St. Louis

I have been neglecting the blog spot and we are a little behind.

Our hotel was beautiful. Pat and I got up and went to the Gateway Arch. Of course we took the unique elevator to the top. The arch stands 630 feet tall and that is also the width. At the base of the arch is a wonderful Westward Expansion Museum. We spent at least two hours at the arch. Then we walked down to the St. Louis Union Square. This was the rail station built in 1895. The Union Square has a museum and lots of small shops and food places. I had to buy yet another hat..(Ernie are you surprised?)...and for sure kettle corn.

Our visit in St. Louis was too short. But we had a wonderful time. On the morning we left we all gathered at the base of the arch for a group photo.

Flat Tire

I was at the place on this trip where I was pretty sure both of us were going to be flat free. The picture shows how wrong I was. Sunday, May 27 we were on our way to St Louis. It was supposed to be a short 43 mile day. We were all looking forward to that. But something happened to the crib sheet that day. It turned out to be a 60 mile ride. At 31 miles many of us had all stopped to eat our normal peanut butter and jam sandwich and commiserate on our miles ahead. When it was time to go I quickly found out that I had a flat tire. I had Pat and a few others to help and give advice. One of the women (Stephanie), gave me shampoo to make it easier to insert the tire levers. It worked. After that I was able to do it on my own. The last little bitis the hardest but by this time a man and his son drove up. When he saw me begin to struggle he said, "I can do that." I was happy for the help so I guess I haven't really fixed a flat on my own yet.

Off we went again. We had 30 minutes to go when it started to pour down rain. We were soaked in minutes. We came into the beautiful Adams Mark Hotel looking like drown rats.

We are feeling more like celebrating because we have finished over 900 miles.

Cape Girardeau to Ste. Genevieve, MO.

Yesterday as we were approaching Cape Girardeau, a local cyclist came up to Pat and I as were were taking a break. He wanted to know what all the bicycles were doing. He was excited about our ride and went to the motel, found our SAG driver (Georgia) for the day. He took her to the local body shop to have something repaired on "Bo Peep", the affectionate nickname for the SAG vehicle. He took women to the bike shop and he came back at dinner time with a local reporter.

Larry lived in Oak Harbor a few years ago and when he found out that I live in Mount Vernon, he asked if I would go to the Holiday Market on Highway 20 to see if they still sell Australian Outback hats.

This morning Larry came back to ride a for a bit with our group. Since Pat and I were the first to leave, he joined us. It was quite nice because he could tell us some of the things in town and out of town to look for. He rode with us for about 12 miles and then headed back to town.

When Pat and I got to Cape Girardeau yesterday, we joined a group that were going downtown to see the sea wall which has murals painted on it. Beautiful work that tells the history of the Mississippi and another that has pictures of famous people from Missouri. That includes Mark Twain, Walter Cronkite, and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The ride today as well as yesterday were rolling hills. For the most part we like them in the morning and hate them by afternoon. Tomorrow we will be riding into St Louis and a day of rest.

Tennessee to Kentucky to Missouri

On our ride yesterday we stopped at Alex Haley's (ROOTS) boyhood home in Henning, TN. He lived there as a boy listening to family stories told to him by his grandmother and aunt. After he became famous he bought the home back and today it is a museum. Like Elvis, he is buried in the front yard. We had to wait about 45 minutes until the museum could be opened. Henning is a very small town and when the local policeman went by and saw all the bicycles, he called the major to tell him we were waiting. The museum was worth the wait. It has artifacts given to the museum from the family. There were also pictures of Haley and his parents and also one of Chicken George who was Alex Haley's great grandfather. Because we were all scheduled to go to the Alex Haley museum we only had 44 miles to ride today.

There were no laundry facilities at our motel in Dryersville so we had to was our bike shorts and put them out to dry.

Today we had 78 miles to ride so Pat and I were ready to leave by 6:15. We had a scheduled stop at Reelfoot Lake, a State Resort Park and Hunting and Fishing Preserve. This lake was formed from the Mississippi River during a series of severe earthquakes in 1811-12. It is home to many, many birds including the American Bald Eagle. We spent about an hour at the lake.

Our ride was made great today with a tail wind most of the way. Our average speed was 14.1 It was great fun. Still by the end of 78 miles, we were very tired.

We also went through 2 new states. We rode from Tennessee into Kentucky and took a ferry across the river into Missouri. Tonight we are in Charleston, MO.

Memphis, Tennessee

On the way into Memphis I began singing Paul Simon's Graceland. "I'm going to Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee." And we did. It is like a pilgrimage...It was a Monday morning and the place was packed. We got our tickets after arriving and then got on a shuttle. There was shuttle after shuttle going to see Elvis' house. Of course he lived there in the 60's and so you can expect to see green shag carpet (even going up the wall) orange countertops and purple bedspreads. Because he was Elvis there are other really bright and gaudy colors. Everything is over the top. But it was sooo fun. It is really well handled by the staff. We got a pair of ear phones and were directed when to turn it on and off so you could understand all that you were seeing. Elvis had a twin. I didn't know that. The twin died at birth. Elvis and his entire family, (his mother, father, and grandmother) are all buried along with him on the site. Elvis music is played everywhere. My friends all liked it but then they are all about my age give or take...

In Memphis we stayed at the Marriot downtown. It was fabulous. After some of the places we stay is was pure luxury. In the afternoon we were able to walk downtown to the Peabody Hotel which has the ducks trained to be the Peabody pets. These ducks were one time featured on 60 minutes (I think). The ducks are apparently in the mating season. I know because I saw it. Then I got a little lesson on the way ducks actually fertilize their eggs. OH, OK.

This next picture is of the Mississippi River Bridge in Memphis.

This morning we left the Marriot to go Covington, TN. 62 miles today. The first 20 were really fun. It was hilly, but that just seemed like a fun thing to do. There was shade and that helped a lot. Plus it was a beautiful ride. Then it got hot and humid and those hills which were continuous made me a little cranky. Plus today we met dogs. One area was packed with dogs waiting to turn on us. The most disgusting was a group of pit bulls whose owner was out with them and apparently wasn't able to handle them. Both Pat and I were feeling so frustrated when we had only about 4 miles to go. My phone (which was on today because we were trying to reach our SAG driver) rang. It was little 5 year old Matt. He said, "Hi Grandma and Aunt Pat. I love you. When you finish biking, you can come and see me." We suddenly got our second breath and finished. Tomorrow is only 44 miles. I imagine the hills will continue.

Our Longest Ride

Yesterday was our longest ride so far. 91 miles. Our group has had one longer one. (107 miles) That day was supposed to be 99 but when we arrived in New Orleans and got our new itinerary, it had changed to 107. That day the wind was blowing from the NE 25 mph. Pat and I finished 65 and caught the van as it was going in for the day. The next day we had 66 with 15 mph winds and we finished that one. Yesterday conditions were perfect. No wind, sunny, mostly flat.

Each day we get up at or around 5:00 and get our bags out to the van. Then we make peanut butter sandwiches and pack some snacks. We usually have breakfast in the motel and then we are on our bikes.

We have two support vehicles. One is the van that sometimes meets us half way if the day is going to be a long one. From the van we can make more sandwiches. The surburban has water, fruit, amd bars for us to grab. That vehicle waits for everyone to pass before it goes up the road another 20 miles to meet us again.

We have to go potty anywhere we can find. I have begun to call Pat, " Sister with little bladder."

Each day we see the "country" part of our country. Yesterday we were riding through the Mississippi Delta. It is all very beautiful.

At one point we were riding down the middle of corn fields as high as we were. We also stopped for a minute to see this beautiful pond with trees growing out of it.

We do appreciate this beauty.

Our bottoms have taken a bit of a beating. Last week we had 5 days of riding. I don't know if it is the heat or humidity or if it is just the long miles, but our rears are hurting by the end of each day. Several of the women have had to take a break from riding just to repair. Yikes!

Natches to Vicksburg

I started this message this morning but ended up pushing the wrong button and erased it all. So perhaps a shorter version. Help Lynn!

We have been in Vicksburg all day. Today our goal was to visit the National Military Park to see the 1300 monuments. A total of 9 went to do that. Pat and I went part of the way. 4 of those went by car and we now understand the reason for that. It is 14 miles of hills. Huge hills. So we saw part of it and went back to the motel. We now understand the importance of the battle of Vicksburg. We met a bunch of preschoolers with their teacher. She taught us along with them that the seige of Vicksburg lasted 47 days.

Our journey between Natches and Vicksburg was quirky. First Pat, (a non coffee drinker) tried to make coffee for me in the morning. She put the filtered coffee where it needed to go and then proceeded to pour cold water over the filter. She was confused when it came out cold and almost clear.

We had a late start that day because our daily meeting started at 7:00. (Normally that is taken care of the night before.) Then Pat and I missed each other's departure and waited for each other a block apart. We eventually found each other but after getting started again, Pat's front pack flew off her bike. We fixed that and went on. My bike sounded funny. We found accumulated dirt and removed that. Then it started raining. You can only get so wet so we kept going. When it ended 5-6 miles later, we were soaked. We took off our shoes and wrung out our socks. I even poured water out of my shoes. But the good news there was that we were no longer facing a really hot day. Plus we were dry in an hour. We stopped to view a couple of sites along the way but not a lot. The last calamity was when Pat lost the screw out of her cleat. You can't get your shoe out of the cleat when that happens. She took the entire cleat off and we kept going.

Our biking time today was about 7 hours and 30 minutes for 86 miles. But our time on the road was more like 9 hours. We didn't arrive in Vicksburg until almost dinner time.

But we traveled the Natchez Trace Parkway. I think my friends, Edith and Mel have cycled on that parkway. It was perfect. No dogs, very little traffic and beautiful scenery. We would go all the way to Memphis on the Natchez Parkway if we could. Oh, oh...Kris had another flat on the ride between Natches and Vicksburg. This makes her 7th flat so far. There were also a couple of others that day. Pat doesn't want me to mention that so far we are ok. She thinks we may be jinked.

This evening I went on a riverboat ride with some of the others. A fun trip and we learned even more about this part of Mississippi.

NATCHEZ

We cross the river from LA into Mississippi at the end of our day. We are staying at the historic Briars Inn in Natchez (rhymes with matches). Jefferson Davis (the Confederate President) was married in the parlor of this home. It is a beautiful home with Southern hospitality. We are so glad to have a day off.

One thing that I decided was that my saddle is NOT right. In the morning Jan Bee, a 68 year cyclist helped me lower my saddle and back a bit.

We spent the day in downtown Natchez, exploring the city. In doing so we took a carriage ride. What fun! The people in town are so proud of their city, they are anxious to tell us stories about it. Several stopped the carriage to tell their story.

The 85 miles

We have two days of 85 mile days. I have been worried about these two days for a long time. Pat felt so sure that she would not be able to do it that she requesteed the sag look for her. We got up at 5:00 so that we could leave at first light. The first 25 miles was great but the temperature got hotter and hotter as we went. The last chance for Pat to catch the sag was at 50 miles. She wasn't ready to give it up then and soon decided she was going to go for it. We found a house where they had a hose and we poured water over our heads to cool down. We both made it. My hard time came at about 70 miles. We had stopped for a coke and doughnut at a doughtnut shop. They gave us 4. We hate almost all of them. Pat had NO sleep the night before but still for a minute or two she had to encourage me. Kristen thinks we had high energy for a time but then crashed. I've learned another lesson.

Again today, our friend Kris had two more flat tires. Pat and I are hoping not to get a flat.

On the second 85 mile day we actually felt a little better. It was hot again but perhaps a tad bit cooler. Our cook, Michelle brought us lunch at mile 53. That helped a lot. We made it just fine.

Cycling in Louisana

On May 12, we traveled 44 miles. We were supposed to have a shorter ride but the ferry we were supposed to take across the Mississippi was closed. So we had to cycle across the bridge. We were told in LaPlace, LA that the bridge was so high our ears would pop. They didn't but we went up the bridge in the lowest gear. It was a hot and humid day. But we had fun as well. This area between LaPlace and Donaldsonville has many historic plantations. We chose Laura's Plantation to tour. (Remember this is not all about the bike.) The Laura Plantation is a Creole plantation. In 1804 Guillaume DeParc, a French veteran of the American Revolution set up his plantation in sugar cane and it remained in his family (and was led by women) until 1891 when his great granddaughter, Laura sold it. We were able to see 12 of the original buildings including the slave quarters which still stand on this National Register site. In the slave quarters at Laura and neighboring plantations, the wester Africian fold stories of "Br'er Rabbit" were recorded for the first time.

Today we had our first flat tire. Kris, (from NM) actually had two flats and used 4 tubes before she finished her day.

We're Off!

New Orleans was great. We did all the tourist things. We had coffee and hot chocolate at Cafe DuMonde. We walked around the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. We got beads! YES! We have been on the River Walk and even gone shopping. My bike came with no problems. We have met 29 new cycling friends. The top picture is dinner out with several of the women we met the first day in New Orleans.

On May 11 we got up very early, packed our bags and got ready to leave New Orleans. We got on a ferry that would take us up the river for seven miles before we began our trek to LaPlace, LA.

Pat and I are excited to get started. I was so excited that I forgot to put air in my tires before I started. No worries, we have really good support. After we got off the ferry, we rode for 37 miles much of it on the levee. It was great. This is Laurie, our guide showing how hard she is working for us.

The Meandering Mississippi

Pat's and my next adventure is bicycling the Meandering Mississippi. We start in New Orleans on May 10, 2007 and 40 days later we will be on our way home after cycling around 2000 miles up the Mississippi...Yeah, we know, it's all uphill. This kind of trip takes a lot of preparation. Pat lives in Minnesota and this year has been a difficult one for her to do the necessary training. But last summer Pat rode around 2000 miles while I rode about 100. She is a better cyclist than I am but we still have to THINK PAT.

I am so lucky to have been able to spend my 2007 winter in Phoenix, AZ. I belong to a bicycle group in El Mirage, AZ and to a person they have been so helpful. This is my bike group.

When I arrived in Phoenix for the season and told the group that my goal this year was to ride 2000 in 40 days, one of those cyclists, Jim Holstein, said to me, "I will help you get ready." Jim bikes 55-60 miles a day, 6 days a week. He became my coach. I had work to do to be able to ride with Jim. That's where so many of the others helped me. Not only by riding with me but also advice. Like what to wear, or more importantly, what not to wear...like underpants. Really!

Back to Jim...I know for a fact I slowed Jim down. He even will admit,..."Jan is not the fastest rider on the block." But he always let me set the pace. He knew to take breaks. We were once on an organized ride. It was 95 degrees and I was losing it. My thought was that Jim should just "go." He would not leave me behind. On our training rides, he knew where all the dogs lived and sent me on ahead while he stayed back to deal with the dogs. Eventually, I was able to convince Jim to "skip the dog roads." Jim was always incredibly helpful and kind. Both Ernie and I are so thankful to Jim. He is our hero.

Pat and I will meet in New Orleans on May 8th. We are ready to go. Let's hope that we don't run into the severe weather that the mid-west is experiencing right now.