A special thanks goes the David (my riding partner) who lead us through a maze of back-roads and through very busy cities.
Left Portland, Oregon for Fargo, ND by Amtrak on 8-14-2007 - Drive to Vermillion, SD spend two night - ride in SD and NE (2 new states) - drive to Minneapolis, ride around Minneapolis for several days (the home of my riding partner) - drive to Chicago, IL (Midway Airport), ride into Chicago - take Amtrak to Worcester, MA - from here we rode, by bicycle, the main tour - Woonsocket, RI new state on 8-26-2007 - East Windson, CT new state - Salibury, CT - New Paltz, NY - Port Jarvis, NY - East Stroudsburg, PA - Washington, NJ - Quakertown, PA - Downingtown, PA for two nights - ride into Delaware and back - Delta, PA - Ellicott, MD - Washington D. C. - Fredericksburg, VA - Ashland, VA - Williamsburg, VA for two nights - ride to Yorktown and back - Suffolk, VA - Plymouth, NC new state - Bath, NC - New Bern, NC for two nights - Morehead, City, NC - Surf City, NC - Wilmington, NC - Carolina Beach, NC - Little River, SC new state - Georgetown, SC - Moncks Corner, SC - Charleston, SC - Walterboro, SC - Ridgeland, SC - Statesboro, GA new state - Jesup, GA - Blackshear, GA - Folkston, GA - Callahan, FL new state - Jacksonville, FL, St. Augustine, FL - Jacksonville, FL ride around Jacksonville for several days - fly home on 10-10-2007. Total miles ridden 3010. Daily ride log is at the end.
Nice people we stayed with - a big thanks goes to them all.
- David and Dana - Minneapolis, MN (my riding partner)
- Maynard and Carol - Washington, NJ (David’s collage roommate)
- Steve and Carol - Downingtown, PA (David’s brother)
- Brett and Ellen - Washington D.C. (my nephew)
- Dick and Ingrid - New Bern, NC (fellow bike tourist)
- Taylor and Judy - Jacksonville, FL (David met Taylor in Minneapolis earlier this year and he invited us to stay with them).
Nice things that others did for me - a big thanks goes to them all.
- The guy in the bike shop (Bike Plus) in Vermillion, SD, who gave me a replacement plug for my bike.
- The waitress at Maddy’s diner who made me my first Egg Cream (for free).
- The waitress who gave me a free taste of Grits (I often ordered them after this)
- The Mayor of Yemassee who gave me a gold coin (not real gold) - (1904-Centennial-2004).
- The lady who was going into the postoffice and gave me a pack of gum.
- The lady at Starbucks who gave me a coupon for a free drink of my choice.
Recipe for New York’s (Brooklyn’s) Famous Egg Cream.
- One cup milk
- sparkling seltzer water
- About 2 tablespoons Fox’s U-Bet Chocolate-Flavored Syrup*
- To concoct an authentic Brooklyn Egg Cream, pour milk into a glass. Add sparkling seltzer water until a white head reaches the top of the glass. Spoon in about 2 tablespoons of syrup with a little wrist action. Voila!
- Makes one serving
- * According to New York City-born actor, director, and comic genius, Mel Brooks, an admitted Egg Cream cultist, “You got to get Fox’s U-Bet Syrup. If you use any other syrup the egg cream will be too bitter or too mild.” (Personal note - I am sure mine was not made with Fox’s and it tasted just great.)
Fun places we stayed
- The Pillsbury B&B; - Woonsocket, RI - built in 1875
- The White Hart Inn in Salibury CT., a 19th century country inn.
- The Weisel Hostel - near Quakertown, PA (an early 1900's country estate)
- The NotSo Hostel - Charleston, SC
Unique place.
- Suffolk, VA - home of Planters Peanut, 1889
- Suffolk, VA - home of Lipton Tea
- New Bern, NC - birthplace of Pepsi
- Wegman’s Market, Downingtown, PA - you have to see it to believe it.
Places of interested we visited.
- Spirt Mound, SD - visited by Lewis and Clark on August 25, 1804
- New Hope, PA - New Hope and Ivyland railroad since 1891
- Fredericksburg, VA - Mary Washington house (George bought it for her)
- Yorktown, VA - where the Revolution War ended October 19, 1781
- Williamsburg, VA - Colonial Williamsburg restored to it’s 18th century glory.
- Plymouth, NC - home of the USS Albemarle, the most successful Confederate Ironclad
- Bath, NC - North Carolina’s first town 1705 - and the haunt of Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
- Fort Macon (1834), Atlantic Beach, NC.
- Charleston, SC - Charles Pinckney and Edward Rutledge signer’s of the Constitution are buried here.
- Fort Sumter, Charleston, SC - where the Civil War Started. - April 12, 1861
- Wild Willy’s Fireworks- Walterboro, SC - the biggest supply of fireworks that I have ever seen.
- St. Augustine, FL - North America’s first historical site - founder in 1565
- Mayport Village, FL - founded 1562
Places I wish we had stopped to see.
- Jamestown, VA - the start of Colonial America, 1607.
Great places we ate.
- Chan’s - Woonsocket, RI, been there for 102 years.
- Happy Days diner - Frazer, PA (2 eggs, 4 bacon, potatoes, 2 toast for $2.99)
- Haupt’s country store - near Williamsburg, VA (for making me a sandwich).
- Fire Mountain buffet - Suffolk, VA (my first Red Velvet Cake).
- Mojo’s Bar-B-Q - Jacksonville, FL (just the best ribs).
- Barbara Jean’s Crab Cakes - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
- Funari’s Italian Creamery - Jacksonville, FL (What Fun Tastes Like).
- Rita’s - Jacksonville, FL - just the best frozen custard ice cream.
About the tour - my thoughts at random
While it was hot and humid for the whole tour there was really two parts to the tours. Even when it was cooler it still was humid. The first half, from Worcester, MA. to Ashland, VA was hilly and the second half was flat. We had expected some pretty strong south winds but we really did not get any. For that matter wind did not play a big part in this tour, unlike last year. Our first delay, for rain, was the day we rode from Wilmington, NC to Carolina Beach, NC. We did not get wet but we did sit it our for about 1.5 hours. That is why we rode only 21 miles on that day. There were times, like the day in Walterboro, SC where we took cover to avoid a shower, we were already in for the day and just out exploring the town. The first serious rain was on the way to Callahan, FL (yes, the sunshine state) where we sat it out for awhile before making a mad dash to our motel. Sorry to say out motel was just a little further than the break in the rain was. We got wet. In fact we order pizza to be delivered to our motel that night, as the rain just kept coming down. We did get wet several more times in Florida but it was so hot and humid I did not mind it. I did not even put on my rain gear.
As hard as David tried to find quite back roads it just seem not to make any difference as the traffic seemed to find us. Even when there was a major highway close by it did not make a difference in the traffic. Most of the drivers gave us room but not all. Every so often one would not move over, even if there was room, or one would try and make a right turn right in front of us. But really for the most part we all coexisted.
Note of interest, if you were to drive from Worcester, MA to St. Augustine, FL you would drive 1154 miles we rode 2553 miles - yes we did make this a real tour. If you are wondering how I got to 3010 miles for the whole tour, it includes miles ridden in SD, NE, MN, extra miles in FL as will as my ride to the Portland train station. Also we did ride extra mile on the main tour (Worcester, MA to St. Augustine, FL). It was not uncommon for us to ride around town once we got in as well as to dinner.
With two major wars in this area, the Revolution War and the Civil War, there was just so much history along the way we just could not stop to see it all. There would be sign after sign marking some battle or other notable event.
It was very sobering to see the bridge that had collapsed in Minneapolis, They had just found the last body the day before. Our route took us through Camp LaJeune but the road was closed to all but restricted to military personal only (it only cost 8 miles). By taking the main road around the camp we saw a mile or so of banner hanging from a fence welcoming home loved ones. It was also sobering to see a lady sitting along side this fence crying.
We rode over many bridges and took many ferries. Most of the ferries were free. As we rode through a swap area in Georgia we got introduced to “Love-Flies.” I was in front and I was covered with them. I think David got a good “ha ha” from me trying to brush them off, with little success. The ride from Midway Airport into Chicago was fun as we follow the same route that we took when we rode Route 66. One thing you could count on was that there was a “Dunkin Donuts” store in town, no matter how small the town (this was really true for the first half of the tour). I was also surprise to see so many cemeteries, some were just for one family. Not a surprise was the number of Churches in the south. Even the littlest town would have 4 or 5.
This was our first tour where we did not carry our tents and sleeping bags. It sure was nice to have a bed, shower and be inside every night (air-condition). This made packing up in the morning a very easy task. There is nothing worse than to have to pack and wet and cold tent in the morning. We stayed with family, friends and in motels, hostels, inns, and B&B;’s. Every motel, no matter what the cost was, had in the room and min-fridge and a microwave. Also most of the beds, due to the hot weather, had no blankets on them, and just two sheets. Another funny thing was that the more you ran the cold water in order to get a cold drink, the water would get warmer. We did find ourselves carrying a jar of peanut-butter and a loaf of bread, and glad we did as food was not always easy to find (lunches).
As you might remember I gave up finding a coin every day after many years of doing so. On this tour it would have been very easy to find a coin each and every day. I did pickup the silver coins most of the time. One day I picked up, 4 quarters, 3 dines and 2 nickels. There was a stretch of road where there were so many pennies you would think some little boy got into his mothers purse and just throw one out every 5 feet. Also I stopped collecting bandannas, once I reach my goal of 200 (really I have 201.) I saw three lost bandannas on this tour. I did find a cell-phone in the middle of the road. We were only a little ways from Bath, NC, our over-night so I just took it along. Once in the motel I turned it on and find a number called “home-sweet-home” and gave it a call, no answer and no answering machine. About a hour later the phone rang so I answered it an explained who I was. The guy on the other end said he could find the owner and let him know where his phone is. Soon the owner showed up to claim his phone.
There were some stretches of road that was really rough, but for the most part the roads were good. Also there were stretches of almost no shoulder to ride on. We rode a good part of highway 25/121, know as the “Woodpecker Trail.” The original Woodpecker Trail stretches 620 miles from Charlotte, NC to St. Petersburg, FL. Dating back to 1922 the Woodpecker Trail is one of the nation’s oldest automobile routes. I did not see or hear any Woodpeckers.
Stats
- Left Portland, Oregon on 8-14-2007
- Arrived back home on 10-10-2007
- Total days on the road (both riding and non-riding) 58
- Total miles ridden 3010.95
- Total hours in the saddle 260:36
- Estimated total revolutions 1,250,880 (based on an average RPM of 80)
- Miles ridden in August 643.58
- Miles ridden in September 1912.58
- Miles ridden in October 454.79
- Number of consecutive days ridden 45 (a ride has to be 20 miles or greater)
- Longest day in miles 100 (3 times)
- Shortest day in miles 3
- Average miles per day 67 (not counting short days)
- Average miles per day 57 (counting all riding days)
- Longest day in hours on the bike 8:12 (one of the centuries)
- Shortest day in hours on the bike 0:15 (3 miles - from AMTRAK to our motel - Worcester, MA)
- Flat tires none (David 1)
- Weight at the start 156.5
- Weight at the end 150.2
- Cost $3246.98 (includes everything, Amtrak, flight home, van rental, food, motels, and all the other little things.)
State ridden in summery.
I now have ridden in 43 states plus Washington D.C. The 7 remaining states are, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, West Virginia. At least they are all in the same general area.
Not so nice things that happened.
I put this at the end just as info. The tour worked out wonderfully but there was a few tense times due to these problems.
AMTRAK - the station master in Minneapolis who refused to take our bikes, even through we told us they have to take them. The track south of Minneapolis were washed out and passages were being bused from Minneapolis to Chicago. He said that our bikes would take up to much room and there my not be room for other people’s luggage. While, I fully understand this, our bikes were our luggage. We got a refund and for only $12 more we were able to rent a van and drive to Chicago. This process was not as easy as I make it sound.
AMTRAK again - the clerk in Chicago who told us that our bikes could not be unloaded in Worcester, MA since there was no station master working on Saturday. So we would have to go to Boston. When David ordered our tickets was told it would be OK. Also there was NO indication on any AMTRAK literature that our bikes could not be unloaded in Worcester. David had made a motel reservation in Worcester ($150) which he canceled (it was non-refundable). We tried to find a place in Boston while on the train, with no luck (using my cell-phone). We then talked to the conductor on the train to see if there was anyway we could get our bikes off at Worcester. He said no problem, he would just push the bikes off for us. Which he did. We did find a place in Worcester for $59.
Daily ride log - for the main tour:
- Woonsocket, RI - 50 miles
- East Windson, CT - 82 miles
- Salibury, CT - 62 miles
- New Paltz, NY - 73 miles
- Port Jarvis, NY - 76 miles
- East Stroudsburg, PA - 60 miles
- Washington, NJ - 40 miles
- Quakertown, PA - 60 miles
- Downingtown, PA - 60 miles
- Downingtown, PA - 53 miles ( rode into Delaware and back)
- Delta, PA - 65 miles
- Ellicott, MD - 65 miles
- Washington D. C. - 54 miles
- Fredericksburg, VA - 81 miles
- Ashland, VA - 67 miles
- Williamsburg, VA - 100 miles
- Williamsburg, VA - 44 miles (rode to Yorktown and back)
- Suffolk, VA - 85 miles
- Plymouth, NC - 100 miles
- Bath, NC - 44 miles
- New Bern, NC - 46 miles
- New Bern, NC - 20 miles (rode around town)
- Morehead, City, NC - 65 miles
- Surf City, NC - 100 miles
- Wilmington, NC - 60 miles
- Carolina Beach, NC - 21 miles
- Little River, SC - 67 miles
- Georgetown, SC - 83 miles
- Moncks Corner, SC 65 miles
- Charleston, SC - 63 miles
- Charleston, SC - 50 miles (rode around town)
- Walterboro, SC - 71 miles
- Ridgeland, SC - 61 miles
- Statesboro, GA - 72 miles
- Jesup, GA - 90 miles
- Blackshear, GA - 80 miles
- Folkston, GA - 76 miles
- Callahan, FL - 45 miles
- Jacksonville, FL - 65 miles
- St. Augustine, FL - 50 miles
- Jacksonville, FL - 41 miles