WOW, WOW, WOW

I don't know what else to say. Woke up in VanHorn Texas as the sun was just coming up--what a beautiful place surrounded by mountains.
Headed up into the Guadalupe Mountains (wonderful-I intend to ride them one day) to the Carlsbad Caverns. As the guide says--maybe not the biggest or longest cave in the world--just the most beautiful. Absolutely jaw dropping from end to end and we were able to enjoy it with no crowds--you only saw a few people in 2.5 hours of hiking in the cave.
Drove in to Mayhill, NM up at around 7,000 feet. Arrived to 8 deers in our camp--they stayed all evening and after about 40 minutes 22 wild turkeys also arrived to entertain us-the cats were in heaven.
Next morning drove over the pass at 9,000 feet and continued our drive to Tucson. Stopped at the White Sands National Monument--wonderful miles of gypsum sand-took a hike thru the dunes and then spent the rest of the day trying to get gypsum out of the motor home.
Arriving in Tucson on saturday and stay with our friends the Bodines' for a few days before heading back to Yuma in time for Thanksgiving.

TEXAS

After crossing a southern state in less than a day we reached Texas where we have now been for 10 days. Stayed 8 days in Fort Worth visiting my grandson Sam. Then we headed West.

The theme of the trip west is "C's". You ask what? Central/West Texas is filled with "C" things:
Cactus, Crude (oil), Cotton, Critters-(prarie dogs again and giant Texas sized ones), Coyotes--if I see more "C" things I will let you know.

Stayed one night in San Angelo which is a beautiful small city with lots of lakes and desert/prarie like terrain.
Now we are in Van Horn heading in the morning up to Carlsbad Caverns.

Riding on the Oregon Coast

I've been home a week and have managed to do a couple of casual rides.  On Wednesday I rode with my women's group (the BOBs - Babes on Bikes) and managed to get in a beautiful 23 miles on what was the warmest November day in Oregon's history.

Today the sun was shining this morning but with predictions of rain.  I almost didn't wear my rain gear but am glad I did!  About halfway into the ride (yes, that means I was about as far from my car as I could be) it started showering.  It only lasted about 20 minutes but I got wetter in that 20 minutes than I did the entire ride across the USA (I only got drizzled on for about 45 minutes on our last day into Yorktown, VA); and the rain today was truly only a shower!  We were so VERY lucky on our trip!  Today's ride was only a little over 15 miles (I cut it short as I saw a very dark cloud heading my way), but it felt good to have a relaxing ride.

GEORGIA, ALABAMA & LOUISIANA

Well traveling quickly now to get to Fort Worth to see grandson Sam. Went to Plains, GA home of President Carter. A tiny dying town--one of the things we saw all across America--that unless a town was of a certain size they were all dying. Had breakfast at a wonderful local diner and bought some fried peanuts--I have never had peanuts this good in my entire life--saw the Carters home and headed out.
Made it to the middle of Alabama where we stayed at another Corp of Engineers campground. As usual beautiful on a massive lake.
Next day headed on to Vicksburg, Mississippi. The entire town is a living museum to the Civil War battlefield. Fun fact--since the city surrendered on July 4th they never again celebrated the 4th of July until after WWII. Stayed at a beautiful RV park connected to a Casino on the Mississippi which is very broad here--wonderful dinner and free breakfast.
Still moving on--the south is wonderful--everyone is so much kinder than even in the west--they are not Yankees down here.

LESSONS ON LIFE YOU LEARN FROM YOUR SEAT

On the long drive home there is a lot of time to reflect on the lessons of life you learn after days and hours on a bike--here they are as best I can do:

1. DON'T WORRY IT WILL CHANGE. If you don't like the direction of the wind, road surface, terrain--don't worry it will change--maybe for the better or for the worse--but--it will change.

2. DON'T JUDGE A CLIMB BY ITS ELEVATION--OR A PERSON BY THEIR OUTWARD APPEARANCE. The easiest climb we had was the 2nd tallest and the hardest climbs were in the Ozarks with only a couple of hundred feet. Well the same goes for the people--you just can not tell their character by outward appearance.

3. YOU WILL GET THERE WHEN YOU GET THERE You can not hurry up the process--you will arrive once you arrive--you might as well enjoy the journey.

4. THE WIND IS NOT ALWAYS IN YOUR FACE. Everyone notices when times are tough and the wind is in your face--but we seem to take for granted when the wind is at our back--we attribute that to our fitness--when in reality the wind is really pushing us along. Maybe we should pay more attention and be thankful for the breeze at our backs more--and worry less about the wind in our face (see #1 & 3 above).

5. HAVING SOMEONE TO RIDE BEHIND IN THE WIND IS REALLY GOOD. As in life when times are tough--having someone to pull you through is as good as it gets.

6. RIDING UPHILL IS SOMETIMES BEST WITH A COMPANION AND SOMETIMES BEST ALONE. How can it be both?? Well that depends on the companion. If you are both evenly matched then you draw strength from each other and you seem to push each other up the hill--if not then the weaker person will struggle more--as in life.

7. CATS MAKE REALLY GOOD ALARM CLOCKS. They are up with the sun--cause they do not want to miss any of the day--so why should we?

8. DON'T BE A YANKEE. In South Carolina where they take being from the south very seriously if someone if rude or inconsiderate they simply say--"well they must be a Yankee". Nuff said.

9. LIFE IS BEST IN SLOW MOTION. Watching every plant go by--talking to every cow along the side of the road is truly wonderful. Why be in a hurry to have life pass you by--time is short you might as well enjoy it and slow it down. Believe me 6 hours on a bike are much longer than 6 hours in a car--and way better.

10. GOD WAS JUST PRACTICING UNTIL HE GOT TO UTAH AND THE GRAND CANYON.
If you have not been there to see what I mean--do it. You will get this--and understand "Be still and know that I am God".

Hilton Head & Savannah

Left Charleston and headed south to Hilton Head. Stayed at an RV Park on the water that had a hot tub and a tennis court out our back. The cats were able to run unhooked on the tennis court and mom and I enjoyed hot tubbing and getting massages. On Wednesday we headed into Savannah for the day where we did the city tours.

Thursday did a long drive to western Georgia where we visited Andersonville Prison and the POW museum--both very well done. Tomorrow since we are only 15 miles from Plains, Ga will stop in and visit the Carters.

HUNLEY & WINE WITH NEW FRIENDS

Had a great day monday enjoying downtown Charleston where I got to pose with "The Hunley" if you do not know the story about the Hunley and my personal story about the Hunley be sure to ask and I will tell you.

Upon our return to camp we greeted our new Canadian friends Peter and Lorraine. But before I get to the wine a story on how we met them. On the long ferry ride from the Outer Banks we started talking for a while. But when the ferry docked we went our separate ways. Imagine our surprise the following day when they passed us on the highway--but then again they were gone. But--when we stopped at the visitor center there they were again. So we booked reservations at the same campground in Charleston and happened to stay at the same park in Myrtle Beach--where we ran into them again.
After our return from Charleston--being good polite Canadians they had us over for a drink. Well it was a Canadian drink--I think we went thru 3 bottles (1 large one) of wine for 4 of us--but since our campsite was about 25 yards away we were able to make it home. It was a truly wonderful evening and one that we will all remember. Safe travels to you two!!!

Home Sweet Home

I have not posted since our "victory day" of October 20, 2010 when we arrived in Yorktown.  I have now had almost two weeks to reflect on our adventure, enjoy time with family and friends, and to drive home to Oregon.

As those of you who have been following this blog are aware, Gale, who started with us in Oregon had to depart in Nevada as she just did not have the time to do the entire trip.  Lisa, Dana and I rode together until central Kentucky when Lisa headed south to visit her sister in Knoxville, Tennessee (after a "wonderful" visit with her sister Lisa rode via North Carolina to Virginia Beach, Virginia where she arrived on October 22, 2010.  Dana and I rode the entire trip together from the Oregon Coast to Yorktown, Virginia but parted ways a couple of hours after our arrival in Yorktown.  Dana and her mom (our faithful, wonderful, etc., etc., etc. driver of our support RV, "chief cook and bottle washer", moral support, etc., etc., etc.) took Donna (Fran's friend from Yuma who joined us in Kansas), Cali and Patches (Fran's cats who were our primary source of entertainment and alarm clocks throughout the trip) to Virginia Beach where they parked the RV, Donna, and the kitties for a few days so they could fly back to Oregon for Dana's brother's wedding.  Donna has since flown home to Yuma, and Dana, Fran and the kitties are slowly working their way back to Yuma in the RV.

My son Paul, who had recently returned from living and working in Europe for several years, and his girlfriend Yagmur, greeted us in Yorktown and the three of us stayed in Williamsburg for a few days visiting and enjoying the sights.  Yagmur, unfortunately had to work for three of the days, but Paul and I were able to spend spend that time "catching up" and sightseeing. 

On Wednesday afternoon after we arrived in Yorktown and had some lunch, Paul and I drove back to Yorktown to look around the town a bit and visit two museums.  Yorktown is very small and really consists of some tourist shops, the "old town" which we never saw, and the Revolutionary War battlefield sight and museum.  In the tourist area the only thing we really did was tour the Watermens Museum, a museum dedicated to "preserving the heritage of the watermen of the Chesapeake Bay",  http://www.watermens.org/.
This was an interesting little museum that was worth taking the time to explore. 

We then went to the Yorktown Visitor Center and Battlefield which is operated by the National Park Service.  The Visitor Center does and excellent job of educating about the battle that resulted in the end of the Revolutionary war:

"On this battlefield, between September 28 and October 19, 1781, General George Washington and his allied American and French army of 17,600 troops surrounded and besieged General Charles Lord Cornwallis' 8,300 British, German and American loyalist forces, which were fortified within the port of Yorktown. American and French artillery crews fired over 15,000 rounds of siege artillery upon the British continuously for nine days. On October 19, Lord Cornwallis, surrendered, effectively ending the war."  http://www.baygateways.net/general.cfm?id=55

On Thursday, October 21, Paul and I spent the day walking around Colonial Williamsburg.  We were not able to get into many of the buildings because we decided not to buy tickets until after we had a chance to see what there was to see (we actually originally decided we would spend Thursday walking around and then buy tickets of Friday so we would have access to the buildings, but later decided to do something else on Friday).  The weather was beautiful and we had a great day wandering around, which included a wonderful chicken pot pie lunch sitting outside on the restaurants patio.  That evening we took Yagmur back into Colonial Williamsburg for dinner.

Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg

On Friday, Paul and I decided that rather than returning to Colonial Williamsburg we would take a drive paralleling the Jame's River and go to Berkeley Plantation (Fran and Donna had gone there and really enjoyed it).  It is a beautiful drive from Williamsburg to the Plantation (Dana and I had ridden much of it on our bikes), and the tour of the Plantation was excellent.  Berkeley Plantation was supposedly the site of the first official Thanksgiving in 1619, and was the birthplace of President William Henry Harrison. 

http://www.berkeleyplantation.com/

Paul next to the James River at Berkeley Plantation

Saturday, October 23, was a wonderful day.  Yagmur was able to be with us and the weather was perfect.  We spent most of the day at the Jamestown Settlement,
http://www.historyisfun.org/jamestown-settlement.htm.
We spent several hours exploring the museum - they do an outstanding job of depicting the history of Jamestown dating back to the earliest Native Americans residing there.  There was an especially interesting special exhibit entitled "Werowocomoco, Seat of Power" with artifacts dating back 10,000 years.  http://www.historyisfun.org/werowocomoco.htm
After exploring the museum we took a tour of the replicas of the Jamestown and Powhatan Villages and then walked down to the river where there were replicas of the ships that brought the original settlers to Jamestown.  Jamestown was the first English settlement in America that managed to endure for more than a few months.


Nancy, Paul and Yagmur in front of ship at Jamestown

 Paul and Yagmur returned to their new home in New York City on Sunday, and on Monday morning I picked up my rental car and started heading west from Williamsburg.  My first night out I spent in Lexington, Kentucky with my cousin Patsy.  It was great to have some time with her and she surprised me with having made a delicious coconut pie.  On Tuesday I managed to drive through a tremendous storm around Louisville, with tornado warnings blasting on the radio.  Because the rain was coming down so hard and I couldn't see the cars in front of me I pulled off the freeway at the next offramp and waited out the storm (hoping not to be in the eye of the tornado); it was only about a 15 minute wait which I made the best of by eating a piece of Patsy's pie!  Once the storm was over it was over!  The wind died down and the skies turned blue.  It took me 3 days to get to the Denver, Colorado area where I visited with my daughter's family.  My granddaughters were exited about Halloween and I was able to attend some of their school festivities on Friday.

Lauren in her "batgirl" costume

Kaley in her cheerleader costume

It took me two days to get home from Colorado and I arrived in Portland Sunday afternoon where Steve picked me up and I returned the rental car.  On Sunday evening we went to our favorite Depoe Bay restaurant, Tidal Raves (http://www.tidalraves.com/) for dinner - I had salmon which I had been craving since the day we left Bandon!

Of course the day after I got home we had a torrential rainstorm!  The next couple of days should be nice though and I am going to do a casual bike ride with girlfriends in Newport tomorrow.  I haven't been on the bike since we arrived in Yorktown 12 days ago.  I am really looking forward to tomorrow's ride (I may even sneek in a short ride this afternoon once the fog lifts). 

It was a wonderful "adventure" which I am so very glad I did!  After three months of being gone however, it is great to be home!

MYRTLE BEACH AND CHARLESTON

Headed down to Myrtle Beach and spent the nite at the County Park located right on the beach. A short walk (so short that the cats were able to walk right down to the ocean) to the warm beach where we enjoyed sitting in the sun.
Sunday drove down to Charleston where we are staying in another County Park--beautiful on James Island--tomorrow heading down to Charleston to spend the day.

OUTER BANKS AND FERRIES

Woke up this morning to much cooler weather and wind. Drove down to the southern tip of the outerbanks. Ocracoke Island is a gem. Rode on two ferries. The first 40 minutes and the 2nd was 2 1/2 hours-saw Dolphins playing alongside the Ferry.
Back on the mainland and spending the night in NewBern. A city that this year is celebrating it's 300th birthday.
Heading south--heading for warmer weather.

ON THE WAY HOME-OUTER BANKS

After flying home for a few days for my brothers wedding--mom and I arrived back at Virginia Beach and have now set out for Arizona. Today we are driving down the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We visited Kitty Hawk and Kill Devils Hill today.
Good thunderstorm last nite and some rain today--but quite warm so not an issue. Camping at Buxton on the Outer Banks--tomorrow will drive down to the southern tip and take a ferry to the mainland.

FINAL FIGURES AND THOUGHTS

Well first of all about the weather. Out of our entire trip I needed my rain jacket for rain for exactly 1 hour. That's it. How amazing is that.

Here are the final daily mileages and totals:
October 15th: to Waynesboro: 17 miles, 42-60 degrees, 2293 feet of climbing.
16th: to Charlotsville: 26 miles, 50-65 degrees, 1450 feet.
17th: to Mineral: 48 miles, 48-70 degrees, 2166 feet.
18th to Ashland: 49 miles, 50-70 degrees, 1443 feet.
19th to Chickohomeny River: 55 miles, 57-72 degrees, 1283 feet.
20th to Yorktown: 33 miles, 57-59 degrees, 643 feet.

3564 Miles riding. 163,210 feet of climbing. Highest Temperature 102-Milford Utah. Coldest Temperature 41 Gunnison Colorado. Highest Elevation 11,333 Monarch Pass. Most Climbing in one day: 1st Escalante to Torrey 6220 feet in 64 miles, 2nd: Powers to Glendale, Or 5646 feet in 72 miles.

Mom and I were talking about our memories: Andreas, El Dorado Lake (the boat ride), White Canyon in Utah, the dirtiest campground in Kansas and so many more. This has been the trip of a lifetime for all of us.

Hoping anyone who has a dream can have the chance to go take it and enjoy the ride!!!

Lisa

As those of you have been following this blog are aware our friend Lisa left us in Kentucky to ride to visit her sister in Knoxville, Tennessee.  She reports that she had a wonderful visit with her sister!   After leaving her sister she rode through Ashville, North Carolina and Danville, Virginia.  Her plan was to finish her trip in Virginia Beach, VA.  I haven't spoken with her for a couple of days but I am guessing she either arrived in Virginia Beach today or will arrive tomorrow.  When I spoke with her a couple of days ago she was in Danville, VA, about 180 miles from the finish.  She was in high spirits and seemed to be having a great ride.

The End of the Road - Yorktown, Virginia (33 miles)

It's hard to believe, but today we finished our ride across the United States.  We had a short ride of 33 miles which started at where the Chickahominy River meets the James River.  For several miles, until we reached Jamestown, we rode along the Capital Trail, a dedicated bike trail.  In Jamestown we took a wrong turn and accidentally rode onto Jamestown Island rather than turning onto the Colonial Parkway.  We figured out our error after a couple of miles and found our way onto the Colonial Parkway.  When we reached Williamsburg we had to detour off of the Colonial Parkway through Colonial Williamsburg then got back onto the Parkway and rode into Yorktown.  In Williamsburg it started to rain lightly and rained on us the entire 13 miles into Yorktown; other than about 10 miles of rain that Dana experienced a few days ago this was the only rain we had the entire trip!  Shortly before we reached Yorktown my son Paul and his girlfriend Yagmur greeted us on the road as we rode by (I had not seen them since Christmas so this was a wonderful welcome to the end of our journey).  The bike route ended at the Yorktown Victory Monument where Fran and Donna were waiting for us.  After hugs, congratulations, and picture taking, we rode down to the ocean to dip our bikes into the Atlantic.  We then toasted with sparkling apple cider!

Dana and Nancy in front of the Yorktown Victory Monument

Nancy riding away from the Yorktown Victory Monument

Dana and Nancy dipping our tires into the Atlantic Ocean

Our Welcoming Party!  Fran & Donna, Paul & Yagmur

After our little celebration, Dana, Fran & Donna left for Virginia Beach where they are leaving the motorhome, Cali and Patches (the kitties!) with Donna for a few days while Dana and Fran fly home to Oregon for a family wedding.  Nancy, Paul & Yagmur went to lunch then Paul and Nancy did a bit of sightseeing in Yorktown.

In a few days I will summarize my thoughts about this extraordinary trip.  For now, I want to enjoy a few days visit with Paul & Yagmur and realize that most of my waking hours won't necessarily be on a bike.  I will miss this journey, the people I have met, the fantastic scenery, and even the climbs.

SECOND TO THE LAST DAY-ONE OF MY FAVORITE

The 2nd to last day of riding-and surprisingly it turned out to be one of my favorite. Nancy and I set out in comfortable temperatures with somewhat busy traffic--but we were following the Richmond Civil War Battles Trail. What a wonderful treat. The first battle we stopped at had two deers waiting for us. Then we moved on to Cold Harbor.

The riding was slow as every two miles or so we had to stop to read about another battle on that exact sight.

Finally the route we were to ride on had a sign DETOUR!! the road is closed. So what to do. Of course just go ahead. I called Nancy and told her to wait up at the main road and I went ahead to see if we could get thru. After going thru 5 road blockades, climbing over a guard rail and walking thru the brush carrying the bike I was thru the Detour. I called Nancy and had her come on thru. While waiting I rode to the top of the hill and came upon the battlefield of Malvern Hill. I stood where the confederate troops stood waiting to advance into certain death with the trees behind me and the open fields aheads.

When Nancy arrived we rode up the rest of the hill to the site of the Union artillery. There they still stood. Standing there you see the battlefield exactly as it was in 1862--the trees, houses and fields exactly as they were and the cannon still in place. And all of this with no one around as the roads in are blocked.

Malvern Hill Battle Site

That certainly was one of the highlights of the trip for me. The day continued part of it on a off road bike path--where I saw another groundhog. Finally the day ended at a wonderful camp on the banks of the Chickohomony River right where it joins the James River. Two massive rivers joining as one. It was amazing.

Chickahominy River not far from Richmond, VA where it begins

Chickahominy River a few hundred yards from where it intercepts with the James River

October 18, 2010 - Mineral to Ashland, VA (49 miles) and Civil War Battlefields

We started out today by driving to nearby Civil War battlefields.  We first stopped at Spotsylvannia and did a short walking tour.  We then drove to Chancellorsville where we watched a short film and looked at some exhibits.  It was a very "sobering" morning to think of the bloodshed and thousands of young lives lost.

In the afternoon we rode the 49 miles from Mineral to Ashland, VA.  This was a fairly easy ride over rolling countryside.  The weather was perfect and we got into the RV park just in time to go to dinner.  It was nice not to start riding early in the morning as mornings have gotten pretty cold.

October 17, 2010 - Charlottesville to Mineral, VA (48 miles)

Today was another beautiful day, but the mornings are quite cold.  We had a lovely ride today which started near Montecello and ended in the small town of Mineral, Virginia.  While certainly not flat, we no longer have any steep or long climbs; the terrain is rolling.  We are now riding through farmland but still have sections with trees with the changing fall foliage. 

October 16, 2010 - Rockfish Gap to Charlottesville, VA

Today was a short riding day (only 26 miles) primarily because when we came to Hwy. 250 outside of Charlottesville it was way too busy, with no shoulder, to ride. We really couldn’t believe that the Adventure Cycling Route put us onto this highway going into a city of 50,000 people. Of course it didn’t help that the University of Virginia (located in Charlottesville) was hosting the University of North Carolina (arch rivals) for their homecoming game that evening. Our shortened day turned out to be a blessing because it gave us the afternoon to spend at Montecello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. I had been there before but many years ago, and was very glad to be able to return. The grounds and views are spectacular; we participated in a “Plantation” tour which educated us about slavery on the Plantation during Jefferson’s time, toured the gardens, and also did the house tour. We spent about four hours there which was perfect.


Montecello



Cockscomb flower in Montecello garden

 
Because of the Virginia/North Carolina football game there were absolutely no vacancies in any motels or rv parks in Charlottesville. We ended up parking the motorhome and us in a Sam’s Club parking lot for the night!

October 15, 2010 - Blue Ridge Parkway

Last night I “tweaked” my back but it was better this morning until I got out of the car to get directions. It “tweaked” again and I decided I better not try to ride today as we had a hard climb to do and climbing puts a lot of stress on the lower back. I dropped Dana off and killed some time in Lexington at a pastry shop, then went to check on Dana. By then it was raining pretty hard (our first rain of the trip!). She was about to start the climb and asked me to wait for her at the top which was where the route intersects with the Blue Ridge Parkway and then follows it for about 27 miles. We drove the Parkway and, while it was beautiful, we concluded that the very minor roads we had ridden the last several days were much more scenic. Riding a bike across country has let us see so much that most people never see; I’m convinced it’s the best way to go.

The road Dana rode up to get to the Blue Ridge Parkway

We stayed the night in a campground near Waynesboro, VA. A couple of nights earlier I had received a phone call from Steve’s and my friends, Art and Gill Jackson, who we know from a campground we stayed in about five years ago in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. We go to Zihuatanejo every year and have always enjoyed visiting with them when we are there. Art and Gill live on Vancouver Island in British Columbia but were spending several months in their motorhome driving around Canada and the United States. They had been following the blog and realized they were going to be in Virginia in a couple of days and asked where we would be. After figuring it out I gave them the name of the campground and was delighted to see them there shortly after we arrived. It was great to catch up with their travels and to see them and their dogs (Tia and Trekker) again. They are planning on being in “Zihua” again this winter so we will see them again when we are there in February.

Heading towards the End

I have not posted for a few days-just enjoying Nancy's excellent posts. But since I have service tonite and she does not--here goes.

I reflect on the animals I have seen: Deer, Yellow-Bellied Marmots, Fox, Ground Hogs, Antelopes, Turtles, Rabbits, Prairie Dogs, chipmunks, and of course more squirrels than you could possible imagine.

The terrain has gone from long climbs out west, to flat western kansas, then the rolling hills of eastern Kansas/western missouri to the oh so steep hills of missouri, illinois, kentucky and western virginia. We are now back to gentler slopes in eastern Virginia.

The people have also changed. Voted the friendliest drivers-Kentucky. So much back country. The Appalachians are truly amazing and a very foreign place to what we are used to. So many places where time as seemed to stand still--Middlegate and most of Kentucky.

Now we are in Virginia--where I feel like I could stay forever and just soak up all the history. Everyday a church from the 1700's or a battlefield. It just goes on and on.

The weather has been amazing--I rode one day in the rain but did not even wear my raincoat. Otherwise we have never ridden in the rain.

I will do the final update of the mileage and elevation gains once we finish. I have not totaled either yet-so I am as curious as you are. Any guesses on mileage and/or feet climbed? Stay tuned.

A Great Rest Day in Western Virginia!

It was raining (hard!) this morning so we were glad to have planned a rest day.  We started off at 8 AM and drove to Appomattox, the sight of where Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ullyses Grant.  This is run by the National Park system and they do a wonderful job of presenting the history of the surrender.

McClean home where Lee surrendered to Grant which marked the beginning of the end of the Civil War

In the afternoon, which was by now sunny, we had a beautiful drive to Lexington (we were there yesterday afternoon but were too late to really see anything).  We first went to the Lee Chapel on the Washington and Lee University campus; Lee, some of his family members, and his beloved horse Traveller are all buried here.  Lee became president of Washington and Lee after the end of the Civil War (It was known as Washington College until after Lee died; it was originally named for George Washington who made a substantial donation to the college).

Lee Chapel on Washington & Lee University Campus

One of original buildings at Washington & Lee University (the statute on the top is of George Washington, a major benefactor of the University)

After visiting the Lee Chapel we walked to the campus of Virginia Military Institute (VMI) which is adjacent to the campus of Washington & Lee though they are in no way associated with each other (VMI is a state school and Washington & Lee is private).  We visited the museum which was interesting though it had a somewhat odd/unusual selection of exhibits.  We did enjoy speaking with some of the students (only 8% are women).  The VMI mascot is a kangaroo!

Students practicing rugby at Virginia Military Institute

We decided to try a restaurant in Lexington, VA that had been recommended to us by several people - The Bistro (exceptionally good and reasonably priced for "fine dining").  When we entered the restaurant we saw two gentlemen who we had talked with briefly at the Lee Chapel.  They immediately asked us where we were from and when Dana and I told them Oregon one of the men said that he had just returned from Oregon having visited a cousin who he hadn't seen in 40 years.  When we asked about the cousin he said he was an attorney in Portland.  Dana and I, both being attorneys, asked who it was and he said Terrance Hall, somebody both of us know (Terry is an attorney who practices in the town where I was a judge and he was actually instrumental over 20 years ago in getting me elected).  It's a small world.

All in all we had a great day!  We have 5 more riding days and 1 more rest day until we reach Yorktown!

October 13, 2010 - Catawba to Natural Bridge, VA

What initially looked like it was going to be our first day of having to ride in the rain turned out to be a great riding day.  Fran drove us to Catawba, VA (north of Roanoke) in pouring rain.  As soon as we got to Catawba the rain stopped and it didn't rain at all for our ride.  We were mostly on rolling rural roads though at times we were on freeway frontage roads.  As usual there were lots of ascents and descents, though nothing terribly long or hard, and, for a change we descended more than we ascended.  We rode about 47 miles. 

As we were close to it we decided to drive to Natural Bridge when we finished riding.  This appears to be a real tourist trap, complete with a wax museum.  We decided not to pay the $18 to be able to see the "Natural Bridge".  It does have an interesting history having at one time been purchased by Thomas Jefferson.  It used to be considered one of the "seven natural wonders of the world".

We then drove to Lexington, VA and were planning to do a horse and carriage tour of the town, but, due to thunder, we couldn't do it.  Unfortunately, we got there too late to really see anything but hope to return tomorrow after going to Appomattox (we are taking a "rest day" tomorrow since there is 100% chance of rain).  Lexington is a small town with two major universities (Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute).  It was the home of both Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson.

October 12, 2010 - Fort Chiswell to Christiansburg, VA

Today was a fairly short (about 45 miles) day, but not as easy as I had anticipated.  For some reason I thought we were done with any climbing for the next couple of days - wrong!  We rode from Fort Chiswell (where the RV park was) to Christiansburg, VA.  For the most part we had a lot of up and down hills that weren't too bad.  However, in Radford, VA we hit a hill that was a real whopper!  Dana made it to the top but I couldn't - it was way too steep!  Initially I couldn't unclip my shoes from my pedals so ended up riding over to some grass so that I could fall on it rather than the pavement; fortunately, when I got on the grass I was able to unclip so I didn't fall; I then proceeded to walk the rest of the way up the hill.  So much for a nice easy day!

Tonight we are staying in Salem, VA (Fran picked us up in the car in Christiansburg).  The RV park is located at Dixie Cavern.  Dana and I toured the cavern (almost a private tour as there were only 2 other people with us) and thought it was a great afternoon diversion.

We have only 5 more days of biking before we reach our destination, Yorktown, VA.  It will seem odd not to get on the bike every day, but I must say I'm looking forward to not riding for at least a few days.

Virginia Appalachia

Yesterday I chose not to ride because I had a bad cough that has been keeping me (and everyone else) awake for several nights.  I thought a day of rest might do me good..  It was probably just as well as Dana called to be picked up about 40 miles into the ride as the roads were just too dangerous.   This is the second day in a row that there was a need to be picked up because the roads were too dangerous.  The TransAmerica route that we are following was developed about 35 years ago; somebody probably needs to take another look at the riding conditions on some parts of the route.  We stayed in Abingdon, VA last night. 

Today we had a perfect ride - little traffic, decent roads, and beautiful scenery.  We crossed the Appalachian trail at one point and will be paralleling it in a few days.

The changing leaves have been getting more colorful everyday.  It's too bad that for some reason the red and orange colors don't show up in the pictures, but this was taken on today's ride:

October 9, 2010 - Buckhorn Lake to Breaks Interstate Park

After three substantial climbs this morning we ended up riding onlya little more than 20 miles as the route started getting dangerous.  We decided to ride ahead a day in the motorhome as the roads were extremely curvy, hilly, and with a fair amount of traffic - not a good combination for bikers!  We ended up at Breaks Interstate Park on the Virginia side.  The park is operated by both Kentucky and Virginia and is the location of the "Grand Canyon of the South".

Breaks Interstate Park

"Grand Canyon of the South"

It is hard to believe that we are already in Virginia, the last state of our "adventure".  We have gone through 10 states:  Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and now Virginia.  We have met some wonderful people, had lots of laughs, and seen spectacular scenery.  I know my legs are stronger than they have ever been and I am probably at my thinnest since high school.  We have had great weather (may get a bit of rain later this week, but so far we have had none!).  Life is good!

October 8, 2010 - Berea to Buckhorn, KY

 How lucky we are to be in Appalachia in October! The trees are changing color and are spectacular! Today’s ride, again, had a lot of climbing. The climbs are much longer now – our first big climb of the day reminded us of climbing in Nevada (just not so hot!). When we arrived in Buckhorn (a few homes and 2 country stores with gas stations, plus a school and a church) we noticed a beautiful large log church. We were told it is the largest log cathedral in the world. We were fortunate to be able to see inside of it, and even more fortunate that the pastor happened to be there to tell us the church’s history and give us a tour. It has a huge organ (only four others like it in the world). The cathedral is Presbyterian, but really serves as a community church.


Log Cathedral - Buckhorn Lake Area, KY



Organ inside Log Cathedral





October 7, 2010 - Harrodsburg to Berea, KY

The hills are getting steeper and longer and the chasing dogs are getting more plentiful.  On the positive side we are lucky to be heading into Appalachia in October as the leaves are changing; it is really beautiful.  Today Dana and I rode together from Harrodsburg to Berea, KY, a distance of about 51 miles.  We are staying together through this part of the country as it is very easy to get lost, and the atmosphere is a bit "foreign" to us. 

Berea is a beautiful college town and the center of Appalachian art.  We really enjoyed walking around the town and going the the Kentucky Artisan Center.  We had dinner tonight at the Boone Tavern which is owned and operated by Berea College.  The college is unique in that the students are not charged tuition and work on campus to defray their expenses. 

Historic Boone Tavern and Hotel

Fran and Dana looking at hand carved dulcimers in Berea

October 6, 2010 - Bardstown to Harrodsburg, KY

Today was a short riding day - 44 miles.  We are in the land of Lincoln now.  Yesterday I visited his birthplace; today we visited the old Lincoln Homestead.

In the afternoon we all visited the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill not far from Harrodsburg.  We had an interesting tour and enjoyed some of the farm animals.

Dana and Fran with goat at Shaker Village

October 5, 2010 - Big Clifty to Bardstown, KY

We left Ben and Wanda's place about 9 a.m. and headed towards Bardstown, KY, a distance of about 66 miles.  It was hard to leave after 3 wonderful nights with them.  The night before we left my cousin Vic treated all of us, including my Aunt Gladys, to a wonderful Italian meal at B.B.'s in Leitchfield, KY.

Wanda, Aunt Gladys, Vic, Fran, Donna, Dana and Ben

Fran and Donna ready to leave Big Clifty for Bardstown, KY

The ride to Bardstown was uneventful except for the last few miles into town on Hwy. 49 - that road is busy, with no shoulder, and DANGEROUS!  Bardstown is the bourbon capitol of the world; Dana, Fran and Donna went to one of the distillaries for a tasting.  In the evening we went to the Talbot Tavern - had a nice evening and dinner and talked with some of the other guests.  The Talbot Tavern is the oldest stage coast stop west of the Alleghenies.  We stayed at My Old Kentucky Home State Park - nice campground.

Rest Days in Big Clifty, KY

We are really enjoying our rest days in Big Clifty, KY at the farm of Nancy's cousin Ben Duvall and his wife Wanda.  We arrived Saturday afternoon and were also greeted by Nancy's cousin Jane and her husband Jesse from Nashville, TN and Nancy's Aunt Gladys.  Nancy's cousin Victor came over later.  So, we had a mini- family reunion!  We had lots of laughs and were only too sorry that Jane and Jesse had to leave.  Ben and Wanda took us on a tour of the farm before dark - what a beautiful farm they have!

On Sunday we all went to church and Nancy saw an old friend she hadn't seen in 50 years!  We had a family lunch after church then Ben took Dana, Fran and Nancy fishing on the farm.  We actually caught enough bass to cook for dinner!

Nancy with her fish!

We also had a chance to visit some with Ben and Wanda's son Eric and his father-in-law Gary.

On Sunday evening Ben and Wanda entertained us with their music talent on the guitar, mandolin and bass.  They are really talented Bluegrass musicians!

Ben and Wanda

On Monday Dana, Fran and Donna went to Mammoth Caves National Park while I (I was at Mammoth Caves last year with my granddaughters) stayed on the farm and visited with Wanda.  We're having a family dinner again tonight with Victor and Joyce, Aunt Gladys, and Ben and Wanda.  Wanda is making a REAL pumpkin pie for us right now out of homegrown pumpkins - can't wait to have a piece!

Tomorrow we'll be back on the bikes and riding to Bardstown, KY.

October 1, 2010 - Marion to Diamond Lake, KY

Today's ride was about 50 miles and really not too hard.  We rode through lots of small towns and still had some hills.  We did have a pretty strong north wind which made the ride a bit more difficult than it would have been without the wind.  Dana and I went with Fran and Donna to Diamond Lake and Lisa rode on to Utica, KY where she camped outside the fire station.  Diamond Lake is a beautiful RV park SW of Owensboro, and is run by great people.  We had a fun surprise with Andreas deciding to rent a car in Tennessee and join us for dinner and the evening!  Andreas drove back to TN the next morning (cutting out several of what he had decided were dangerous miles he didn't want to do on a bike) and we rode in the RV/car to Bowling Green, KY to get a part at Camping World for the RV.  We will spend the next few days with my cousins at their beautiful farm in Big Clifty, KY.

September 30, 2010 - Eddyville, IL to Marion, KY

Today we crossed the Ohio River!  We had a hilly ride again in the morning, and I again missed a turn (probably saved me from some really safe hills but put me in "harms way" with a busy highway - again, lots of coal trucks - and no shoulder.  However, we all ended up at Cave in the Rock, IL about the same time so that Dana, Lisa and I crossed the Ohio River together on the ferry.

Lisa, Dana and Nancy crossing the Ohio River

We rode into Marion, KY where we managed to find an RV park (good, because the lodging selection was pretty much nonexistent!).

September 29, 2010 - Lost Again!

Today we rode from Murphysboro Lake State Park, IL to Eddyville, IL.  Dana and I almost immediately got lost trying to get out of Murphysboro and to the city of Carbondale.  Getting lost probably didn't cause us to have to ride many more miles but it did cause us to ride through the fairly large town of Carbondale the the campus of Southern Illinois University.  After getting through town I was fairly tired from my 100 mile ride the day before so decided I wanted to take it easy and Dana went on ahead at a faster pace.  I then got lost again because I missed a turn (Lisa ended up missing the same turn) and ended up riding on a busy highway with way too many coal trucks into the town of Goreville.  I had a great lunch with the locals at Delaney's in Goreville though, and got a "second wind".  The rest of the ride of a bit hilly, but not too bad.  Dana and Fran ended up picking me up a few miles outside of our destination; so I rode 54 miles that day (plenty after my 100 miles the day before!).  We spent the night at a RV horse camp outside of Eddyville, IL - not an experience any of us would recommend because of the smell and the flies (convenient for horse people though since the rate for camping includes stalls for your horses!).

September 28, 2010 - Not Reading the Map Cost Me This Time!

Today started out as a hilly but beautiful morning in the Missouri countryside - still with lots of hills.  In the early afternoon we crossed the bridge over the Mississippi River into Chester, Illinois.

Bridge Across the Mississippi

Welcome Signs into Illinois and the town of Chester (Home of Popeye)

We were riding into Murphysboro, Illinois that evening and had a choice between two routes.  Dana and Lisa decided on the hilly route with less traffic, and I decided to ride the busier route along the Mississippi River.  I'm really glad I chose the latter.  It was very busy with coal truck for the first 6 or 7 miles but then the traffic became almost non-existent.  It was a beautiful route except for the coal plant (however it was interesting to watch the coal being transported to a barge on the river).

Field of Sunflowers near Murphysboro, IL

Unfortunately, my lack of map reading skills punished me.  I managed to turn the wrong direction about 70 miles into the ride.  By the time I reached Murphysboro Lake State Park where everyone was camped I ended up having ridden 100.41 miles - a LONG day!

Hills, Hills and more Hills

We are on another rest day. This time with Nancy's relatives in Kentucky. Staying in their beautiful quest home--the cats get an entire barn to roam in.
Missouri/Illinois and western Kentucky can be summarized as hills. Some are super steep but they are getting less steep as we head east. We did more climbing in Missouri each day than in Colorado. We rode across the Mississippi and took a ferry across the Ohio Rivers.
We also had this strange notion that we would be heading more into civilization. Actually we still have very spotty cell service and only limited opportunities to stop for overnite or even food.
Andreas has come and gone a few times--perhaps now for the last time. We will all miss him very much.
The tow hitch had broken some days ago and Donna had been driving the Elephant. We got that fixed in Bowling Green so the girls can now sit together in the motor home and chat as they drive their short miles each day.
Here is the re-cap since the last rest day:
September 25-to Houston, Mo: 66 miles, 67-78 degrees, 3412 feet of climbing.
26th to Ellington: 70 miles, 53-60 degrees, 4931 feet.
27th to Farmington: 65 miles, 53-70 degrees, 3763 feet.
28th to Murphysboro, Ilinois: 88 miles, 53-77 degrees, 4307 feet.
29th to Eddyville: 67 miles, 57-80 degrees, 3612 feet.
30th to Marion, Kentucky: 46 miles, 57-88 degrees, 2936 feet.
October 1st to Beech Grove-Owensboro: 53 miles, 60-75 degrees, 2100 feet.

We will resume riding on tuesday 5th. On our rest days we will visit Mammoth Caves and just generally relax.

September 27, 2010 - Ellington to Farmington, MO

This morning Andreas left us (a second time).  We will really, really miss him! 

I totally flunked map reading today and headed south rather than north (I was actually following Andreas!).  I discovered my mistake 13 miles out so turned around and rode back to Ellington.  If I had ridden my 26 mile total mistake and the planned ride it would have been more than a 90 mile day so Fran and Donna drove to to where I met up with Dana and rode the rest of the way with her.  It was a nice ride; part of it was on a bike path in St. Joe's State Park on the outskirts of Farminton, MO.

Andreas leaving us in Ellington, MO

WHAT A CHANGE A DAY MAKES

We went down to Branson for our rest day in full-fledged summer. Everyday lows of 70 highs in the mid-90's and humidity--we returned for full-fledged fall. Everyday low of 50 and high of 60ish. We went from flat and gently rolling to STEEP!! We climbed more in a day in Missouri than we did in any day in Colorado.
Plus we were foolish enough to convince Andreas that he did not have to carry his bags on his bike--the Elephant would be kind enough to carry them--so I had to kill myself for two days chasing him up and down the hills.
The Ozarks are steep, hilly, woody with lots of dogs chasing us. They are beautiful but I am glad to be done with them.
Tomorrow we cross the Mississippi and head into Illinois. Another new state for me.

Missouri is NOT Flat!

Over the last two days we have ridden from Marshfield to Ellington, Missouri.  We covered about 130 miles of very hilly terrain.  It started out as rolling farmland, not much different from eastern Kansas.  However, in Missouri people are more likely to have farms, many of the dairy farms, whereas in Kansas they are more likely to have large cattle ranches.  The farther east we have travelled through Missouri the hillier it has gotten.  Today we climbed almost as much as any day in Nevada, Utah or Colorado.  We are now fully in the Ozarks with very steep, rugged climbs, beautiful rivers, and hills filled with oak and pine trees.  The leaves are just starting to change and a ride/drive through here in a few weeks would be spectacular.



Current River in the Ozarks



I never did see a horse & buggy but assume this is Amish country - wish they would add a bicycle to the sign!



Missouri!

Our last full day in Kansas I decided not to ride.  I have been plagued with "saddlesores" most of the trip and I was really needing a day off of the saddle.  I must say that my day off really seemed to help and I enjoyed our next day's 64 mile ride from Chanute Kansas to Everton, Missouri.

We will miss riding in Kansas.  It is really a beautiful state with rolling countryside and wonderful people.  We were, of course, riding in very rural Kansas with small towns.  My memories will be of fields of corn, soghrum, and soy beans, cattle grazing, and friendly people.

Yesterday we rode into Missouri and it is very green with much steeper "rollercoaster" hills.  Andreas decided to join up with us again for a rest day in Branson, MO where Fran and her friend Donna (she has joined us for the rest of trip) are enjoying some shows.  Dana, Andreas and I took a "Ride the Duck" tour of Branson which was quite entertaining and got us out of town to see a bit of the surrounding area.  It is really great to have Andreas back with us!


Dana and Andreas in the Duck Boat




View of Table Rock Lake from Duck Boat