Ride Day #35 - Hip, hip, hooray!!!

Hooray! I made it!
I'm here at the final destination - Bar Harbor, Maine (which is a tourist town on steroids!)

We did a short ride to today ( short??? When did 46 miles become a short day???)... Rode the few remaining hills in this state that we did not previously ride...we even had a chance to ride a bit thru the Acadia National Park (beautiful!)

What an exciting day!
We finished our journey today by dipping our tires in the Atlantic Ocean (a bit of a ritual for cross-country tours!).
Then, it was off quickly to the local bike shop to pack up the bike for shipping home...
And then...the celebration dinner (lobster and champagne!)

This has been an AMAZING experience.
At the end of the day....I'm walking away with ....
A renewed appreciation and respect for Nature....
A renewed gratitude and appreciation for my health, freedom and country.
A new, open heart for 'strangers' ( I've met so many people on this journey)...

I've spent a lot of time on my bike during the last few months...which for me equals a lot of time in my head! I can honestly say I'm genuinely happy and excited about this coming decade!

A very special 'thank you' to my mom and dad...I was able to do this ride because of the values the've taught me ( for example "work hard and save your money")...

A BIG- HUGE "thank you" to my mom and dad & my dear friends Sandy and Maria for sharing in the care of my 4-legged baby....

And of course, a BIG 'thank you' to YOU.... my family and friends.... for your encouraging, kind thoughts/comments along this journey! I am deeply grateful that you shared your precious time with me. Seriously.

35 riding days...
12 states.....
2,376 miles!
Whew. That was a B-L-A-S-T !!!


A few photos from today.....


Hooray! Finally, the bike over my head instead of under my butt!!!!....

A snapshot of the gals in my riding 'posse'....we shared many miles and tons of laughs together (not to mention many dangerous moments on crappy roads with logging trucks up our backsides!)...

Parting with my bike.......

Celebrating! (I've eaten like a PIG this whole trip!)

Ride Day #34 - 86 miles today = 1 Day to go!

Well...a BIG day today...it was EXHAUSTING!
The entire day was hills, hills, and more hills!

The day started like this....Within the first 20 minutes...
We were on a very, VERY busy highway ( like the 5 Fwy.) ...there were tons of commercial vehicles, 18-wheelers whizzin by us at 60 mph.....really crappy roads....and had already climbed several hills.....
My riding partner looks over at me and says...."just another 80 miles to go!"

Fortunately, there were several parts of the route which took us on some 'backroads' thru some charming towns (like Rockport and Camden). Even the little charming towns were loaded with hills but, it was a pleasure to get off the Interstate so...we just muscled thru it (we've gotten so spoiled with all the small 'back roads' - we rarely had to travel the interstates....thankfully.

Anyhow....we rode 86 miles and are now in Bucksport, MN. As I sit here and blog I can look out my hotel window and I have a beautiful view of Fort Knox (which was built of granite back around 1844 and 'manned' during the civil war), the Penobscot River and it's amazing bridge. Maine is a beautiful state!

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the LAST ride (my quads are thrilled).

A few photos from today....

A beautiful view from the road....

Traffic is unpredictable....

My riding partner for the day...(she makes me work!!!)

Relaxing after the ride...outside the hotel...(notice Fort Knox and the awesome bridge)...

Ride Day #33 - Having a Blast in Bath!

Hello from Bath, Maine!
A wonderful 70 mile ride today! Tons of hills...but also lots of flyn' downhill too!
Today was perfect weather for cycling! It was a BEAUTIFUL day!

We left Bridgton this morning and headed out on backroads and a few interstates...over all it was a fun route. We saw some really beautiful lakes...green country farms and plenty of beautiful blue sky! We moved further east and are now moving slightly south to head towards the Atlantic coast!

Seems a few of the riders were really tired today...and more 'bike mechanical' issues for some of the gals as well! All this to be expected as we've put our bodies and our bikes thru a lot of work these last 6 weeks!

Our hotel is right on the Kennebec River (150 mile river running from the far north to the southern coast) - it's beautiful! The town we're in is called Bath...it dates back as far as 1781...this city has a long history of ship building..dating back to mid 1700s. Very cute and 'touristy' now.

Tomorrow will be our 2nd to last ride (we finish on Wednesday)...we will continue to head towards the coast. Exciting!

A few photos from today...

Just one of several beautiful lakes we rode by .....

Just one of the beautiful family farms out in the countryside.....

Just one happy rider.....

A few of the gals I rode with today...we moved really fast...too fast for the Support car so, we ended up making our own pit stop under a shady tree!

Ride Day #32 - I Made It To MAINE!!!!!!

I've made it to our last state on the route...only 3 more days until our final destination! --

We had a beautiful ride today....though it was hilly ALL day long. We started, practically right out of the hotel room, with a 12 mile hill! For 12 miles we climbed (non-stop climbing) to the Kancamagus Pass in the White Mountains (what a way to wake up the thighs!). It was a nice little workout...but it was beautiful! We continued our ride along the Swift River, through the forest...awesome views again!

After about another 38 miles we crossed the state line into Maine! We're in the lower part of the state (about 40 miles NW of Portland) making our way to the Atlantic coast! It was a thrill to actually cross this line!

After a 70-mile ride today....I'm in Bridgton now...it's a little town known for lakes and fun recreational activities. Tomorrow we'll continue to head east to the town of Bath (about another 70 miles).

All that said....I'm ready to start seeing some LOBSTER!!!!!!!!

A few photos from today...

An early morning view of the White Mountains....the picture doesn't capture the full beauty...

A quick rest after climbing the 12 mile hill....

Hooray! Made it to the final state crossing!!!!

One of the beautiful lakes here in Bridgton...

Ride Day #31 - Live Free or Die

Greetings from New Hampshire! The state's motto is "Live Free Or Die" (this state has a lot of American history!)

We left the 'Green Mountains' of Vermont this morning....crossed over the Conneticut River and then entered into the 'White Mountains National Forest' of New Hampshire (this area is known as one of THE most beautiful areas in our country for fall foliage....its beautiful this time of year too!)

It was a beautiful 68 miles today! About 60-70% of the ride we were looking at a river, or stream, or waterfall, or lake or pond. It was gorgeous! Absolutely a beautiful view in every direction!

We did some climbing today...but no one was complaining because the rain never came! It really poured while we were having our breakfast.....so, most of us suited up in our rain gear and just headed out expecting at some point we'd be drenched (like yesterday). The good news is the rain stopped right at the end of breakfast....and luckily, we stayed dry and rain free all day!

I'm in a small town called Lincoln...
As we make our way across this beautiful state, we will enter Maine tomorrow (only 4 more days of riding).

Here are a few photos from today....

We ride on many bridges...it's always fun to ride thru old, wooden, covered ones....

A typical view from the road....small waterfalls, creeks, rivers everywhere....

Note the fog (at least it didn't rain) - it was spectacular!

Biking buddies ( I tried to trade him bikes since tomorrow's ride includes a 12-mile climb...no deal). -- We look good together , don't we???

Ride Day #30 - Alert In the Green Mountains

I had a great 'rest day'....even managed to get to the Ben&Jerrys Ice Cream plant for a tour....had a TRIPLE scoop (i figure since my trip is winding down, I better enjoy all the calories i can while I still have some miles left!

Anyhow....back in the saddle on Friday and it was Another really green, wet ride....but beautiful!

We rode most of the day through the Vermont green mountains...it was beautiful!
One of the climbs was 5 miles long! It was a challenge physically...what kept me going was moose patrol.....with every stroke of the pedal I was on the look out for a moose! Unfortunately, I never saw one...but I did see beautiful rivers, creeks, forest! So beautiful!

It rained almost the entire day...and it was COLD! We are expecting rain and cold weather again for Saturdays ride.....oh well! At least it's fun, fun, fun!

A few photos.....

Enjoying the tourist attractions at the Ben & Jerry factory .....

The White River along several miles of the route....beautiful to ride along this.....

Another sign we don't see too often in the OC.....

This was a sign in a small cafe we passed by...many of the gals stopped in to get out of the rain and warm up.....

Ride Day #29 - Greetings from Vermont

Another fun day today! (and a short ride which is always welcomed after several long rides in a row)....

We rode out of the Adirondacks and then jumped on a ferry boat to cross the Champlain River and enter Vermont.

Vermont greeted us with a slight rain, TONS of potholes and many hills...but, the scenery made up for it! We rode thru some really pretty farms....and then into Middlebury. (Middlebury is a town which was settled shortly after the Revolutionary War / it's located on the west border/central).

We will stay here tonight and then have a full day of rest tomorrow as well. This should be a really nice town to 'rest' in for the next 36 hours... a college town....VERY charming...a 'typical' New England town with alot of American history. I'm looking forward to exploring tomorrow!

This is our last 'rest day'...once we start riding again (on Friday) we will have only 6 more riding days (I'm already experiencing mixed feelings / happy to go home to my family, friends and doggie but sad to have this wonderful ride come to an end)....

Anyhow.....a few photos from today....

We stopped at Fort Ticonderoga ...a lot of stuff went down in this area...battles, wars...American history....

Another state crossing!

A beautiful Vermont farming valley....

Ride Day #28 - A Slice of Heaven on Earth

I cycled the entire route today (86 miles)...
It was THE best riding day I have ever had!!! Seriously, not only in terms of this trip...but the best day I have EVER cycled!

The entire day we rode thru the Adirondacks.....it was absolutely beautiful!
Every 20-30 minutes we came upon a lake. Lake after lake...after lake...absolutely beautiful!
Tons of creeks and streams....wild flowers everywhere..... trees galore....greeeeen forest and blue skies! Temperature was perfect.....no wind...tough climbs but killer downhill stretches...good paved roads and almost no traffic! It was perfect...I couldn't have asked for anything else (except for you to be here with me to experience this).

The Adirondacks is truly a slice of heaven on earth. I lovvvvved it. I would vacation here every year if I lived in the east. This has inspired me to ride Yosemite next!

I'm in Schroon, NY now...this is our last night in New York. We will be heading for Middlebury, Vermont tomorrow.

A couple of photos from today....


A snapshot of the 7th Lake....(the numbering stops at eight...but there were many more after that)....

A view of one of the lakes early this morning....the picture doesn't capture the magic...

Me in action....look at that sky!!!

Ride Day #27 - Out of Breath in the Adirondacks......

I completed the 78.8 mile route today and I'm out of breath.....
Not because of the dozens and dozens and DOZENS of hills....
Not because of the 4000' elevation climb...
Not because some of the hills had a 16% grade...
Not because a dog chased me (after I already climbed to the top of a hill and was already exhausted)...
Not because a turkey and a mean duck chased me off their property...
But because the ride/terrain/view was so BEAUTIFUL.
Honestly, at times it just took my breath away. Today was THE prettiest ride of the entire trip!

As we started the ride, we passed thru some small 'Amish' villages (what a tripy and laborious lifestyle). I saw several families working in the fields....unfortunately I didn't get any pictures (out of respect for them). It was very cool to see.

Then, about 85% of the ride/route was thru the Adirondack forest. We saw so many beautiful streams, rivers, cabins tucked away, etc. All this under a blue sky with big puffy white clouds...there were several places that looked like 'post card' views.

I'm in Old Forge which is a small town inside the state park. I'm sitting on the patio of my hotel room and looking right at a beautiful lake. It's breathtaking!

My body is tired...but I'm excited and energized for tomorrow's ride (88 miles).

A few photos from today...


Another one of those signs we don't see in O.C.....this is for the Amish horse & buggies....

This is the mean duck and turkey that chased me off their property.....

A beautiful place on 'Moose River'.....

This picture doesn't quite capture how spectacular this spot was.....

Ride Day #26 - TwentyOne inside of SixtyTwo

Today was another realllllly fun day. Almost a perfect riding day!
I say 'almost' because I could have done with a few less hills! We climbed 21 hills during our 62 mile route today (yes! I counted them!) -- 21 times I had to lower the chain to 'granny gear' to get up the hill!

Anyhow, it was a lot of fun and it was a beautiful route.
We are passing thru hundreds and hundreds of acres with fruit trees and seeing so many small family farms. It's really awesome to ride your bike and be so close to this type of nature.

I'm in Port Ontario (if you blink you pass right thru the town).... This area ( which is next to Pulaski/Salmon River/Lake Ontario) is all about fishing and snowmobiling. For us, it's all about great cycling!

Tomorrow, we will move inland and away from the lake....on our way to Old Forge, NY..... which is inside the Adirondack Mountains State Park (Mountains?????? --- all of the sudden 'hills' don't sound so bad!)

A couple of photos from today...

I just had to jump off my bike and pick a couple of cherries. Unfortunately, they're not quite ready!

A typical view of a beautiful ride...

Ride Day #25 - Greetings from Sodus Point, NY

Another GREAT day today! I cycled 78 miles and am now in Sodus Point...right on the shores of Lake Ontario.

The weather was terrific....the Route was beautiful. We cycled for miles and miles along the Erie Canal...on a bike path...away from cars ...on tree covered paths. We also cycled for miles and miles out in the country with tons of apple, peaches, plums and cherry farms! It was really beautiful (aside from the hills!).

After 78 miles....you really hope for a nice hotel in a quite, quaint town. That's exactly what I got! My room faces Lake Ontario.....and I have a view (like I need a view? I'm crashed out by 8pm). It's really super!

Tomorrow will be another fun day as we continue to head east......stay tuned!

A few photos from today....

Traffic is horrendous .....

Another milestone...

American history!

Mi casa tonight......

Ride Day #24 - Wrong Gone Right....

Back in the saddle today after a good rest day in Niagra Falls. I spent a little more time (on 'rest day') exploring the falls and it was absolutely beautiful! That said, I was ready to move on and do some riding today!

We had a fun day today ! The route was suppose to be only 68 miles....but my riding partners and I got lost 3 different times ....so, we ended up riding a total of 76.4 miles. On the last leg of the route...we got lost (for the 3rd time) but it turned out to be a total blast! This 'wrong turn' was a perfect ending to a really good day!

The wrong turn took us down a road that had a really cute 'General Store' -- it was such a photo opportunity I just had to stop and snap a photo. Turns out, I spent about 2 hrs. with the owner of the store! He was a great guy and was more than happy to show us his store as well as many more of his other collections.

He even invited us into his house. He had a ton of treasures! You know the show 'American Pickers' and the show 'Antique Roadshow'....well.....this guy had enough treasures for a whole season worth of episodes. He's collected stuff for 30 years- it was amazing, fun and very interesting! I love when wrong turns end up as great adventures!

I'm now in Brockport, NY....we will make our way to Sodus Point, NY tomorrow (traveling along the Erie Canal and then up and around Lake Ontario) - the route will be approx. 80 miles tomorrow. If we have any wrong turns, hopefully they will be as fun as today!

A few photos from today....

A snapshot of the Upper Erie Canal locks.....

The General Store....

Inside the store...it was like being in a time capsule...or a museum. He has actually leased it out to different movie companies for filming....

I offered to trade him my bike for these wheels.....no deal.

Ride Day #23 - Greetings from Niagra Falls!

We had a beautiful ride today! Really fantastic! The weather was perfect (did I just say that???) miles were low (only 45 today)...And the scenery beautiful (other than downtown Buffalo which we passed thru quickly).

One of the highlights today was cycling along the Niagra River on the Canadian side. It was really super! We rode along the river for about 16 miles and almost every inch of it was with unobstructed views (we saw the river the entire way!). It was a peaceful and leisurely ride.

We then actually saw the Falls from the Canadian side as well! Fantastic! Tomorrow, on our 'rest day' we may venture out and do some sight seeing of the Falls from a boat (not a bike).

So, here I am in tourist hell (it feels strange to be around so many people and in such hustle & bustle after days/weeks of traveling through wide open spaces. Now I know why all those towns we've been traveling thru seemed so empty! It's because all those people are here visiting Niagra Falls!!

We'll rest tomorrow....and it be much needed as the next two weeks will be big mileage.....

A few photos from today.....


Leading the way to Niagra Falls....

I actually had to put my rain jacket on as the mist from the falls is so heavy!

Tourism at it's finest......

Ride Day #22 - Exhausted in NEW YORK!

91 miles today...
However, my body feels like I rode 182 miles.
I had a flat rear tire (at mile #19)....which was a real pain in the butt (like I need another pain in my butt right now???)
The the wind blew at us ALL xxbeepxx day!!!!!
The good news is the rain stopped as we were having our breakfast and the storm clouds stayed slightly ahead of us all day, so...at least there's that!

It was a very physically challenging day...But, I still had a lot of fun riding with 4 other very strong riders...these gals are awesome on two wheels ....all real experienced riders and fun to ride with!

We rode almost the entire route along the shores of Lake Erie....Unfortunately, we had only glimpses of the lake inasmuch as there is thick forest and are many homes blocking the views. When we did see the lake, it was spectacular! Like yesterday, we also saw thousands of acres of grapes...passed by many wineries (unfortunately we 'passed' by them).

I'm in Hamburg, New York now...about 45 miles from Niagra Falls! (which we'll see tomorrow). I will actually be entering Niagara falls from Canada (Fortunately, I remembered to bring my passport!)

Can't think of anything more to say at the moment.....
I'm completely exhausted!
I felt the muscles in my butt and in my quads ALL day today! -- that's what the wind does to you...it makes you work TWICE as hard...and I did...all 91 miles.

When entering New York today, I finally really realized how far we've traveled...

A snapshot of the vineyards against the backdrop of the lake - awesome !

A photo opportunity.....

An awesome view of Buffalo, New York across the lake.....