Day 32: Aug 12 - Sloberts and our new friends feed us like we were kings

Though I slept on the typical pull-out sleeper sofa last night, it was probably my best night of sleep on this trip. When I laid down, I got about 4.5 seconds of reading in before I was out. So waking up was a treat as I was actually well rested and lively. Breakfast was delicious...bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs...maybe some toast even. We got a late start, about 11, as we just moped around our new home with Liz and Rod (and Fudge of course). But the road beckoned, so we finally got all our junk together on our bikes, took our family picture (see above!), and hit that old dusty trail. It was a little overcast and we had a long day ahead of us. Our buddy (one of my best friends from UMD) is attending the University of Florida in Gainesville for graduate work in aerospace engineering (he's doing some research with flying velociraptors or T-rexes or something...). And he's actually applying for his PhD-ship this fall, so wish him luck! Anywho, Brob, as we call him, decided that if we were going to be biking through his area then he might as well join us for a little ride. Bear with me here as I work out the progression of the day.

We were originally supposed to be spending the night in Flagler Beach, but unfortunately the closest Fire Department was about 9 miles down A1A in a little town called Ormond By the Sea. So we called ahead to the Fire Department and who answers but Manny, a sweet girl with a bubbly voice. She puts me in touch with Phil, the chief, and apparently he's already heard about us. This stuns me because how in the world could he already know what we're about? I just assume there's two other guys who are biking the same route and we're just filching off of their fame...which I have no problem with. So he says to come on in and they would gladly take care of us for the evening. Yada yada yada, we contact Brob and he plans to park near the station and ride up to meet us in Crescent Beach on his sweet Giant racing bike. Little did he know there would be unfavorable weather. Ha, sucker.

So before I get to the awesome weather that accosted us for most of our ride, let me tell you about a little bridge called the Nassau Sound Bridge. This unimposing, 0.9 mile bridge presents you with the opportunity to lazily cruise over the Nassau Sound, 360 degree vantage points surround giving great views of the ocean, beach, and island...ALONG WITH 30 MPH HEADWINDS THAT SLAM INTO YOU FOR THE LENGTH OF THE BRIDGE!!! With the winds and the slight uphill because of the bridge, this traverse rivaled some of our worst hills in New England (if it had only been longer...). All we could do was laugh hysterically as we churned our way over this behemoth. There wasn't even any respite on the downhill, because you actually had to PEDAL down the hill. So that was the first piece of awesomeness in a day full of miserable weather.

Apparently in Florida, "rain showers between 3 and 4 pm" actually means "relentless downpour from 2 to 7 pm". We were able to wait out the first portion of the storm under the porch of a gas station in the middle of nowhere, but the rain was just not stopping and we had places to be so we buckled down and moved out. The ride was pretty miserable; everything we owned was soaked (Esmith's brand new phone...the one he just got during the stop in MD because his last phone died due to water damage...yep, it got water damage again). Luckily all my electronics were well protected with Ziploc Bags (did you know that "These food storage containers lock tightly so your foods stay fresh and your items remain protected."?...I'm shamelessly plugging products here hoping for donations from their respective companies). So we rode on and on, and the rain kept falling...into our bags and shoes and eyes. Cars were dowsing us with wonderfully clean road water and at one point we came over a bridge and confronted a 4 inch deep puddle the ran the width of the road and stretched about 50 yards ahead of us. There was no going around it so we had to just ford the damn thing. Since both my fenders were removed during the course of the trip, my tires took the liberty of dumping any water they picked up right into the heels of my shoes. Oh joy!

So we rode and rode and rode and finally met up with Brob 32 miles from our destination (Brob is a sadomasochist when it comes to working out and being active, so riding the 64 miles that day in the rain was not as awful for him as I would have liked it to have been). The ride from there on out was great. We kept up a decent pace and it was relieving to have someone else to talk to (when you're on the road with the same person for a month, you unavoidably run out of topics of conversation). So the ride went smoothly and quickly with the rain lightening up later in the day (though never stopping).

When we finally got the fire department, it was about 7:30 pm and Phil came running out "Your food's getting cold! Get in here and eat!". Apparently the guys and girls at the department had cooked us a HUGE meal for our arrival (these people were great). We got showered up, Brob started cooking his delicious chicken, vegetables, and pasta meal, and we realized that everyone at the station was pretty much the nicest person ever. I don't know if I've ever met a group of friendlier, nicer, more welcoming people in my life. We had a lot of fun hanging out and chit chatting and also found out that someone, a mystery friend who may or may not be a fire chief from one of our previous Station sleepovers, had sent an e-mail to all the fire chiefs that he knew down the coast of Florida letting them know about our trip and that we may be coming through and needing help (sorry about the long sentence). So they were well aware of our adventure and astounded us with their capacity for assistance. There was Phil, the chief (runs triathlons and does all kinds of crazy physical activity), Manny (the sweet one who I talked to on the phone and was all smiles), Mike (never saw him without his hat on or a smile off his face...he was also a big fan of the olympics), Jodie (he showed us all around the trucks and let us play with all the gear...then showed us all the tracheotomy equipment and the drill to put IV's into people's shin bones), Courtney (Jodie's exuberant girlfriend who is a beach lifeguard and a cheerleader at UF...I believe), Mary (the mother of the department...such a sweet gal), and Joe (I didn't get a lot of interaction with Joe, but from what I saw, I imagine he was the jokester of the group).

So the day ended very well; we got to meet a bunch of new friends and meet up with an old one. We were able to watch the men's 4x200 free relay race (and I use race lightly) and got some good sleep. It was a 96 mile day, but that just meant the next few would be a little bit shorter!

Special thanks to the Ormond By the Sea FD; you guys were awesome hosts and went above and beyond what was necessary for two ragtag ruffians like ourselves. Thank you.

Day 31: Aug 11 - The Coast Is In Our Sights Again!!

The miles were short today and the day went by pretty quickly. At least towards the end, because the beginning was spent with Esmith trying not to die on his bike. Apparently the food/water poisoning was still in his system and he was something to see as he biked. I've tried to ride like he did when I'm tired, but just can't do it. He was basically slumped over his front pack, hands hanging over the front and his chin resting on his arms, just slugging along at a speed that was just below the one that would make him puke. As the day went on he got better though so the riding was much smoother. I unfortunately felt really good on the bike this day, so at one point I just rode ahead for about 25 minutes going 20 mph...which never happens so it was a REALLY good day for me. We met back up at a convenience store and made the last slog to our place of residence for the night in Fernandina Beach in a gorgeous neighborhood.

The family we stayed with is related to us in this way: Emsith's mom is a substitute teacher with a woman whose husband went to the Coast Guard Academy and is best friends with a Coast Guard buddy Rod...who is the father of the family we stayed with. So we spent the evening with Rod, Ashley, Liz, Maddie (Ashley's unbelievably adorable 2 year old daughter) and Fudge, the dog. The whole family was so easy to get along with and we had a blast. Liz had just graduated college the year before so we had some stuff to chat about, what with the dilemma of careers and moving on in the world as adults (bleh!). Liz, Esmith, and I ended up going to see Pineapple Express which although it dragged on at the end, was incredibly funny. I almost peed myself during the scene when kicks through the windshield of the cop car. Bedtime.

Day 30: Aug 10 - High Schoolers Rock

Today started out very foggy, with our tent (we had set it up the night before for the illusion of us sleeping in it) soaked from the dew and our shoes and bikes covered in sand as we pedaled out of the campsite on the sandy road. I got some good shots of some horses as we pedaled through the country and the day went by relatively quickly. For lunch we stopped in Atkinson GA next to a church (the Church of God of Prophecy) and I decided to head in and see if they would offer us a table inside out of the heat to eat at. It was Sunday, so they were in service, but before I knew it, we were at a table with our food plus tons and tons of food that they were offering us as well. They were more than helpful and let us stay for quite some time. We ended up talking with the Pastor and one of the parishioners (I can't for the life of me remember their names and I think I lost the paper where I wrote it down). The pastor is in our photo gallery though!

After lunch we kept riding and came across a bridge over the Satilla River. This was the bridge we had been waiting for, too. All this trip, we've been keeping our eyes open for a bridge or cliff or something to jump off of and finally we got the perfect one. We rode down under the bridge where there was a boat ramp and several families and groups of friends hanging out on the water on the gorgeous afternoon. I asked a lady if the water was deep enough to jump off the bridge, to which she responded: "Well, I don't know how deep it is, but people jump off it all the time." Good enough for me. We got changed into our suits and a fisherman actually found the deepest part of the water for us with his depth finder. The jump was exhilarating and we finally got our leaps!! The pictures are great and will be in the photo gallery soon. While we dried off, some guys our age gave us some soda and hung out chatting with us before they sped off in their boats and jet skis for a day on the water.

So we finally arrived in Folkston, GA at about 6 pm. I had tried calling the Fire Department earlier in the day but to no avail. When we arrived in town, we stopped a lady coming out of a Rite Aid and asked her where the fire station was; directions ensued and we found that the station was volunteer only and wasn't actually occupied. So great. We didn't want to ride ahead to the campsite which we found out wasn't actually even open, so now we had no place to sleep. We asked a guy about the police station, but he said that probably wouldn't work and suggested we just sleep on the Amtrak station platform (that sounds great!). That seemed like our only option, so we went to a deli/seafood place for dinner (didn't want to cook) while night time approached. Esmith and I were feeling a little sick because I think we got our hands on some bad water at some point in day, so dinner was a little slow; though Esmith was definitely more under the weather than I. We were trying to decide what we wanted to do about sleeping when I finally decided that to just buckle under and ask the high schooler behind the counter. When we had ordered, he was pretty interested in what we were doing and seemed legitimately excited about what we were doing, so I figured why the hell not ask him? It went something like this:
ME: "Hey, what's up I'm Evan. This is gonna come across as weird, but do you live around here?"
JUSTIN: "Uh, yeah, why?"
ME: "We don't have a place to stay tonight and we were wondering if we could crash at your place...even just camp in your backyard."
JUSTIN: "Ha, no problem. Let me call my grandmother and see if it's ok."
*goes into kitchen and calls grandmother...a few minutes pass*
JUSTIN: "Hey, my grandmother wants to know if you happened to ask an older lady this afternoon where the fire station was." *I say so* "Yeah, that was her. She says it's cool."
BOOYAH!!! We hung around the deli while Justin finished up working...drank about a gallon of sweet tea so he would have less to carry into the back...and followed him home on our bikes. His grandparents, Ellen and Dean, were great. Dean was retired from the military (he'd been all over) and Ellen worked as a correctional officer at the State Pen right outside of town. Her shift was 5pm to 5 am the next day, so they were wide awake when we rolled in. We chatted it up, exchanging the normal descriptions of our journey and finding out everything about each other. Justin is a senior in high school and will be attending college for classical guitar (he's pretty good). We got to watch the Olympics and saw the men's 4x100 free race. Oh. My. God. I have never been more excited about a sporting event in my life. That was by far the best race I've ever seen; up on my seat, practically standing on the recliner, watching Lezak make the most incredible comeback ever. We were all screaming and yelling and it was absolutely ridiculous. I was jacked up on energy for the next few hours. Esmith got the fold out futon and I got the floor (still infinitely more comfortable than being in a tent on my pad...actually one of the better night's of sleep I've gotten on the trip). We exited quietly in the morning because Ellen needed her sleep with her flipped schedule.

Day 29: Aug 9 - Odum, GA...Odamnit there’s no fire station

Today was an interesting one. We finally got a break from the boring flatlands as some small rolling hills got thrown into the mix. We broke 2K miles and boy was it hot. It was just too hot to eat outside so we ended up taking our lunch materials into a Dairy Queen and just making our PB&J's in there. It was a little awkward, but again we've developed the ability to feel no shame on this trip. The interesting part of today was arriving in Odum at the campsite. It was cheap, only $10, so we were very happy about that, but again it's crazy hot outside, the ants are EVERYWHERE and they fill everything you own, and it looks like it might possibly rain. Drat. But wait, what's this? KC's Clubhouse? What is that? Apparently, this campsite has a little building that a main room, kitchen, and two screened in porches that they let the local 4H Club use. Well, no one was using it, so we decided we just may sleep in there tonight. Though the porch was just as hot as our tent might be, there were ceiling fans all around. Unfortunately the lights for the whole place were also on the same switch as the fans, so the place was lit up like the fourth of July if the fans were on. Now, not that we were doing anything wrong or anyone might be mad that we were sleeping on our pads on the porch, we just didn't want to deal with any complications. So we went around the building unscrewing all the lights so we could have a good night's sleep without any interruptions.

Backtrack. We got to take showers and the bathrooms are full of geckos and green tree frogs. These guys can stick to pretty much anything and we had a great time playing with them and watching them leap onto the walls, mirrors, ceiling, and us. Esmith spent 10 minutes trying to catch the gecko until it finally just leapt onto his back and then just crawled around on him for awhile. Outside, the frogs and toads were just as plentiful, and Esmith spent some time taking pictures and watching the frogs swim around in an old empty pool that had rain water in it.

Day 28: Aug 8 - Georgia, Here We Come

Today was a long one...101 miles. But it was actually a pretty good ride with some good stuff to see so there weren't too many complaints.

Esmith got a snake along one of the highways; some red guy with white stripes...real snake handler style, too. Upon realizing that perhaps it might have been poisonous, he returned it to the high grass and we moved on (pics in the gallery soon enough).

The areas we hit were getting pretty Southern, with the broken down cars in the yards and guns in the gun racks (in the trucks). Sean (the cyclist we camped with a week or two prior) had warned us it was "Deliverance Country" down here and hot damn, was it so. Just after crossing the Georgian border, we found ourselves idling (yeah...bicycles idle) that everyone had warned us about, Reedsville Rd./DR 82. It was just pure sand and Emitt, who I had called earlier in the day (the guy who drove Sean across the sandy road), had said that we should ride around the road, adding about 5 extra miles but avoiding the impassable connection. Upon approaching the road, Esmith and I intelligently decided that we could, in fact, ford this sandy villain. It had rained the night before, so the sand was decently compacted and somewhat ridable. Though we had some hairy spots where our back wheels got a little squirrelly, nobody bit it and we were able to make it. Go Team E-squared!!

The rest of the day was just spent riding, riding, riding and I actually was able to make a bunch of phone calls to college friends by putting my cell on speaker phone and laying in the nest of my front pack. It's a good way to cruise along those straight, flat roads killing miles without actually realizing it. When we got to Statesboro, we headed to a bike shop that had stayed open a little longer for us because we really needed some supplies. Both my toe clips no longer worked unless I cocked my heels out to the side (very uncomfortable riding position) and Esmith needed a tube before we got screwed on the next bad flat tire. I had called ahead to the bike shop to see if they carried my cleats (google text rules!) and finally a bike shop between Maryland and here had them! After the bike shop, we rode down to the Fire Station that I had called earlier (once again, google text rules!). They agreed to put us up which was much appreciated. We didn't get any pictures with the fire fighters, most of whom pretty much kept to themselves, but there were Tommy and Ezette who were nice (they let us know that teh other guys weren't rude, they just don't really talk to anybody). I also talked to a guy named Weston the next morning who was nice as well, but no pictures.

We got a rotisserie chicken along with salad and other goodies at the store and had an awesome dinner while we got to watch the opening ceremonies for the Olympics! We were both worried that weren't going to get to see any of the Olympics while we were on this trip but our chances are improving. We had a good night's sleep in the training room on our pads after a late night watching the TV.

Day 27: Aug 7 - Thank god for nice people

Overnight a cur got into some of our groceries and they were strewn all over the field when we woke up the next morning. He ate an entire loaf of bread for god sakes! At least it was an early start because we had a long day ahead of us to catch up on the miles we lost yesterday.

We ended up doing 92 miles today...and although it was as hot as it was yesterday (there was a 105 degree heat index), it was much more humid so pretty much worse for riding. The foliage is starting to get interesting with lots of Spanish moss on all the trees and...oh, what's this? The soil is actually pretty much sand...and what's this??! There's ants on every square inch?! OH JOY!! Everything you own (including your body) gets pretty much swarmed if you leave it one space long enough. So that's nice.

I ended up calling the Walterboro Fire Department to see if they would put us up for the night...just a cool place to sleep with a roof over our heads. Eventually, after several calls and transfers, Fire Chief Barry hooked us up with the Colleton County Fire & Rescue just outside of Walterboro...thank god we wouldn't have to sweat all night in our tent.

On the way to Statesboro, SC we met a guy named Dan who was on his afternoon bike ride and he gave us his address just up the ride so that we could stop by for some cold drinks and a break in some AC. Dan was originally from Northern England, near Yorkshire, and he lived with his wife Sharon (who I believe is a coordinator for the Special Olympics...maybe). We got a nice break at the house and as a storm started rolling in we headed out for the last 8 miles to the Fire & Rescue center. The wind and some rain came in and often I would swerve to the center line of the road as I heard branches creaking and cracking overhead. Luckily no large branches crushed either of us and we arrived at the fire station in one piece.

The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with the fire fighters: Scotty, Duane, Ashley, and John. We heard plenty of crazy stories, from guys getting tazered on calls to getting shot at by the locals with their shotguns as they were putting out a fire. Crazies left and right in the county were well known amongst both the veterans and new guys, with plenty of stories to be told about their crazy antics. This was podunk country and these guys readily admitted it. I think Scotty's quote of "See if anybody in your hometown ever had their girlfriend's dad arrested for trying to shoot them" pretty much sums that up.

The guys were great to hang out with and we also got beds...BEDS I TELL YOU!!!...so the sleep was great.

Day 26: Aug 6 - Rough Riders

Wow, today was a late start. And the festivities of the night before left us a little worse for wear than we would have liked...well, I was downright useless. We ended up not getting on the road until about 1:30 pm, leaving us with a rough set of miles ahead of us. Nothing really happened, but it was just ridiculously hot and ridiculously not fun to be on a bike in our current states. That's the price we pay for having fun (good thing we're young and can afford it). That night was spent camping outside the volunteer fire hall in Andrews, NC. I say camping and not sleeping because sleep was pretty much avoiding us that night. It was probably about 93 all night...miserable.

Day 25: Aug 5 - Chillaxin’ in Myrtle

Most of this day was spent catching up with blogs and relaxing by the pool at Katie's work. A little beach action with some waves, then more icy beach drinks of pina colada, lava flow, mango something or other, and exploding coconut disaster (the names are a little fuzzy) and food. That night we hung out with Katie's friends at a party at her boyfriend's house...which, by the way, had the most legit beach private residence volleyball court I've had the pleasure of playing on. Food, beverages, and conversations ensued, mostly us repeating to new people (lots of new people) why in the world we were doing this trip and HOW in the world we were managing it. A good night overall...though bed time was a little later then we might have liked...

Intermission & Apologies

Alright, so I know all of you are feeling SERIOUSLY deprived of up-to-date information of our journey (Jaidip, your late night messages of anguish as you rest your quivering chin on your window sill, staring at the starry night through watery eyes, tear stains streaking your cheeks, wishing that just a word or two would grace the Ride for Rescue page to quench your thirst for adventurous stories...those calls have not fallen on deaf ears). Unfortunately, they will be a little longer coming. We've just been meeting a lot of fun people lately and I haven't been able to tear myself away from their company when in the vicinity of a computer. Libraries are out, too, as we've been riding some pretty long days as of late. I can give you a brief synopsis of the biggest events, though. So here goes:

I last left off at our arrival in Conway, SC to stay with my cousin, Katie. I will pick up there:
Day 25: Aug 5 - Most of this day was spent catching up with blogs and relaxing by the pool at Katie's work. A little beach action with some waves, then more icy beach drinks of pina colada, lava flow, mango something or other, and exploding coconut disaster (the names are a little fuzzy) and food. That night we hung out with Katie's friends at a party at her boyfriend's house...which, by the way, had the most legit beach private residence volleyball court I've had the pleasure of playing on. Food, beverages, and conversations ensued, mostly us repeating to new people (lots of new people) why in the world we were doing this trip and HOW in the world we were managing it. A good night overall...though bed time was a little later then we might have liked...
Day 26: Aug 6 - Wow, today was a late start. And the festivities of the night before left us a little worse for wear than we would have liked...well, I was downright useless. We ended up not getting on the road until about 1:30 pm, leaving us with a rough set of miles ahead of us. Nothing really happened, but it was just ridiculously hot and ridiculously not fun to be on a bike in our current states. That's the price we pay for having fun (good thing we're young and can afford it). That night was spent camping outside the volunteer fire hall in Andrews, NC. I say camping and not sleeping because sleep was pretty much avoiding us that night. It was probably about 93 all night...miserable.
Day 27: Aug 7 - Uggggghhh. Too little time to do this! I'll catch up later. Here's the highlights from the last 6 days:

Staying at firehalls. Very friendly and helpful people.
Jumping off bridges. Very high and luckily pretty wet down below.
Asking a random high schooler at a restaurant if we could sleep at his house rather on the Amtrak platform...success. I have no shame anymore and will ask anyone pretty much anything if it will make my night more comfortable.
We broke 2000 miles...we rule.
Eating PB&J inside a DQ...quizzical looks from the staff and customers.
Seeing Pineapple Express at the theatre with Liz. There is life off the bikes!
Staying at a firehall that apparently knew we were coming without us letting them know...creepy.

So real blogs will come, but probably not until after Key West...just too much fun to be had.
Evan out.

Day 24: 8/4 - Conway here we come!!

Weather: hot
Day: short
Afternoon: awesome

So today was a really fast day with a nice stopover at a stream with some swimming and peanut butter and orange marmalade sandwiches (jelly was getting old).
We got to my cousin's incredible apartment at about 2 pm, showered up, did some laundry, and then drove out to meet her at her work (apparently the Saab 93 turbo is mine for the next day...going from a bicycle to a car born from jets was a nice little change). We gathered great sorority sunglasses from the apartment and headed over to the Beach Country Club where Katie works. Not having ever met each other before, it was interesting to trying to find her but we did and the rest of the day was so relaxing and incredibly fun. We got drinks and food on the house at the amazing beach resort (where we will spending the day tomorrow, unfortunately!) while we chatted it up with Katie and her room mate Kristen (both fun, talkative, and very pretty). It was so nice to just relax and we eventually headed out to a Mexican restaurant for some enchiladas and margaritas. Just a great relaxing evening with new family members!

Day 26: 8/3 - Shalom to a Century to Shalotte

There are only a few things you need to know about today. We woke up to the tent mesh covered in mosquitoes just waiting for us to leave so they could swarm us and steal our blood. It made us a little hesitant to finally get up. Then came another ferry ride with more entertaining southerners, Harley guys interested in our trip, and ferry attendant who used to be a cop in good old Montgomery County, MD. Then came an alligator in a ditch and 100 miles of biking to our campsite. It's interesting because your legs don't get tired from biking 100 miles, your body just gets irritated that you've been on a bike for 8.5 hours!!

When we finally got to camp, there was coincidentally a guy biking from Key West, FL to NY who was staying there that night as well, Sean. We ate dinner together and chatted it up until sundown. It was great to have someone to talk to that knew what we were going through and we didn't have to explain the whole biking process or motivation behind the adventure. We just shared stories and tips (he'd done the pacific coast, Vietnam, Morocco, and now this trip, so he had some experience). He graduated from Duke (boo!) in '04 with a degree in Botany and he teaches so he always has 3 months every summer that he uses to complete a tour. He also gave us the number of an interesting character in Georgia who would gladly drive us over this five mile section of road that's nothing but sand (for those of you who don't know, you can NOT bike over sand in road bikes...simply impossible). So that was a great warning. Dinner was salmon helper with gnats (they were ridiculous) and we got to sleep in a little because the next day was going to be a short one. And we would get to meet my new cousin, Katie!

Day 25: 8/2 - Camp LeJeune=Can’t LeJuIn

Today started with great weather and sleeping in (until 7!!). And also one of those southern kids riding around on his bike with his leg stuck through a cereal box. God they were fun to watch.

Nothing worth talking about occurred until we hit Camp LeJeune Marine Corps Base. Our maps showed us taking Route 172 through the base, which is fine because we met a guy in the grocery store the day before who actually worked on the base and said it would be a good ride. So we figured no issues. Then we arrive at the gate, the Marine asked for our ID's...we hand them over and he repeats, "No, your DOD ID's". Well, I'm not exactly privy to this scheme of things...but I guess I should have brought mine with me. And Esmith as well. And that was pretty much that, no ands, ifs, or buts. There was no way we were going to talk our way onto a military base (though I wish I would have tried...the M16 in the guy's hands was a deterrent, though). So we pulled our bikes off to the side and made some phone calls trying to figure out what we were going to do. I was looking around and saw a sign that said, "Civilian Access Denied Due To Forced Protection Condition Alpha", which is pretty much self-explanatory. Good old Forced Protection Condition Alpha.
About the time we were realizing there was an addendum to our maps we should have read which stated this exact problem (and a solution of riding AROUND the base, adding an extra 20 miles to the day), a DOD contractor and his wife pulled out of the base (being fellow bike riders, they were stopping to see if we needed any help). They gave us some advice which consisted of going down to the gas station 3 miles down the road and watching for trucks with the Active Duty Marine sticker on them, then asking if they would take us through the base. I was all for this idea because that would just be awesome. So we said our goodbyes and headed toward the gas station, trying to stop trucks coming in the opposite direction along the way. We must have looked ridiculous because no one seemed to care.
We ate lunch at the gas station and after about 2.5 hours of asking people, we decided it was time to give up and take the reroute (it was supposed to be a really short day to begin with, so it wouldn't have been too bad, but out of principle, I refused to give in). Just as we were about to leave, I approached a guy in his truck who had the sticker, gave him the sob story, and after a few seconds of considering it, he said was heading pretty much to the other end of the base anyway, so we could throw our bikes in the back and he'd take us through. His name was Zack and he'd been in the Marines for about 5 years. We traded some stories as we rode through the base (had we had to bike this thing, it would have been so boring) and he dropped us off a couple miles from base. Great guy and really saved our asses (literally).

We made it to camp pretty early, so we set up, met our neighbors from Jacksonville, NC who hooked us up with some folding camp chairs (so nice to sit on something not a bike seat or a picnic table), and then we rode to the beach and relaxed in the waves for a bit. Got dinner, rode back, and cooked up some hunter's stew (old family favorite of ground beef and alphabet vegetable soup) and other goodies. The ants we disturbed while cooking attacked my feet and the mosquitoes got a little too frisky as well. Our neighbors had left for the evening for a Shrimp festival or something, but they said we could use whatever was outside the camper as if it was ours, so we relaxed in our Dale Earnhardt chairs outside the camper with our crap scattered on the table having a Busch Lite. God it's easy to be Southern.

Another super hot night. Hooray.

Day 24: 8/1 - Drowning bikes and crazy whites

Today was fairly uneventful, just the normal riding and pedaling, watching the scenery fly by at 14 mph. The real fun part was when we got to camp at Cedar Point Campground in Croatan National Forest. It was one of the nicer campgrounds (and cheaper!) we've stayed in, with nice showers and amenities. The best part were the southern families that were there as well. Very entertaining. We rode down to the river and took a dip while we just listened to this family of about 7 kids yelling and gallavanting around. One child rode his bike out onto the dock, rest it against the fence, and loudly stated "I hope nobody drowns my bike!" (insert strong southern accent). Just the absurdity of the comment along with situation at hand made Esmith and I lost it. Next came the little girl who fell into the muck and got covered in mud, as her friends ran away screaming in disgust... "I could use a little assistance getting this crud off of my leg!!" Then the boy with the ultra flat tire, asking if he could ride on it as he rode in circles, the tire issuing the squealing noise of rubber losing its strength. Apparently the parents didn't seem to mind, because the circle riding continued.

In the water, shrimp would jump out at acute angles, then continue to skip for a few hops before they resubmerged. The interesting part was how the shrimp would collide us often...we'd be conversation and a shrimp would smack us in the chest, or back, or side of the face. Crazy wildlife down here.
Another ungodly hot night with vicious mosquitoes. Awesome!

Day 23: 7/31 - Ferries, ferries, ferries!!

It was very early start today because we had to make sure we hit Ocracoke by 4:30 pm to get the ferry to the mainland. Here were the highlights of the day:

35 miles straight into the wind. Hooray!
At our first stop of the day, we pulled off the side of the road and drug our bikes through the sand into some shade. Then the hilarity began. Apparently there were these cacti that blend in with the sand grass, but have 1 inch spikes and sit only a few inches off the ground. Now, our biking shoes have one hole the size of a penny in the bottom, and these cacti just happened to find their way into Esmith's shoe. We hadn't seen these cacti yet, so we had no clue what was going one when Esmith starting hopping around on the other foot yelling. The cacti were everywhere, in our tires, on our bags, stuck to our shoes. No matter where you went, they were there. For some reason, Esmith was the only one that they were attacking, which was hilarious for me, just watching him step back and forth, getting more and more of them stuck in him. Great entertainment.

Next came the first ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke, a 40 minute ride on which we met Randy and Gayle from Fairport NY. They had been staying in Avon in the OBX and were irritated that they had only just met us because they had had a huge party the night before with tons of food and would have put us up for the night. Oh well...the rainy, hot tent was comfortable enough. They were very nice, continuing our streak of meeting nice Americans on the trip, and offered us ice cold gatorades...which we accepted of course.

Next came more riding with a stop in Ocracoke just before the ferry to pick up some dinner and snacks for the 2 hour and 15 minute ferry ride ahead (sandwiches, lifesaver gummies, chips, chips ahoy super soft and chewy, etc). The ferry ride was a great break and we got some nap time, charged the cell phones, and read some. We also met Glenn and Courteney from Smyrna, I believe, who chatted with us at length about the trip and biking in general. They also hooked us up with some Bounce drier sheets, because apparently they work as an excellent bug repellent.

The day ended with the arrival at Cedar Island where our campsite was literally 100 feet from the exit of the ferry. A storm was rolling in, but we were stilll hungry so we braved the weather and rode into town to grab some rice and cheese. The night was interesting, with crazy mosquitoes attacking from all angles, and the water at the site tasted like liquified hard boiled eggs (very sulfur-y). Sleep was pretty much nonexistent as we had another rainy night with another sauna in the tent. Better days were approaching, though!

Day 22: 7/30 - The Outer Banks will own you if you’re on a bike

Here's the gist of the Outer Banks:

If you are on a bike and you are going South, you simply just shouldn't do that. 15 mph headwinds made the what should have been relaxing and beautiful ride along the coast a virtual 61 mile uphill ride. The winds never waiver, never giving you reprieve. Just thigh-burning, non-stop pedaling with your body contorted into the most aerodynamic position possible while still maintaining balance and bloodflow. Drafting was essential between the two of us, but we still were only able to maintain an average speed of just under 12 mph while heading into the wind.

Fun things did happen, though, I will not lie. We shared a pint of Ben and Jerry's chocolate chip cookie dough during a break, which went down fast and was not nearly as filling as it would have been a month ago. Then came the sand dunes at Jockey's Ridge State Park. The two of us pretty much became kids again at the sight of the dunes. We locked our bikes up at the fence and half ran, half walked up to the top (our legs don't really work that well for walking and running any more...I feel like a goon every time I try to do a jog or greater). The views were great and the sand was soft...soft enough to leap off of the steep hills at full speed! The pictures are awesome, so make sure you check them out (keeping the sand out of my camera was priority number one). After all the fun, it dawned on us that we were covered from head to toe with sand, which when mixed with bicycling does not exactly make a great combination. Luckily, we found a hotel with sprinklers watering the nice, green grass, so we helped ourselves to some showers in the water spray. Being a bike on a trip such as this, we've started ignoring the normal taboos of society, such as signs that say "KEEP OFF THE GRASS!!".

The campsite was windy, hot (even with the 20 mph winds), and filled with high class citizens (sarcasm!) at the Bodie Island Lighthouse State Park. Dinner of hamburger helper and mashed potatoes was delicious, but sleeping became an issue. This was by far the worst night of sleep yet. A storm rolled in, so the rain fly had to be put up. And here was the sequence of events that followed:
Rain comes in, fly goes up. Tent becomes a sauna, Esmith and I sweat to death. Rain stops, fly comes off. Tent cools down ever so slightly. The super fine sand blows through the tent mesh, coating our sweaty skin with comfortable grittiness. Rain starts again, fly goes up, repeat aforementioned process. This went on all night until finally when it started to rain again at one point, Esmith and I looked at each other and said "screw it" and just slept in the rain, because at least we could sleep in the rain.

Day 22: 7/29 - The Outer Banks are in our sights!!

The destination for today was Currituck, NC which is just before the entry to the Outer Banks. Originally our plan was not to bike the Outer Banks, but we've got the time and figured why not take a nice ride down the outer coast. The day was really hot with long...straight...roads...that went on...forever. Luckily, the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was to our left while we rode. I swear, it's a little bit more interesting than its name implies. Blue herons and white egrets had roosts all throughout the swamp as we rode by and we were able to snap a few shots. I ended up riding most of the day without a shirt because it was boiling hot. After a point, a shirt that's saturated with sweat really isn't doing any good because the evaporation can't keep up with how much sweat you're putting into it. When you can wring out a cup or two of liquid from your shirt with little effort, it's time to just give it up. Unfortunately, even with several reapplications of sunscreen, my back was a little burnt by the end of the day.

Just a few miles before we hit camp, we stopped out "Powell's Packing Shed", a farm "stand" that is packed with fruits and candy. We helped ourselves to peaches, strawberries, and some soda (cream for Esmith and peach for me). There were two teenagers tending to stand, TJ and Erica. TJ was a high schooler who plans on enlisting in the military when he finishes high school and Erica was a recent high school graduate who will be attending UNC Wilmington in the fall and majoring in chemistry with a minor in math (good luck having fun in college, Erica!). They let us cool off in the deep freeze walk in freezer, which was amazing and probably 80 or so degrees cooler than the day itself.

Camp was between Currituck and Maple NC right on the North Landing River, so we took a dip before dinner, which resulted in the discovery of clams! We collected two dozen or so and decided we would supplement our already purchased dinner with some steamed clams (we made sure from the camp owner that they were safe to consume). Just as dinner was finished being cooked, a huge storm rolled in and we ended up spending the next hour or so eating and reading in the tent. So much fun!! But the storm let up after a little while, leaving us with a little day light to use for more swimming and showering. It was another long day of 80 miles, totaling 251 miles over the last two days. To make the point bluntly, our butts were sore.

Day 21: 7/28 - Our first day of boring straightaways

Today began with an excellent breakfast made by Polly with all the fixings. The last couple days had definitely spoiled us, what with the beds, real meals at night and morning, and general luxuries that come with living not in a tent. The day was a LONG day of flat roads with small hills, our first taste of the South's unbelievably flat and expansive landscape. Nothing extraordinary happened during the day (it doesn't help that this was a week ago as I'm writing this and everything beyond yesterday has just blurred together into a mixing pot of road signs, my legs rotating those pedals incessantly, and jamming whatever edible items I can find into my mouth).

Upon approaching our destination, we realized that we had not found any markets or grocery stores...most of those listed on our maps had been closed or moved apparently. Finally, there was a building that appeared to be an old gas station (we knew it was old because the pump listed "leaded" gasoline). The building was run-down with bars over the windows and the door looked like it been kicked in a thousand times. As we entered, we were greeted by a surprisingly friendly clerk along with a view of wares we could select from for dinner: about 10 items. At this point, I guess I should explain that the area we were riding through was the South that isn't plantation estates or Nascar raceways. Poverty-stricken small towns with ramshackle buildings, broken down cars in the front and back yards, and zero affluence whatsoever. The clerk explained that the lack of food options was due to the fact that desperate individuals would often break in and steal all she offered, so it was necessary to carry nearly no food. Thus our diverse selection of foods. We ended up selecting only the best of the best: ramen noodles, a generic version of Dinty Moore beef stew, and canned peaches. Delizioso!!

We arrived at camp just north of Central Hill, NC, in which we were the only campers (the RV's were across the lake), and had some ice cream from the freezer...it was a very hot day. In order to get to the bath house, we had to cross a small field which was full of mosquito-like bugs, though they didn't sting or bite. They were just doing their thing, laying on the grass, and when disturbed, thousands would take alight. With all those flapping wings, the noise was like a distant 747 taking off. If you stopped moving, they would all land again and the noise would cease...our entertainment for the night was walking around disturbing these bugs and listening to the unnatural noises produced.

The stove was broken so we had to cook over a fire of pine needles and pine cones. Excellent. The day was an 81 miler, adding to yesterday's 93 miles...perhaps tomorrow would be a little break?

Day 20: 7/27 - Longest day...ever

Today started with an excellent breakfast cooked by Jill and us packing our bags with enchiladas for lunch. To cut the day short, let's just say I'm tired, my butt is sore, and we logged 93 miles today... so long. Just biking...biking...biking. We skirted a t-storm for awhile; it was just looming on our left, waiting for our route to take us into its gaping maw. But fortunately, no such luck for him and we stayed dry and not struck by lightning. We finally arrived in Richmond, VA and are staying with my room mate's dad's best friend from college, Doug, and his new wife Polly (great cook by the way!). Dinner was fabulous: beef brisket with potatoes, carrots, onions, fresh biscuits, wine, and a dessert of pound cake, fresh strawberries, and whip cream. Delish! And now I've been sitting at this damned computer for 2.5 hours typing these blogs and sipping my merlot, so you all better be happy!! It's 9:50 and I'm ready for bed. Thank god I'm finally caught up...hasta luego!!

Day 19: 7/26 - New cousins and good times

I'm starting to get to the end of my rope tonight with these posts (just caught up on a bunch), so bear with me here...

Today started out with a ride through the DC area with Esmith's dad (Dsmith) and his Aunt and Uncle so we could avoid riding on the packed Rock Creek Trail all day. The whole day's ride went very well with decent weather and some snoozing on some benches near the water after hard boiled eggs with bacon salt...yes bacon salt, and it's delicious. Check it out if you want some.
We stopped at a water treatment plant for lunch where a waterfall came out of the plant and had our usual PB&J. It was a relaxing area with the water noises...so more snoozing ensued.

After nearly getting sideswiped by a county commuter bus just outside of Quantico (he did it on purpose! we're sure of it!), we arrived at my cousin David and his wife Jill's townhouse in Aquia, VA. The night was a blast as yet again new family members met each other (I didn't even David existed until Aunt Colleen put us in touch). Jill was an excellent cook and the enchiladas were delicious, along with the guava juice, beer, sorbet, girlscout cookies (her daughter is a gscout, so she's got the hook up), and whatever other treats we were able to get our hands on. Conversation was all over the board and hysterical and we ended the night by watching Evolution...a movie I hadn't seen in over 10 years (god, I'm old!). Speaking of old, I just read an article in a Sports Illustrated on Michael Phelps, and he was talking about how his coach used to make him swim 3 miles a day in addition to his other practice swims, but he doesn't do it anymore because he's "...old, man. I'm an old guy, almost 23." What?! I'm no gramps, so can it Phelps.

Day 18: 7/25 - A day of relaxation and recuperation

Today was spent again with friends and family (I saw the Dark Knight...incredible...you were totally right, Kailyn). My uncle Richard and the boys came down from Connecticut but I unfortunately couldn't spend much time with them because Esmith and I had a return to MD party that night. A couple friends came to that and it was good to see them all (Baird, I apologize I won't be at your wedding, but I'm not biking back up there from Georgia). Then off to bed for the adventure to continue...

Day 17: 7/24 - Home again, home again, jiggity jig

The day started off with something special: an interview with WBAL TV from Baltimore that actually aired on Thursday on the evening news!! Uncle Bob was able to hook it up through his friend Kevin who had some connections in the news department (apparently he used to be a free lance photographer...or maybe a black market news dealer...not sure) and it was a very interesting process. They shot everything from so many different angles and asked a barrage of questions, but it was fun and everyone had a good time watching us ride back and forth in front of the cameras. We even got to meet Jennifer Franciotti...now since I don't get WBAL I didn't know who you were Jennifer, but everyone else did immediately. My buddy Greg says he remembers when you were doing traffic news and has watched your rise since the beginning. In a non-creepy way.

We made great time this day as well and on our way through Glyndon, MD, a fellow cyclist struck up a conversation with me on our route. It consisted of the usual "Where you headed with all that stuff?" and bike talk continued with the already explained story of our trip, it's origins, and it's progress. The guy's name was Eric (got the biking bug about a year ago and has been biking since) and he lived right up the hill in Glyndon, so I extended him an invitation to lunch in Reisterstown (right around the corner). He said he'd call if it worked out. In the meantime, my Aunt Colleen contacted me just as we were entering Reisterstown so she came out to join us for lunch as well. Eric arrived with his beautiful wife Michelle (he said when he got home, "Honey, this is going to sound weird, but I just met these two guys on the ride while I was biking and we're going to get lunch with him...") and we all had a great Italian lunch at Tonnino's...or something like that. It was good to see Aunt Colleen because she had orchestrated several of our places of stay with relatives and friends...and also because she's my aunt and I love her. Brownie points! But keep up the biking Eric and perhaps see you around in the future!
We contined making great time and finally returned home to Rockville around 6 pm to our loving friends and family. Definitely the highlight of the day. And we were also made incredible business cards for our adventure by my girlfriend so now we look legit when we hand them out to people rather than just using stuff printed out at a library! Thank you Em!
Esmith and I went our separate ways to be with family and use comfortable beds nowhere near each other.

Day 16: 7/23 - They call that hospitality?!

Today was going to be a long day, so we woke up at 5 am and hit the road. It was misty and wet from the storm the night before, so the roads were a little slippery. Rolling hills and farmland gave way to mountainous terrain with some beastly hills (read: not fun) which finally gave way to an incredibly fun and windy downhill to the Susquehanna River. Well, it was fun for me at least. The roads were a little wet still, so this windy descent was a little hairy, but I managed to make it out unscathed. But upon reaching the bottom, Esmith never showed up as well. I gave it a few minutes, then assumed the worst. Luckily, a couple was out working on their yard just around the bend, so I asked if one of them would mind driving me up the hill because I was afraid my friend had been hurt. He obliged with little hesitation (apparently cars, trucks, and motorcycles crash all the time on the hills around their house, so this was old news). We evenutally found Esmith sitting in a grassy area up the hill by his bike, crading his left hand. Long story short, wet road, rear wheel locked up, Esmith and bike collided with rode sign, possibly braking thumb (found out later it was just a sprain luckily). The man drove us back to his house, where he let me call my Uncle Bob and arrange to be picked up, and he and his wife began the most undeserving hosting of smelly, injured cycling guys I will ever witness. They fed us food and iced tea, gave Esmith a bed to rest in, showed me around the house and the property, let us watch the Tour and the Simpson's Movie on their TV and pretty much just left us in the house while they went about their daily business. If we had more people like them in the world, it would be a much better place (I will insert their names when I get their info off the papers at left at home). And their house was gorgeously decorated (he was an architect and a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright...every room had a different theme: the kitchen and sitting room was Southwestern, the dining room was Egyptian, and the living room was Greek/Modern...just great stuff).

Uncle Bob picked us up at about 3:45 pm (thank god Esmith hurt himself, because the hills we would have had to ride on the way to my Uncle's house were out of control) and we returned to his home in Forest Hill, MD for a relaxing evening. It must be noted that I'd never met this Aunt and Uncle before, but I'm glad I have now. They were great!! Uncle Bob works for Gore, INC which sounds like an awesome company from everything he said and Aunt Kathy works as a the Director of Nursing Practioners (or something along those lines) for MS at the University of MD in Baltimore. We watched the Tour, hit up the hot tub (great for those aching quads), showered up, and had heaping steaks with other acoutrements for dinner. Then giant bowls of ice cream and comfortable beds. What more could you ask for?

Day 15: 7/22 - Cornfields and Cantaloupes

We were so comfortable that we decided to sleep in that morning...I remember waking up at one point and seeing sunlight streaming in around the shades, assuming it was 8 am or so, but still not wanting to get up. I awoke at what felt like 10 am, figuring it was time to get up finally before we wasted the day away...aghast when I checked my phone and it was only 6:20 am. What is this trip doing to me?!! Needless to say, I immediately dove back into bed and dozed off readily. We ended up finally waking up around 8:30 am, and watched the Tour again, live this time, until 10 am when a great hoagie shop around the corner opened up.

We made great time throughout the day, and ended up eating lunch at Hopewell Furnace State Park, an old iron-working community. We also "borrowed" water from the hose at a house on a hill... The rest of the ride was gorgeous countryside and cornfields with great weather. We stopped at an Amish farm to buy a juicy cantaloupe (only 50 cents!) and made it to Clay, PA at around 5. We decided not to go to our predetermined campsite because it was 5 miles off route, so we just set up camp in the corner of someone's yard. He assured us when he saw us at 5:30 the next morning that it was perfectly fine (we had attempted to go up to the house to ask, but no one was home).
It was a hot night, so we decided to sleep with the fly off...which resulted in Esmith kicking me at 12:45 am because rain was coming down in torrents. We were able to get the fly on and our stuff in before too much damage was caused, but the rest of the night was fitful sleep because the storm was so loud.

Day 14: 7/21 - Hospitable Friends and Family

Today was an early wake up (not as early as we had wanted because Esmith's phone shut off halfway through the night; thus, no alarm). We hit the misty road and rode fairly hard all day. There were more raspberries and blackberries along the way, along with an incredible lunch at a market in Milford, PA. The workers behind the butcher counter were a couple (one from PA and one from NJ...their interplay was as entertaining as any comedy) who we found to be extremely nice. They got us ice-cold water for our bottles and delicious (I repeat, delicious) classic italian sandwiches for our bellies. These things were incredible. Thick fresh mozzarella, prosciutto ham, fresh basil, roasted red peppers, house italian dressing on super soft rolls. Just sublime...Esmith couldn't stop raving. The best part was that John and Linda, the best italian butchers north of the Mason Dixon Line, hooked us up by labeling our sandwiches as "liverwurst" which cut the price in half. That's alot of liverwurst. So kudos to John and Linda and thank you for your generousity. Hope you didn't give up hope waiting for your mention on here! The market was called the Milford Market and was just off the river on 26 Bridge St in Milford, PA. Check it out and get the classic italian (seriously, it was better than most of the sandwiches I had while I was IN Italy...that good!). Later in the day, we ended up "time trialing" for about 30 minutes. On a relatively flat area, Esmith and I would switch off the leader position every two miles so the other could rest in the slipstream. We were able to keep up a even clip of about 21 mph and covered alot of ground; this technique will come in handy on the flats down south.

We stopped off in Lambertville to take a dip in the Delaware one last time, but couldn't find a path to the river so we just ended up throwing rocks at a canal and train bridge for 45 mintues. We contacted our hosts for the night, my girlfriend's Aunt Colleen and grandmother, who generously offered to pick us up short of our destination (it was a hot day...so we complied). After managing to stuff our bikes and gear into the Tahoe, we headed home for showers with Esmith and I crammed together in one seat (better than being on the bikes!).
After showers, we all (Grandpa Rich, Grandma Loretta, Aunt Colleen, Uncle Jeff, Evan, and Evan) went to dinner at Johnny Apples in Holland, PA (great pasta) and returned home for a relaxing chat on the back porch (check out the picture in the gallery!). Jeff eventually drove us out to Blue Bell where were staying the night in Esmith's aunt and uncle's house (it was a long drive and we really appreciate it Jeff! and thank you so much for your hospitality, Menzen clan). The house was gorgeous and had a big screen, so we greedily soaked in the Tour de France as we dozed off.

Day 13: 7/20 - The Delaware River is mighty good for swimming

Early start today...got to the Delaware Water Gap around 11 am and decided to stop for a little break. We apparently picked a great place to drop our bikes...right in the middle of a war zone between giant wasps and some kind of ground dwelling bee. No stings, though, so no problem. Down the hill was a shallow stretch of the Delaware River, so we explored it promptly, finding mussels, algae, and surprisingly comfortable-on-the-feet seaweed (I guess riverweed, really). A little snack of PB&J (PB&J, what a surprise!!) plus nutella, honey, and flavor for our water.

The day continued fairly well with relatively flat roads and seemingly non-existent hills. Unfortunately, it appeared as if all the hills we should have been hitting had been rolled up into one, crazy, unfathomable, nearly insurmountable, and undeniably gnarly hill (hill does not do it justice...let me check a thesaurus...an inselberg....not sure what it exactly means, but it looks ugly and that's what this "hill" was). Seriously, Esmith and I can't figure out how they even got the equipment up this slope during the paving process...must have been thousands of Egyptian slaves from 1000 BC, pulling the pavers up the hill on logs. Simply unbelievable. So the ascent took awhile, and a gallon or two of sweat later we were 2/3's of the way up the hill. And what behold, is to our left? A large house with a sign that says "Deli: Hot food and cold drinks". Booyah. Here is the following set of events:
*We enter said deli looking fatigued, thirsty, hungry, and angry at god for putting that hill there*
Owner: "What can I do you for?"
Us: "Food."
Owner: "Sorry, but I don't have any."
Us: "What?! You're a deli, how do you not have any food?" (it's sunday...maybe they have some rules about eating on Sundays up in these mountains)
Owner: "Well, my fridge had been on the fritz lately and finally conked out this morning. So, unless you've got something with you I can cook, you're out of luck."
Us (visibly disturbed): "Aaaagggghh...we REALLY needed food."
Owner: "Tell you what, you help me get the old fridge out of the house and put the new one in, and I've got some meats and cheeses I was able to save stored in my mini-fridge that I can make you a sandwich with."
Us: "Deal" (obviously)

So, we were able to get the INDUSTRIAL stainless steel fridge out of the house (with a little engineering skills, I might add) and got the new one in. We were fed absolutely MASSIVE ham, turkey, and meunster sandwiches with all the fixin's and also got some gatorade. For free. Ultra booyah. He also offered us a place to sleep in one of the spare rooms upstairs if we didn't want to continue biking in the heat, but we had a schedule to keep so we kindly refused. The ride continued, the hill continued, and the downhill could never have made up for that ridiculous hill...but it came close. I hit 45 mph and Esmith hit 44...my sunglasses were off, and I don't really remember much of the descent, but I do know that when I hit the bottom, my face was full of tears and my eyes hurt like hell from the wind. What a ride. Another cyclist rode by and commented on what an awesome hill it is, and we replied "Yeah, but not the other side." Him: "You went UP the other side with all that crap on your bikes? You guys are insane!!" Yes we are.
The rest of the day consisted of rolling hills, more Delaware River swims, random sightings of the Eastern European vacationers (for some reason they love the Delaware Water Gap), and eating fresh, wild raspberries from the side of the rode (perhaps ate one too many). We ended up eating an absurdly large dinner at a diner that even Esmith couldn't finish. It was fried chicken, fried zuchinni, french fries, fried scallops, fried shrimp, a salad, a bowl of soup, and a large plate of nachos. It was delicious. And disgusting. And we also had another 6 miles to ride to our campsite, which was a hellish ride. But the campsite was very well run and cut us a deal on the stay since we were only bikers. It was called "Driftstone on the Delaware" in Portland, PA. Another great campsite to check out if you are in the area. We unfortunately got hit with a storm as soon as we got there so we only got to experience it from the inside of our tent.

Day 12: 7/19 - College town with a great bike shop

Today consisted of more hills...terrible hills. They don't seem to be getting easier yet; maybe we're getting in better shape as the hills are just getting worse. Finally we made it to a college town (will insert name of town when I remember) and after Esmith's two flats from yesterday, we decided to stop in a bike shop for some repairs and gear. Esmith got some new tubes and a tire to replace his bogus ones and I got my seat fixed finally (it just kept sliding down lower and lower because the nut was stripped) and put some air in my tires. The guys at the shop were real stand up guys and fixed my issues for free, along with giving us filtered water and toilet access (crucial!!!). We chatted about rock climbing and where they were all from (can't really remember at the moment) and eventually convinced them to get in a picture with us. Bad move. This is on the internet boys (i.e. photo gallery). After about an hour, we finally got on the road and .5 miles after we left, I got a flat in my back tire. Typical. Fixed it up and continued on.

We ended up eating lunch under a bridge that was over a stream where we caught frogs and crayfish and skipped rocks. As we were getting on our bikes to leave, Esmith was checking his spedometer thingy to make sure it was working as I was staring at my shoe trying to get it to lock into the pedal, meaning I didn't see him slowing down (I take the blame for this one...pretty interesting, right Turnes?), subsequently causing me to run into his back tire with my front tire. They both got locked together in as the fenders got stuck and a 5 second yelling match ensued as we attempted to keep from falling (which was not successful). Eventually gravity one the battle and we toppled over sideways into a ditch...luckily, a woman was driving by and had the opportunity to see our ridiculous 3 mph crash. Nothing was hurt, minus some scratches on my left leg which never actually touched anything, but we were thoroughly embarrassed and pushed on, leaving the pathetic scene behind us.

More biking occurred (can you believe it?!) and we finally reached our destination campground in Otisville, PA. It was a sort of run down place, but it had all the amenities that we needed: free showers, free toilets, sinks, electricity to recharge phones, and of course, an ice cold lagoon that was straddled by a 150 year old trestle bridge (or something along those lines). We went for a swim in the lagoon...which was defininitely ice cold, and caught some little toads and frogs on the path there.
Dinner was great: four bratwurst, fruit, a vegetable salad that one of the guys at the campground brought us (I'll get to these guys later) along with two baked potatoes and a half gallon of whole milk. So the old guy who owns the campground likes listening to Big Band music (it was good stuff...we could hear it faintly from our campsite) and I guess all his old buddies would just come and hang out on the porch of the main lodge all night, chit chatting about whatever it is old people chit chat about. They were really nice guys, i.e. the delicious vegetable salad (zuchinni, celery, carrots, onions, tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil and various spices). Great dinner and a good night's sleep (minus my blanket still not covering my feet).

Day 11: 7/18 - The state parks of NY want us to die

Today consisted of more hills, two flats on Esmith's bike, and getting to our campsite VERY late...we got there in Staatsburg just as a huge thunderhead was rolling in. We were at the campsite rushing to get our tent up as the rain was pouring down on us, and a ranger pulled up in his truck and proceeded to tell us there was no space for us, ANYWHERE, in the park. We did 360's, looking at the large expanse of space around us where no one was camping, except for a group of about 12 teenage mountain bikers. I proceeded to argue vehemently with the ranger until I told him to call the cops and have them drag us out because the lightning and rain sure as hell didn't care if we were there or not. I think my point was made, cause he got us registered.

We sat out the storm in the tent, then proceeded to make one of our emergency meals since we hadn't had time to stop at a grocery store. Yada yada yada, normal campsite dealings ensued (showers, washing clothes, chatting with neighbors). They guys next to us were a group of teenagers who were mountain biking from New York to Montreal (Teen Treks was the organization's name), so we hit it off with some bike talk. One of the leaders, Michael, actually went to UMD while I was there and knew one of my good friends from when he was on the crew team. Small world, huh? DC and Baltimore talk continued as the other leader Christine was from the area as well, and they ultimately gave Esmith and I the leftover mac and cheese and canned corn from their dinner. We also met George from Vermont (I think); he and his wife were driving up and down the east coast in their RV and riding Harley's to see the sights in each area. We chatted about past adventures and how our adventure was currently going and like most people we've met on this trip, George was just a really nice guy. Check out the gallery for pictures of both our neighbors!

Day 10: 7/17 - Uncle Richard doesn’t come early enough to save us from hills

To begin with, I'd like to apologize to all the MILLIONS of fans out there who have been patiently waiting for an update. I know you log in every morning to see what we're up to, and probably every hour there after in an attempt to get your daily fill of E-squared. Unfortunately, we had a rough few days with no time for libraries, but we're finally back in Maryland and have time to get some stuff done! So here goes...

First thing's first...don't EVER touch a bike in Connecticut. The hills=stupid. These things never ended; every turn revealed another section of the hill running straight up...it seemed. And was. But at least one section was in our favor. As we came to a "T", we met these two guys biking up the hill we were about to head down. They were avid bikers with all the right gear...which is none. The hill they'd just come up they said was probably 20% grade, so we would be pretty excited to head down. We got to chatting and it turns out that they, John and Andy, were on their way from New York to Boston so that they could ride BACK from Boston to NY for a Lou Gehrig's Disease Ride. Sorry if I'm wrong here, but I believe John had talked Andy into the ride and these hills were WAY beyond anything Andy had seen in NJ, his home state. We got some pictures and exchanged information, and if you are feeling extra generous aftering unloading your hefty bank accounts into the Search Dog Foundation, throw some money their way for the excellent cause of Lou Gehrig's Disease research. Their ride was called "Tri-state Treks" and the link is in the name so just click it to see more.
Luckily, the hill right after meeting Andy and John went straight down, 20% grade!, for the next mile, so Esmith and I had a blast going down. He hit 43 mph and I hit 45 mph...I weigh more, so my top speed is a little higher (though he kills me on the hills). After TONS of more hills, we finally met up with my Uncle Richard who lives in Connecticut and he put us up at a very nice little inn in (can't remember the town...everything blurs together at this point) and also took us out to an excellent carb and protein loaded dinner at a local restaurant. The beds were incredible that night and we had TV!!! I came out of the shower and Esmith was watching Family Guy...kind of a surreal experience at this point. We were able to watch some of the Tour that night before dozing off and sleeping till morning (at which point...we biked more!)

Day 9: 7/16 - I can’t believe it IS butter all over my bag

First of all, terrible riding day today. Unbelievably hot (tons of water bottles worth of water consumed), ridiculous hills (some of the steepest we've seen yet...and they just wouldn't stop coming...also, they just kept turning corners and would continue on for another turn, then another, then another...). We got lost a few times, had a little reprieve from the heat when we stopped by a library (nicest public library I've ever been in, just gorgeous architecture, rich wood finishes, fireplaces that I hope were never used, and mosaic tiled floors...very lavish for a public library), and it took FOREVER to find the hostel we were staying at. I had called it all day trying to book a reservation, with no one ever picking up or returning my calls. We weren't even sure whether it existed anymore or not. Eventually, after groceries, we stopped in a AAA office to ask for help. They printed out a detailed map of how to get there (oh joy, more hills!!) and we were on our way. So hot, so tired, and so many hills. Finally we turned onto the last street, Marsh Rd, and it was like Everest. This hill...my god. We were craning our necks to see the top. All I could think was, "This hostel better be a mansion or burned to the ground if I'm going to climb this thing." Finally we reached the top and all our questions were answered.

The hostel is actually a farm house. On a working farm. That's why no one picked up, because they are all working in the fields! An old guy, Shep, came out to greet us and pointed inside to our dwelling. A cozy kitchenette with bunk beds, shower and bathroom, and screened porch, all decked out with the appropriate farm house knick knacks. Shep asked us if we would help throw around a few bales of hay and we obliged (then he mentioned we could stay the night for free if we helped...we were helping anyway, so free night here we come!). We were joined by Julio who helped us toss around the bales. We got to use our Spanish a little bit and Julio was a real stand-up guy. We had a few laughs and sweated our guts out while we were working, but it was good to get the work in. We emptied two trailers worth of hay, about 8 layers total, and were covered in scratches, hay, and dirt (I knew my hay baling skills would come in handy one day...thanks Tom), but we felt great for helping and getting a little upper body exercise finally. After the work was over, but before we hosed off, we got a picture of the four of us on the farm. Then Esmith started taking the groceries out of his front pack, and as he drew the butter box out, butter just POURED out the bottom corner all over everything in his bag. The butter was everywhere...and this time it wasn't NOT BUTTER, it WAS butter. Luckily his camera and wallet were unscathed.
Shep turned out to be a real cool cat; one of those down to earth, funny, light-hearted old guys with a real sense of humor and thirst for meeting people. He was going into town, so he offered to pick us up some milk (he got us the good stuff, whole milk...so white it looks like primer and goes down like cream). He's upstairs getting ready to hit the sack, but he let me use his computer to get some website stuff done and is going to give us a book full of hostels on the east coast if we need any of them at any point. Hopefully I can get back here one day to visit him again.
Dinner was fettucini alfredo with green peppers, mushrooms, and sausage, with a side of bread lathered in crumbled blue cheese. And the milk of course. Dinner was made with the tunes of oldies playing in the background on the old Sony radio tuned to 98.7 Rock FM..."The Sounds of the Oldies!" Great stuff. And we have light tonight! So we can actually read!! And I'm out to enjoy the brisk evening.

Highlights: real butter all over the bag, Shep's Hostel, napping in the shade on the side of the ride at lunch time

Top Speed: 36.5 mph (EP)
Distance: 57.06 mi
Time: 5.07.07
Av Spd: 11.1 mph
Odometer: 441.3 mi

Day 8: 7/15 - I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter All Over My Bag

Today was pretty uneventful. A short ride, only about 30 miles, into Ayer, MA after yesterday's marathon ride. The only exciting...and extremely irritating part...was the explosion of goo inside my back right pack. We had just come out of the grocery store (Hannahfords...I got an amazing recipe for a desert from one of the workers...e-mail me if you want to know the secret!) and were loading up the day's food. I reached into my pack and removed my hand which was covered in a yellow goop. "Aww, son of a b***h!" (I assumed it was my chamois butter tube that had exploded) I pulled open the top flap and found that our tub of contraband 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' had flipped itself over and open during the ride, completely soaking all the contents of the pack in greasy, ican'tbelieveit'snotbuttery grossness. "Awww, double son of a b***h!!!" The two cops conversing nearby thought that this was extremely funny and had a few chuckles at my expense.

After about a roll of toilet paper, the bag was relatively clean so we pushed on to our campsite, Minutemen of MA Campgrounds (or something to that effect). This was by far the nicest campground we stayed at yet. If you're in the area, we suggest it if you are looking for a place to stay. Got a AAA discount at the main office, then headed down to unpack our things. Took a dip in the icy pool, bought some snacks at the front desk, ate our ridiculously huge dinner (it might have fed 10 people...so much food: giant loaf of bread, stick of butter, chicken chow mein, rice for 4, half gallon of milk, peaches and apples...and other things I can't remember), then read out on our therma-pads and ground tarp until the mosquitoes (pronounce this like Bear Grylls does) became unbearable. We headed up to the office, got the FREE internet for some e-mails, then watched Mission Impossible in the rec room. Great relaxing evening.
Almost forgot. We met our neighbor named Lance. From Austin, TX. No lie. He's a former US Air Force member who actually was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base for a bit, had buddies that attended UMCP, drove threw Hagerstown countless times (when he asked me where I was from, I just said western panhandle of MD, and he threw out H-town right away...what are the chances), and also went over the mountains in Alleghany county before Sidling Hill was blasted out. He attended U of TX back in the day, and was currently traveling around the New England states in his two-tone van (just like the Wigfields' old van) seeing historic sites. Great guy to chat with and got a picture with him like usual. Check out the gallery.

Highlights: i can't believe it's not butter incident, Lance from Austin, Minutemen Campground

Top Speed: 30.5 (EP)
Distance: 34.44 mi
Time: 2.43.40
Av Spd: 12.6 mph
Odometer: 382.9 mi

Day 7: 7/14 - Killing Spree

Today we should have been arrested. For murder. There hasn't been a serial killing spree like this since Rodney Chustmeister's ride across the country in 1824. We left a wake of death behind us today; 78 miles torn to shreds in just over 6 hours of riding. Their families could be seen morning their losses at the roadside, while we rode on, laughing maniacally and searching for more victims.

Today was not meant to be a long day. It was just going to be a short 40 miler until we decided to call my buddy Greg and see about his old high school friend who lives somewhere in New Hampshire. Originally, he was so far off our course that we decided it wasn't worth it, but we were feeling good so we figured why not. The appropriate phone calls were made and the race was on: make it to Merrimack, NH by 5:30 pm so Dave could pick us after work. It was about 2 pm when we decided to do this and had about 25 miles to go, but somehow we kept a blistering pace and were in Nashua (just south of Merrimack) by 4:00. It was just a great day for riding; no rain, not too hot, slushies at 7-11. At the 7-11, we met Mike from Hudson, NH and his Ducati motorcycle. We chatted with him about motorcycles for a bit, then our ride and life in general. Great guy with a great personality and it was good to take the time to meet him. Hope you're reading this, Mike!! In our spare time we stopped off at the East Coast Anheuser Busch bottling plant but just missed the tour cut-off time. So we toured what we could, checked out the gift shop (very little Natty Light merchandise...very disappointing) and visited THE Budweiser Clydesdales.
Dave picked us up just North of his work (we ended up overshooting him by 4 miles) and took us back to his apartment. A beautiful apartment (although at this point, anything with a roof would have been gorgeous) with HDTV, warm water, comfy couches, a stocked fridge, giant plates of lasagna, milk (how I miss milk), and the piece de resistance: a working washing machine and dryer. The food and sleep were amazing and Dave made a great host. We owe him many thanks...except he could have supplied a hot tub.

Highlights: mile-killing spree, slushies at 7-11 with Mike, Dave's apartment, a couch

Top Speed: 37.5 mph (EP)
Distance: 80.13 mi
Time: 6.37.23
Av Spd: 12.1 mph
Odometer: 348.4

Day 6: 7/13 - Shore Road is a "Shore" Thing...terrible pun

Today started with a 32 mile sprint to Kennebunk, ME for bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches. In between Moody Beach and Wells Beach, we took a lunch break of PB and J crackers and napped on a wall just over the ocean. The weather was great and the nap was even better. Shore Road which ran between York Beach and Ogunquit was an amazing ride. Gorgeous houses (just a little pricey, I'd assume) and even more gorgeous views along with winding turns, slight hills, and great coasting all added up to an amazing half hour ride. We stopped at one point to walk out on the shore and throw rocks at the ocean, which was...fun and childish. Oh yeah.
Next was York Beach, which was pretty much the Ocean City of Maine. Just touristy beyond belief and filthy. A quart of milk cost us $3 and we were sold contraband "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" in NOT FOR RESALE containers with no plastic safety separator or nutritional information. The campsite was alright, though we got pelted with pine cones from the trees all night. Kraft Mac and Cheese for a family was our dinner. Restless night of sleep.

Highlights: Shore Rd, quick start, breakfast sandwich

Top Speed: 39.5 mph (ES)
Distance: 54.50 mi
Time: 4.44.00
Av Spd: 11.8 mph
Odometer: 269.8 mi

Day 5: 7/12 - Leaving Smith

This morning was another struggler. We had a breakfast of poorly hard boiled eggs (they all exploded while boiling the night before when the stove decided to run on SCRAMJET mode). We passed through Brunswick (Emily's old hometown! I had no idea what to take pictures of, so I just took random shots of everything). Stopped at a farmer's market for some cheesy baguettes and Esmith and I shared a mixed berry pie. Eating is interesting on this trip. Never before have I worried about calorie intake, too much or too little, and now, we can't get enough. It's not a question of "can I eat this?", it's a question of, "can I fit this in my stomach?". You pretty much eat whatever you can get your hands on. We traded off Bsmith to the parents in Freeport, ME at the L.L. Bean store(s) after some shopping. I got rid of my sleeping bag, because it's just too hot for it, and picked up a fleece throw at the store. Unfortunately, it doesn't reach my feet. Great purchase, Evan. So after Bsmith's departure, we left on our own on that long and lonesome road. As we were passing a field, we saw a sweet hay baler that would bale the hale, then boot them into a trailer. Not just push them up a ramp or something, but from a distance it looked like a boot on the end of a lever that just punted these things into the trailer. Maybe my CHEAP EX-BOSS from Stanton Engineering Services can get one so I don't have to bust my butt getting his hay into his barn (hope you're reading this, Tom. I'll be back for Round 2 of baling in August!) On the way to the end of the day, Esmith and I both hit 41 mph, our personal bests and probably could have been faster had the bottom of the hill not been a magled set of rail road tracks. We ate lunch at a Friendly's in North Windham, where we had our first sighting of a cute girl since the trip began...maybe they're just hiding? We got into Sebago Lake around 5:30 pm, and man are these campgrounds getting expensive!! We're gonne start camping under powerlines if this continues... That night we met our neighbors, Bruce and Debbie, and their grandchildren, Jordan and Jessie. We chatted it up around the campfire for a bit and shared some stories. Bruce and Debbie had sold their home and bought an RV so that they could travel around the country to see their kids and grandkids (they also flip houses for a living...not literally), though they look very young for grandkids and we let them know it (gotta butter 'em up for those donations!).

Highlights: hay baler, top speeds, Smith's parents

Top Speed: 41 mph (ES and EP)
Distance: 48.61 mi
Time: 4.00.00
Av Spd: 12.1 mph
Odometer: 211.4 mi

Day 4: 7/11 - Cool Down

"It's your grave...good luck digging it with a fork."

This was our quote of the day, as Esmith refused to use a spoon to eat his cous cous.
Today started with moaning and groaning as NOBODY wanted to get out of "bed". Our thighs, calves, feet, and butts hurt and no one was looking to get onto a bike anytime soon. Eventually we got everything together and said "adios" to our neighbors, then hit the old dusty trail. Then Bsmith got a flat. Something about his bike, I guess. On the way through Damariscotta, ME we got yelled out by some guy with a ridiculous Maine accent (no offense to all you Maine-landers), "Get out of the way!! The road is for cars, too, you know!!". We were on the shoulder as far out of traffic's way as possible, so maybe he just had a bad experience with a bike at one point.
The day was uneventual otherwise until we reached Wiscasset, ME. We stopped in at their fire department hoping to get some publicity shots with the firemen and equipment, but it was apparently the worst timing ever. Apparently a shipbuilding warehouse had caught fire and started one of the worst fires the area had seen in decades. Check out the story here: http://www.mainelincolncountynews.com/index.cfm?ID=32785
We figured it was best to stay out of the way at that point, so we got a picture from a distance and moved on. Smith got another flat, so we just replaced the whole tube rather than patching it (next to some dead eels on the road). We hit up a sandwich shop in Bath, ME and while we were there, we met a couple that was enthralled with our endeavor. They talked to us for awhile (Joy and...sorry pal, can't remember your name) and wished us luck on our trip. After our sandwiches, Joy came back in the shop and gave us the number of her folks in Boca Raton, FL.. if we needed anything while we were down there. How's that for some die hard enthusiasts!?
We stopped in the local library and printed out some business cards so we didn't have to keep writing down our website on scraps of paper; while Esmith did that, I blogged our first two days (1st time ever blogging...swore I'd never do it, but that's life!). We got our eats at the local grocery store and also picked up a moonshine bottle of Shepscot Valley Brewing Company Ale (Pemaquid Ale, to be exact). They were a local brewery in Whitefield, ME, and the worker at the store recommended it, so we went with it. Wasn't too bad, though the 45 minute ride in the heat to the campsite probably didn't help much. On the way to the campsite, we stopped by a random house to ask for some gasoline for our camp stove (it's an old one, and yes, it runs on gasoline); the lady who helped us actually works at the L.L. Bean factory and puts together the boots. You may actually be wearing her handiwork right now!!! She also gave us a zucchini. Very nice people so far. Campsite usuals continued, dinner, logging, running around, etc. See the pictures.

Highlights: nice couple in Bath, short day of riding, no rain, L.L. Bean lady

Top Speed: 39.0 (ES and EP)
Distance: 37.08 mi
Time: 3.16.22
Av Spd: 11.4 mph
Odometer: 159.1 mi..

Day 3: 7/10 - Day of Reckoning

Woke up at 6:15 am. We were a day behind in the itinerary, so we checked out our maps and itinerary and decided it was possible to combine 2 days into 1 and catch up...we'd see how the day would progress. Morning went very well, just flying through the hills and roads, maybe 20 miles in just over an hour. Then Smith got a flat tire, then we stopped at a bike shop to get my handle bar tape replaced (the CP Bikes guys didn't do that part too well. The guy was a character with a mouth, so the stop took an hour and a half (although he did a great job and also found a part of my gearing that could have killed me had I been going fast enough, so that was good). We finally got back on the road and it was HOT. Lunch was pizza in Belfast at Alexia's where the police helped us pick the right road to take on our next leg and we met a guy from Gaithersburg, MD. We made it to Camden at 2:00 pm and stopped off at the public library to hop on the internet. Camden was beautiful, the perfect vacation town (I may actually return there one day). We decided to push on to Waldoboro which could have turned out terribly. Bsmith I were beat, the hills were out of control (one was about a mile and a half long and it's grade was unbelievable), the pavement was boiling (fresh at some points and our tires actually stuck to it). Finally, we pulled into camp at 7:15 pm exhausted, irritable, and starving. The stove wouldn't work again so Esmith sent me on a soliciting hunt. I had met a guy (Frank) on the way in that was trying to get a bat out of the game room and saw him again on my hunt. He got wrangled in to helping me out, and he said he was staying with his father-in-law. He was actually our neighbor so he offered to boil our pasta for us. We talked for awhile and got to know each other pretty well, and the conversation was good. His name was Steve and his wife was Kim and they were great to have as neighbors. While the pasta was cooking, we talked alot about the trip and our travels and found out a little bit about them as well. We ended up getting some pictures with them (check them out in the gallery), Steve gave us a bunch of cheese and peanut butter crackers, and then we hit the sack at 9 pm. It got pretty cold that night....

Highlights: incredible start to the day, great neighbors

Top Speed: 39 mph (ES)
Distance: 73.25 mi
Time: 6.19.53
Av Spd: 11.5 mph
Odometer: 119.9 mi

Day 2: 7/9 - The Adventure Begins

Today we woke up 6:15 am and got all our stuff together and headed down to the pier on Main St. Main St was a hill...none of us had been on our bikes yet with all our gear, so the start was interesting. We did the picture thing, which you will be able to find in the picture gallery soon, and then we headed out on our great adventure at around 7:45 am. I had the first "crash" of the trip, while pedaling up a hill at very slow speed, I accidentally veered into the fine gravel on the side of the ride and the bike didn't want to stay up, so that was embarassing. Luckily, Esmith fell as well right before a break; he had stopped to pick a spot for snacks, when his bike decided it didn't want to stay at the angle it was at and pulled him down. Fortunately all the panniers and gear on the back cushioned the fall...unfortunately, it did not cushion the blow to our dignity. We stopped for peanut butter, jelly, and nutella on crackers at about 9:30 am and then lunch in Surry at a small deli attached to a convenience store with a selection the size of, say, a 7-11. Apparently this was to be our grocery store for supplies for dinner (we got pepperoni sticks, canned clams, and canned crab). We evenutally arrived at our campsite just east of East Orland at around 1:30 pm. The day had been pretty horendous, having not trained considerably for this ride. There were more hills than we dared think there would be and seemingly never a downhill for relaxation. So when the road to our campsite, Whispering Pines (not Whithering Pines, as I kept referring to it as), was a steep downhill, we were elated. The campsite was owned by an older couple and was great. It sat right on a gorgeous lake and had free showers and water. We had plenty of time to relax and get situated. We swam in the lake, showered up, made a fire, read our books, ate dinner (jumbalaya over the fire because our stove stopped working), made some phone calls, and hit the sack at 8:45 pm.

Highlights: Whispering Pines, starting the ride, lake swimming

Top Speed: 40.0 mph (EP)
Distance: 46.25 mi
Time: 4.07.59
Av Spd: 11.3 mph

Day 1: Prologue

Today we woke up at 8:30 am, before the parents. We were sure to cause all kinds of ruckus to get them out of bed. There was breakfast of granola, etc and then we headed deep into the park in the van to get a view of things. After the ride, Dsmith, Esmith, Bsmith (I swear it's their names), and I rode around the park for a bit and returned to Jordan Pond Restaurant for a lunch of popovers and chowder (Esmith got a raspberry lemonade...with real raspberry bits, even). After lunch, we attempted to ride out of the park back to our campsite...unfortunately, we ended up climbing all of Sergent Mountain (1300 ft of it), I almost lost my chowder, and we kept getting rejected by private roads which did not allow bikes. No matter how hard we tried, we could not get out of this park, so we were contemplating heading onto the private roads so that they would escort us from the park. Finally, we got to camp after 32 miles of biking and headed out to the ocean for a little relaxation. It was an amazing view. Rocky bluffs dropped down into the chilly Atlantic where Esmith and I found a "cauldron" where we could wash off the dust from the day in the VERY cold water. We explored for a bit, got some pictures, then returned to the camp site for a dinner of pesto chicken and pasta. The adventure officially starts tomorrow and Bsmith is going to join us for the first few days, so that will be good to have some extra company. Our navigation skills today do not bode well for the trip...we will see if we improve! Bedtime was an unheard of 8:30 pm. I haven't been in bed this early since grade school...

Highlights: chowder and popovers, getting lost in Acadia National Park, the Maine coastline

Top speed for the day: 33.6 mph

Distance: 32 miles

Weather: Excellent, slight breeze, no rain, lots of sun...almost too much sun at times