Monster Hills and Haunted Houses

I'm waiting out a rain storm 30 miles east of Albany. In the past few days I've ridden up hills that people train for the Tour de France on. We're talking 20% grade and a mile long.

On the day I rode up this hill, I rode from Geneva to Cazenovia. About 70 miles.

Brutal, brutal, brutal.

I didn't ride up one hill. I rode up mountain after mountain after mountain. When I got to the one with the 20% grade, I almost pooped my pants. I couldn't believe there was a road like that! Hadn't anyone here in NY ever heard of switchbacks?!

I wanted to take a picture of it but was too tired. I started up.

500 feet up, I fell. I was just too tired, too wobbly.

The front tire went off the pavement. It was fall then, or fall when I hit the ditch bottom. I fell then. As I laid there, I thought how nice it felt, to not be struggling. Several cars and a cop drove past. No one stopped. Finally, I extricated myself from under the bike. The handlebars and brake levers were a little bent. I straightened the handlebars and started up again.

1,500 feet later I stopped for a breather. 1,500 feet after that I stopped for another. I finally made it.

In Cazenovia I stopped another rider and asked for directions to my motel. The rider asked where I had ridden from. When I told him, he exclaimed: "My God! You must have b---s made of steel!"

I didn't think it was that bad, but secretly, I was proud.

The next day I woke to the sound of thunder. The clouds were sobbing. I waited tell they regained their composure, and started out.

I made It to East Springfield. Three motels, all booked solid. At the last one, I asked the owner: " You don't have anything?"

He replied he could rent me a room in his old farm house. I had to make the bed, and clean the shower. "How much?"

"$85"

I told him about the trip and asked if he could do better. "Ok, how about $50?"

"Deal!" I said. We talked a while and I invited him and his wife out for dinner, my treat.

They were extremely happy.

It was their first night out in two months. They had burgers, I had liver and onions.

This morning the owner told me about a ghost that haunts it, but I never saw it. I do remember waking in the middle of the night: I had bit my tongue so hard I cried out. Oddly enough it wasn't bruised or sore in this morning. Weird.

Made it to Albany.

Great Day

Rode 70 miles today. Made it to Geneva, NY and am staying at the Hampton Inn. Nice place. They gave me a reduced rate; $99. I actually enjoyed the ride today. Had a bit of a tailwind (thank you God!) and made good time. The terrain is hilly, but not as bad as Kansas. My butt hurt but wasn't killing me.

After dinner I took a walk in town and found a bike shop. I bought a new saddle, but am taking the old one with me just in case. Larry, if you're reading this it's your fault! It's a B-17 saddle. $75, but they tuned the bike too.

I'm going to go rehydrate my body now. There's a business across the street that specializes in that line of work.

Always ask a local.........

about your route! I'm stopped for the day. I feel bad about stopping so early but........I've been riding up and down some monstrous hills, and I mean monstrous. I rode up the worst hill that I've ever been up.....I put my bike in 1st gear and had to stand up! I got to a town called Varysburg today and stopped in Durfee's diner (great soup & pies!). Barb is the owner there and I was talking to her about my route on Rte. 20A and about going to Warsaw. She warned me about the hills on Rte. 20A and offered to drive me up the hill after she got off of work! I didn't take her up on it so she remapped my route using Rte. 20 instead. Barb also called the Attican hotel in Attica, NY and booked me a room there. Then, on top of it, she bought me lunch.....very nice lady!

When I got to the Attican, I met an Indian woman named Kavita. She had a very gracious personality and said she was expecting me. I couldn't decide whether to go on a little more or just stay the night here. Kavita said to go up to my room and make myself comfortable.....she said I was their guest. I came down after taking a shower and told Kavita I would like to check in, that I've decided to stay the night. She said that I wasn't checking in......She meant I was their guest and the room was free! The room turned out to be very nice and clean and had a nice view.....very pleasant people at the Attican!

Assault on Boston

Well, I began my assault on Boston! I made it to Erie, PA yesterday, 105 miles. I hope to make it a little past Buffalo today. I'm not sure what route I will take, but it's been pretty easy so far.....flat. I'm riding with Larry today, another bike rider who's riding around Lake Erie.

That was the blog post I called in to my office. It was short because Larry had loaned me his cell phone to make the call, and I didn't want to burn up his minutes.

Yesterday, the day I started to Boston, was a hot day; in the 90's until I got to Erie. In Ohio I stopped at the post office of North Kingsville, about 15 miles from the Pennsylvania border. I was sitting there resting and people watching. A car with two old ladies pulled up. I listened to their conversation. At one point they were talking about how old they were, and their ailments. The younger one, 86, couldn't see very well so the 92 year old was driving. The three of us talked a bit, and I asked which way they were going. "East!" came the reply.

I decided to wait 'til they left before starting out. I didn't want them behind me.

I waited and waited. Finally they left the post office, driving off...West!

"Oh well, it was a good break." I thought as I started riding. Two miles later I was coasting down a wee little hill and hit some glass. Reaching back behind, I put my palm on the spinning rear tire, trying to clear any glass. I felt something hit my hand. Then again and again, as the wheel spun. Pulling over and dismounting, I checked the tire. Damn! The glass had slit it. Should I replace the tire now or wait for it to go flat? I decided to wait for it to go flat, and started on my way.

Ten minutes latter the two old ladies drove past without any problem.

Home For Now

Finished the ride on Sunday, 7-20-08. I got to Elsberry, MO on Route 79. Just after Elsberry the road had been resurfaced, and rumble strips added. There is not a shoulder. None. The speed limit is 60 mph so everyone was doing 65+.

It was 100 degrees out. I started up a hill. I was tired and shifted into first gear. Now first gear, like most things, has its good and bad aspects. You can ride up almost any (paved) hill in the world, but you're going to do it really slow. And when you ride that slow, the natural tendency is to wobble back and forth a bit. And I was wobbling more than a bit! I was just too hot and tired to control it. I'd hit the rumble strip, veer into the middle of the rode, hit the rumble strip...Wobbling on a highway when cars are passing you at over 60 mph is not a good thing.

At a gardening center/nursery, I pulled over and thought about it. If things kept going as they were now, I had a good chance of being hit. And I had another 30 miles to go. I asked my body: What did it think? Could it give me just another 30 miles?

My body thought about it, and then in a loud voice said: "Screw you! I've had enough!"

So I called my friend Gary: "Come pick me up."

I think it was the right decision; I'd ridden 917 miles and those last 30 weren't going to do anything for me.

There's one final experience I'd like to share. The previous morning I was riding through Paris, MO. It's a small town; maybe 400 people. I was in the middle of the lane, when a car behind me angrily blew its horn. There wasn't any oncoming traffic, so I held my ground. They blew their horn again; I stood fast. As the car swung around to pass me, a passenger opened up their door, trying to hit me.

I was a little perturbed. I let them know by showing a certain symbol, sometimes called "The Bird."

The car hit its brakes and stopped, the doors swung open again. They started getting out of the car.

I wasn't very happy, and stood up on my pedals, charging them. I don't think that's quite what they expected, because the doors slammed shut and they drove off calling me a five letter word.

It was another adventure.

Now I'm off to Boston, probably leaving on 7-27 or 7-28-08.

Also, please note there are new pictures posted below.

I Asked My Body

A friend, who is a doctor, told me to make sure I listened to my body. Today was another killer day,weather wise: 90+ degrees 80% RH. I'd ridden 40 miles and crawled, no, clawed my way up the last hill. The town, Salisbury, had a hotel. I was, to quote my father, "bushed." I was pretty sure I should call it a day and stay here. I asked the owner: "Any more motels between here and Moberly?

"No. "

"Any place to get water?"

"No."

"How far to Moberly?"

"Twenty miles."

"Do you mind if I sit out front and think about it?"

"No, go ahead."

So I sat in the sun, waiting for the answer. I picked off a tick crawling up my arm and crushed it between my fingers.

My body whispered, softly to me: "For you, Doug. For you, I have twenty miles. But I can do no more."

The last ten miles was in rush hour traffic. Cars raced by, literally inches from me: 60, 70, 80 mph. People screamed obscenities. As if I wanted to be here in hell, terrified that some idiot in a hurry would hit me and tear my body apart. That I would instantly become an unrecognizable pile of blood, guts, and bones.

In Moberly I had a reservation at the Holiday Inn. I told them about the ride; about the Davis Phinney Foundation. I asked if they could give me a discount. Jamie said "Sure. It was on the house." I was dumbfounded!

The room is beautiful, clean, quiet. The staff is friendly and helpful. What more could you ask from a motel? Fresh chocolate chip cookies perhaps? I'm munching on one as I write.

Other events today: Lots of cockroaches in my room at the Super 8 in Carrollton, crossing a creek that was having the bridge replaced. Randy picked-up my fully loaded bike and carried it up hill like it weighed no more than a book.

Almost Died Today: Not Like You Think

Today was another 100 degree, 70% RH day. So of course I chose it for my longest ride yet: KC to Carrollton. It's a little over 70 miles; up a hill, down a hill... up..., down..., all day long. Riding a bicycle was like being in a sauce pan being used to cook a chicken dinner. While it is cooking away, (miniaturized) you have to ride up and down the chicken pieces (hills). It's something like that.

So I was tired after 60 plus miles. I stopped in Waverly and got a bottle of Gatorade. I sat outside in the buildings' shade leaning against it. A man and his son stopped and chit-chatted; the wanted to know all about my ride and I told them. "Only one more hill between here and the river." He assured me. "Then, it's downhill and flat land to Carrollton." The last hill hardly ranked as such; after what I'd been through, I'd almost call it level. But there was one big problem, a sign that read: "Bridge Out. Road Closed 22 Miles Ahead. Detour." Big problem!

If I took the detour route, it would add at least 30 miles to my ride. If I kept on my planned course and could not cross the bridge I'd add another 40. What to do, what to do?

I stayed the course.

I'd seldom hit a construction site that was so bad I could not walk across it. That's "seldom" not "never". I didn't feel confident about it, I was a little apprehensive in fact. "But ya rolls y're dice and ya takes y're chances."




Additionally, for reasons you all know, I have trouble with coordination. I came down a hill and there it was: the Missouri River. The road crossed with a high (50 plus feet) bridge.

I decided to pull over and take a picture. I headed toward the bridge guard wall. A little too fast. Tired, very tired.

I started to dismount, still moving a little fast. I tried to slow down more...too late!

I started to skid along the wall and almost fell over it. If I had I would have been killed by the fall or would have drowned. The river is wide, swift and deep. Close call.

The bike came to rest on a broken bottle.

But I didn't fall and am safe in Carrollton. Adventure continues tomorrow.

P.S. I'm wearing two (2) pairs of biking shorts, a biking shirt, and riding gloves.