Day 50, Monday August 5

Day 50, Monday August 5  Manchester to Portsmouth, NH   52 Miles

My apologies for being a couple days late on this post.  I can scarcely believe it, but I just finished riding my bike across the United States and part of Canada. I’m not sure if the reality of this will ever sink in.

We left the hotel this morning about 7:00 for our last ride of this great adventure. As expected, even this last day had some tough spots. The first 15 miles or so were mostly uphill with a few fairly challenging climbs, but then things evened out and we could take it easy the rest of the way. Amy and I rode together, mostly at a fairly relaxed pace, just kind of savoring the last few miles. At one point, three guys were standing in their yard and stopped us to ask where we were going. They had seen a number of riders, all in the orange “America by Bicycle” jerseys and wondered what was going on. They were pretty amazed when we told them what we had been doing these last 50 days. They wished us well for our last few miles and we headed into Exeter, NH where everyone planned to stop at the local coffee house/bakery to have a cup of coffee and pastry. It was only about 10:00 by this time and we were not scheduled to meet at the junior high school in Rye, NH, 11 miles away, until 11:30. Other customers at the coffee shop were amazed at what we had just done and congratulated us. Most riders began pulling into the junior high school by about 11:00. There was time to say our good-byes and take a group photo before the beach.  At 11:45, the group pulled out for the last 3 miles, led by a police escort. What a sight – about 40 orange jerseys, riding in a group at about 15 mph.  We turned a corner and saw the ocean and started hollering. When we got to the beach, there were dozens of people lined up, cheering us for the last few hundred yards. What a feeling. Fifty days ago, we left the Pacific Ocean and we had now arrived at the Atlantic!

When we arrived at the sand, took off shoes, carried the bikes to the ocean and dipped our wheels.

Friends of one of the riders had brought champagne and we all toasted our accomplishment, feeling about as giddy as you could feel. It was hard to know what to do.

About 1:00, Tam and I finally said our good-byes, packed the bike into the car and headed west toward home. We made it to Syracuse, NY, close to where we had stayed less than a week earlier. We finished the drive back to Columbus by 4:00p on Tuesday, August 6, still trying to make sense of what I had just accomplished. I was exhausted and energized all at the same time.  It felt so good to be back home, to sleep in our own bed. It felt good to not have to get on the bike this morning. Now is the challenge of trying to get back into a “normal” routine, whatever that will be.

Remember, I’m still trying to figure out this retirement thing. One thing I know, the house needs painting, so I’ll be busy for a while.

I hope you’ll give me a few days to think about this and let it sink in. In a few days, certainly in less than a week, I will have some final thoughts about this adventure. To family, friends and those I’ve met along the way, please know how much your comments and encouragements meant. They kept me going in many ways. I hope you’ll stay in touch. You can always post a comment on the blog or Face Book. If you’d rather, my email is donwisler@att.net.

Thanks for following my adventure. I hope you enjoyed it half as much as I did.  It might sound a bit strange, but I think I’ll take a bike ride tonight.

For now, Be well. Do good. May God bless you.

 

Don

 

Day 49. Sunday, August 4

Day 49. Sunday, August 4  Brattleboro, VT to Manchester, NH. 77 miles

We left the hotel this morning, heading east across the Connecticut River and into New Hampshire. For most of the first 10 miles or so, we headed uphill, climbing from 300 feet above sea level to 1000 feet above sea level. A the bottom of the hill, we passed through Keene, NH and then for the next mile and a half to two miles, climbed an 8 to 10% grade hill. We certainly had to work the first part of the day! 

After the first SAG stop at mile 32, we left some of the mountains behind and the road became undulating most of the rest of the day. There were lots,of ups and downs, but they were mostly very enjoyable. (Hard to believe that I actually liked a lot of these hills!)  I still had to,work,to get over several of them, but the harder ones were a bit shorter. The route today had us going through a number of quaint little New England towns like Antrim, Bennington, Greenfield, Francisville and Gofftown. The homes were Federalist and Victorian styles and stereotypically New England looking. For several miles, we followed the very scenic Piscataquog River. The road was lined with a canopy of lush green trees that were so thick, it was hard for the sunlight to reach the road. Simply beautiful!
In one of the towns I pulled into a parking lot to ask directions of a guy parked on a motorcycle. He was very interested in the trip we were taking and asked if I was doing it for a cause. When I told him that I had just retired from Catholic Social Services, Dave told me that his,parents adopted him in Nebraska through Catholic Charities. I can't tell you how many people I've met through the years who have been adopted through Catholic Charities agencies. Amazing.

Today, I wore my special tuxedo jersey. When I walked into breakfast, I got a lot of stares, some compliments and even an ovation from several people. riders were snapping my picture all day.
I got to to Comfort Inn hotel about 12:45 and the rooms weren't ready, so a few of us and Tam crossed the street to go to the local Applebee's. My riding shirt was a big hit there as well.  

Our waitress was Larissa and she was very interested that we were just about finished with a cross country bike tour. Her mother, Margie, and 11 year old daughter, Lydia, just happened to be there as well. You could sure tell that these three pretty ladies were all related. they each had the same beautiful smile.  Lydia was fascinated with all these bikers in strange clothing and wanted to hear about our bike trip. We learned that Margie had retired just yesterday from a 33 year career in the military. She retired as a Master Sargeant and had served overseas as an assistant to the chaplain. Her husband is a former Navy SEAL, having served in Vietnam. He currently works for a contractor in the Middle East. This is certainly a patriotic family that we all owe our gratitude.
Larissa has been waiting tables and tending bar for 16 years because she meets a lot of fascinating people and enjoys hearing their stories. This trip has certainly taught me that. Everyone has a story and most are willing to share it. I've met a lot of great people these last seven weeks, including Larissa, Margie and Lydia. My regret has been that I've not had more time to listen about their lives.

Hard to believe that tomorrow will be the last ride of this trip, completing our trek across America. It will be a bit difficult saying good-bye to these folks that 50 days ago were strangers but who are now friends. We've shared an experience that few get to do. Incredible.

Be well. Do good.

Don

Day 47. Friday, August 2

Day 47. Friday, August 2. Little Falls to Latham, NY. 75 miles

Fabulous. Another great day on the bicycle. I'm glad to report that the swelling in my legs is all but gone and my ankles are almost back to normal. Those compression stockings seem to be working - and they are such a fashion statement!  The skies cleared up with large, puffy white clouds. The temperature was about 80 - perfect riding weather.

Today we followed the Mohawk River all day.  After the first few climbs of a couple hundred feet (altitude, not length) we were rewarded with a spectacular panorama of the Mohawk valley.  The pictures just don't do it justice.   This is an area Tam and I agree we'd like to visit again. We went through a number of picturesque small towns, including Canajoharie, Amsterdam and Fultonville, named after Robert Fulton, inventor of the steam engine. I'm not sure he lived here, but no doubt close by if not here. For about 17 miles or so, we were on a bike path. Very nice. We also touched into Schenectady before getting into Latham. I got in just before one, so I had a nice chance to shower, put my feet up, take a nap and go out for a milk shake and ice cream with Tam. Such a nice day.  

Hard to believe we are down to the last three ride days. Tomorrow, we enter Vermont and will be there just one night. Tomorrow is filled with several long, pretty steep climbs. We've not seen anything like this since maybe Wyoming. Hopefully I'll be able to find the climbing legs in time. The theme for tomorrow is gear down and take it as slow as I need to.

Be well. Do good.

Don

Day 46. Thursday, August 1

  Day 46. Thursday, August 1o Little Falls, NY. 79 miles

I'm back on the bike! After one day of extra rest, it felt good to get back in the saddle.
When I got back to the group last night, I think every rider found me and warmly welcomed me back. Having spent the last six weeks with this group, you get pretty tight and want only good things for everyone. I told them that there were still some issues that I'll have to check out once back in Columbus, but not enough to ground me. I will take it easy the rest of the way and not press too hard. I need to get the swelling down and the fluid out of my lungs.

The day started out very overcast with a strong chance of rain, mid 60s, increasing during the day to mid 70s. Yuval volunteered to hang back and ride with me. The first 25 to 30 miles were fairly flat and a pace of 17 to 18 felt very comfortable. I stopped a couple of times along the way to put my feet up to help drain fluid. As we pulled out of the first SAG stop at mile 33, it started to rain, keeping a fairly steady drizzle most of the rest of the day, so out came the rain gear. Funny thing about riding in the rain...once you get used to the idea of being wet, it's no big deal. Once in a while I got too close to Yuval's back wheel and got an extra spray right in the face.

The second half of the ride presented a few more ups and downs, so between the hills and the rain, the average speed came down. We were able to keep a pace of 14 to 16 pretty comfortably. Today we entered into the Mohawk River valley, passing through a number of picturesque towns, farms and fruit stands. Much of the day was next to the old Erie Canal. Yesterday, the group rode about 25 miles on a bike path that was part of the old tow path.

With about 10 miles left, POW, my back tire blew. We tried to find what may have caused it to blow, but finding nothing, we proceeded to change the tube. On rides like this, it's easier to fill the tube using a CO2 cartridge that pumps air in quickly - POW! It blew again. This time when we looked, we saw the tire (not the tube) had a rip in the sidewall. No way I would be able ride on this! Fortunately, one of the support vans came by just then. We threw the bike and me into the van, drove about three blocks to a gas station, waited five minutes for the mechanics van, and Jim had a spare tire. In ten minutes, tire changed and we were back on the road. It felt good to finally pull into the hotel, get out of the wet clothes and into a hot shower.

We are in Little Falls, NY tonight. This town used to produce a lot of cheese. As roads developed in the 1920s and 30s, and as refrigeration became more common, they found they could transport the milk a lot further. Consequently, much of the local cheese production slowed and the farmers began to ship their milk to NYC and parts of New England. This county produces much of the milk used in these areas.

I forgot to mention earlier that when I was in the hospital in Rochester, Tam drove up, fully expecting to take me back to Columbus. She will be with us the rest of the way. It's so good to have her here.

Thanks, Yuval, for staying with me today.

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, prayers and support.

Be well. Do good.

Don