Onward and Upward To The Finish

It's now been two weeks since we departed Jacksonville and all we have to show for it is close to 1100 miles as we sit in Farmington, Ct. tonight trying to relax after a long, hot day punctuated by a serious climb in the last two miles to get to our hotel.
We started at the Norwalk train station this morning meeting Wayne, Christina and Chris who are friends of Betsy and Alicia at the MMRF. They directed us along the beautiful coast of southern Connecticut toward New Haven where we were to pick up a rails-to-trails from the Yale Campus to the day's finish town.
Most of those reading this blog are not cyclists but I can offer this to you -- if you ever have a chance to ride on a rails-to-trails (converted railroad tracks replaced with pavement for joggers, cyclists and walkers), take advantage of it and do it. Most are scenic, flat and just beautiful. Today's was no exception going through some natural wetlands, forests and of course behind some factory buildings no longer active.
Betsy joined us down the street from her house and rode the longest she has ever gone on a bike, she said. We had lunch adjacent to the Yale Campus at Educated Burger which was good. Then we met Alicia a couple of miles down on the trail and off we went.
The pair -- Alicia and Betsy -- are truly a pair. Hard workers, always looking to get the word out about MM and quite devoted to the foundation. I can't say enough about how they have cared for the three of us since we left Jacksonville.

Our designated driver stands on the coastline of southern Connecticut between Norwalk and New Haven. She earned her "angel" wings she received from Betsy and Alicia at the beach party yesterday.

Betsy (left) and Alicia have been controlling my life for months now -- which is a good thing. They have coordinated so much on this ride that a simple thank you doesn't come close to express my appreciation for all of the things they have done for the three of us on this ride. Alicia is even going to the finish line Tuesday to greet us.

An Unbelieveable Day

From the time Carmen showed up at Bruce's house at 5:50 a.m. to the time Alicia dropped us off at the hotel we are staying at in Norwalk, the day was filled with unbelievable happenings.
Carmen is a mid 40s mom who has already been through two stem cell transplants in her fight against multiple myeloma. She lives in my old home town of Little Silver and she wanted to be part of the ride so she joined us for only about 5 miles. You can see her on my Facebook page.
From there, Bruce, Diane and myself caught the 7 a.m. Seastreak to Manhattan and while on board, a conversation started with a couple of businessmen on the way to work. Seems like one man's friend is in stage 4 of multiple myeloma and the prognosis is not good. Next to him, a gentleman named Neil was listening to the conversation, heard what we are doing, and said he was going to donate to the cause. A short time later, a donation was received in the amount of $500!! Wow. Thank you very much Neil.
Dolores and Diane met us in Manhattan to escort us through the Bronx after riding up the Hudson River on the west side of the city. Bruce joined us all of the way until 125 street before turning around and taking the train back home. That was great and I really appreciate the time we spent together riding two of the last three days.
By the time we got into Connecticut, Tom joined us and led us to the beach party Alicia and Betsy from the MMRF had planned for us. When we rode into the park, about 15 MMRF folks were there cheering, ringing cow bells and making us feel very special. Thank you to everyone who turned out.
Waiting for me was Channel 12 to do an interview, which has already aired here locally. The first question from the reporter put me into a crying, choked up mode and it took me awhile to compose myself before I could talk.
Alicia and Betsy arranged a massage at Equinox in town and that was terrific as well.
And finally, to cap off the day, the two of them took us to dinner and we didn't arrive in our hotel until well past 10 p.m.
Special thanks have to go out to:

• Alicia and Betsy from the MMRF finding us tour guides in Manhattan and planning out the entire day for us. It continues tomorrow as well
• Tom Holland,the MMRF endurance coach who guides us from the Connecticut border to the party
• Dolores and Diane who spent all morning with us guiding us around Manhattan and putting up with all of the photo "ops" we had to stop for.
• My brother Bruce who had better things to do today but opted to ride his bike with us to Manhattan and then take the train back home to Red Bank
• Alicia and Betsy again for making a big deal over the three of us, giving us all medals of distinction for our work so far. Bobbie also received a special honor -- an angel costume because she is certainly one.

A special mention should also go to the Dunkin Donuts person at the Mobil gas station just inside the Connecticut border. Today, the temperature was hovering about 97 all afternoon and Diane and I were out of water. So, Diane went inside to ask for some ice and was promptly told it would be $1. She told the guy what she was doing and he still refused. Ice is expensive these days I guess.
A young lady in line behind Diane saw what was going on, made her purchase and then asked for a cup of ice, which she received and promptly gave it to Diane.
I went inside a short time later and asked for a cup of ice. The same guy looked me straight in the eye, walked aside and brought me the ice. I told him I would return any ice I didn't use because I knew how important it was to him to keep a close watch on that inventory.

Local television Channel 12 in Norwalk interviewed me immediately after reaching our destination. Hope to get a copy of the finished show to place on the blog.

Diane and Carmen join me at the start of the day around 6 a.m. before riding to the ferry in Atlantic Highlands. Carmen is going to beat the disease and we are counting on her doing that. What a great outlook she has.

Kickin Back

Not much to report today except we spent a couple of hours with Capt. Bruce and First Mate Jill on the Hannah Lee cruising on the Navisink River which separates Red Bank, Fair Haven and Rumson from Middletown. Directly across from the Fair Haven Yacht Club where the boat is docked sits Jon Bon Jovi's mansion. His neighbors include Maury Povich, Queen Latifa and Derek Jeter. This is not your low rent district.
Red Bank is an old town, built in the 1800s and is a suburb community for those who work in Manhattan. Commuters can reach the city by car, bus, train or boat, which we are taking Friday to the base of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Bruce and I grew up from 1955-1967 in Little Silver, the next town over and the present home of Carmen, a multiple myeloma survivor who has had two stem cell transplants and she is only in her mid 40s. She is joining us on the bike ride from Bruce's house to the first bridge, about 3 miles. I can't wait to meet her.
Red Bank was also the home of Count Basie, a world renowed musician from the 40s and 50s. The old movie theater here in town is now a playhouse named after him and tonight, Crosby Stills and Nash is playing there. We can walk to the venue if we were going.
The Count Basie hosts terrific shows during the year, especially in the summer when it is delightful to be in this area. Bruce loves the four seasons (weather, not Franki Valli) and that's why it is almost impossible for him to leave the area except during the grey months of winter.
And finally, a visit to Red Bank can not be complete without an Elsie's sub. In Miami, there was a place called Captain Jimmys on 8th street which we stopped at before going to a game in the Orange Bowl. That was a good sub. But it doesn't compare to Elsies. Last month, Bruce, who has free flying priviledges on United/Continental this year, flew down for a couple of days and surprised us with a couple of Elsie subs. Now that was a treat.

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

I spent 12 years growing up in a town called Little Silver and went to high school in Red Bank, the town we are in at my brother's house. He never left the area except for 4 years in the Air Force and a miserable time living in Miami for a year back in the early 70s.
Today, Bruce met us in Lakehurst and led us back 31 miles to his house where we are going to lay low until Friday morning.
The ride from Ocean City (we spent the night in Atlantic City but drove south to start the day) took us through a couple of state parks and forests and it was great not to have to fight 18-wheelers and tour busses for space on the road. In fact it was so quiet on the road today that I actually was able to listen to music while riding for close to an hour.
We also encountered our first "rollers" of the trip. A roller is a short climb followed by a descent quickly followed up another ascent. Fortunately the dozen or so we rode were not large or long and we breezed through easily.
About an hour from meeting Bruce, we passed through the bustling town of Chatsworth, population 2 families. And both were involved with the restaurant, err., hot dog cart which was parked on the sidewalk of the main through street we were on. So, we treated ourselves to a scrumptous, undercooked hot dog and a cold can of Coke. I'll let you know when the taste disappears for good.
The hot dog, not the soda.
Wound up with 90 miles more today and my total on the odometer is just 2 dozen or so less than the 1,000 miles I had expected to be at already.

The "restaurant" in Chatsworth. At least the soda was cold.

Thursday is not a travel day unless you want to count the miles we will be sailing with Bruce on the river. Then we get another Massage Envy massage (second of three we are receiving) before heading out to Manhattan early Friday.

4 States in One Day

It's a good thing the portions of Maryland and Delaware we passed through were small otherwise we wouldn't have been able to make it into New Jersey today after departing Virginia around 7:30 this morning. That's four states in one day and another 85 miles behind us.
We were pressed for time all day today because there was a strong headwind from the north at more than 18 mph which slowed our pace to under 14 all day. At first, we were shooting for the 12:45 ferry from Delaware to Cape May, NJ but that quickly was jettisoned because of the strong wind.
Another hour later and I was having second thoughts about making the 2:45 ferry because we were not going anywhere fast today.
Finally, with 9 miles to go and 66 minutes to get to the boat, Diane loaded her bike in the car and I set off on my own trying to make the departure.
All day, I have a real-time GPS going on my phone so those who are following on line can see the progress I am making. It also provides me a road map of where I am and gives me an idea of how much farther it is to my next landmark. However, my battery died at the wrong time and I had no clue as to my location and if I was going to make departure.
After much effort, I pulled into the parking lot of the ferry about 10 minutes before they loaded.
When we got to the other side, I became a little watery in the eyes as our friend from Miami -- Martina -- and her family were waiting on the Jersey side of the ferry with a sign that read, Go Marty Florida to Maine. I was humbled by that and really appreciated the gesture.
Instead of riding for another 2 hours, we sat and had a drink with her at the dock. Did I say I was touched by their gesture?
Anyway, because of the time spent sitting, Diane and I only rode another 45 minutes and while it didn't get us to OceanCity, we figured we had a full day.
Tomorrow, my brother is meeting us in Lakehurst, not too far from where the Hindenburg Blimp exploded during a storm some 60 years ago or more. My brother used to work at that airfield.

 Martina with her sign -- so appreciated and so thoughtful.







And after more than 850 miles and 10 days on the road, we are in New Jersey.

Our Weather Luck Continues

We beat a major rain storm into Chincoteague Island this afternoon completing a 75 actual riding miles day which brought our total since Father's Day to more than 800. I say actual because we cheated leaving Virginia Beach this morning, stacking the bikes into the van and driving to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel on which we were not allowed to ride anyways. So, if you are keeping score at home, add another 36 miles to the day's total.
Being an early bird, I was able to capture the sunrise on Virginia Beach before 6 a.m. and then here on the island, I captured sunset around 8:30. In between we saw pods of dolphins swimming close to shore, wild horses in the marsh lands here on the island and Diane saw a couple of Baltimore Orioles (and here I thought they were playing in Yankee Stadium tonight).
As for the ride, Bobbie said Roy is watching over us as again the prevailing wind was at our back and we cruised along for a couple of hours at 18 plus mph. When you are eating up miles at a good clip, it makes the day a lot shorter and easier.
Most of the ride was on Hwy. 13 which is a divided, 4-lane highway and for a majority of the 65 miles we were on it, the shoulder was extremely wide so Bobbie was able to hop-scotch with us all morning, going up about 5-7 miles and waiting for us and then repeating it again and again.
She stopped in one place adjacent to a SunTrust bank and Diane was happy because she had to take care of some banking business and her bank is, drum roll please, SunTrust. We were also able to fax Alicia the turn by turn directions we will use when we get to Manhattan on Friday.
I can't believe that we will be in New Jersey tomorrow afternoon. New Jersey!! Of course that is after we knock out Virginia in the first 15 minutes of our ride, then Maryland and Delaware before we hop on our next to last ferry ride of the journey.
A friend wrote and asked how I was doing because he knows I have not gone more than 9 straight days of riding before and tomorrow is day 10. I said my legs are good, my conditioning is good, even my shoulders are not locked up if you can believe it after being hunched over the handlebars for as long as I have been since last Sunday.
But without going into much detail, my left pinky is numb and has little or no feeling in it (no clue except to think I apply too much pressure on my left hand in the wrong spot) and the place which is in constant contact with the seat needs major attention. Did I say major attention? More than that.


Sunrise on Virginia Beach a couple of minutes before we spotted the pod of dolphins. The ocean, as you can see, was really calm.



Sunset (below) over the only road in or out of the island.

And the opportunity to take a solo shot against a field of wild flowers presented itself on a rest stop in Virginia (bottom picture)

I'm Getting To Be A Road Expert

Cyclists are pretty well tuned in to the sounds of the roads, especially sounds that are picking up speed behind you while riding. Well, after close to 800 miles on this ride (75 more today from Kitty Hawk to Virginia Beach, and goodbye North Carolina) I have been able to distinguish happy drivers and those I will politely call country bumpkins.
Since Bobbie is only going 15 mph behind us most of the day, on country roads like the one we were on today, traffic has a tendency to build up behind her. So, when a car passes, you can hear the engine scream into higher rpms and as they pass the two cyclists, they fall into one of three categories:

1. The passive driver -- just accelerate and get going.
2. The happy driver -- a couple of beep beep beeps on the horn and a friendly wave or thumbs up and
3. The country bumpkin -- a loud, long horn blast followed by a get off the road or some other foul remark and every so often the middle finger salute. Not to profile this individual, but every one of the half dozen bumpkins who have shot me the bird so far has a pickup truck, diesel engine usually, and some kind of rack on the window for guns or fishing poles.

Don't you just hate it when two cyclists delay your trip by 45 seconds or less?
For a majority of the ride, we have been travelling on Rte. 17 or Rte. 17A which are four lanes so we can block one of the lanes and traffic can still go past. But there is always a loud noise coming from the other lane -- be it with loud mufflers, engine sounds or tires on pavements, making it almost impossible to communicate with walkie-talkies.
But today we hit the jackpot. After talking to a local citizen at the museum Saturday, we decided to see if we could catch a third ferry in North Carolina which would take us away from the highway on to the country roads we have been searching for.
Well we made it with 10 minutes to spare and we were treated to that country road winding through and past waterways and beautiful lakes and parks. We even passed a vineyard along with numerous cornfields (I thought I was in Iowa with Moonlight Graham).
Monday we have to transport the bikes across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel as cyclists are not allowed on the span. So the day's ride will be shortened by close to 30 miles but will still be challenging at 75 or thereabouts. I'm excited because we are only a couple of days away from my brother's house and on Thursday we get to take a break -- no riding, just resting.

Kitty Hawk & The Wright Brothers

Almost halfway on this journey to Maine after a short ride from Cape Hatteras to about a mile from the Wright Brothers National Monument here in Kitty Hawk, NC., a distance of only 55 miles.
We started this morning from the entrance to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse park and discovered 10-15 foot high sand dunes butted up against the only road north south on the island. If you didn't smell the ocean, you might think you were in the middle of a desert as the sand was blowing across the street.
Friday was a good day riding because the wind was at  our back. Today, the wind changed 180 degrees and now we were riding directly into the headwind which slowed us down considerably.
When the route went across the Oregon Inlet, the bridge was more than Diane wanted to challenge and she grabbed a ride across and into Nags Head. Since the road was one-lane in each direction, I tried to go as quickly as I could not to hold up traffic since there was about 6 inches of bike lane between the white line and the cement curb.
After a quick change, Bobbie and I finally got to the Wright Brothers National Monument after passing it once before in 1975. Interesting to see that the first powered airplane flight is shorter than the wing span of a 747 today. If you have never been here, it is well worth the $4 admission charge, unless you are 62 or over and have a Golden Eagle Pass from the National Park Systems. Then it is free.
So the hard miles begin again Sunday as we go to Virginia Beach. I have it about 80 miles and we are exploring the possibility of shortening the ride with another ferry ride.

Inside the Wright Brothers Museum in Kitty Hawk. One interesting piece of information -- part of the original fabric from the original plane was placed on board Apollo 11 and flew to the moon with Armstrong and Aldrin.

A New Land Speed Record

Cycling can be a breeze, especially when you have 18 mph winds at your back, which we did today when we reached Ocracoke Island after a 2 1/2 hour ferry ride from the mainland of North Carolina.
Started out in Atlantic Beach early to make sure we made the 11 a.m. ferry and thanks to the winds at our back all morning, we did the 46 miles in about 3 hours, the fastest we have covered that distance so far.
The ferry was air conditioned so all three of us took time to take a nap in the lounge upstairs. Bobbie had on her wrist bracelets for sea sickness and she was okay.
Stopped immediately in Ocracoke for lunch and it was terrific. Sitting outside in a shaded area, drinking as much fluid as I could, we just relaxed knowing the total miles for the day was only going to be 74, though total distance was more than 100 miles.
Once out on the wide road, through the blowing sand and large dunes blocking the view of the ocean, Diane and I had Bobbie drive ahead to the next ferry and we just hammered the 19 miles in under an hour. In fact, at one point, I told Diane I was going to see how fast I could go and I burned out at 33 mph. Of course, it will not be an official land speed record because it was wind aided.
By the time we got to the hotel (one of only 2 we actually have to pay for; others are booked using either HIlton or Marriott points), the sun was setting but still enough light to view the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the beach.
So that is where we are resting tonight -- Cape Hatteras.
Saturday we are going to visit the Wright Brother's Museum in Kitty Hawk as our ride is only 50 miles.
Sometime on Sunday we will pass the halfway point already. Hard to believe that we have come so far in such a short period of time.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse on the east coast and the largest brick lighthouse in the world. It sits about 1,000 yards from our hotel.

Another Perspective

If you'd like to see and read a different perspective, read Diane's blog at http://www.sunnysongster.blogspot.com/

Don't Look Now, There Is A Cop Behind You

Let's get the facts out of the way first:

1. 120 miles on day 1
2. 93 miles day 2
3. 110 miles day 3
4. 107 miles day 4
5. 94 miles today

Other important facts:Number of times pulled over by North Carolina State Police (1)
We came across to the barrier island Atlantic Beach is located and Bobbie was doing her thing, blocking traffic behind her to protect the riders in front. Then I heard a police siren, looked back and sure enough, he was pulling her over.
I circled back and got between his car and Bobbie and he started talking.
Seems like someone in the lineup of cars behind her called the police to complain about someone holding up traffic. So after a couple of minutes, he gave us a couple of suggestions which we ignored and we both went our separate ways. Bobbie then drove ahead and met us at the hotel.

When we got to mile 50 today, we started looking for lunch and with nothing in sight for miles, we stopped under an overpass to get out of the hot sun. All of a sudden this single rider comes by and stops to talk. He is doing a charity ride of his own for Pancreatic Cancer. You think we are crazy? He started just east of Houston, Texas and is going to Baltimore. That, if you are keeping score at home, is more than 2,000 miles. And he is doing it alone with his support vehicle showing up every so often, hop scotching ahead and behind him along the way. They are camping all of the way through.
Sometime on the Outer Banks in the next two days, we will have passed the halfway point of this voyage. Unbelievable.
Someone asked me about the ride so far and I can tell you that there are a lot of boring times when all you are doing is pedalling and trying to get miles behind you. But then you get those moments when a car passes you, beeps the horn and yells out "Get the Hell Out of the Way Will Ya!". No actually, we get quite a few people who read the banner, pass Bobbie and beep the horn and give us a thumps up.
We did get our first middle finger salute late today on this island from a guy, in a pickup truck of course, who beeped the horn to get my attention, then showed me exactly who is No. 1.
In all of the miles, we have had 5 minutes of a slight drizzle and that was in North Myrtle Beach. As a service station owner, I have been tracking the price of gas and the lowest price so far was at Krogers in North MYrtle Beach at $2.99 for regular.

Chris from Texas joins Diane and Marty under a highway overpass near Camp LeJeune. He was heading to Baltimore on a 2,000 mile ride to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer.

The Best Day Yet

Where does one start to describe the fantastic day we had today going from Georgetown to Wilmington, N.C.?
Do we start with Andy who we found riding near Myrtle Beach who joined us for about 10 miles? Or do we bring in Andy McVey, an attorney here in Wilmington who came to the Hilton and then took the three of us to dinner because, he said, "we were rock stars."
Maybe we should talk about Tanya and Roy Walton who wanted to know who was parked in their driveway looking all hot and bothered and then donated $50 when they found out what we were doing.
Should we mention the lady who flagged down Diane right when we got to the NOrth Carolina border and handed her money for the cause?
Or should we talk about Pat at Massage Envy who took my weary body, had a couple of snap, crackle and pops come out of my shoulders and turned me into mush.
Why don't we start at the start.
The Hampton Inn in Georgetown is a terrific place to stay right on the water and adjacent to a terrific restaurant. We left there at 7:40 this morning with a 101 mile day scheduled.
Diane was strong from the start, recovered from dehydration. Today she was able to draft most of the day which saved her probably 20% or more in energy. She was so strong that late in the day, when the wind was from the back and the surging traffic in the next lane caused a suction in front of us, we actually held 18 and above for a good 25 minutes. And that, my friends, eats up the mileage.
Anyway, when we got to Murrells Inlet I saw a group of cyclists on the other side of the road and I invited them to come along. Andy, from Jacksonville, joined us and then met the rest of his family at the fire station.
During the ride, Bobbie received a call from Andy the attorney who said he wanted to take us to dinner. He has been in contact with the MMRF and he wanted to do something to help since his father died from the same disease in the mid 90s. What a great humble guy he is. Sorry we didn't have more time to spend with him because it was already 7 when we met and I had an appointment at 8:15 at Massage Envy. But we had time to eat Italian and it was great fun to be with him. Like I said, wish I had more time to talk more with him. (A special shout-out to Alicia at MMRF for the hookup; my kids will just go bonkers when they read all of the latest and greatest terms they use which I never did before).
So now, it is a bit before 11 p.m. and we are sitting in a bar/laundry a couple of blocks from the hotel. We decided that if we don't wash some stuff, we might as well burn it because the smell will never come out. Doing the wash in a sink and drying in the bathtub with a fan just doesn't make it. My biking jerseys were in desperate need of a solid cleaning -- or being made part of the landfill.
Tomorrow is a short day -- 93 miles as we approach the ferry to Ocracoke and Cape Hatteras which comes up Friday.
I can't tell you how many drivers read the banner on the back of the van (did I already give a special shout out to Paul Klugerman and Sign-a-Rama on Kendall Drive who donated it?) and then drive by beeping their horn and giving us a thumbs up. I don't know, maybe it is because I'm used to Miami drivers, but when I hear a car horn and look up, I expect to see another finger pointed in my direction.
So after 4 days, we have finished off 3 states, more than 400 miles and right now I feel great. Looking toward the Outer Banks when the mileage drops for a couple of days so we can enjoy the area.

That is Diane, Andy from Jacksonville and Marty in Murrell Inlet. He was out riding for fun when I asked him to join us.

2 states, 300 miles in 3 days

Add Brenda from the Providence Baptist Church and fire chief David as two new friends of our ride. Brenda was stuck in traffic behind Bobbie's van (she always rides directly behind us with the banner on the back so people know there are riders ahead) and when I pulled into the church parking lot looking for a public restroom for Diane, Brenda pulled in directly behind us. If she didn't come by, noone would have answered the knocking on the door. So, not only did everyone get a bathroom break, but she got us more ice for our coolers and bottles and boy did we need it today.
Diane is dehydrated and decided not to finish the last 15 miles today, riding in with Bobbie to the hotel. At dinner she was cold, not a good sign. But she drank and drank tonight so she should be okay in the morning.
As for Fire Chief David, he suggested we take a detour from the shortcut to Georgetown, which added 9 miles to the route. But he said the road was nothing but bumps and we wouldn't like the ride, especially on bikes.
No body flagged us down today to hand us money. In fact, we received nothing in donations today from people we met. That's okay. We handed out 10 cards and told them about websites and how to make donations if they would like to support the MMRF.

Today's picture comes to you courtesy of a car repair shop outside Walterboro. We were riding past it when I saw it and had to stop and get the picture. If you haven't seen the movie Cars, you won't recognize Towmater. Unfortunately, the 1950s tow truck doesn't have an engine but the man I spoke with said he has one coming and is going to restore the truck.

Another Day, Another State

You can mark off Georgia along with Florida if you are keeping score at home. Two states in two days -- can't get better than that.
After an overnight in Richmond Hill, Ga., about 20 miles from Savannah, our ride today was supposed to be 80 miles to Walterboro, SC., but somehow we couldn't find the road we were supposed to take and finished with 93 miles today.
But it was a great day. On one stretch of road, a motorist pulled up behind Bobbie and read the banner on the back of the van. Bobbie waved her around but she didn't go. Instead she pulled up next to Bobbie, who pulled off to the side, and she handed her $2. She said she has a lot of cancer in her family.
We are getting a lot of people reading the banner, which again I have to mention was donated by Paul Klugerman from Sign-A-Rama in Kendall next to Bankok Bankok. And after they read it, they pass Bobbie and beep their horns as they pass Diane and myself.
Diane has been the steady rider maintaining her pace the entire day. Sometimes I find myself a couple of hundred yards ahead and have to slow down more for safety than other reason. When cars pass the van, they see Diane but sometimes don't realize there is another rider ahead. So to be safe, I try to maintain a closer distance.
Late in the day today, we rode under a complete canopy of oak trees and Spanish Moss for a couple of miles. Terrific because the sun was hot today.
We passed a place in Georgia that carves totem poles like in Vancouver and then passed a house with old gas station signs plastered on the outside walls. Let's see if you remember Dino the Dinosaur, Flying A and Esso. They were there.
Tuesday we actually are going to stay in state with another 100 miler scheduled to Georgetown. Heavy miles to start but we have had zero elevation change, unless you count overpasses elevation changes. But we have had some good downhill run outs for half a mile or so when you can just coast down.
Our trip so far has gone over or under I-95 a bunch of times and our hotel tonight sits just on the west side of the interstate. We passed over I-16 in Georgia and won't see another interstate highway after leaving the hotel tomorrow morning until Virginia.
Surprisingly, we both feel strong and Bobbie enjoys the drive. The GPS I have on my phone gives me the map and location of where I am and Bobbie has the turn by turn directions. So, when things get a bit tricky with numerous turns, I call up the map, get BObbie's directions and can see when the next turn is going to be. Great system.
And so far, a great ride.

The Longest Day Is Over

When I first mapped out the route to Maine, the first day was going to be 126 miles, by far the longest day riding. Well, it actually was 122 miles and it was 12 hours riding with multiple stops. It was a great first day.
To start with, we had 5 folks from Jacksonville join us leaving the airport area and rode to the Georgia line with us, about 22 miles. Betsy's sister was there as well as Mark who owns one of the Jacksonville bike shops. It was great to have an escorted ride out of town.
Two things will be the highlights of the first day.
At one stop in Glynn County, we found a brand new county park and stopped in to have something to eat. By the picnic area, we found sisters Judy and Robyn having lunch and getting lunch ready for their kids. When they saw the banner on the back of the van, they started asking questions and then offered us some hot bake beans, biscuits, devil eggs and chicken. Tremendous.
About an hour later, a lady flagged Bobbie down and she handed her some money for the ride. She said, Bless you, it is a wonderful thing you are doing. Wow. That was great.
Anyway, we found the hotel, got something to eat and now it is time to rest up. This was the second longest ride I've ever done, second to the cross Florida ride I did a couple of years back.

Tomorrow, we are off to Walterboro, S.C. with a bypass of Savannah. About 80 miles so it won't be as long as today.

That's Diane with me checking GPS.

It Starts Tomorrow

It's 9 p.m. and we are less than 12 hours away from starting out.
Stopped at Molly's House in Stuart this morning and had a great talk with Louise Murtaugh, who hired us for her golf tournament two years ago. Molly's House is similar to the Ronald McDonald homes around the country -- when parents need a place to stay while their children are undergoing medical treatments, they have one. Louise has always offered us a room whenever we are in the area and we so appreciate the offer.
From Stuart, we met Michelle, Roy's neice, in Melbourne for lunch and we talked and swapped stories about her uncle for a couple of hours. She also gave us a huge bag of goodies to eat and snack on during the trip. Thank you Michelle.
And now, after a 3 hour drive, we are ready to wrap things up for the evening with an early morning start. Diane has all of her stuff in our van ready to go.
We might have a send off party in the morning  with a couple of riders from the area joining us on the ride to Georgia, about 20 miles. But we will see when we get up in the morning.
So, after almost a year of talking about doing a long distance ride, here we are.
We've raised close to $5,000 so far which is what I am most proud of, including a donation today from Pennsylvania.
Keep posted-- pictures coming tomorrow.

Making Our Way North

It was exactly 9 a.m. when we pulled out of the driveway Friday and now we are getting ready to drive to Melbourne after an afternoon and evening at the Hutchinson Island Marriott.
This trip would not be possible without the frequent mileage points we have accumulated over the years. All but two nights of the 21 days we are staying at hotels on this trip are paid for with either Hilton or Marriott points.
This hotel is nice, golf course on property and access to a wide beach. We sat at the pool relaxing for a couple of hours -- didn't feel like doing much.
Today we meet Michelle, Roy's neice, for lunch before heading to Jax for the night and meeting Diane.

A special shout out to Paul Klugerman and Sign-A-Rama for donating this banner which goes on the back of our van every day.

Ready or Not.........

Like my daughter Mindy wrote this week, from a conversation at the dinner table last summer to reality today, we are departing for our marathon ride to Maine. Hard to believe.
Let's go over everything to make sure we have it: Gatorade? Hydration pack? Water bottles? Shorts? Protein? Clothes? Hotel Reservations? Got em all. Oh yeah, bike? Ready to roll after a good 50 miler Thursday.
Bobbie asked if I am excited and to be honest, I am not excited .... yet. Got stuff to do before getting on the bike Sunday. Questioning why but knowing the answer.
Maine is a long way away and as long as I go at my pace and not try to break the land speed record and tax my legs, I think my conditioning will get me through.
Today, it is off to Boca Raton to discuss possibly hooking up with an event planner in Palm Beach County and then a short drive to Hutchinson Island where we are going to relax and enjoy the beach.
Late lunch with Fernando and Michelle Saturday before meeting up with Diane in Jax.
Here we go.

Getting Antsy

Wednesday morning -- the bike is ready today. Haven't riden long distance since Saturday, though am going out Thursday morning. The car is in the shop because a noise developed Tuesday and all indications are that the compressor is about to go. Rather here than on the road. Things don't work as well as they used to -- compressor only had 122 thousand miles on it.
Getting antsy to get started.

Head South if You Are Going North

Crazy last couple of days. Sunday morning I went out to do my regular ride with Joe and Ray and about 4 miles into the ride, I asked Joe if my back tire was flat because I was getting a thump, thump feeling. Nothing he said. Less than a minute later, I started getting a rubbing sound which made us stop. The back tire had begun to separate and on closer inspection, it was thread bare. A quick call to the Bobbie taxi and my ride was done for the day. While waiting, the tire actually blew out so it was a good thing we stopped when we did.
So being home early meant we could deliver Madden (Allison's dog) to Key West earlier than expected and drove down to spend the night there with Alli and Pete. She lives 2 blocks from mile marker Zero on U.S. 1, and about a half mile from the southern most point in the United States.
And here I am less than a month from being in the northern most state in the country. I guess if you are going to go north, you should start off by going south.
The good folks at the MMRF sent us an APP so if you want to follow the route we are going to take in real time, log on to Real Time GPS Tracker - Android Apps 
post a comment here with your email and we will send you directions on how to get "hooked up."
Down to five days now. Diane is getting ready and has graciously donated $150 to the MMRF ride. And one of her friends also donated, again very much appreciated.
We are going to meet up at the hotel in Jacksonville Saturday night after Bobbie and I have a late lunch with Roy's neice in Melbourne. Looking forward to seeing her and husband Fernando.
Now we are in maintenance mode with just one 50 miler this week and another shorter ride Wednesday.
If anyone has connections for a hotel/motel in Nags Head, NC., please let me know. We need one night still on Nags Head and it is a Saturday night so most places are sold out.

Thank You Elite Cycling

Last night, despite a huge rainstorm right at 6:30, we had our wine/cheese reception at Elite Cycling and it was a fun couple of hours. Hadn't seen some people for a couple of months and it was nice to see them. Surprisingly, we received a lot of money in donations and with what has come in this week, we went over the $4,000 mark or about 20% of my goal. Thank you one and all for your support. The party was not so much about getting donations, but it was more about getting the word out about the disease and the ride.
Marcelo and KC and Matt at Elite were very hospitable and I want to say that if you are looking for service on your bike or looking for a new bike, Elite is the place to go. KC fitted me for my new bike a couple of months back and there is a huge difference between the way I feel on this bike and my Trek.
Thanks also go to Bob Wechsler for allowing me to use his bike trainer the past couple of months. While I probably did a couple of hundred miles while watching television in the family room, I didn't do nearly the number of miles I thought I would do.
Today's ride was terrific. Almost broke 30 mph on the flat right before we got to the break/rest stop. Hit 28.7 mph which is really fast for me.
So, we are down to one Sunday ride, one 50 miler Thursday and off we go next Friday.
Thanks to everyone who came last night. It's almost time for liftoff.

The Last Long Practice Run

Good day on the roads today -- the metro police pulled over the big group which gives all of the cyclists a bad name in the community and ticketed them for running a stop sign. Had to be 50 cyclists who when they make a loop on Key Biscayne continually ignore the stop sign, blow through it and then take up both lanes of the westbound traffic going back to the mainline. Motorists and cyclists are at odds with each other, as is usually the case all over.
But I got in 81 miles on a beautiful, hot day, going to Key Biscayne first and then south almost to Bayfront Park in Homestead. Caught a small group of about 8 riders this morning and sped up to 29.7 to ride in their draft for about 6 miles. Boy that felt good.
What didn't feel good was the last four miles when I was out of food and on my last bottle of water. But on the ride in two weeks, I won't have that problem so while I am a bit fatigued right now, I think I'll be ready to go.
Now it is maintenance -- Tuesday and Thursday rides are 50 miles and then next weekend I will stay at the same mileage. No more long rides until 120 or so from Jacksonville to Richmond Hill, Ga., near Savanah on Father's Day.

Flat Tire Day

The saying when it rains, it pours is often used when things go from bad to worse. Today, one of the guys in our group got a flat tire right before the Powell bridge on Key Biscayne and he came to the restaurant about 15 minutes after we arrived. When we left, the same tire went flat again on Virginia Key and this time, we were stopped for close to 25 minutes.
Then it was my turn as we approached downtown Coconut Grove and glad it was the front tire, my first flat on the new bike.
Wait, not done. Ray rode part of the way back with his cardiologist who confirmed to everyone that Ray has no heart. When we stopped to fix the second flat tire, he took off but I caught him in Coral Gables on the side of the road waiting for a ride. He had two flats -- one he had fixed already and the other was still flat. His ride arrived minutes after I got there.
Today it rained hard all through the area for about 5 minutes and a lot of glass or shards come up from the asphalt. Having that many flat tires in one 50 mile trip is unusual.
Two weeks from today we begin the journey, driving to Jacksonville.