Day 52: Manchester to Portsmouth, NH 62 miles, W: 0-10 E, Temp Perfect, Clear

Atlantic Ocean, July 27, 2010

Bikes getting ready for the last leg to the beach.



Loren, Phil and Cindy at the last sag stop of the trip

Rick and Rob Rowley having a cup of coffee 12 miles from the beach.

Riding along the beach as a group for the last time.

Larry enjoy a cool drink after the beach.

The boat.

Rob, Rick and Phil before we go our seperate ways.

14th state in 52 days.

Done!

Day 52: EFI (every fantastic inch) 3,990 miles, 124,479 feet climbed, 52 days away from home and family, 31+ new friends, over 1.0 Million revolutions of my pedals.

This a steep tree lined road, picture doesn't do it justice.


One of many clear, cool, scenic lakes with cottages around it.

Kiwi Rick from New Zealand, always pushing a hard gear. Big John right behind him.

This road was steep, look at the trees they are straight up and d0wn. Lots of old head stones in this grave yard.

A typical New England church.

Beautiful home in downtown Manchester.

Wild Thing Rob Rowley, you can tell he is a Texan.

Day 51: Last long ride of the trip. I wasn’t planning on doing another 100 mile ride, but because of a missed turn and having to retrace several miles to get back on route, what was going to be a 83 mile day turned into 100 plus. New Hampshire like Vermont is a biking mecca. The roads, scenery, up hills and down hills provided for a great day of riding. Two of the climbs today, both a little over a mile each that had grades exceeding 21%. I think the staff was intentional about keeping these climbs a secret for fear a mutiny. We had similar terrain as yesterday, lots of trees, streams, lakes and beautiful old homes. Tonight we had a farewell dinner since some of the riders will depart after we hit the Atlantic ocean tomorrow. It was chance for each of us to share some thoughts about our ride and to reminisce about the journey. This ride for me was about fulfilling a goal that Tim and I had set together. After 62 miles tomorrow I will have achieved that goal. Tim, like so many people on this ride, have pushed me beyond my comfort zone and to expect more of myself. I am grateful for the friends I have made along the way and look forward to the opportunity to riding with them in the future.

July 26, 2010

MIles today: 100.2

Climbing today: 6,159

Day 50: Latham, NY to Brattleboro, VT, 85.25 miles, W: 5-15 SW, Temp 70-80, partly cloudy

This is the scenery we looked at most of the day.


First time ever in Vermont.

Very tempting to jump in and cool off.

You know you are in New England with sights like this.

Rob, Phil and Rick on top of Hogback Mountain.

Luinch spot in Brattleboro, VT

Scott giving instructions to a local fishing for his dinner.

Day 50: I experienced two first for me today; 1st I crossed into Vermont, a state I have never been in and 2nd I exceed 50+ mph on a bike. That’s fast. What a day, we covered 85 miles of spectacular country. It felt like we were traveling through Europe. There were mountains, streams, covered bridges, lakes, country inns, the sights never ended. I can only imagine what the fall foliage tours through New England would be like. We had a couple of good climbs. The first climb was over 8 miles long and grades were 8% for most of the climb. The decent was fast, with the wind and the steep pitch it was easy to go fast. The 2nd climb up Hogback Mtn. was shorter but provided a panoramic view of Mt. Washington and the surrounding mountains. We entered in the historic town of Brattleboro, VT and had lunch at a restaurant on Connecticut river. It was a great day on the bike. 2 days left, on to Manchester, NH tomorrow.

July 25, 2010

Miles today 85

Total miles: 3,827

Climbing today: 5,402

Day 49: Little Falls to Latham, NY, 83 Miles, W: 0-5 SW, Temp: 68-82 Rain, Sun,Humid

Morning rain, mist and low flying clouds.

Boat in Lock 8 on the Mohawk River

On Bridge crossing the Mohawk

Roommates: John and Larry, best buddies.

Bike Path along the river, Pam, Judy and Phil. Phil is actually in back of the girls!
A great view and down hill on the Mohawk/Hudson bike path.

Day 49: Leaving Little Falls this morning it was not raining but that didn’t last long. We rode the first 35 miles along the Mohawk river in a light to moderate rain. It was very scenic with low hanging clouds and mist hanging over the river and the hills. This is a hilly area, a prelude to our climbing the next two days. More interesting photography subjects today. We rode almost 17 miles on the Mohawk/Hudson bike path. It was a nice break from riding on the roads and always having to be aware of what is going on around you. It was an opportunity to just cruise and enjoy the landscape. There was no hurry to get off the path except for Jumpin Jack’s Drive In about a third of the way into it. We stopped for lunch which included another rootbeer float and a chicken sandwich. Then it was back on the bike path for more cruising. After arriving at the hotel I decide to visit a nearby Starbuck’s, how I have missed the simple pleasures of my routine life. Not long now. Tomorrow we head of New York and into Vermont and the start of 2 pretty big days of climbing.

July 24, 2010

Miles: 83

Elevation 1,600

Day 48: Liverpool to Little Falls, NY 78.5 Miles, W; 10-20 SE, Temp: 60-65, RAIN:

Getting ready for a rainy day on the bike, Gloria is asking "do we really have to ride in this"?

Rain at the end too!

Great mural.

Look no spandex, Erie Canal.

One of the tallest lock lifts in the world.

The actual lock
Don and Rob after the rain stopped.

Day 48: Mother Nature showed us a thing or two about rain today. It POURED from the second we left the hotel in Liverpool all the way to the hotel in Little Falls, NY. There was no escaping water, it was everywhere and the temperature never rose above 65 so it was a bit brisk. No photo opportunities although the terrain we rode through was beautiful. The roads were good and I never felt outside of my comfort zone riding today. It was the kind of day you sucked up the determination and push forward. We road along the Erie Canal for awhile. Our stop for the night, the town of Little Falls has Lock #17 which is one of the tallest water locks in the world. It also has historical area close to the Mohawk River and the canal. When I got to my hotel I ordered a 12” sausage grinder sub with a quart of chocolate milk, The deli delivered it to my room. Once I got warm and dry I was not about to go back out. The rained stopped after dinner so I was able to venture out and get some pictures of the canal and some local flavor. 4 days left in this adventure, I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and being with my family.

July 23, 2010

Miles today: 78.5

Total miles:3,659

Climbing today: 771

Day 47: Canangaigue to Liverpool, NY 73.5 Miles, W 5-15 W, Temp, 65-80, Clear

The shores of Lake Seneca.

Love the hat on this guy!

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Erie Canal Park.

NY countryside.

Sunflower farm

Sunflower from a sunflower farm.

Day 47: Today was a leisure ride through the finger lakes area of NY. There were so many photo opportunities that I rode alone and took advantage of the great weather and a biker friendly tail wind. After a couple of pedal pounding days it was nice to cruise at a slower speed and enjoy the smells, the sights and the countryside. The scenery started early with Seneca Lake one of the largest of the finger lakes. Then we rode into Waterloo, NY, the birth place of Memorial Day, then into Seneca Falls, home of the Women’s Rights Hall of Fame. I had a quick glance at the Erie Canal, not what I thought but still historic. As we came into Liverpool, a suburb, of Syracuse, I rode through a park along Onondaga Lake where the Syracuse crew team practices. Lunch at a local favorite hot dog and milk shake house, Hied’s. They boast of their continuous line out the door. A great way to end a fantastic day of touring on the bike. Tomorrow we ride to Little Falls, NY. 5 days left!

July 22, 2010

Miles today: 72.46

Total Miles: 3,580.5

Elevation climbed: 2,498

Day 46: Hamburg to Canandaigua, NY, 100.5 miles, W: 5-15 SW, Temp: 65 to 85 Rain and Sun

It's about to start pouring as we leave Hamburg, NY


After the rain.


End of ride overlooking Lake Canandaigua.

Pam & Joy after a long ride. The water was very inviting

Storm blowing in over lake Canandaigue.

Bikers even eat in a pace line. Left to right: Phil, Rick, John, Rob, Pam, Joy

Day 46: T-minus 6 days and counting. Today turned into our 15 century ride of the tour. There was a 30% chance of rain and we got plenty of it. It started to rain about 20 miles into the ride and rained steady for the next 30 miles. There were plenty of rolling hills, a few more grape vineyards. I rode with a group that pushed it pretty hard and I just hung on. Big John Hurley was feeling strong and he pulled Joy Walker and myself for almost 10 miles. That earned him a rootbeer float at Tom Wahl’s rootbeer. There is no free ride in this line of entertainment and John earned every penny of it. We rode out of the rain and the sun came out. As we rode in to Canandaigua it was a beautiful day. We did some sight seeing around town and then headed to the lake front to have some lunch. We ended up at the Cove’s restaurant on the beach overlooking Canandaigua Lake. The lake is one of the finger lake in NY. It is a long and narrow lake that is very inviting. Another storm blew in while were eating but we were well protected and not in a hurry to leave. Tomorrow we have a shorter day to Liverpool, NY.

July 21, 2010

Miles today: 100.5

Elevation Gain to day: 4.104