms stalled him here and there and while his route featured a mostly flat terrain, there were some moderate hills. Bob reports that it's so much easier these days to tackle them thanks to the freedom from the anchor that was his trailer. He is also fairly certain that his route will no longer include the northern pass through Montana since the additional mileage just doesn't seem to make sense. So, it's back to the original plan to go through Denver and see Michael.
On Monday, Bob got a late start on Monday morning thanks to inclement weather and choosing to sleep a bit late. Late in the day, he became concerned about where he'd find accommodations since the approaching darkened skies suggested that storms were soon to hit. Sure enough, torrential rains followed complete with hail and wind. Somehow, he made it to a town called Wyckoff and wound up eventually settling for the night in Spring Valley, Minnesota. We shared a laugh at the irony of both town names since our home town of Upper Saddle River, NJ is quite close to two towns that are similarly named. His mileage total for the day was a disappointing 60 or so miles, but he's optimistic about the ride on Tuesday.
It's now Tuesday night and sure enough, Bob had a great day. Total distance covered was 96.1 miles, his longest single day distance thus far. Turns out that the temperature was 88 degrees and with the high humidity, the heat index was about 98 degrees. He didn't seem to be bothered by it much fortunately.
While in the town of Brownsdale, Minnesota, he came to a detour in the road where the only options were to go on unpaved and gravel roads. As he studied his maps to find an alternate path, a woman stopped by to ask if he needed help. She indicated that the detour was only a mile or so long, but that the road was quite muddy. She further offered to put his bike in her car and take him to the end of the detour. Bob was naturally very appreciative and accepted the ride. Upon bidding farewell to her, he promptly got back onto the bike eager to get more mileage under his belt. Shortly thereafter, at another intersection, he found that his only options, aside from turning around, were gravel roads once again. As he told me this story, he shared his frustration that after traveling 1,300 + miles and avoiding even the smallest of rocks as best he could, here he would be forced to go though a mine field. He found that the conditions were even worse than they appeared; deep ridges that were cut by tractors were hard to see and made the 4 or 5 miles difficult and dangerous. As such, his maximum speed was 12 mph.
Later, after the gravel section, Bob stopped again to consult his maps. Just then, another woman stopped by to ask him about his trip. She seemed enthused and shared her husband's interest in cycling as well, then asked if Bob was interested in taking a short trip down the road to meet her husband who was picking sweet corn in a field. Bob was concerned about time and politely declined. He instead stopped at the cafe that was at the corner nearest to him to get a quick bite. Before he left, the husband showed up, introduced himself and they shared a few brief stories. He also helped Bob with setting forth a navigation plan to go around the town of Austin. The directions were helpful though not 100% perfect, but Bob's a natural when it comes to finding his way.
He eventually found his way to a town called Blue Earth, Minnesota. Shortly after arriving, a guy in a gas station across the street waved at Bob and asked him to come over. Bob obliged and they engaged in the type of conversation that he has been accustomed to... where are you going, why, etc. He asked the man for his advice on motels, food, etc., and was advised to try out an original root beer parlor in town. Sure enough, Bob stopped by and enjoyed a frozen custard along with his root beer. He eventually had to choose between a Super 8 motel and a place called AmericInn; he chose the latter and saved 25% while enjoying a spacious and clean suite with many amenities.
He confirmed that he will be going through Denver after all. It's not clear if he'll simply stay overnight or stay an entire day with Michael. More to come on that.
Feel free to leave comments to this and/or other posts. I am relaying them to Bob regularly.
Gregg
Why a Bike Ride?
Summer of 2009:
More adventure. The plan: Ride from St. Louis, MO to Upper Saddle River, NJ, via Ann Arbor (to visit my brother), then across Ontario and thru Buffalo to Hobart College (Geneva, NY), then south to the Delaware River, which I'd follow into NJ and continue southeast to home. From Ann Arbor, it is the reverse of the route I took across America 2 years ago.
With a meeting to attend in St.L., it seemed a good idea to ride back.
St.L. departure date: 6/15. Estimated distance: about 1,150 miles, or one-third my Cross-America trip. Theoretically, the wind would be at my back. The hope: a 100-miles-a-day average and 12 days in the saddle. Total elapsed time: dependent upon weather and equipment outages.
My son says it will be dry every night and drenching during the day, the other side of the road will be smooth whereas I'll ride in under-construction rubble, the wind will be in my face, and all roads will be uphill. With my luck, could happen.
No official money-raising, but if you want to contribute, the trip ain't cheap.
I will make the blog entries at sporadic points, with fuller descriptions at trip's end.
Summer of 2007:
It was a personal challenge, short and simple. I needed to prove to myself that this 70-year old man wasn't over the hill yet.
So, while I was at it, I appealed to 4 different constituencies to pledge financial support for my ride. The consitituencies do not overlap in any way. I raised money for:
The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, of which I was the President (2006-8): (http://www.ethicalfocus.org/). ECS is a caring humanist community that believes in deed, not creed, as expressed in social action.
Upper Saddle River, my home town, in support of all the volunteer services: the Fire Department; the Ambulance Corps; the Rescue Squad.
The Interact Club, at the Bergen Academies (a county high school with competitive admissions, where I am a substitute teacher). The club helps the hungry and homeless, and also pays the fare for children from the 3rd world to come to the US for medical treatment.
And last but not least (they are all equal in my mind), I hoped to kindle the giving for my alma mater, Hobart College, so we could present them with a sizable class gift in June, 2008, at our 50th reunion.
So you now have both the real reason ... and the good reasons.
And while I was at it, I wanted to try to show up those who said I wouldn't make it on the (ambitious) schedule I set for myself. I didn't, making an average of only 81 miles per day, when riding. I was done in by the steeps, the weight I carried, some bike problems, headwinds and afternoon thunderstorms. Color me humbled.
And now that the ride is over, I slake my need to write by adding occasional longer-view essays based upon the experience.
To summarize the trip, I covered 3,467 miles, solo. My route ran from home, in Upper Saddle River, in northeastern NJ, to Buffalo, across Ontario, then through Michigan to Wisconsin, across Minnesota, Nebraska, and into Colorado at the northeastern corner. I went southwest from there to Denver, then south to Albuquerque, and due west to L.A., across the Mojave Desert.
I lost approximately 4 days to weather, 3 days to visits en route with my brother in Michigan and my oldest son in Denver, and about 3 days to various bike issues. That leaves 39 days for being in the saddle. Never had a leg issue. Ate like a pig and lost weight.
A great experience. Read on.
Bob
More adventure. The plan: Ride from St. Louis, MO to Upper Saddle River, NJ, via Ann Arbor (to visit my brother), then across Ontario and thru Buffalo to Hobart College (Geneva, NY), then south to the Delaware River, which I'd follow into NJ and continue southeast to home. From Ann Arbor, it is the reverse of the route I took across America 2 years ago.
With a meeting to attend in St.L., it seemed a good idea to ride back.
St.L. departure date: 6/15. Estimated distance: about 1,150 miles, or one-third my Cross-America trip. Theoretically, the wind would be at my back. The hope: a 100-miles-a-day average and 12 days in the saddle. Total elapsed time: dependent upon weather and equipment outages.
My son says it will be dry every night and drenching during the day, the other side of the road will be smooth whereas I'll ride in under-construction rubble, the wind will be in my face, and all roads will be uphill. With my luck, could happen.
No official money-raising, but if you want to contribute, the trip ain't cheap.
I will make the blog entries at sporadic points, with fuller descriptions at trip's end.
Summer of 2007:
It was a personal challenge, short and simple. I needed to prove to myself that this 70-year old man wasn't over the hill yet.
So, while I was at it, I appealed to 4 different constituencies to pledge financial support for my ride. The consitituencies do not overlap in any way. I raised money for:
The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, of which I was the President (2006-8): (http://www.ethicalfocus.org/). ECS is a caring humanist community that believes in deed, not creed, as expressed in social action.
Upper Saddle River, my home town, in support of all the volunteer services: the Fire Department; the Ambulance Corps; the Rescue Squad.
The Interact Club, at the Bergen Academies (a county high school with competitive admissions, where I am a substitute teacher). The club helps the hungry and homeless, and also pays the fare for children from the 3rd world to come to the US for medical treatment.
And last but not least (they are all equal in my mind), I hoped to kindle the giving for my alma mater, Hobart College, so we could present them with a sizable class gift in June, 2008, at our 50th reunion.
So you now have both the real reason ... and the good reasons.
And while I was at it, I wanted to try to show up those who said I wouldn't make it on the (ambitious) schedule I set for myself. I didn't, making an average of only 81 miles per day, when riding. I was done in by the steeps, the weight I carried, some bike problems, headwinds and afternoon thunderstorms. Color me humbled.
And now that the ride is over, I slake my need to write by adding occasional longer-view essays based upon the experience.
To summarize the trip, I covered 3,467 miles, solo. My route ran from home, in Upper Saddle River, in northeastern NJ, to Buffalo, across Ontario, then through Michigan to Wisconsin, across Minnesota, Nebraska, and into Colorado at the northeastern corner. I went southwest from there to Denver, then south to Albuquerque, and due west to L.A., across the Mojave Desert.
I lost approximately 4 days to weather, 3 days to visits en route with my brother in Michigan and my oldest son in Denver, and about 3 days to various bike issues. That leaves 39 days for being in the saddle. Never had a leg issue. Ate like a pig and lost weight.
A great experience. Read on.
Bob
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
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