Another good day to ride.

I took my Madone down to the Eliza Furnace trail in Pittsburgh as my Long Haul Trucker is all boxed up and ready to be shipped. It was around 94 degrees in Pittsburgh but the humidity was low so it didn't feel bad at all. There was a detour at the beginning of the trail but I got around it OK and proceeded into town. I crossed over the Ft. Duquesne bridge to the North shore. I rode it down the Ohio and then turned around and rode all the way up the Allegheny to Herr's Island and Washington landing. I have never been on the island before and it was pretty nice. I then proceeded back to the Ft. Duquesne Bridge, through town and across the Smithfield Street bridge and then back up to the Hot Metal bridge and crossed back over to my truck. A pretty good 21 mile ride to keep in shape.

Starting to get close now!

Cleaned the Long Haul Trucker today and packed it in the shipping box. I also boxed up the B.O.B trailer. I filled all the empty spaces in the boxes with equipment. I will be shipping the bike and trailer on Thursday with a Tuesday delivery in Bar Harbor (I hope). I will be riding my Madone for the next week or so. It will feel good to be on it again!

It won't be long now before the trip begins!

A great day to ride!

I rode from Harrison City to Twin Lakes today. It was in the mid 70's and sunny. Not to hot but not cool either. I made it out to Twin Lakes in pretty good time. I had a snack and a Power Drink and then got ready to leave. I went into the rest room to fill my water bottles and then put them on top of the towel dispensor. I then got on my bike and proceeded back. After about 5 miles I reached down to get a bottle so I could have a drink and NO WATER BOTTLE. I turned around and headed back to Twin Lakes. I went into the mens room and there were my water bottles right where I left them. I said something to a man who was in there about forgetting my bottles. He noticed a pair of sun glasses on the sink and asked me if I had forgot them as well. I told him that I had noticed them earlier and said to myself who is the dummy who forgot his glasses. He said and then you forgot your water bottles. Guilty! Anyway I got 44 miles in today instead of 37.

Aug 16 Sleeping Bear Dunes Park

On Sunday evening, after out trip to Mackinac Island we drove down to Traverse City to spend the night. The next day we drove to Sleeping Bear Dunes Park to begin our ride. We parked at the visitors center to buy our passes for the day. The ranger asked where we were going and I said we wanted to ride up to Glen Arbor but on the way to ride the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive to see the Dunes. The ranger said that they recommended that you drive the route before attempting to ride it on a bike. I wanted to say that I rode across the U.S. last year, how tough could it be? Luckily I didn't say that. It included some of the steepest climbs I have ever done. Steve and I rode every inch although it was hard, we made it. We also saw some pretty spectacular scenery, the huge sand dunes. I was amazed that what I was seeing was on Lake Michigan and not the outer banks of North Carolina. We walked out to the dunes and the wind was really blowing. It had been blowing while we were riding but once we got out to the dunes we got the full force. It was probably at least 25MPH. It hurt to have the sand blasting against your skin. The wind and sand did not deter people from climbing down the dune to the water. Steve and I passed on that. We left that area and headed up to the Dune climb area. There people could climb the dune without going down to the water. People acted like they were at the beach. They had picnic lunches, blankets etc. and sat around while the kids played in the sand. The sand is very soft and the kids loved it. We rode on up to Glen Haven and visited the old Coast Guard Station. After lunch at Glen Arbor, we rode on back to our car and then home. It was a great three days and the first time that I have spent and extended time with Steve by himself since he was a young boy. It was great time. We rode 28 miles with some pretty good climbing and strong head winds.

August 15, 2010 Mackinac Island

On Sunday, Steve and I drove up to St. Ignace across the Mackinac Bridge and took the ferry to Mackinac Island. There are no cars allowed on Mackinac Island, only bikes and horses. The ferry landed at the wharf in town and immediately we were in the midst of a bustling crowd of tourists and vacationers visiting the island. All of the luggage was being loaded into horse drawn wagons and the people into horse drawn carriages. Most people rented bicycles but of course Steve and I took ours with us. We proceeded to ride out of town and around the island. It was only 8 miles around so we were back in town in about an hour. We had a little lunch and of course some famous Mackinac Island fudge. We then took another spin around the island but this time as we came back to town, we went up into the center and top of the island. There is an air strip and a golf course and cemetaries on top of the island. There is also a fort that was built by the British during the War of 1812 to capture the American fort that was below it. After the war, the fort was returned to American hands and was occupied until around 1890. We then rode back into town and rode through the side streets to see houses built back in the 1700's. We also saw a lot of stables for the horses. We had been wondering what they did with all of the horses. We then took the ferry back to the mainland and returned back to Petoskey.

August 14, 2010 Day 1 of Michigan Ride

On Friday Aug 13, Steve and I drove up to Petoskey MI from his home in Ferndale. Petoskey is in the upper area of the lower peninsula. We stayed in a ski lodge a little south of Petoskey. On Saturday morning, we drove up to Petoskey and proceeded to ride from Petoskey to Cross Village about 30 miles away. We rode along a nice bike trail for about 10 miles and then followed Rt 110 to Cross Village. Alot of the ride was along the shore line of Lake Michigan. Then it was a little inland through the "Tunnel of Trees". This ride was a real eye-opener for me as I had the impression that Michigan was flat and depressing as my only experience was the Detroit area. This area has hills and valleys, woods and fields and many other attractions. I was pleasantly surpised. We stopped at a small general store in Hart MI. The people were literally lined up to buy home made pies. There was also a farmers market along with several other little shops. We had a drink and a snack and pushed on to Cross Village. We had lunch in a Polish Restaurant built by a polish immigrant. His restaurant was very unique and filled with his wooden sculputers and other art work. We then headed back but not before climbing a very steep hill. We made it back to petoskey and had dinner at the Bay View Inn which was very good. There was a wedding going on in the back and we saw the bride and groom as they went outside to get pictures at the sun set. 62 miles with a lot of climbing, a good day!

Starting to ramp up my training

On Sunday, August 8, 2010, I went for a 60 mile ride on the Great Passage Trail from Boston to halfway to Connellsville. Keith Stewart, who I met on the Pedal Pittsburgh ride rode along. It was a great day starting up with temperatures in the low 70's and then rising well up into the high 80's. The ride was beautiful as we rode along the Yough river for the entire distance. The water was clear and green with many many people out enjoying the water. We could hear the whooping and hollaring all the way up and down. A lot of fishermen were out wading in the water. We were suprised how shallow the water really is. By midafternoon we were thinking about jumping in. I put 55 lbs of weight in my trailer to see how it handled with a big load. I don't really intend to take that much stuff but at least it I know I could. The bike did get a little hard to control with that amount of weight behind it which gives me even more incentive to reduce the amount of stuff I will take on the trip. One month from today, I will be leaving Bar Harbor on my way to Key West!

Short Ride

I only went 20 miles today. It was a good ride though, it was the best I have done with my B.O.B. trailer. I averaged over 11mph for the first time and I put exactly 40 pounds on the trailer. On Sunday I will put around 50 pounds on and try to carry the maximum number of water bottles as well. I will let you know how it works out.