Live on Sunday !

If you are wondering what you will do with your Sunday, two guys on
bikes has your answer. This sunday, may 3, 2009, we will be doing our
first ever (probably our only one) live broadcasting of our position.
It really won't be that exciting but if you are next to a computer
between 7 am and 3ish pm you can click "watch" the where are they link
on our blog and get our position as we tour the five Burroughs of new
York city. Position will be updated every ten seconds and you should
be able to see how fast or slow we are going. Not sure if the map will
auto refresh itself or not. If you watch for a minute and we don't
move try hitting the refresh or reload button on your browser. It's
crazy but we are almost there!!!

joe

Thanks

Two guys want to thank Imani Rupert for sponsoring the last few days.

I remember once Imani invited me over for some wine. It was late, I was tired, so I decided to go home to sleep instead. What a colossal mistake! Little did I know at the time, apparently Imani's apartment is like the happiest place in the world. Santa doesn't have elves to make his toys, he goes and gets them from Imani. I imagine a neon glow as I first step into her place. The walls look as though they're made of candy--I try one, they are! Entire rooms are devoted to individual video game consoles, maybe even to specific games! She has a music room where I find every instrument including the Gibson Les Paul in cherry red I have dreams about. I pick it up and play, and I sound awesome. I go to the kitchen. The fridge is stocked full of Nesquik and Sam Adams, and the freezer contains Ben and Jerrys' entire graveyard. I shut the fridge door and I'm startled by a cheerful gray haired woman smiling at me. It's Paula Dean, apparently she's there to make anything I want. "Something with butter, Paula, and what the heck drop somethin in the fryer, too. Don't forget to add some love!" "Comin right up, sugar," she replies. "Now you head into the living room and watch Michael J Fox and Christopher Loyd re-enact the entire Back To The Future trilogy live just for you." I go. I watch. It's life-changing. Afterwards the three of us take turns braiding each other's hair (I don't know, it's a dream). At dinner time the pizza guy delivers without ever being called, and now for dessert Ben and Jerry themselves take over Paula's kitchen and help me invent a new flavor. I call it "Imani's Apartment." It has everything good.

Bottom line: If Imani invites you over, for the sake of your childrens children and the stories you'll want to tell them--say yes. And take pictures to rub in my face.

Imani, we drank a thank-you glass to you last night, some light sparkling wine called Mi Ller L' ite. I think it's French.
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Good Old New Jersey

Wednesday.

Today was a gray day. From the get go the smell of coming rain was in the air, and the skies grew darker the nearer you looked to the horizon, like a reverse sunset. Whatever weather was in store, the wind was whipping it stiffly in our direction. I usually find some time during these kinds of days to turn to Joe and say, "Lovely fall weather we're having, eh?" And that's just what it was like. Halloween weather. A day like this you open your door and take one look at the sky, and you pause and then shiver a little out loud and then shut the door firmly and head for your nearest wool sweater. And slippers. And huge blanket. And as you put the kettle on you debate whether to watch The Goonies first or The Princess Bride. Or The Neverending Story. All great choices, and you'll pop them in the dvd player (or VHS if you're old school like me) one after the other, a new cup of tea and maybe a snack to start each new adventure. But one thing's for sure: no matter what you do today, you're not taking one step outside.
This is what I'm thinking as I pack up my damp tent this morning behind Wal-Mart. Yesterday it was 90--that was nice. The wind cuts easily through every layer, and my fortitude just doesn't seem to cut the mustard. Am I getting wimpy, I wonder? I mean it's not even raining yet! I've seen worse than this, like New Mexico when I woke up sick as a dog and the water bottles were frozen and we had to go climb a mountain. THAT was a rough morning. This is..

..well, this is three days from the end. I strap on my last bag and raise my head to scan the northern skyline. Not a good day for riding. Lazy movie day, yes. Carving a pumpkin, maybe. But not riding. The wind nearly blows me over as I make my first pedal strokes of the day. We're headed to central Jersey this morning. 65ish miles. Tomorrow a place called Cheesequake, but all I care about is it's 20 miles from Nicole's house. I can't believe we're this close. The rain starts before we've gone 10 miles, and it's cold rain. But I'm impermeable now, sustained by my mantra: Three days left, finish line in sight.

And so, we ride.
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Some pictures

While my huge lunch digests I thought I'd throw up some pictures. This
is the sunset in ocean city. The sun rise was better but those are on
my actuall camera, not the iphone.

On the boardwalk

Mini golf

Ocean City is the mini gold capital of the world. I lost count of how
many courses we saw.

Dinner at the Rio

Alicia and George were great company as we ate dinner at a local
bar(rio station) in Rio Grande NJ. And by great company I mean they
bought us dinner. Thanks you two, you rock.

3 states- one day

Heading out of Delaware and into New Jersey. Oh yeah and we biked into
Delaware today.

Ocean City MD

The view of the Atlantic from our hotel room. ( thanks dad) We dipped
our tires so we are officially coast to coasters.

Squishing Nate's head

This is a horrible picture but it's the only one I have right now to
put up of Nate (brians bro)and norton(brians long time friend), who
drive down from western new York to hang for the weekend. So we took a
zero day today. Here is a list of things we did.
Cooked breakfast
Played wiffle ball
Had milkshakes and lunch in cape Charles
Played frisbee on the cape Charles beach
Cooked hot dogs over the fire
Listened to the crazy red sox Yankees game
Drank pbr
Played rummy 500 (Nate won)

Doumars

Back in 1904 abe doumar sold the first ice cream cone. 105 years later
we sit looking at the first cone machine and enjoying this American
past time.

The Ol' 96er

When we left Roanoke Rapids yesterday morning, we had 96 miles to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. "No problem-o," we thought, "we can break that up into two easy days." Well a disappointing lunch break at McDonald's (no refilliable drink station!) gave us time to call the campground we were planning to stay at part way to the bridge. Turns out you actually can call yourself a campground even if you don't allow camping. Must be a Virginia thing. Well, what are two guys to do? As the saying goes, seek and ye shall find. A flip of the sports page and, ho ho ho what's this? Norfolk (96 miles, remember) has a AAA baseball team?! And they're playing tonight?! Once again, it's almost like we planned it. Do we have time to get there, though? Can we make it another 40ish miles on time, for another almost 100 mile day? Only one thing two guys can do--we got on our bikes and rode.

And so I'm sure you're wondering what happened. Did they make the game? Did they ride 96 miles? The suspense is killing you.

Well I'm happy to say we watched the Norfolk Tide squeeze by the Durham Bulls 4-3 during a beautiful crisp night at the ballpark. We ate junk and watched sports to our hearts' content. And as for the 96 miles--well, there's nothing left there but fat and gristle. We'll eat that up today without trouble, taking our sweet time to get to the bridge and enjoying every bite. And who knows? Maybe when we get there they'll give us a free t-shirt.
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Rip Tide

How about a ball game.

Tide vs. The Bulls in Norfolk VA

Ah beards

This pic was taken back in the Natchez trace. The other bearded wonder
is Ryan, and the pic was taken by Mandie. Thanks to Mandie for sending
us the photo, hope you two are doing great and let me know if you are
gonna head for hot springs, nc. You would love the sunnybank inn and
it's four course veggi meals. Mmmmm

Happy Birthday Nicolina!

I just have to shout out to the most amazing and beautiful woman in the universe, who happens to be turning 25 today. If you are lucky enough to know her, do everything in your power to help make her day special. I love you baby!
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Thank You, Mr. Kraus

Monday's good fortune was not just limited to a pavilion and a TV for the night, as it turns out. And not just limited to two guys on bikes, either.

Bryan Kraus was one of the first guys I lived with in college. We weren't roommates, but lived in the same suite in adjacent rooms. The guy who was his roommate was the polar opposite of Bry--huge, loud, annoying, often drunk (or something), and yet to give him a little credit, often wildly entertaining. I remember thinking then what a saint Bryan must be to put up with that, knowing there was no possible way he could have ever done anything bad enough to deserve it. Yet he took it in stride, in his quiet, observant, peaceful way, and in the end I think they were actually pretty well-suited roomies.

The passing years have brought many changes (as passing years often do). Bryan has chopped his flowing blond hair and is now sporting the shorter, cleaner cut endorsed by 'the man.' Beards have come and gone, not just for him but many of us who spent our mid-twenties (or early thirties in Ben's case, hehe) trying out new identities. Friends, too, have grown closer or drifted apart--to put it simply, life has happened, even though (as the saying goes), sometimes we were busy doing other things.

But some things haven't changed, and as Bryan and I have become great friends I've been able to see that he's the same kind, generous, all-around terrific guy who I met back in August 1999. Despite the fact that we now live in different corners of the country, have real jobs (okay, not me), and busy lives, Kraus and I along with Ben and Jimmy Acid (Mr. Beach to his students) have somehow remained close. We are like the Four Musketeers (including d'Artagnon), and of all the things I'm proud to have left college with my friendship with these guys tops the list.

Now I mentioned Bryan is generous, and not just 'cause he donated handsomely to our bike trip, which he did. When I talked to him for 45 minutes Monday night from the comfort of the Willis Pavilion, he shared some overwhelming news. In true Kraus form, he told me he intended to make a donation "in our honor" to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, an organization that seeks a cure for and serves patients with blood-related cancers. He is donating six-hundred dollars out of his own pocket, which his company (Microsoft) is going to match! There really isn't a way to thank him enough, but I promise you I'll sure try. I am blown away and humbled, and I can only hope that people choose to judge me by the quality of my friends.

And Bry, if it doesn't work out with that woman you're seeing, there's a whole lot of ladies reading this forming a line right now.
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Tonights camp view

Another amazing place to stay.

Rolling into yanceyville nc we stopped at the very first place we see.
A beautiful purple old house called the Yancey House restaurant. I
wander around the building, looking for signs of life and it's clear
they have no plans of being open on Monday but I'm bummed cause the
place looks amazing. We take a seat at an outside table an brian finds
the phone number online and gives a call... No answer, no machine. Out
of the house steps an older guy, white beard, and overalls on "you
guys want anything to drink?". Water sounds great, we mumble, still a
littl shocked he just walked out of the house. "what no beer?" this is
when we knew we loved this place. The guy was mike willis and he turns
out to be the owner, yep they ate closed on Mondays but he sets us up
with some water, a very tasty lemon dessert and tells us about the
place. JB and Theresa you've got to come pay this place a visit, it
just got voted one of the top ten dinners in all of NC. Mike told us
we could stay in the pavilion, complete with bathroom and tv. It may
well be one of the coolest places we've stayed and the fact that it's
sprinkling and I'm not getting wet is the cherry on top.

Winston-Salem

We didn't really know we would be coming thru Winston Salem until about 2 days ago, which was a nice surprise because my friends from Semester at Sea, JB and Theresa just happen to live here. Been great to see them for the few short hours and though it is very tempting to stay, after the hopefully successful purchase of a new back tire for Brian, we will hit the road again. It is hard to believe that we have less than two weeks before we hit NYC and do the 5 Boroughs bike tour. What is even more crazy is that we really don't have a plan after that. What will we do? Who will we see? How will we get back to the Cruz?  All good questions and I'm sure the answers will surprise us and delight us but they will have to wait, because my nice warm bed (for the night) is calling my name. And chances are good, I'll sleep better than I did behind the K-Mart. 

Night from Tobacco Country.

joe

Wonderful view.

Thought I would share our amazing view from last night.

Top Ten Things Lowrie Can Do With Time Off

For you fellow Red Sox fans out there news of Jed Lowrie's potentially season-ending injury is probably bumming you out (although he could be hitting better.) Well here's a special two guys on bikes top ten list to lift your spirits, courtesy in large part to our Saturday ride. Enjoy...

With at least 15 days off, Jed Lowrie might be wondering how to fill his free time. I have some suggestions..
10) Eat some deer-meat-chili with a religious biker (motorcycle) dude
9) Spend hours at McDonald's refilling his 1 dollar any size drink
8) Have his bat annointed with holy oil, once again by biker dude
7) Drive up and down Hwy 70 trying to count the hills
6) Try to figure out if Toto had any other songs besides "Africa" and "Roseanna"
5) Figure out where that smell is coming from
4) Watch "Paul Blart Mall Cop" over and over trying to spot the two funny parts
3) Let pitcher Josh Beckett practice hitting beer cans off his head
2) Pitch his tent and sleep behind a K-Mart, with a permission slip from friendly Manager Tanya
1) Sit at the China Buffet for hours listening to a random selection of Britney, Avril Lavine, and unheard of 80s love songs (the sesame chicken is worth it)

Hope y'all have a great Sunday!
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Smoky Mountain Memories

There are many people to thank lately. But some thoughts about the past few days are in order, while they're still fresh... 

Tuesday morning threatened rain, and Tuesday afternoon delivered as we splish splash sloshed our way through the Appalachian foothills. The usual hum of tires on pavement was drowned out (literally too) by the steady snare-drum of grit and rainwater whipping against fenders. With squishy gloves we gripped our handlebars, each squeeze of the brake yielding a stream like the twist of a wash cloth. We were soaked through. Heavy sagging dripping shirts and similar spirits as we slogged out our 73.8 miles to Hot Springs. And yet it felt right. By mid-afternoon a creeping fog was settling low and thick between mountain peaks and spilling into pine valleys. A hazy drizzle weighed heavy. Smoke from a woodstove weaves gray through the raindrops and finds its way to my nose, the wet and sooty smell immediately familiar and appropriate. It's cold and dreary and no good for walking to get the mail much less biking, and somewhere someone is snug and warm watching rain trails glaze the window, rocking slowly, tea in hand. What do they think as they see two distorted neon-yellow masses whizz by? I long for their cabin comfort, but I know soon enough we'll be pulling up to the Inn and dismounting our soggy steel rigs, almost falling into the open embrace of Seany boy and allowing ourselves to succumb to the mystique of a place that has welcomed weary world-worn travelers like us for over 100 years. This place tells stories, and each creaky board hints of people and secrets long forgotten. The Sunnybank Inn remembers. Even as I step inside for only the second time ever, I am surrounded by a familiar warmth as though returning to a childhood home. And yet each corner is a mystery, each dark passage awaiting dust-stirring exploration. I breath deeply and submit willingly. It's been a long ride getting here, and I know I can expect to sleep well tonight provided the ghosts remain friendly.

Now we are pretty much down the mountain, in fact we're in the home stretch. Soon we'll hit the coast, dip our tires, and turn north. It will go fast, as things like this do. This is a time for reflection, and thinking back over the past 10 weeks I can't help but wonder if most of the adventure is behind us. The beauty of the country we've crossed is infinite, and we've soaked up all we could. But perhaps the 'ol bike trip has some adventure left for us yet. Each day, each destination is unknown except for how we'll get there. We ride east into the breaking day and daydream of what is to come and the stories we'll tell our grandchildren.

Thanks to Joy's parents for their generous support of our trip and our blog. Karen, your comments are always appreciated.

Thanks also to Kalin and Rob, two of the most genuine people I've met. I tried to channel the ghost of Paul Newman with my bagel this morning and thought of you.

Thanks to Dan and Malena for going out of their way to help us out, I'm really happy we got to reconnect. You two rock.

Happy belated 30th Imani!
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At least we saw the sign.

Lake James

Beautiful day again today coming out of Asheville. We went 50ish miles
to lake James state park along a wide varietybof roads. We thought
long and hard about doing the blue ridge parkway on this trip and when
we decided not to attempt it we got to ride on it for about 2 miles
today and it made me want to ride it someday on bike. We then hit
highway 70 for the rest of the day and that was mostly pretty crappy
to ride on except on section where we were on old 70 and it was closed
to motor vehicles and it was all downhill. It was glorious but did not
last nearly long enough. We plan to ride 70 for awhile so hopefully it
will improve.
Big thanks to the croppers for putting us up last night and taking us
to dinner. I lived in Asheville for a few months 10 years ago and
though it was strange to be back, I think the passing of time has let
me appreciate the town more than when I was there. I look forward to
spending more time in this area, it really is beautiful.
Our sponsors today and many days to come are my wonderful in-laws.
Dave and Karen are somewhere out on the ocean but I know at some point
they will read this, they are two of our most loyal followers, even
from a ship thousands of miles away. Thanks dave and Karen!

joe

Out of the springs

It is way too late to be writing an entry. It is amazing how the time
flies when trying to rest. We rode 40ish miles into Asheville NC
today. It was hard to leave the good food and good people of hot
springs. Sean met us in Asheville and we hit up a couple of bike shops
before playing some disc golf. It was an amazing day. Perfect temp,
nice ride along the river and over the mtns, and topped it off with
pizza with Dan and Malena Cropper, some folks brian and I know from
geneseo days. We are staying with them tonight and then heading out
across NC tomorrow.
Big thanks to the honorable Rob and Kalin for sponsoring our time in
Hot Springs, we got some euchre in and ate and ate and ate. Also a big
thanks to seanny boy and the fine folks at the sunnybank inn. If you
go to hot springs you got to go to the inn. And finally happy birthday
to Rupert! Hope you had a good one!
Night from Asheville

joe

Into NC

Hot Springs NC. I first walked into Hot Springs almost exactly 10
years ago. The Appalachian trail runs right thru town. I believe I
enjoyed biking into town a little more but it is always good to see
hot springs. My good frien from college works at a great Inn here in
town so we were on a mission to get here and enjoy the great food,
good company, and of course beds. It's hiker season and the inn works
more like a hiker hostel during this time. We had dinner with 10
hikers and it was fun to hear their stories. We had a really rainy day
biking, along with a flat tire on my bike and a flat tire on the bike
of a women we met in Newport TN. So it was a long day in the rain,
which made our arrival at the inn even sweeter. Sean even treated us
to a trip to the springs which hopefully will do the body good.

joe

Maryville 100

We didn't know when we would do it, but we pretty much figured we couldn't ride across the country without fitting a century in there somewhere. For those who don't know a century in the context of biking refers to a 100 miler, a long ride for most anyone even without bags, and hills, and traffic, and wind. Needless to say we battled all four, but to tell ya the truth it was a pretty terrific day. We awoke to a stiff wind helping to dry our tents from last night's rain. Reports warned of morning showers developing into thunderstorms by afternoon, and we didn't have high hopes for getting too many miles in (before finding the nearest cheap motel). But we pedaled on, into a gusty wind, around some minor cities, and down busy shoulderless road. When we stopped for lunch neither of us were even sure how far we'd gone. But after doing the math, we were 35 miles in and it was only 1 o'clock. We studied the map and found the town of Maryville way up the road near Knoxville. "How far is it?," Joe asked. "Mmm, 60ish miles" I answered. "Man, if we can even get within spitting distance of Maryville tonight, we can probably make Hot Springs tomorrow." I let Joe's suggestion simmer a bit. Hot Springs is 75 miles from Maryville, totally doable, as it were. And man it would be nice to buy a day just in case we wanna spend it down the road. "Well," I said finally, "if we get to Maryville that's about 90ish miles. There's no way I'm quitting at 90 if we get there, so..maybe today we do our century?" We thought a bit. Then, without saying anything out loud, we quickly wolfed the last bite, slurped the last sip, and threw on our gear. We weren't sure if we'd make it all the way, but we were gonna give ourselves every chance we could. And as I lay to sleep on the carpeted basement floor of a kind family's home tonight, I wonder if my belt will be tighter tomorrow, now that I've got one more accomplishment under it. ; )Hot Springs, NC here we come.
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Rainy Night..er, Near Georgia

Three states, one day. An early start is a good one for us, especially after drying out dew-soaked tents. The sun is out, and miles await. After a long wake-up climb out of camp this morning, we rode the ridge of Sand Mountain until finally dropping down the other side. Lunch in Georgia, as though we we had the luxury of going anywhere but just really liked the atmosphere in this particular Wendy's. Then a nice twenty miles or so to Chatanooga, Tennesee. I hear they have a really nice Wal-Mart Supercenter there--why not! Local biker (Chip) helped pass the ride time and gave us some great route advice. A relaxing spin through empty downtown gave us a neat look at the old brick and new hip buildings co-mingling in this border town. Definitely have to come back and check it out. But now the priority is campsite, and we finally roll by a large church and house complex with lots of grass. The place has a nice look, and the folks we meet are as friendly as we hope. Eventually permission is granted, and we set-up at the building's back to avoid wind. Shelter, check; now food. An Asian buffet, you say? How can we say no! It just so happens that its rated #1 in town! We eat and drink and we are satisfactorily full if not quite merry. As we linger outside the nylon-and-poles we call home, it begins to sprinkle. A few drops on us, some dull taps on the tent tops, and we know it's only the beginning. The report says tomorrow we'll be wet--we may wake early again, but there'll be no drying off. As we fall in and zip up, the tapping becomes more steady, and soon it's an official soaker. Nice to sleep to, but biking's gonna be a slog. Oh well, it's bound to happen from time to time--after all, it is spring.
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Birthday wishes

Forgot to mention in my last post that we also had to do some off-
roading yesterday. See pic of brian, google maps did not know that the
road stopped a little sooner than we would have hoped.

Also forgot to send birthday wishes to Marilyn. Hope you had a great
day. I'm gonna try calling tonight. And finally birthday wishes to
Jake Spaulding courtesy of Woody.

Tough one

yesterday was a tough one. After the tornado induced rest day we were
hoping to make good time to chatanooga TN. Leah and Stan dropped us
off at the edge of Huntsville on the road we thought we would take all
the way to TN. Well once we took a good look at the road we realized,
there was no way it was safe to bike on. Four lane divided highway
with zero shoulder and a lot of big trucks. So after much talk and
some advice from the folks at the gas station ( Sam and jeff) we
started on some back roads. It was pretty riding but it was not at all
direct and even with the drive out of town we didn't get nearly as far
as we would hope. Throw in a flat tire for me and a nice big, steep up
hill and you got yourself a crusher of a day. Got better at the end
with lots of nice folks in Scottsboro. Helpful advice from the guys at
the firehouse and tons of nice people at the tripple r BBQ. This is
where we ended up for the night, Angie the asst. Manager not only
bought us dinner but let us stay in the lot next door.
Really wet this morning but it looks like the sun will be out most of
the day. More rain coming tonight and tommorow. Stupid spring. Happy
Easter, hope everyone has a great day and a big thanks to Leah,
Bernie, debbie, stan, and the kids. We had a good time.

joe

Safety First

After hearing about the threat of severe weather throughout last night, we wisely chose to linger this morning and see how things developed. Good thing we did--we would have been riding right into the path of a nasty set of storms that yielded several tornados and lots of damage. As it turned out, we and our wonderful hosts made it through unscathed, and we even got to spend some exciting time in the underground shelter which really gave us the full experience. Then the storm passed and all was well and quiet. The evening was a bit cool but otherwise clear and lovely, and we caught a little youth baseball and enjoyed some ballpark food, which put a nice cap on the day. A nice day off, even if Mother Nature had to pull out the big guns to scare us into resting.
Thanks to the one and only Cristy Sorenson for sponsoring our unexpected day off. As a Team In Training Alum, I know she would tell us that we need to rest to let our bodies rebuild. You're right Cristy, but despite your generous sponsorship and good advice I'm gonna give you the guilt trip for not doing a full marathon. Aw just kidding, you're the best Cristy. Tomorrow hopefully we'll be back on the bikes, talk to ya from--well, we'll see won't we. Night.
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Over The River And Through The Woods, pt.2

Through the woods...

The Trace is teeming with history, and passing through her green gates and riding the twisting labyrinth beneath her looming oak and pine is to yield not just to another place but a separate time. From the Native Americans whose footsteps carved the first trail, to the Kaintucks who trampled a road wide and deep on their way home from downriver destinations, to the postal riders who continued using the Trace even when no others would, this road has stories. Armies have marched up and down her spine, and battles fought in her woods and fields; fortunes of people and nations won and lost. As I hum down smooth empty tarmac, I am aware of all this--somewhat. The fact is that this day and this road are just too perfect to describe, beautiful in a way no picture can capture. My every sense is pricking from (and for) the variegation of stimuli, each one in coming through in high-def crispness. And with my body alert and manning the helm, my mind is free to wander carelessly and easily. I'm riding the breeze with the frantic butterfly that has become my wingman. I'm dismounting my steed (cleverly named "Greeny") and exploring the overgrown path, hidden in plain sight from the eyes of speedier riders. Is this where de Soto buried his Spanish-claimed gold?

Just as my shovel sounds a glorious thud, spiking firmly into what can only be a chest brim full of heavy gold, I'm jolted back to the now. Greeny's steel limbs are alive and shivering steadily, his nostrils are flared. He has caught a scent on the wind, something reminding him of his freedom. We are starting downhill. I instinctively lean forward, slide my thighs back and squeeze the seat between them. My hands re-grip; I spit with intent. I'm ready. I slam on the shifter and bang into high gear, racing down the steepest section of track. As we level out I cruise through the valley, then--at just the right time--I pedal hard and downshift one, then another, then one more. All the while my legs spin feverishly, each muscle showing what it can do, thrilled to have the challenge it had been craving. As I slow to an easy push near the opposite peak a skylight opens in the foliage above me. I notice my legs don't burn. My quads are taught but responsive. I look down from high on the tunnel of dripping leaves and spanish moss before me, rolling rises and dips and delicious curves snaking infinitely into the distance. The sun is bright overhead, there's plenty of daytime left. I realize I'm smiling and wonder if I ever stopped. I place my palm on my helmet and slide it slightly forward. Then I lean in and once again begin to race, having no deadline or need to hurry, just because in this pure moment I've abandoned all control to my inner kid, and he knows a playground when he sees it. We fly down the Trace together, happy.

Thanks to my Granny and Gramps for their tremendous support of our trip, I am a very lucky grandson and I know it. The 9th was also my Grandma White's birthday, she passed away last April. If you are fortunate enough to have grandparents in your life, call them today and tell them you love them. Don't wait. That's your weekend homework assignment from two guys on bikes.
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Weather and In the News

Well, we again are watching the weather as strong storms are in our area but we are lucky enough to be in the comforts of my friend Leah's home. Not sure if we will get any miles in today but we will have to be ok with that.

So yesterday when we were leaving the RV park, Jane the hostess (thanks for all your help Jane!)came over with her cell phone in hand and said, "Here, one of you guys talk to the paper." She gave the phone to Brian and the next thing you know Bernie, from the paper, is at the park taking our picture.
Currently we are on the front page of their web site. We need to go try and find a hard copy of the paper.

Here is the Link

The blog address is wrong but hopefully people who are interested will find their way to our site. The folks at the RV park were great. Randy the owner was very helpful with how to get across town and he gave us our money back. It will be fun to come back to a lot of these places with some more time on my hands because there is just too much to see and do.

Into Bama

Well we are off the Trace and heading towards Madison AL where my
friend Leah,from high school, lives. Can't remember the last time I
saw her, I want to say 12 years.
Need to say happy birthday to Katy Taylor and Loren Kinczel. You've
got an amazing friend in Sarah Woodside who sponsored today in your
honor.
The pic is from where we camped last night. We woke up to a ranger
telling us that 200 first graders were on their way and we were in the
way.
Night from Alabama.

Good company!

We've been enjoying some good company on the Trace and have failed to
say thanks to some folks. Mainly my dad and step-mom (Cary and
Marilyn). Not only did they host us and put up with us in phoenix but
they sponsored a huge number of days. Thank you both so much for
always encouraging my adventures. Big thanks also to brian's granny
and gramps who also have a number if days coming up.

The pic is of Paul, diane, and skip. Folks from grand rapids Michigan
that we have spent the last two nights hanging out with. Great company
and two fun nights with great camp fires. We wish them the best of
luck on the rest of the Trace.

We also met Ryan and mandy who are REALLY touring the country. Their
websit is withinreachmovie.com and everyone should go check out their
mission and amazing tour. I'll only tell you they are going to be on
the road for a year and a half. We had lunch with them at donna's who
was the greatest road side cheerleader. She flagged us down and tried
to convince us to stay the night because Ryan and mandy were already
staying. We settled on lunch but it was really hard to leave her warm
house and good food. We assured her we would be back when we come back
to the Trace.

I'm going into a food coma. We are at a pizza hut Buffett so I'm
stopping here. Night from Tupalo!

The wonders of the trace

Two great days on the Trace and it's a shame we aren't doing the whole
thing but it gives us a reason to come back with more friends. We've
met groups from Vermont and Michigan down on the trace getting their
first riding of the year in and they have been good company and we may
even get to play some euchre.
Also met some great folks at our campground tonight who were up for
great convo and gave us beer, chicken, and fire wood.
The pic is of a cypress swamp that is much better in person.
Got to go to bed. Night from the Trace.

Over The River And Through The Woods, pt. 1

We crossed the Mississippi and into the state of the same name sometime after 10, but it felt much later. We were excited to start on the Natchez Trace and the sun had long been up, bidding us make haste. As we rode the long bridge uphill out of Louisiana, I looked down past steel beams at the mighty river, "The Father Of Waters." It was the color of milk chocolate, churning and rushing quick but quite quietly past the concrete abutments that carved the clay-water creating a reverse wake, and noiselessly whispering stories --of not just the dawn and days of American glory, and tragedy, and hand-dug dirty life, and death, oh no. This river whispers stories from the dark corners of time, stories of the origin of all, and of itself.

As the pavement turned around on itself and we crossed the first parkway bridge, we immediately found another world. A verdant bank spread deep to each side of our open empty road, and the forest and birdsounds and the harmless perfection of it all was as inviting and innocent as a church picnic. We smiled, and rode eagerly into the slowly unfolding spring woods...

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Natchez Trace Parkway

The Mississippi

It's crazy that we are heading into mississippi today. Thursday
morning we woke up at the Evan's household And turned on the weather.
A big storm was heading our way so Stephanie made breakfast and we sat
it out. It was quick and powerful, evan breaking the flagpole out
front of the church. But it was all over by 11:30 and we still wanted
to make the 50 miles to Alexandria so we hit the road and had the best
tail wind of the trip. Making the miles role by super quick. Suprising
to me was the rolling hills of western Louisiana. Nothing huge but not
as flat as I had imagined. We went to a bike shop in Alex and then
headed over the river (forgot the name) to Pineville to try and find a
place to eat and camp. We ended up throwing up our tents in the back
of a walgreens, which meant we had an early rise yesterday. With the
early start the 67 miles to the river/border was nice and the eastern
part of the state lived up to my flatness expectations. Today we head
onto the Natchez trace parkway and lots of history.
Want to say good luck to my Crown peeps today with the conference.
It's gonna be great.
Happy Saturday!

Good things in Louisiana

Well we made it out of Texas and we are 16 miles into Louisiana and already we are loving it. We met Stephanie at the Leesville Dairy Queen with 4 kids in tow and they had seen us riding into town. They struck up a conversation with us and the next thing you know we are eating Jambalaya and Brownies at their house with her husband Tri. We will write more about this great family later but right now I'm using their computer to post the Phoenix to Austin pics which haven't been working. So here ya go.

Phoenix to Austin