Day +2, Thursday, July 23, 2015.  It has been 48 hours since I arrived in Mt. Pleasant, MI and concluded my Across America North, 2015 adventure.  Shortly after arriving home my daughter Sarah and her two sons Garrett and Ezra arrived for a visit.  Having them in the house is an adventure all in itself and it was great to see and spend time with them.  Jack had to work and did not get home until late but when he did get home it actually appeared as if he might have missed me.  It was obvious that he had lost some weight with me not being here to cook but overall he seemed to be healthy.  It was good to hear from him about his adventures working behind the meat counter at the local meat market.  Despite being very tired I did not sleep very well and was awake and out of bed at 4:30 a.m.  I found it interesting when I awoke to be confused about where I was.   I had just spent the past 37 days living in motels and never was confused about where I was when I woke up.  One of the first things I did after coming downstairs was fire up MY espresso machine.  Imagine that!  Oh, and it was so tasty.  I spent a lazy, relaxing day around the house.  Sarah and the boys left in the mid afternoon and I was able to take a brief nap.  I also went for a twelve-mile bike ride around town just to stretch my legs out and to aid in my physical recovery.  It was nice to ride on my hometown streets again.  Last night I slept much better and awoke knowing exactly where I am.  Home sweet home!!

I have been able to briefly reflect on my trip and what I experienced.  Following is a few of my thoughts:

·      In 39 days of riding I covered 2,908 miles.  This includes the riding I did in Oregon and Washington prior to the beginning of the tour and the riding I did on our off days.   That computes to an average of 75 miles per day.   There were seven days in excess of 100 miles.  In cycling we cyclist take pride in “doing a century” i.e. 100 mile ride and I was able to do seven of them.  Incredible!!  Normally in the summer I consider it great if I get 1000 miles in during a month and 3500 miles for the season would be considered a pretty good season.

·      We climbed a total of 82,300 feet over the course of the tour.  That’s nearly 15 miles of climbing.  I am not a “climber”.  I am too tall and carry too much weight but I think I handled the climbs well just the same.  What I lost on the climbs I compensated for on the descents where I can fly!  Ahhh body mass!  By far the most challenging was in the Tetons and crossing the transcontinental divide.  Those climbs were steep, long and very memorable.  In fairness though so were those screaming descents! 

·      The tour traversed seven different states and eight when I include the solo sojourn into Washington State prior to the official beginning of the tour.  For the most part this included parts of this country that I had never visited before.  My highlight was the Black Hills and magnificent Mt. Rushmore but everyday I was in awe of the grandeur and incredible diversity of the path we covered.  Oh, we certainly live in a beautiful country.

·      I stayed in 34 different motels over 39 days.  Fortunately I had a pretty decent roommate in Bob Cohen aka Boston Bob, Bicycle Bob.  He really did add something special to the trip and made the drudgery of moving in and out of the motels bearable.  I truly enjoyed his company and only hope that he can report the same about me!  Every morning he and I were able to share the expectation of being able to ride our bikes again.

·      I rode and spent lots of time with 35+ fellow riders.  It was a diverse group that represented all areas of the country and even Europe.  The one thing we all shared in common was our love of cycling.  I feel honored to have been able to spend time with all of them and look forward to seeing them on the road sometime, somewhere in the future.

·      The staff of America By Bicycle is first class.  Judy, Karen, Pam, Mike, Rocket and Nick did all they could to make the trip enjoyable and safe.  They are truly committed to helping people achieve and realize their dreams.  I cannot say enough good things about them or the company.  They are top shelf!!

·      Overall I believe that I am one of the most fortunate people in the world.  To have the resources, health, time and support of an incredible wife to pursue my passion is a true blessing.  When I did my first cross country trip four years ago I never dreamed that someday I would be able to do it again.  And in between these two I was able to ride down the west coast of the country two years ago.  Wow, what a charmed life I live. 

For those of you who have been able to follow me on this blog I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you.  (As a disclaimer, I want to acknowledge that most of what I have written is true J) I have had people tell me that they could never do a ride like this.  To that I say, “How do you know?”  Too often we define ourselves in terms of what we “can’t do” as opposed to what we “can do”.  OK, so maybe today you can’t go out and ride 100 miles, run 10 miles, swim a mile, etc..  But perhaps you can ride a mile, walk a mile, or swim 25 yards.  My point?  Figure out what you can do and do it.  Start from there.  Keep moving.  Ride on!

Day 37, Tuesday, July 21, 2015, Ludington, MI to Mt. Pleasant, MI, 112 mile and 2500 feet of climbing.  Well, this ride came to a glorious conclusion today.  I was awake and anxious to get the final leg of the trip done at 4:30 a.m.  Breakfast was not served until 5:30 a.m. and the ride leader would not authorize anyone beginning prior to sunrise.  At 6:20 a.m. I was able to get on the road.  The night before I had spotted a coffee shop on our way to the motel and had planned to back track one mile for a final espresso.  However, I was too anxious and decided to go without.  Within 20 minutes my guardian angel pointed out a coffee shop on the route, so you know by now what I did!  After that I was on the road bearing down on Mt. Pleasant.  The weather was cool, there was a slight tail wind and I just flew.  I felt like that old saddle horse at the trail ride who sluggishly hauls its rider to the end of the trail and when turned around and pointed back at the barn finds new life and trots for home.  I road strong  and very comfortably all morning.  Sixty miles into the ride I stopped to call Leisa to confirm our rendezvous time. At that point my average speed was 16.1 mph.  After talking with Leisa I got back on the road and as the day went on I just kept feeling better. When I arrived at the motel my average speed was a blistering 17 mph.  For me that is a world class time!  I was pretty dang proud of myself,  but that pride took a back seat to the emotions I felt when I found Leisa waiting for me In the lobby.  I was so happy to see her.  It had been far too long.  She had brought cookies and milk for my fellow riders and had a table set up in the lobby.  Pretty thoughtful of her, imagine that.  She was able to meet many of my group and of course they all told her how lucky she is to have a husband like me!  We spent about an hour there, I took a shower and we hit the road.  It was a great trip but it’s true what they say, there is no place for home.

Right now I am absolutely exhausted and drained.  Check back in a day or two and I will post a recap of the trip.  Now it’s time to crawl into my own bed and dream, dream, dream……

"Hey Uncle Jay, I know you are as axious to see Aunt Leisa as she is to see you, but slow down and smell da coffee.  There is a coffee shop up here on the right.  Giggle, giggle, giggle"

This trip would not have been the same withot my Guardian Angel

One quad espresso down and back on the road again......

I was so happy to find Leisa Rose aka Wild Rose waiting for me.

Several of my riding buds telling Leisa how lucky she is!!

Let's get this bike on the car and go home!  

Leisa had this sign set up next to her cookies and milk.  It got lots of laughs!!

Day 36, Monday, July 20, 2015, Manitowac, WI to Ludington, MI, Ferry Ride.  I have made it to Michigan!  Though we only rode a few miles to the ferry (the S.S. Badger) and a few more from the ferry to the motel, it has been a long tiring day.  I have been on such a regimented, fast paced schedule for so long that when it gets disrupted it can be trying and tiring.  After a late, leisurely breakfast we loaded our baggage into the trailer at 10:00 a.m. and did not have to report to the ferry until noon.  I rode around town, picked up a Subway sandwich for lunch/dinner and went down and sat at the beach.  I met up with my crew at the ferry and waited to be called to load our bikes.  Loaded the bikes at 12:30 p.m. and then had to exit the ferry and wait on the dock until 1:30 p.m.  At 2:00 p.m. we left the dock and headed across the lake towards Michigan.  The boat is a very old, coal fired steamship.  I am not certain how long it has been in services, but it is OLD.  Apparently it is the only coal fired steam ship in operation in the U.S.  I quickly found a lounge on the bow and settled in for the 4 hour cruise.  It was warm and cloudy which made for good napping!  I ate my sandwich, drank a beer, ate some popcorn and hung out with some of the group.  We were all glad to see Ludington come into sight so that we could get off the dang boat and back on our bikes.  After a long wait, we were able to go down into the hold of the boat to retrieve our bikes and disembark.   We had to stop at the “Welcome to Michigan” sign for the obligatory pictures of entering our 7^th state and then took a short ride to the motel.  Tomorrow we eat breakfast at 5:30 a.m., load our baggage at 6:00 a.m. and head out on the 111 mile ride to Mt. Pleasant.  The weather forecast is for temperatures in the 70’s and a tail wind.  I am looking forward to an uneventful, quick ride and arriving in Mt. Pleasant to see Leisa Rose.  You can bet I will be dreaming happy thoughts tonight.  It has been a wonderful trip but I am ready to go home!!!

 

Loading the baggage into the trailer in the morning.

 

Waiting to board the ferry.

 

Bikes loaded into the hold of the ferry.

 

I feel a nap in my future.

 

Lighthouse at Ludington.

 

Pure Michigan.  Oh is it sweet to be back home.

 

 

Day 35, Sunday, July 19, 2015 Fond Du Lac, WI to Manitowoc, WI, 58 miles and 1350 feet of climbing.  We have made it to the shores of Lake Michigan!!  Had a very fast ride today as my Guardian Angel arranged for an 18 mph wind that was right at our backs the whole way.   Nothing like a good brisk wind to make you feel rested, fast and strong.   After finding the motel I rode down to the lakeshore to take it all in.  Oh, what a beautiful lake she is.  I then returned to the motel, cleaned my bike, lubed the chain and  double checked my trusty mount to make sure everything is ready for the final ride to Mt. Pleasant.  I attended my final RAP meeting and had to say my good by’s to my riding buddies.  It is tradition that when someone is leaving a tour that they say a few words.  I figured we would have a meeting tomorrow night so I was not prepared and had to go “impromptu”.  So…..a “few” words turned into quite a few.  Gosh I hate saying goodbye and having a long anticipated trip come to an end.  Tomorrow we have to be at the ferry dock by noon and the boat departs at 2:00 p.m.  With the time change we do not get to Ludington until 7:00 p.m.  On Tuesday we are scheduled to roll out of Ludington at 6:30 a.m. for the 112 mile assault on Mt. Pleasant.  During my closing remarks I tried to impress on everyone how challenging the climb up Mt. Pleasant will be.  Apparently some of them were not aware that there was a major mountain right in the middle of Michigan!  You know, I suspect that I will be missed as much as I will miss them.  Perhaps……..  Looking very forward to being back in Michigan tomorrow!!!

 

Our mechanic Mike and ride leader Judy getting us loaded one more time.  Guy with his back turned in Dan, Judy's husband who joined us for the week.

 

Arriving at Lake Michigan.  I can't wait to get home and trim that beard!!

 

Tomorrow I will be on that ferry heading to Michigan!!

Day 34, Saturday, July 18, 2015, Mauston, WI to Fond du Lac, WI, 94 miles and 1800 feet of climbing.  Those who know me well (and perhaps not so well) are aware that I have a tendency to overuse a phrase or a line, so here goes: Today may have been one of the best days I ever spent on a bicycle!!  Last night a major thunderstorm rolled through the area and when we left, the storm front had just passed through and the skies were beginning to clear.  It was a great way to begin the day with a cool, dampness in the air and calming winds.  We spent the majority of the day I narrow country roads that twisted, turned, and rose and fell gently.  The majority of it was woodlands with a few farms and farm fields thrown in.  It was really quite idyllic, calm and very peaceful.  The miles just slipped on by and before I knew it I was on the outskirts of Fond du Lac navigating through street lights and traffic to our motel.  I had lots of thoughts today about what I have experienced over the 34 days, how fortunate I am to be able to do this and how sad I am to see it rapidly coming to an end.  It has really been a very “self indulgent” trip.  All I have had to do is ride my bike and get prepared to ride my bike again.  That’s all there has been to it.  Additionally, I have been able to do it with a pretty decent group of people who, despite our many differences, all share a love for bicycling.  It has been an awesome trip and I get to indulge myself for another 3 days.  So…..I had better close this posting and get ready to ride again tomorrow!!

 

Leaving Mauston, WI

 

Eric

 

Mark, Eric's Dad. This guy gets to do this ride with his son!  Apparently it was more of his son's idea though.  Mark is a geologist.  I have heard more about the geology of the areas we rode through than I had ever dreamed possible!! 

 

We rode through areas like this all day long.

 

The guy on the left knows more about anything than anybody!  Dennis (guy on the right) is a Presbyterian Pastor meaning that he only works 52 days a year and of that 6 of them are vacation days.  I have had a lot of fun with Dennis.  I can get him to curse at me quicker and more often than I can get Bro. Trav to do so!  Oh, have I had fun.  Earlier I introduced Pam aka Ms. EnthusiasmPlusPlus.  When this pic was taken I liked her as it was after 10:00 a.m.!!

 

No trip to Wisconsin is complete without stopping by for a Brat and the VFW hall.  Ummmm it was tasty!

 

Day 33, Friday, July 17, 2015, La Crosse, WI to Mauston, WI, 85 mile and 1200 feet of climbing.  The cool rainy weather moved on and it was back to clear skies, 85 degrees and a slight wind at our backsides.  After 27 miles into the ride we accessed the Elroy Sparta bike trail and were on it for the next 34 mile.  I have ridden on a few bike trails before but this is the first one that was not paved.  The trail bed is finely crushed lime stone that is quite hard and smooth.  It follows an old railroad bed and includes 3 tunnels ranging in length from 1 mile, ½ mile and ¼ mile.  The tunnels were the highlight of the day.  They are not lit, so we had to bring flashlights and we were not able to ride our bikes through them but had to walk.  The temperature inside of them was a very cool 50 degrees and they were quite damp with spring water dripping down on you as you slowly found your way through.  On the two longest ones you could not see either entrance when standing in the middle looking forward and back.  It was kind of eerie and other worldly, especially when we turned off our lights.  The rest of the trail ran through thick forest and vegetation and I was glad to be in the shade.  At times the trail had quite a bit of bike traffic and at other times it felt like you were out in the middle of nowhere all by yourself.  Another good thing about the trail was that it was virtually flat and involved no climbing.  We made up for it though with a few challenging climbs when we exited the trail and headed into Mauston.  I chalk this day up as being another wonderful one.  Life is good.

 

Preparing to leave La Crosse

 

This is Len, from Montana.  He just retired as an oil field engineer.  He loves to cook and does a lot of wood working too.  Nice guy.

 

Oh, oh, road closed what do we do now.  Mike makes a call to the ride leader and soon she is on sight negotiating with the crew chief to let us through.  Mike is from Ketucky and just retired.  The woman in background is a retired nutritionist who has lived in Manhattan most of her life.  She is not shy when it comes to evaluating our eating habits (or anything else for that matter!!)

 

Welcome to Wisconsin my Guardian Angel.  "Oh Uncle Jay I was here yesterday when you rode into Wisconsin.  Why do you think it rained??  Giggle, giggle, giggle"

 

The guy on the left in Christopher from Germany.  He is 41 years old and is probably the strongest rider in the group (though I'm sure there are a few guys that would dispute that).  It took us two weeks to convince him that it is OK to smile as he is in America, not Germany.  The other guy is David.  He just joined the ride.  He has told some people that he is a captain of a nuclear submarine but apparently there are some who question that.  All I know is that he rides a bicycle so he has to be OK.

 

This is Pam.  She is one of the 6 staff members.  She is Ms. EnthusiasmPlusPlus.  She drives me nuts in the morning :))

 

The Elroy Sparta Bike Trail

 

Entrance to one of the tunnels.

 

View from inside a tunnel.  The railroad bed and tunnels were constructed in the 1850's

Day 32, Thursday, July 16, 2015, Rochester, MN to La Crosse, WI, 88 miles and 2850 feet of climbing.  Mother Nature decided that we were getting dehydrated so she opened up the skies and let it rain all day long.  It was dry and overcast when we left the motel at 6:30 a.m. but a ½ mile down the road it began to rain a slow steady down pour that lasted until we pulled into the motel at 3:00 p.m.  Fortunately the temperature hovered in the upper 60’s and the winds were out of the southeast at 8 mph.  Last night at our RAP meeting when they reported that it would be rainy today most of the group got pretty hysterical.  I thought, “Come on, we have been on the road for 30+ days, the weather has been perfect, so what if it rains!”  The kicker came when one of my peers asked, “I have not done much riding in the rain, what should I expect?”  Fortunately I had taken a brief nap and declined the offer to have a cocktail before dinner, so my “filter” was fully intact and I was able to keep my mouth shut! Geesh….as my Dad used to say, “People are funny.”  That same person showed up to ride in the morning dressed like he was going to go King Crab fishing on The Deadliest Catch in the Bering Straits of Alaska.  Several others were dressed the same.  As for me I wore what I always wear, a jersey and shorts.  I don’t care what kind of rain gear you might have; if it rains while you are riding a bike you are going to get wet.  You just have to make peace with it and ride on, which is what I did.  We road through some very hilly and beautiful terrain today.  Unfortunately the weather prevented me from taking many pictures.  I saw some incredible farms and you could tell that the owners took great pride in their properties.  At mile 50 we accessed a bike path that meanders through the woods and crossed several streams for 15 miles.  It was great.  When we exited it we had a 2 mile, 12% climb that was a real thigh burner.  The payoff was that we road for 5 miles along a ridge and the views down in the valley were breathtaking.  I can only imagine how spectacular they would have been had it been sunny.  The other payoff was that we had a 2 mile, 12% descent on the other side where I reached a max speed of 41 mph.  The rain felt like sleet stingy my cheeks and lips but it was exhilarating.  Shortly after, we crossed into Wisconsin (our 5^th state) and then took a bridge across the mighty Mississippi.  By the time I got to the motel my bike, my clothes and my body were coated in wet sandy, greasy road grime.  It took quite an effort to get everything clean again and ready to ride on tomorrow.  All in all it was another WONDERFUL day.  I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

 

This is just one of the beatiful farms I passed.  I had to take a pic of this one because the name is very similar to my maternal grandfathers, mother's family name i.e. Vogland.

 

Next state: MICHIGAN!!!

 

Many days ago when we crossed the continental divide I stated that the ride would be downhill all the way to the Mississippi River.  My dear sister-in-law, Lanette, correctly noted that my knowledge of geography was a bit flawed.  Today's elevation profile proved that she is (as always) correct!!  Take a look at that last climb of the day.  I just got a cramp in my left thigh that was caused by that climb!