We Made it

From the beaches of the Pacific, to the beaches of the Atlantic, 2939 miles, 186 hours and 19 minutes of pedaling time, 188,454 calories, over 26 days (according to my Garmin bike unit).    We made it.  No bike crashes; no accidents: no dropouts, we all made it.  

My feelings were ones of relief, satisfaction, and disorientation, to be real honest with you. 

Relief to be done pedaling, because my body is tired.   Satisfaction in the accomplishment of a huge goal.  Disorientation related to feeling like I had just left the Pacific Ocean, and now we were at the Atlantic Ocean, and who knows what is going on with the economy of our country.

I will try to sum things up alittle more later, but most of all I want to thank those of you who have followed this effort, supported  and prayed for me.  Thank you so much!

Rick

Detours

First, Peter Pillman called it right, I believe, the butterfly is the Gulf Fritillary.  Thanks Peter!

Today, a few of us detoured to Plains to see the 39th presidents home town.  We toured his farm, and according to the park service, just missed Jimmy.  He had been our riding his bike to the farm, to raid the garden just yesterday.  Apparently he has a blue helmet, and two 'fit' companions who ride along with him, in addition to the black SUV "with all the guns in it".  The former President stays in shape !

We then went into Plains to visit his current living compound.  We didn't see much, but a large fence and nice grounds.   Took some shots of Plains and bought some peanuts.   Peanut harvest was in full swing.

From there we went to Andersonville and  the National Prisoner of War Museum.  We were silenced by the sacrifice of our fellow country men and women, from the War of 1812 to the War in Iraq.  

From there, we rode to Perry.  Got to be a longer day, with over 126 miles covered, but we enjoyed the diversions.  

I am working on my summary of this trip.  So far it comes down to the difference between flying across the United States, and biking across the United States.  Immersing yourself in the environment, as opposed to overlooking it.  I will try to start this discussion tomorrow.

We ride to Metta tomorrow.  

Last of Alabama

Can anyone identify this beautiful butterfly that landed on my pedal during the first rest stop today?

I considered it a blessing to have it share my pedal for awhile.  So fragile and so colorful.

The Wisconsin crew leads the way in this peleton.  Steve and Jerry with John for Great Briton on the right.

Jerry Goode and the Connors on the tandem in this line.

The Connors working together on the tandem.

It was a hilly day, so they worked hard, but kept smiling.

Mark, assuming his favorite position with his favorite rice krispy.

Tomorrow we hope to go visit Jimmy Carter in Plains.

Who knows, I may get to shake the hand of one of my hero's.  Georgia here we come.

Arkansas River

Today, was a straight forward day.  Temps in the 80's humid, and sweaty.  We needed to make 126 miles as minimally painful as possible.  

Steve and I rode together the first part of the day, then Walt and I rode together the middle part, and then Paul and I the last third.  In both cases, we worked together to spare one another the pulling for the entire ride.  (Paul Wilcox is on the left, nearing the end of our ride.  Paul is a very good rider and a joy to talk with.)

Jerry hooked up with the "Hole in the tire gang"  to draft most of the day, very similar to what I did the day before.  They are a good group to ride with.  Steady pace, and they don't really push the pace.

Walt crossing the Alabama River just before lunch.  We call Walt the "energizer bunny"  because he is so steady and just keeps going and going, with no interruptions.  Walt and I pulled each other along.

One more day in Alabama, and on to Georgia.

126 miles, 18.2 mph for the day.

Arkansas today

116 miles and into the state of Alabama.

Yahoo, it was more of a rest day for me.  I hung back and kept the 5000 feet of climbing under control.  Not allowing my legs to burn or explode.  When you have 20 consecutive 100 mile days (uncharted territory for me) you really don't know what to expect from your legs.

From my bike, I expect alot.  And the S-works performed well today on the chip seal, while the aluminum bikes rattled the riders to death.

Lon is assisting our Australian buddy with his TREK.  

The red line is getting across the country, and starting to impress me, i.e. getting closer to the Atlantic, and making me smile.

The goal from here on out is to avoid complacency and accidents.  That is my prayer.

116 miles 15.5 mph, 5600 feet elevation.

Lost early and then 150 miles, oouch!

The "lost' gang, conferring about directions and reading their maps.    Steve Brown is in the center of the photo with the orange/red shirt on.

We ended up adding 5 miles to the route as a result of our faux paux.  That doesn't sound like much, but add that on to 145 mile day, and it gets your attention.  Especially when the hills began to appear at about the 105 mile mark.  They were not big, 4 to 11% grade, but after that many miles, and unexpected, they tend to wear you down.  I completely and totally fried my legs on a couple of them.  As Brian LaVoy would say, I 'burnt my last match" while leading the pace line, for my shift in the front.

I for one, was completely and totally wiped out.

  Bob Sweany from New Jersey, is a fun guy to bike with.  He is well read, and a great conversationalist.  He happens to be an EMT Doctor, also.

The Kudzu is starting to show up now along the roads.  This viney weed has basically taken over the humid/wet southeast US. It is pretty, but very smothering to other plant life.

I did see some cypress bayou's, but no alligators.  

The Swede's and the New Jersey crew, asked me to join them for a while today.  I rode with them to the 2nd rest stop, and then joined Jerry and Mark for the rest of the way.  Although they finished a few minuted ahead of me, because they were racing for the town sign.  I had no race in my legs.   We ended up covering 150 miles in less than 7 hours with an average speed of 19 mph.  

I am toast tonight.  I hope the weekend is easier.  I need some recovery rides.

We're down to 6 riding days.  We've got well over 2200 miles in already.

Crossing the Mighty Mississippi

Bobby crossing the Arkansas River.

We experienced  very smooth landscapes full of cotton and soybeans, along with a fair amount of rice and millet.

An early morning pace line formed and transported Jerry and I for the entire day.   137 miles in less than 7 hour, with a 19.2 mph average.

A short break at the Mississippi state line for pictures.  We had just crossed the mighty Mississippi River, and tangled with fast moving trucks on a narrow span bridge.  To close for our comfort, but we all made it just fine.

Steve Brown tackles one of the bridges we crossed today.

Mississippi here we come.  The Lebanese restaurant in Clarksburg has been the highlight of the trip for eating.  Fantastic food in a little cafe; kibbie's, tabouli, grape leaves, cabbabe leaves, humus, baclava, cream pie, and sweet ice tea.  Just excellent healthy food.

Tomorrow is another long ride of 144 miles.  Alabama is next.