Month: August 2005 (Page 1 of 2)

I haven't even scratched the surface of all that happened on my trip. Much of it was just mundane, of course, talking at length with a group of bikers (motor), a chat with a librarian, or being surrounded by bar patrons eager to hear my story. There were many, many people who I asked for directions, help finding a campground or hotel, recommendations for local eateries, where the libraries-post offices-grocery stores were — all were extremely kind and helpful.

Streator, IL. After 88 miles with a 115 degree heat-index, I was hot and tired and ready for a long rest. The first hotel I saw was the Pine Towers Motel. This was definitely, by all standards, a roach motel. But it was dirt cheap. 25 bucks. I went into the office and the clerk was a young hispanic boy, maybe around 15. He was definitely a salesman, listing all the salient featues of Pine Towers. Since on my approach I could see some signage off in the distance, I asked him how far it was to town. Three miles, but the shopping and grocery stores are only 1/2 mile. I told him that wasn't too bad if it wasn't 105 degrees, and that I may be back, but that I was going to look for something closer (my Streets & Trips database had already told me there were at least two more motels a little closer to town). The clerk, still trying to sell me a room, said, "but it's not too far, only a half-mile." "Look," I said, "I want a cool room, a cool shower, and then I want a short WALK to get something to eat, and then I'm going to bed. I don't want to ride another mile in this heat. OK?" "OK, sir. I will be here."

I hopped back on the bike and headed down the road toward the signage. The Town & Country Inn soon came into view and I pulled Jake & BOB into the drive and went on in. This was definitely more upscale than the Towers, and it had a pool and jacuzzi and restaurant and bar attached, and a parking lot that actually had some cars in it. "How much for a single room for a tired, hot cyclist, please?" The lady behind the counter, a nice looking 60ish woman with a name badge that identified her as a vice-president or something like that, smiled and said, "$58." The look on my face must have told her that she had just condemned me to the Pine Towers, and without even another peep from me, she said, "Well, I can give it to you for $52." "OK," I said, "that seems reasonable (and it was given the relative cleanliness of the place). I have one more place to check and I'll be back."

The third motel was supposed to be another local entity called the Streator Motel, but it had been converted to a Super 8. I went in, not expecting much, and they lived up to my expectations. $69. "Whoa! Is that the best you can do? It's much cheaper at your competition, and they have a pool." No, was the answer. Well, thanks, but no thanks.

(Click to enlarge)

I just didn't want to deal with the Towers, so I went back to the Town & Country. When I said I'd take the room, the nice lady lowered the price, again unprompted, to $50. And you'll probably want a ground floor room, and I assume you're a non-smoker?" "Yes and yes and thank you." We had a couple long conversations about my trip on various forays back to the office. I wish I could remember her name, but I neglected to write it down, and her name faded long ago in the multitudes of others.

Still, one very nice memory.

Click on picture to enlarge and pan (Flash plug-in required)

Badlands from The Pinnacles, South Dakota, July 11, 2005

Montana Landscape

People have generously pledged over $1500 to the Second Mile for my trip. Thank you so much! As I've said many times, raising funds for a charity as I rode kept me going on a lot of days when I would have gladly packed it in. I'm tickled, and so is the Second Mile. Right now, about half of the amount pledged has been paid, so if you've pledged, please send a check directly to:

Development Office
The Second Mile
1402 S. Atherton St.
State College, PA 16801

Write "Bethany or Bust" or "Paul Rito Cycle Trip" in the memo, or include a note with your check. Thanks, again.

"Back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the fattened Holsteins feed
On BGH* laced feed
Back in the saddle again"
(apologies to Gene Autry, but this IS Central PA, not Wyoming.)
*Bovine Growth Hormone

“I woke up and felt like I should be walking. It’s what I do now.” — Bill Bryson in "A Walk in the Woods," on waking up after the end of his attempt at thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Like Bill with walking, I woke up and felt like I should be riding. For seven weeks, it's what *I* did.

I returned to the saddle almost right away, riding into town about a mile away to pick up my mail and have a bagel and coffee at Irving's Bagels, my favorite haunt. This past Saturday, I joined the Saturday morning ride at Mt. Nittany Wheelworks and got in 48 miles at a very brisk 18 mph. My legs muscles screamed at me afterwards, "WE ARE VERY FATIGUED. LET US REST!" So, I decided to lay off the long, fast rides for a few weeks while my body is still recovering. My knee *hasn't* recovered yet, and while riding still doesn't hurt, I've been having continual pain, especially when any twisting movements are involved. I had a X-ray today which showed no bone or tendon problems, but I'm being scheduled to get an MRI to look for soft tissue damage. Somethin's wrong, but I've known that since the second the accident happend. I'm just glad I was able to finish.

Old Faithful at Sunset. Yellowstone National Park, 6-30-2005

Well, I am done. I'm back in my own apartment and once again sleeping in my own bed. I spent the 9th just recuperating and getting reaquainted with my grandson, Xavier. He hasn't grown up too much while I was gone and is still just as cute. There were lots of little domestic things to take care of, and I've already started on work projects again. I'm also trying to go through the literally thousands of pictures I took, but that will take a few days, maybe weeks. So stay tuned.

Trip statistics (and other lies 😉 :
Total Mileage: 3726.5 Miles
Average daily mileage over all 52* days: 72
Average daily mileage on 44 riding days: 85
Maximum daily mileage: 111
Minimum daily mileage: 57
Bona fide Centuries (over 100 miles): 9
Close enough for me Centuries (over 95 miles): 13
Total feet of climbing: 100,647 ft (that's 19.1 miles UP)
Average feet of climbing: 2143
Maximum feet of climbing: 7600 (Powder River Pass, WY)
Minimum feet of climbing: 280 (and the award for flattest terrain in the country — on my trip, anyway, Western, OH from Monroeville, IN to Maumee, OH)
Days with the BOB trailer on: 25
Maximum speed: 46 mph
Average speed: 13 mph
Pedal revolutions: 1,380,332 (approx., but no wonder my knees and muscles ache!)
Maximum daily average speed: 18 mph (no BOB on that one)
Minimum daily average speed: 11 mph
Average time on the saddle: 6:17
Maximum time on the saddle: 8:18
Minimum time on the saddle: 3:39
Camping days (sleeping bag & roll, shelter or no shelter): 27
Stayed with Friends & Family: 9
B&B: 2
Hotel: 13 (6 of those courtesy of Mr. Chris)

* – Includes day minus 1 riding from Renton to Everett, WA

Casulties:
Flats: 5 (2 in the BOB, 1 road flat, 1 valve, 3 on the bike, 2 road flats, 1 valve)
Tubes: 1
Tires: 2
Knees: 1
Front wheel bearings chewed up: 2
Rear wheels beaten into submission: 1
Shoes: 1 pair
Shorts: 2
Jerseys: 3
Water Bottles: 2
Water Bottle Cages: 1
Girlfriends: 1 (and no, it wasn't worth that, or perhaps it was. Time will tell)

Favorite Place:
The Badlands in South Dakota. Yellowstone was a close second, Jenny Lake in Wyoming, 3rd. Other than the Badlands, which are a clear winner in my mind, there was so much beautiful scenery out west, that it's hard to pick. Also, while the west is pretty, hardly anything beats a full canopy of old growth trees in a dark forest shading you from the sun in both PA and MD.

8/8/05 Grasonville, MD to Bethany Beach, DE 86 miles

I'm finished! Reached Bethany Beach at 3:30 today to a Police escort & local media (thanks to my daughter Sarah's interventions. Just finished feast of crabs & beer & am driving back to Pennsylvania courtesy of the Chrises Fahey. Good to be done, off the bike & heading home.

Lots more to write & plenty of pics coming, but I'm going to take a nap now…

8/7/05 Gaithersburg to Grasonville 78 miles so far

"To everything there is reason." Today, I'm thinking the reason for my crash was to keep me out of suburban MD on a weekday. My path from Gaithersburg to the Baltimore-Annapolis Bikeway was tedious & humid. On a weekday with normal commuter traffic, it could have been suicidal. 30 miles as the crow flies, the route snaked through the northern DC suburbs for 50 miles, avoiding the 'no bicycles' routes & shying awayfrom the 'not recommended' roads when I could.

I was surprised by how many working farms there are & how empty some of the roads were – even for a Sunday morning. The tediousness came from the need to double & sometimes triple check turns & street names. Add to that that the maps I had made were hard to read & I was navigating from an e-mail of the directions and the maps in my little Dell Axim handheld.

I made it to the b-a bikeway & from there it was an easy ride to Rt 50 to the Bay Bridge. Getting over the bnidge was more problematic as cycles aren't allowed. I made a siqn & put it on my bike & left it out while I dined at Wendy's & McD's, & 2 people said they'd take me, but
their cars were full. In the end I called a cab. It took well more than an hour for them to come, so by the time I got across the bridge, it was almost dark. I couldn't make it to the state park as it was still 20 miles away, so I 'settled' for the Sleep Inn in Grasonville.

My next missive should be from the coast! I can taste the crabs. Mmmmm.

8/6/05 C&O MP II6 to Gaithersburg 92 miles

Was on the trail @ 7 today, & that was good because it was a long, hot ride. I did find a 'shortcut' that exchanged 30 trail miles for 18 road miles – a fair bottom & pysche saving trade.

Nothing extraordinary today save for the multitudes of rafters (mostly tubes) in the Potomac.

I got to my friends, the Petrykowskis, around 5:30 & was greeted by Hania & her boss & housemate Laura Elnitski. Laura & Hania worked together at PSU, & when Laura got a great position at NIH, she asked Hania to go along. I miss them being in State College, but it's a great
opportunity for Hania.

Needless to say to anyone who knows Hania, but I was well fed & had a nice evening visiting & getting caught up.

Thanks to all of you who have sent well-wishes and 2nd Mile contributions as I near the end of my journey. I'm a bit behind on e-mail, but I will respond as soon as I can.

So much more to write about, but I need to get back on the road…

8/5/05 Frostburg, MD to C&O Canal Milepost 116, 92 Miles

The ride from Frostburg to Cumberland was truly fun, and as advertised in the flyer at Meyersdale, downhill all the way.

I had breakfast in Cumberland before heading onto the trail. The trail is the towpath of the old canal and each section of it, unlike a railroad with grades, is *totally* flat. There are occasionally locks that provide a short, but exciting thrill down steep little grades, but its mostly just flat. It's also, very interesting, from a historical perspective. Riding the Allegheny Trail and the C&O, I'm just amazed an 19th century engineering — or moreso, 19th century economics, that had so much hand labor paid so little.

There is a 3000+ foot tunnel that warns about using a light. I went without it, as I didn't want to dig through the BOB. This was an interesting endeavor. Holding onto a handrail with my left hand, a handrail that was the only thing between me and a 15 foot plunge into the canal, and manuevering the bike and trailer with my right. The only light was thousands of feet away, and served only to make it hard to see anything close by. I could only hope that the handrail was continuous and intact, because I sure couldn't see it. Hard to imagine maybe, but it was fun.

The rest of the canal trip was again exhausting, but really beautiful. There were so many deer I lost count. Right on the towpath; in the canal; or in the Potomac.

I also met a group of mountain bikers from the DC area who were on a work outing that they did every 5 years. They gave me a few tips about finding food — a wonderful real turkey sandwich at the Sweet Magnolia restaurant in Paw Paw, WV among them — and I continued to run into them throughout the day, eventually camping at the same trailside camp.

I also got a tip from a guy at Bill's Tavern in Orleans that there was a "real" rail trail that ran to Hancock and that it was blacktop — not the packed limestone of the C&O. That was a great tip. I was so tired and the smooth surface really helped. Had dinner in Hancock, and made it to the camp just before dark. I missed my original goal of Ft. Frederick State Park, but that was only 5 or so miles. The trailside camps have pump wells, and the water is of varying quality, although supposedly potable. I didn't count on that, and took a quick "shower," chatted with the DC folks a bit and went to sleep to the sounds of tree frogs, trains, and I-70.

8/4/05 Connellsville, PA to Frostburg, MD 84 Miles

I decided to try to get to Cumberland, but I ran out of daylight. At the MD/PA border, there was a campground that I TRIED to stay at, but I was a dollar short of their price and they only took cash or check, and it wasn't that great of a place. So I continued south and on RT 40, for the first time this whole trip, I got out the lights. It was still light outside, but 40 is a real busy road and I didn't want to take any chances. Good thing too, as by the time I got into Frostburg, it was dusk. The first motel I found was booked, the second was a fancy old restored hotel with a fancy price. I asked a local and he told me there was another further down the street, and if that was full, a Hampton Inn and Comfort Suites at the Interstate interchange.

The Frostburg Inn's "Vacancy" sign wasn;t lit, but I decided to try anyway. The office was closed, but there was a little sign telling patrons to go the bar in the back. I did, and the bartender said, sure, they had a room. He happened to be from Johnstown originally, and when he heard my story and where I was from, he told me that he'd take care of me and to come to him if there were any problems. There weren't any, but it was nice to have the offer.

I went to the local laudromat, started the machine, and went to the Food Lion to dig up some supper and a starting breakfast. What an exciting time I had in Frostburg! Actually, it looked like a cool little town with lots of good restaurants and all kinds of activity. Anyway, I had a good sleep.

8/4/05 Connellsville, PA to ???

The Yough and Allegheny Trails are, as I said yesterday, just beautiful. Easy, though slow, riding, and wonderful scenery. At one point, I even clambored down to the river, bum knee and all.

I'm in Meyersdale right now, where the official trail ends. I was going to catch a shuttle to Cumberland to make up time, but I'm feeling good and the detour description sounds so enticing, I think I'm going to go ahead and ride. Stay tuned.