Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Day 31

Greetings to all!  We had another adventure some day!  We had to plan a new route due to hurricane Irene last night.  It did however need some tweeking after they took route and found themselves being pulled over by the Police and pulling them off of route 7 and redirecting them to route 7A.   They also discovered that the route we had planned on had some road closures too.  So Mister Officer did some checking and gave them better information so they moved on to the next town and did some more investigating and mapped a different route. 

Today we got to see the wrath of Irene through the Vermont countryside.  It was truly a delightful day with spectacular scenery but also a sobbering day with the sights of the destruction.  The power of the water and it's flooding could only be imagined after seeing the destruction first hand.  We are having debates today as to if Vermont has been the best as far as scenery in all of the states we have passed thru.

The General Store seems to be a recurring theme and the roadside stands were busy prepping for the tourists and the Labor Day weekend. 

 We pulled into camp tonight and were pondering what the last day of our adventure would be like.  All of this so bitter sweet.  Anxious to accomplish what they have set out to do but sad to see it all end.  It really did go by so fast we can hardly believe it.  We just want to say Thanks to all of you who have been blogging and reading our blogs.  It is one of the big highlights of our day too.!!  We look forward to seeing everyone when we return to share the joy we have recieved out here on this journey.

Time to turn in so I can dream of tomorrow and hope the memories of this journey will linger for a long time to come!
Good Night!  Julie

More pictures for rerouted Day 31 & all of the detours


Camels, Zebra's and now Llamas!! 


Grandma Lou in the Adirondack chair.


Pick a Flavor!  Yeah right!


This tops the DQ!!


It's a wash out!!


Avenue of the Pines!


Don't fence me in.


Going Up!


Flood damage


Which way to the beach Merle????


Cheap New Hampshire border sign while crossing the Conn. River.
 More pictures

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

day 30

When I've asked advice for doing this adventure, the first response that I usually got was "be flexible".  We will be flexible.  It turns out most of the east-west roads in Vermont are out.  Julie and Dick have been busy researching and found a way.  Adding about 80 miles, we'll go across on US 4 and hit the Atlantic at Portsmouth NH.  We expect we'll have lots of traffic

Today we did get to our destination, Bennington VT.  We didn't get to our designated campground however; all of the campgrounds in the area are closed due to flooding and loss of electricity.   So tonight we're staying at a Best Western.  Julie got out of cooking duties; there's a drive-in across the street. 

The roads today were hilly but much less steep than yesterday.  The weather was perfect again, but the traffic was quite heavy.  Today we went through areas that were more populated - particularly Schenectady.  During part of the ride they had diverted traffic from I90 to US 20, the road that we were on.  A constant stream of cars and simis, but the shoulder was wide.  We witnessed Irine's devastation during the day.  There were sideroad washouts in several areas and the rivers were thick with mud.  We know we'll see alot more tomorrow.
Roe

Well we will try pictures again for days 27, 28 ,29 & 30


Grandma Lou weights in for another day


Perales first child


What a handsome crew at Niagra Falls


Well they let us back into the states


Up & down another 10% grade ALL DAY ,more than one


One of many art sculptures Juls & Grandma Lou looked at


Roe's new love muffin


Oh what are we doing?


Some of the trash from the flooding we went by


The now MUDDY Hudson River


Into another state


Our penthouse apartment for the night


No DQ but we did find a nice chocoate & ice cream shop
 We tried pictures last night but finally gave up so i hope we can get it done this time.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Day 29

Yes everyone we really are seeing zebras and camels!!  I think that is a sign we are nearing the end. 

Today was a gorgeous ride thru NY.  The hills and the hilltop panoramic views were truly spectacular.  The guys have come up with theory that each state is a pageant contest and that Miss New York is winning for the fabulous roads, scenery and weather!  Not to mention the fresh NY baked apple pie and ice cream that my mom and I picked up at a roadside stand.  There were many along the way.

We stopped tonight and are camping in the Cooperstown KOA campground we are on Dimaggio Drive. A fine facility which also supplied a breath taking sunset!   No I didn't get a photo.  I am bummed about that!

Well  Dave made it out of surgery today with a metal plate and 8 screws in his clavical.  He will be coming home tomorrow. His sister Penny will be bringing him home and spending the night so he will have to behave for at least one night anyway.

We ran into our first glimpse of  Irene today when a road was closed due to flooding over the road. It wasn't much but we are seeing more signs of her ahead of us for tomorrow. Dick was looking up road closures on the route to see if we can keep moving forward.

Well we hope to have more stories tomorrow of our travels if the travel gods allow!

Julie

Day 2 in New York showed us more of the beauty of this state. None of us were prepared for the hills!!! Most of the day was spent crawling up 9-10% grade  several mile-long hills. Seemed to be a lot more ups than there were downs. We all agreed that this was the toughest day. We still made 120 miles by 4:30 including a detour for flooded highway.
Tomorrow will prove interesting since there has been much reported flooding in the areas of Vermont where we are heading. Also rumored that the bridge over the Hudson has been closed, but is to be opened again in the morning. Weather is reported as good for the next 3 days.
Dick
 

Sunday, August 28, 2011

day 28

Back in the USA!!!!  They let us back in!! Who'd a thunk it!!  Well we took our last look at Niagra Falls this morning as we crossed the Rainbow Bridge back into the USA!  They started down the street Main Street USA! 

It was nice country roads rolling and winding thru the country side much like in MN.  We came along a country road that was canopied with trees and ran along a stream.  When what did we see but a Zebra peering thru the trees.  So we had to stop and check it out.  I went to take a photo of it and a man was walking down the driveway so I asked him if it was ok?  He said yes and invited me to see his sculpture garden in his yard.  As it turned out he and his wife were both artists and had the whole yard set up as their Gallery.  They gave tours in the summer months! 

So I went to get my mom out of the RV and we spent a good 45 minutes visiting with him and taking the tour.  She was an art teacher at a deaf school and he was a professor at RIT.  He had written several books and one was just published a few weeks ago called the " Good Teacher"  It was quite interesting and truly the highlight of the day. 

Well the day was a treat for me!!  Julie

Niagara Falls NY to Phelps NY - 123 miles.  We're still on schedule!  We understand some of our followers were betting we wouldn't make our destination today.  We have been so fortunate with the weather!  With rain apparently all around us, we didn't get a drop.  We had cool temperatures today with a brisk wind from the north; we were happy to be wearing long sleeves.  We have been in our own little world, pretty isolated from the rest of the world.  We do occasionally check the day's weather when we can.  It looks like the weather for the next few days will be favorable. 

Again, Julie selected a set of great roads.  Nice country roads with little traffic and a nice smooth surface.  The road signs made it easy to navigate and the Garmin was working flawlessly.  As usual, the sights were interesting.  To me, the morning was a visit of oddities - a pet camel, two farm houses with big Greek columns.  The highlight of our day was Oatka Trail, a twisty turney road along Oatka Creek.  Woods on both sides of the road, the road that Julie and Mary Lou got their tour of a sculpture garden.  The wildflowers bring color to the ditches.  We have fun checking out all of the rustic old barns.  We passed many little roadside tables, selling sweetcorn, tomatoes, cukes, etc.

It's hard to believe we're closing in on the Atlantic.  Only four days of riding left!  We're looking forward to the sights of the next few days.  Tonight we're staying in the Cheerful Valley Campground.  We're cheerful and always anxious to start the next day.
Roe

day 27

Rest day at Niagara Falls Canada.  We decided to stay two nights at the Niagara Falls KOA.  Today we had a leisurely breakfast of blueberry pancakes and relaxed in the morning.  We then took a bus to town to visit the falls.  We enjoyed the falls last night with the lights but the daytime viewing of course was spectacular.  Some of us even got a nap in in the afternoon.  In the evening four of us went to a dinner theater next door and saw a performance of OH CANADA.  It was a musical with a cast of six excellent singers.  A little hokey for my taste but the music was enjoyable.  Again, the rest day was nice but we're ready to hit the road again.
Roe

Saturday, August 27, 2011

day 26

On our second day in Canada we had delightful country roads again.  We reached Niagara Falls and we're back on schedule.  The Garmin was working fine and we're getting better at reading Ontario roadsigns.  The day was cool and comfortable.  Flat roads, more corn and soybeans, it felt like we were riding around Austin.  One fun area was near Burford.  We pedaled through a truck farming region, we played guess the vegetable in that field.  We were surprised to find fields of tobacco.  We later found the Six Nations tribes grew tobacco, which is heavily subsidised.  We passed shop after shop selling "rollies",  large bags of cigarettes at dirt cheap prices.
We had two interesting guest bicycle encounters.  In the morning, the first was a young man in a heavy coat with an old touring bike with panniers, a large nine volt light roped onto the handlebars, no helmet, and obviously living on the road, who caught up with us just after passing through a small town. He queried as to where we were going, and vowed to follow along to maybe ride with us to Minnesota. He kept up for a few miles then said that he better "do the milk run" and stop at each town to rest. The second encounter was an "elderly couple".....probably our age.... who were out riding for one of their routine rides. The wife rides 200+ miles weekly; they both belong to their local bike club. They were delightful, providing a great mid afternoon break.
Roe

Pictures from day 25 & 26


Stopping at Pearles cafe for lunch


They let us in!!!!!!


This is how Juls got us across the border


Terry is trying to increase his daily average speed

Happy faces after viewing fire works over Niagra Falls
A few more pictures for you to look at & make smart remarks about.

Day 25

WERE BACK!!!  Sorry for the delay in the blogs but we stayed in a campsite called Ponderosa Pines that had a beautiful setting but no amenities.  So we dry camped with no electricity which turned out to be a god send as everyone turned in early and fell asleep with no time wasted.  

The day started out well from Imlay City Michigan and this road to the border was the best ride for road quality in all of MI.  We had a little lost time going thru customs due to construction.  The customs agent took our passports and asked us who was Ralph?   He thought Roe was trying to bribe him as he had several large bills tucked into his passport.  Then he smiled and sent us thru.  Slick departure.  Then we pulled over to take a photo of  entering Ontario sign!

The information station was our next stop to get maps and a few directions. It has taken us awhile to figure out the signage and road names.   Not always marked very well or not marked at all in some places.  I tried to keep them on course by driving ahead and gathering information.  We stayed on course for the most part. 

Grandma Lou is holding her own with the guys and is keeping with the quick wit.  She is now on board with the routine and has slipped into her role in the kitchen well.  Even tho it is a one butt kitchen. 

We all got a good nights sleep as I have mention before so our energy is now renewed.  We are really looking forward to our day off in Niagra Falls.

I also want to give a little update on Dave back home.  He will be having surgery in Austin on Monday and will be spending one night  in the hospital and then home for recovery.   I send my Love to him and to all that have been so amazingly supportive in taking him to his appt's and stopping to visit him and bringing food.  I so appreciate this and would not have been able to continue without all of you and your generosity.

We hope to be posting some photos again soon.

DDDD That's all Folks! Julie

The Ontario backroads were great.  Nice asphalt serface, low traffic volume, traveling through small towns.  Lots of corn and soybean fields.  The farm homes were very nice.  Built out of tan brick, they were very well maintained.  We found later that this region had clay that was perfectly suited for brick.  We really enjoyed the morning.  The afternoon was a different story.  Our route skirted London, a large city.  Very heavy traffic volume, lots of semis, and no shoulders.  We resorted to sidewalks for a long section.  We had our first unfavorable weather in a couple weeks.  A cool drizzle off an on, usually on when we took our jackets off and off when we put them on.  We're sorry our blog is late.  Since we fell short of our planned rv park, Julie asked around and found us a campsite in Thamesford.  No electricity hookup and no internet service so we went to bed early.  After so many days of early mornings, I appreciated and extra hour of sleep.
Roe

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Day 22,23,&24 Pictures


Getting more groceries


Moving on down the road


Weatherby looking for Lilly


Terry thinks this is the Atlantic & he is done


Grandma Lou cuts the mellon


The leopard lady holds up the sign 


Pearle gets a good night sleep on ths ferry


Jerry takes a siesta on the ferry


The ferry


Another state down


The wooden hog looking for Sturgis


Roe needs  a pastry or 2


Parting friends at Lake Michgan
 We are back and have a few pictures for you all.

day 24

It is hard to believe that we are already on the east side of Michigan! Today we travelled 120 miles in grand fashion. A good night's sleep and some more calories helped, as did a strong SW wind and mild temperature in the 80's. We had a nice  rain last night, but everything was dry this morning in time for us to leave. Terry started the day with his 9th flat, but Dave had an extra wheel that quickly and efficiently solved the problem.
"Saint" Julie and her Mom met us several times during the day to update us on road status and need for changes, as well as provide food and drink. Michigan has been gorgeous, but the roads have been the worst to date. Anything loose on our bikes has fallen off by this time, so we will be in good shape for Canada tomorrow. (Yes. We all have our passports).
It is amazing that we have been able to stay on schedule to date. Two more days, then our last rest day!!
Everyone remains upbeat and in good condition. We even had to laugh tonight as we are now talking of a "Century" as a short day.....
Terry will download some more pictures tonight since we have good internet access.
Dick

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

day 23

Ludington to Stanton - 134 miles
Last night we took the ferry from Manitowoc WI to Ludington MI.  We tried to get as much sleep as we could during the 1:00 am to 6:00 am crossing.  There were only 17 customers on the big ship -- the SS Badger -- so we could lounge about anywhere we wanted to.  Some of us got much more sleep than others.

We headed out of Ludington and quickly missed our first turn.  Today's ride could be titled "backroads Michigan".  We traveled quiet country roads avoiding big cities.  Neat landscape with lots of trees - it reminded us of northern MN and northern WI.  Several times we traveled rolling hills with a twisty road.  We zigged and zagged east and south.  With a northwest wind, we sometimes had a headwind and sometimes had a tailwind.  Small backroads meant few roadsigns and we often stopped to get out our maps.  We had several course changes and Garmin was not our friend today.  We were sleep deprived and sometimes frustrated, but are still getting along famously.

Our weather so far has been better than we could have imagined.  Today was on the cool side.  We had a chance of showers this afternoon and they didn't come until tonight.  The cool afternoons have made our 130 mile days manageable.  Each day Jerry puts in his order for the next day's weather and we get what he orders.  And he's smart enough to not take credit for it.
Roe   

Monday, August 22, 2011

day 22

The last couple of days we have had special riders with us. All of them have really enhanced the ride. Greg Storey, especially being one of my very best friends, was really fun to have along. He and Erik V rode the last  4 days with us and helped carry the load. Greg and I have talked about this ride for the last year, and I've gotten great insight from him. So riding with him, I could use a lot of what we had talked about for this type of ride. Talking about doing something and actually doing it is so different and so much better.
Today the group did 135 miles together. We had great weather. We had fun. We had great visits and finished the day with DQ.
I personally want to thank all the riders that came and rode with us. They all enhanced our ride and made it that much better.
As we speak, we are looking out at Lake Michigan, and prepare to leave at midnight. We are all re-energized with all the family and friends who have given extra support in So Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
We are preparing for our last 1000 miles of the trip with great energy and strong mind set.
Love to all
Jerry

Sunday, August 21, 2011

day 21

On Wisconsin!  Today was a long ride from Wabasha Mn to Nekoosa WI.  With most of us staying in motels, we skipped breakfast.  Today we had 8 riders: the 4 of us, Eric Vandenberg, Greg Storey,  Gareth Hataye, and Kurt Swanson.  It was a beautiful coolish day, a slight tailwind, and our guests did a nice job of pulling us along.  It's great having guests along.  It made the 140 miles manageable.  In the morning we were in the beautiful hills of western Wisconsin.  Early on Kurt broke his bike seat.  Dick McGiver produced a spare tire to tie the seat down.  That didn't do the trick so we sent the three speedsters ahead to Arcadia to look for repairs.  When the rest of us got to Arcadia they were sitting in McDonalds eating breakfast.  They had 10 minutes to wait for the hardware store to open.  When the rest of us had our fill of coffee and breakfast we were on our way again.  
The most interesting event of the day was when Dick lost his chain and had to bail out to avoid hitting Gareth.  Dick did a tuck and roll on the way to the ditch.  He did a shoulder roll and landed on his feet, saying "how's that for a fall!"  Those who saw the event applauded and gave him a 9.1 for form.  We're encouraging Dick to send in his entry to the 2012 Senior Games for the ditch diving event. 
All afternoon we enjoyed flat roads and comfortable temperatures.  Jerry peppered us with sports and geography trivia and Kurt had the answer for almost all of the questions. 
Today we were joined by Julies mom, Mary Lou, who will be with us for the rest of the trip.  We're happy to have her on board and looking forward to her helping out with the daily tasks and keeping us in line.
Roe

We wanted to let our readers know that if they'd like to see an enlargement of any of the pictures, just left click on the picture and it will fill the screen.

Pictures from day 19 20 & 21










Here are a few more pictures from the last couple of days. Sorry for the delays but we have had a lot of visitors, which has really been fun.