4 Days

A quick recap of the first 4 days.

Day 1: Rode just shy 0f 99 miles. At mile 25 I hooked up with a guy named Hank. I met Hank the night before at the beginning of the route. Hank is from Holland. We've been riding together since that time. We camped outside of Ashland VA.

Day 2: Rode about 60 miles. We got lost big time...BIG TIME! We ended up in the town of Mineral VA. Spent the night at the Fire Department. We were told they allowed free camping on their grounds. I thought that meant we could pitch our tent outside of their building...I was wrong. We had use of their bathroom/showers, garage where we kept our bikes right next to the fire trucks, their TV room, and we bunked on the 2nd floor of the building.

Day 3: In Mineral I sent a bunch of stuff home...Too much weight. At the post office a guy named Dan asked us where were were headed. He said he knew of a shortcut that would make the trip 25 miles less. The short cut worked and we were done biking by 2pm. We stayed at a Days Inn on Charlottesville VA.

Day 4...The Blue Ridge Pkwy. We knew this was going to be tough. There were several climbs that were real killers. We started at 6am and reached the pkwy by 10am...Which consisted of several climbs in itself. The pkwy was 33 miles long and it took us 8 hours to complete! The weather was hot! Several climbs of 2000-3000 feet. We were about 65% done when it begin to rain...big rain...buckets. The temp dropped 40 degrees in 30 minutes...the rain turned to sleet...and then hail. I was freezing. At the end of the pkwy we found a bridge and waited out the storm under it. We are staying in Lexington VA at a CIS.

Thanks to Todd, Stacy, and Brad for giving me a call. Hope all is well back home.

The Last Supper...

The night before the ride.

Just got back to the hotel from my last supper. There were many options but I decided to go for a ribeye.

We arrived in Yorktown VA around 2pm. It took us about an hour to find the beginning of the route which is THE VICTORY MONUMENT in Yorktown. The plan is to begin the ride around 6am Sunday morning.

Hope to do another entry within the next few days.

In the Beginning...

This map covers the first week of my trek. I've read many on-line journals from fellow spoke-heads that have peddled across country that said the hills of Virginia were tougher to conquer than the rugged Rockies of the West. Time will tell. As of today Yorktown's weather forecast for this Sunday looks great...Low 80s and mostly sunny.

MIDWEST

The above maps represent the midwest portion of the trip. The actual maps that I'll be using are much more detailed that feature turn by turn directions and landmarks. On the top map I'll be traveling on the "Little Falls Alternate". Not shown on that map is a 30 mile stretch between Stillwater and Dalbo.

Room For One

I purchased this tent a few years ago. It was one sale at a Gander Mountain in Rochester MN for $15. It weighs just under 2 lbs., which is its only appealing attribute. I'm hoping that after riding so many miles that when laying on my back I won't notice my toes touching the top of the tent. I'm hoping that I will be so tired that I won't notice the tent hitting my head when in windy conditions. Luckily I plan on losing about 15-20 pounds on the trip...If I gained weight I wouldn't fit through its small opening.

The tent is flimsy. It won't make the entire trip. If it makes it to the Mississippi River I'll consider it a small miracle.

The top picture is with the rain flap. The bottom is without the rain flap.

Weight a Minute!

While planning this trip I had a goal weight of 100 pounds. That would cover my bicycle, trailer, and gear. After weighing everything over the weekend...I'm a little over. Here are the numbers:

handlebar bag = 3 lbs.
2 panniers @ 8 lbs. each = 16 lbs.
trailer w/ 2 extra tires and tarp = 18.5 lbs.
2 trailer bags @ 1 lbs each = 26 lbs.
bicycle, back case, 2 full water bottles, air pump, & bike computer = 39.5 lbs.

The final total comes to 103 lbs. I'm figuring between now and Friday morning I'll manage to add 2 more pounds...so lets make it an even 105 lbs.

About 10 days into the trip my brother will meet up with me somewhere in Kentucky. If needed (I'm sure it will be needed) I can leave some things with him.

The Trailer

I purchased my Burley trailer a few years ago. I purchased it used. A few years back I was planning a week long trip from Sun Prairie to La Crosse to Prairie Du Chen and then back to Sun Prairie. While training for it I placed a picnic basket full of weights, a small grill, and a bowling bowl with case on it. It worked well.

My current set-up is a little more conventional. I'm using 2 water-proof bags that will carry a tent, sleeping bag, pillow, rain gear, and a bunch of other stuff. The bags stay secure by two straps that are attached to the trailer. The trailer is surprisingly lite and rolls very smooth.

In the photo below I have 2 extra tires under the two bags. In a previous picture I had the two tired between the two bags. I still don't how I will carry them. Also note the two red lights I installed. I don't plan on doing a lot of night riding but if I do it's good to be prepared. The lights flash or simply stay illuminated. I've done 2 practice night rides and they work well.

The Bike

This is my rig. I purchased my Trek 7500FX five years ago. For the trip I replaced the original rims with super lite, super heavy duty VELOCITY rims that can handle 350 pounds on each wheel. The rims are made in Australia. I also replaced the chain and the gear cassette. The tires are Panaracer Pasela TourGuards. These tires have a kevlar strip. Bullet proof vests are made of kevlar.

Although it is not shown in the picture I will have a second water bottle installed under the seat. As you can see there is a tire pump under the cross bar. The case on the handlebars will carry my camera and other items that I will need quick access to. The top of this case has a clear plastic pocket. I will use this to read my map as I ride. The case over the back wheel will carry extra tubes, tools, 2 msr tanks, and a small stove. Of my 6 carrying cases, this is the only one that is not water-proof. On each side of the back tire there is a pannier. These will carry clothing, electrical items, toiletry items, and a few packets of freeze dried food...Yummy! I will write about the trailer on my next post.

Blog Rules

I don't know how often I will get a chance to write blog entries when on the rode. However my wife Liz has agreed to update the blog about every other day. At this point I don' see why I won't be able to call home 2-3 times daily. From these phone conversations Liz will update the blog letting friends and family know where I'm located and reporting on my over-all state of mind. I encourage comments however there is one rule. If you write a comment make sure to include your first and initial of your last name.

Example: "Hey Jamie, Remember,,my offer still stands when you get to Kentucky. I'll drive you 200 miles and I won't tell a soul...It will be our little secret" Matt D

If you include your first name and last name initial...You don't have to register. To leave a comment, simply click on "comments" at the end of the post and follow the directions. I hope many of you leave comments.

AND FINALLY....Congratulations to Amber in St. Cloud. She came up with the name "TRAINING WHEELS NOT INCLUDED". Amber wins a slew of prizes from my desk that I've been collecting over the past year. Amber...Congratulations...and Thank You.

When & Where...The Long and the Short of It.

On May 28th I will begin my journey across the United States on my TREK 7500 bicycle. I will begin the journey in Yorktown VA and hopefully finish no more than 65 days later in Anacortes WA. The route that I will be traveling on is not a direct route. I've always had 2 dream rides that I've wanted to complete. One is cycling the from the beginning of the Mississippi River in Northern MN and following the great river to it's mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. My second dream ride was to cross the United States. If I complete my goal I will complete one of my dream rides and partial of the second.

The first 3rd of the ride will take place on the TransAmerica bike route designed and mapped by Adventure Cycling. This part of the route will take me west through Virginia, Kentucky, the Southern tip of Illinois, and across the Mississippi River to Cape Girardeau MO.

The second 3rd of the trip will take me north on the Great Rivers bike route. For the most part I will stay on the west side of the Mississippi while I pedal through Missouri, Iowa, 12 miles into Wisconsin, and into Minnesota. I will say goodbye to the Mississippi River in Stillwater MN.
This is where the last 3rd and most difficult part of the ride begins.

I will cross Minnesota staying about 15-20 miles north of Interstate 94 until I reach Fargo ND. In Fargo I will start on the Northern Tier bike route crossing North Dakota and entering Montana near Bainville. In northwest Montana I'll pedal through Glacier National Park and then into the northern tip of Idaho. After Idaho...The home stretch, Washington where I will climb and descend 5 passes...The shortest being 4020 feet and the tallest being 5477 feet. Trust me...It will be fun! I will hopefully finish the ride 4213 miles later in Anacortes WA no later than July 31st.

First Entry

Yorktown VA to Anacortes WA: 4213 miles