Kentucky!

We all live in Virginia. Went through District of Columbia, Maryland, West Virginia, back to Maryland, then Pennsylvania, Ohio, and now we are in Kentucky!!!!

Edge of Ohio. Start of Kentucky

Sitting on the edge of Ohio looking over at Kentucky.

Ohio what a trip

Now that we have passed the two week mark we are really getting into the swing of things. Ohio has been full of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Early on in Ohio we were faced with the trepidation that we may not be able to continue. We had moments in the depths of despair and not only did the west coast seem unattainable but even a few miles seemed daunting. We did the only thing we could think of which was get some rest and hop on our bikes. We did not know if we would make it one mile with Jeanné's leg but one pedal stroke at a time we have been making progress. 

The credit to our current success is owed mostly to the Love and support that others have shown us. We are continually thankful for the support from friends and family but have been caught off guard by how much support we have had from the hearts of strangers. We have had the most wonderful time and been shown incredible hospitality from so many. The list at this point seems overwhelming so I apologize if I forget you. Thanks to Mary Ann for rejuvenating us with your great company and terrific kitchen. Thanks for Rick for pointing us to a great place to spend the night and ensuring we reached the destination safely. Thanks to our friends Bill and Marsha for the wonderful stay great food and the pleasure of great company. Thank you to the couple who payed our tabs on our way to Columbus. Thank you to Eric's aunt Starlette and uncle Mark for the incredible hospitality and advice on local routes. 

We thought at one point we would never make it to Canton and we are now past Columbus nearing the end of Ohio. I will try to touch more upon the riding soon, we just can't impress how much support we have had. We would not be this far without all who have helped out, here's to you!

Happy first day of summer!

This post was written yesterday evening, and we are just now able to post (currently we just left Killbuck, OH in Holmes County, which is Amish Country. We are in route to Mount Vernon, OH where we hopefully cab stay with someone from the Warm Showers community).

Minerva, OH to Dalton, OH ---- 40+ miles

Greetings from Dalton! Here are photos from our trip today and yesterday.

We still haven't met up with Mitch, but we'll probably connect up with him in Cincinnati or Columbus; he's been hanging out with his family in Columbus. My knee is getting better, but it's still tender; Kevin has been carrying my gear to help my recovery (even though I pack lightly, it's still quite the load...you'll see in the pics). Liz still wants to see the movie The Fast and the Furious 6. We caught up with a bike trail that will take us all the way to Cincinnati, which is where our Adventure Cycling maps begin (thanks for the trail recommendation, Rick).

Side Effects

After taking a rest day in Kincaid State Park, we trucked our bikes to Indiana yesterday to only find ourselves back in Kentucky to spend the evening in Louisville. All in all, Kentucky has been a gorgeous ride complemented by smiling people and herds of dogs chasing after us.  

Now that we have all been on the road a few weeks, the side effects of long-term bike travel have become clear - each side effect is experienced in varying degrees amongst the whole group.  

First, the coolest side effect is that when you are on a bicycle loaded with way too much stuff, people are immediately friendly and curious about what we are doing. Bob, one of our gracious hosts in Madison, IN, poignantly described that bikes have a way of disarming and opening people up to one another in a whole new way. Definitely true. Everywhere we have gone, we have been welcomed with open arms as if we are family or old childhood friends dropping in for a visit. The simple generosity people have given touches us everyday and brings us one step closer to Oregon with full hearts and sore legs.

A second glaring side effect is the obliteration of social boundaries that outline  public and private spheres of living. Appropriate behavior deemed for public and private have become mashed together to the point where we sometimes even forget their used to be a boundary. This became evident when one of our dear riders noisily let one rip in the middle of a restaurant without a second thought. I give my apologies now for all the people we have or will offend throughout the duration of this trip due to    any lack of appropriate behavior and perpetual state of delirium. 

Lastly, when traveling with any number of companions, spending hours upon hours with one another, life turns into a sitcom. Living with people is one thing, traveling with people is an entirely different thing. The script and situations are never ending and pumped with laughter, annoyance, exhilaration, frustration, one-liners, absurdities and some weird form of teamwork. 

Before I go, I am ecstatic to report that I finally got to see Fast and the Furious 6. My review is nothing less than to say it is the best movie ever.

Three Days Ago: Eric Says

Eric verbally contributes the following:

"Canton, OH or bust. Get to Canton. Chill at the NFL Hall of Fame. It's going to be AWESOME! I'm going to hit up Kilbuck, Ohio because a Pittsburgh bike guru, Erik said it was great; we'll see though...it may be super hilly. Maybe I'll go to where my Grandma's house is and relax there in that town. I'll be stoked to get out of these hills. So, Canton tomorrow, which is about 30 miles and then Columbus is like 120 miles."

If you're taking it easy tomorrow, Jeanné, just buy some ice and use a little at a time and store it in their freezer. Just do 30 on and 30 off and elevate your leg. We'll meet up when you're feeling better. I'll be hanging out in Columbus, Ohio with my family; we'll meet up there."

He also wanted these facts to be known:

(1)Liz burns more calories laughing than she does cycling. 

(2) Recent grocery store incident. First of all, the grocery store was called "Sparkle." We sent the girls in to do shopping, and after talking to Kevin for fifteen minutes...I stormed into the grocery store to see what the girls had chosen...to my dismay, I find them in a catatonic state to see that they only collected 2 items, which were dairy (milk and cheese). I demanded Jeanné out of the store (especially cuz she was injured and just wandering around aimlessly) and I took Liz through every aisle to get the job done.

Perspective is very valuable

While being rather docile waiting for Jeanné to return to full health we were reminded of a moment earlier on the trip. The day we left Cumberland to cross over the eastern continental divide we witnessed something very humbling. 

Mitch and myself rode around a corner onto the scene of a man undergoing CPR while his loving wife calmly cradled his head and peacefully told him how much she loved him. The rescuer on scene acted flawlessly and an ambulance arrived to whisk the man to the hospital. We all talked about the incident and processed it in our own ways. 

We followed up on the incident and were dismayed to hear that the gentleman passed en route to the hospital. We also found out a little history on his situation and were moved by his story.

The couple flew in from California to complete the ride to Pittsburgh because they had learned of he beauty of the route. The man  in his seventies had some health complications previously and was determined to still take on the trip. Upon his passing his wife shared that he said if he passed on a bike ride he would be happy. We were left to wonder if looking forward to the ride possibly bought him some more days on this precious earth. 

Today it is far too common to hear of sad devastating stories. The kind of stories that make the world seem tragic and out of control. This mans passing is without a doubt sad, but it is also in a way very comforting. He died on a beautiful day doing something he loved with a person who had loved him for life. His last few moments were certainly worth sharing for the perspective we gain. 

2 weeks today

Today marks 2 weeks. It already feels like the world has happened. At this pace, we'll definitely make it to Oregon by mid August. But, as we bike Mir and get in the groove of things, we'll have a more smooth operation, while still stopping to smell the flowers of course.

We're still resting outside of Salem, Ohio at Guilford Lake State Park due to my knee pain, but, in all reality, everyone needed these rest days. We can go the distance, but we need to budget in total rest days throughout the whole trip. we planned on Pittsburgh for our rest day, but...let's be real, how can one relax in such a vibrant city with friends, fun, and errands.
Currently, Kevin, Liz, and I are at the Park just taking it easy. Eric went on ahead to Canton, OH to the NFL Hall of Fame. We'll meet up with him soon.
Over n out.

Buckeyed

We are in Ohio at a beautiful lake in Guilford State Park. We are pretty knackered and did not reach our goal of Canton yesterday. We are having a rest day today dealing withthe growing   pains that come with big adventures. 

Yesterday at the top of yet another hill Liz was asked if her legs hurt. Duh! was all she uttered and we all cracked up. 

Eric has been killing it up the hills since his bike decided he may not use his easiest gear. We learned he is using a six speed shifter with a seven speed rear wheel. Depending on what you know about math, you may know that 7 does not equal 6. We think this is the problem. 

Jeanné had a tough day and started experiencing some sharp pains in her right knee. She had some minor pains and was so stoic with the early pains that it caught us all by surprise when the pain was severe. We stopped early and had an emotional day and were relieved when we finally found our gorgeous lake.  The morale of the group was lower than a group of pirates who ran out of rum. We contemplated life liberty and the pursuit of the west coast as everything hung on Jeanné's patellar tendon.   Today we received great news from a local physician that with some rest and anti inflammatories we will be able to carry on as normal. Jeanné's stubborn tolerance to pain helped save her life last July but we have informed her we need to be made aware of any pain even if she gets a bug bite from now on. We are thrilled and relieved that she is ok.

Kevin is referring to himself in the third person to illustrate the author. He currently has great legs and will carry Jeanné's gear with his beast of a bike. He is also covered in poison ivy that has been as stubborn and persistent as he was when he tried successfully to convince Jeanné to date him. Our morale is high and we are feeling opportunistic about the future. We have  been having an incredible trip thus far and yesterday we all agreed that if he trip ended today it would already be a raucous success. The people we have had he pleasure of interacting with have filled our lives with pure joy. The list of those who have shared a laugh and lent a hand is already too cumbersome. Thanks to everyone especially Dan Oates and the Events Unlimited crew for making our time in Pittsburgh a dream. Time for dinner here is a photo from my office. 

Follow us by email??

In case you all are tired of constantly checking/refreshing our blog, i believe (key word "believe") there is a way to follow our blog via email. Basically, all of our posts would be sent directly to your email. Well, that's the idea. So, if you'd rather do that, give that a shot. I think it's on the right hand side of our blog. If not, we'll send more posts your way regardless!!! We want to do one tonight. 

By the way, we have a whole slew of typos in this blog. It's because we are all new to the world of smart phones, which is how we are doing all of our blogging. 

Follow us by email??

In case you all are tired of constantly checking/refreshing our blog, i believe (key word "believe") there is a way to follow our blog via email. Basically, all of our posts would be sent directly to your email. Well, that's the idea. So, if you'd rather do that, give that a shot. I think it's on the right hand side of our blog. If not, we'll send more posts your way regardless!!! We want to do one tonight. 

By the way, we have a whole slew of typos in this blog. It's because we are all new to the world of smart phones, which is how we are doing all of our blogging. 

The climb to Ohio

We made it!

We've been moving a little slow, in the beginning, but now that we're of the trail, we'll be crushing more miles.

After the C&O Canal and GAP ended, we weren't sure how we'd connect up to our cycle-specific maps, which starts in Cincinnati, OH. Through a lot of deliberation and help from locals, the route we ended up on has been surprisingly smooth (although hilly). We were worried we'd end up stranded on some vicious highway, but this is working out well. Right now we are in Colombiana, OH and we rode maybe 25 miles. We plan on going another 40 or 50...basically, we want to get close to Canton, Ohio...especially because Eric is aching to go to NFL Hall of Fame.

We're grabbing grub right now. Here's what we look like. K, my food just came....I'M HUNGRY!!!!