Kevin's Final Update
Here is the long awaited email update. It covers the rest of the ride, so it is a long one…
Day 23 – Bayfield (Rest Day)
Today relaxation was on the agenda. Tamis, Aubrey, Cole and I took a trip to Durango to see the sites and pick up a few items. I purchased a new bike pump to replace the one I broke in Tuba City, AZ. That gave me more confidence on the road. We toured the town and then road up the hill to see Fort Lewis College. The campus had a great view of Durango and nice buildings, but what I thought was most impressive was the soccer field. I would have loved to play there with the mountain backdrop.
Day 24 – Bayfield (Rest Day)
I went to church today with the Brysons. Afterward I rode with Tamis and Cole to Lake Vallicito. The scenery was amazing up there. Along the way, Tamis pointed out forest fire damage from a couple years ago. I really enjoyed the ride through the mountains.
Day 25 – Bayfield to Pagosa Springs
I left for today's ride at 9:00 so it would be a little warmer when I started (around 50 degrees). Halfway through the day, a rider came up next to me. He was training for the Iron Horse race next weekend. The Iron Horse is a 50 mile race from Durango to Silverton where you actually race against a train. It is a tough ride as it goes over 2 - 10,000' passes. We rode together for about 5 miles and then I let him go up the road when I took a break. He told me he would like to bike across the country with his son some day. I thought about how I would like to do the Iron Horse race in the future.
Day 26 – Pagosa Springs to Chama
As a rolled down the hill to downtown Pagosa Springs, I could smell the sulfur in the air from the famous springs. The first part of my ride went through a mountain valley with the snowcapped Rockies to the east. I was glad that I didn't have to climb those mountains today. I looked forward to crossing the continental divide on this monumental day. I had no idea what the elevation would be when I crossed, so I prepped my mind for the worse. It was only 7,285'. I thought it would be a lot higher. That was fine though. I would climb 2 - 10,000' passes on the way out of Chama. That evening, I walked to town for dinner and saw a rider pass with front and rear racks. I followed him into a restaurant and asked how far he was going. He said he was from Aspen and was on a 2 to 3 week ride through the area. We ate dinner together and shared stories from the road.
Day 27 – Chama (Rest Day)
I rode my bike to town to see the shops and the train. The coming weekend would be the start of the train rides from Chama to Antonito (my next destination). The engine was outside being worked on and I took some photos of it.
Day 28 – Chama to Antonito
I started at 9:30 on this big day in the mountains. Chama is at 7,900', so it takes a while to warm up. After I got a few miles out of town, the road turned uphill on the way to Cumbres Pass. I settled in for the long climb that went up right next to the railroad tracks. The climb lasted for 11 miles and I enjoyed a beautiful view to the valley below. There was snow on the summit and some motorcyclists took a photo of me with a snowball. A few more miles and I reached La Manga Pass, the highest point of the ride. I had a quick descent to the Conejos River valley. The Conejos River has to be the most scenic river I have ever seen. The road ran along the river on the way to Antonito and I had a nice tailwind to push me along.
Day 29 – Antonito (Rest Day)
I enjoyed my day off and walked to town to explore and take some photos. The motel I was staying at was right next to the train station, so I watched as the final preparations were made for the first day of the season tomorrow.
Day 30 - Antonito to Taos
I slept in today because I was going to watch the train leave the station at 10:00. The train slowly pulled out of the station with big black plumes of smoke. It thought about how much fun it would be to ride, but realized I had already seen all the scenery up close a couple days ago. I set out on the road to New Mexico. The weather had called for wind, and I felt it today. The crosswind was 20 mph with 40-50 mph gusts. I had to lean my body into the wind to stay upright. I knew if I made it the 25 miles to Tres Piedres, that I would turn east and get a tailwind the rest of the way. I took a long break there and then headed to Taos. Along the way I stopped at Earthship, a sustainable design-builder of homes. A few miles later I crossed the Rio Grande, a beautiful site. I rode into town with all the motorcycles that were there for a Memorial Day weekend ride.
Day 31 – Taos (Rest Day)
I attended church and then walked to the downtown area to see some of the art galleries. The first gallery I went into had great stuff that was all very different. I saw a colored glass platter/bowl from afar and got closer to take a look at it. I must have been mesmerized, because I ended up coming back later and buying it!!! Of course I had it shipped to my sister rather than strapping it to the back of the bike. I told the owner about the ride and she said she would email me to sponsor. Before I left, she gave me $10 and said she wanted me to use that toward dinner. I ate at a place called Xocoatl (with a name like that, I knew it would be good).
Day 32 - Taos to Cimarron
I looked forward to today for two reasons. It was my last day in the mountains and I would get to see Mount Baldy again (from Philmont days). The last mountain pass I would have to climb was 9000.' It was a fast descent down to Angel Fire. I stopped by the Vietnam Memorial there. It was great to be there considering it was Memorial Day. After I took a picture of Mount Baldy from Eagle Nest, I had a 25 mile descent to Cimarron through Cimarron Canyon.
Day 33 - Cimarron (Rest Day)
I biked 8 miles round trip to visit Philmont base camp. On the way through town, I noticed fire trucks at the historic St. James Hotel. I stopped and asked what had happened. There had been a gas explosion. Fortunately no one was injured. I made a point to get a banana-split at the Cimarron Art Gallery. They make the best ever!!!
Day 34 - Cimarron to Clayton
Today was the start to my back-to-back-to-back 100+ mile days. I figured it wouldn't be that bad considering it was flat. Not on this day. There were rolling hills the whole way to Clayton - and they were long rolling hills! I did get to see some elk though. The last 10 miles I picked up the pace to beat the approaching storms. Of course, there was one last big hill on the way into Clayton.
Day 35 - Clayton to Guymon
Today was flat, and that was good for the most part. I had to deal with a strong 10 to a 20-mph crosswind from the South. It was so flat that you could see 10 miles in every direction. The last 63 mile stretch from Boise City to Guymon was a tough one. The last 6 miles were straight into the wind. As I was approaching the motel, I saw some train cars that had been blown over the day before. This would be an indication of the wind to come.
Day 36 - Guymon to Dodge City
This was the longest mileage day of the trip - 121 miles. It was fitting though, because Dodge City marked the halfway point of the trip (not to mention two rest days). I had a tailwind in the beginning of the day which helped me to get in 65 miles by noon. Around 2:00, the wind shifted and I had to deal with a strong crosswind for a number of miles. Fortunately, the last 21 miles were with the wind at my back and I cruised into town at 20 mph.
Day 37 - Dodge City (Rest Day)
I slept in and relaxed this morning. After 3 straight 100+ days, I was tired. I did have to get going in time to mail a package to Sherene by noon (it was Saturday). I sent home my winter weather gear and a few things I wasn't using. Anything to lighten the load would help. I toured some of the "other" sites around Dodge City including a stone house and the renovated train station. At dinner, the waitress asked if I was a writer as I scribbled in my journal. I explained what I was doing and she wished me luck on the ride and the potential book.
Day 38 - Dodge City (Rest Day)
This was the last time I would get to take 2 days off in a row, so I swore to make the most of the day. I walked to church (3 miles roundtrip) and was delighted by the service. The whole service was done by the Vacation Bible School kids - singing and explaining what they learned the previous week. It reminded me of all the years that I attended VBS. After doing laundry, I went to the Boot Hill museum. The highlight was seeing the reenacted gunfight.
Day 39 - Dodge City to Pratt
Right before I went to bed the night before, I noticed tire wear on my rear tire. I thought how stupid of me for not checking the tires while I had the days off, but I would change them in Pratt. In the morning I battled a headwind and then started seeing some trees again which reduced the wind. When I was 9 miles to Pratt, I noticed my rear tire was low. I checked it out and sure enough, I had a slow leak. Since I wasn't far away, I pumped it up every 3 miles and then changed the tube at the motel. Turns out, there wasn't a bike shop in town and I would have to wait till Joplin, MO to replace the tires (almost 300 miles).
Day 40 - Pratt to Wellington
When I checked the weather in the morning, they said it would be windy. I was unsettled by this fact, considering it always is windy in Kansas. Today the winds were directly from the south and were 30-40 mph with 50 mph gusts. My route would take me 26 miles directly into the wind between Kingman and Harper. That was the toughest stretch of the entire trip. I was averaging 7 to 9 mph and it took me 3 ½ hours to complete (typically I could easily do that many miles in 2 hours). Once I completed that, I still had 35 miles to Wellington. It was hot and dry (95 degrees) and I was really glad to make it to the motel that evening.
Day 41 - Wellington to Independence
After 1600 miles of no rain while riding, my luck would end today. It was raining when I woke up, and when I checked the weather it looked like I would have to ride in it for an hour. Wrong! It rained the entire 106 miles!!! I had to press on to finish around 5:00 because I was doing my first newspaper interview. I made it in time and the hot shower that evening never felt better. The reporter took me to a mexican restaurant and took notes while we ate. As was becoming typical after long days, I ate my second dinner at Sonic an hour later.
Day 42 - Independence to Joplin
In the morning before I left, I had a photo shoot for two papers covering the ride. It was fun, but I definitely wasn't used to that. The first 20 miles of the ride were rolling hills through farmland. It reminded me of my rides through IN and OH. 25 miles into the ride it started raining again. It lasted all the way to the MO border with some heavy downpours in between. I was so glad to cross into Missouri. Kansas definitely was the toughest state to cross with the heavy winds and rain (who would have thought). I rode into town and stopped at Jim Gant's house. He couldn't believe that my rear tire still held air (I couldn't either). I had made it on more than a few prayers.
Day 43 - Joplin (Rest Day)
Jim and I had a leisurely day around Joplin. He took me back to the border to get a photo there (it was too wet the day before). We then took our bikes to get serviced. I got new tires and my handlebars re-wrapped. I also purchased Power Gel and a tube. I was given a great discount on everything. From that day forward, I realized that I was somewhat of a celebrity when I would stop into bike shops. It was fun to talk about the ride too. I relaxed and wrote in my journal in the evening.
Day 44 - Joplin to Ozark
I looked forward to this day because Jim was riding with me. At 64, Jim is in great shape and we stayed together the whole day. He is an inspiration to me, because I hope I will be in that kind of shape 30+ years from now. 20 miles in, we had to stop half an hour at a grocery store to let a thunderstorm pass. We were safe, and we didn't get wet! We had to deal with some drivers that didn't want to share the road on the way to Ozark. The last 15 miles were on route 14 which was the start of the Ozark Mountains. I enjoyed the challenge and felt good. We made it to Patty Schilling's house around 5:00. She took Jim and I to the best Chinese buffet ever! Jim and I kept going up for more. Patty was amazed at how much we could eat. We both crashed right after we got home.
Day 45 - Ozark to West Plains
I had an early morning interview before I left town. There was a light sprinkle of rain as I left Ozark, but it quit a few miles outside of town. It was a beautiful Sunday morning with light traffic. Route 14 went up and down as it wound through the hills. A week earlier, my cycling friend Stephen told me how taking a salt packet when cramps started to come on, would relieve them immediately. I stopped at the McDonald's in Ava and got a few. Sure enough, I would use one during the last 7 miles of the ride. When I reached West Plains, I stopped to buy a sewing kit. All the cycling miles were starting to take a toll on the seams of one of my pairs of shorts.
Day 46 - West Plains to Poplar Bluff
I was supposed to stop by the newspaper on my way out of town this morning, but considering I had 100 miles ahead of me (through the Ozarks no less), I thought it best to turn it into a phone interview. I called at 8:00 am and told them I was 15 miles outside of town. I gave a 10 minute phone interview on my break - which consisted of me calling back 3 times because of dropped calls! This day turned out to be a real roller coaster - up and down the whole way. When I started the last 20 miles, the rain began. It only last about a half hour and it felt good to get cooled off after riding through 90 degrees and humidity. I felt really good after completing the 100 miles.
Day 47 - Poplar Bluff (Rest Day)
I felt good when I finished yesterday, not so good this morning. I woke up with a sore throat. I thought it was due to nerves because I was doing a half hour slot on the morning radio show. The show was a lot of fun. As long as I didn't think of all the people listening, it flowed smoothly. I spent the rest of the day journaling, getting photos saved, and relaxing.
Day 48 - Poplar Bluff to Portageville
Today's ride was flat the whole way (a lot different than the roller coaster hills from the previous day). I stopped at Wal-mart heading out of Poplar Bluff to buy Powerbars, and there were around 100 people playing bingo. It was the oddest site! I passed the first BP of the ride and heard southern accents for the first time. I could tell I was getting closer to the finish.
Day 49 - Portageville to Huntingdon
Today I was crossing the mighty Missisippi. I was really excited! I left early because it was going to be a long ride, about 95 miles I estimated. About 2 miles out of town heading toward the river, I was flagged down by a farmer. He asked if I was planning on crossing the river. As it turns out, the ferry didn't run there anymore and I would have gone 26 miles total to the river and back without getting anywhere. I was so thankful that the farmer letting me know that. I had to get onto I-155 to cross the river for a few miles. The bridge approached, and I thought of the milestone that I achieved. Seeing the sign for Tennessee just made me feel so much closer to the end of the ride. A few miles back my rear wheel went out of true and started rubbing the frame. I had to stop and true it myself. Even though I had never tried it before, I fixed it in a couple minutes. The day turned out to be longer than I thought. 109 miles (second longest mileage day).
Day 50 - Huntingdon to Dickson
I was excited as I got up this morning. I was going to be meeting my brother at the motel in Dickson, and then seeing my mom, sister, and niece the next day. My sore throat from the previous day was now a full-blown congestive cold. Just another "element" that I would have to deal with. The day's ride got into the rolling hills of Tennessee. It was fun and challenging. I had another interview for a paper once I got to the motel. Curt arrived around 6:00 and we went to eat together at Ruby Tuesdays. He would be riding the next day with me for part of the ride.
Day 51 - Dickson to Murfreesboro
I made good time in the morning hours and wondered if Curt would be able to join me later. I saw 6 riders on a tour between Fairview and Franklin. They were good to see considering I had only encountered a handful of riders on the rest of the trip. I got a call from Curt that the crew was on the way. It was so good to see mom, Sherene, and Caroline after 7 weeks on the road. We paused for photos and then Curt and I were off for the last 11 miles. The rest of the ride was pretty flat. Odd, because I road over rolling hills the first part of the ride. We relaxed and then went swimming. A lady across the pool noticed my tan lines from across the pool and inquired immediately. We told her about the trip. That evening, we celebrated as a family at Outback.
Day 52 - Murfreesboro (Rest Day)
We went to Advent Lutheran Church and were welcomed by the congregation. Afterwards we relaxed the rest of the day. We went to the park and got some ice cream. It was so nice spending time with the family and it gave me a lift for the rest of the trip.
Day 53 - Murfreesboro to McMinnville
Sherene, Mom, and Caroline followed me for the first 13 miles before heading home. We said our goodbyes and looked forward to seeing each other in South Carolina. The ride went through some rolling hills, but no mountains. I ate at a classic diner for lunch (cheap prices, odd people).
Day 54 - McMinnville to Pikeville
I woke up to rain in the morning, so I waited it out till 10:00. I was able to make some calls and pay bills while waiting. Today was the start of the mountains. I had a tough 3 mile climb to Spencer and then rocketed back down into the valley. The next climb was 2 miles to get onto the Cumberland Plateau. I saw some groups of riders heading down. They shouted encouragement to me. My last stop was at Mount Crest. I had a fast descent down the mountain and caught up with a semi that had passed me a half mile earlier. I stayed at a B&B and had the best night's sleep of the ride.
Day 55 - Pikeville to Athens
I had an excellent breakfast this morning. As I was finishing, it started raining so I decided to wait it out. I had a tough 3 mile climb out of the valley. The pain was lessened by the surreal landscape that was created by the mist I was climbing through. I couldn't see the road ahead or behind. It was amazing! I ended up crossing the Tennessee River for the second time on the trip. After crossing the river, the terrain was flat. After dinner, I did phone interview for the paper in Summerville, SC.
Day 56 - Athens to Robbinsville
Today I found out how tough the Appalacian mountains can be. The first 25 miles were easy as I rode along a mountain valley. Easy, aside from the numerous dogs that came out to greet me! I stopped at Tellico Plains and was warned that the Cherohala Skyway went up for 20 miles. I thought that couldn't be true. As it turned out, it went up for 30 miles!!! The last 10 took everything I had. Fortunately, there was a 15 mile downhill. I stopped at Grace Mountainside Lutheran Church and was picked up by Ernie. I got cleaned up and then we went back for a pitch-in.
Day 57 - Robbinsville (Rest Day)
It rained most of the day, so I'm glad it was a rest day. It was great just to sit around and watch movies. Ernie and Lois were celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary and they included me in the festivities. We went to a mexican restaurant with another couple and had a nice time chatting.
Day 58 - Robbinsville to Highlands
Ernie and I got up and ate breakfast at a diner in Stecoah. He then drove me back over the mountain to the church to begin the ride. It was a 3 mile climb and I took my first break back at the diner an hour later. The climb crossed over the Appalacian Trail. The next part of the ride took me along the beautiful Little Tennessee River valley. There were a lot of curves, climbs and descents. When I arrived in Franklin, I asked about the climb to Highlands. They said it was a long, steady climb the whole way. It turned out to be a 15 mile climb up 3000 feet. Not as bad as the previous day, but tough. The climb went past 4 picturesque waterfalls. They seeemed to take some of the pain away. I arrived in Highlands and took photos around the quaint village.
Day 59 - Highlands (Rest Day)
I relaxed at the motel all day because it was raining. I saw "Passion of the Christ" instead of going to church.
Day 60 - Highlands to Anderson
Today began with a 10 mile descent off the mountain. I passed through 7 miles of Georgia, but was going too fast past the sign to stop and get a photo! When I crossed into South Carolina, I had the feeling that I deserved to be here after all those miles. The last state at last! There were good roads as I entered the state, but then the shoulder disappeared and my panniers were hitting tall grass alongside the road! There were rolling hills the rest of the way to Anderson (it wasn't flat yet).
Day 61 - Anderson to Batesburg/Leesville
I got an early start for my last long day. The roads were flat for the most part. It would be a long gradual descent to the ocean. As the day wore on I had to focus on the long, hot flat stretches (particularly between Greenwood and Saluda). I met a man at the gas station in Saluda that was interested in the trip. I could tell he was thinking about living out his dreams. After checking into the motel, I ate lunch at Big Mama's diner (I definitely was in the South). Great food!
Day 62 - Batesburg/Leesville to Orangeburg
Today I left early to beat the approaching rain. I was meeting up with Mom and John later today and was looking forward to it. I made great time and missed the rain. I even beat them to the motel. In the mean time, I had a photo taken of me for a newspaper article. We went out to lunch at Applebee's and caught up. After lunch I had an interview at the motel. We went to a great mexican restaurant for dinner and topped it off with TCBY.
Day 63 - Orangeburg (Rest Day)
John and I went to the laundromat after breakfast. He stopped out to get coffee and returned with two papers. I was on the front page of the paper!!! It was a great article and photo. Mom was really excited to see and read the article. We bought a number of copies around town. After lunch at a good wings place, I went to the mall to get my haircut. I returned to find my mom talking to a jeweler about the ride. She said she would meet us at the end of the ride at Folly Beach (she did too).
Day 64 - Orangeburg to Summerville
Today was the start of the culmination of the trip. Mom and John followed me out of town. Along the way, a few cars honked and waved (they must have seen the article). The road was flat and I made good time. I ended up averaging 16 mph. I noticed people along the route gearing up for the 4th. One lady said she really liked my patriotic jersey. We ate lunch at a seafood restaurant and mom talked up the ride. We got free dessert out of it. John picked up Curt at the airport afterward. We then got his bike ready for tomorrow and we ate dinner at a BBQ place. I was so excited for tomorrow.
Day 65 - Summerville to Folly Beach
The morning arrived with a beautiful sunrise. We would leave a little later because our day was dictated by the media coverage. There was a lot of traffic heading to Charleston, but the road was scenic and shaded. I passed 3000 miles for the ride as I crossed the Ashley River. The tailwind and adrenaline pushed me onward. Once we crossed onto James Island, we waited for Sherene, Jason, and Caroline to arrive. We were early, so the stop lasted about 45 minutes. As soon as Curt and I started the last 8 miles to the beach, the NBC news crew started taking footage as we rode along. It was entertaining watching them try to get the shots. They almost caused a few accidents! As we made the last turn for the ocean, my emotions started to overwhelm me. When I saw my family at the end of the road clapping, the tears flowed. I couldn't believe I had done it! Everyone followed me down to the water. I said a prayer by myself at the water and then my family said a prayer together surrounding my bike. I then grabbed my bike and hoisted it triumphantly over my head. My sister presented me with a yellow jersey which represented the completion of the ride. I then jumped into the ocean and went for a swim. The camera crews were waiting and my brother and I started our interviews. After NBC and FOX, I was interviewed by the Charleston newspaper. The whole day was so overwhelming. It was hard to believe what I had just accomplished. The rest of the day was spent celebrating with my family. Most appropriate, because we had accomplished this together.
Well that's it until the book comes out. I'll get into more detail and tell about all the other stories from the road. Now go out there and live out your dreams. I'd love to hear your stories...
-Kevin
kjstour@aol.com
www.kjstour.com
Kevin Singh on 09.07.04 @ 09:40 AM CST [link]
