On the Road... with Phil
August 4, 2007 Burton, Ohio to New Waterford, Ohio (55 miles) A group breakfast at a local diner started the day with more than we could eat and only a fifty-miler to ride. We’ve called a rider-only meeting tonight to lay out the issues and options for action to support Dave, our intern/mechanic who is threatened with the loss of half his $2000 stipend and his airfare home because of a dispute with management. He has worked tirelessly for the riders throughout the days and evenings to keep our rigs running safely. Some of us feel the threatened action is excessive and wish to advocate on his behalf.
The road was short and easy and temps were cool today. Lorenzo, a Ph.D. student in biomechanics, at the University of Pittsburgh is with us for two days to ride for Brack Hattler, who had fallen from our group in an accident near DeSmet, S.D. Many of the ladies of the group are smitten by his good looks and Latin demeanor. Lorenzo and I had a discussion of the use of stems cells in muscle regeneration (his specialty) and the bigger ethical issue raised by those opposed to the use of embryonic stems (not used by Lorenzo). Seems that fundamentalists are so much about exclusions the sin of using stem cells, abortion, etc, rather than those things that could unite us.
Out on the ride, as I approached Kathy’s water stop at the 25 mile point, I had a quasi-psychic moment. I reflected that I had only had one flat tire (Spokane) so far. Within 10 seconds my rear tire went flat as a glass sliver was embedded in the tire and tube. As luck would have it I was at the corner of an abandoned vegetable stand complete with large table and shady overhangs. Just then Brian pulled up and we switched my tubes and we were on our way.
Later I came by a large steel mill in Warren, and just down the road from the Callahan’s Irish Pub. This after also seeing the orthodox Christian churches along the way had me recalling the scene from the movie, The Deer Hunter, when the work shift ended and everyone piled in the car to tip a few beers and play pool at their pub; that is before the Eastern European mother of the groom-to-be comes in to drag him off his stool for wedding rehearsal… I digress, I know, but sometimes those are the “big thoughts/associations” of the road. As we were told to “provision” ourselves for this rural stay outside of town, Brian and I split a six-pack of local IPA brews to carry in our riding jersey’s about 8 miles from camp. We pulled into the campground later that morning. The camp owners are friendly and each evening they provide an hors d’ouerves hour of chicken wings and then an evening of bingo. Several riders played that night.
The riders’ meeting after dinner began with a review of the facts, the progress of negotiations and options we might take on Dave’s behalf. The discussion that ensued was spirited and the views of riders ranged from “don’t get involved” to “don’t cross the finish line”. We agreed to reserve judgment on the matter until Seattle share with us their intentions on Monday the 6th. The night was interrupted with constant firecrackers by locals spending their summer vacation at this little “oasis”.
August 5, 2007 New Waterford, Ohio, to Chester, West Virginia, to Washington, Pennsylvania (65 miles) The ride got off to a poor start with bad cue sheets as a light rain started and then lingered and gained in strength throughout the day. Miraculously, Kathy had a psychic moment about the route and dashed off without breakfast to verify the cue sheet. She came back with the bad news and resolved our coordinator to plot a new route. Bill Harm, Jeff Rich and I linked up to create our own route to Washington while staff pondered the problem. We looked at a road atlas and found a route (30) that would take us through a sliver of W.V. (an unscheduled State visit) and into PA. We found a diner in Chester and had a wonderful Sunday breakfast, talked to locals about the route, and we then climbed out of this Ohio River valley town and into Pennsylvania. While the ride was easy enough, the rain was a drag and I decided to try to make some time before the deluge hit. Jeff knew of a pub three miles from the camp…the man does his research! We pulled in and had some local drafts and conversation as the rain began to come down in earnest. When it finally seemed to let up we headed out and I pulled into a steady rain-soaked campground and looked out at the forlorn faces of some dozen riders huddled under a couple of awning tents. I set about starting a fire more for morale than any warmth. Dinner was a carry-out affair of chicken and scalloped potatoes…and rain. But for Brian, who had conveniently slipped off to stay with an old friend that evening in Washington, PA, we all slept little under the deluge that came that night.
August 6, 2007 Washington, PA to Confluence, PA (92 miles) After an awful night’s sleep some of us decided to reward ourselves with a hot breakfast in Washington, PA. Folks in much of this country, and especially this section of town, are BIG and they invariably smoke. That’s the scene, so if you’re on the road in small poor towns and neighborhoods, get used to it. After some blueberry pancakes and hash browns we pushed off. This was an interesting ride because it was (after some very steep climbs) primarily along dedicated bike trails in parklands. First on the Mingo Creek Park trail which drains into the Monongahela River, and then on the on regional rails to trails along the Youghiogheny River. Former Governor, Tom Ridge is a cycling enthusiast and while in office he seems to have done much to improve roads, shoulders and trails for cyclists. The trail was an old rail road bed with a slight but steady incline for over 50 miles. The adjacent river and forests were beautiful and the views from the bridges were spectacular…but the trail became a bit monotonous after a while…kind of like a spinning class without variation. I saw some deer and a possum, but as Brian and I noted, there was no road kill…more on that observation later. You can’t coast on an upward grade and the packed surface was a bit soft after the rains…I think fellow rider, Kari Giorgi, rightfully characterized it as a “kitty litter” surface that had you working hard to keep up some “teen” (14-19 mph) speed. You may remember the passage in the book, A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson, where he talks about wanting to get out of the forest canopy to see a horizon and gain perspective. I certainly “identified” with that need as we pedaled through the forest for several hours, and I guess that’s why the few bridges were a particular treat for me to cross. I understand that one of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous home creations, “Falling Water” is nearby along the Youghiogheny River. While we didn’t get to it (other side of the river) I understand it has its own “falling” problems as it ages.
Along the trail and a mile from our lunchtime checkpoint, I broke yet another spoke while riding on the flat kitty litter pathway; the 5th of my front wheel. I have been running on an Alex ALX 320 wheel set and I am definitely not pleased with it. I’ve lost 5 spokes on the front wheel and two on the rear. I don’t ride hard, am not overweight and I am not carrying a heavy load, so I and others, including mechanics, think it’s the wheels. I limped into the checkpoint that was hosted by a former Big Rider, who treated us sub sandwiches, pies, fresh fruit and cold drinks. He did this kindness because he sympathized with riders living on a daily diet of PB&J sandwiches for lunch. Actually, I had given them up weeks before in favor of daily diet of fresh fruit, fig newtons and a couple of power bars. One can only take so much of those sandwiches of air bread and cheap peanut butter and sugary jelly/jam. BTW, one thing I did give up were Clif Bars www.clifbar.com My gosh those got old fast…like so much sweetened sawdust. I couldn’t give them away and ended up sending some home and lugging the rest back to DC. Some day I may be hungry enough to eat one…and they will patiently wait those years, well-sealed, until I am.
As Dave and I switched out the spoke and trued the wheel, a reporter from the Pittsburg Gazette stopped by to interview us. As I downed juice and soda and my sub, I recounted my three reasons for riding and the full extent of my pre-ride training regimen; a 26 mile/day commute, a few weekend 50-75 milers and a long weekend of serious hill climbing in San Francisco and Marin County over the Memorial Day weekend, where I proved to myself that I could co-exist with the road ahead.
We concluded the ride at our camp at Confluence; right at the foot of an earthen dam(!) This site is about 60 miles south of Johnstown, PA, the site of the major dam failures and flooding in 1889, 1937 and 1977. So I heard the trains go by across the river and watched the dam for falling rocks as a prelude to full collapse. At dinner that night we all learned that Dave had his stipend restored so, as a community, we are at peace. Sleep came easily; though the air was hot and as laden with moisture as it could possibly be without raining.
August 7, 2007 Confluence to Bedford, PA (85 miles) This was a ride of more of the rail trail, formally know as the Great Allegheny Passage and then onto some regular roads. Despite my references to kitty litter and lack of light, it is really a masterfully done bike trail that all levels of cyclists can use. It runs from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, where one can pick up the older bike route along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (horse drawn barges having been phased out there long before the steam and diesel locomotives were sidelined in Pennsylvania). www.GreatAlleghenyPassage.org. The towpath runs into Washington D.C. at Georgetown. For an upcoming trip, I’m thinking to outfit Jean Blu with the knobby 700x32mm tires that she came with as a cyclocross bike and make the 185 mile ride up the tow path to Cumberland; with the necessary B&B stops at night along the way. Who knows, maybe all the way to Pittsburgh!
Back to the real Big Ride… a group of us including Brian, motored on the steady climb of the trail to Meyersdale at some 1800 feet elevation. While the trail continued, it was time for us to take our leave and rejoin the road (Route 30E) riding along the Eastern Continental Divide and through Shanksville, Pennsylvania. I snacked on powerade and energy bars and ice cream (remember creamsicles?) in town and pushed on. It was hot, the hills were tall and numerous, and as I came down one grade and anticipated the coming climb, I shifted chain rings and “catapulted” my chain off the ring and onto my frame; so tightly that I couldn’t undo it. It looked like the derailer was bent beyond repair and so I called for help…While I was sure and almost wishing I’d have to be “sagged” in, Dave, our mechanic, arrived and freed up the mess and Brian and I were on our way to the checkpoint at the Flight 93 National Memorial.
The memorial consisted of a National Park Service trailer set in a parking lot with an semi-circular arrangement of benches, port-a-potties off to one side and a makeshift wall of artifacts brought by visitors in remembrance of the dead. There are hopes and plans for more www.honorflight93.org., but I was underwhelmed by what our government has done, given all the money we’ve poured into the war. I read the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder and I was moved by the unfolding of events the passengers faced. The terrorists were implacable, chanting mantras of “Allah is great” “Allah is merciful”, etc. And yet the passengers, aware of the other events of September 11, 2001, hijacked the hijackers’ plans, and in so doing sacrificed their lives.
Back in the Big Ride we prepared to pedal on to our campground in Bedford. It was then that a small tour bus unloaded visitors who were anything but small. I counted 24 men women and children seated on the outdoor benches as the volunteer/ambassador made a presentation. 18 of the people were grossly obese and the remaining six were from our Big Ride community! Not one to leave a barb unslung, Brian hit on an idea for next year’s ride. We would recruit folks for the Biggest Ride(ers) Ever with “sagging” to take on a new meaning. The current definition ranges from riders who are sagging in strength, needing a lift, to “Support And Gear” transport http://www.borealisoutdoor.com/content/sagwagon_def.htm The new definition of sagging would include bellies resting on the bike’s top tube. Brian was no doubt feeling smug since he has dropped 17 pounds since June 25th and he has developed the strength and stamina to co-exist with the road, be it a 50-miler or a century ride in any weather. But we DO have a national problem with obesity. We observed it all across the country with vacationers, and locals, eating, smoking and not exercising. While our fellow-rider, Bob Dumke, of Wisconsin, thought the phenomenon we observed after leaving Seattle would peak in his state…alas, it didn’t. I fear for our society as the health costs will only increase with time as weight-related illnesses that their toll. Okay, okay, enough…let’s all just eat right, get out and walk or ride, exercise, and encourage others to do the same.
The rest of the day’s ride gave a hint to tomorrow’s “century” to Gettysburg as we began the long steady climbs and descents in the Allegheny Mountains finally hitting the “summit” of 2,900 feet. Between hot, humid weather, road paving on Route 30, and a seemingly endless parade of dump trucks hauling pavement and tractor trailers hauling waste to the landfill (you see and smell things on the road different when you are literally out on it), it was time to end this ride. Well not before stopping at the roadhouse a mile out from the campground. It was another opportunity to sample local brews and was not disappointing. Dinner was catered pizza, salad and soda and a tour of the Cannondale Bicycle Factory, which was next door. I had to pass on the tour as I needed to switch out my very worn tires and get the rest of me and Jean Blu ready for a 105 mile ride to Gettysburg in the morning. Humidity gave way to short light rain but no let up in temps… so sleep was fitful. Thank goodness I’ve reserved a room at the Holiday Inn in Gettysburg tomorrow night and for our “rest day”.
August 8, 2007 Bedford, PA to Gettysburg, PA (105 miles) This was billed as a “final exam”…tough and demanding. But by now, “century” rides are not frightening as some of those finals were back in college. We’ve all learned how to “chunk out” the time in doable segments, hydrate, eat and rest. One of our jackrabbits, Andy Lassiter, decided to race in and finished by 1:15PM, in just over 5 hours. He had been “smelling the roses” for the past two weeks riding with slower riders and stopping to explore sites along the way, but today he decided to put the hammer down and beat the hot afternoon heat. Brian had to switch out a bad tire in the morning and so I left with another group on a quick pace out of Bedford. It was a lot of climbing but not without rewards of beautiful car-less back roads and farmlands. About 12 miles out we “found” the source of the pavement-filled dump truck clogging the main roads when we dropped down into a little valley with a processing and loading facility and some 20 plus trucks either waiting or snaking their way up to from where we came. I was hopeful we’d seen the last of them even as one driver raised his arm with a clenched fist in support of us. We climbed up out of that valley to more beautiful fields as we came across fellow rider Helyn Anderson from Vermont, motoring out early to complete the long ride before sundown(!). We then came into the All-American Truck Stop, Interstate Junction of Breezewood, Pennsylvania for our first water stop. I have always dreaded this junction when driving a car as it is packed with everything imaginable in terms of food, gas and motels and semi tractor trailers and cars coming and going in all directions at all times of the day! Now to traverse it on my bike! After a Starbucks coffee and a scone (no time for the Times this morning!) we navigated our way through the mess and onto some pretty, though steep climbs into peaceful roads. We came upon the township of Burnt Cabins, so named because homes of settlers were burned by the government after Indians complained against encroachment on their lands. Now why didn’t we have the same sort of government operating in the Black Hills when settlers encroached on Indian lands? We might have avoided the whole Little Big Horn-Custer fiasco had we nipped that encroachment “in the bud”.
Back in the Big Ride we pressed on through beautiful state park lands and at Cowans Gap. I’m reading “Gap” and thinking…how many more gaps to DC, or just to Gettysburg? Well, there was one big one from Chambersburg along one of the routes the Confederate Army took to arrive at Gettysburg on July 1st 1863. Our last water stop with Kathy was a cool one in the trees some 25 miles out and before our last push over the mountain and into Gettysburg. I had a snow cone-like drink from the nearby city pool snack bar and then we packed our water bottles with ice. It was a day to stay very hydrated and about 10 miles down the road I found a market and gulped down 40 ounces of flavored vitamin water and powerade. While it sloshed in my stomach as I set out, I knew that most of it would be gone through my pores during the next hour.
I arrived in Gettysburg with many cars and trucks clogging the main intersection-town square. One might ask why not create a bypass, but that would but them into the surrounding battlefield. On the way in I came by McPherson Ridge where Union and Confederate forces had their first fighting of the next three days of the famous battle. Today this National Military Park is restoring the battlefield and here they are rebuilding a barn that marked the first encounter of the opposing armies. I was hot and tired, and we were scheduled to camp in a local middle school yard. It was not an organized site as those in charge didn’t seem to understand our needs, such as access to hot water for showers. The saving grace was the welcome from Bob Jones’ company in the form of smiles, cold drinks and sweet and salty treats. The campground support was sorted out much later, but by then Brian and I and others with the means had moved off to our hotels. Some local drafts www.yuengling.com and a grilled burger and fries capped off a long but satisfying ride into this historic village.
August 9, 2007 Rest Day - Gettysburg, PA (0 miles) This rest day was most welcome after the week through the Allegheny’s and the “century” into Gettysburg. I had picked up a National Park Service brochure for the National Military Park and was interested in a self-guided 18 mile tour of the battlefield. www.nps.gov/gett/. I figured this would be an easy bike ride as the site stretches like a fish hook below the town. I went to the visitor center in the morning to view artifacts and the electric map. The map is a large relief of the regional terrain and is surrounded by rows of seats rising up on all sides for visitors to view the lights on the map showing the battle. While the technology is rudimentary, it included an excellent narrative describing the order of battle. With that strategic overview, I was ready to hit the road. Alas the skies had a different plan as they unleashed heavy wind and rains for the rest of the day, wiping out the possibility of a leisurely ride through history. The good news was that it wasn’t our riding day to Clarksburg and an outdoor campground. When the weather cleared that evening Brian and I walked down to the town square; each block had a plaque of an event from the battle…even bullet holes in wall were preserved(!). We settled on an Italian restaurant…I know, I know…carb loading…but this time I wanted to try the carbonara (new type carbs) with some light wine and salad. We wandered back through this quaint town stopping to talk with other riders out for a stroll and then to rest up for our last ride.
August 10, 2007 Gettysburg, PA to Clarksburg, Maryland (55 miles) Brian and I pushed off with others at 6:30am looking for a hot breakfast along the route. Nothing was yet open in town, so we continued down a foggy route 134 to Taneytown. It was a bit eerie to ride through the battlefield with the fog overlay before the sun had risen very high. I thought of ghost and spirits and the “ju ju” of this hallowed site. It also got a bit dicey as cars passed us on the narrow road shoulder; drivers on their way to work. Along the way I saw a plaque that noted General Meade’s (Union Commander at Gettysburg) army had passed on this road. I wondered how long the column must have been on such a narrow stretch. Brian and I got separated in the hills just before Taneytown and he continued on to a diner a mile down the road, while I kept on route to our first checkpoint and another diner. I think we both had blueberry pancakes, so our needs were in sync even if our rides were not.
From our checkpoint we joined again and continued into Frederick, MD, a delightful town that those of us in the District of Columbia sometimes visit to go “antiquing”. Our camp for the evening was 12 miles down the road at the Little Bennett Campground. Brian and I decided to explore the historic part of town, rather than sequester ourselves in the campground or some strip mall hell along the way. We settled in for some iced coffees, sat outside, made some calls and watched people go by and made “deep thought” commentary…typical café life. We then found a great bike shop down the street where I was able to get some new gloves…mine having disappeared in Burton (I used my weight lifting gloves in the meanwhile). Impossible to get out of a shop without more, and they had a good summer jersey and a great selection of trail maps for Maryland. We then retired to a local brew pub and sat outdoors (people watching) and worked on our material for the evening’s planned “follies”. The follies were the idea of Jay Carlson and he did an excellent job of M.C.ing the event which included: a Jewish/Catholic “wedding” of Adam Marengi and Margo Harrison, who became friends on the ride and rode with Greg Sterling, whom I annointed as their chaperone (the three riders on the road were referred to as Team Margo). “Pastor” Bob Jones and “Rabbi” Rodney Sanders presided over the ceremony. Margo’s dowry consisted of two camel (backs). The rings exchanged were a fine wheel set. We all offered masel Tov as the wine glass was crushed before us. It was a fun and warm service to cap off the ride and to witness a budding friendship that we had all witnessed over the weeks. Brian and I then shared some Big Thoughts on the Big Ride with the group….Jay Leno has nothing to fear from the likes of us.
August 11, 2007 Clarksburg, Maryland to Washington, D.C. (55 miles) I didn’t sleep much last night in anticipation of our arrival. Brian and I pushed off together and found ourselves in some of the prettiest country we’ve seen on the ride. We passed by Sugarloaf Mountain on lovely back roads with farms of stone buildings built by European settlers at the dawn of this nation. The combination of historic farms and newer huge estates is evidence of an ongoing struggle within this part of Maryland to preserve historic lands, while allowing reasonable development (farms wanting to subdivide their property).
We met at Kathy’s last water stop on River Road, a road Brian and I last road together in training in February(!) I was starting to get choked up, realizing what we had accomplished. Along the road we noticed more cyclists than at any point along the Big Ride. Granted it was a Saturday morning and the Potomac Pedalers Touring Club sponsors any number of graded rides in this area, www.bikepptc.org/, but it was gratifying to see such physical activity by people like we had not seen since Seattle. We pulled onto the Capitol Crescent Trail www.cctrail.org/ to come into Washington, D.C. at the end of the C&O Canal.
We had lunch in the Old Post Office Building at the Greek restaurant of former Big Rider, Costas, who donated our last meal. We then rolled off to the finish line which was a patch of grass located between the Lincoln and Vietnam memorials. It was the first opportunity many of us to see our families in weeks. It was very moving, but my son, Thomas and wife, Helene, woke me from my reverie by shooting champagne at me and pouring it over my head. Brian got the same treatment from his woman, Stacey and we all hugged and whopped.
It was only fitting that as we drifted back to the hotel (for the out-of-towners) to unload our gear from the truck that the driver would place it a block from either entrance to the building and that I would get my last flat tire of the trip, just before I planned to ride the last two miles home. We made due with the poor logistics and loaded the car and I, now being the veteran of such minor repairs, fixed my flat in a couple of minutes.
The Big Ride was given a final send off for me as we hosted Kathy and Bill Harm and Brian and Stacey for dinner that evening. The weather was so un-August (cool and dry) that evening as we sat outside in the garden, enjoying each other while eating and drinking and talking about…what else? US and the Big Ride!
Post Script – August 24, 2007 I have re-entered the real world and am adjusting to the lack of a big ride by commuting to work 26 miles each day. It’s fine, and I’m cutting back on calorie intake so as not to “blow up”. Brain and Stacey stayed with us for a few days and we were able to get out for some short rides on the Crescent Trail. We were able to sit outside with coffee and watch the “pretty people” pass by in Bethesda on a Sunday morning. On Monday we rode up to my office in Silver Spring, where he could re-connect with colleagues from his previous working and social life in D.C., and who were now working with NOAA.
I no longer wake up wondering where we are going or how far we’re riding that day. My leg muscles cramp less often when I stretch in bed in the morning. But I am missing some big rides and I’ve signed up for the Civil War Century Ride on September 8th. www.baltobikeclub.org/index.pl/cwc I’m planning to take some time to visit the battlefields at Gettysburg and elsewhere; visits which were rained out during my previous passage.
It’s All About Me – It is amazing how the ride, has one thinking that the world revolves around them; even when done on the cheap as this one was. Maybe it’s like being a Tour rider at about 10 orders of magnitude less cared for. So all we did on the Big Ride is eat and ride and sleep, and you are rewarded with interesting sites, situations and people along the way. But conversations invariably come back to “me” when riders exchange. I exhibited this temporary character flaw most flagrantly when I neglected to mention in my journal the weekend rest day when my wife, Helene Monteil, and Dan and Becky Ouimette, the parents of my son, Thomas’ girlfriend, Danielle, drove up in their R.V. from Indianapolis to meet and pamper me for a day and a half. It was absolute “pasha-dom”, spent in a magnificent R.V. that opened up to TOTAL comfort with steak, salmon, beverages, and commander chairs. It was sweet and welcome to be away from the Ride for a couple of nights and to spend it with those I love and care for and who were there to support me. We were pretty much self-contained and I was nurtured. And I returned to the ride as self-centered as ever, but rested and relaxed for at least another week. Thank you all three of you for this welcome respite.
Big Thoughts – When I was about to take the road, one of my colleagues told me that this would be an opportunity to think “big thoughts” as I would be focused only on the road ahead. I suppose there was some truth to that, but so often the thoughts were about getting over the hill and across that hot stretch of plain with the wind in your face….and the critical planning of drinks to stay hydrated, air for tires and oil for your chain. Without those, you are stalled before long on the road ahead. Here is a “couple” I can recall.
1. The road giveth and the road taketh away; praise the road
a. Road quality in this country is so uneven…poor quality; unsafe with little or no shoulders. This was pretty much universal and most evident in towns and cities. The bridge collapse in Minneapolis is an extreme and horrific example of poor maintenance, but I saw and crossed bridges with rusty components and large potholes all along the way. Perhaps the best roads traveled were in Indiana (though often their “bike route” was just a sign on the road) Pennsylvania with great roads and trails and Maryland with marked trails and rural roads. I may be missing some western roads…South Dakota had good shoulders.
b. Road kill was an interesting diversion on the trip. Lots of deer, but also, birds, toads, possum, porcupine, dogs, cats and gnats! Sometimes you could smell it, but couldn’t see it. Sometimes you saw it and wished you hadn’t. I was surprised that there were few carrion eaters (save flies and maggots) to remove the carcasses. And then there are those critters you might kill. Brian said he took aim in running over bugs on the road. I had a sure-fire method. Put lots of sunblock on your face, arms and legs and then fly into a swarm of little black flies in Wyoming. You should keep your mouth closed, but it won’t keep them out of your nose and ears as this sometimes continues for miles. This is guaranteed to cover you in black spots from head to toe, and to gross out any waitress in the diner if you fail to wash up before ordering.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Week Seven: Burton to Washington D.C. (Home!)
