Day 39. London to Brantford, Ontario

Nice day, country roads, warm with a high of 83. We had cross winds most of the day we occasional head winds. We didn't get on the road until 0830 due to only having to go 70 miles. The terrai was mostly rolling with no big climbs. Lots of crops including green beans, soybeans, corn, asparagus,cabbage, tobacco, and ginseng. The town of Brantford was named after an Indian chief named Brant. He wa part of the Six Nation Indian tribe in NY. He brought the tribe he to Brant's ford and the rest is history. Other people who have lived here are Alexander Graham Bell, Tonto (Jay Silverheels) and Wayne Gretzky. Today we ride to Niagra Falls and have our 5th and final rest day.i've never been and am looking forward to it.

Day 38. Poet Huron to London, Ontario, CA

82 miles into Canada. First thing this am we crossed the bridge into Ontario. It was pretty cool having the bridge to ourselves. It was overcast all day and several times I thought we were going to get wet, but once again we were blessed. Can't say it looks any different than Michigan except for the Canadian flags in the yards. Lots of farms growing corn, soybeans, and something else which I think is beets. I don't think it was more than in the low 80's with a cross wind, mostly from our back. Stopped at a good sandwich and ice-cream shop for lunch. Little did we know our one hill was right around the corner. Oh well, I guess I burned off a few of the calories I consumed at lunch. All in all, it's been a good day. I'm feeling much stronger now that we are on flat terrain. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Day 37. Birch Run to Port Huron, MI

We got lucky today. It was pouring when we got up and had breakfast. The trip leader pushed back loading for 30 minutes and the weather cleared. We didn't get a drop. The humidity must have been in the 90's and we were all soaking. Wet, but i'm not complaining. There's something thing about starting in the pouring rain that is hard to do. We rode 89 miles and had 680 feet of climbing. The scenery was nice most of the day and the lake is nice. Tomorrow we cross a large bridge into Ontario, CA. Should be fun, I understand they close the bridge to traffic for us. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Day 36. Mt Pleasant to Birch Run, MI

We road 75 miles today and climbed only 350 feet. My kind of riding. The weather stayed cool only warming to the low 80's. We had a moderate cross wind making it a little more of an effort. Many people thought today's shorter ride was more difficult than yesterday's 113, I didn't. Even though yesterday was an easy century, it was still 113 miles which takes a toll. I got in with enough time to go to the pool and hot tub which is what I like to do after a ride. Went to some kind of road house for dinner, many wild game on the menu. I had elk tips over noodles which was pretty good. Most of us had homemade pie made by the 90 year old grandmother. Yum! We are all talking about needing to start cutting back on our eating, getting ready for our return to reality. We have an 80% chance of rain tomorrow unfortunately.

Day 35 Ludington to Mt Pleasant, MI

We had a nice ferry ride yesterday, the weather couldn't have been better. Today we completed our last century for the trip. I think it was the easiest century I've ever done. We rode 114 miles and I easily could have kept going. Winds were mostly cross but temp was in upper 70's with gently rolling terrain. I saw asparagus crops for the first time. I'm learning a little about farming which has been interesting.

Day 33. Fond du Lac to Manitowa, WI

Today was a short day, 57 miles and 1325 feet of climbing. We left later than usual because they didn't want us to get in too early and not have any hotel rooms available. I know I am tired because each of the small climbs felt like mountains. Tomorrow we take the ferry across Lake Michigan to a town called Luddington and ride our last century on Tuesday, 115 miles. I'm praying for winds from the west. Winconsin was a great state to ride through. Overall very scenic and it was nice being off the highways. The other thing that we noted was how nice everyone kept than yard. Lots of wildflowers too!

Day 32. Wisconsin Dells to Fond du Lac, WI

Today was 83 miles with 1750 feet of climbing. The terrain was gently rolling with a mild tail wind. It must have been really gentle because I never felt it! It was 68 at departure and 83 when we arrived. Felt hotter to me due to the humidity. Those of you on the east coast now know what it felt like here a few days ago in terms of the weather, hot and humid.

I think everyone I'd starting to drag a little after 4 1/2 weeks on the road.

Fond du Lac means foot of the lake. We are staying a t the foot of lake Winnwbago which is one of the largest fresh water lakes in the US at 28 miles long and 10 miles wide.

Tonight after dinner we had a long discussion on safety issues. I guess many of us have slipped into bad habits.

Day 31. LaCrosse to Wisconsin Dells

92 miles with 1200 feet of climbing. Overall the terrain was rolling and we rods 30 miles along the Sparta/Elroy trail. It was 71 at departure and 87 at arrival.

The route today along the trail was supposedly the first rails to trail in the US opening in 1965. The trailhead in Sparta is advertised as the Bicycle Capital of America. The main attraction were the tunnels we passed through. The first one was about 3/4 mile long. It was pitch black and we all walked our bikes and had flashlights. It was pretty cool. The other two were a little shorter. The tunnels were built for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad in the 1870's. A big suprise was a 13% climb right after we left the bike path. I still don,t think i am a good climber but i made it. Our destination today is Wisconsin Dells. I had never heard of the area but it is a big tourist trap and is billed as the water slide capital of the world. I have to admit, some of them look like a lot of fun. Our total milage to dat is 2527. Unbelievable.

Day 30. Rochester MN to LaCrosse, WI

Tray we rode 87 miles with 2950 feet of climbing. It was 65 at departure and 85 on arrival. It was overcast most of the day with rolling to flat terrain. The biggest news for today is that Barbara, our tour leaders wife fell while riding and had to go to the hospital via ambulance. I wasn't there when it happened but did hear that she was starting up a hill and her crank (pedal) came off. She is the 3rd person that's happened to. UNBELIEVABLE!!!
The good news is that she didn't break anything and other than being sore she's okay. What I really find amazing is that she doesn't have any road rash. What I've been told is that you need to tuck and roll.

Today we entered our 6th state, Wisconsin. The scenery so far has been nice. It's really great being on back roads and off the highway. The hardest thing we did today was a one mile climb at mile 65. Mike the tour leader said it was probably a 7% grade knowing full well it was 10%. I think most of us would have walked some of it 3 weeks ago, but today everyone made it.

Lots more corn and soybeans today. We are beginning to see more small towns than what we were used to in Wyoming and South Dakota, but that doesn't mean much. We did have a nice stop in Houston, MN. We stopped at a coffee shop called Barristas which had great smoothies, scones, and crossants. The locals were quite interested in our trip and my friend Mary and I were interviewed dor the local paper.

Coming into LaCrosse we passed over the Mississippi and saw a sign saying LaCrosse is the west coast of WI. Tomorrow we go another 92 miles.

Day 29. Mankato to Rochester, MN

100 miles, 2359 feet of climbing. Back to back centuries. Mostly rolling terrain with a couple of steep climbs, one right out of the hotel. That was really tough on a full stomach and not being warmed up. One poor guy got a flat tire in the middle of it. I think I may have heard the f bomb fly. The wind was from the SW which helped keep us cooler tha we would have been without it. Once again it was HOT and muggy.

We leave Minnesota tomorrow. As I look back on it, I'll remember tons and tons of corn and soybeans with magnificent farm houses. The houses all have freshly manicured lawns, with beautiful flower gardens and hanging baskets.

More tomorrow, as it will be another early day.

Worthington to Mankato, MN

102 miles, 1300 feet of climbing. Our total milage is 2247.5. Today the main word was HOT and oppressive. It wa hot and humid with a heat index here in Mankato of 121!!!
Tough day. On the road by 0615. The scenery wa vast farmland all day except when we were on highway 60. While on it I was too busy looking at the road trying to avoid cracks and potholes!

One redeeming factor, we had dinner at the old Country Buffet, yeah...

Tomorrow we will ride another 100 miles with a few hills thrown in. I hear the dew point will be in the upper 70's, low 80's.

Sioux Falls to worthington, MN

63 miles, 1070 feet of climbing. Today had it all: construction, busy streets, rural riding, rolling terrain and beautiful farmland. The winds were from the SW around 5-10 mph. Fortunately we had a tailwind most of the day. The word of the day is HOT!

Apparently we are in a weather that will remain hot for at least the next week. The trip leader is hopeful that it will break when we cross Lake Michigan. The temp was 78 when we left at 0630 this morning and in the low 90's when we arrived in Worthington. The dew point was in the mid 70's and it's hard to breathe when you're not moving. We were supposed to leave Sioux Falls via a bike path this morning which circumvents the entire city. The entire loop is 20 miles and includes parks, a river and the falls for which the city is most noted. But alas, it wasn't possible due to it being under water!

We did go by the falls which were beautiful with the water cascading over red rocks.

Today we entered our 5th state, Minnesota. It seems funny that nit is day 29 and we are just getting to our 5th state. In the next 9 days we will have transversed 3 states, ferried across Lake Michigan and entered Canada....in 3 more days we will have crossed Ontario and entered New York. They say time goes by faster now. That evokes mixed feelings...

Day 26. Chamberlain to Sioux Falls

71 miles, 1030 feet of climbing. It was 75 degrees at departure T 0630 with a dew point of 74 which meant it was extremely foggy. It was kind of cool, I felt like I was at the beach for some reason. We had a south Winfield which brought in the moisture. It was okay while we were riding, but whenever you stopped it was definitely a sauna. It was 95 when we got to Sioux Falls. The terrain was mostly flat with 2 bumps. We didn't see much over the 71 miles. We did see a few farm houses and silos. Lots of corn, heat nd soybeans.

Since climbing isn't my strong suit, the staff have assured me that it will be mostly flt until we reah the east coast. Boy is thatnmusic to my ears.

We passed through one small town called Canistoda which was having a festival. The highlight wa a tractor pull.it looked like a tricycle pulling a small tractor. My friend Mary gave it a try a didn't do that well so I didn't even try. I also need to conserve all my energy.

Tomorrow is our third day off. Can't wait. I wore through my first chain today. Hard to believe since I bought it 3 weeks ago. However, i've put tons of miles on it.

Monday we cross over into Minnesota.

Day 24. Chamberlain to Mitchell

71 miles, 1022 feet of climbing with over half of it within 2 miles from the motel. Crosswinds most of the day. It was71 degrees when we left the motel at 0600 and 94 degrees when we arrived in Mitchell. My day started with me over sleeping today. The alarm didn't go off and I woke up right as we were supposed to be leaving. I felt rushed the rest of the day.

It was supposed to be really hot today but we got lucky because it rained for a little while and the sky remained overcast for quite awhile. Once the sun came out it felt like a sauna. There wasn't much to see along the road today. One town we passed through has lawn mower races on Saturday nights. Too bad we were there on Thursday. We also passed by the Kimball Tractor museum. Some went in but most skipped it. South Dakota seems to have a lot of roads to nowhere.

Our destination today Mitchell is a corn crazy prairie town (it's call letters are KORN) and home to the world's one and only Corn Palace. The citizens of Mitchell built the original corn palace in 1892. Now every spring about 20 local citizens are contracted to redecorate the exterior of the building with over 275,000 ears os native SD corn along with grains and grasses arranged into large murals.

Tomorrow we head to Sioux Falls and have our third rest day on Sunday. Everyone is really looking forward to it. My legs are sore all over again as are my neck and back.

Day 23 Pierre to Chamberlain

84 miles of ridi f, 2349 feet of climbing mostly in 3 places.it was 60 degrees when we left and in the low 90's on arrival.it was sunny all day thank God because we had a headwind all day at 13 mph. The Missouri is out of it's banks everywhere. Chamber
Chamberlain also has sand bagsrotecting the city. My heart goes out to these folks.

Today presented different challenges taha yesterday. Yesterday we were worried about hypothermia, today it was heatstroke. The dir point was in the high 60's and the humidity was near 100 percent.

Our route today took us a
Ong the Missouri River all morning, and for the most part we spent time crossing the Crow Creek reservation.

The terrain was pretty challenging all day. We had 3 climbs today of greater than 600 feet with2 of them being in the last 15 miles.the scenery was beautiful on the bluffs,but I would have been happy to seethe river up close with out the climbing.

We paasedww a major millstone today. We passed the official half way point for our ride. We ow have 3 1/2 weeks to go. Right now all we think about is where we'll get our next meal, how much climbing we'll have,and which way the wind will be blowing.

W



Owe

Day 23. Wall to Pierre

117 miles with 2975 feet of climbing. It was 60 degrees at departure and68 on arrival in Pierre.the terrain was mostly rolling with strong winds from the ESE which meant headwinds all day. To top it off, we had a soaking rain all day. The trip leader says he has never seen it rain on any previous trips like he did today. If it rains it's late in the aver noon dur to heat and they pass through quickly. Usually they worry abbot heat exhaustion but today it was hypothermia.

The persistent headwinds an rain made me really have to dig deep to continue. Several riders got into the van at our second SAG stop aroun mile 50.

We started the day very early with loading at 0515 and got to the restaurant at 0530. As luck would have it, the chef slept in! We got off to a later start than desired. At the third SAG stop I spoke with a woman who says her husband works for FEMA and is currently in Pierre. We we rode into Pierre we noticed how high the Missouri is. All the local building had sand bags all around them. The river had overrun it's banks in many places.

My friend and I came in at the tail end today becUse she had 3 flat tires within 15 minutes with about. 30 miles to go. We didn't get to the hotel until 7:40 which meant we were on the road for 13 hours! I hope it doesn't get worse than this.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a little easier, due to less mileage. There are 3 climbs and it's going to be hot.

Day 23. Wall to Pierre

117 miles with 2975 feet of climbing. It was 60 degrees at departure and68 on arrival in Pierre.the terrain was mostly rolling with strong winds from the ESE which meant headwinds all day. To top it off, we had a soaking rain all day. The trip leader says he has never seen it rain on any previous trips like he did today. If it rains it's late in the aver noon dur to heat and they pass through quickly. Usually they worry abbot heat exhaustion but today it was hypothermia.

The persistent headwinds an rain made me really have to dig deep to continue. Several riders got into the van at our second SAG stop aroun mile 50.

We started the day very early with loading at 0515 and got to the restaurant at 0530. As luck would have it, the chef slept in! We got off to a later start than desired. At the third SAG stop I spoke with a woman who says her husband works for FEMA and is currently in Pierre. We we rode into Pierre we noticed how high the Missouri is. All the local building had sand bags all around them. The river had overrun it's banks in many places.

My friend and I came in at the tail end today becUse she had 3 flat tires within 15 minutes with about. 30 miles to go. We didn't get to the hotel until 7:40 which meant we were on the road for 13 hours! I hope it doesn't get worse than this.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a little easier, due to less mileage. There are 3 climbs and it's going to be hot.

Day 22 Rapid City to Wall SD

57 miles, 1725 feet of climbing with ESE winds at 10-15 mph, mostly headwinds. The terrain was rolling, 60 degree temp at departure, and 72 at Wall. Overcast skis kept the temp down. Today on paper was one of the easiest, but not today. The wind gods weren't kind today as we picked up a 10 to 15 mph headwind. Unfortunately we are hearing that we will likely have the same winds the next couple of days.
The road was undulating with lots of rollers. Would have been easy if we didn't have the wind. As we got closer the Wall Drugs signs got increasing frequent, by the end every quarter mile or so. Something like Stucky's or South of the Boarder on the east coast.wall drug started as a small drug store off the Beaton path so it got little traffic. It was the wife's idea to entice travelers with the offer of free ice water. It caught on when the owner and a friend started putting up signs along I 90. They still offer free ice water and now have more than 2 million visitors a year.

Tomorrow will be a long and windy day. We will load at 0515 and eat breakfast at 0530. I can hardly wait!

Day 21. Hot Springs to Rapid City SD

75 miles, 5125 feet of climbing. Nice morning, temp 50 degrees at departure and 75 at arrival. We were forecast to have severe thunderstorms on arrival in Rapid City but we were all in by the time the rain came. Scenery was fantastic. We began climbing into pine and prairie with buffalo (1) and prairie dogs barking at us as we rode by. We expected to find wild life everywhere but that didn't materialize. We saw Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore memorials. We had a tough day due to all the climbing, but the fact it was so pretty made it easier. Tomorrow is only 57 miles and we get to sleep in a little.

Oh, almost forget. Came upon a rider fell when his bike hit a groove in the rode. He was pretty shaken up and cracked his helmet in 4 places but I think he will be okay to ride tomorrow. I hope so. He is our oldest rider, 74 years young!

Day 20. Lusk to Hot Springs South Dakota

92 miles, 2524 feet of climbing. Partly cloudy which kept it from reaching the boiling point. We had breakfast at 6am and loaded luggage at 0630 and then hit the road.weather at arrival was in the 90's.

The road was lonely. Fire hazard signs said extreme danger of grass fires. Navigation was easy, turn left out of the motel and make a right at mile 44 and continue to Hot Springs. We crossed into our 4th state South Dakota at mile 55. Tomorrow we go to Mount Rushmore and it will be our second toughest day to date due to lots of climbing . At least the scenery should be nice.

Day 29. Casper to Lusk, WY.

106 miles, 2418 feet of climbing. Rolling terrain, warm and sunny with a tailwind all day. Departure temp was 56, and it was 92 we we got into Lusk. Soon after we arrived we were treated to the annual pioneer Parade, right in front of our hotel. It wa different tha any parade I've seen. It started with horse and carriages followed Indians on horses. Next were antique cars filled by motorcycles and tractors.

That night several of us went to the big production, Legend od Rawhide. It was a story about the early pioneers passing through Wyoming on their way to discover gold. One young whiten man shot an Indian sqaw which started a war with the Suix tribe. At the end the whiten man confesses and he gets skinned. It was quite a production and interesting to say the least. Unfortunately it lasted a long time and we didn't get back to the hotel until 10pm which for usis really late.

Day 18. Riverton to Casper, WY

120 miles with 2400 feet of climbing. Sunny skies and mile temperatures. 60 degrees at the start and 85 in Casper. The wind was in our favor most of the day. In fact, the slowest rider got in before the first rider a couple od years ago due to the wind. The terrain was quite desolate. Didn't see any dwellings after we left for the first 40 miles. As we neared Casper, we began to see cattle and antelope. Near the start, a deer ran out in front of one of the staff. Fortunately she missed it but a semi didn't. When I came across it it was dead in the middle of the road.

We passed Hell's Half Acre, a gourgr that the Indians used to stampede a herd od buffalo over the cliffs to get meat in the winter.

As we neared town the wins shifted to headwinds. Knowing we were heading to our rest day got us all there. It was great to finally get there.

Day 17 Dubois to Riverton WY

104 miles with 3000 feet of climbing. Sunny and warm. 50 degrees at departure, 91 in Riverton. We had a tailwind early, and headwinds into town. The road we were supposed to take was underwater so we had to add a 25 mile detour. Not to mention that instead od a steady downhill, we now had 3 pretty good climbs to get ariund the high water. We followed the WindRiver Valley most of the way which was quite pretty. Today we had our first heat casualty.

Day 16. Jackson Hole to Dubois, WY

88 miles, 4085 feet of climbing. The terrain was flattish for the first 37 miles and then the climb started...all the way up to the Continental Divide. It was 48 degrees when we started, and 81 in Dubois. Today is the prettiest day of the trip. We cruised easily from photo op to photo op all morning. The Tetons, pace lines, balloonists, wildflowers, antelope,elk, bison and osprey. The Tetons were spectacular! We climbed up to the Continental Divide which included a major climb to 9658'. The slope wasn't as severe as yesterdsy's climb, but it was still a challenge. After the climb to the summit we had a 20 mile descent into the Dubois valley along the Wind River. Dubois is a small western town with rustic buildings. The town population is around 900. One of the hotels offers a free horse corral if you stay there. All in all, a great day!

Day 16. Idaho Falls to Jackson Hole, WY

87 miles of climbing, 4905 feet of climbing with 2 major passes to include the steepest climb we have on the trip. It was cool and overcast all day. The first 40 miles we rode into a 10-15 mph headwind. NOT what I needed. I was really tired all day. Actually, this is my worst day so far as riding goes. I stayed up too late in addition to pushing myself too hard yesterday. I think elevation is also a factor.

Breakfast was at 0530 and wee were off. Lot of wheat in the fields. At 45 miles we started rclimbing Pine Creek Pass at just over 6800 feet. Next we summited Teton Pass at 8431 feet. We also entered our third state, Wyoming. Just after the sign we started a 10 percent climb during which I ran out of gears. I admit it, I had to walk for a short piece. At the top a landmark says that it used to take 2 weeks to reach the summit by horse and wagon. The scenery was awesome and the decent was a screamer. I reached 48 mph plus, WOW!!!

Today one of the staff Jeff hit a rock and fell, breaking his wrist. You just never know!

Day 15. Pocatello to Idaho Falls

Mostly flat.loaded and got on the road early in an effort to avoid the heat. Short ride today, 66 miles. We followed the Snake River basin most of the day which was very green. The river was really high with it's banks over flowing. We got into Idaho Falls before the hotel rooms were ready so we all had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. I road really fast today which could have ramifications for tomorrow when we climb Teton Pass to Jackson Hole. Our hotel is right across from the falls. They are extremely strong right now due to the snow runoff.

My friends Terry and Berry came down from Victor, MT to spend the day with me. It was great to spend time with them. They were sports and got up to have breakfast at 0530. I look forward to seeing them in Oct.

Day 14 Burley to Pocatello, ID

As many of you have noticed i've fallen behind in writing. I'm making a real effort to catch up. Everything is fine, I'm just tired and don't have much free time. I am one of the slower riders and by the time I finish it's time to clean and fix any bike issues and then go for dinner. Most mornings I get up at 5 am, eat, and then am on the road by 6 or 630.

Today we rode 85 miles with 1500 feet of climbing. The terrain was rolling and it was 85 degrees when we got in. The area was vast and open range with multiple "cattle guards" . Cattle guards are metal strips across the road which keep cattle within a section of the range. They can't cross without having a leg fall through. It's pretty rough riding a bike across them. We did see many cattle along the side of the road with one or two crossing the street. Later we rode along interstate 86 for 8 miles. The shoulder was wide and clean. An interesting landmark was Resister Rock. It is a big rock that early pioneers carved their names into to record their passing along the snake river in the 1860's.

Day 13 Twin Falls to Burly ID

This morning a few of us rode back to the Perrine Bridge in the hope of seeing some BASE jumpers. When we first got there we didn't see anyone and were very disappointed. Debbie one of the staff had told me that if we din't see anyone to wait awhile. Being the inpatient group we are, we waited a few minutes and started heading back when we looked over our shoulder and the parking lot was coming to life. We turned around and got to witness 6 jumps in the next few minutes. I should have used Debbie's advice for our tip of the day in last nights scavenger hunt. The ride today was short so we had our scavenger hunt. Everyone got into it and had a lot of fun. I ended up with 40 miles which included a side trip to Shoshone Falls. Beautiful! Tomorrow the ride gets harder as we tide 87 miles to Pocatello.

Day 12. Mountain Home to Twin Falls. ID

This was the easiest 97 miles I've ever done. Mostly flat with a few rollers. Didn't see many people but did seen tons of dairy cows. As we were riding into Twin Falls we went over the Perrine Bridge named after the founder of Twin Falls. It crosses over the Snake River which looks like it's at least 1000 feet below. The two most interesting things about the area is that it is the country's # 1BASE jumping spot and it is the place that Evil Knieval attempted his crossing of the Snake River in his rocket. One thing is for sure, it's beautiful.