We Have Descended on Portsmouth!

Today was, of course, a different routine, even though there was 60 miles to cover motel to motel. We needed, though, to be at the junior high school at a designated time for the procession to the beach.

We loaded early (5:45) then had breakfast at the motel. The route was 50 miles to the school. There were traffic rotaries to navigate, hills to climb and rain showers to avoid. We got up to dark clouds and the threat of rain by afternoon. It didn't look like a good beach day to me. Amazingly enough, the rain held off until we were packing bikes and going to the bike shop. The skies then opened up and poured!

Everyone arrived at the school as required, most riders having stopped at a bakery in Exeter (mile 40) for a sweet treat before the march to the beach.

The route was rolling hills again today, but without any of the significant climbs we've seen in the past two days. I have to admit I was hoping for a downhill ride, but there was still work to be done. As we neared the school, Mike had painted "Last hill" on the pavement. A half mile later (at the next hill) we saw "Oops, I was wrong." The staff works to keep us entertained.

The route took us through Mooresville, Fremont, Kingston, Exeter and Rye. Most were very busy, with heavy traffic; making it difficult or slow to navigate.

We arrived at the Wallis Sands State Beach under police escort, with sirens announcing our arrival. Even with the threatening weather, there were quite a few beach goers, all very curious as to what was going on. There were many riders' family members waiting for us to arrive. There was an announcement made by the beach staff, and the riders removed their shoes to march through the sand and carry their bikes to the water for the ceremonial wheel dipping in the Atlantic.

One of the riders, Janette, was designated to pour the Pacific water into the Atlantic to officially mark the end of the ride. It had been carried across the U.S.

Some riders shuttled directly from the beach to the bike shop to ship bikes, others rode from the beach to the motel. Those that rode were routed through downtown Portsmouth.

Portsmouth is a great community. Riders have felt very supported since arriving. All traffic stopped during the procession to the beach with drivers waving and honking support. Pedestrians stopped and cheered. Beach goers applauded. The hotel staff has been enthuisiastic. It's been an great end to a great ride.

Some folks have immediately left, while others will be staying over for a few days.

Tomorrow morning there is an option for those that need it, to shuttle to Logan airport. Luggage will be loaded, one last time, at 6:45 a.m. for the 7:00 shuttle to Boston. Everyone agrees, they are very tired and starting to feel (and enjoy) the let down.

So, what's next? I still have no idea. I'm glad to have taken on the challenge and completed it. It has been a great adventure, most times impossible to adequately describe the experiences, scenery or encounters.

Thank you for your support, your interest, your encouragement, your posts, your notes and your care packages. It's made a huge difference and carried me through the miles.

~ Lisa

P.S. In case you're curious, 3,600+ miles and one flat! Hooray!!

New Hampshire Looks A Lot Like Vermont

Today is billed as the biggest climbing day of the ride. It was awesome! With this kind of scenery, I'd much rather climb than ride the flats looking at corn fields or western desert. The hills and mountains are beautiful. They're heavily wooded and, at times, you catch the scent of pine as you're going up.

The descents today weren't as spectacular as yesterday's, but there were paybacks for all the work today.

The temperatures were in the 50's this morning. Many riders began the day in arm warmers, vests and / or jackets. Conditions were absolutely perfect, with temps in the low 80's by time of arrival in Manchester.

We entered New Hampshire within a mile of the motel in Brattleboro this morning. We stopped for the standard state line photo, and immediately began going up.

A significant portion of the day was spent on state roads with wide, clean shoulders. Knowing what winters must be like in this part of country, the roads are in amazing condition!

The route took us through New Hampshire communities of Keene, Antrim, Bennington, Greenfield, Francestown, New Boston and the overnight in Manchester.

We've experienced many traffic rotaries since entering New York, which are also used in Vermont and New Hampshire. I've also heard them called round-a-bouts. I believe this is another way to control intersection traffic as opposed to using signs and signals. It can be tricky to navigate, especially on a bicycle, as the vehicles in the rotary have the right of way. I have found myself, more than once, in the incorrect lane to exit the rotary. Fortunately, drivers are fairly gracious to cyclists.

I've also noticed an abundance of swimming pools since leaving Michigan. The majority of homes have above or in-ground pools. I find it interesting considering the mild weather we've seen since being here, and also assuming pool season to be fairly short.

We've also been blessed with a plethora of Dunkin' Donuts. I stopped today to get treats for breakfast tomorrow morning. I've been able to avoid temptation until now.

The final group banquet will be this evening. It will be the last time to eat dinner together, followed by comments from all of the riders about what the ride has meant for them. It will likely be the latest any of us has been up in quite awhile.

Tomorrow is the final riding day. We'll gather at the Junior High School in Rye, then be escorted by the police for the last three miles to the beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

This has been a great group to ride with. There are a wide range of abilities. Again, the Dutch riders are incredibly strong. There is a woman from Pennsylvania who is able to hang on to them, and has also been known to lead. Then there are the riders that are persistently consistent. Always finishing at the end of the day, and one of them has ridden every inch! An amazing accomplishment given the 100+ mile days out west.

There are several husband - wife teams -- two of which are on tandems. Each has been on for the full ride. That's 50 days on a tandem with your spouse!

There is the family that is riding the triple. And, a few other families that are riding as singles.

As usual, the majority of riders are men riding as singles, but this time there are quite a few females riding as singles. This is different than what I've seen before. It's been great to ride and talk to all of the them to hear their stories.

It sounds like a good chance for rain tomorrow. We'll see if we can stay dry to the beach!

~ Lisa

Vermont IS The Green Mountain State

As promised, there was definitely climbing involved in today's route. It provided, though, some spectacular views of the rivers and valleys of New York and Vermont.

Climbing started immediately from the motel this morning. Although temperatures were cooler, the humidity was pretty thick until mid-morning. There was fog hanging in the mountains and trees as we entered Vermont around mile 28.

Troy had a historic, developed downtown area. The other towns (Hoosick, New York; Bennington, Vermont; Wilmington, Vermont and overnight in Brattleboro, Vermont)on route today appeared to be full of tourists with incredibly heavy vehicle traffic and many shops and restaurants. It would be fun to spend some time in some of these villages, but today wasn't the day for sight seeing nor souvenir shopping.

The route to the first SAG (mile 23) was all rolling hills. It's unusual to have a SAG such a short distance out. I was concerned that might be an indication of what was in store. The hills were very doable, although it took some warm up to get to the climbing legs going.

Most riders took the obligatory photos at the Welcome to Vermont sign. Today's advertised ten mile climb followed shortly after. It was slow going, but having not done any serious climbing since doing the first legs of this trip two years ago, I was satisfied with getting to the top even if it's not at "Tour de France" speed.

The second SAG was in Wilmington (mile 55). Staff set up in a convenience store parking lot, which also had an outdoor food stand, known for its hot dogs and ice cream. Several riders, including me, took advantage of the opportunity. The chocolate shake was quite good.

Two riders from the 2005 North Ride also met us at this SAG. It was great to see Don and recumbent Bill again. Bill is leaving from Brattlesboro for a one week trip around Vermont. They know several of this year's riders. They were still visiting when I left the SAG, but Don passed me on the road in short order as we climbed another 3.5 miles after the SAG.

This climb took us to the top of Hogback Mountain. The view was incredible! There were photographers poised at the top of climb taking photos of everyone that came up to the top, total strangers the best I could tell. They were very encouraging, letting us know it was all down hill after that.

This area seems to be a haven for motorcyclists as well. We saw dozens on the road or in town today, all enjoying the awesome terrain and great weather.

The best part of the day, of course, were the descents. While they may have seemed disproportionate to the climbs, the final descent into Brattlesboro was a 6 mile screamer with great roads. You had to be attentive once you were close to downtown due to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Out east, pedestrians definitely have the right of way, with all traffic coming to a complete stop for anyone near a crosswalk!

There was a detour in downtown Brattlesboro. The street we were to take to the hotel was closed and secured by the fire department. Seems as though the storms that went through Troy last night, also hit Brattlesboro. One of the churches' concrete steeples had been struck by lightening, causing a portion of the steeple to collapse and block the street. It was a bit of a challenge to find a way around that didn't involve additional hills and climbing.

Tomorrow promises to be more difficult than today as the biggest climbing day of the whole trip. The route calls for three 15% climbs. Hope we all make it in tomorrow night in time for the final banquet.

~ Lisa

When Is It Going to Rain?

We talked about a 60% chance of rain today at route rap last night. We got up to high clouds and sun, so thought perhaps the forecast had been wrong -- although the humidity was thick enough to cut with a knife and we had a bit of fog early in the ride this morning. By the time we got to the first SAG (mile 34), things had changed and it looked like not "if" we would get wet but "when."

There wasn't much time spent at the first SAG, even despite the great SAG treats provided by the Millers' family. Riders thought they would at least try to get to the next town (5 miles) and find a nice place to get a cup of coffee before it rained.

Dark skies came and went all day. By the second SAG (mile 67), where everyone gratefully enjoyed the treats sent by Brenda, riders still wanted to keep moving because the air was so close.

Ernst and I arrived in Troy at 12:30 and only had a few spits of rain approximately 25 miles out. It wasn't even enough to put the jacket on for, and as a matter of fact felt pretty good.

As I work on this posting, it has begun to storm. Hopefully, everyone is in. There are thunderstorm warnings and sounds like a bit of hail. After this gets through the area, the humidity is supposed to drop and be more comfortable tomorrow.

The route included quite a bit of bike path today, but started with a climb out of Little Falls this morning. There were other hills through the day, including one pretty significant climb on the bike path. The runner on the trail more easily navigated that climb than we did. I think all of this is just a warm up for the next two days. The ABB board that greets us each day in the lobby tonight says, "The Party is Over." Word from staff at breakfast this morning was Sunday's route will have three 15% climbs. I think this group will be up to the challenge.

We also rode through St. Johnsville, Nelliston, Fonda, Amsterdam, Schenectady, Colonie and overnighting in Troy.

There was a highly recommended drive in in Schenectady -- Jumpin' Jacks. Unfortunately, it wasn't open yet when we went through. A group of us stopped at Fresno's on the Hudson River as we came through Troy and had lunch.

I hooked up with Ernst early this morning. He is from Colorado, so a really strong rider and climber. We spent the day with him (graciously) pulling and me navigating. I definitely think I got the better end of the deal. We were able to really crank through the mileage today.

When you ride with a group, you pretty quickly learn strengths and weaknesses. Ernst and Alfredo made a 10 mile navigational error earlier this week that turned an easy 80 mile day into a century day. I made a couple of errors with Ernst today, but they didn't cause us any additional mileage as you often can quickly realize you made a mistake. Sometimes, though the next cue isn't for 10, 15 or more miles later. That's when you've got a problem.

We ride into Vermont tomorrow. It will require more serious riding again. Three more riding days....

Have a great weekend!
~ Lisa

Calm Compared to Yesterday

Things were much quieter today, and makes the ride leader much happer. I believe there were a couple of mishaps, but nothing that required more than a bandage and a little mechanical work.

The word today was HOT, HOT, HOT. My bike computer said 103 degrees coming into Little Falls, today's overnight. Of course, that is a little skewed but is relevant on the bike since the heat from the pavement is a factor when riding. My feet really tend to get hot during the day, especially at the cleat of the shoe; and eventually the legs begin to feel it too.

I was in by 1:00 this afternoon, which helped avoid some of the heat. This morning's newscast officially declared a heat wave, defining it as two consecutive days of 90 degree weather! We've also picked up a fair share of humidity. Tomorrow's forecast is similar with 60% chance of rain.

The route today was 79 miles, with the first 10 navigating the streets of Syracuse. The route also went through Utica, Canastota, Whitesboro and Herkimer.

I pretty much rode alone today, moving forward and back through the group as we rode. I ate lunch after checking in, so walked down the street to Subway. There's a laundromat across the street from the motel, so I also walked over to do some laundry. I didn't want to pass up a perfect opportunity to have unlimited access to washers and dryers.

We're seeing more and more produce farms, as opposed to grain. Blueberries are ripe, so you see many U-Pick type operations. Local farmer's markets don't seem to be prevalent here, as many producers appear to have their own buildings right on the farm to offer fresh produce for sale on-site.

There was more climbing today in most recent days. It sounds like we'll see more tomorrow, even with being back on the bike path. Tomorrow's route will have its fair share of path riding into Troy, New York -- our last night in New York.

We continue to see towns and villages that remind me of something from the movies, typically very quaint and well maintained. It's interesting, though, that the overnight towns have appeared to be economically depressed.

We're told the population of Little Falls has declined from 20,000 to 6,000 residents. The downtown area has some life, but also has many boarded storefronts. This scenario has been prevelant in most of the towns we've stayed in this trip.

We continue to see the Erie Canal from time to time, although we are not consistently riding next to it like yesterday. We also hear or see the periodic train, mostly freight. Although, I did see a short Amtrak train yesterday while on the bike path.

We are in a Best Western this evening. The hotel staff has really but in the effort to make sure we have everything we need, including a wine and cheese reception before dinner tonight, which everyone really seemed to enjoy and appreciate.

They need to do a little infrastructure work on their WiFi connectivity, though, as we're only able to get connected from the lobby. So, I sit in the lobby with four other people who are also blogging and checking e-mail, some of the normal post-ride chores everyone takes care of.

The most intersting feature of the hotel, is the two screen cinema on the property. Pretty cool! Show times are 7 and 9. I'm not sure many of the bike group will be able to take advantage, given everyone in the group is usually in bed fairly early.

Tomorrow's ride will also be 80 miles. Breakfast will be at 6:00 with load at 6:29. Mike said we've had breakfast at 6 and load at 6:45 for the past two days and have had accidents the last two days, so he changed the schedule for tomorrow. We'll see.

~ Lisa

Things We Learned on the Road Today.....

• Trust Mike, the canal stays on the right
• Bike vs. motorcycle -- motorcycle is going to win
• Bike vs. duck -- duck is going to win
• Not all motorists have road rage

It was an interesting day, good and bad. It started early with a 6:00 load. There were three choices for breakfast this morning. Two required a short ride back into town. I chose to eat at the motel in order to get on the road as early as possible. Temperatures were predicted to be in the 90's today, so wanted to get as many miles in this morning as possible (my favorite time to ride anyway). All was quiet and calm when I left the motel.

The route was scheduled as 90 miles, but Mike Munk (ride leader) re-directed us to the Canal Trail (i.e. Erie Canal) which added about 5 miles. We were able to enter the trail around mile 6 and follow it to mile 25 in Palmyra. The trail was a combination of pavement and crushed limestone. It was a great change of pace. Since these changes weren't on the printed route sheet, Mike re-iterated many times during route rap Tuesday night to keep the canal on the right.

It was an incredible ride going through Pittford and Fairport, but it's an uneasy feeling when you don't see anyone from the group. I was at mile 20 before any of the lead riders caught up, something that's really unusual. I just kept telling myself to remember to keep the canal on the right.

I learned at the first SAG what the delay had been for the other riders. Someone from our group was struck by a motorcycle as the bicyclist was making the left turn from the motel parking lot this morning. Fortunately, neither biker nor motorcyclist were seriously injured, but both required medical treatment.

It made it an extremely difficult day for everyone. Staff were committed to making sure the injured were taken care of. While the two SAG stops were staffed, I didn't see a mechanic all day. It also spreads the riders out more than normal, and on a 90 mile day the spread can be pretty significant anyway.

There was quite a bit of wildlife on the trail this morning, including dozens of ducks. I quickly learned the ducks are very tame and always have the right of way. The trail was very busy even early this morning. I expect that's how the ducks become so tame and don't feel any urgency to move out of the way of any cyclist. I'm happy to report neither the duck nor I were injured in our encounter, but save it to say the duck won our little game of "chicken."

Due to mileage, today had two SAG stops. Once off the trail, the route was fairly rural. We spent a good share of the day on Hwy 31. It had a nice wide, paved shoulder. The route took us through many towns and villages including Macedon, Lyons, Clyde, Savannah, Tyre, Montezuma, Port Byron, Jordan and into Liverpool (which appears to be close to Syracuse).

We're still seeing quite a bit of corn and soybeans, and also saw potatoes today. I've also noticed that green equipment seems to be the most prevalent here, although I think I've only seen one implement dealership in the past week and half.

Shortly after leaving the second SAG today I had a motorist encounter. When a car speeds by then pulls in front on the shoulder and stops, it usually can't mean good things for the bicyclist. The passenger exited the vehicle and started toward me, and I realized it was Dave O'Dell, one of the riders who finished his quest to complete the cross country ride in Niagara Falls. Dave is from Syracuse and had come out to greet the riders at the second SAG.

Dave and I have ridden together different times during the past two years. He had already completed this portion of the trip a few years ago. It was great to see him and his wife, Jill, one more time.

It was an eventful day. After this morning's accident, you felt your only responsibility was to get yourself into the motel safely and without support. I think most everyone was successful. Tomorrow's route is a bit shorter, but we're supposed to see mid-90's so everyone will have to stay focused and keep moving.

~ Lisa

These are the Days that Make It All Worthwhile!

It was an 80 mile day to Henrietta from Niagara Falls. Load was at 6:30 with a short ride down the street to breakfast. At least for those that were early to breakfast, service was quick so we were able to be out on the road in short order.

We climbed roughly 2,600 feet today, mostly short and steep. The best part, though, were the winds. Tail winds most of the day. That means we were into Henrietta early and have some time to prepare for tomorrow.

The ride was really good today. Adjusting to daily riding and coming into the middle of a ride is a challenge, although somehow I seem to forget that each time I do it.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the off day in Niagara Falls yesterday. Many even spoke about going to the Casino and eating at the buffet (this after complaining about being tired of buffets). Most evening meals do consist of a buffet somewhere. Tonight will be Old Country Buffet.

After finishing laundry yesterday morning, I disassembled and cleaned the bike. I hadn't had the chance to do that since riding in the rain into Port Huron. There was plenty of grit and road residue that had coated the frame, the chain and drive train.

I then walked to the bike shop / safe shop / locksmith to pick up a few things. As you can probably guess, it was a smaller "bike shop," but I was thrilled to find they had the Tri-Flow lube that I like and cannot find at home anymore. The other things that I was looking for will wait for another day.

I had hoped cleaning and new lube might help the shifting issue that has developed in the past couple of days. Unfortunately, it didn't; so I'll pay a visit to the mechanic tonight. Need to get it taken care of before getting into Vermont. "Minor" mechanical work is included in the trip, which is a bit subjective. The staff will do everything that they can to get you back on the road. Someone broke a chain on one of the short, steep climbs on Sunday. Jim, the mechanic on the ride, was able to temporarily fix the chain and then replace a little further down the road.

He is the same mechanic as the portion of the trip I did last year, and was able to "farmer" together a shifter for me last year when I broke mine going into LaCrosse. He is the best (including the guys at home).

Jim has a pretty dry sense of humor. He was at the front desk when I checked in at Niagara Falls on Sunday. The hotel staff handed me a small package that Brenda, my sister, had sent. Jim said, "That's not big enough for cookies." He remembers last year's packages she sent, that were plentiful enough to share at SAG stops. It was, however, "Encourage-" mints (aka peppermint patties). So, I made sure to share with him. I'll take more with me to the mechanic's van tonight.

I also walked around the Falls yesterday and stopped for lunch at an outdoor food stand after hiking to the bike shop. Many of the riders took in the various tours that are available, including Maid of the Mist and Cave of Winds. I decided to keep it pretty low key.

Today's route was rural, but in the eastern sort of way -- no visible towns but lots of houses. I enjoy this riding. There's alot to look at and take in. We actually even saw camels today?! (I have photos.)

We appear to be back in dairy country. Dairy barns were more plentiful again.

We also saw cabbage being boxed in the field and onions.

I wonder what people from the coasts think when they ride into the West (i.e. Idaho and Wyoming) and the Midwest (i.e. Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, etc.) with all the wide open space? It's hard to describe, but I would expect it might be a little unsettling to ride for miles without seeing a house or other human being when you're used to having visible neighbors even if you live in the "country." Even the farm fields in Iowa are huge compared to what we have seen in the past week. And, it's amazing how quickly the topography and culture changes.

We didn't pass through many towns, although there were signs for "villages." We were in Niagara Falls for approximately the first 15 miles this morning. The rest of the route took us through Akron, Byron, Bergen, Riga and Scottsville.

We'll be in Liverpool, NY tomorrow night. Weather continues to look good, although heating up a bit but our luck continues to hold.

~ Lisa