We're Officially in the South

Day 12
Fredericksburg, Virginia to Mechanicsville, Virginia
74 miles, 2350' climbing---the least yet!

We rode through the Fredericksburg Civil War Battle Ground today. A hallowed place, many deaths there. It's hard to imagine Americans killing each other amongst the peaceful trees. I couldn't help but think of my great-great-great grandmother who lost two sons because of the Civil War.

Fredericksburg Civil War Battle Ground

Mike picked up some kind of wicked nail and scored the first flat of the day. I want it to be some old Civil War relic, but I'm told that couldn't be possible because it would be all rusted away by now. He needed not only a new tube but a new tire, as well.

The culprit

Eating has taken on a weird dimension. I now eat to fuel my body, while I normally eat more for pleasure. We stop at the SAG stops to keep our bodies going, not because I'm actually hungry. I keep finding myself craving cheesecake during the day as we're riding---usually I crave a hamburger.

A typical SAG stop. The table is loaded with granola bars, bananas,  pears, apple slices, pretzels, fig newtons, fritos, oreos, peanuts, dried fruit mix, crackers, and ice cold water. We're always happy to see the van.

Gotta love the silos.

One of the last towns of the day was called Studley. We couldn't pass up that Kodak moment. Get serious.

John, Me, Carl, Mary Kay, Mike, and J.B. at the gun show.

Two flats, a broken rib, and pie

Day 11
Washington, D.C. to Fredericksburg, Virginia
91 miles, 3850' climbing

We rode out of D.C. via the bike trails. Such a great trail system. It's amazing how much wooded area there is so close to the city. Lots of commuters on bikes heading in to work. Kind of a bicycle rush hour.

J.B., Mike and I

Me racing George Washington and his horse. I am winning.

Hey, look! Virginia is welcoming us. What nice people.

Carl had a front tire blow out at about mile 37. Luckily he was going slowly uphill when it happened. He said even so it was hard to control his bike. It looked almost like a surgical incision across his tire. There's been a lot of debris on the road lately, including broken glass. We called the SAG van and he replaced his tire only to have another blow out a few miles later on his rear tire.

The first of two blow-outs

The best part of the day---eating "Mom's" pie

Also, we got news today after Steve was x-rayed that he actually has a broken rib from his fall the other day. He's got a prescription for Vicodan, so the way he sees it he's good to go.

God Bless America

Rest Day in Washington, D.C.
Stats for the day: 0 miles which means 0 climbing. (Pump fist while saying, "Yesssss!")

Ready to give our behinds a rest from the bikes, we wandered down to see the White House. In front of the most famous address in the world, we overheard a 4 or 5-year-old girl ask, "Daddy, is that where Barack Obama lives?" Very cute.

Where Barack Obama Lives

We, also, checked out the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. By then, though, our legs had had it and Mike hailed a cab to get us back to our hotel. The best ten bucks ever spent.

On the way to hail the cab we stopped at the Vietnam Memorial Wall. This one always touches me. I was in high school during this war and my older sisters had friends who were drafted, so that means many of those people listed on the wall should have been just a little older than I am now. They didn't get to see those birthdays. Also, having been so recently in Southeast Asia I could easily put faces on the people they lost over there, as well. Such a loss. So many saddened families.

Vietnam Memorial Wall

Back on the bikes tomorrow.

Hard and you gotta stay focused

Day 9's stats: 81 miles, 4270' climbing.

Shane rated this day as "hard and you gotta stay focused." I can see why, because the first 30 miles or so were in traffic that was whizzing by and very close. I didn't like that part. It was quite stressful. One of our riders (Steve) came around a corner where the asphalt pavement had a sudden dropoff. He was launched over his handlebars and luckily landed in a grassy patch just off the road. His shoulder hurts but nothing appears broken. He was able to ride the rest of the day. At about mile 32 we stopped at a convenience store---not quite time for a full lunch so I downed a diet coke, a bag of potato sticks, and a Reese's peanut butter cup. Mmmmm....probably the same stuff Lance Armstrong uses for energy, right? Turned out it was just what I needed because we never did get a lunch stop the rest of the day and I felt pretty good.

Good to be out of the traffic.

I'm told that arriving by car to Washington, D.C. is difficult and complicated. By bicycle it's a different story. We connected to the Rock Creek Bike Trail about 25 miles out of the city and it took us to within a couple of blocks of our hotel at Dupont Circle---which is within walking distance of the White House. The trail is lots of pieces all connected together. We rode thru city parks, wooded areas, over several bridges, and past an old, old cemetery. Amazing that the trail is so close to the city.

Rock Creek Bike Trail

The highlight of the day: At one point along the trail we saw a sign that said "LDS Temple Visitors Center." We were excited to look up and see the bright white spires of the Washington, D.C. Temple poking up out of the trees. Just up a steep-ish hill and we were there. It felt like I was home! A great feeling. The missionaries in the Visitor Center let us stow our dirty bikes and filthy shoes in the back room. They were amazed to hear that we started in Maine. And more amazed when we told them where we are headed. The Visitors Center featured a special sculpture exhibit of stories from the life of Christ. It was great to be there.

And just in case you have a spare boat laying around, we saw this sign in a yard in Maryland:

Day 10 is a much needed day off the bikes in Washington, D.C.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Hunt Valley, Maryland

Stats for today's ride: 67 miles, 4,625' of climbing. This ride had me freaked out before it even started. Our leader, Shane, has been rating each day's ride at our meeting each night when we go over the next day's plan. Yesterday's ride rated a 9 out of 10. Others have been 6.5 or 7. All have been hard. Last night he told us today's ride was rated a full 10. Yikes. How could that be? How could the rides be any harder? Well, today we found out. Just add in several steep climbs. Or add in a bunch of moderate climbs alternating with hard climbs. And just for good measure add a climb equivalent to Woodland Hills Drive (a very steep road by my house.)

So I was freaked out before it began. Before we woke up to rain. Ok, now it's a 10.5. There are no photos of any of the climbs, because well....I was just trying to drag myself up the hills. Just take my word for it. They were tough. And wet.

When I wasn't gasping for air or wringing out my gloves I snapped a few photos. Just a few miles into the ride we crossed the Susquehanna River at the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge.

St. Luke's Cemetery 1772-1946---- somewhere in Southern Pennsylvania.

 The gang at the Pennsylvania-Maryland border.

Ride the East 2010

Mike and I just completed day seven of the Ride the East Tour with America by Bicycle. We are riding 1,675 miles from Maine to Florida over 25 days. There are ten riders and four support people who are taking great care of us. A typical day consists of an early breakfast, then we're in our saddles from roughly 7am until about 2:30-5:00pm depending on how many miles, how big the hills are, and how many times I get distracted to go check out something cool. Also, mixed in are two SAG stops (Supplies and Gear, or the term I prefer Snacks and Gabbing.)

Today's ride was from Pottstown, Pennsylvania to Lancaster, Pennsylvania-- 64 miles, 4,275 feet of climbing.

The regular road was closed, so we had to take a detour on a dirt road through the forest. Steve from Chicago used his GPS to save the day.

A very nice couple who gave us directions.

Very high laundry on a pulley attached to the house.

More Pennsylvania farmland. I love the silos. Somehow they are very peaceful to me.

I was having problems with my computer, but I think now they're fixed. Another rider is also posting photos. He's done a great job. Go here and search Carl Groch.

Welcome Aboard the USNS Mercy

See this ship? Isn't she beautiful? Her name is Mercy, and I called her home for a while. Seriously. I got to take part in Pacific Partnership 2010---a partnership between the US Navy and several NGO's (Non-Governmental Organizations---think charities.) Before she returns home to San Diego, Miss Mercy will have set port in Guam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Jakarta, Timor Leste, Indonesia, and Australia.  It's a humanitarian ship, basically a floating hospital. I was chosen (with about 80 other LDS folks) to represent Latter Day Saint Charities. Among us were all manner of medical people: from anesthesiologist to veterinarian. (My apologies if there were any medical people in the w-x-y-z category.) I left home on June 12th and returned July 1st.

Maybe the photo above will give you a better idea of Mercy's size. See that little, tiny boat in the lower right-hand corner? It's called a band-aid boat, and holds about 40 people. That was our shuttle service from ship to shore---about a 20-minute or so ride. Now, with the band-aid boat in mind, look again at the first photo of Madame Mercy. She's BIG, huh?

Check back for more details and photos of my adventure.