We have been home from our grand adventure for a little over a week. I have really missed the daily routine of posting an entry on this blog. Don't worry - I'm not going to continue with daily entries, boring you with the routines and the adventures of my retired life. But I did want to add a little more information about our bike trip.

As we talk to friends about the trip, here are some common questions (and answers) that come up. 

Was there ever a time that you just did not want to get on your bike and ride? No! Neither of us ever felt that way. Each day was a new adventure, so we were always excited to get started. There were some days, however, that we were anxious to have the ride over with (such as the days with headwinds and high temperatures).

What was your favorite place to ride? We both liked Arizona and New Mexico because of the wide-open scenery, changing terrain, and beautiful weather. We also were surprised that New York was one of our favorites. The roads were smooth, the shoulders wide, and the scenery very pretty.

Would you ever do this again? That depends on what "this" is. Neither of us would choose to do the same trip again because, well, we've already done it! But we definitely will do more long-distance bike trips in other areas or other countries.

Didn't you get tired? No! We trained properly and learned how to recover each day, so every morning we had energy and were not tired or sore.

How much weight did you loose? Essentially none! But we feel very fit.

At the end of the trip, Peg wrote a poem that she read during our last group dinner, summing up the trip. Here it is.

What an adventure it’s been for 49 days
With 31 riders who said “I’ll pay”!

In addition, we've added pictures of the riders and staff who were on our trip. We couldn't have asked for a better group!


Frank (a very strong rider who, after suffering a sprained knee, bike problems, a root canal, and extreme butt sores, had to leave the tour, but he never complained), and David (a real sensitive guy, was a joy to be with).


Tony (who taught us all things Italian, including the virtues of virgin olive oil), and Gill (better known as Roadkill Gill because of his quest for a racoon tail, and who made a video of the trip, complete with "man on the street" interviews).


Ray (a very tough guy who crashed and had several broken ribs, but kept going and finished the tour) and Tom (a relatively new rider who smiled all the way across the country).


Richard (who rode a Bike Friday, a folding bike with small wheels) and Fran (an ex-Navy Captain who was tough as nails while being very soft-spoken).


Tom (wore out his shoes and used duct tape and screws to hold them together until he could get new ones) and Ian (a bike racer from England - everyone wanted to draft behind him).


Jim (who has done many long-distance bike rides and tours) and Terry (who was always playing, being a kid, and laughing).


A sister and brother team, Kim (rode her named bike, Bubbles, and had the pinkest wardrobe in the group) and Scott (lives in Germany and used his scientific interest to catalog all flat tires in our tour).


Lisa (who had a large group of friends join us for two days of riding in Indiana), and Joanna (a very tough lady who had a very scary crash in which she was narrowly missed by a huge truck...she picked herself up, dusted off, and got back on the bike).


Our grandson and grandfather team Nick (at 25 he was our youngest rider, and one of the very fastest in the "fast pack") and Jerry (at 80 he is still fit, a very strong rider, and he often serenaded us with music from years gone by).


Carmen and John (who, coming from Florida, were had difficulty with some of the long climbs early in the trip, but they kept going and got stronger and stronger).


Husband and wife team Lynn (a very fast rider and ex-cardiac nurse - notice the hearts on her jersey), and Richard (a retired cardiac surgeon - notice the anatomy lesson on his jersey).


Cheris and Randy moved to Florida from Hawaii, and taught us the true Hawaiian spirit of Aloha.


Chums from Guatemala, Jac and Jose are both doctors of internal medicine. Jose has logged over 200,000 kilometers on his bike since 1983. That's 167,000 miles!


Richard (lives in Trinidad, and was a mountain biker who bought a road bike for this tour) and Dave (who joined us for the last half of the tour and will hopefully return for the first half next year).


Husband and wife team Mark and Tracy (we called them the tandem twins because they road a tandem and always had matching jerseys, joined us for the last 1/3 of the tour). Can you guess where they're from?


Husband and wife team Beth and Marty (with whom we spent many dinners and leisure hours) have been riding for many years and have done many long-distance "state" rides. Marty rides a recumbant. A young girl who saw Marty approaching exclaimed "Cool! He gets to lay down while he rides his bike!"


Harry, who is holding the 2,000 and 1,000 miles signs, has run the Boston Marathon 20 years in a row, and decided that bike riding would also be fun! What a strong guy!


Margaret was one of the staff members, providing us not only with two wonderful SAG meals each day, but with a smile and great advice on the road ahead.


Rick was our bike mechanic extraordinaire, and had the energy to ride all day as well!


Zach, another staffer who loaded our bags, drove the truck, provided enthusiastic cheering along the way, and delivered all of our bags to our rooms before our arrival each day (really!) was a delightful young man who had maturity well beyond his 19 years!


Tracy was our fearless leader, and the owner of CrossRoads Cycling Adventures. She runs an extremely efficient and well-planned tour, staffed with outstanding people. It looked to me like her job during tour was 24/7, and it was accomplished with a smile on her face. She's one outstanding lady!

OK, just a little more information for you. After looking at all of these pictures, I'm sure it has occured to you that this was not a group of spring chickens! Here's the stats:
        Number of riders: 31 completing the entire tour
        Average age: 57 years
        Age span: 25-80
        Number 60 years and over: 17
        Number of women: 8
        Number of men: 24

That's it. If you have any comments or questions, please make a note. We loved hearing from so many people that they followed our journal every day (or at least occasionally). Thanks for all of your support during our trip!

Just the stats: 19 miles!!!  Average speed - parade speed!!! 350 feet climbed, cumulative 3415 miles!!!

We're done! What an exciting day this was! The morning started off with the usual routine (wake up at 5:30, breakfast at 6:00, sign out at the truck at 7:00). This time, though, we didn't have to load our bags as we came back to the same hotel for tonight's celebration dinner and overnight stay. We rode the first 13 miles following our route sheet through surrounding towns, and then "re-grouped" at a designated location for the final 6 mile parade to the beach. This part of the ride was really fun because we were all wearing our CrossRoads jerseys, and we had our orange flags flying. Many passersby stopped to watch our little parade, and of course, there were many family members at the beach cheering us as we arrived. What a nice way to start the day!

We all took off our shoes and carried our bikes to the water to dip our front wheels in the Atlantic. There were many hugs and high fives in play at water's edge, followed by an extensive photo opportunity. Then we all got in the vans and were driven back to the hotel. The staff was very busy all afternoon boxing our bikes for shipping.

The best part of the day was the arrival of Peg's sister Carol along with neice Julia and nephew Alex. They joined us for the celebration banquet and we look forward to their company for two days in Boston!

What a great adventure it has been! 3,415 miles by bicycle!

"Happy are those who dream dreams and are willing to pay the price to make them come true."


Lining up for the parade to the beach.


Don and Peg dipping wheels in the Atlantic!


Don celebrating!


Yes! Peg can do it too!


CrossRoads 2007 riders.

 

Just the stats: 88 miles, 14.6 MPH average, 4100 feet climbed, cumulative 3397 miles

What an exciting day this was! This was essentially our last ride of the tour. Yes, we do ride 18 miles to the beach tomorrow to dip our wheels in the Atlantic, but it will be somewhat like the last day of the Tour du France where it's just a slow paced party/parade. We're really looking forward to it!

Today we had another very hot and muggy day. Rain was predicted, though, so when that didn't happen, we were pleased. We crossed the Connecticut River soon after we left our hotel and entered New Hampshire. We had very hilly riding, with some of the steepest (we've heard 16% grade) hills of the ride. It was really quite beautiful, though, complete with a covered bridge. We rode through some charming New Hampshire towns, with names like Fitzwilliam, Aschuelot and Rindge. Most had town "commons" with white, steepled churches and historical monuments.

Later on we left New Hampshire and entered Massechusetts, which felt very significant as it is our destination state! One of the first towns we rode through was Townsend, which was incorporated in 1732!There was quite a bit of traffic in some sections of the ride, but then, thankfully, we were routed to a less traveled road that brought us most of the way to Burlington. 

There were hugs and congratulations all around when we arrived here. Our group is really ready for a party!


Peg entering New Hampshire


Into the covered bridge


We're in Massechusetts!

Just the stats: 79 miles, 13.8 MPH average, 6000 feet climbed, cumulative 3298 miles

Hot and muggy. Really hot. And really muggy. It was 73 degrees at 7 AM when we left our hotel this morning, and it was 99 degrees at 2:00 when we arrived in Brattleboro. OK, enough whining. But it really was hot and muggy (sorry).

Other than that, we had a lovely ride. Shortly after beginning our ride we crossed the Hudson River and began a steep climb through Troy, NY where Don went to college. We meandered along a prettly little stream, and then turned on to a rolling country road. We crossed the border into Vermont (yes, the sprinkling ceremony was performed), and came to Bennington, VT, a very charming old town that was the site of a famous battle in the Revolutionary War. There is a very striking memorial to this battle in the town. 

After leaving Bennington, we began a 7.5 mile climb to a defunctl ski area, then continued on a rolling uphill climb, eventually descending into Wilmington. From here we began our second major climb of the day which took us 4 miles up to Hogback Mountain. The payoff was a nice view (on a clear day it would have been a spectacular view) that takes in the intersecting corners of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massechusetts.

From here we descended into Brattleboro. This could have been a fun part of the day, but there was so much truck traffic and only a narrow shoulder, so it was a bit nerve-wracking. Our hotel tonight is only a few hundred yards from the Connecticutt River ,which separates Vermont and New Hampshire.


Don performing the sprinkling ceremony at the Vermont border.


The monument in Bennington, VT.


Peg enjoying Vermont scenery.


Don enjoying the view from the top of Hogback Mountain.

Just the stats: 70 miles, 16.5 MPH average, 1500 feet climbed, cumulative 3222 miles

We had another beautiful day of riding. In general, New York state has been a very friendly place to ride, with smooth roads, wide shoulders, and nice scenery. That changed a bit when we got in to Schenectady and Albany where the motorists don't seem to welcome cyclists on their roads. It was very warm here this afternoon (94 degrees) so we didn't make any extra stops on our journey and got to the hotel as soon as we could, ariving at 1:10, to avoid riding in the heat. Our ride carried us down the Mohawk River valley which offered many nice views of the river and surrounding farmlands. 

The highlight of our day was having dinner with Don's college friends Dennis and Carol Fitzgerald who came over from Colonie to visit us.

We can't believe there are only two more riding days. Tomorrow should be one of the more challenging rides of the entire trip as we will climb more than 6000 feet. We hope the heat wave will abate for our ride tomorrow.


An Amish buggy along the route.


Peg riding along the Mohawk River.

Just the stats: 79 miles, 15.9 MPH average, 1700 feet climbed, cumulative 3153 miles

Another wonderful day of riding in New York. Neither of us had anticipated that this would be one of the prettiest and nicest areas on the tour. It was a warm (high 80's) day, but clear skies and smooth roads. We glimpsed the Mohawk River, Erie Canal, and the Barge Canal a number of times. Little Falls (yes, it has falls, and they are VERY little!) is on the Mohawk River and has a series of locks that connect it to the Barge Canal. We arrived in town at 1:15, so we had plenty of time to clean up and then explore the old downtown, which has lots of antiques. 

Our hotel provided a happy hour for us, and free alcohol is always very popular with this group. We have a short day tomorrow (69 miles) so we'll be leaving an hour later than normal, allowing us to sleep in (until 6:30 AM!). Sweet!


Don on the Barge Canal


VERY Little Falls

Just the stats: 70 miles, 15.7 mph average, 3000 feet climbing, cumulative miles: 3075

Today was another beautiful day, with a cool start, and lots of cloud cover that burned off around noon. It was a great temperature for cycling and it seemed like more of a "vacation day" since there was more to see and more available time, due to the short 70 mile ride. The first 20 miles or so were gently rolling. We pedaled past several of the Finger Lakes, specifically Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake. Seneca Lake had several miles of attractive city parks surrounding its northern end.  In the town of Seneca Falls, we stopped to view the site of the first convention for woman's rights, held in 1848. The remains of the old building and monument is now a national park. The next 40 miles had some moderate climbing, with some grades over 10%. Near Camillus, NY, we stopped at a tavern and bought some sandwiches for a picnic lunch, which we ate at the Erie Canal Park. The park is on the old (2nd) Erie Canal, which was in operation in the late 1800's. Some of the riders went on a tour boat to explore a section of the canal.  We opted out of the hour long boat ride, as we wanted to get to our hotel in time to meet Don's sister and brother-in-law.

It was a real treat to have Sandy and Ted fly up from Jacksonville, Florida, to see us during our ride. We had an excellent dinner together and several hours to get caught up on happenings in each others' lives.
Since we don't get to see each other often enough, this was a particularly special event.



Peg passing Seneca Lake


Picnic lunch at Erie Canal Park.


Tour boat on the Erie Canal


Don and Peg, Sandy and Ted





  

Just the stats: 95 miles, 15.7 MPH average, 4000 feet climbed, cumulative 3007 miles

We had another beautiful day today complete with blue skies, cool temperatures, smooth roads, and georgeous scenery. This part of New York has rolling hills, small farms, and small towns. We saw fields of grapes, corn (again), wheat, and other unidentified green crops. And we passed the 3000 mile mark of our trip! We are now in the Finger Lakes area and enjoyed a few moments at Canandaigua Lake on the way to our hotel.

Here we are one week from the end of the trip. You might be wondering if there are days that we just don't want to get out of bed, or can't stand the thought of getting on the bike again. Well, neither of us has experienced those feelings. Each day is still an adventure, each day brings new sights and new experiences. Sure, the routine is repetitive, but the experience is not. Many of our riders have expressed that they want this to go on, rather than end next Friday. We feel this too, even though getting to Boston will be very exciting. But then what? And saying goodbye to all of our new friends will be very difficult.


We've ridden 3000 miles!!!


SAG stop goodies.


Don and Peg at Canandaigua Lake.

Just the stats: 80 miles, 15.0 MPH average, 1500 feet climbed, cumulative 2914 miles

Today's ride was really wonderful, notwithstanding 60 more miles of headwinds. However, the weather and scenery were spectacular. We rode along Lake Erie, which was about 1/4 mile away, but we had many good views of it's white-caps. At mile 19 of today's ride, we entered New York state. We had good roads with shoulders all day today! I don't think we mentioned that Ohio had no shoulders to speak of. Pennsylvania did have some, and even a bike path in Erie, something we haven't seen since leaving LA ! Anyway, so far the riding conditions in New York have been very nice. We passed a historic lighthouse and miles of vineyards. The vineyards were nice because we were getting a bit tired of corn!


We're in New York!


Don with grapes.


Peg with Goo.


Peg, deciding whether to "bunny hop" the bridge construction, or go around