The Dreaded Four Hs.

From Greg - Given the last time I posted was a couple of weeks and five states ago, I completely understand why they call me the Bloggygagger.  A lot has happened since I posted from NH, and most of it was good. 😁



The history in this part of the country is really amazing.  We have seen many cemetaries that have graves from the before the Revolutionary War.  Here is a marker I found really interesting - it's for Col. Penfield's warhorse, which was in many battles, including Harpers Ferry, Bull Run and Gettysburg.  




Here are the boys taking a break along the Erie Canal.  

We spent a day in Niagra checking out the falls.  Besides Laurie, it was the first time for any of us. The falls are truly an amazing sight.  
We took a ride in the Maid of the Mist.  They gave you a blue ponchos that did almost nothing to keep you dry as they steered the boat up close to the falls.  


This was our campsite for the night in Erie, PA, right on the shore of Lake Erie.  Other than the sand getting into everything, it was a wonderful site.  It was great to fall asleep to the sounds of the waves.  

The other day, we passed the 1000 mile mark.  We had to stop for a photo and celebratory Red Vines.  I can't tell you how proud of the boys I am - they keep rocking it on this trip, and we've yet to have any real complaining from them.  

Speaking of complaining, I'll take a moment to explain the post title - the Dreaded 4 Hs.   In no particular order, they are headwinds, hills, heat and humidity.  I go back and forth on which I dislike the most, but we seem to have at least two of them every day.  Honestly, I think the headwinds and heat are tied for which make for the hardest riding.  


Going through Cleveland, we rode by the city's Soap Box Derby track.  I know I'm a bit biased, but they haven't got anything on Arrowhead Ranch's track on Camano.  🏁

We've spent the past couple of days at Laurie's mom's house in Clear Lake, Indiana.  We've been enjoying relaxing, boating, swimming, and watching the thunderstorms from inside.  

That's it for now.  I will really try to post more often as I have had a couple of people get in touch with me wondering if I was still alive.  


PS - forgot to mention that we also had our first opportunity to ship stuff back home.  The Gildays were able to offload over 14 lbs of stuff to lighten our loads.  This included my computer, so blogs are now typed with our thumbs and sent from our phones, so please excuse any typos.  




Comments

  1. TamaraJune 30, 2021 at 12:06 PM

    So good to know about your blog posts. Just found them today, thanks to Luci.

    What an adventure not only in historical sites but in “character building.” So proud of you all for pushing through the pain and capturing the reward. Tamara

    ReplyDelete
  2. Heidersdorf FamilyJune 30, 2021 at 3:36 PM

    Sounds pretty EPIC!!! Love the updates!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ElizabethJuly 1, 2021 at 10:37 AM

    Great post! Been thinking about you guys a lot as I spend too much time at my computer.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJuly 1, 2021 at 4:37 PM

    Thanks for the update Greg - good to know you are still alive, healthy and having fun!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Birthday Laurie

Image
 We celebrated Laurie's Birthday on July 28 in Libby, Montana.  Not a lot of dining options but we enjoyed the evening together in a small pub with live music. The guitarist strummed happy birthday while we sang.  Happy Out-Of-The-Box Birthday Laurie!   A few other recent photos from our time in Montana:  Welcomed by Whitefish Foursquare Church's Pastor Chris to set up camp within their building for a few days. Cycling from Whitefish to Eureka, MT.  360 degrees of beauty, but wildfire smoke increased throughout the day and we decided to spend the night in a motel rather than camping. Cycling along Lake Koocanusa towards Libby MT.  Lots of elevation but at this point in the trip, if given the choice, we choose climbing over flat rides with a head wind....without exception.   And into Idaho for a fun celebration at Silverwood.     Mike 
Read more

The End of the Trail....For Now

From July 30 to August 2 we were welcomed into the home of Mike and Lori in Sagle, ID, just south of Sandpoint and across Lake Pend Oreille.  Mike and Lori took great care of us with fantastic meals, vehicle use, and great company.  And....what great names they both have. We spent our weekend with a half day swimming at Lake Pend Oreille and a full day at Silverwood Park, mainly in the water area........but with a few roller coasters thrown in.  Note Graham in the fourth seat from the front with his hands straight up in the air.  Anybody surprised? While at Silverwood, the adults had a pow-wow to discuss the realities of the increasing wildfires and smoke throughout Idaho and Washington, and what it might look like if we attempted to cross Washington State.  We were unable to come up with any good cycling options.  The path through Washington was simply unsafe.  So, we concluded that Sandpoint, ID would be the end of this summer's cross country bike tr...
Read more

A flat spot on my front wheel

I have been riding with a flat spot on my front rim since early on in the tour.  We were cycling on a back road in Maine when I struck a large pot hole while hovering too close to the cyclist in front of me, Eli.  As he swerved out of the way I had no time to turn. The impact was significant.   Though the rim is bent it remains structurally sound.  However, each revolution of the tire results in a small drop in the wheel that makes me crazy while riding on a smooth road.  I can't feel it on most of the roads as the cracks and rough surface hide the flat spot.  Due to the lack of inventory in the cycling industry, I will probably make it work for the remainder of the tour. Each of us have endured some wound, annoyance, and discomfort thus far in the tour.  Road rash from a crash, stitches from a crash, broken bike components, mangled bike chain, unceasing bug bites, flat tire, blistered butt cheeks, numb fingers, numb feet, chain grease imprinted o...
Read more