Day 28 (August 28, 2010) FINISHED!!!!!!

This morning we did not want to leave the comfort of the hotel. However, we were also excited to finish our journey. My original plan was to be on the bike by 7 am. My revised plan had on the bike just after 8. I rode through Richmond and linked to the final road to Yorktown. I had plans to meet my friend, Jimbo, about 30 miles from the finish. I was moving at a pretty good clip despite the headwind. I even passed a few "roadies" out on their morning training ride! Jimbo and I met at a park and rode on a bike path for a few miles. After that we got on the colonial parkway for the final push to the ocean. We made it to the beach around 1:30 p.m. and I did the cerimonial dip of my front wheel!! Total miles for the day = 78.7

I will try to get the total miles, hours riding, and other useless statistics compiled and posted in a few days. Thank you everyone for your comments!! It was nice to know I not only had a great support team with me, but also a cheering section back home. I am soooo glad it is over!

LOL... this is how I'm feeling now:
http://www.drodd.com/gump/prettytired.wav

STATS:

3,347.6 = Miles ridden from San Francisco, CA to Yorktown, VA
226 hours 27 minutes = Total time to ride from coast to coast
14.78 = Average speed in MPH
47 = Max speed in MPH
3.4 = Min speed in MPH
4 = Number of tires used during trip
3 = Number of flats
1 = Number of broken funky special spokes needed to make a Shimano Aero wheel completely useless.
0 = Number of bike shops between Kansas and Virginia that stock the aforementioned funky special replacement spokes for a Shimano Aero wheel.
2 = Number of people making the best support team ever! (Thanks Deb & Kayla)

Day 27 (August 27, 2010)

This morning I got on the bike pretty early. Deb found a nice running trail in Lexington & had a good workout while I put some more miles behind me. We met late morning near Waynesboro. She suggested that we use one of my free hotel stay coupons that evening at a hilton garden inn near Richmond. That motivated me quite a bit and I had one of my fastest average days since Illinois despite riding into a slight headwind. We had on of the earliest finishing times for the day since the trip began. I checked into the hotel a little before 6 pm. We thoroughly enjoyed the pool and jacuzzi. Also, it was nice to sleep in a real bed for the first time in over a month!
Total miles for the day = 127

Day 26 (August 26, 2010)

Last night we stayed in Wythville, KY. Wythville is named for Geoge Wyth, one of the signers of the declaration of independence. After a semi late start I made pretty good time. My legs are really starting to get sore with over 3000 miles of riding on them. If I stop at an intersection my legs start to cramp and it takes me a while to get moving again. Only a few more days and then I can rest them!

Today I met a fantastic couple; Clyde and Joelle. They first did a cross country bike ride on their honeymoon... 20 yrs ago. Now they are doing another! Happy Anniversary :)

The ride today wasn't nearly as hilly as I expected and (GASP) I actually had a tailwind!!

We are spending the night in Lexinton and are hoping for a big day tomorrow.

Day 25 (August 25, 2010)

Last night we stayed in Pikeville, KY. I got up early and was on the road before 8 am. This was one of the most difficult cycling days I've had since the big mountains in the West. The first 90 miles was nothing but steep hills. Lots of ups and downs. The bad part was that after climbing for 45-60 minutes the downhill section was filled with twists, turns, and hairpins which required me to ride the brakes. This resulted in a long, slow day. (Total miles = 144.5. Saddle time = 10.5 + hours)

Deb's hand prints are still in the steering wheel from going up and down the steepest and narrowest grades we've faced since the trip began.

The good news is that I crossed into Virginia a little after 10 a.m. Only a few hundred more miles left!!!!

Day 24 (August 24, 2010)

After a great night at the campground I was ready to get up early and rack up a lot of miles. Deb was concerned because Sue looked at my mapped route and thought there would be too much coal truck traffic. After conferencing with Sue they came up with a modified route that was just a bit longer than my original route but it avoided coal transport areas. I had the new route written on my map pocket & left around 8:15. Eastern KY is absolutely beautiful. Even though it is fairly hilly I still enjoyed the scenery. I would have enjoyed it even more if I weren't chased by so many dogs. ( None of them caught me though.. ha ha ha)

We made to Pikeville around 9 pm. Total miles for the = 163.5

(The picture shows that former songwriter cat stevens isn't a muslim radical but is really selling bulldozers in Easter KY)

Day 23 (August 23, 2010)

Today was a very light bike day since we planned on meeting Deb's sister & her family in Berea for dinner. It was a good thing, too. We didn't have a very good nights sleep. I wasn't feeling so hot and the combination of hills and yet another day of headwinds really wore me down. I only did 95 miles today but it seemed to take forever. We checked in at walnut meadows campground and then met Sue & the kids at papaleonis for some great food. After dinner we went to Blondies for some ice cream.

Day 22 (August 22, 2010)

This morning we got a semi-early start from Sebree, KY. The first hour was very nice. However, after that the winds picked up and the temperature got much hotter. By the middle of the afternoon it was in the mid to upper 90's and I was fighting hills and headwinds. Kentucky is a beautiful state. The people are very friendly & creative. For example, in Geogia ,when a refrigerator needs to be replaced the old one is just set in the front yard next to the 1977 camaro that is up on blocks. In KY, they paint flames and racing stripes on it so that it blends in with the rest of the decor. Oh, I also saw Jed Clampett's oil rigs. No bubblin' crude though. It looks like they've been shut down for quite a while. Total miles = 123.5

Day 21 (August 21, 2010)

Last night we stayed at a nice RV park in Goreville. It was raining in the morning and I just turned off my alarm. I started biking a little before 11 a.m. I made good time and crossed the Ohio river by Ferry at cave in rock around 3:30. We made it all the to Sebree, KY and had subs for dinner. We are spending the night in a school parking lot.

Day 20 (August, 20, 2010)

After spending the night in Bismark, MO. I got up early and made my way towards IL. The route had me going on bike paths. These went through St Joe's state park. I had to ride very slowly and the map directions weren't very clear. I spent a lot of time riding but did not get far! After I got back on the main roads I made up some ground and crossed the mississippi into Chester, IL. (Home of Popeye). We met some great folks at the visitors center. After fixing a flat tire we rode on to an inconvenient location called Goreville. Total miles = 130.

Day 19 (August 19,2010)

This was a long and hilly day. I don't think there were any flat sections on today's route. Once I made it to the top of one hill I would drop down to a valley and begin another climb. Some of the grades were near 18%!! It's a good thing the hills were no longer than 1/2 mile. We met Dave from Toronto at the top of a climb. We were both pretty tired and took an hour break & rested before heading off in our opposite directions. Total miles for the day = 120

Day 18, (August 18, 2010)

After a restful night in Golden city we got up and got on the road very early. Today turned out to be a "fix-it" day. The past few days we have had a coolant leak in the RV. We had not been able to locate it so we just make sure the radiator is completely full every morning. About 20 miles into the ride Deb was pulled over along side the road and was getting ready to hand me some bottles when I noticed a pool of water under the engine. I looked under the RV and finally located the leak. (It was in between the alternator and middle earth). I asked a local tractor dealer if they could fix it and they sent me to their vehicle repairman. Deb took the RV to the garage while I pressed on. The mechanic, named Wayne, was also the town's preacher, taxidermist, and rodeo clown. He repaired the leak and Deb met me in Fair Grove. While she was at the garage I had some mechanic issues of my own. My derailleur and chain was messed up and I rode the first 70 miles in one gear (and it wasn't an easy gear 56x27).After I met Deb I got my tool box and fixed my gears. Everything was back on track. I took off again and rode the Ozark mountains (which are really just steep, snotty hills). I had a slight tailwind and felt that I could ride until the cows come home*. We finally made it to Houston, MO. We ate dinner and did some quick shopping for necessities. Total miles for the day =150

* Sometimes... the cows don't come home. The coalition for missing and exploited cows needs your help. Please send whatever money can, won't you? A wayward bovine will thank you (moo chos gracias)

Day 17 (August 17, 2010)

Last night we stayed at a nice little campsite in Chanute, KS. I had a bunch of stuff to do for work so I decided to get that done in the morning and then ride in the afternoon. Well, it took longer than I thought and I didn't get on my bike until 5 pm. I crossed into Missouri around 10 pm and then rode for another hour. I got in ~100 miles. We ended up staying in golden city for the evening. Drivers from Kansas & Missouri are very bike friendly. Drivers from Colorado are probably the least courteous.... Or maybe they are just terrible drivers. I had several close calls while biking at night in Colorado. I wear a hi viz yellow jacket underneath a reflective orange vest. I have 2 powerful LED blinky red lights on the rear of my bike & a reflective strap near my ankle. I wear a very powerful headlight. In fact, if I stand in a single spot and turn around in a circle airline pilots often mistake me for a landing beacon. So, despite being lit up like a redneck Christmas tree I still have people that drive toward me & then swerve at the last second.

Day 16 (August 16, 2010)

We woke up outside of a Quality Inn in Hutchinson Kansas. Other than a busted spoke on my aero wheel, the ride was long, boring, and uneventful. I will say this though, there are alot more oil wells in Kansas than I had ever imagined; which is saying something because I had imagined that there would be no oil wells in Kansas.
Since every proper blog must include at least one recipe, I figured today would be the perfect day to try one out. I call this "Baked Wayne"
Pre heat Kansas landscape to 100 degrees F.
Remove all clouds.
Add one "slightly seasoned" Wayne.
Liberally add some sweltering heat and humidity.
Mix in genorous amounts of swirling headwinds.
Bake for 8-9 hours.
Let cool for 7-9 hours then repeat.

Total miles for the day = 170.2

Day 15 (August 15, 2010)

This morning I got up early and started my trek towards Dodge City. It was some of the most difficult riding I've done so far. The headwinds were awful and it was starting to rain. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself and then I met Matt. Matt is crossing the country from Boston to Long Beach, CA in his wheelchair. He is on life support and can go at most 6 miles an hour. I stopped and talked to Matt and told him that he was truely an inspiration. So on that dreary, windy, and rainy Kansas morning as Matt was wrapped in blankets to keep him warm I found enough of his attitude to get out of my funk. Matt and his crew were some of the most amazing people i've met on my journey thus far. Here is the link to their site: http://officialmattsplace.org/

Total miles today = 172

Day 14

This morning we woke up in Lamar, CO. I got on the bike and finished the last 31 miles of Colorado and crossed into Kansas. Despite what you have heard, Kansas is not all that mountainous. Oh sure, who can forget the ill-fated Duvall expedition of '73 when they attempted to summit the I-80 interchange (elevation 93 feet) at Dollup springs? Aside from the monoliths that rise above the fog, Kansas is relatively flat.
All day I fought a head/cross wind. I planned on cycling more at night thinking that the wind would die down. WRONG! I left Garden City around 8 p.m. and only went a few miles before calling it quits. I was fighting a sustained 29 mph headwind. We spent the night on a dead end road off rt. 50.

Day 13 (August 13, 2010)

I didn't get much sleep last night. I was working and posting blog entries until the wee hours of the morning. At 5 a.m. someone decided that it would be the perfect time to try out their leaf blower. It must have worked because when I got up at 6 there wasn't a leaf to be seen for miles.

I got on my bike and started my quest to get to Kansas. The first few hours were great. I had a nice tailwind and met Glenn (see pic). We rode together for around 20 miles. Glenn warned me that the winds would shift around later in the day and boy was he right on target. The afternoon and evening I fought a headwind for hours and hours. I managed to get 156 miles in for the day just by slogging through the winds. Deb and Kayla found a really nice outdoor pool with a slide & diving board in the town of La Junta. It got pretty warm in the afternoon but nothing compared to what we had in Nevada. Only 31 more miles until Kansas!

Day 12 (August 12, 2010)

We slept in a little late this morning because it was raining/thundering/storming and generally pretty yucky outside. We parked the RV in a boat trailer storage lot near the top of Blue Mesa lake. I hunted around the inside of the RV and found my Columbia rain gear. I put it on and started out towards Gunnison. Of course, 5 minutes into the ride the rain stopped and the sun came out. It didn't take long for me to overheat so I had to stop and remove the rain gear. 20 minutes later another thunderstorm would pass over and I basically had to repeat this process of donning and removing my rain gear all day. I made pretty good time through Gunnison. About 8 miles beyond the edge of town Deb and Kayla took a long detour that would keep them from climbing and descending the steep grades of Monarch pass. Their loop was 104 miles while my ascent & descent was around 53 miles. I traded my tri bike for the mt. bike and started my longest and highest climb so far (11,312'). There was quite a bit of traffic and some places had no guardrails... just a white line and then a several hundred foot drop to the bottom of a ravine. It was a bit nerve wracking at times but I finally made it to the top. I met Deb & Kayla in the town of Poncho Springs. We decided to try to make it to Cannon City before dark. The good thing was that I had a tailwind and 60 of the 65 miles was downhill! I ended up riding over 152 miles for the day. Tomorrow we are hoping to get into Kansas!!

Day 11 (August 11, 2010)

After spending the night in Grand Junction, CO we got up early and started what would be a long day. I was on the bike by 7 a.m. & set off towards Montrose. The winds were out of the SE which was exactly the direction I was headed. I started out strong and was averaging a little over 12 mph. As the day progressed the winds started to wear me down. That, coupled with two climbs that were each over 8700', dropped my average down to 11.6 mph. I rode the last hour with my headlight and stopped because of the rain & twisty mt roads. I ended up 25 miles short of Garrison. We are setting up camp at blue mesa lake. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day. Total miles for the day = 105

Day 10 (August 10, 2010)

It is a little known fact that famed songwriter, John Denver, was also a class 5 combat ninja. From his dojo, nestled high in the alpine meadows, he not only trained with an elite squadron of lethal spectres, he also wrote some of his most inspiring songs. His most well known being, "Rocky Mountain Hai". Of course, the music execs, all of whom were meth addicts, changed the title to, "Rocky Mountain High" and the rest is history. Needless to say I am now in Colorado. I had a great ride today and covered 144+ miles. I attached a pic that shows the Welcome to colorful colorado sign. I'm sure it was designed by the same people who produced the discovery channel specials about the colorful desert. I love the irony of it all.

Day 9 (August 9,2010)

We spent last night in Cedar city. We got up early, filled up the RV with gas, had breakfast, and headed back to minersville to pick up where we left off on Saturday. It was actually on the cool side when I started the ride but it warmed up quickly. I thought it was going to be a repeat of Saturday. The headwinds were brutal. After 4 miles I drafted Deb while she drove the RV until we got to I-15. The winds shifted and I had a nice tailwind for most of the remaining ride. We saw some beautiful scenery. Utah sure has some breathtaking sites. I really cranked it up today. I climbed 4 major ranges. Summits on each were from 6600'-8000'. The last climb of the day was over 10 miles long and had some pretty steep grades. Total miles for the day = 156.

Day 8 (August 8, 2010) REST DAY!!

This morning we were awakened by a nearby lightning strike. It rained until 8:30. We drove to Zion national park. On the way we dropped off Melody at "doggie dude ranch". We arrived at the park around 9:30. The rains cleared up and it was a beautiful day. You cannot drive in Zion canyon. However, there are free shuttle buses that make 7 stops up and down the canyon at various trailheads. Prior to the buses there were upwards of 5000 cars/RV's per day on the canyon road competing for only 400 parking spaces. The buses work great and are definetly the way to go. We climbed up the angel's landing trail. I went about 1/2 up while Deb and Kayla found a spot in the shade prior to the switchbacks. The picture is from a bridge on the trail looking down the canyon. After a long day of sightseeing we picked up an exhausted and played-out puppy dog from the ranch and drove back to Cedar City. Tomorrow I will pick up where I left off in Minersville. BTW... I really enjoy the comments. I'm not able to get online much and there is very limited cell phone coverage out here so I feel somewhat isolated.

Day 7 (August 7, 2010)

We woke this morning and saw an Elk outside of our RV. He ran off as I opened the door. The plan today was for an easy 110 mile ride into cedar city & then tackle the steep climbs tomorrow. To say that things didn't go according to plan was an understatement. The ride to cedar city was south/southeast. The winds were blowing from the South around 20 mph. It was one of the most mentally crushing days I've ever biked. Deb met me at the 37 mile mark. It had taken me almost 3 hrs to get that far and I had 2 mountain passes to climb before I got to Milford,UT. I switched over to my mt bike and did the big climbs. I went 20 miles in 1:45. So far I had gone 57 miles and it had taken me almost 5 hrs. The next 14 miles to minersville was straight into the wind. I decided to alter the route at this point. I would ride to minersville and then stop for the day. Tomorrow we would take a rest day and go to Zion. The following day I would ride directly East instead of zig zagging north and south through the mountain passes. I decided to be a roadie and draft the RV for the 14 miles into minersville. It sure was fun to go faster than 10 mph for a change!We all drove cedar city & had a great dinner at a mexican restaurant. Total miles =71

The picture is looking West from Morom Gap. I had gone about 5 miles and decided to take a pic . It made me wince when I saw from whence I came.

Day 6 (August 6, 2010)

Last night we stayed in Ely, NV near a la Quinta. Across the street was a store that had a looped recording of tropical birds. We listened to it as we fell asleep. It made me realize that there aren't any animal sounds in the desert. The ride today was tough for the first 20 miles because of the headwind. Once I turned and headed East it was very enjoyable. The Eastern part of Nevada is very similar to Utah. So much so, in fact, that I think it should be called Nevadah. When I am in charge I'll make sure that change is implemented. Deb & Kayla stayed in Baker, NV while I pressed on into the Utah barrens. They met me around 8:30 pm. We stayed in the Utah desert and only heard 2 cars pass by all night. I took this picture to show how cool the cows are in Utah. I was told cows only longboarded in CA but apparently that was a load of bull. Total miles today = 92

Day 5 (August 5, 2010)

After a very restful night at the RV park I got up early to get ready for a long day of riding. I had breakfast and took a quick shower. I also changed my front wheel since the tire on my other wheel was in pretty sad shape. I got on the road around 7:45. I biked all the way from Austin, NV to Ely,NV. I was in the saddle for 10 hrs 21 minutes and peddled 147 miles. I also crossed 6 major mountain ranges. 4 of the 6 were over 7100' and the other 2 were over 6500'.
The last 90 minutes were done in total darkness with only my headlight & blinky taillight. The ride was challenging but still hot & ugly. I passed several archeoligical dig sites and a few state parks with dinosaur themes. I started looking for fossils beside the road as I peddled. I decided that if I made a new jurassic discovery I would name the creature myasisaur as a tribute to my bike seat.

Day 4 (August 4, 2010)

After a long ride we decided to switch things up a bit and not stay in a Wal-mart parking lot for the evening. Instead, we went upscale and stayed in a Ripley's Drug parking lot. Let me tell you.. don't believe everything you hear about high society. There was too much traffic noise and the parking lot sweepers woke me up twice! I intend to write a letter to the Ripley Drug's manager as soon as I return home!

After a very short night's sleep I got and drove over Wal-mart for some breakfast food & supplies. Deb had mapped out a route that covered around 110 miles. The distance didn't bother me. It was the fact that there was no place to get water along the way. I left a little after 8 a.m. and made pretty good time for the first hour. Then, it started getting hot and hilly. Deb left Fallon around 10 a.m. and met me shortly after 11 about 20 miles from the middle of nowhere. I know this because there was a sign that said, "Nowhere 20 miles ->".
We stopped and had some lunch and I rested for a while and waited for it to get even hotter before heading out again. It was my lucky day... It worked!! The last 73 miles to Austin, NV were pretty miserable. You know all that stuff they tell you on the discovery channel about how the desert is so beautiful and colorful and full of life? It is only if you're in car going at least 70 mph with A/C. Otherwise, it is HOT, DRY, and Barron! Don't believe me? Ask someone that lives there. Oh.. wait.. you can't! BECAUSE NOBODY LIVES THERE!
Deb found a great campsite in Austin. We have a full hookup for our RV and the showers are out of this world!
I looked at my front tires and the rubber compound started melting from the hot asphalt. I'm off to bed early tonight. Going to try to do a long long ride tomorrow but I need to get up early.
I'm going to try attaching some pics. Comments are certainly welcome (Is anyone even reading this??)

Total miles for Day 4 = 113 miles

Day 3 (August 3, 2010)

This was going to be a long day. We woke up around 6 and discussed our options. I really didn't feel like riding over 4 hours just to get back to the point where I stopped the previous evening. I also didn't want to cheat and not do part of the route. I decided to try hitchhiking. I also decided that there was no way I was going to ride my time trial bike up those steep grades so I got my mountain bike ready for the trek.Deb made a sign that read "Silver Lake" and I took it along with my bike and stood out by the side of the road. I forgot to bring my blood drenched machete but it didn't really matter because nobody was stopping for me.
After about 20 mins a car that passed me earlier came back down the road. The driver said he would take me to Silver Lake. James and Mickey were very sweet (pic above). They drove me all the way to the Emigrant Trail Road turnoff, which was just a tad further than Silver Lake. James and Mickey had saved me a whole bunch of time! (Thanks folks!)
The climb up to Carson's Pass was much easier on my mt. bike. I was also well rested and felt great. I made the entire climb and the steep descent back to woodfords in just over 2.5 hours! When I got back I had a can of soda and some gorp. I didn't really feel like eating anything else. The new goal was to go another 90-100 miles and get to Fallon, NV. The thought of starting out on a ride through the high Nevada desert at 2:30 in the afternoon wasn't very appealing to me. Never-the-less, we had to press on. The first 40 miles were pretty miserable. It was fairly hilly and there was a head/cross wind. The temperature was in the mid 90's. As I got to Carson city the winds moved to my back and I was able to make some good time. I caught another biker named phillip (see pic). He is from Berlin and is biking around the world!I started running out of gas around 80 miles into this ride (not including the 33 miles I did earlier in the day) I kept thinking about a Denny's grand slam breakfast. I even texted Kayla and told her that's what I wanted.I pulled into Fallon, NV around 8:00 p.m. This section of the ride was 93.5 miles. The total for the day was 126.5 miles.There are no Denny's in Fallon but there is a Jerry's and it was wonderful!

Day 2 (August 2nd, 2010)

Monday morning we woke up at 6 and started getting ready for a long day of riding. We parked in front of Vince's house. He stopped over and talked to us as he was going out to work. He gave us lots of good advice about the trails and also let us fill the RV water tank from his garden spigot.. Thanks Vince!
I rode over to the start of the American river bike trail which would take me to Folsom. I met several bikers that pointed me in the right direction as there were many spurs that could have taken me in the wrong direction. A big thanks to Tom for taking the time to get me through Folsom on some beautiful trails. Tom rides a BMC and last year put over 6000 miles on his bike commuting back & forth to work!I met Deb & Kayla in placerville & had some lunch. We decided that I would try to make it over Carson's pass and meet in Woodfords. I packed a headlight, attached a blinky taillight to the rear of the bike, loaded my aerobag with gu & bars and set off for the climb. I left placerville at 2 pm. If all went well we would meet around 9 pm. Deb & Kayla would not be on the same road since the route I was taking had several grades too steep for the RV. I made pretty good time on the first section of the ride. Thanks to Ellen, owner of "the pizza factory", for the ice, water, & tasty chocolate chip cookie! I texted Deb & Kayla when I was 15 miles from cooks station. This was a steep part of the climb. It took me 1 hour 45 minutes. The services were closed at cooks station but there was a kind couple nearby that let me fill my water bottles. My phone battery was almost dead. It didn't much matter since there was no coverage! I pressed on to Hamms station. This too was closed and there was no place else to get water for the rest of the climb. I started doing the math and realized that it was going to take between 2-3 hours to get to the top and then another 45 mins to get to woodfords. My supplies were low and I had no way to contact Deb. I made it up the steepest part of the climb to silver lake but was concerned about the rest of the night. As dusk was falling a large RV was passing me. I made the internationally recognized motion for " do you have a cell phone that works?". This is done by making the Hawaiian hang-loose symbol, rotating it approximately 83 degrees and holding it to your ear. The driver pulled over and told me that his cell phone wasn't working either. He asked if I wanted a ride. I gladly accepted and we loaded my bike into his palace on wheels. I sat on his comfy leather sofa and relaxed! We found my miserable, tiny, butler-less RV parked in front of the general store in woodfords (pop. 150). I thanked the mystery monster RV driver for his help and announced, "honey, I'm home" as I saw Deb. She was relieved to see me. It was getting cold and was already very dark. We spent the night in Woodfords. Tomorrow I am going to ride back to Silver Lake and turn around & head back to woodfords.

Day 1 (August 1, 2010)

It was a bit brisk this morning in SF. We drove to the beach just down the road from the kick-off point by the Golden Gate bridge. We met Renee & Kooper. They were both very nice. Melody and Kooper played in the sand & surf while Kayla & I chatted with Renee. Deb joined us after she finished her morning run. Around 9:30 we drove to the parking lot nearest the bridge. Ronnie, the cyclist from Anaheim, met us there. We got all ready and walked to the starting point under the bridge. I was determined to dip my rear wheel in the ocean before starting. I climbed/slipped down the steep piled boulders. A large wave soaked my foot and got my bike wet... Good enough. Back up the rocks and then onto the bikes. Ronnie & I rode to the ferry terminal and back. We then drove to Vellejo and started the "real" part of the trip. We got on the bikes around 1:30. The long sleeved jerseys we wore in SF were replaced by thin short sleeved shirts. It was pretty hot. We met Troy about 25 miles into our ride. He is raising money to buy audio bibles. (Google - pedaling for proclaimers). Troy was riding a recumbent and he got a flat about 50 miles into the ride. We fixed it and were on our way. We rode through some beautiful olive groves. There were lots of rolling hills but nothing too steep. Ronnie and Troy decided to spend the night in Davis. Deb, Kayla, Ronnie, & Troy all went to dinner while I pressed on to try to get north of Sacramento. I made good time getting into the city but once there I had some trouble following the maps. I met several really nice people that helped get me back on course. A nice couple with a huge great dane (redundant, I know) told me of a safe place to park the RV. I had run out of daylight and didn't have my headlight or any reflectors with me. I called Deb and she met me near the American river trail. I had a cold shower, some turkey sandwiches. Total miles for the day = 92.5

The drive to San Francisco

Monday morning Deb & I had breakfast with Dave & Nancy at a small diner in Lake Placid. We then drove home and finished packing up everything we needed for our trip. Our goal was to leave the house by 2 p.m. but we didn't get on the road until almost 5:30.After only driving 30 miles Deb noticed that people kept beeping and waving at us. She thought they were being friendly or were other triathletes on their way home from lake placid. I had her pull over in cicero and saw that the muffler had broken off from the main exhaust pipe and was dragging on the ground. I bandaged it together and tried to limp a few miles down the road to home depot. On the way we spotted a Monroe muffler shop & decided to see if they could help us. One of the 2 guys that were still there gave me a large hammer to try to pound the two pipes back together. I worked on it for 15 minutes but couldn't get enough metal for a clamp to hold. I asked if they could weld it and the other worker stayed after 7 pm and put a nice tack weld all around the 2 pipes. We also wired the muffler to one of the hangers and we were good to go! We made it just South of Buffalo (fredonia) and spent the night there.

Tuesday morning I suggested that Deb go for a run at the SUNY Fredonia campus. We drove over and I played catch with Melody while Deb ran. I talked to some maintenance workers and they told me that they locker rooms were open at one of the Rec buildings. We both showered there and were the road by 9. We ended up driving just past Chicago and spent the night at a Walmart parking lot.. WOO HOO! (Actually, it's not that bad)

Wednesday was a long long drive. Nothing eventful happened except for a photo op with the Jolly green giant and a tour of the corn palace in SD

Thursday we visited some great places in South Dakota; The Badlands, Wall Drug, and Mt. Rushmore. We took a route through the big horn mountains in WY and saw a badger and a moose. We spent the night in Greybull, WY

Friday was another long and hot day. We drove through Yellowstone and saw some bison and elk. I also took a swim in Yellowstone lake. Ok, it was more like a quick dip. The water was maybe in the 50's. We spent the night in Elko, NV where apparently all they do all night is slam railroad cars together as loudly as they can. I must say they were quite proficient at it!

Saturday was supposed to be just a quick 500 mile drive to San Francisco. My ear, which had been bleeding since Tuesday, was starting to bother me so I made an appointment at an urgent care center in Reno. The doctor said I had an outer ear infection that I probably got from swimming. I walked to the CVS to pick up my scripts while Deb & Kayla ordered lunch from a local deli. After lunch we hit the road again. The drive into California was tough; Very narrow lanes, lots of traffic, heat, and hills. I was taking a nap when Deb exclaimed, "Oh no! The temperature gauge is very high". She pulled over to the side of the road but it was too late. The RV blew a coolant hose on Donner Pass. We called AAA and waited for the tow truck. We waited and waited some more. It began to dawn on me that this is what must have happened to the original Donner party. I'm sure they broke down and AAA never showed up! After an hour I noticed that Deb looked like she was getting hungry and we were pretty much out of food. Since I didn't want to end up like an appetizer I decided to try to fix the RV myself. I was able to find the leak in one of the high pressure lines. There was enough slack that I could cut the hose after the break and re attach it to the coupler. Of course, I dropped the HP clamp into the engine compartment. Finding it took over 30 minutes. If you've ever seen the inside of a van compartment of a 460 V-8 you'll know that there isn't much room to work. After filling the radiator with 4 gallons of water we were on our way again. We made it to SF around 9:30 pm... 5 hours after our projected arrival time
Total miles = 3406