THE BIGger RIDE COMPLETED

From Bill:

The ride on Sunday, August 12th was the fulfillment of a challenge I posed for myself when I "signed on" with the ALAW Big Ride. As you may know, I started a few days before the official start of June 25th, at Cape Flattery, the most northwesterly point of the contiguous United States. That was a two-day (~65 mi. + 55 mi.) ride to Kingston, WA, from which I took a ferry ride (with bike atop car) to Edmonds. Then I started with the official ride with my fellow riders at Lake Washington on June 25th. The ride to the Delaware coast followed the end of the Big Ride.

There are a couple of things good to know about the ride from Washington, DC to the Atlantic Coast. The most important is that provision must be made for the crossing of Chesapeake Bay. Bicycles are expressly forbidden from the bridge (actually a bridge, an island, and a second bridge completing the crossing of the Bay).

The second is the length of the ride - 96.5 miles to Broadkill Beach on the Atlantic at the termination of Delaware Route 16.

This is a pretty easy ride, with mostly low elevations, rolling forested hills, and flat agricultural landscape. In general the route I took was replete with generous shoulders, and, on Sunday, the traffic was light in the easterly direction.

On August 11th, we rode on Independence Avenue going west from the Greek lunch to the finish line. My ride began on Independence Avenue going east. I stayed on this route through street name changes (to East Capital Avenue), weird intersections, but always going straight east and following signs to Route 214 East to Annapolis. I remained on 214 East with only one very unnerving lane change: two highway-speed lanes to the right need to be crossed to continue on 214 to the left. Once past this, a blissful ride to Annapolis follows. Look for a left on Riva Road at about mile 28 or stay on 214 until Route 2 North. Both intersect Route 450 for a right turn into Annapolis. Lunch in the harbor is a pleasant stop, after which you can put your bike on your sag vehicle and go over the bridge. Follow Route 50 to the bridge. The bicycle permission sign is approximately 3 to 4 miles after the second bridge. Proceed on Route 50 until you reach Route 404 (left turn off Route 50). Continue on 404 East until you reach 16 East (about 8 miles east of Denton) - a great route out to the coast with good shoulder.

I apologize for not offering a century - I had the disadvantage of a map - a cue sheet would probably give you a century! (To David Latner - a few loops around the parking lot at Broadkill Beach would get the 100 miles for you.)

Overall the ride is quite nice, with very familiar appearing countryside along the way - cornfields and forested rolling hills reminiscent of the ride from Gettysburg. The anomalous bonus I got (having missed seeing buffalo where "the buffalo roam") was seeing buffalo on Route 16 near Denton right at, humorously, Buffalo Road.

That does my ride, very close to 3,500 miles coast to coast, with very little coasting along the way.

End of the Big Ride

Sorry these photos didn't rotate properly. I've tried twice. You get the idea!

The last two days of the ride were leisurely and hot. We went from Gettysburg to Clarksburg, MD and the Little Bennett Campground. The ride went through Frederick, MD, a nice historic downtown surrounded by ugly suburban malls and construction which then gave way to historic battlesites and beautiful countryside. We had a farewell dinner at Applebee's in Germantown, with shuttle service providing transportation from the campground. Michael Yee had spent more time in Gettysburg as a tourist and caught up with us right at the end of dinner. The post-dinner entertainment was a mock wedding ceremony incorporating elements of the ride (the dowry was expressed in camelbacks instead of camels). The service was humorous and oddly warm and intimate. Phil and Brian then shared some Big Thoughts on the Big Ride. Fitting last night.

The last day's ride in a lot of respects was one of the prettiest. Lots of huge estates, horses, historic countryside. Kathy's last water stop had to be reached by 9:30 or the riders would be sagged ahead. All were well within the time frame, although Bill had some gear problems that he solved on the fly with Jeff.

The Big Ride officially ended on August 11th, exactly as planned. The photo of the group was taken right after lunch at the Greek restaurant in the Old Post Office in DC - owned by a former Big Rider. Costas was a gracious host and donated a much-appreciated last meal for the crowd. The finish line gave family and friends the first opportunity many had had to see their rider in weeks. Very emotional. For us, it was an experience we shared, which we will always be able to refer to without long explanations. Glorious ending but not the finale to Bill's Excellent Adventure! After the finish of the ride, we went off to the hotel where many of the riders were staying and unloaded the gear truck for one final time. In our case, a lot of gear owned by ALAW was loaded back on. If I never see another 5 gallon container of Gatorade leaking on me and in my car again, I'll be happy! Messy stuff. The ham radio was taken out. Lots of time and effort for me to get my license and for the ALAW staff to install the radio. How often was it used for the ride? If you guess that it was ever used, you'd be wrong. We did get valuable weather information from the radio, but that's it.

Burton, OH to Gettysburg, PA

Some frustration that I can't get the photos to load the way I want; will address that when I return to Vermont and do a wrap-up. We have been through the hilly country of southern Pennsylvania and are now close to the finish line. The ride went from Burton (charming) to Washington, PA (not). We were in a campground with quite minimal facilities in the rain. Such is the big ride. The following day was into Confluence, PA - very small with a disappointing campground (we had the goose dropping area). The little town had little to offer - laundromat closed at 8, leaving a lot of people with clothes still wet from Washington. The best part of the day (if I have the right day) was the water stop at the Temporary 9/11 Memorial in Shanksville. The ride from Confluence to Bedford was extremely frustrating for Bill - more tube and tire problems. Long day, starting to rain yet again. I took the initiative to get a room for the night at a close-by Hampton Inn, and Jeff bunked in with us. We were dry, cool, and well fed. I'm afraid that those who stayed at the campground weren't. There was a tour of the Cannondale Bicycle Plant by very gracious employees, and those who went (not including the Harms) really enjoyed it. Yesterday's ride from Bedford to Gettysburg is often called the final exam. It's one of the roughest days (long and hilly) and it was very hot and humid, but all the riders got in. Late, but in. We were met by a contingent from Bob Jones's office - pie, muffins, and most appreciated cold beverages. The accomodations provided for the rest day (and two nights) are on the grounds of and in a middle school in the middle of the village. Great location, but the heat and thunderstorms and rain today make it less than desirable. We had decided some time ago to get a hotel for the rest day and have been very happy we did. We've rested, done laundry, run errands, etc., with a cool dry room to return to. Lots of riders opted for commercial accomodations, fortunately. Two more riding days til the finish line. At this point, we're tired and looking forward to reclaiming our lives. Part of that will be more blogging - more rider profiles, so keep on coming back!

Valparaiso, IN to Burton, OH

We were met outside Madison by a friend of Brack and Jean Ann Hattler's who provided us with cookies (always welcome) and two of Brack's riding jerseys from the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Pittsburgh with which Brack is associated. Check it out at http://www.mirm.pitt.edu/ We've had two riders wearing the jerseys every day, and this picture is of Trish and Greg Dimmit, the tandem team, in a corn field somewhere in Indiana.

As with the rest of the trip, this section of four days is already a blur. After leaving Valpo (which was a really nice town with great restaurants) we stayed in Kendallville, IN where I (Kathy) saw a friend of mine from grade school whom I hadn't seen in close to 50 years and a friend of hers who is a serious recreational biker. We missed the first night where we cooked dinner in camp but hear it was actually quite good. Long day due to 109 mile ride and turning our clocks ahead for Eastern Time. Next day to Napoleon was 70 miles with quite a bit of heat and humidity, but the Henry County Fairgrounds were welcoming, and a local bicyclist provided free soft-serve ice cream for all (delivered!) from his pizzeria, reputed to be the best in town. Thanks, Clark. The 87 miles into Sandusky were again hot and humid, with 40 of us camped in four tent sites. We are such a good group by now that this kind of proximity feels fine, and as of today (Burton) there are about fifteen tents in a space no larger than most living rooms.

The ride into Burton was fairly long (92 miles) with bigger hills at the end of the day. For the first time since we left Seattle, we were in a big city as we went through downtown Cleveland. I especially liked going along the lake for miles, seeing many large homes. Nice to be in an urban environment for a while. Too many corn, wheat, and soybean fields for my tastest - we've really gone through the breadbasket of the US. Many riders took the opportunity to go to an Indians game or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The weather turned very bad in the mid-afternoon, with thunder, lightning, hail, rain, and heavy winds depending on where you were. For a crew member, it's a bit disconcerting not to know where all the riders are and that they're safe. Some had gone officially off route to attend the game and we were very happy to get them all back in camp later in the evening. Yesterday was probably Bill's toughest day of the trip, with five flats (one new tire put on), and it may be his rim that is the real problem. This led to some delays and frustrations for him. It was terrific to see him pull up at the third water stop on the east side of Cleveland and know that he was all right. We had some lightning very close by - made him jump. Today's a rest day at the fairgrounds in Burton, a lovely little town with a beautiful library with wireless.

My Bad - But Two More Riders

I knew that we had more hospitality than I could remember in MN, WI, IN - I missed a terrific night where the families of Bob Dumke (top photo) and Dan Scott (bottom) showed up outside Madison and provided dinner and drinks, topped off with soft ice cream - always a huge hit. Bob is from WI and works (I think) as a metal fabricator (forgive me if I get that wrong, Bob) and Dan is from Phoenix where he works as a consultant. Dan is known for having logged the most computer time on the trip!

Meet Three More Riders

Justine Dobies is the only one of the riders to have done the Big Ride in the past, and she's done it twice in the past! She's known as the Eveready Bunny, as she's very focused and always seems to be riding. Note that she does not have high tech riding gear - wears shorts, sandals!

Helyn Anderson is from Brandon, Vermont, only about 20 miles from us. She's a real hoot. Her ride was threatened when her bike and some valuables were stolen from her home, but a number of caring friends made the trip possible, including a bike shop in Middlebury which provided a bicycle. Helyn is one of a kind!

Michael Yee rides in the front, the middle and the back of the pack as the spirit moves him. He's been known to take many naps along the road. His next career will be as a pharmacist, as he returns to school for his third year this fall.

Land of Hospitality

We'll remember the stretch from New Ulm, MN to Valparaiso, IN as long (we had seven days without a rest, including two centuries), but as among the most hospitable. I may leave someone out, so please forgive me if I overlook a contribution made by family and friends of riders. In Owatunna, MN, we stayed at the fairgrounds and were greeted by Vern's wife and extended family with their trunk full of pies. Terrific! Then we had Liz and Ane's families with a glorious water stop (picture below) with rhubarb pie, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb cake, etc. Very festive under a striped tent. Then we had a family that has been touched by lung disease that has set up a wonderful water stop outside Dakota, MN. Finally, although we missed it (Bill because he was out in front of the stop and Kathy because she missed a turn), David Lambert's family did a stop. These have made the long stretch much more tolerable. The rest day today is most welcome.

Bill is riding as he wants to - front, middle and rear as his fancy strikes him. If he rides with anyone on a consistent basis (and those who know Bill will know that he's not that predictable), he rides with Jeff Rich, a medical supply salesperson from Michigan. Jeff is not only quite a card, he's terrific at directing the loading of the gear truck. His picture is below. Along with the other riders, he has looked forward to the rest day to sleep, eat what he wants, do laundry, just relax.