Hello, Atlantic Ocean! We Made it!

Wednesday, August 7, 2003
Day 32 (final day) - Ashland, Virginia to Williamsburg, Virginia (and the Atlantic Ocean)
92 miles
2,383 feet of climbing

What an amazing last day of the Tour!  It was a gorgeous day, mostly sunny, mild temperature with winds out of the south.  Today's route consisted mostly of rolling terrain - up and down all morning.  There were a few tall rollers with some double-digit grades thrown in, just because that's what we've come to expect.  Personally, I don't know what I'd do if I had a day without at least a 14% grade section to climb.  But, for the most part, it was a relatively easy day.  When I say "relatively easy," I mean not as hard as the days in which we rode in headwinds, rain and climbed over 7,000 feet.  Needless to say, there was a celebratory tone to the day.  Most of the hard work was over for us, and now it was time to enjoy the final leg of our Tour.  The miles flew by quickly.  We reached the town of Williamsburg at mile 64, which seemed like the blink of an eye after all the days of 100+ miles we had ridden.  From there, we had just 14 miles to ride to reach the Atlantic Ocean, which would be the official end to our coast-to-coast journey.  We regrouped at the Colonial National Historic Park, about a mile before the beach.  Once every rider in our group arrived, we formed a 2-line procession, led by the youngest rider in our group, Caelan (age 16), the oldest rider in our group, Gerry G. (age 74), and the father-son tandem team of Greg and Zach, and we all rode together to the shore.  Many friends and family members of riders in our group were at the shore waiting for us to arrive, with congratulatory signs and balloons, cheering us on.  When we reached the beach, we all took off our shoes carried our bikes across the sand and dipped ourselves and our wheels into the Atlantic Ocean, just to make it official.   People on the beach participated in our celebration.  They really had no choice - we sort of took over that part of the beach!  It was fun, emotional and chaotic, all at the same time.  After we "stormed" the beach, we had our final "fantastic, as usual" PAC Tour lunch at a nearby park.  It was great to meet the friends and loved ones of our fellow riders.  We'd heard so much about most of them over the past 32 days, we felt like we already knew them!

After lunch, we had a 14-mile ride back to Williamsburg to our hotel.  At that point, I had sand in my bike shoes, my hair and my gloves, but I didn't care.  I was basking in the glow of having completed a very challenging and magnificent journey.  We did it!

Gathering at Colonial National Historic Park for the group procession to the shore

Art & Jerry S.

Art & me - the "H" team

Jim, Art & me, at the regrouping area, about a mile from the shore

Our procession to the shore

Me & my great bike

Art & me - celebrating our amazing journey with a dip in the Atlantic (photo by our friend & fellow rider, Brian)

Group photo!

Zach & his dad, Greg.  Today, Zach became the first person with Down Syndrome to ride a bike across the U.S.

PAC Tour lunch at the beach

Mission accomplished!

At 6:30, we gathered for a pizza party PAC Tour hosted for us.  During the party, we watched a slide show of all of the photos PAC Tour took of us during the Tour.  It was a blast to see pictures from the early days - days I hardly remember now.  It made me smile to think of all the miles I rode, all the great and sometimes tough experiences I had, and all the amazing, wonderful and exceptional people with whom I shared this journey.

Some final thoughts, feelings and observations:

• Nothing short of a miracle.  31 days of riding, 3,500 miles, 132,180 feet of climbing.  Number of flat tires I had: zero.  Unprecedented.  Consider this an unsolicited commercial for Continental Gatorskin tires.  And prayer.

• I got by with a little help from my friends.  I appreciate the support, camaraderie, humor and empathy I received from my fellow riders and the PAC Tour crew.  It was an honor and a privilege to be part of this esteemed group of people.  

• Still kicking.  The first day of this Tour fell on my 48th birthday.  Riding this Tour was the best possible way to spend my birthday and the 31 days that followed.  Daily validation that I'm doing OK.  Plus - it was like an extended birthday party - being with a big group of friends and cake, cookies and/or ice cream every day!

•  Art appreciation.  A big shout out to my all time best friend and wonderful husband, Arthur.  Thank you, Art, for all of you support and encouragement along the way.  I greatly appreciate you maintaining your sense of humor when I caused us to take a wrong turn and do bonus miles at the end of a long day.  You rock!!

• Thank you to Our Lady of Ghisallo, patron saint of cyclists, for keeping all of us safe during this Tour.

• Life is Good.  : )

The Irony of Bumpass

Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Day 31 - Harrisonburg, Virginia to Ashland, Virginia
122 miles
5,407 feet of climbing
 
Far be it for me to complain, but I must say we've had our share of rainy mornings on this Tour.  My rain gear is making way too many appearances lately.  It had rained overnight, which made the roads wet, which means there's going to be road spray when we ride.  Translation: wet shorts, rooster tails in the face if your get too close to someone's wheel, and a dirt stripe up the back.  Eh, so what - I'm on vacation, I can get as dirty as I want.  To be fair, we've also had numerous beautiful, sunny days during this Tour.  When we started riding this morning, it was still raining lightly, but, thankfully, the temperature was mild and it didn't feel cold. We started the day with the last big climb of the Tour - the climb to Skyline Drive over Swift Run Gap in the Shenandoah National Park.  I said to my legs, my knees, my achilles tendons - please, hang in there with me for just one more climb.  This was a 6+ mile climb that started gradually after we crossed the Shenandoah River around mile 15, and then continued with steeper grades to mile 22.  From there, we enjoyed an awesome and insanely fast "truck on cheese" descent for 5 or so miles, which propelled us almost to our first rest stop at mile 30.  After that climb, the route consisted of big rollers - long climbs with some steep spots, but also some nice descents that helped you get up and over the climbs.  We rode past James Madison's home at Montpelier.  It was a really pretty ride today, part of which was on the Blue Ridge Turnpike.  We had our lunch stop at the Walton City Park, and we were entertained by the sight of a truck picking up the various port-o-potties in the park.  From lunch, we had about 37 or so miles to our hotel in Ashland, and the sky was looking like rain, so . . .  contrary to what one might think, we didn't hurry.  Instead, we said, "What's the rush?" and took our time getting back on the road.  At this point, what's a little rain going to do to us?  We didn't care!  Let me tell you, it was very liberating to take that attitude, and I had a very pleasant ride for the rest of the route.  We had a little misting rain fall on us for a short time, but never anything more than that.  It's worth noting that we rode through a town by the name of Bumpass, which I, personally, thought was hysterical.  Its sort of ironic, considering we've been sitting on our saddles for 31 days, often riding on rough roads, and our asses have ridden over a lot of bumps.  I later learned that Bumpass is known for its many farms, alpaca ranches and a defunct ice cream spoon factory.  I wondered what happened to the ice cream spoon industry that caused the factory to close, because those of us on this Tour are certainly using a lot of ice cream spoons.  In any event, Bumpass was a very pretty town to ride through, as were Frederick Hall, Buckner and Tyler.  It was a tougher ride today than I anticipated - even though the amount of climbing was almost half of yesterday's, it was still a significant in terms of mileage and elevation. I finished the day's ride just after 3:30 and, as soon as I got off the bike, it struck me that we only had one more ride before we reach the Atlantic Ocean.  It's amazing how quickly the days of this Tour are flying by.  A bunch of us walked over to the Ponderosa for dinner, which had a terrific salad bar and dessert bar.  As per usual, we made quite an impression on the place.  Once this Tour is over, it will be a welcome change to go back to my normal eating regimen, which does not typically include Oreos, chocolate shakes, and dessert bars.
But that's the way its been the last 31 days:  eat, ride, sleep, repeat.   : )

A rainy start to the day, but the rain soon stopped and it turned out to be a fine day for riding

Just me and the road

James Madison's house in Montpelier

Art & me - photo by Cowboy Ed

Art Hewig & the map of progress - one more day to go!

Hello, Virginia!

Monday, August 5, 2013
Day 30 - Elkins, West Virginia to Harrisonburg, Virginia
106 miles
10,556 feet of climbing

Today was a big day on this Tour.  Our route today consisted of nine climbs in the Allegheny Mountains, which required over 10,000 feet of climbing.  The weather was, again, perfect - sunny, cool and relatively calm winds.  Within the first 20 miles of today's ride, we rode up and over 4 climbs:  Cheat Mountain (elevation 2,550 ft.), Shavers Mountain (elevation 3,760 ft.), Middle Mountain (elevation 3,180 ft.) and Rich Mountain (elevation 3,350 ft.).  We also climbed Shenandoah Mountain and South Fork Mountain.  Essentially, we spent the entire day climbing and descending.  The last climb of the day was the most challenging - an 8-mile climb . . . which started right after our lunch stop at mile 75.  The first few miles of riding after lunch are always tough.  I refer to it as "lunch legs" - getting back on the bike after sitting for 15 to 20 minutes and eating.  It takes some time before your legs are back up to speed.  Having to start a big climb on "lunch legs," however, just adds to your body's confusion between the digestive process and making the legs work.  The great thing about this climb was, not only was it the last climb of the day, and not only would we have accomplished one of the most difficult days of this Tour, and not only would most of the remaining 23 miles of the route be downhill . . . but at the top of the climb - at mile 83 - we would cross over into the state of Virginia, which is the last state of our Tour!  So, needless to say, it felt great coming up and over the top of that last climb.  The 4-mile descent was sweet!  Steep with many twisting turns. There wasn't much traffic and there was good visibility, so you could really let it fly.  After the steep descent, there was a nice gradual descent through the forest, which was really pretty and serene.  From there, it was about 15 miles or so of riding through a couple of small towns before we reached our hotel in Harrisonburg.  We had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant with fellow riders Greg and Zach, a father-and-son team who ride a tandem.  Greg and Zach are an inspiration.  When this Tour is complete, Zach, age 23, will be the first person with Down Syndrome to have crossed the United States on a bicycle.  Not only is Zach an amazing cyclist and athlete, he is a fantastic person who always has a smile on his face and is ready with a "high five" for all of us before, during and after a ride.  I recommend checking out Greg's blog about Zach and Greg's ride, at zachsgreatride.blogspot.com.  When we went to pay for our dinner tonight, we were told that our check was taken care of by two of our fellow riders, Ed & Tom, who were also dining at the restaurant.  This group of people we are riding with are not only exceptional riders, but also very kindhearted.  You couldn't ask for a better group of people with which to spend 32 days.  Well, after 10,000+ feet of climbing today, I'm ready for a good night's sleep.  My legs agree.  : )

Elevation profile of today's ride

A beautiful day for the climbs!

"Truck on cheese" - 7% descent  for 3 miles, baby!

Germany Valley - at the summit of Shenandoah Mountain

Another crazy-fast descent of 7%

View from my dashboard

Getting to the top of Shenandoah Mountain

That's me at the Welcome to Virginia sign

Super riders Greg & Zach on their tandem

Only two more rides to go!

Today . . . a Visit to the Asylum

Sunday, August 4, 2013
Day 29 - Parkersburg, West Virginia to Elkins, West Virginia
123 miles
7,347 feet of climbing

Today was a fantastic day on the bike.  The weather was absolutely perfect - again!  Partly sunny/cloudy, and the temperature never go much higher than the mid-70s.  With all the climbing we had today, it was great that it stayed cool and comfortable.  We started climbing right out of the box today, right as we left our hotel in Parkersburg, we got on the highway and rode some long, gentle rollers, with grades from 1 to 6%, up and down for the first 48 miles of our route.  After the second rest stop, we rode on quiet back country roads, which had climbs with steeper grades, but much less traffic and nicer scenery.  All day long, I had John Denver's song, "Country Roads, Take Me Home" in my head.  I rode by myself most of the day, so I was free to sing out loud and mess up the lyrics with reckless abandon.  We had our lunch stop in the parking lot of the now defunct Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, a state psychiatric hospital  that operated from 1841 to 1994, which is now a national historic landmark.  It now functions as a museum that offers tours and souvenirs.  The people conducting the tours dress in old-fashioned nurse uniforms from the earlier era, which I found disconcerting for some odd reason.  I had visions of them chasing me across the lawn and dragging me back to my padded cell.  Fortunately, that didn't happen, but just to be sure, I tried to act as sane as possible for the rest of the day.  The rest of the afternoon's route was more of the same - up and down more climbs.   There was a certain irony about today's ride; at mile 52, we took a left onto Meathouse Fork Road, but yet our last rest stop of the day at mile 99 was on Vegan Road.  Despite the long miles and significant amount of climbing we finished the ride before 4:00, which gave us time to do our laundry for the very last time on this trip - yay!  Art & I, along with most of our group, went to dinner at a steakhouse/buffet right across the street from our hotel.  It was the perfect place for us to eat - cheap, fast, and unlimited amounts of food.  I suspect we probably did a number on their inventory, particularly the dessert bar, which included a self-serve ice cream machine.  We are having a great Tour.  Glad to be feeling strong and healthy even after a tough day like today.  : )

Elevation profile of today's ride

Riding the highway rollers - rumble strips to keep you awake

This is how I roll

Today was a beautiful day to ride

Almost heaven . . . West Virginia . . .

The "Art" of Transcontinental Cycling

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

So close I can practically smell the ocean!

       

Hello, West Virginia!

Saturday, August 3, 2013
Day 28 - Circleville, Ohio to Parkersburg, West Virginia
101 miles
3,442 feet of climbing

Today we said farewell to Ohio and rode into the state of West Virginia.  We woke up to rain, but, since we were at a Holiday Inn Express, we were able to have breakfast inside, where the topic of conversation at every table was . . . yup, having to ride in the rain today.  This rainy day was not nearly as soaking as the one we had a few days ago.   I started the day dressed for rain - rain jacket, helmet cover, shoe covers and rain pants.  I wore my rain pants with the hope that they would keep my shorts dry.  For the record, they did not keep my shorts dry.  It really only rained steadily for about the first 30 miles or so, and then it let up significantly, and eventually, the rain stopped.  Today's route consisted of some steepish climbs and rollers - mostly in the first 60 or so miles.  By the first rest stop at mile 30, I was sweating from all the climbing and, although the threat of more rain remained, I ditched my rain gear.  It was a very pretty ride on back country roads through small towns and farming areas.  I saw another freshly dead snake on the side of the road and freaked out accordingly.  Just like last time I saw a freshly dead snake on the side of the road, I was all by myself at the time - I thought to myself, geez, another perfectly good scream wasted.  You just can't replicate that type of horror movie scream.  After lunch at mile 74, we had a few more steepish rolling hills until we got on the highway, at which point the route we had highway hills - long, gentle rolling hills.  We entered in to West Virginia at mile 97 of today's 100-mile ride.  To enter the state, we crossed over a big bridge, from the top of which hung the "Welcome to West Virginia  - Wild and Wonderful" sign.

Did you know West Virginia was the only state that lies completely within the Appalachian Mountain region?

After having ridden several days of 100+ miles, today's 100-mile day seemed relatively short!  We rode into Parkersburg just before 2 p.m.   Fellow rider Jonathan was sitting in the patio of the McDonald's right near our hotel, so we stopped and joined him for a refreshment.  From there, it was a quick half-mile ride to our hotel.  Whenever we ride in the rain, it always takes a bit longer to clean the bikes because there's so much more dirt and grime that sticks to the bike frame and components.  We went to dinner at the Omelet Shoppe, a small restaurant adjacent to our hotel, where they serve breakfast 24 hours a day.  Art & I both had breakfast for dinner: Art had a western omelet and I had a waffle and eggs.  PAC Tour crewmembers John and David joined us and we had a fun time talking about the day.  The waitress gave us 10% off because we were staying at the hotel, which makes this the best value meal of the entire Tour (not including Subway).  The waitress made a comment about us being with the bike group, and I asked her how she knew we were with the bike group, was it because we ate so much food?  She just laughed politely.  : )  West Virginia is known as the "Mountain State" - and tomorrow, we will be getting up close and personal with the Appalachians! 

Elevation profile of today's ride

Bill, me and Jill getting ready to ride off in the rain this morning

Riding under cloudy skies

 

Rode about 6 miles on a bike trail

Although the sky remained cloudy, we skirted the rain in the afternoon

Getting ready to cross the Parkersburg-Belpre Bridge into West Virginia

 

The Ohio River

Nice sign, West Virginia!