5 June 2024: DAY 36 – Punta Gorda to Fort Meyers
44.8 miles (2,190T). DONE! I made it to our condo in N. Ft Myers!! The Northcoast to Gulfcoast is complete. Yay! Today from a biking standpoint was uneventful… some Backroads along the Peace River 5 miles into downtown Punta Gorda. A nice breakfast at John Ski’s House of Breakfast & Lunch where I had the veggie egg white omelette with cottage cheese and a small berry crepe, coffee and water! Then I pedaled the 40 into N. Ft. Meyers straight through! I ate all the corndogs out of the freezer, and went to Bike Bistro in Ft Myers to get a shipping box to bikeflight my Waterford home. I plan to kayak a couple days and then venture back to the Northcoast via airline. Everything is as it should be!
4 June 2024: DAY 35 – Wachula to Cleveland (Punta Gorda area) FL
56.0 miles (2,145T). Again today, FL was better than I expected. Had a basic breakfast at the Pioneer Restaurant across from the park. Bacon, over medium eggs, potatoes, dry rye toast and iced tea. Quiet backroads through FL farmland to start the day for 30+ miles into Acadia. There are a lot of cattle being raised in Florida. You may recall on my TransAm Ride in 2022, Kansas had lots of what I called cow concentration camps. It seemed cruel… the cattle in Florida at lazing around in the shade free range, like they are on vacation. It got pretty hot, so I stopped in for some club soda with ice and a lovely power bowl salad… out of Acadia I had 20+ miles that were about half backroads and half highway 17 with a wide berm… It did get to 97 degrees today and was very hot! I took one more water stop and then rolled into Punta Gorda area to stay with my Warmshower host, Larry, who lives in a converted school bus which I think is super cool! Dinner at the local grille was chicken salad on a bed of greens and a cup of chili for me and a chicken sandwich with side salad for Larry.
3 June 2024: DAY 34 – Haines City to Pioneer Park, Wachula FL
66.2 miles (2,091T). Florida is never exactly what I expect. Today started with a long section of Scenic Highway 17 which was actually fine. There was generally a bike sized berm, and the scenery was pleasant. There were some small rolling hills. There was 1,479′ of elevation gains, and while this isn’t much in 66 miles, it is more than I expected after weeks of very little gain. I went through Dundee, Waverley, Lake Wales, Hillcrest Heights, and Frostproof before finally reaching Wachula. There was a strange 20 or so miles between Frostproof and Wachula that went through the Mosaic phosphate mines of Polk County near Fort Meade. Mosaic owns hundreds of thousands of acres and the whole area felt very foreign right when I was listening to a podcast on UFOs and possible intelligent alien life forms. The whole scene reminded me of Dune and the Spice Melange mines. I started thinking … “do I have enough water to make it to the next civilization?” Anyway, I eventually made it and set up camp at Pioneer camp and my high school friend, Vic Ayers, met me because, he lives not to far away in Parrish Fl, and noticed on this blog I would be coming pretty close. Vic treated me to a nice Tex Mex dinner where I had pulled chicken soft tacos and Vic had Fahitas, plus we both had rice and beans, chips and salsa! We caught up a little about old days, and talked about biking plans and maybe a future ride together. Vic has recently started bike packing a bit, and interested in doing more. It’s nice to see old friends as a result of these these adventures.
2 June 2024: DAY 33 – Wintergarden to Haines City FL
44.0 miles (2,025T). Today was an easy day. I had to make a decision of 4 days or 3 days down to Ft. Myers. I decided 4 and easy is better than 3 with hustle… Started with a nice breakfast at Avalon Diner. Don treated Boogie and me which made breakfast taste even better. Boogie got the Corned Beef Hash plate with scrambled eggs and Diet Pepsi. I had the Southwestern Omelette with Home fries and coffee, and Don had the veggie omelette with grits with iced Tea. After breakfast, Boogie drove Don to the Budget Car Rental place where he could get a van to drive his bike home to CLE. I rode off and the routing took me through some fancy neighborhoods, and some backroads. It was a really nice ride. I finally ended in Haines City which is “Old School” Florida. I decided to stay at Rodeway Inn because it is cheap and air conditioned. I was a little sad today without Don. He was the very best biking buddy on this ride!
1 June 2024: DAY 32 – DeLand to Wintergarden F
55.0 miles (1,971T). Today started with 15+ lovely miles on Spring to Spring trail. Then we rolled into Orlando suburbs around Sanford and the urban bike trail became pretty treacherous. After getting run over a few times we stopped for lunch at Jersey Mike’s. We were kind of worried that treachery would continue after lunch, but the bike trails became really beautiful and got us within just a few road miles of my fraternity brother, Boogie, who cooked for us cast iron Dutch oven in the fire style. Dinner consisted of super delicious pork tenderloin, potatoes, broccoli, sweet potatoes. His buddy Ron came over to be with us. Don is finished with his tour tonight to make it home on schedule … I have 4 more days to Ft. Myers and the Gulfcoast. Ride on!
31 May 2024: DAY 31 – Palm Coast to DeLand/Orange City FL
63.5 miles (1,916T). Today was a very enjoyable bicycling day. I wasn’t expecting this inland part of Florida to be as pleasant as it was today. We started with a Cracker Barrel breakfast, which was next door to the Red Roof Inn Plus, where Don got Grandma’s sampler and iced tea, and they brought him an order of biscuits and gravy in addition for no reason. Go figure. I had the ham and egg sandwich coffee, and water. The roads today were great, we had some bike lanes early, then we had a FL state road 304 which had just been resurfaced with smooth asphalt and a 5′ bike lane style shoulder. Also some greenery to provide some shade in areas. This road led to quiet county roads taking us mostly west and some south until Pierson where we grabbed some Mexican for lunch. Soft tacos for Don and Chile Relleno for me. We also had some beans and rice. It was getting pretty hot by then, maybe 40 miles in at that point, so the lunch break was timely. Luckily many of the last 25 miles of backroads had some shade and were super pleasant. Oddly there were some small rolling hills that were a change of pace. Don has been fighting a case of saddle sores, so we decided on a Days Inn, instead of camping, so he could dip in the pool and we could sleep with A/C. Don will just have one more day tomorrow into Winter Garden (suburb of Orlando) where we will stay with my college fraternity brother, Boogie (we kind of invited ourselves). Don will grab a rental van the following morning and drive his bike home to Avon to meet his time deadline. I will finish in Ft. Myers, the final destination, 3-4 days later.
30 May 2024: DAY 30 – Jacksonville to Palm Coast Florida
66.5 miles (1,852T). Today we rode from a lovely nature reserve through the edge of Jacksonville, then just as we started to make our way down the Atlantic Coast, we found the Metro Diner where Don had the Bacon Avacado Scramble Bowl, and I had the Southwest Scramble bowl… healthy and delicious. Then we rode mostly along the coast on a variety of bike trails, A-1A and residential side roads. We took a nice bridge into St Augustine and had an excellent lunch at “Pizza Alley” which is actually a very nice Italian restaurant. I had the lunch portion of Lasagna with a side salad and Don had the lunch portion of Chicken Parm with a side of spaghetti, mixed veggies, and a side salad. We both enjoyed unsweetened iced tea. Another 30 miles along the ocean brought us to the Red Roof Inn Plus at Palm Coast FL. We were able to get our sleeping setup, and laundry finished.
29 May 2024: DAY 29 – Woodbine GA to Jacksonville FL – Kathryn Abbey Hanna Campground
66.8 miles (1,786T). Today started in quiet little Woodbine on the Georgia Coast Rail Trail. We rode about 17 miles to the town of Kingsland and found a great diner for breakfast, Steffen’s. One big event occurred there. Don had a standing deal with Kathy that if he ate biscuits and gravy on this ride, she would donate $100 to his Pan Ohio ride. (Don, in the past has maintained biscuits and gravy are something he does not eat, not here or there, or anywhere). Don finally ordered the biscuits and gravy and not only did he clean his plate (in addition to two large pieces of French toast), he said… “I’d eat it again. I like them, Don I am”. I had the “Steffen’s Benedict” which is a biscuit cut in half with ham and egg (any style – over medium for me) on each half and a fried green tomato also on each half, all smothered in sausage gravy instead of Hollandaise… So I had biscuits and gravy of a sort as well… After breakfast, we were told the upcoming bridge across the St. Mary’s River was closed till 4 pm for repairs. We were able to convince the construction crew to make an exception for a couple of cylists, and even though they were actually cutting part of the bridge, they let us cross. They could have just said “Can’t do it insurance reasons”, but instead they did a kind act for us. From there we rode on a real combination of areas; rural places, busy expensive neighborhoods on Amelia Island, some bike trails, A-1A, and through Timucuan Preserve which is part of the National Parks. Our camp is set up at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park and Campground, a Jacksonville city park. They have a large extensive campround with all sorts of accommodations. We were able to secure a tent site for the price of $19 complete with showers, laundry, and the Atlantic Ocean. The park is named after a prominent historian and naturalist who was a college history professor, and advocate for the protection of natural spaces in the Florida parks system. All in all a lovely day. Ride on!
28 May 2024: DAY 28 – Eulonia to Woodbine GA.
67.4 miles (1,719T). We had breakfast at a local restaurant called Altman’s… their motto is Everyday… at the 4 way! (there is only one 4 way stop in Eulonia). Don had unsweetened iced tea and the buffet because he likes to teach these mom and pops to put some kind of limit on folks 😂. I had coffee and a fried egg sandwich and 4-way potatoes (potatoes, onions, cheese, and bacon). Our ride started with 17 miles of low country backroads. very quiet and beautiful, and shady as well. At the end of the lovely 17 we were treated to a Georgia state historic site at Fort King George in Darien, GA. Several locals were quick to teach us that yankees had burned Darien completely to the ground during the Civil War and only 2 structures survived. I think they could tell by looking at us we must be yankees. As the day went on we had a lot of miles on US17 which are basic work, but there were occasional bike paths, side roads, and other diversions. One other feature is that there are a lot of bridges in low country. Over rivers, creeks, marshes, swamps, and other various watery areas. We had an unexciting Subway lunch (Subway salads are pretty good), and after a lot of teamwork, we made it finally to the Stardust Lodge in Woodbine GA. Both of the 2 restaurants in town are closed on Tuesday, so carry out chicken tenders and jo-jos from the Snappy foods mart. And of course more unsweetened ice tea for both of us … I add a bit of lemonade into mine. Tomorrow we should make it to East Beach – Jacksonville FL, which will be our 9th state plus the District of Columbia. Can you name them all? Goodnight everyone!
27 May 2024: DAY 27 – Savannah to Eulonia GA.
54.8 miles (1,652T). We had a nice breakfast at Robert’s place in Savannah to start the day…. then the day was roughly peddled into thirds. The first third was leaving Savannah through sprawling suburbs, mostly on US17. Then rolling through the populated countryside, again mostly on US17. Finally, the rural backlands, half on back roads, and half on rural 2 lane US17. It was pretty warm and humid today. We prefer about 65 miles per day, but when you get off the beaten path, there are only so many spots to stop… so today was either 55 or 74 and we decided our touring motto is: “start slow and taper”. Smell the roses, if you will. There is no campground near where we are, so we have a $58 mom and pop old school motel (cheaper than many KOA primitive campsites). Dinner was a choice of carry out Chinese or the Savannah Pizza Company, so we got big (and I mean BIG) salads and some other goodies from SPC and had a “take out dinner” in our $58 room. Pretty luxury. Tomorrow should be about 72 miles … as our options are 72 and another motel, or 81 and camp. Wednesday, we should get back to camping at Jacksonville – North Beach.
26 May 2024: DAY 26 – Yemassee SC to Savannah GA
56.6 miles (1,597T). More backcountry riding. I spent the morning finding the little piece of wire in my tire that has been causing a slow leak for several days. We left the KOA for a lovely Waffle House breakfast. Then it was all backroads in the heat … upTo 101F (per Dons Garmin device). We didn’t stop for lunch or dinner, Though we had some respite moments. Tonight we had our first Warmshower host, Robert, and he prepared an amazing meal of grilled chicken, Cole slaw, potato salad, tomato caprese, grilled corn on the cob, and watermelon. What a day! Thank the Universe.
25 May 2024: DAY 25 – Hollywood SC to KOA Campground in Yemassee SC
54.1 miles (1,540T). It is sounding repetitive, because the country areas in SC are much like the country areas in NC and VA. Beautiful, shady, and just quietly happy. We left the quiet Lake zzAire Campground around 9:30 after a pretty big rain at 7 am… and we found a breakfast spot soon after leaving camp. Paradise Farms Lowcountry Farm Kitchen. Don had a chicken/egg biscuit and I had a bacon/egg biscuit. The food was really excellent with home made biscuits and all cooked fresh on a griddle. This was a new place, they said it was their first Saturday. It was a father / son combo, it was clear the son was an actual chef and dad was helping out. Don and I were just happy we didn’t nave to eat breakfast at the Circle K. We rode in the country with really no civilization, so it took work to find even a gas station to get water and a snack. One of the roads we went down was unpaved and it was a sandy dirt base and we were basically drifting like Keiichi Tsuchiya. Eventually, we had to get off and push the bikes about 3/4 mile in the deep sand. We ended up at KOA campground in Yemassee SC. It is funny that two days ago, the KOA in Mount Pleasant was snotty and awful, and today, the KOA in Yemassee is staffed with kind helpful folks. Keep an open mind people, we are all individuals. This KOA has a Pizza restaurant and every amenity we need! Denise made sure that we had a nice tent site, and a discount, and she just takes care of everyone at the KOA. Very happy tonight. Stay tuned tomorrow for Savannah and our first Bicycle host night using Warmshowers.
24 May 2024: DAY 24 – Mt. Pleasant to Lake Aire RV Park & Campground Hollywood SC
33.8 miles (1,486T). Today was essentially a day off. We slept in and had a nice free hotel breakfast… Our ride consisted of lovely residential and country areas… 30-40% was on bike paths. We went over several cool bridges including the breathtaking Ravenel Bridge into Charleston along the dedicated Wonders’ Way Bicycle/pedestrian path. The path is named after Garrett Wonders, a US Navy ensign who was killed in a bicycle-vehicle incident while training for the 2004 Oympics. This path was a late addition to the design build bridge project which finished one year ahead of schedule and under budget. The 13,200’ bridge is a cable stayed design with two diamond shaped 575’ tall towers, suspending the bridge 186’ above the Cooper River. We spent a couple hours in downtown Charleston at the Waterfront Park listening to a violinist street musician, and a delicious lunch in the French Quarter at the Blind Tiger Pub. I had the Ceasar Salad with grilled chicken, and Don had the Grilled Chicken Caprese Panini. We set up camp at the full service Lake Aire RV Park & Campground. Camp meals suffice for dinner. Namaste.
23 May 2024: DAY 23 – Georgetown to Mount Pleasant SC
67.6 miles (1,452T). Today was another really pretty ride. South Carolina has lovely rural areas close to the coast where we have been. Today, we spent about 75% of our miles on backroads. 25% was on Highway 17 which is the highway from hell… but a lot of it has a berm right of the rumble strips…. it’s not the very worst, its just not relaxing or joyful. There is such a contrast between the quiet back roads, where you hear birds, never see a car, have casual conversation… and the highway berm… tight jaw, tight everything…. constant look in my helmet mirror… scouring road for debris that could cause flats… going hard and fast to get this section finished and behind us. Today we went a little over 30 miles without food first thing (after splitting a ravioli dinner for a camp meal last night) and Don was ready to stop and cook a camp meal or any squirrel or bird he could catch. Luckily we found the McClellanville Diner, a little mom and pop spot where Don got a grilled chicken sandwich with red rice, and I went with the classic cheeseburger and fries. Delicious food. Kind folks. It was busy and everyone in there wanted to know where we were biking and why. We planned to camp at KOA in Mt. Pleasant just north of Isle of Palms, and when we got there, the snotty desk person snarled “two night minimum for primitive tent camping @ $84 per night.” I tried to plead for a one night stay, but she got joy from repeating the two night minimum rule with no electricity or water or anything. So KOA has more unused spots tonight because we rolled an extra 6 miles and got a room for less than the $168 at Comfort Suites, where they gladly upgraded our room gratis, moved us to the first floor, and we will get the no charge breakfast in the morning (this is good for “10 plate Don”). Dinner was at the King Street Grill right next to the hotel. Don had a Chicken Parm sandwich with fries, and I had a build your own salad with blackened chicken, and fries. Fries are good. We are planning a shorter day tomorrow, then a night in Savannah on Saturday at a Bike Warmshower Host.
22 May 2024: DAY 22 – Apache Campground to Hidden Marina & Campground, Georgetown SC
57.3 miles (1,384T). Today had about 40% bike trails, many of which are part of the East Coast Greenway. The other 60% was equally split between quiet residential areas, many in Myrtle Beach, other beach areas, and highway 17 from hell. Surfside Beach was a lovely quiet clean family type beach town. If you are looking for a beach vacation, I would highly suggest looking into Surfside Beach. The best meal of the day was breakfast at a little French place, Le Bon Cafe in Acadian Shores. Don had a fancy French omelette and iced tea while I had the spinach quiche with a small side salad and coffee. Camp is at a remote hideaway marina a couple miles in the country near Georgetown.
21 May 2024: DAY 21 – Carolina Beach NC to Apache Family Campground, Myrtle Beach SC
73.3 miles (1,327T). Today had a mix of rural coastal areas, small towns, some beach towns, and some busy secondary highways. With only about 1200’ of rise, it was a flat ride. There was wind which helped most of the day, but occasionally opposed our progress. We had another ferry ride today from Ft Fisher just south of Kure Beach to Southport NC. It was a short 35 minute ride. In Southport we had an amazing breakfast at the Saucy Southerner. Don had the Health Nut Omelette. I had the Howe Street Biscuit, which consisted of a homemade biscuit, fried green tomato slice, over hard egg, with pepper jelly… it was so good I fainted… The secondary highways and berms littered with bits and pieces bestowed the first flat of the trip… to my rear tire. The culprit was a small bit of wire from a piece of tire scrap… this is the most common flat. We made quick work of it. The day got a little warm and long because 75+ in the sunny heat at 12-13 mph takes a toll. We rolled through North Myrtle Beach and numerous named beach areas. The Apache Campground in Acadian Shores section of Myrtle is a very nice family owned high quality campground, It even has its own restaurant down by the ocean pier… we are right next to the ocean in a tent area and can hear the waves… should sleep like a baby.
20 May 2024: DAY 20 – Surf City to Carolina Beach State Park NC
59.7 miles (1,254T). You may be saying “60-65 miles a day no mountains = easy” … You would be partly correct, but there are two factors that make it more challenging… 1) 100 lb rigs. The bikes and gear are heavy. Think of climbing stairs… then climbing them lugging a 40 lb bag of rock salt. 2) No days off… we have pedaled 20 days without a rest day. Today we left the coastal Topsail Island via the Surf City High Bridge which has a separate dual use lane for cyclists and walkers! Yay! We then rode a combination of lovely rural roads and secondary highways with fast moving traffic. The wind largely helped us today, though not always. We rode through Wilmington which was a delightful vibe… sort of a “smaller Charleston.” We had what Jim Ball coined as “Dinch” at Bario’s in downtown Wilmington and enjoyed lovely Mexican bowls that were truly excellent. Mine included Biquinho peppers that resemble very small cherry tomatoes. Wilmington does have some mixed history… Home to the first American armed resistance to “The Stamp Act” in 1765. A key city in both the American revolution and civil war. Wilmington is home to retired battleship North Carolina which serves as a WWII museum. Wilmington is home to a major port, multiple beaches, and UNC Wilmington is an 18,000 student campus injecting youth into the community.
19 May 2024: DAY 19 – Newport to Surf City NC
61.9 miles (1194T). A nice day on the Atlantic Coast. Starting at cooler temperatures, we rolled into breakfast at The Family Restaurant in the little berg of Bogue. Don made up for the lack of food yesterday by eating 10 or 11 plates at the “all you can eat” breakfast bar. I had the sensible “senior special” 2 over easy eggs, ham, potatoes, biscuit and coffee. We pedaled through the countryside a bit inland of the coast through Jacksonville, retuning to the coast at North Topsail Beach, and rolling down to Surf City. We set up camp by the ocean at Surf City Family Campground. As luck would have it, my longtime friend from Gardiner, Denise Ryan, is vacationing with her lifetime pal, Sally, so we met them for dinner at the Surf City Line where we all got delicious and healthy bowls. Mine was the “Surfing Bird” with lettuce & rice, southwest grilled chicken, tropical salsa, cotija cheese, & island crema.
18 May 2024: DAY 18 – Cedar Island to Goose Creek Campground, Newport NC
65.8 miles (1,132T). Today was pretty rural all the way. I thought we were on “mainland” all day, but I kept seeing “Outer Banks” signs, so I’m not sure exactly where one thing begins and the other ends? There were three bridges up in Cedar Island/Cedar Island National Refuge area, so when I study the map I see how it technically is an island. Everything felt like very rural mainland. There were a few busier roads, but cars treated us very well again. The wind was no longer helping and occasionally was a mild headwind… so our average was down from a high of 14.2 to 13.2. That’s the nice thing about bicycle touring, you go slow enough to see things you would miss in a car. Goose Creek is a fancy “resort” campground where most folks have permanent sites. It’s kind of a “village”. We set up camp by the water in the tent area. There is another cyclist here, Peter, riding the Atlantic Coast Trail (same Adventure Cycling route we are on right now) from Key West to Maine. He has done several epic rides to circle the US…Pacific Coast, Southern TransAm, Northern TransAm, and now Atlantic Coast! Go Peter! Oh yea, Belvita breakfast biscuits from Island’s Choice variety store (everything from table saw blades to fresh produce), sandwiches from Jim Dandy, and camp meals for dinner. No fine cuisine today.
17 May 2024: DAY 17 – Waves to Cedar Island NC
86.0 miles (1,066T). There were 25 or so miles of ferries in there, so the 86 isn’t all peddling. Today was just another perfect cycling day. If every day was like this… I would become a professional bike touring guy. Well more of a bike touring bum since nobody is paying me to do this…. We rode through the outer banks tourist areas in Waves, Savo, Avon, and south of there to Hatteras Island, all the way lined with wind surfers. Picked up sandwiches to go in Hatteras, took the ferry to Ocracoke Island, then rode the 14 mi through natural refuge areas to Ocracoke proper and another ferry to Cedar Island. One thing I want to put out there regarding the Outer Banks is that the folks are really laid back and relaxed… a slower and calmer pace…. We set up camp on Cedar Island at Cedar Island Ranch and had old fashioned camp meals with the mosquitos.
All of this ride is a warm up to the PAN Ohio Hope ride in July to help cure cancer… If you can, please donate to my PAN Ohio page below!! Don has been getting a donation per day and putting me to shame.
https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=personal&fr_id=107183&px=12434307
16 May 2024: DAY 16 – Grandy to Waves NC Outer Banks (OBX)
64.7 miles (980T). Another lovely day on primarily back roads there were a few short paths. There were 3 bridges today … The Wright Memorial Bridge, a 3 mile span from Currituck to Kitty Hawk. Actually it it two, two lane bridges. One bridge for eastbound to Kitty Hawk and one westbound to the mainland. This one is treacherous on a bike, not for the faint of heart … fast moving traffic with a small berm. Once across the bridge, we found Outer Banks Bicycle, where I got a broken spoke on my rear wheel replaced (I found it yesterday 100 miles earlier). On The next two bridges, each 2.8 miles, are on and off Pea Island. The Richard Etheridge to the north and Jug Handle Bridge to the south. These are much newer and have wide safe berms for cycling. Pea Island is a nature refuge with dunes to the Atlantic and wetlands towards the intercoastal. We ended up in the small St. Clair Family Campground in Rodanthe (meaning rosebud), formerly known as Chicamacomico (Algonquin word meaning “sinking down sand”). This area is a wind surfing haven with many wind surfer groupies at our campground. All in all, a very good day on the bike!
15 May 2024: DAY 15 – Sunbury NC to Grandy NC
62.6 miles (915T). Today was a nearly perfect day for bicycling. We woke up dry inside, our gear was dry. Our route took us along many lovely backroads and some busier roads, but never a big problem. The cars were very well behaved and pretty darn safe. Today we had a bit of a tailwind most of the day and averaged 14.22mph which is lightening fast on a 100 lb bicycle. Temperature reached high 70’s, but lots of shade and breeze. Mostly sunny, some clouds. NO RAIN. We made it to our destination, Grandy NC, specifically Barry’s Restaurant and Lodge on Walnut Island (a section of Grandy). The place sits right on the Currituck Sound, just north of Kitty Hawk and the Outer Banks of NC that we will explore tomorrow! Tonight we have an actual bed and shower in the Lodge!! The next three days should get us all the way down the Outer Banks.
14 May 2024: DAY 14 – Surry to Sunbury NC
69.8 miles (852T) with 1,452 uphill. Today was all winding country roads. We had a nice cloudy morning. The first 40 was overcast and pleasant into Suffolk, where we met my close friend Roger Shull for lunch. I’ve known Roger since his freshman year at Purdue where we became fraternity brothers. He also has been a business colleague for over 30 years. Roger treated us to a nice lunch of various burgers with piles of skinny fries. The afternoon 30 rained all the way to Sunbury where we found some shelter. Luckily it was not only raining but we had a whiney headwind all the damn way. Tired … sleep well friends.
13 May 2024: DAY 13 – Richmond to Chippokes State Park, Surry VA
63.4 miles (782T) with 1,896′ of climb. The Capitol Trail is 52 miles from the first capital of the VA Colony, Jamestown, to the current capital of the the state of VA, Richmond. We rode all 52 miles, took the Jamestown Ferry across the James River to Scotland VA, then rode some quiet backroads to Chippokes State Park. I rode most of this section (not the Ferry because I went to Williamsburg then Yorktown) on my TransAmerica ride in 2022 so it was really nostalgic. We even ate lunch the same place I ate last time, Cul’s Courthouse Grille in Charles City along the path. Don enjoyed “Edna’s” chicken sandwich and fries and I had a the awesome “Winky’s” salad with blackened chicken on top. This establishment is in a building built in 1872 which was once the general store across the street from the Charles City Courthouse. Basically this year’s ride had approximately 2 days overlap from Route 76, a major part of the TransAmerica route. The Ferry ride was a lot of fun, and the state campground is “luxury” with showers, a restroom, water, and electricity! We used our campstoves to boil water and prepare freeze dried adventure meals. I had homestyle chicken noodle casserole and Don had the Chicken and Rice. These freeze dried meals are actually pretty good. Tomorrow is through Suffolk to Sunbury VA or so.
12 May 2024: DAY 12 – KOA to Downtown Richmond VA @ the Berkeley Hotel
55.7 miles (719T) with 2.507′ of climb. Today was hilly and beautiful on Virginia backroads. The views and roads could not have been more exceptional. The first 40 miles to Ashland were very hilly and we were rewarded with a nice lunch at the Iron Horse. I had the beet salad with chicken and Don got a giant waffle and bacon. Rural Virginia is about as good as it gets for a midwest boy. Last year (or maybe ’22) I read the novel, “The Known World”, (It won the Pulitzer in 2004). It was set in the “fictitious” Manchester County, VA. Manchester county is this exact real area I rode through in ’22 and again this year the past couple days, (particularly today). You can feel the history that is brought alive in that novel. If you read one novel this year, read “The Known World”. The day started at 50 degrees, ended at 70, no rain, some puffy clouds and mixed sunshine… all in all a “perfect biking day”. The hills were challenging and the fun part was it felt like every climb was rewarded with excellent downhills. (we went up 2507 and down 2500 so this is interesting). I always felt when I rode “Sunday in June” in Burton that there were a lot of ups and not so many downs even though we started and stopped at the same point. Today was a more equitable feeling day. We planned to stay at the Seven Hills Richmond Hostel downtown. They had a cool website, no phone number, just show up, but when we got there, it is a family homeless shelter now. That is okay with us, and hopefully they are helping those families, just a surprise. We regrouped and found an old school small hotel, The Berkeley Hotel. It reminds me of a small version of the Palmer House in Chicago. Old school cool. We also got a deal on Booking.com. Dinner was just down the block at Casa Fiesta and really excellent. Don had the big burrito with beans and rice, and I had the adobo chicken tacos with corn tortillas and beans and rice. Fresh ingredients well prepared with the complimentary chips and Salsa that was home made Pico style. Goodnight friends. Sleep well.
11 May 2024: DAY 11 – Prince James National Forest to KOA in Spotsylvania County VA
46.8 miles (663T) with 2,664’ of climb. This was a lovely day starting at 49 degrees with the sun out all day (some fluffy clouds also) and getting up to high 60s. We rode 75% on backroads and bike paths through really nice scenery… 25% was in bike lanes or busier sections of historic Richmond Highway #1. It was pretty hilly all day with some nice hill work but no monsters (well, maybe one or two monsters). We stopped for a delicious lunch at Shunxing Chinese restaurant in Aquila Harbor. After riding another bit, we stopped at Agora Downtown Coffee shop in Fredericksburg where I had an excellent house coffee and homemade blueberry muffin. Don had a cold chai tea and a homemade cookie and muffin. We enjoyed the historic downtown and road through several districts before getting back to the country roads on our way to the KOA campground. There was about an hour of rain after we set camp, but we were able to make a station on the large rocking chair porch at the KOA registration/campstore/shower building. The well appointed camp is on Guinea Station Rd just a mile down the road from Stonewall Jackson’s death site in Guinea Station. Jackson died from pneumonia caused from an accidental gunshot wound suffered from his own troops. Don is into the Civil War history and shares some stories around the campstove fire. Camp dinner was heated up left over Chinese food from lunch and a few snacks. All in all a low mileage day, but a great bike adventure day.
10 May 2024: DAY 10 – Arlington to Prince James National Forest Oak Ridge Campground
51.3 miles (615T) with 2105’ up. Today was about 75% path and 75% rain… We were soaked all day! MILAGE was shorter because we had some time in the Casual Adventure Outfitter’s in Arlington waiting for the rain to stop (which it did for about 15 minutes) and the rain just changes everything. The hills were sometimes pretty steep … never more than maybe 1/2 mile or maybe a mile. GPS took us about a mile and a half through a really rough hike only type trail into the camp. We set up in what seemed to be an abandoned section of camp. No working restrooms in the part we were in. We just wanted to get dry so my tent offered shelter for me and Don set up in some kind of chicken coop (or maybe a bear cage). It was not raining in the morning (took camp photos in morning sun) …so onward!
9 May 2024: DAY 9 – Indian Flats to Arlington VA
56.6 miles (565T) flat (Until VA). Today we started on the C&O and finished the C&O and transitioned to our Adventure Cycling Atlantic Coast Bicycle Route. The C&O section between Indian Flats and mile marker zero was a little rough, but really excellent views and the hiker/biker sections every few miles are a real treasure and available to everybody. When we got to DC we had a few hours while waiting for my fraternity brother, Eric (nickname:”Burnie” – all fraternity members have a nickname) who generously offered to host us for the night as long as I didn’t call it “warm showers” (name of biker hosting group – google it or read my TransAm posts). The ride from DC to Burnie’s house at Mt. Arlington was a series of long uphills with very short downhills until we reached the pinnacle which is Eric & Heather’s home (unfortunately for us, Heather was on a ‘business trip” in New Orleans). When cleaning our bikes I noticed my rear wheel was a little wonky again and a spoke broken, so I checked and the nearby Bikenetics shop was open till 8 so I rolled over there and they fixed me up. The folks there were so kind and so helpful, I strongly recommend this shop if you are ever in Arlington. Now I am also armed with spokes and proper spoke wrench in case they are needed. Burnie made us an excellent dinner of home made big 5 cheese ravioli, asparagus, Italian bread, and salad. When we woke, he made omelettes! I would highly recommend his D&B&B (Dinner & Bed & Breakfast). Today will be our first full day on the Adventure Cycling Route. If you have not checked out Adventure Cycling, click on adventure cycling.org. They have many epic rides available.
8 May 2024: DAY 8 – Williamsport to Indian Flats Hiker/Biker Camp Dickerson MD
62.1 miles (508T) flat again (except for one big hill into Shepardstown). Simple breakfast at our B&B in Williamsport…. Hit the trail at the crack of 10. Rolled the trail for awhile with much better conditions and noticed my rear wheel was rubbing on my chainstay pretty badly. I offset the axle a bit to minimize it and we found the Shepardstown Peddle & Paddle cycle shop at the top of a bunch of uphill switchbacks. Kenny, the mechanic, did a great job repairing my wheel … it turns out all the spokes on the non gear side of the wheel were loose… I was kind of sheepish I had not detected that by merely checking the spoke tension until I got into the shop. My tire sidwall was so thin from rubbing the chainstay you could see through it when you held it to the light. I had not noticed this the last couple days with all the mud. Repairs took a couple hours overall, so we had lunch at the Blue Moon Cafe which was excellent. I had Tarragon Chicken Salad on a bed of greens and other veggies that was amazing and Don’s French dip and Fries were equally excellent and the iced tea was perfect. By the time we finally left Shepardstown, we were a little behind schedule so we cut our plan by 4 miles when we got to Indian Flats Hiker/Biker Campground right along the C&O…. set up the tents … cooked the camp meals… enjoyed the sunset over the Patomac River.
7 MAY 2024: DAY 7 – Paw Paw to Williamsport MD
59.7 miles (446T) dead flat. We had a nice breakfast in Paw Paw WV (yes .3 miles from our camp we crossed into WV) at Mountain Life Kitchen where Don had the big breakfast of eggs and pancakes and I had an egg sandwich on a croissant and a pancake. The most amazing thing was the 3,118′ long Paw Paw tunnel. This tunnel had a bike/hike path that was a bit treacherous, as I rode through there were multiple holes and washboard striations, and little baby cliffs. To the left was a rickety railing and the canal below. I was thinking, if I tip over onto that rail would it hold? Also I was thinking if this was tricky and treacherous to me, how do everyday recreational cyclists ride through this? Someone told us there was a sign suggesting you dismount and walk your bike through the tunnel, but neither I nor Don can read. There are some beautiful butterflies and foliage everywhere along the trail. Did you know the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly only inhabits areas where there are Paw Paw trees? The first 20 miles were a bit muddy and my fenders got packed again, luckily I was able to clean them with sticks. As we rolled along there were paved sections and improved trail with less water and mud. We stopped at Hancock for lunch and also paid a visit to C&O Bicycle Shop. There was a 22 mile stretch of nicely paved path through Hancock. As we made our way to Williamsport there was a lot of old canal infrastructure from the 1700’s and also revolutionary war influences. Williamsport was a key spot in the revolutionary war to control the Potomac River and canal as critical to flow of supplies. Doubleday Hill is across from our BNB Where Union General Abner Doubleday installed a battery of guns to maintain control from the site opposite the ford of the Patomac River.
6 May 2024: DAY 6 – Meyersdale PA to Paw Paw Tunnel Campground MD
64.6 miles (366T) with 656’ of climb. We started by visiting the GAP trail station and museum in Myersdale. In some ways today was easy. We climbed 10 miles to the Eastern Continental Divide at just 1% … grade where we met a cross country cycling couple Matt & Paula. Look up DwyerGreen Adventure on YouTube. After visiting with Matt & Paula, we cruised 2096’ down 3% grade for 22 miles into Cumberland. In Cumberland we took some time to look around the town, stopped into Wheelzup bike shop where they changed Don’s chain. While they did that we went to the Baltimore Street Grille in the old town section of Cumberland. After lunch we started down the C&O trail which follows the Patomac River from Cumberland 180 miles to Washington DC. The trail had mixed conditions with many miles of mud and roots that made smooth progress difficult and balanced our fast and easy morning with a challenging afternoon. My fenders were extruding packed mud out the sides. It was like riding with my brakes on. Finally, covered in mud, we arrived at Paw Paw Tunnel Campground (actually in Maryland) which is a small primitive only camp with no amenities. We cooked our camping meals and hit the sack early as rain started …
5 May 2024: DAY 5 – Connellsville PA to Meyersdale PA
60.3 miles (301T) with 1,505′ of climb. The climb is misleading because it was continuous 1-2% grade with no downhill ever. Felt like a flat ride with 5-7 mph wind…. not difficult… but no relief. Today’s views were MAGNIFICENT… Ohiopyle, the whitewater paradise that once stymied George Washington’s dream of a navigable route through the Allegheny Plateau was breathtaking. The High Bridge took us more than one hundred feet above the Youghiogheny River “The Yack”. After Ohiopyle, we made our way to lunch at a little place called Confluence where the Casselman River, Laurel Hill Creek, and the Yack meet. We visited Confluence Cyclery for posterity and Mitch’s for lunch where I had a salad with grilled chicken and Don had a turkey sub. The food was very good and we met another biker (Rob) who shared interesting stories including a ride across the USA. Tonight we ended up in Meyersdale, home of the Pennsylvania Maple Festival, where they kindly allow bikers to camp at the Maple Festival site which is right downtown, and even has a shower facility. Kind of like camping in the square at Chardon. Dinner was at Take Six, the local restaurant where I had the Taco Salad to celebrate Cinco De Mayo (Don wore his Arizona Jersey to represent today) and Don had a Chicken Wrap (the size of a “kitchen sink burrito”), salad, and baked potato. The food was quite delicious.
4 May 2024: DAY 4 – GAP Western terminus at Point State Park Pittsburgh to Connellsville PA
61 miles (241T) with 1,408′ of climb. Today started at the amazing confluence of 3 Rivers in Pittsburgh… the Allegheny & Monongahela & Ohio Rivers. We thought it would be easy to find the starting position, but the Pittsburgh Marathon is this weekend and there were 20 million runners everywhere… CHAOS. We saw a fellow riding (Ted aka Rivnuts) and asked him if he knew where the trailhead was… he was the right guy to ask… He said “follow me” and started peddling his way through the confusion. Turns out “Rivnuts” is a ’73 Purdue engineering alumnus and a cyclist who rides up to 9000 miles every year! He rode with us for about 25 miles and shared all kinds of knowledge and information about Pittsburgh, the GAP, and every little place we rode past. Meeting people you did not ever expect to meet is what makes bike touring amazing. The GAP starts out the first 25 miles mostly along the rivers and through some industrial/transition areas where there are closed factories, new ones, and recreational spaces… at mile 15 it started raining and rained 85% of the way to Connellsville PA. The trail was paved for 18 miles out of Pittsburgh, then it is crushed limestone. When it rains, crushed limestone turns into a sort of cement slurry that packs your fenders and coats your gears and covers everything! We made the best of it and had AMAZING “Smash Burgers” in West Newton where the GAP visitor center is located and an award winning America’s best hamburger stand called “The Outpost”. We met the owner Chris Morse and he explained how The Outpost is a youth ministry operation staffed by local high school students learning how to run a business, and mingling with bicyclists from around the globe who give them exposure to life possibilities… It was amazing. I asked him what the secret ingredient was that made the burgers so amazing… Chris answered “The Holy Spirit”. We planned to camp at a free campsite in Connellsville but we were cold, wet, and miserable… and it was still raining. I remembered Ted had mentioned the Comfort Inn was right on the trail and nice. Turns out they had a bike washing station, clean rags, laundry, guarded bike corral, basically everything to fix what ailed us. All in all a GREAT DAY ON THE TRAIL.
3 May 2024: DAY 3 – Lisbon OH to Downtown Pittsburgh Near GAP Trailhead
64.7 miles (180T) with 3,019′ of climb. This ride started with 20 miles of steep hill after steep hill… up to 15% grade. Try that with a hundred pound rig! The terrain was really nice rural farmland with a mix of multi generation homesteads and trailers. We were so beat after 25 miles it was time for lunch which was delicious in Darlington at the Greersburg Tavern. After leaving Darlington, we had a mix of old industrial areas, super rural areas, crappy secondary highways, and a few short paths. We ended up at the Joinery Hotel in Pittsburgh home to 446 bridges (most of any city in the world) & the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) western terminus. We wanted a night of luxury before we hit the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) & C&O Trails to DC and 5-7 days of “roughing” it. Today was a great biking day…. nothing like 15% grades to etch it into the memory!
2 May 2024: DAY 2 – Parkman OH to Donna’s Bike Shop Lisbon OH
60.7 miles (115T) with 2,318′ of climb. Beautiful ride routed with Ride GPS. Started in lovely rural Amish country to just north of Warren, OH. There we jumped a Series of bike trails with some mixed in rural connecting roads. Trails included the Western Reseve Greenway Trail, The Niles Greenway, Mill Creek Metroparks Bikeway, and finally the Beaver Creek Greenway. This took us all the way to Lisbon and Donna’s Bike Shop. Donna’s Bike Shop is owned by her husband, Junior, who was kind enough to make an exception to standard policy and allow us to overnight tent beside the store. 30 years ago when I did rides like this in rural Ohio they were always on roads shared with a lot of traffic. The bike paths that have been developed, really encourage everyone to get out and ride! Today we saw a lot of recumbents and also electric assist bikes on the pathway. Seeing more folks of all ages and ability on bikes really warms my heart. Most climbs today were long, but not very steep. We ended the day with an our first hot meal. I like to say “One Hot a Day” when I am on tour. Don got a customized chicken sandwich, fries, and wedding soup. I got a customized burger, fries and side salad with French dressing. It was a DELICIOUS MEAL. Tomorrow we plan to make it to downtown Pittsburgh and stay in a hotel near the starting point of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail.
1 May 2024: DAY 1 – Edgwater Park Cleveland OH to Chickagami County Park Parkman OH
53.7 miles (54T) with 2,901′ of climb. Very pleasant ride today, with lots of variety. We started along the Cleveland Bikeways that go from Edgewater including Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway, Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail, to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath. We are very fortunate as a biking community in Cleveland to have such support for these great trails…. We left the towpath and climbed up from the valley due east along Alexander & Pettibone Roads to quiet Geauga County backroads and finally Amish country until we ended up in Chickagami Park in Parkman Ohio. Chickagami (love saying that… Chickagami is a Native American word meaning “camp by the lake”) It is a nice Geauga County Park with some tent camping available. Today, most of the hills were rolling with a few steeper ones up to 10 percent grade, but not for too long. … It feels great to be on a new adventure with a good friend, Don “Wheels” Grisa (Pan Ohio Hope Ride – Kick’n teammate). Should take just three self mapped days to Pittsburgh and then along the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and C&O towpath following the Potomic River to DC using the GAP/C&O Trail Guide… then down the Atlantic Coast to St. Augustine and across Florida to Ft. Myers along Adventure Cyclings Routings along the Atlantic Coast Bicycle Route and the Florida Connector Bicycle Route. Google the Great Allegheny Passage Trail Guide and adventureycling.org for some background information if you are interested. My Transamerica route was devised by Adventure Cycling and they offer many curated maps for some of the best rides in the USA.
Mike’s Life on the Bike 