Traveling Duo

We Did It!

2007-06-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

We followed the Paul Bunyan Trail for the first part of our last day. Of course we needed to stop to visit Paul a bit.

The scenery has definitely changed in northern Minnesota. Instead of seeing cornfields as far as the eye can see, we now are riding among huge pine trees. After a short rain it even smelled a little like Christmas. There are lots of small lakes and LOTS of mosquitoes. We took home lots of mosquito bites. I even found my first wood tick on my arm. One of the women went to get her hair cut and the hair dresser found one in her hair. That night I had nightmares about wood ticks.

Finally the day arrived and we reached Lake Itasca State Park. Pat and I rode the last few miles to the headwaters of the Mississippi. I needed to cross the river one more time. This time in bare feet walking on the rocks.

This cross country bicycle tour has meant a lot to Pat and me. We worked hard and the fact that we were able to keep going has empowered us to know we can do just about anything. At the same time, we also have a healthy respect for our bodies that are no longer junior aged.

Most important we have taken away wonderful memories that we will treasure forever.

Riding With Mary

2007-06-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

OH NO! It rained. We got to the Paul Bunyan Trail and before long it rained. Everyone from Arizona knows that Mary doesn't like to have her bike get wet so as soon as we heard it was coming we rode as fast as we could. We ducked under awnings and stopped for lunch but we were still soaked. She and Don went home in their beautiful new motorhome.

Tomorrow is our last day of riding. The weather is questionable and the ride is all day long so we will see.

See you all soon.

Little Falls, Minnesota

2007-06-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

We have a day off...we have only two more days of riding and Pat and I are already starting to celebrate. Today we both had pedicures. The first for Pat. It has been a very relaxing and much needed rest day. Michael, aren't you happy that I have been able to influence Pat just a little bit?

Tonight Mary and Don Anderson came to see me. We went to dinner at the Black and White which is a really great restaurant in town. It was wonderful to be with them both. Don is such a great story teller that both Mary and I were entertained. Mary is riding with me tomorrow. Part of the day will be spent riding the Paul Bunyan trail.

Happy Birthday Ernie

2007-06-12T14:59:00.001-07:00

Today is June 13 and it is Ernie's birthday. This has been weird to be apart on both of our birthdays. Ernie has a busy weekend because Dirt Cup starts tomorrow. Our brother, Craig is coming home from California to go to this exciting event too. So neither one of them will be missing me or Pat at all. Today Ernie is golfing with his brother Gary and his friend Chuck. I hope his birthday was as fun for him as mine was for me.

Today is also our cousins Lavonne and Gwen and brother-in-law Vern's birthday. Happy birthday to all of you as well.

Yesterday we had yet another glitch in the mileage. We had 8 extra miles. When it is all over it is just fine but the last hour of riding is hard when you already expect to be in.

The temperatures are rising. The mornings start out at 70 degrees and that is lovely. For both yesterday and today the last hour was 90+. I have a thermometer on my odometer and at the end of each day it was registering 98. The official temp is probably 92 but that is in the shade. Do remember our bikes are on hot pavement and we are not in the shade. There was a tiny cross wind that helped keep it all in perspective. Pat tells me that she would throw the thermometer in the river. I try not to tell her how hot it is registering.

We have been traveling through more farm country. Farmers are busy with field work. People are busy with their gardens. We saw this interesting group of old tractors along with a gas pump. I'm adding the picture because I know Ernie will really like it. From the road you see farm land as far as the eye can see.

Today was hard. First one of our cyclists was attacked by a dog. We had all stopped for water at a SAG stop. Five of the riders left to continue on their way. A dog came out of nowhere, jumped on the back of Vicky's bike. She was taken to the ground. When Pat and I caught up, the dog had been taken inside and the women were trying to get the bike bent back into working order. Vicky suffered a lot but she got back on her bike. She is an inspiration to all of us.

Next our route was interrupted by a total road closure. We went down the road hoping to find a way to cross. The tiny tin looking bridge is what the workers use to cross. We were willing to try to use the little walkway but the construction workers would have none of that. We had to find another route. That added 3 additional miles.

But THEN our maps were just inaccurate. When we finished the day we had done 88 rather than 77 miles. We had started riding this morning at 6:15 and we didn't get in until 2:30.

The good news is that our average time was pretty good. (13.1) Secondly, we have a rest day tomorrow and finally I get to see Mary and Don Anderson (from Minnesota and also from Arizona.) Mary is going to ride with us on Friday.

When it is hot like this we often stop for ice cream. Actually I believe we are having a root beer float.

Red Wing, Minnesota

2007-06-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

Today we rode only 35 miles. It was our shortest and maybe the nicest ride yet. We rode by Lake Peppin which is part of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi is at it's widest point in Lake City where Lake Peppin is located. That was a surprise to us. We thought that would be someplace between Illinois or even St. Louis where more than one river meet. Lake Peppin is also where water skiing began.

We cyclists all had time for lunch in downtown Red Wing. (This is the city where Red Wing shoes are made.) It is where we are staying this evening. Pat and I visited the park and some nice family took our picture by the town jester. We are pretty excited that we now have only 5 more riding days left. But as for today our weather was perfect. Not too hot, not humid and not a cloud in the sky.

We are in Minnesota

2007-06-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today was to be a 60 mile ride. Opps, another glitch...it turned out to be 70 miles. We feel tired and we aren't sure why. Tonight we are in Wabasha, MN. This is where the movie, Dirty Old Men was made. This is a picture of our friend, Dusty (from Hot Springs, SD in the beautiful Black Hills) and the Grumpy Old Men.

Only 6 more riding days.

It's My Birthday

2007-06-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

I can't remember the last time I was gone from home on my birthday. Miss all you guys. The picture is today after we got into our room and had a chance to clean up.

Today is a really good day. Last night and this morning the weather channels all were predicting severe storms including rain, hail (the size of golf balls), thunder and lightning and the county was on a tornado watch. I was so worried that we would all be picked up along the way due to bad weather. I really wanted to do the entire ride on my birthday. Pat and I got up and were out of Prarie de Chine at 6:30 this morning. There was a wind but today it was at our backs. We flew. We arrived in LaCross, Wisconsin by 11:15. We had 62 miles today just like Monday and Tuesday but those days we arrived at our destination at 3:15. The difference can best be illustrated by telling the story of how we were going up and down hills. On one of the first days this week we noticed that we were pedaling as fast as we could and we looked down to see that we were going 11mph AND we were going downhill. Those days the wind was in our faces. Today Pat was going uphill and looked down to discover that we were going over 14 mph. We got in before any rain and basically other than the wind that was it for the severe storm.

My bike odometer quit a couple of days ago so we went to the local bike shop as soon as we arrived in LaCross. I also needed a new tube in my front tire. It has developed a slow leak and I wanted a bike shop to fix it this time. This bike shop is so great to drop whatever they are doing to help us stay on the road.

We are in downtown LaCross. Tomorrow is a rest day and I'm thinking I need a pedicure for my birthday. Tonight we are all going out to dinner as it is not possible to prepare food in the parking lot here. That will be another treat.

Happy Birthday Jan!

2007-06-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to one amazing woman!
We know you can make it to the top of that next hill!
With much love, from everybody

Challenging Days

2007-06-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

We have had 3 days full of challenges. To begin one of our cycling friends has had to go home early due to unexpected surgery. Kathy is one of those rare people who comes into your life, leaves footprints on your heart and you are never, ever the same. Her smile is contagious and she has the most positive, adventuresome spirit. We will all miss Kathy.

Our second challenge has been both hills and head winds. On Monday we had headwinds of 25 mph. On Tuesday the winds went down to 15 mph. Both of those days we also had hills. They describe them as rolling hills. I'm guessing that means one hill after the other. Both days were 60 mile days. Both of those days we averaged only about 10 mph.

Our final challenge is the rain. On Wednesday we had two of the biggest hills I have ever seen. Pat and I both rode on a 6 percent grade hill when we rode the Tri-Island Trek several years ago. That hill was referred to as Character Building Hill. Today's hills were both mostly 10 percent grade incline with a small part being 12 percent incline. In addition they went on forever!!! But we made it. Then it started to rain. That makes going downhill a little tricky. To get out of the rain we all went to a wonderful little restaurant called The Twisted Chicken in McGregor, Iowa. Thursday is expected to rain all day. That's my birthday and I would prefer a really nice day.

The past couple of days we have moved away from the Mississippi but by Wednesday we have rejoined the river. In addition we have seen some of the most beautiful farm land. I have stopped to take several pictures but none of the pictures show how beautiful it really is. As the roads are rolling hills so is the land we see along the way. It reminds me of the scenery in New Zealand. Except that land is dotted with sheep. This land is either corn or cattle.

Tuesday was made wonderful by a visit from my Iowa friends Frank and Betty Smith. They live about an hour from Dyersville, our destination for Tuesday. Frank and Betty also live in Arizona and he is a member of my bike group. They took me out to dinner and we had a wonderful visit for a few hours. It was so good to see them. It's like a little bit of normalcy.

Happy 4th Month Birthday to Rel Eerkes

2007-06-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

Today, Ernie was on Bainbridge Island, visiting his granddaughter Rel, and her dad (Les), mom (Tera) and Tera's parents (Carl and Hanna). They had a fantastic time just watching Rel kick her legs, smile, sleep, cry and suck on her fingers. Babies are so entertaining!

And just in case this picture doesn't get close in enough for you, here is a recent photo shoot where Rel was flashing her fabulous gummy grin!

Muscatine, Iowa

2007-06-03T14:52:00.001-07:00

We traveled between Burlington and Muscatine, Iowa today. Again we biked mostly in Illinois and crossed over the river at the beginning and the end.

Muscatine is one of the cities that was hit by a tornado on Friday. We saw a bit of debris on the way to the hotel. But once here we realized that the tornado hit very close to the hotel we are staying.

Signs and windows were blown out. Trees lay on their sides pulled up by their roots. But the most spectacular we saw at the local Toyoto dealer. This set of cars was litterly on top of one another.

Our weather today was pretty ok. There was a bit of a wind from the NW which is supposed to be stronger tomorrow.

Navoo, Illinois

2007-06-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

Our ride along the Mississippi River was especially beautiful on Friday. The river is wide and there are islands sprinkled around. We saw sailboats among other kinds of river transportation. We rode in Illinois all day and crossed into Burlington, Iowa at the end of the day.

Today our ride took us through Navoo, Illinois. I had not heard of this place before but Pat has been here twice already. This is where the Mormans built a settlement and a temple in the early 1800's before they left the area in 1846 on their way to Salt Lake City. The people who live here now are Morman missionaries. Their mission is to show the tourists the way the people of the settlement lived in the 1800's. Their dress is period clothing appropriate for the craft they are showing. We went into a family cultural center where we saw a young girl weaving. A woman showed us how they baked bread. There are many buildings to visit. Pat says that to really see the settlement it would take a couple of days. We only had a short hour. Members of our group were struck with a couple of things: That the people continued to stay in Navoo until the temple was completed even though they probably knew it would be destroyed after they left. It is also a magnificantly planned settlement. It was a great hour that we spent.

We got caught in the rain and found others riders waiting for the storm to ease up at a bakery. We also got caught in a rain and thunderstorm and waited that one out sitting on someone's porch. Another time we found shelter in a restaurant where a chicken salad sandwich cost $2.00. We arrived in Burlington pretty dry feeling lucky that we didn't see the tornadoes which struck the next town in southern Iowa that we will be going to on Sunday. Enough of this weather.

To and From Hannibal, MO.

2007-06-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

In getting to Hannibal, we had a choice-ride 98 miles with hills or sag in early and see Hannibal (the city or Mark Twain's boyhood. Well...that's a no-brainer! We knew our last chance to catch the van was at 51 miles. That was our plan. We got up at 5:00, put our bags in the van, ate a quick breakfast and...it started to rain. Our rain gear is now packed deep within the van. So we hoped for a mere sprinkle. At first that was the case but by 30 miles we were soaked again. We couldn't see out of our glasses so we went up and down the hills peering over our glasses and beneath our visors. I have been trying to follow my friend Dale Anderson's advice when he said, "brakes are just for looks when you go downhill." But on this day I could imagine our bikes slipping out from under us on the wet surface. When the van went by we were the last two to catch it and relieved to do so. Some of the women jumped on because they wanted to see Hannibal-others because of the dangerous conditions.

We got to the hotel, cleaned up and caught a cab to see the Mark Twain museum, his boyhood home, the white picket fence and Becky Thatcher's house.

After that we found an ice cream store. When we had the lady from the store asked if she could drive us back to the hotel. Folks along the Mississippi are really friendly.

This morning when we left Hannibal we were on Highway 61 a main road for trucks. The shoulder's were really bad. (Whoever scouted this route probably did so by car.) We ended up having to ride on the highway. It was scary. At 47 miles, the 4 lane highway turned into a two lane with no shoulder. The SAG vehicles picked everyone up that day due to the dangerous conditions. But our time was great. We did those miles with an average of 13.6.

St. Louis

2007-05-31T14:10:00.001-07:00

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

2007-05-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-05-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-21T16:13:00.001-07:00

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

2007-05-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-05-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

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.

Sayounara

2006-11-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

November 12, 2006

Today was the day we had scheduled for the three of us to go to Tokyo for a shopping trip. But it is Sunday here and the stores are closed. Actually, we all felt like we needed a day to rest and organize ourselves to fly home. The good part of our trip home is that it will be 8 1/2 hours rather than 10. We leave Japan tomorrow afternoon and get home early in the morning the same day. We leave Japan with lots of fun memories. Thanks again, Jana!

Sayounara,
Jan and Pat

2006-11-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

Today was the bullet train experience. We got up at 4:00 am and took the tour bus to the bullet train station in Tokyo. Our train was scheduled at 8:13 and it pulled in front of us at exactly 8:13 and took off exactly one minute later. The train travels at 210 K per hour. We were on the train only 55 minutes but in that time we traveled into Central Japan. We picked up another tour bus and visited a famous Japanese castle,(Kakegawa Castle). It was incredibly beautiful.

When we left there we stopped for lunch. Eating Japanese is becoming a struggle. We all had a bowl of soup with some tofu in it, a piece of ham (we think), and some other brown stuff which I thought was chicken (but we decided it wasn't chicken.) We ate the noodles and the fried rice.

After that we went to a fish market. It had every conceivable kind of fish BUT no fish market can compare to Pike's Place.

It was a long day. We arrived back on base at 8:30.

Tour to Sankeien Gardens and Chinatown

2006-11-10T02:56:00.000-08:00

Today we went on another tour provided by the Yokosuka Military Base. We continue to be so impressed with the military's ability to plan tours for the military personnel and their guests.

We went to the Sankeien Gardens in Yokahama today. The buildings were the most impressive. The trees looked like really big bonsai trees. The fall colors have not yet arrived.

We then went to Chinatown in Yokohama. It is the largest Chinatown in Japan and one of the largest in the world. Mostly it was a typical Chinatown except that we had lunch at a Chinese food go-around. We picked up the food we wanted as it rolled past.

Our tour also included a tour of the Kiren Beer Factory. The tour included free beer. Patricia and Danielle had juice.

2006-11-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

November 9, 2006

Today was supposed to be a down day because this weekend will be wild and busy. First Jana suggested that I call Ernie. I told her that I have a calling card with a 1-800 number. She said that they get charged for that so JUST CALL HIM. I know both Ernie and I appreciated being able to talk. Thank you, Jana.

We girls all went for a really long walk today. (About 6 miles). We went to a wonderful park to have lunch. Then to a store that is like Home Depot to see what the Japanese have available for appliances and furniture. They had a NO CAMERA sign but Jana dared to take pictures so we could show all of you what the Japanese can buy. The most interesting was the ovens which are so tiny. We also took a picture of a Japanese table. You need to sit on your knees to fit at this table. We sat this way at lunch the other day.

On our way home we saw a housing development that was beautiful. We peeked in the windows. These homes were huge for Japanese standards. About 1800 Sq Ft and the cost about $239,000. There were no yards.

Another picture especially for Kaija who wants to see strange things about Japan. Today on our walk we saw a Praying Mantis. I have never seen one but we had a book in Reading Recovery that featured a Praying Mantis. I knew immediately what it was.
It turned out to be an exhausting day.

Japanese boxes

2006-11-08T03:29:00.000-08:00

Today we went out to shop a bit both at the Navy Exchange and downtown Yokosuka. Our goal for the day was to finish our Japanese boxes. Even Matthew got in the act as he helped Danielle after his school was over.

The weather here is fantastic. I expected weather like the Northwest but it is much warmer. Both Pat and I brought long pants and sweaters along with jackets. It is warmer than that. Yesterday it was very windy but when we went outside it turned out to be a warm wind. (Like the kind you used to love to run in when you were a kid.) Today turned out sunny and warm. The leaves on the trees haven't even really turned yet. I'm sure they have mostly fallen in the NW and in Minnesota the leaves fell about a month ago.

Food and Toilets

2006-11-07T03:19:00.001-08:00

Funny how the two go together. We are eexperiencing some really different foods. Am I proud of myself for trying these new things. We went downtown Yokosuka, which is where Jana lives, to have lunch. All of you will probably be surprised to hear that my choice was a vegetable tempora bowl which included 2 string beans, egg plant, lotus root, sweet potato, mushroom and of course rice. (Or thank goodness, rice.) Pat and Jana had fish temporal bowls which featured, shrimp, squid, pumpkin and green beans. In the past two days we have tried wasabi (horseradish) and yam ice cream cones.

Now about the toilets. I'm including a picture of the Japanese toilets that we most often have to use when we are out and about. The day at the waterfall, I got really grossed out because most women can't seem to hit the spot. I saw things I really don't want to think about. I decided to just make a practice of "holding it." They are also often tissueless and they don't have paper towels. When I chose not to use a toilet because it had no tissue, a Japanese lady opened her purse and gave me some tissue. We now take kleenex where ever we go. Also Jana has given each of us a little towel to carry in our purses to dry out hands.

There is another side to those toilets. Twice we have found regular toilets with toilet paper and in addition the seats are heated.

Tonight we have a craft project. We are making Japanese boxes.

Temples and Shrines

2006-11-06T03:49:00.000-08:00

November 6, 2006
We were exhausted last night and in bed by 9:00. That meant that we were ready for a fresh start this morning. We caught a train AND we changed trains. WOW! Though I do admit that we had help at the station. Almost immediately a station employee must have seen the confused looks on our faces and came to ask if we needed help.

We visited another shrine. (Ernie, the Japanese are as big on shrines as the Romans are on ruins. ) At this Hase Dere temple, Jana does a circle walk honoring children.

But the big attraction today was the Great Buddah. It was another fascinating day.

2006-11-05T02:30:00.000-08:00

November 5, 2006

Today we went to Tokyo and the Yasukuni Shrine. Our Japanese guide found us and taught Pat and I how to wash our hands and rinse our mouth and then to pay our respects at the Hall of Worship. This shrine was built to honor those who have died in battle for Japan. We saw many women dressed in kimonos. Today there was a ceremony for 3 year old girls and boys, and 5 and 7 year old girls. These darling little girls were part of the ceremony today dressed in the traditional kimonos.

2006-11-04T04:15:00.000-08:00

Nov 4, 2006

We are in Japan. We had a pretty uneventful plane trip, other than it took 10 hours. Jana was at the airport to pick us up and we all caught the bus to Yokosuka Naval Base. We settled in a bit, went to bed and then at 3:00 this morning we got up to take a trip to Izu Peninsula to the Joren Waterfalls. I will post a picture tomorrow afternoon because today was an 18 hour day and we are all too sleepy.

2006-11-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

November 1, 2006

Pat and I are ready to leave on our trip to Japan. Today I was trying to get out of the house to go to the airport to pick up Pat. I picked up my suitcase and noticed it was a bit heavy. I took it out to the car and could not lift it into the trunk of my car. I even tried a running start but it was to big and heavy to go in the trunk. I weighed it. It was over the allowed limit. When I was at the airport, I visited the airline desk to see what the limit really was. I was still over. Kristen came to the rescue by giving me another suitcase so I could divide my larger suitcase in two.

Traveling to Japan

2006-10-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

Today Trisha signed me up for a blogspot. On Thursday, Nov 2, my sister Pat and I are traveling to Japan. Trisha thought that I could use this blog spot as a kind of journal, or at least a way of communicating with the kids and anyone else. I think it sounds like great fun and I'm excited to try it.