Day 43 and more

I owe Pennslyvania an apology.  I'm having lots of fun here.  Between poor internet connections, lack of power, busy days, fatigue, and an attitude that I just want to finish (survive) I've not been keeping up the blogsite.  I'm sorry about that.  I made it to Gettyburg on Wednesday after a really tought 102 mile ride with 6500' of vertical, and in 85 degreee, high humidity heat.  I passed the final, but I chose to spend time seeing Gettysburg rather than blog.  Effectively, the ride is complete, and we just have two easy rides to make DC.  I'll upload my pics later this week.  I miss you all and can't wait to see you.

Day 42

Hills, whores, and liquor stores.  That was the description of Pennsylvania given to me by another rider.  I didn't see much of the latter two, but there sure were plenty of hills.  We have 3 more days of Pennsylvania.  The crew said these hills are just quizzes, the final exam comes on the century on Wednesday.  I hate 12% quizzes.

We entered Pennsylvania on a steep downgrade early in the morning after following the eastern Ohio border.  We we told that there was no state sign on the border so we backtracked on Hwy. 39 to find one. What we found a short ways off the described route was an important piece of U.S. surveying history.

While my fellow riders mocked my excitement, I couldn't believe the luck. Without the detour, we would have missed this spot by only one-quarter mile.This is the point from which a rectangular-grid land survey system was established under the Ordinance of 1785 for western U.S. which provided for administration and subdivision of land in the Old Northwest Territory. The Ordinance stipulated that all public lands were to be divided into townships six miles square.


This monument is not on the actual location because it is covered by water from a dam downstream on the Ohio river.

Interestingly, had we continued south on this route and crossed the Ohio river to get back on course we would have crossed through the NE tip of West Virginia and added another state to our journey.

This monument is not on the actual location because it is covered by water from a dam downstream on the Ohio river. 

Interestingly, had we continued south on this route and crossed the Ohio river to get back on course we would have crossed through the NE tip of West Virginia and added another state to our journey. 

After leaving the monument we rode into Midland.  Midland is a Pennsyvania town with an odd mix of old/new steel mills juxtaposed with nuclear power plants.  The town itself looks pretty depressed.

As I rode by the nuclear power plant I snapped a few pictures.  I was yelled at by a guy in a security truck that pictures weren't allowed.  I don't believe that anyone can prevent you from shooting picture from a public highway, and anyway, they weren't that interesting.  I still have them. If any U.S agency like Homeland Security wants me to delete them let me know.  I'll happily comply.

The remaining miles of the ride were still devoid of whores and liquor stores, but still had no shortage of hills.  Furthermore, the roads are really narrow here and many drivers have little patience for bikers.  If I lived in this part of Pennsyvania I wouldn't own a bicycle.

Tomorrow we go over the 3000 mile mark.  One biker is out of the ride now and is in a hospital in Pittsburg.  A couple of other riders have sagged part-time but should be back riding full-time soon.  The Big Ride hasn't so much as created the medical conditions bothering these riders, it's more like the stresses of the endurance riding has aggravated pre-existing conditions.  Most of the riders are healthy are anxious to get to D.C.

Day 41

The largest Amish settlements in the world are in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana.   For some reason, our route seems to go through the heart of these areas.  We've actually seen Amish buggies and houses since Wisconsin.  For those on the ride that are from the midwest these sights are old hat.  To me, they are quite interesting.

Our ride today from Burton to New Waterford, Ohio was only 59 miles and pretty easy.  I hear things get tougher as we head into Pennsylvania tomorrow.

The Amish in America are an old religious sect, direct descendants of the Anabaptists of sixteenth-century Europe. These Anabaptist Christians challenged the reforms of Martin Luther and others during the Protestant Reformation, rejecting infant baptism in favor of baptism (or re-baptism) as believing adults. They also taught separation of church and state, something unheard of in the 16th century.

The wheels shown on the picture to the right were on the side of the road near Middlefield, one of the largest Amish communities in the world.  I figured that the owner traded up to carbon fiber with aero spokes.

The first sizeable group of Amish arrived in America around 1730 and settled near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as a result of William Penn's 'holy experiment' in religious tolerance. The Amish population in the U.S. numbers more than 150,000 and growing, due to large family size (seven children on average) and a church-member retention rate of approximately 80%.
                                              
Ironically, the abandoned former residence of boxer Mike Tyson is also located in the same area. This gated estate contains over 60 acres that adjoins a golf course on one side. The grounds have featured walking paths, overlook 2 lakes, include accomodations for large outdoor pets, and has a outdoor basketball court and an indoor pool facility. It is priced at $ 1.3 million.  It probably cost at least 5-10 times that to build it.  It appears to not have had any maintenance for several years.

I was confused by the chuch that advertised itself as "The wrong side of the tracks". I couldn't find tracks anywhere.

Mike and I are working on a technique of hydrating at the end of the ride, or at least as near as we can get. At this place I tried a Rust Belt Brew.  The tap handle was made out of rebar.  I only had to pedal 8 miles after drinking this one to get to camp.

Tomorrow we ride to Washington, Pa., just south of Pittsburg.  After tomorrow's segment we will have less than 400 miles left to compete the Big Ride.

Day 40

Eat Sleep Ride Repeat

We are at that stage of the ride.  Nearly everyone is tired and a little homesick.  I know I am.  Some riders claim that they'll burn their tents in D.C.  Between the dead mosquitoes and the locker room smell in some, I don't blame them.

I took one picture today on our rest day.  It consisted of my dream fleet for bike ride support vehicles.  Speed, storage, and firepower--nothing could stop us!

Dead time for the dead tired was the plan for the day.  We got back from the Indians game well past midnight last night and awoke to an early (a very bright) sunrise this morning. 

We had to catch a cab to Burton last night from Cleveland.  If you go to Cleveland sometime ask someone where Burton is located.  Nobody seems to have heard of it although it is only about 30 miles away.  Even the cab driver and his dispatcher had to look it up.  They quoted us $96 to take us home--we paid it.

Burton is home to Ohio's oldest fair.  It is held on the 150-acre Geauga County Fairgrounds where we were staying.  Apparently, nobody from Cleveland ever goes or even know that the fair exists.  The cab driver looked a little apprehensive when we got there.  He kept saying, "This looks familiar, right?"  I think he thought we were going to mug him when we told him to turn into the darkened fairgrounds.

Geauga is an Indian name for raccoon.  Some of the locals in Burton call it "Raccoon County".  There is even a music festival that uses that name.  I didn't see any raccoons while we were here, but I didn't see anyone from Cleveland either.

As I said yesterday, one rider ended up in the hospital yesterday.  I found out that the injury came from a low-speed collision with another Big Rider.  She's fine.

On a more serious note, we sent two more riders to the hospital today.  The details are not clear, but one had a seizure and the other was sick, disoriented, and probably dehydrated.  I don't know if they'll be returning to camp today.

As for me, I'm tired but OK.  In a couple of days we get to Pennsylvania.  We only have 7 riding days left and less than 500 miles to go. My bike needs work but should make it OK.  We tried to fix my shifter today but were unsuccessful.  Sue is letting borrow her spare until D.C.   In general, the folks on this ride are very generous with their gear.

Early to bed tonight.  I miss you all.

Day 39

The transition from uneventful to just plain fun was a quick one.  It probably would have started earlier taken in the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, but I just wasn't up for it.  I'd been biased by reading blogs from other Big Rides where so many got sick on the next riding day following the roller-coaster fest.  It appeared to take some toll today as two riders ended up sagging.  This is the first sags we've had since Minnesota.  However, most of the riders who went suffered no ill effects.

The route from Sandusky to Cleveland took us along the south shore of Lake Erie.  In the top picture on the right you can see Cleveland in the distance.

Andy took an unadvised dip in the lake.  Unfortunately, he missed the warning sign on the stairway leading to the beach.  I showed him the sign when he got out of the water.  He wasn't a happy camper.  I hope he didn't drink any of it.  It would not be funny to survive a bike smashing by a multi-ton vehicle only to be taken down by a microbe at the end of the ride.

Anyway, the weather was nice.  There was quite a breeze coming off the lake.  Since it was mainly a cross wind it really didn't effect the ride except to keep us cool.

The area surrounding Cleveland looked somewhat depressed, but the city itself was less run-down than I expected.  The waterfront is well-developed with restaurants, sports stadiums, and the rock and roll hall of fame.  I didn't have time to take the full tour so I did a quick look in the free areas and played a little air-bike out front.

We've been a little spoiled riding through corn country because their have been few hills.  That changed quickly after Cleveland.  The 40-some miles that we rode from Cleveland to our campsite in Burton was very hilly.  Some of the hills were about 10% in grade.

Four of us decided to take in a Cleveland Indians game so we rode hard to Burton just so we could get back to the city.  It took a lot out of my legs but it was worth it.

I've always admired the Indians organization because of the loyalty of their fans.  I've seen the guy on the right several times on TV and was pleased to get my picture with him.  I was also going to get my picture with the guy in the cheap seats who bangs the drums but my legs were opposed to the hike.  After a couple rounds of Tricky Dog Brewery's Old Leghumper beers I forgot about that mission completely.

In the middle innings of the game the Yankees broke it open.  I was impressed that so many of the Indians fans stayed until the end.  I'm not sure whether it was fan loyalty or the fact that A-Rod was going for his 600th home run that kept fans in the seats.  He didn't hit a home run but the Yankees won 11-4 anyway.

In the 8th inning we moved down to some open front row seats.  Mike, my new riding buddy, is a Yankee fan.  He kept saying, "Front row seats, the Yankees are winning, and Ol' Leghumper beer...it just doesn't get any better that this".  

Day 38

Today's ride was from Napoleon to Sandusky, Ohio.  We are just south of Lake Erie.  Sandusky is famous for the Cedar Point Amusement Park.  It supposedly has some of the biggest roller coasters in the world.  Many of the riders were riding hard today to make it to the Park.  Not me, it was supposed to rain this afternoon and I just wasn't that interested.

The only picture that I shot along the ride today was the sunrise over the corn.  This is pretty much the view we had all day except the sun got higher and hotter.

I've been having some trouble with my phone lately and have not been able to upload the blogs each day.  If you've been following regularly, you've probably noticed that sometimes they come in bunches.  We rarely have wireless access where we stay and I depend on my phone to upload the blog.

I was finally able to get to a Verizon store today and they figured out the problem.  It was a software issue and is now resolved.  I should be posting more regularly now.

Apparently, I failed to include the good news about Andy's bike (the one that got run over).  He was able to replace it with an identical bicycle in Madison and it looks like the old dude's insurer is going to fully reimburse him.  

Since I didn't have any interesting pictures for the blog today I've posted the old/new bike pictures.  Andy's old bent frame has become a hood ornament for the gear truck.

Day 37

It turns out that I have more problems with my shifter than just the cable.  Allen, the mechanic, thinks that when the cable broke a piece of metal became lodged in the shifter.  It just doesn't want to work well. 

Fortunately, Sue (another Big Rider) had some bike parts issues earlier, and as a result, has a spare rear 10-speed shifter.  I borrowed it while Allen works on mine.  Thank you, Sue!

Mike and I have made a regular habit of stopping for breakfast about 9 am.  We usually have 30 or more miles under out belt by then.  Today was a relatively short 70 miler, and we were sore from yesterdays 109 mile ride, so it seemed like a good idea.

It was.  The locals in the Butler Eat'n Haus took great interest in our ride.  When we went to pay for our meal we were told someone picked up the tab.  We have no idea who did it.

We crossed into Ohio today.  Ohio's sign was only better than Indiana's because Indiana didn't have one at all.  I'm pointing at it on the corner of the street sign in the picture.  Stop by my house and I'll show you the full size version--maybe then you can read it.

We've been creative making our own state line signs where there are none.  I especially like the one to the right because it is simple and to the point.

I hope to put a "Not done/Done"  mark on the side of the Washington Monument when we reach DC.