ES11 - Hammerton NJ to Dewey Beach DE and Rest Day

Miles: 65 of 80
Elevation gain: flat

I am writing this on the rest day - a day which was sorely needed (in more ways than one.). We have gone 622 miles in 8 days and 6 of those days involved a lot of climbing. That does take a toll on the mind and body. So everyone was glad for a rest.

The ride to Dewey Beach was a great ride on nice roads that were flat. We had five bridges to cross. They were all narrow with no shoulders. However the traffic was light so it was really no problem.

I made it about 15 miles into the ride when the saddle went nose up again. Because the roads were flat, I was sailing down the road at that time. Needless to say, I was not happy. I sent a text to Tracy the Crossroads leader. When the first van came by they picked me up and took me to the SAG. When Tracy got there in the truck, she went to work on a Rube Goldberg fix. The nose of my saddle is now held down with zip ties and electrical tape. It doesn't look very elegant but worked.

Off I went through the towns along the ocean and over the bridges. At one point the sky opened up and it poured and the wind started blowing. I was seriously considering flagging down the van if it came by. Fortunately it did not come by and the rain stopped about 10 miles down the road. I have never ridden in so much rain in my life. Of course if I was home, I would never go out in rain like that.

This was the day of our first ferry ride from Cape May to Lewes. The ferry only went at 11:00, 1:00, 2:30 and 4:30. I was planning on the 2:30 ferry. Then at 12:00 I realized I was 10 miles from the ferry so the 1:00 became a possibility. The problem was the 4 miles through a town with a streetlight at every block, most of which I hit on red. So coming out of that town I knew I would just make the ferry or just miss it. I really wanted to make it and started the after- burners. My power interval training came in handy and I went for it. I was just rounding the corner for the ferry when I heard the whistle blow. Fortunately it was the warning whistle and I made it on. Other riders were up on the deck cheering me on. I was quite happy.

There was a 10 mile ride to the hotel after the ferry ride. Kind of hard to get back on the bike. It was a very busy road but had a wonderful bike lane. Our hotel is a block from the beach and is very nice. This will be a great place to spend the night. Last night Chris, Stu, and I had dinner at a great little outdoor restaurant on the sand where we could watch the sunset.
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ES11 - Somerset NJ to Hammonton NJ

Miles: 85

This might be short because I am really tired tonight. I heard rain all night long and expected the worst for the morning. The roads were wet but it wasn't raining. The first miles going out of town had heavy travel and little or no shoulders. So it was a bit dicey for awhile.

I was having a good ride until I started having problems with the saddle again. The problems continued all day. So that was a bit discouraging.

I got caught in a big rainstorm. Since it was hard to see down the road I took shelter on a porch until it let up. Then I went half a mile down the road and found other riders having lunch in a restaurant. They missed the whole storm. Lucky for them

There are a lot of nurseries along the road. All of them have loads of beautiful mums. The countryside changed to more open spaces and farms. There were cornfields, soybean fields, and blueberry fields. There was much less climbing today.

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ES11 - Suffern NY to Somerset NJ

Miles: 67.9
Elevation Gain: 3000 ft

Yesterday was such a beautiful ride. Today was a ride of 100 turns. Well it might not have been 100 turns but it was a lot. We basically wormed out way through the streets, towns, residential areas to get here. The views were not nearly so great. The traffic was pretty heavy and the roads were rough. However I had no trouble with the drivers. In fact some stopped to let us make safe left hand turns.

It was rather foggy when we left this morning. Once that disappeared there was a cloud cover which kept the heat down. Some of the riders saw deer today. Unfortunately I only saw a couple of dead ones along the road.

There was a lot of climbing today. They were not long climbs but some were quite steep. The picture of the cemetery was taken at the top of a really steep hill. I thought it was appropriate for how I was feeling at the time.

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ES11 - Fishkill NY to Suffern NY

Miles: 53
Elevation gain: plenty

Last night during the night I woke up and was hurting all over. I was wondering why I was putting myself through this. During the ride today I remembered why. I think this was by far the best ride I have done in a long time. That is until the last 5 miles coming into town.

We left Fishkill and rode down the valley along the Hudson River. We couldn't see the river but the countryside was pretty. Soon after we crossed the river we started a 1.8 mile climb through Bear Mtn park. I didn't even mind the climb because there were trees changing colors on both sides of the road. I went down the descent as slow as possible because I didn't want to leave the sights, smells, and sounds. There were several small lakes that were perfectly still and the reflections were pristine.

After the SAG stop we rode along Seven Lake Dr. Yes there were at least seven beautiful lakes. At one point we came across a section of road that had been washed out during the storms. The water just picked up a section of the road and moved it about 30 degrees headed into the lake on the other side of the road. The section that was moved looked like a lava flow.
The ride into town was not so much fun. The roads were busy and full of potholes. We always get to a point where the ride out of town is as easy as possible in the morning.
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ES11 - Windsor Locks CT to Fishkill NY

Miles: 81 of 95
Elevation Gain: 5000 to 6000 ft

The picture tells the story. Remember what goes down must go back up in this area. I have never seen so many grade warnings in a stretch of road in my life. This was one tough day of climbing. It was up and down all day with four long steep climbs.

I was riding by myself today. I had a good day. But at mile 81 I just decided it would be 7 pm before I would get to the hotel. So I decided to live for another day and rode in with the SAG van.

This is really pretty country. There was a lot of traffic on the roads. I think people are starting to come view the foliage. The weather was perfect - mostly cloudy with no rain.

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ES11 - Worcester MA to Windsor Locks CT

Miles: 70
Elevation gain - around 3000 ft

This morning we woke up to a pleasant site - no rain. In fact there was no rain all day even though the humidity was high. The roads were wet so we (and our bikes) were quite grimy at the end of the day. Tonight there were a lot of bikes with mechanical issues due to the climbing and the rain and the rad grime. My trusty bike is holding up well. There was a little adjustment required in the shifting but no other issues.

This was a very hard day for me. I started the day out with an energy deficit. Yesterday I did not take in any recovery nourishment when I finished the ride. I know better. But I came in late, was soaking wet, etc. So this morning I paid the price. I could feel the lack of energy the moment I started. And I never recovered all day. There was a lot of climbing but that was only part of the problem.
The countryside was fantastic. Lots of pumpkin fields and stands selling pumpkins. The leaves are starting to turn. I came down one hill with trees on both sides. The bark was wet so was dark and the leaves were green and gold. It was so fantastic it made the climb up the hill worth the pain.

We rode through an area where a tornado touched down. If you look closely at the house in the picture, you will see the roof is gone and laying on the ground beside the house.

I will introduce you to the SAG Angels - Carol and Robin. They drive the vans and supply us with nutrients and liquids. The best part is that they great us with happy smiles and words of encouragement. And they are a phone call away if we get in any trouble on the road.

Tomorrow will be a killer of a day. We are going 95 miles to Fishkill NY. And rumor has it there will be some serious climbs. Wish me luck.

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ES11 - Portsmouth to Worcester MA

Miles: 95
Elevation Gain: 4000 ft

Today was a hard day but satisfying in the end. There are four women who get to leave early in the morning. Today we left 40 minutes ahead of the rest of the riders. This way we get to the SAG stops while other rider are there. We left with an overcast sky but it was not raining. So that was great.

I rode the first 62 miles with Ilze. She and I ride about the same. I am a little faster on the descents and flat roads. But she climbs better than I do. We enjoy riding together.

The terrain today was up and down. Much like the Fletcher Flyer in Asheville NC. There really were no flat sections. Going 95 miles on this terrain was a challenge. But I was determined to ride the whole way, even when my legs started serious protests.

Fortunately Chip and Chris rode with me the last 30 miles. Well it might be more accurate to say they waited for me a lot. I am so thankful for that. It started raining about 15 miles from the down. The rain came down hard and the traffic was heavy. Coming into town was a nightmare. We had to walk our bikes on the sidewalk today at one point. But we were moving faster than the cars at one point.

The countryside is really pretty here. It is just hard to enjoy it in the rain.

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ES11 - Day 1 Portland ME to Portsmouth NH

Miles: 72
Weather: Rain all day; temperature in the 60s

First day of the ride is complete. We woke up to rain and it never stopped all day. Fortunately the temperature was in the mid 60s. So while I was soaked completely all the way through, I didn't get cold. I have never been as wet and dirty as at the end of this ride.
We came down the coastal roads most of the day. This would have been a majestic ride if it had not been raining. There were several spots along the way where the ocean vista was great. We went through Kennebunkport and saw the Bush estate off in the distance. The countryside was beautiful even in the rain.

The drivers were pretty good. But it is quite difficult to ride when there are puddles along the side and you can't really see the potholes. Fortunately I made it through safely.

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ES11 - One More Day to Go

Tomorrow is the day we leave on our trek down the East Coast. A few of us were going to ride yesterday. However, it was raining. And since we had the option of not riding (for the only time on the trip), we chose not to ride.

This morning most of the riders are here. There are 25 of us ranging in age from 51 to 76. Most of the riders are in the 60s to 70s. But never fear...these individuals are not part of the geriatric tour bus group. These are extremely fit riders who will have no trouble completing the trip.

The trip map is now in the lobby. Every day when we come in for the day the map will welcome us and we will be able to see the progress we have made.

Today some of us went out for a ride the shake the cobwebs out of our legs. It was a beautiful day out. We went down to some parks with lighthouses. The area is very impressive.

We start the ride tomorrow with a 67 mile ride down the coast to Portsmouth NH. There is a forecast for rain showers. Such is life on the road.

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ES11 - 2 days to go

The bike is here, everything is packed on it, preparations are about complete and 2 more days of waiting. Doug Squires and Chris Hall arrived today. They are good friends from XC10. We are going out tomorrow for a shakedown ride. I am excited.

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ES11 - Portland ME Start - 3 Days Away

The days are counting down and I am getting more excited every day. I was in
the Boston area Friday and Saturday. On Friday I went for a long walk along
Revere Beach. Driving the streets to the beach and then walking along the beach
brought back lots of memories. I remember Geoff and Chip leading us to the
beach. Of course we were not on the route laid out by Crossroads. But we were
all together and didn't want the ride to end. So who cared if we had to get
directions from the police.

Saturday afternoon my daughter and her family brought me up here and we had a
one night mini-vacation together. It looks like it will be a pretty ride down
the coast. Today we looked around Portland. I had my obligatory Maine
lobster. It was good, but one will be enough. Portland is the largest town in
Maine but is still quite small. Oil pipelines come down from Montreal so there
are a lot of holding tanks along the water. We went up in an old signal tower.
This is where the picture was taken. It isn't a very good picture, but does show
a view in the direction where we will be riding.

As we were eating a large tour group of senior citizens came in. This made me
once again realize how unusual our geriatric group of riders really is. Made me
more determined to keep at this until the end (mine that is).

Tomorrow Chris Hall and Doug Squires arrive. Probably others as well. So
Tuesday we will be exploring the area as we check out our trusty bikes. I am
looking forward to seeing them and the rest of the riders.

Right now the weather here is beautiful. The trees are just starting to get
some color. The weatherman predicts rain for the start of our trip. So we
might get a little bit wet.

ES11 - In Boston with less than a week to go

The ES trip has not started but my journey has begun. Yesterday I flew to Boston to spend a few days with my daughter, Jen, her husband, Doug, and my grandson, Jack. Jack is as cute as he was in August when he visited me for two weeks.

Thought I would give you a bit more information on the route of the trip. We start in Portland ME on the 22nd. From there we go to NH, MA, CT, NY, NJ, and DE. This will be 9 days of riding and probably the hardest terrain in terms of elevation gain. Yes we are going north to south, however, there will be a lot of ups and downs along the way. In DE we have a much needed rest day. From there we go down through MD, VA, and NC. Originally we were going down the outer banks, but Highway 12 no longer is in tact because of Irene. I am sure Crossroads has plan B and plan C in place, however, we have not been told what they are. Another rest day after only 4 days of riding. We will hardly be warmed up by then! On to SC and GA, spending one night in Charleston. Since it is a Saturday night, I will round up a group of riders to hear Robert play jazz at the Mercado. Of course Norm will join us for the night and Catie, and Charlie, and Jill will greet us as well. That stretch will be flat as will the rest of the trip. We have a rest day in Savannah, having ridden 5 days to get there. Then sadly it will be only 4 days down to Daytona Beach, FL, where the ride will end. The total trip is around 1600 miles and we will average 80 miles a day.

Because I plan to continue doing biking trips, I purchased a hard case for shipping my bike. This was my first experience at packing the bike myself and I was a bit nervous about it. Taking the bike apart is easy: remove the wheels, take the seat post out, remove the pedals (the hardest part if the last mechanic was a weight lifter who torqued them on), and remove the handle bars. The trick is to get all the parts protected against anything rubbing against them. This took me several hours, pipe insulation, bubble wrap, zip ties, tape, and finally extra towels. I don't think anything moved after I was done! Since it was my first time, I chose to ship it to the bike shop and have them assemble it. Yesterday I learned all was fine....a relief to me. Next time I will be brave enough to assemble it myself.

We were told to ship our bikes to arrive a week before the trip. After much grumbling because of being without a bike for two weeks, most of us followed the rules and sent them off. Unfortunately one of my friends found out the hard way why this is a recommendation. Her bike shop packed the bike in a cardboard box (standard practice) and sent it off in plenty of time. Tuesday it came back to the shop with a big gash in the box. They unpacked the bike, put it together, checked it out (no problems), and sent it out overnight delivery. Of course it did not arrive as promised and finally was delivered yesterday. The bike shop in Maine unpacked it and the derailleur hanger was cracked. This is not something the shop has lying around so it had to be ordered and should arrive in time to assemble the bike on Monday. Murphy's Law in practice.

I am getting very excited about the trip. When I rode LA to Boston, I was the slowest rider and always the last one in for the day. This meant lots of hours alone on the road...something I had to overcome mentally. So this past year my training has had a lot of focus on speeding up. Note I said focus, it remains to be seen if I achieved the goal. I especially struggle on the hills because of lack of areas to train...but I know how to ride on the flat into a headwind...lots of practice there. No matter what I will enjoy the trip and take it as it comes.

Here in Boston a cold front has come through, high of 64 today. The forecast is to warm back up later in the week. I think the knee warmers and arm warmers may see a lot of use on this trip.

Eastern Seaboard 11: Getting Prepared to Head North

The time is getting near for the Eastern Seaboard trip which starts on September 22, 2011. My bike has been delivered to Maine and I am packing for the trip. We have two Crossroads Cycling bags and everything has to fit in them. As you can see this one is quite full so I might have to pare down what I plan to take.

Because I live in the low country of South Carolina, I am truly a flat-lander. That of course means that any slight incline can be quite a challenge. So a few weeks ago I went to Brevard, NC, to practice climbing. I am not sure why they have giraffe crossings there, but apparently you have to watch out for the giraffes. I never saw a giraffe, but the hills were quite the challenge.



I leave for Boston on Thursday so I can spend time with my daughter and her family. Those of you from XC10 will remember Jack, my grandson, as he greeted us with a great sign on Revere Beach which read "Way to go Grams." So now he will take me up to Portland and send me off from there. Unfortunately he won't be there when we leave because of school. But he will get to enjoy the pool and the sights the weekend before.

I am really looking forward to seeing the riders from XC10 and from Fredericksburg. These are friends you make for life once you share a cross country adventure. I also looking forward to making new friends on this trip.

Oh yes, I have been training hard; however, I may still be the last one in every day. So for the SAG drivers, remember you get to move on after I come through!