7/16/12

Greetings from Portland in the Pacific time zone. Two semi revolting developments have occurred since the last installment of the this soon to end saga.
First we learned last night that there had been a rock slide which blocked the rail roadway in the Columbia Gorge and we would be transferred to buses at Spokane.  We did that and then rearranged the make of the three buses so that the travelers Portland were on two buses and all others to the smaller stations and Vancouver, WA. That way we had express service to Portland and even made up most of the lost time we had accrued.
Second, the Coast Starlight to San Diego was delayed by 4 hours due it arriving late in Seattle the night before and could not be readied fast enough for its on time return this morning.  So my anticipated 3:07 PM arrival in SLO on Tuesday may be 7:00 PM or later.

7/15/12

We're about 25 miles west of Havre,  Montana and about 50 miles south of the Canadian border.  Its 5:45PM mountain daylight time but we should have been here 2 hours ago.  I had a 4 hour layover in Portland to transfer from this train to the Coast Starlight in the morning in Portland.  At this rate my turn around time will be greatly shortened.  Just hope I don't miss the connection.  It is not unusual for Amtrak to make up lost time but it hasn't happened so far on this trip.
Not waiting around in a train station would be a good thing as long as it doesn't cut it too close.
The train has been a pleasant ride so far but bumpier than the Coast Starlight.  I have 8:30 PM reservation for dinner in the dinning car so I had a snack to tide me over till then.  Us commoners in coach are last after the sleeper car folk to make reservations.
I took a picture of my kind and generous friends that helped me so much in getting the bike box and other errands plus housing, feeding and transporting me and gear to the train.
Below are Al and Vicky in the train station.

7/14/12

On Thursday, 7/12 the ride was through Saint Paul and Minneapolis and west to St. Bonifacius and to My friends Al and Vicky Hubbell.  Friday was spent securing a bike box from a local bicycle shop, dismantling the bike and fitting it into the box.   Tonight I will catch a train to Portland,Oregon and  transfer there to the Coast Starlight for home.  Since I would not get to  Seattle until Monday morning and my daughter Gabrielle and and her husband Scott work all week, I decided to visit her in August when we can spend more time together.  I will be in San Luis Obispo on Tuesday afternoon, 7/17.

7/11/12

Rode to Prescott, WI today, 84 miles with headwinds and moderate but long hills.  Was going to stop 13 miles sooner but they wanted too much for their rooms.  I am at the River Heights  Motel, just half a mile from a bridge over the Mississippi River and into Minnesota.
I will go 50 to 60 miles to visit a friend and on Friday or Saturday hop a train to Seattle.  The routine has become monotonous and I want to get home after 5800 miles and three and a half months.  So I will see everyone sooner than expected. 

7/10/12

Last night, while inspecting the rear tire on the bike for a slow leak, I discovered two small places on it that were showing the kevlar threads.  Not unexpected after over 7400 miles on that rear tire (5700 on this trip).  The first piece of business after arriving in Chippewa Falls was to buy and instrall a new tire.  The rim protector had slipped out of place so it and the tube also got replaced.  After that, a trip to the Leinenkugel Brewery for a couple taste samples, grocery shopping and eating lunch, here I am in the library doing my statistics and blog.  Next stop is to check into the Indian Head Motel, shower and find a place for dinner, check for the next stopping place, check weather and prepare for tomorrows departure.  As Gary stated, this is a full time job.

7/9/12

Last minute changes last night.  I checked my maps to see how much farther it was to a turn off to see my high school class mate Janice Dalton/Yelkin and discovered that was at that point.  I called them (she and her husband Bernard) set up a time to meet at their home.  We met and I ended up spending the night with the added benefit of a fantastic family dinner at their Son and daughter- in- law's home near by.
After an equally good breakfast I was off on modified route that ended up at the Sunset Motel in Owens, WI, a no frills motel at s reasonable price.
Tomorrow the destination is  Chippewa Falls, WI.

7/7/12

The threat of thunder storms today was a no show.  After reviewing NOAAs down grade of chances and The Weather Channel's radar showing the storms going north of here and already to the east I was able to depart by 7:15 AM.  I am now in Wausau, WI at Nite Inn.
Yesterday I forgot to remount the grocery bag with the remainder of the day's food after eating lunch.  No big financial loss but was aggravating.
Today I repurchased today's food and a new reusable bag and just finished cooking dinner on the walkway outside my room in the compact pot and fold up propane burner stove. See photo.
Tomorrow will take me to Thorpe or Stanley WI depending on time energy and price/availability.

7/6/12

Present location is the Super 8 Motel in Shawano, WI.  The ride was log and hot, 98 deg and 77 miles.  There is 50% or 60% chance thunder showers to night until mid morning so I will plan departure time based on conditions.  The destination is Wausau, WI which is less than 50 miles so it should be easy since the wind is supposed to be favorable and the high temp is only 83 degrees.
The route went through Green Bay but it looked just like any other Midwest city.  Other than a lot traffic lights to contend with there were a couple round-a-bouts on both sides of town that were fun.

7/5/12

<p>At the Warm Showers host we had a discussion about me sleeping outside or inside since there was no AC in the house and it would be cooler outside. The sky was clear and as the evening progressed, both in and the out cooled. There was a 30% chance of showers, so I decided to sleep on the couch.
Mean while, the 4th activities were ramping up and about 9:30 the fireworks began both in the neighborhood an on the waterfront.&#160;&#160; They went on for a couple hours and getting to sleep was a challenge but success was at hand. Then the real fireworks began, Mother Natures.  She must have thought those human cracklings were wimpy so she showed us. It was close to a repeat of the deluge we had one night in Texas. Lots of lightening, thunder and rain.
I had put my stuff under the eves of the house on the deck with the rain covers on so most things were safe. My shoes, helmet and a bag of laundry were the only casualties.
I am on the ferry about to set off on the 60 mile, 4 hour trip to Wisconsin. 
We will be in the Midwest time zone and only 2 hours ahead of California.
I will finish this later.
The ferry ride was basically boring unless you like looking at great expanses of water, playing bingo with an MC with bad jokes or watching a movie with dialog that is unintelligible.  Apparently the ferry is a ship originally built in 1952 to carry railroad cars across Lake Michigan.  It is a coal burning steamship and the last of its kind.
I found the cheapest lodging I could find at another Super 8 Motel.  I is $30 more than the same make and model I stayed in in Big Rapids.  This emphasizes the importance of avoiding coastal tourist areas.
The ultimate destination or tomorrow is yet to be determined.

7/4/12

First let me do what I forgot to do a couple days ago.  Include  two pictures of the fantastic bike trail between Grand Rapids and Howard City.  The first is closer to the beginning of the trail and shows a curve.  The second is further up an is characteristic of the long flat straight aways that indicate a Rail-to-Trails history.  To prove this is true, the third picture is of a restored depot in Reed City.
I had left the trail after Howard City because it became gravel and not smooth gravel like the towpath.  However the trail is paved from Big Rapids, whe!re I stayed last night, to Reed City so back on it for the first 14 miles this morning.
Made it to Ludington on the shores of Lake Michigan, bought my ferry ticket and checked in with my Warm Showers host.  Unfortunately she lives in a cell signal black hole so this installment will not get posted until tomorrow.
Hope everyone had a good and enjoyable Fourth.

7/3/12A

The thunder storm ended, I ate my lunch of an apple, banana and two peanut butter and honey sandwiches and headed for Big Rapids.  In  both Grand and Big Rapids I have not seen or heard any rapids only very still wide expanses of water.  I think they have dammed the rivers and I did see one of those.
I will go to Ludington, MI tomorrow and catch the ferry to Wisconcin on Thursday.  I hope to contact a Warm showers host tonight.

7/3/12

Well here I am at noon in the Howard City, MI library waiting out a thunder storm.  I just finished updating my statistics spread sheet and thought I would get some news out while I was stalled.  I did 95 miles yesterday and plan to do 65 today and have done 47 of it.  25 miles of it were on a paved bicycle trail leading out of Grand Rapids.  Most of it looked to be a Rails-to-Trails path way.I hope the weather clears so I can continue to Big Rapids, MI otherwise I am stuck here.  I'll do a 7/3/12A later to update.

7/2/12

Went further than planned today.  I wanted to stop somewhere north of Kalamazoo but the motels I was interested in turned out to be weekly/monthly rentals and there were no reasonably priced ones until Grand Rapids. So here I am at the Grand Rapids Motel 6.
The bicycle chain is about ready for replacement soon so I stopped by a bicycle shop and bought one.  In a discussion on a trail saw on my Michigan map, the shop owner gave me a slick magazine style brochure on bike trails in Michigan.  There is one that goes  most of the route I hope to cover tomorrow.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

7/1/12

Got a relatively early start an easy riding until the west/southwest wind kicked in.  Not only that but the flat terrain that had existed since reaching Lake Erie slowly, mile by mile, started with slight rolling and minor hills and then became higher and longer.
I traveled about 15 miles in Ohio, 35 miles in Indiana and 10 in Michigan.
When I reached Indiana the shoulder of the road was a  lot wider which was definitely cool.  Then I started noticing horse poop in the new wide lane.  Then it occurred to me, this is Omish country and Indiana has gone the extra effort to accommodate their life style.  I observed a similar situation in Pennsylvania but that state did not provide nearly as much road support for the buggies and carriages.
I wanted to get a picture of one of the buggies never had an occasion.
Another great thing, the terrain became flat when I turned north and the wind was at my back.
The forecast for today was thunder storms for this afternoon.  I didn't get to my motel until nearly 2:00pm and about an hour later the storm actually happened.  I am beginning  renew my trust in NOAA.

For those that want to know, I abode tonight is the Country Heath Motel in Sturgis, MI.

6/30/12

The plan was to get an day start this morning  to beat the heat of the afternoon and because there was supposed to be thunder storms after noon according to NOAA.  However, when I checked NOAA this morning they changed the forecast and expected the storms before 9:00AM. A double check with the weather channel confirmed the change.  There was  yellow and orange satellite blob crossing the Indiana/Ohio border and heading straight for Toledo.  So I stayed put, enjoyed the 7:00AM breakfast buffet.
Sure enough, the rain stopped about 7:30 and I was on the road by 8:00.

I fought the wind all the way to the Rainbow Motel near Montpelier, OH and settled in.  It was sunny and warm all the way, but the wind kept me cool.  That may not happen tomorrow, the forecast is for calm.
I should make it Sturgis, Michigan.

6/29/12

The day started out badly because of a wrong turn.  I went left instead of right and ended up going around a 6 mile triangle and back at the start.  It could have been worse if it had been 6 miles without a turn that returned to start.  This will teach me to check my map in the morning instead of relying on my not so great memory.
The rest of the ride was uneventful and boring.  I arrived at the planned motel in Maumee (a Toledo suburb).  The motel, Americas Best Value, is clean and has the usual amenities and was only $42.00.  Just a quarter mile away was sports bar and grill with several local brews on tap.  Had an IPA and a porter from Great Lakes Brewery in Cleveland.  Dinner there was chicken pasta for only $8.00.  Great place, Flickers,  great staff and clients.  It may be a Midwest chain.  I'll keep a lookout for others.

6/28/12

Made it to the Sandusky KOA in good time.  Got an early start to beat the heat.  It was supposed to be in the mid 90s today and this afternoon felt like it.  The high pressure system that has been cooking the plains states is moving east and I am moving into it.  The forecast is for high 80s tomorrow so the trend looks to be going back down.  Also the wind is subsiding.
I was going to tent camp tonight, but after checking the weather and finding out that there was a 30% chance of rain and thunder storms tonight I opted for a cabin.
The laundry is done, folded and put away and its too early to call back home so its time to get something to eat and have a  beer.

6/27/12

I made to the west side of Cleveland in the suburb Lakewood.  Now that I am traveling south west, the wind figured it out and is coming from the south west; there virtually no real hills though.
I'm in a Travelodge took in the middle of some square brick, three story, apartment buildings.  The other side of the street, next to Lake Erie, is lined with high rise apartments.  On the lake side of the high rise across from the Travelodge is a deli cafe where I had a Ruben sandwich for dinner last night.
I will ride to Sandusky, OH (they may want to consider changing their name) tomorrow and stay at a KOA kampground.

6/26/12

The morning started out relatively cold at 52 degrees considering this the last week in June.  I had to break out my riding jacket.  Other than that, the ride was good.  I got an early start and by the time that NW wind started to really kick in I had reached Lake Erie and was going south east so the wind was to the side and even block a lot of the time by houses or trees.

I made good enough time that when I reached the planned destination, I decided to go another 15 miles to the next town.  I am now in Ashtabula, OH on Lake Erie about 17 miles into Ohio.

6/25/12

Today was a short day.  Only 52 miles but against a10 to 15 mile wind with gusts to 22 (ala Los Osos Valley on a summer afternoon).  Plus the hills I mention yesterday.  Only averaged 9.6 MPH.  I am now showered, laundry is done and my correspondence is almost done.  Sorry no pix today.  I'm going to the in inn bar and grill to sample the local brew and have dinner.

6/24/12

Yesterday I was only going to go about 55 miles but could not find acceptable logging and ended up on Pittsburg, 82 miles.  I discovered that the NHL draft was in town and there was a three game series between the Detroit Tigers and the Pirates so every bed in the area was booked.  I was trying to figure a way to hide out along the river for the night when a guy I had talked to earlier found me and said that a couple was about to check out of the Holiday Express so I called them to my name first in line for the room.  After some discussion about room cleaning and begging I got a room.  The down side is the price set a new record for room ransome on this tour.
After I got cleaned up I went out for dinner.  I happen to be walking with a couple that was also perusing the same establishments and ended up going to the same place and sharing a table.  They were John and Lois.  John had been in the Navy about the same time as I was and had been a university professor so we had somethings to start  conversation.  They were very interested in my tour and had a lot of good questions.  The greatest part is John picked up my tab.  He claimed they would be .  See the loving couple below.

Today was a much shorter ride although fairly long in time due to difficulty in following the bike paths through Pittsburgh.  I am in a much simpler and cheaper motel in New Castle, PA.  Tomorrow will be Meadville, PA.  Pennsylvania has some significant hills and tomorrows ride will have several and a head wind.  Looks like a repeat of the Texas hill country.

6/22/12

The night before last I stayed in primitive Paw  Paw Tunnel campground.  There was another bike tourist next to my camp site, Paul. We talked for awhile and found out that we both did work in audio.  Well last, night after I had checked into the Trail End Hostel, Paul showed up looking for a place to stay the night and decided that the Hostel was the best buy in Frostburg so he stayed.  We went out an sampled a couple semi local brews and had dinner.  I also found out that he had ran a cross America two years ago.
We took off together this morning on our way to Ohiopyle, PA.  It became apparent that I tended to ride faster than Paul and he stopped and took pictures of everything so I got way ahead of him.  We did reconvene for lunch and lodging.  He will be making a detour tomorrow to visit friends and I am trying to contact a warm showers host in West Newton, PA so we probably will not meet up again since we are going in different direction after Pittsburgh.
The exciting event for me was getting caught in a short thunder storm.  I dodged under a very leafy tree to get out of the rain.  Eventually the leaves became saturated and there was as much water coming down under the tree as out on the trail so I took off again and didn't get too wet by the time the rain stopped.
Today's pictures should be self explanatory.

6/21/12

The trip today started out badly. My rear wheel picked up a stick or something on the trail and it jammed between the tire and the fender causing the fender to buckle eventually stopping forward movement. No crash or damage to anything other than the fender. With the aid of a multi-tool, a zip tie and a half hour and on the trail again. However the last dozen or so miles of the towpath amounted to dodging mud puddles and tree roots. I was relieved to finally reach the end in Cumberland. The first 15 miles of the Allegheny Passage followed the Western Maryland Railroad's scenic train route to Frostburg and it is all up hill but only 2 or 3 % grade so it was relatively slower than the level towpath but the surface was much smoother so the section was more pleasant experience than the first part of the day. I end up in the Hostel section the Trail End Inn. Nice! Now for; today' s photos: The first two are of a restored C&O Canal boat on display in Cumberland. The next one is of the tourist train that goes between Cumberland and Frostburg (in Frostburg) and the second is of the historic Frostburg RR station.

6/20/12

The high lights of yesterday's trek, more of the same.  I made it to Williamsport, MD, visited the information Center and got maps of both the C&O Canal towpath and the Allegheny Rails-to-Trails Passage.  The maps I download from the web before I left were terrible and weighed much more than these official maps.  I jettisoned  the old maps.
I ended up in Motel 6 in Hagertown even though it was 5 miles off course because it was $20 cheaper than anything in Williamsport and had a real grocery store.
  Tonight I am in the Paw Paw Tunnel Campground, right next to the towpath, about 25 mile east of Cumberland, MD and across the Potomac from Paw Paw, WV.  No civilization between here and the end? of the towpath in Cumberland.  I'll go to Frostburg,  MD tomorrow which is on the Allegheny Passage.

Now for a photo round up.
I took a couple more pictures of the lock gates that I believe are clearer.  The first is of a lower gate in the open position.  The second is the upper gate in the closed position holding back the up stream water.  According to one of the information placards, the lock operator opened and closed the gates by himself.  Notice that the closed gate doors are not parallel when fully closed making it easier to open.  The actuator beams are also much longer than the doors are wide giving a mechanical advantage.
The lock operator was on the job 24/7 and lived at the lock site in a house provided by the company.  See the 3rd photo of one of better preserved houses.  Most are just foundation rubble although a few of better preserved can actually be reserved and rent for a night.  They are maintained by volunteers and furnish with original furniture.
The next photo is of the acquiduct at Williamsport.  It is fairly typical of the condition of the acquducts that carried the Canal over large streams.  Notice that the up stream side has fallen away from age and floods.  The down stream side was also the towpath and wider.  All of them serviced.
Lastly a picture of a Potomac River dam.  This one has the unique name of "Dam 5".
P.S. No signal. Posting will be on 6/21/12

6/19/12

I was going to update on today's journey but I just learn that my dear friend, fellow runner and weekly lunch companion, Neil Wilcox, has died and I am too saddened to cope with the task.  Maybe tomorrow.

6/18/12 A

I forgot some photos from the short and brief pass through a corner of Washington DC. The first was take by a fellow bike tourist I met just before crossing over the Potomac River. I wanted to make sure that everyone knew I was really there and not lounging on some Pacific isle and had a surrogate traveling in my place.
The other two are taken by me as we went around Lincoln Memorial. One in each direction.

6/18/12

Nothing really new today just stuck in Brunswick for a rest/rain day.  The motel does have an exercise room so when I get through with this installment I will try to exercise some muscles that are neglected on a bike.

I want to explain some of the photos in yesterdays blog.  A couple photos try to show the canal in different stages of maintenance/decay.  On the southern end near the population centers of the Washington area, the canal and locks are fairly well maintained and may even be functional in few cases.  But, as you go north, there starts to be areas where trees and other natural debris has fallen into the canal.  Eventually the canal increasingly has little or no water and has fairly large trees growing in it and sometimes resembles a bog or swamp.
Another, more fascinating feature are the locks and gates used raise and lower the barges.  The locks appear to be about 12 to15 feet wide so the barges were not very big.  Probably about the size of a semi truck trailer.
The gates are large double door like  and the up stream water keeps them close.  To open them there are large and long timber beams that either horses or very strong men pushed to open.  The upstream gates opened to fill the lock; the barge was pulled in the gates were closed and lower gates were open to let the barge enter lower canal segment.
Fascinating.  Wish I could see it in action.  Unfortunately most of the gates have long sincedisappeared.

6/17/12

Yesterday was another hilly journey until the outskirts of Washington area then it leveled out or was mostly down hill.  I spent over 20 miles on bike trails including 4 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath, the one I came to Washington to ride on.  I had to leave it until today because there is no access to food or lodging for long stretches on the towpath and the day was getting on.  After much research and 5.5 miles off route I settled on the Highland Inn in Arlington since it was the cheapest but still more expensive than any place up till now.
In the morning the first thing was to get food for the day so that I could stop at any of the little camping spots that were spaced about every 5 miles along the canal.  As it turns out NOAA is forecasting rain tonight and tomorrow so here I am in Brunswick, MD at the Green Country Inn tonight and I will probably be here tomorrow night.  The challenge Wednesday is whether to ride the gravel and dirt towpath after the rain or bypass it for a day to give it a chance to dry out.  Stay tuned.
Below are some images of parts of the canal and path.

6/15/12

After weeks of mostly flat cycling,  today was a throwback.  I thought I was back in the Texas hill country.  Over thirty miles of up and down with very little conservation  of energy  with momentum carrying the bike over the next hill.  Add to that was the increased wind.

Even with the negative riding conditions, I made it to Fredericksburg and  picked up my general delivery package at the post office.  It contained maps for the rest  of the tour which I had put in a prepaid priority  mail box which Emillie Gunsaulus mailed when I got close enough to Fredericksburg to pick it up. However the best part was the care package of Emillie's special chocolate chip cookies inside with the maps.  What a sweet heart.   Already, there are some missing.
Tomorrow I hope to be in, or beyond, Washington DC.

6/14/12

<p>The journey from Edenton NC to Suffold, VA and the ride today from Suffold  to Richmond were more less uneventful except for a north to northeast wind both days and a few sprinkles of rain today.  So I am in the Snow White Motel in Chesterfield VA which is about 8 miles south of downtown Richmond VA.  Tomorrow I hope to make it to Fredericksburg VA where I will pick up a care package of the rest of the .maps I will need to complete the rest of the USA circumnavigation.
Here are few observations that I have been pondering.  They are not eternal truths, just things that seem to be different to what I am used to in California.   I do have admit that the experience of us Californians, especially along the coast is different that a lot of citizens in the rest of the country. ;  friends in Arizona refer to California as the land of fruits and nuts. 
With that said, here are the observations:

Loging Trucks
Ever since eastern Texas there has been a constant flow of loging trucks.  They haul a load of long but fairly skinny pine logs.  If any of you followed Gary's blog, you would have learned that through out the south east, from eastern Texas to here in central east Virginia, pine trees are not just  forest but a crop.  They are harvested,  turned into paper at paper mills,
Replanted, a lot of times in rows, and in a out 20 years, reharvested (they grow fast down here). They grow tall and thin.

I seem to  notice a lot of road names in the country that are named with a person's name.  Roads are named with familiar  names all over but these road names have first names and sometimes middle initials.

Also I have noticed many small cemeteries that are obviously family cemeteries because most of the head stones have the same last names.  I mean sometimes several little cemeteries in each community.

6/11/12

I was planning to go to Plymouth, today but due too a miscalculation, it was not as far as I thought so I pushed on to Edenton and got a motel room because according to the latest guestament there is an 80% chance of rain tomorrow.  The ride was very easy fast today with a friendly tail wind.
Wednesday should be much better weather wise and I will try to reach Suffolk, VA.  Gary is there tonight but I believe he will most likely try to out run the storm and leave in the morning.

6/10/12

<p>The last couple days have been fairly uneventful. The terrain has been flat (except for bridges and freeway overpasses) and the wind has been largely from the side or back.  My average daily MPH has been either 12.7 or 12.8.
After the nice stay in the Brunswick Beaches Campground in Grissetown, NC I stayed in a real KOA kampground in Wilmington, NC.  It was one of the best I have been in for its facilities and its staff.
Last night I stayed in the only game in town in Pollocksville.  I had intended to stay in a campground in Maysville but there were no tables, water or power at the tent sites and they were a hike to the restrooms (my bowls sometimes have a shorter fuse than that hike).
Tonight I am in cheap but acceptable motel room in Washington, NC.  I have been cooking fast dinner in my little propane fold up stove and pot on the side walk outside my room.
I will be in Plymouth, NC and may be stuck in a motel there for a couple days because of an approaching storm.
The weird town name of the week is Chocowinity, a small town 3 miles south of Washington.

6/7/12

<p>I made it weather is clear and the wind was not a big deal today so I am in a former KOA campground in North Carolina.
Barbara got up early this morning and we had breakfast together in a nice little cafe in downtown Georgetown; western omelet an grits......yum

6/6/12

Although this may sound like a stuck record, for those who remember what that phrase means, I had another rain delay this morning and it just pored for the whole morning.  Luckily  I checked weather radar image before I took off.
Tomorrow they are forecasting no rain instead 20% or 30% so I feel confident that there will little or no rain.  To repay Barbara for putting up with me for over 4days we are going out to dinner in beautifully downtown (literally) Georgetown.
Tomorrow I hope to make about 65 miles to a RV park  north of Calabash, NC.

6/5/12

Friend-in-Law, Barbara, didn't arrive home until Saturday evening so I decided to stay until Tuesday morning instead of Monday to spend more time getting to know each other better.  I checked the weather Monday night and Tuesday morning was still a go.
This morning it started raining before I was able to get started and it has rained intermittently all day and tomorrow morning is now departure time.

Sunday we went to Huntington Beach State Beach and walked a couple miles.  The beach is somewhat similar to  Oceano or Morro Bay Atascadero beach in that it is backed up to sand dunes.

Monday we took a tour of the historic district on a tour trolley with a very knowledgeable guide/driver. We saw dozens of huge colonial type mansions some of which once be longed to state and federal politicians including a state governor and federal senator.

Since Barbara grew up in Georgetown and area it seems everywhere we go she meets someone she grew up with and/or knows.

6/2/12

My friend-in-law's cat is very friendly and has a special warm weather hair cut.

6/1/12

Tonight in Georgetown SC.  I am in the home of my daughter-in-law's mother. I will probably be here through the weekend. Today's ride was wind aided was the best daily average MPH so far on the tour.  Woo Hoo.
Last night at the warm showers host home was very good and aided by the addition of two other tourers take for a more lively discussion.  The bicyclers started in Miami and were headed to New York but were going to spend some time investigating Charleston.
Speaking of Charleston, here is a shot of the Arthur Ravannel bridge that crosses the Cooper river.  It is about 2 or 3 miles long and includes a separate pedestrian and bicycle path with lanes for the walkers and two lanes for bikes, one for each direction.

5/30/12

I finally escaped from Pooler, GA Econo-Lodge and made it a Knights Inn in Point South, SC. That's right, I am now in South Carolina. After two days of rest, the relatively short 55 miles was surprisingly easy.
I have made arrangements with a warm showers host in Mt Pleasant, SC for tomorrow night.  Mt Pleasant is about  6 miles north of Charleston, SC.
The attached image was on a I-95 frontage road on the way to Point South.

5/28/12

Still in Pooler GA at the Econo-Lodge.  Rain day and time for a rest day.  It looks like the remnants of tropical storm Beryl are turning and headed this way so I will probably be here tomorrow as well.

Miscelaneous

The attached photo was taken at a boat launching area a few miles south of the small town of Innes LA.All the other modulars in this cluster were only raised a few feet. Maybe this owner was extra paranoid or just wanted a better view.
As we rode through northern Florida it struck me that I was seeing some of the names that I heard in songs as I was growing up such as Tallahassee Lassie, Suwannee River, and the Okefenokee two step.
Not only old names to me but new funny sounding names like Chattahoochee and Canoochee.
Then there are the obvious differences in English dialects. Although south western Texas has a strong history of Spanish influence their town of Sierra Blanca has Sierra pronounce correctly but Blanca comes out blank-a as does the Louisiana city of Blanco.
Speaking of? Louisiana the locals pronounce it Looszy Ana and New Orleans becomes New Orlins and to N.O. residences its Nawlins.

Just as some of us refer to San Luis Obispo as SLO some of locals in northern Florida shorten DeFuniak Springs as DFS.

5/27/12

Here I am in beautiful not so downtown Pooler GA just west of Savanna.  I got rained on briefly earlier bit was a couple 100 yards of convenience store and took cover.  By the time I had a hot chocolate the sun was out and I continued my trek east.  When an even stronger down pour occurred an hour later I was able to find a shelter fairly soon but got wetter anyway.  I found an Econo-Lodge an stayed in Pooler which is what I had been planing.
The unknown is what will be happening in the morning with tropical storm Beryl.  I may be stuck here at least through tomorrow if not longer.

5/23/12

Since Gary and I are on different routes now I will be updating this blog more regularly.  I have decided to take short cut around St Augustine and Jacksonville Florida to save time let me slow down the pace a little.
I am currently in Lake City FL about 60 miles west of Jacksonville and should be just north of Jacksonville tomorrow. In future installments I will include a couple items that I forgot to include earlier.

A rainy day bogger

Here's a scene you won't see on other blogs.  Gary and trike on a covered motel room bed. 

5/11/12

Long time no blogging. Sorry to the readers of this blog for my laziness. Before I get on with a condensed version of what has transpired the last couple weeks l caught up with Gary in Del Rio Tax. He has a very good blog going with lots of pictures and captions.  If you want to fill in the blanks of and get more details of our adventures go to www.crazyguyonabike.com/gphavas

As I tap this entry I am in a motel room in Oberlin La waiting out a massive rain storm.  The weather report calls for a repeat tomorrow so we may be stuck here another day.  We have stayed in sheltered facilities the last few days because of threatened thunder storms (two motel rooms besides the the current and two small cabins and a pavilion at Merry ville museum.

On Sunday 5/13 we hope to head for points east with what looks to be a almost  tail wind.

5/1/12

I have not updated for over a week due to no or poor connectivity so I will try to fill in the missing days.

4/25/12:  I road to Alpine Tx but took a short cut on hwy 90 via Marfa.  Short cut was still 107 miles but Gary had done 109 so I took the sort cut to at least stay even.  I stayed in a very nice RV park in Alpine, in a little cabin.
4/26/12:  On to beautiful Sander.  About 10 miles from town I ran into a road block for a road race time trial. We had to wait at the block for over an hour until the last car finished their lap and they all left for Sander. The little RV park in town was not very fancy but the stay was made enjoyable by the attendant who made sure I had every thing I needed including having a beer with me.
4/27/12: Destination, Langtry its main claim to fame was that it was the suite of judge Roy Beam, law west of the Pecos. There was one small store, a ratty RV park and the Roy Beam museums.  I asked the lady at the museum about places to camp, she suggested the a couple on the edge of town offered their vacation trailer to bicyclers for the cost of utilities. A great find.  Just like having a small apartment for the night.
4/28/12:  Made it to Del Rio and caught up with Gary because he stayed an extra day there with a family he met in the local bike shop.  We shared a motel room an socialized with his new friends.
4/29/12  We left in the morning for Camp Wood and found a very clean and fairly new RV park 5 miles before town.  We had breakfast at what seemed like the local gathering spot after church and then headed out to see how far we could get.  We had caught a head wind for several days and were loosing strength.  We made to Lost Maples State Reserved e campground, an average good camp.  Every thing went smoothly until 12:30 AM when the sky opened up with lightening, Thunder and massive amounts of rain for 4 hours.   
5/1/12:  We are  now in Kerrville at a KOA and have dried out the equipment and are ready for dinner.

4/24/12

The ride to El Paso was good and mostly uneventful.  However, upon checking out possible RV campgrounds to stay in, the first two did not have tent sites and the third was another 7 miles further down the road.  Oh well, no big deal except on the way there I ran into a freeway overpass construction project that sent me out of the way by another 3 miles.  Total for the day: 81.25 miles.  Insult to injury,  the RV park in Clint, TX was the worst thing to call itself an RV park.  The showers and regular bathrooms were closed and I had to use the bathroom in the convenience store and it was a pit.  No positive recommendation for that hole.

Monday, 4/22/12 looked like a good ride day to Sierra Blanca, TX only 66 miles and a level to gentle upgrade.  Then the head winds kicked in and gave me the 3rd worst average mileage of the last 3 weeks.  Stayed in a very nice motel room at a reasonable price in Sierra Blanca and met a woman who was also going to Florida at dinner that evening.  I did not see her the next morning.

Tuesday 4/24/12: I am now in Van Horn, TX which is only 35miles from Sierra Blanca but I will stay here at a KOA campground and head out on an alternate route to the regular Adventure Cycling route.  I am typing this longer blog on a computer in the Van Horn library.

4/21/12

Yesterday was the day I dreaded from the day I looked at the elevation profile of the Tempe to El Paso segment of this trip.  An 8228 foot Emory pass trudge.  Of course I started at 5600 ft. But the climb after two days of similar footage on lower passes had me worried, but I made it its behind me.  Now all I have to do is cross Texas in one piece.
I had a nice stay in Lakeside RV Park at Caballo Lake last night and a relatively easy 69 miles today.  I am staying at a fantastic Warm Showers host that Gary found in Las Crucas tonight and off to El Paso tomorrow.

4/19/12

I had a wonderful time in Tucson with my very good friends.  I am very greatful for the extreme accommodation from them and cannot express how impressed I how impressed I am with how much my friends went out of their way to make room in their busy days to help and intertain me.  We had a dinner party at Macaroni Grill and Doc would not let me pay my share.  Steve put me up, fed me, organized and prepared a magnificent dinner at his house as a send off besides picking me up in Florence AZ.  Bob drove me up to Globe to get me back on the bike route and all four contributed to an excelent Arizona bike jersey as a send off to the rest of my journey.  I still get emotional when thinking how wonderful these 4 friends are and hope that I can return the loyalty.

On Tusesday, after Bob and Steve dropped me off in Globe, I road to Safford AZ and stayed with a wonderful "warmshower.org host family.  They not only provided the warm shower an and bed to sleep in but also insisted on driving me to a supper market to get food for the next day and a half plus providing me with dinner and breakfast.

On Wednesday I road to Coal Creek Campground, 1 mile west of the Arizona and New Mexico border.  It was primitive in that it did on have water so I not only had to carry the night and morning food, but enough water for 1-1/2 days plus tote all that stuff up over 4000 feet of climbing (the bike and stuff weights about 90 lbs.

On Thursday I road to Silver City, NX and staying in a KOA campground.  Bathrooms, showers, laundry and  WiFi.  Whoo Hoo.  I will head over a 8200 pass tomorrow and try to make it to Kingston, MX.

4/15/12

I'm in Tucson.  Steve and Barb drove up to Florence and picked me up and brought me to Tucson yesterday afternoon.  I will have two full days to visit with my friends here.  Whoo Hoo.

4/13/13

Yesterday was another fairly long and traffic trek through western and southern suburbs of Phoenix to get to Mesa and my cousin Fred' home.  We had a great dinner prepare by his wife Maureen.
Today Fred took me to see an eagles nest on Indian Reservation just north of here and then to lake park for some bird watching.

I will head for Florence in the morning and hope that my bottom has recovered from the three days of extended riding.

4/11/12

To night I am in a  rest area on i10, 7 miles west of Tonopah AZ.  It has been long day with 94.7 miles following the 92.8 yesterday.  I am going to hide out here and try to get some shut eye.

Tomorrow is on to Phoenix.

4/10/12

Well, I made it to Blythe today mainly because there were no viable campgrounds in Palo Verde so I Road on to Blythe.  I found a KOA site and it is the finest thing I have stayed in for the money ($10); tent site, showers, laundry, swimming pool, convenience store and free WiFi.

I made up 20 of the  40 miles that I did'nt due to a miss calculation of daily distances I used in figuring the original itinerary for the first part of the trip.  I am researching a plan to get back on schedule so I arrive in in Mesa and Tucson as scheduled.

Today's  trip was hampered  by croswise head winds for the  the first 40 miles but road changed direction and the last 53 were mostly wind aided.   All in all it was a good day.

4/8/12

The last two days have been exhausting.  I started in La Jolla and road to Ma-Tar-Awa campground about 5miles east of Alpine, CA off interstate 8,  somewhere around 3000 ft. above sea level.

On Easter Sunday I climbed up to 4200 ft. at least twice and miscellaneous hill too numerous to count.  By the time I got to Ocotillo, all I wanted was a shower, dinner, a beer and bed.

Tomorrow should be easier, only 39 miles to Brawley and I have arranged a stay at a warm showers.org host.

4/4/12

We made it to Dana Point Deheny State Beach Campground today.  We were in Surf City Hostel in Hermosa Beach yesterday and in motel in Oxnard the day before that.  We planned to stay at McGrath but it was closed.

We will stop in La Jolla tomorrow and stay with my cousin.

BTW there are 7 memorable hills in Malabu and Laguna Beach.

4/1/12

Gary and I made it to Buellton in good mostly due to a strong tail wind.  We were going to stay in a tent site at the local RV campground, but they wanted $28.00 for each tent so we shopped around and got a motel room for two dollars less and did'nt have to pitch and take down a tent.

David and Debbie Abrecht and Walt and Judy  Bremmer were staying at the RV camp and we spent some quality time with them.

Welcome to the USA bike tour blog of Clem Michel.  Clem and Gary Havas will begin our tour sometime around the first of April.  We will be following Adventure Cycling Association route maps(www.adventurecycling.org). We will begin by traveling from San Luis Obispo, CA to San Diego.  From there we will be going at our own individual paces to Florida and then up the east coast, the northern tier to Seattle and then back home along the Pacific coast to San Luis Obispo.

Clem will be visiting relatives in San Diego and Phoenix, AZ, and friends in Tucson, AZ and daughter in Seattle.  Gary will be visiting friends in North Carolina and Connecticut.  We will regroup when we can. If you are interested in following our adventures from time-to-time, bookmark or add this web blog website to your favorites.