Cycling from LA to Boston

Day 22:  Marysville to Wooster, Ohio, 96 miles. The guys headed out early today, skipping breakfast at the Super 8 after the morning desk clerk went ballistic when Ken tried to get coffee earlier than the announced 6:00 breakfast start and Phil got chased out for trying to bring his bike inside the lobby. The clerk threatened to put us on "the no rent list". It was something we laughed about the rest of the day and which earned the hotel a bad review (our "don't rent" comeback). Anyway, they stopped about 15 miles into the ride at Tim Hortons, which earned a gorgeous photo of their donuts - yes, true excitement on the ride. We were following a route we made out due to a lack of a second page of the cue sheet and all started out well. I drove ahead, intending to go wait at a bike shop at mile 53. I noticed that part of the route planned was just not suitable for the guys to ride safely - little or no shoulders and quite a bit of traffic. Luckily, I noticed...

Day 23: Richmond to Marysville, Ohio, 103 miles. Today was one of the easiest 103 miles on the bikes, the guys said. They headed north out of Richmond to catch a State route (36) at mile 12.6, then followed that all the way to Marysville. There was a bit of navigating to do in Marysville, but not too much. We had selected the route using MapMyRide.com the night before, as we did not have a cue sheet. It worked wonderfully, and was much better than the route would have been using the "bike" option using maps.google.com, with the turns every 2-3 miles. So, they spent to day on Route, 36, with decent roads, and a mostly helpful wind (and in some stretches, a VERY helpful wind). The route was dotted with small towns which the guys loved. They stopped for breakfast in one small town and had a great time with the locals. Others, they stopped in for drinks or snacks. I parked in St. Paris and rode back about 10 miles to meet them, than back to the truck with them for a total ...

Day 20: Lebanon to Richmond, Indiana, 110 miles Today involved a lot of suburban Indianapolis traffic in the morning, so pretty slow travel, but with decent winds. The rest of the day the wind helped, not like the 208 mile day, but it was all good. The road went through pretty rural country with several small towns along the way. It was not a hard day for anyone. Today is the last day we have Jerry with us, as he needs to return home. I will drive him to the Columbus airport for a 11:15 flight. We will miss him. At age 71, he is an inspiration, and being able to tell people about these guys is one of the reasons I agreed to support them on this trip. Tomorrow we go 103 miles to Marysville, Ohio along a route we had to make up, as we had no cue sheets from prior rides. It looks easy, so we hope for the best. The winds are forecast to be favorable, with a possible thunderstorm around 10:00. Wish us the best!

Day 19: Tuscola, Illinois to Lebanon, Indiana, 121 great miles. With a longer day ahead of them, the guys were on the road shortly after 5:00, with sunrise at 5:42, Within 2 miles, they turned north on narrow, quiet country roads, on which they for about 44 miles. The about 10 mph winds were from the east, so much of that was right in their face, with the few stretches to the north serving as breaks. The winds swung around to the south, and then southwest as the day wore on, so the last 40 miles was with a good push from behind. All in all, they all had a pretty good day, despite the work at the start. Ken said he thought that was the easiest 120 he had every done, but he must have been forgetting the day in 2016 when we did the 120 miles with the stiff tailwind the entire day, instead of just part of the day. The pre-sunrise and sunrise were again gorgeous. We went past farm field after farm field, with the farmers busy getting their crops in. We went through many very small to...

Day 18: Springfield, Illinois to Tuscola, Illinois, 77 miles, flat, calm, nice temperatures.... What's not to like? Yes, Greetings from Tuscola "Oh, I hate these D__n hills", (said nobody) Today was about as good a day as you can get on a bike. The guys were rewarded for their efforts in the hills of Missouri to enjoy the flats of Illinois. With decent temperatures (they were done before noon, so it didn't get a chance to get hot before they were done), the miles flowed past. We were trying to figure out what direction the low wind was coming from, but were unsure, it was that light. All we knew was it was not working against us - perhaps only our own blazing speed creating the wind. Right! The route led through farmlands on relatively narrow, poorly maintained but decent roads with minimal traffic. A good rest day for tomorrow's 121 mile ride to Lebanon, Indiana that looks like little climbing. The wind early is for a light headwind, but swinging ...

Day 17: Quincy to Springfield, Illinois, 107 miles, a MUCH better day A thunderstorm was forecast for 6:00, so we weren't anxious to get going today. However, the storm came earlier, and rain had stopped, so, off they went by 6:30. Ken got a flat within the first 5 miles, but that was the last of the mechanical trouble for the day. The winds were favorable at first, then as the guys turned SE, they headed into the wind for about 13-15 miles. When Jerry reached me where I waited about the 20 mile mark, he was not a happy camper, as it was too reminiscent of yesterday. Fortunately, the route turned east again and the wind shifted a bit to the west, and all of the rest of the day was awesome. The last 40 miles were particularly great with the stiff wind pushing them on. I had a chance to ride today, by parking at the SAG stop in Jacksonville at mile 67 and rode back 11 miles to meet them. The shoulder was wide and smooth, and the winds, while strong, were mostly from the side, ...

Day 16: Kirksville, Missouri to Quincy, Illinois, 97 miles, with winds and hills The idea was that after the hard 145 mile day yesterday, the 97 mile day would feel like a rest. It was not. The day started as usual, early and cool. And, with a lot of up and down on a narrow country road without shoulders. Thank goodness there was little traffic. Interestingly, there were seven one lane bridges along the way, which gives you an idea how lightly traveled it was. That was the story for all but the last 25 miles. The road was not very smooth, but not too bad. The bad part was that here they do not make any cuts in the hills to reduce the grade, they just pave over them, and some of the grades were STEEP. And, the winds started in their faces and increased throughout the day. This photo shows wind speeds over 20 miles an hour, and it was never any help all day. We were planning on crossing the Mississippi River by way of a ferry, as listed on the 2007 cue sheet. Well, I went...