Gregg here: Bob reported having gone only 56 miles on Saturday thanks to rather hilly terrain in Iowa. I was surprised to hear this since most people, including me, think of Iowa as flat. While in Sioux City, Iowa, he had a very difficult time figuring out how to cross the Missouri. He asked four people for directions; two people were rather unhelpful while the other two were able to collectively give him enough information to find the right bridge to cross. Unfortunately, the logistics were quite difficult since upon approaching the bridge, it wasn't very clear how to get to the pedestrian/bike path which was on the other side of where Bob stood. He did see a few folks on a grassy path near the median and figured that he should follow suit. At some point, however, he knew he'd have to get past, over, or through what he referred to as a cyclone fence (I'm not familiar with that term) lest he wind up getting caught up in the vehicular traffic lanes. Sure enough, he saw why others had taken the path as there was a hole in the fence that was big enough to fit him and his bike. The whole ordeal, though, took him 90 minutes or so. Naturally, Bob wasn't thrilled with the inefficiency of things in getting to the Nebraska side. His eventual arrival, on the other side of the bridge, was to the town of South Sioux City, Nebraska.
Later Saturday evening, Bob arrived in the town of Norfolk, Nebraska. The first two motels he visited were booked. At the third motel, a young pregnant woman named Mandy also reported that her motel, a Super 8, was also booked, but Bob decided to ask her for help. She wound up calling 25 places within a 20 mile radius and again, no rooms were available. Turns out that the weekend featured a huge auto show complete with show cars, hot rods, suped-up street cars, etc. He also learned that many folks use the occasion to host family reunions, thus the booking of every available room around. Feeling discouraged and concerned, Bob asked Mandy if the Super 8 had a back room he could use or if there were any churches nearby. Just then, Mandy remembered that one of her motel rooms didn't appear on her computer screen because it was full of carpets and padding and was therefore unavailable for rental use. At Bob's request, she called and got the approval to allow him to stay there and after shifting around some of the contents of the room, he made himself comfortable. He also got a great rate of $35 for the night which included a hot breakfast! He is so grateful for Mandy's efforts that he promised he'd send a letter of commendation and appreciation.
Sunday netted him 86 miles, but it was a nasty fight with the winds. He engaged in a self-described stair-step approach by traveling south, then west, then south, etc. With the wind coming from the south, he suffered when that particular "stair" took him due south. While on US Route 30, he traveled mostly southwest and fared a bit better with the crosswinds. The weather was tough as it featured super hot and humid conditions. He eventually wound up staying in the town of Central City, Nebraska. Contrary to my prior posting, he is not yet in the town of Kearney (I misunderstood his voicemail), but he may make it there today, Monday, so long as the terrain and winds cooperate. It's approximately 75 miles away. He'll continue on US Route 30 which follows train tracks. He's thankful for that fact since the road will likely be flat and since the railway is quite busy. As such, he estimates that about 8 major trains go by each hour, some of which include 100+ cars. To him, it's a welcome distraction to count cars while he pedals along.
One more note about another previous posting; when I reported Bob's interaction with the motel owner who kicked him out, I failed to mention the guy's name. Bob read that posting and commented to me that his name provides the perfect climax and irony to the story and that he "never met a man more aptly named." Orville Putz. Enough said.
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
Monday, July 23, 2007
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2 comments:
Greg/Bob,
Just want to say that even though there may not be comments, it doesn't mean no one's following you. I'm following this daily, and it (almost) makes me want to follow in Bob's path someday!
David Bland
Thanks David; I've been relaying to Bob the comments left by his adoring fans. He knows that he's got the support of many folks, and it's certainly of tremendous value to him.
Gregg
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