tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78067497588630495702024-03-12T15:21:17.309-07:002008 - The Year to CycleIn 2008 I will bicycle from coast to coast with Trek Travel.SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-91171919383801855612008-10-22T20:49:00.001-07:002008-10-22T21:08:51.906-07:00Day 39: Orangeburg, SC to Charleston, SC – October 22, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2966259000/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/2966259000_e3f2e5b1e6.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2966259000/">cross Country Group 2008 10 22_2594</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 111 Miles<br />Ride Time: 7 hours 7 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 15.6 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 1,505 feet<br />Work: 3263 kJ<br /><br />We made it. We are one happy group. We had a great reception</p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2966223434/" title="2008 10 22_2492 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/2966223434_66a7747c6e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="2008 10 22_2492" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Bones leaves at the crack of dawn.</p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2965375945/" title="2008 10 22_2493 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2965375945_689c4e1539_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="2008 10 22_2493" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">It was 40 degrees this morning. Hollywood is dressed for the cold. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2966265710/" title="Rickky Bobby 2008 10 22_2528 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2966265710_1e59b5d580_m.jpg" width="171" height="240" alt="Rickky Bobby 2008 10 22_2528" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Ricky Bobby at the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2966258080/" title="Team Colorado 2008 10 22_2588 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2966258080_57d7a8254f.jpg" width="500" height="357" alt="Team Colorado 2008 10 22_2588" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Team Colorado with Archie.</p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2965412447/" title="B team 2008 10 22_2600 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2965412447_3c4d0eb2ca.jpg" width="500" height="357" alt="B team 2008 10 22_2600" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">The B Team. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2965413653/" title="Smilely Wink and Popeye 2008 10 22_2610 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2329/2965413653_6432ac867a_m.jpg" width="240" height="171" alt="Smilely Wink and Popeye 2008 10 22_2610" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Our Guides: Steph, Big Wink and Tara. Without them we would have never made it. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2966257270/" title="Ricky Bobby Atlantic Ocean 2008 10 22_2578 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2966257270_ca111aba92.jpg" width="500" height="357" alt="Ricky Bobby Atlantic Ocean 2008 10 22_2578" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">39 days ago I started in the Pacific and today I finished in the Atlantic. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">This has been a trip of a lifetime. Wow, wow and wow.<br /><br />I hope you get a chance to check out the other photos from today on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157608246277888/">Flickr</a>.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-47959030015465614632008-10-21T18:32:00.001-07:002008-10-21T18:46:08.242-07:00Day 38: Union, SC to Orangeburg, SC – October 21, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2963239246/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/2963239246_d4464f9f01.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2963239246/">House 2008 10 21_2477</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 127 Miles<br />Ride Time: 7 hours 24 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 17.2 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 6,813 feet<br />Work: 4621 kJ<br /><br />The cold snap in the south continues and this morning we faced another 32 degree start. We were on the road by 7:45 and it must have been two hours before it started to warm up. South Carolina has more forest then I expected so most of the morning ride was surrounded by trees. The roads did not have any sun to warm them up until at least 10 am. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2962391627/" title="forest 2008 10 21_2475 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2962391627_5f24a9436e_m.jpg" width="240" height="171" alt="forest 2008 10 21_2475" /></a><br /><br />To stay warm I rode hard in the morning and had a large lead on the others. I usually ride with the Colorado team but today I rode by myself. It is much harder without the pace line but I can look around a lot more riding on my own. I did not take a lot of photos since it hard to see the forest through the trees. Even though the landscape is pleasant it does not have anything that grabs your attention that needs photographing. Just a constant stream of trees, fields and houses. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2962392603/" title="Horse 2008 10 21_2476 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/2962392603_eb365f9831_m.jpg" width="240" height="171" alt="Horse 2008 10 21_2476" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />We had to cover 120 miles today so it was a long ride on my own. For the last 30 miles Sparky road with me since he caught me while I stopped at the second lunch stop. He did not ride yesterday since he had food poisoning from dinner the other night in Asheville. It was good to see him able to ride this afternoon. It would be terrible if he was still sick and not able to ride the last day.</p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2963241334/" title="Sparky 2008 10 21_2485 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/2963241334_84f36cd5b8_m.jpg" width="240" height="171" alt="Sparky 2008 10 21_2485" /></a><br /><br />Tomorrow is our last day. We have just over 100 miles to go to Charleston. It’s hard to imagine that we just started a little over 5 weeks ago. It seems just like yesterday when we were in the California desert.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-52424040027353843862008-10-20T17:25:00.001-07:002008-10-20T17:31:15.255-07:00Day 37: Asheville, NC to Union, SC – October 20, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2959733738/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2959733738_7131eacacb.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2959733738/">Eastern Continental Divide 2008 10 20_2469</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 113 Miles<br />Ride Time: 6 hours 46 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 16.8 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 8,173 feet<br />Work: 3838 kJ<br /><br />It was another cold day with the temperature close to freezing in the morning. But the people we meet along the way are always warm. Our waitress, Kathy, at the Renaissance Hotel for breakfast was friendly and was impressed with our trip. She had also served us lunch the day before and provided us a wonderful fruit plate. She was in awe of our ability to do such a trip. She said he man wouldn’t even take her on a short motorcycle trip. It is great to talk with such good people. It has been one of the highlights of the trip. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Renaissance Hotel Asheville 2008 10 19_2465 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956083579/"><img height="171" alt="Renaissance Hotel Asheville 2008 10 19_2465" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/2956083579_cbf672c236_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />Leaving Asheville we were faced with our last 1000 foot climb at about mile 10. We crossed the Eastern Continental Divide at 2880 feet. After the peak we had a long decent. The temperature and speed made for a very cold decent but we were dressed much warmer than yesterday so did not have to stop to warm up. The scenery was just great. Not as good as yesterday since the leaves had not changed much yet here. But I’m sure after this cold snap they we be changing shortly. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Eastern Continental Divide 2008 10 20_2470 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2959735908/"><img height="171" alt="Eastern Continental Divide 2008 10 20_2470" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/2959735908_39dbd2dff1_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Team Colorado 2008 10 20_2471 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2959737186/"><img height="171" alt="Team Colorado 2008 10 20_2471" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3228/2959737186_a0c830f574_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Team Colorado 2008 10 20_2471 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2959737186/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Cold Hollywood 2008 10 20_2473 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2958896919/"><img height="240" alt="Cold Hollywood 2008 10 20_2473" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/2958896919_9fc961ee4f_m.jpg" width="171" /></a><br /><br />We misunderstood one of the directions on our guide sheet and ended up adding almost 10 miles to our ride. We stopped at a gas station to look at a map to figure out how to get back on track and experienced a customer service issue. A customer was complaining about what he had been charged and the clerk just yelled at him and told him to leave the station. We told Hollywood that she could be his future wife. Hollywood said that she made his ex-wife look good. The Captain then asked Hollywood if he was then thinking of marrying her for the third time. We all got a laugh out of this.<br /><br />We have a great group of guys on this trip and it has made riding such a pleasure. It is had to imagine that we only have two more days to go.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-45638934686212099042008-10-19T18:59:00.001-07:002008-10-19T19:10:46.211-07:00Day 36: Cherokee, TN to Asheville, NC – October 19, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956020375/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/2956020375_4a12b603c2.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956020375/">Hollywood 2008 10 19_2429</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 69 Miles<br />Ride Time: 4 hours 49 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 14.4 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 5,900 feet<br />Work: 2840 kJ<br /><br />Waking up to frost on the ground is not a good sign. This morning it was 32 degrees outside and we would have to climb to 5100 feet to get out of the Smoky Mountains. We set off at 7:45 once it was light enough to see. Waiting for it to warm up was not an option since it wasn’t forecast to warm up any time soon. The high would only be 50 degrees. Also since it was prime viewing time for the fall color change we wanted to finish the narrow roads before too many cars were on them.<br /><br />I set a fast pace out of Cherokee and soon had dropped the Colorado boys once we started to climbed. I kept the pace up all the way to the top just to stay warm. Once at the top I added a wind breaker to my soaked cloths. Hollywood was next at the top and we rode down together. He did not need to stop since he had all the clothes on and did not have any more to add. By the time we had descended into Maggie Valley we had to find a place to warm up. We found a gas station and ducked in for some hot chocolate. Hollywood was shivering so badly, I had to make it for him since he could not open it. After about 15 minutes we continued on since riding would help to keep us warm. We never saw anyone else in our group until after we arrived at the hotel. Later we learned that they had all stopped at different places in their struggles to stay warm.<br /><br />The scenery along the ride today was the best. The sun was out in full force and the leaves were changing colors. It was just beautiful to ride and look around. In spite of the cold this was one of the best rides of the trip. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Ricky Bobby Asheville Bridge 2008 10 19_2438 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956882104/"><img height="172" alt="Ricky Bobby Asheville Bridge 2008 10 19_2438" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2956882104_885193e028_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Fall Colors 2008 10 19_2439 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956886426/"><img height="240" alt="Fall Colors 2008 10 19_2439" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2956886426_b9671ddc47_m.jpg" width="171" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Fall Colors 2008 10 19_2439 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956886426/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Blue Ridge Parkway 2008 10 19_2423 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956852110/"><img height="171" alt="Blue Ridge Parkway 2008 10 19_2423" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/2956852110_283a8d922a_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Hollywood 2008 10 19_2431 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956869532/"><img height="171" alt="Hollywood 2008 10 19_2431" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/2956869532_79f48d897d_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Hollywood 2008 10 19_2431 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956869532/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />In the afternoon I walked around Asheville’s downtown. It was very cute. It was another great day in our cross country trip.</p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Asheville Court House 2008 10 19_2441 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956045313/"><img height="171" alt="Asheville Court House 2008 10 19_2441" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/2956045313_114e52897c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Old Europe Asheville 2008 10 19_2446 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956051655/"><img height="171" alt="Old Europe Asheville 2008 10 19_2446" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/2956051655_e2ebdddd71_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Old Europe Asheville 2008 10 19_2446 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2956051655/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">I hope you get a chance to check out the other photos from today on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157608145965336/">Flickr</a>. </p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-51907136454621451112008-10-18T13:16:00.001-07:002008-10-18T13:16:35.240-07:00Day 35: Townsend, TN to Cherokee, TN – October 18, 2008<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2951795541/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2951795541_a1a4701179.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2951795541/">Group 2008 10 18_2414</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> Miles: 55 Miles<br />Ride Time: 3 hours 56 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 14.1 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 6,100 feet <br />Work: 2376 kJ<br /><br />Today we said goodbye to Tennessee as we entered North Carolina. Our ride took us on a beautiful gradual climb winding along the Little River for 13 miles. Next up was another 13 mile climb to the Newfound Gap at 5048 feet. Since today was Saturday we had a ton of cars also driving the Smoky Mountains to check out the changing colors of the trees. As we have found along our trip, 99 percent of the drives are kind but once and awhile a bozo appears. <br /><br />As we climbed the temperature started to drop. It was only about 50 degrees we left Townsend and about half way up we ran into thick fog with visibility sometimes down to 30 feet. I was climbing up with Hollywood but my feet started to get cold and I could not keep up his pace. I had to stop at the van and put on booties. Hollywood never stopped since we didn’t want to get cold. I was never able to catch back up to him but at least my feet were warm. Captain reported that it was 37 degrees at the top. <br /><br />The van had pulled up at the top and we all climbed into it to warm up before descending. Because of the fog we were not able to take any photos. Newfound gap is also the border to North Carolina so we not even able to take our usual “Welcome Sign” photo. <br /><br />After warming up, adding another layer and putting on long finger gloves we started the 10 mile decent to Cherokee. About half way down we finally escaped the fog and were able to take in the fall colors. <br /><br />We stopped at “Big Boy” for lunch instead of our normal picnic lunch. On this cool fall day we were glad to be inside and warm. Even without the views at the top it was still a great ride. The Little River section was just awesome. Trek Travel sure did a good job picking out the roads in Tennessee.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-45127585821638869852008-10-17T17:17:00.001-07:002008-10-17T17:20:17.345-07:00Day 34: Crossville, TN to Townsend, TN – October 17, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2950685892/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/2950685892_fb22269b03.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2950685892/">Lunch 2008 10 17_2391</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 105 Miles<br />Ride Time: 6 hours 38 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 15.9 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 9,001 feet<br />Work: 3299 kJ<br /><br />It was another big day of climbing following a tough one yesterday. I did not feel I had the same power as yesterday. It did not help that it was raining this morning when we started out. We started about 7:15 am behind the others. It was dark because of the cloud cover and we had a lot of turns to get out of town.<br /><br />We whined our way along the beautiful Tennessee roads taking in the fall colors. The towns were getting closer together and making the riding a little more cautious as cars are more numerous.<br /><a title="Carmichael Creek Dam and Bridge 2008 10 17_2394 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2949833743/"><img height="171" alt="Carmichael Creek Dam and Bridge 2008 10 17_2394" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2949833743_82fab4b54d_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Lunch 2008 10 17_2390 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2950686732/"><img height="171" alt="Lunch 2008 10 17_2390" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/2950686732_5865ed3575_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Lunch 2008 10 17_2390 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2950686732/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />We had a scenic lunch next to the Carmichael Creek Bridge and Dam. After lunch we continued to soak in the landscape as we made out way to Townsend which is just out side the Great Smoky Mountain Park. The ride along the river to Townsend was just outstanding.<br /><br />I’m looking forward to tomorrow as Big Wink, our guide, says it was his favorite ride from last years trip. Tomorrow we ride the Smoky Mountains.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-53033557524288305022008-10-16T19:04:00.001-07:002008-10-16T19:10:56.386-07:00Day 33: Nashville, TN to Crossville, TN – October 16, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2947618687/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2947618687_f7a608403d.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2947618687/">Team Colorado and Ricky Bobby 2008 10 16_2372</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 130 Miles<br />Ride Time: 7 hours 44 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 16.8 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 11,082 feet<br />Work: 4228 kJ<br /><br />The weather forecast called for rain today. Unbelievably we were able to stay in front of the storm and never get wet. We had a few drops as we prepared this morning in Nashville but after that not a drop. The sky always looked threatening but never turned dark until the very end and then it did not rain until we were eating dinner. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Hermitage Hotel Nashville 2008 10 16_2366 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2948462730/"><img height="172" alt="Hermitage Hotel Nashville 2008 10 16_2366" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3152/2948462730_d945c519dd_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Tennessee road 2008 10 16_2375 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2948476200/"><img height="171" alt="Tennessee road 2008 10 16_2375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2948476200_3609da1ea2_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />Because of the over cast sky I was not able to take many photos of the landscape that continues to impress. Tennessee is just a beautiful place and we are catching it just as the trees are starting to change color. The roads also continue to out distance Tennessee from all the other states we have traveled through as they are the smoothest. This makes riding a lot easier since we do not have to deal with the muscle strain on our neck and arms.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Team Colorado 2008 10 16_2385 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2948484934/"><img height="171" alt="Team Colorado 2008 10 16_2385" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2948484934_6fbf4b3678_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />Today had the greatest amount of climbing on the trip but we really only had one long climb and all the rest were the constant rolling hills we have been doing for the past week. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Car plant 2008 10 16_2374 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2948475218/"><img height="171" alt="Car plant 2008 10 16_2374" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3249/2948475218_0b89f84ce5_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Wooden Indian 2008 10 16_2377 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2948478544/"><img height="240" alt="Wooden Indian 2008 10 16_2377" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2948478544_ca592ce5cc_m.jpg" width="171" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />The climbing did not prevent Grateful from racing me up a few of them at mile 115. We both felt strong at the end. As the Captain says “Boys will be Boys” .<br /><br />At dinner we kidded our guide Smiley, who only road half the day, that she should be called Smirk.<br /><br />It’s great that after a tough day we all had smiles and could joke. Life is great on our cross country trip.<br /><br />I hope you get a chance to check out the other photos from today on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157608069834185/">Flickr</a>.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-19040436647546533562008-10-15T15:39:00.001-07:002008-10-15T19:59:59.672-07:00Day 32: Rest Day - Nashville TN - October 15, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2944878707/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/2944878707_6dee050771.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2944878707/">Ricky Bobby at the Ryman 2008 10 15_2349</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Today was a day to sleep in and relax. We have gone over 2,700 miles and have one week to go. We had a great meal last night at the Capital Grille in the Hermitage Hotel. I slept wonderful last night as the Hermitage Hotel has been the best hotel we have stayed at on the trip. It is a landmark in Nashville. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Tennessee State Capital 2008 10 15_2344 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2944922837/"><img height="171" alt="Tennessee State Capital 2008 10 15_2344" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/2944922837_e35b24186f_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />With Nashville being the capital of Tennessee, I decided to start my tour of Nashville at the Capital building. It is a beautiful building built back in 1850s. Its grandeur represents the greatness of Tennessee of the time. Three of the first 17 presidents came from Tennessee; Jackson, Polk and Johnson and it was one of the main agriculture providers of the time. It was truly a wonderful building to tour.<br /><br />From there I went to the Farmers market and had lunch. In the afternoon I visited the Ryman Auditorium which once had been home to the Grand Ole Opry and is now used for all types of concerts because of its great acoustics.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Ryman Auditorium 2008 10 15_2355 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2946203846/"><img height="172" alt="Ryman Auditorium 2008 10 15_2355" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/2946203846_a8f5754f55_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Ryman Auditorium 2008 10 15_2352 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2945339897/"><img height="171" alt="Ryman Auditorium 2008 10 15_2352" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/2945339897_7afa92458e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Ryman Auditorium 2008 10 15_2352 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2945339897/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Leslie from the Ryman 2008 10 15_2351 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2945786338/"><img height="171" alt="Leslie from the Ryman 2008 10 15_2351" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3030/2945786338_0a6141b8da_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Ryman Coldplay 2008 10 15_2354 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2945340309/"><img height="240" alt="Ryman Coldplay 2008 10 15_2354" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/2945340309_1b7efe0998_m.jpg" width="171" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Ryman Coldplay 2008 10 15_2354 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2945340309/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Leslie was a wonderful guide for the tour in the Ryman Auditorium. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />After that I went and saw the Country Music Hall of Fame. I’m not a country music fan but it was still interesting.<br /><br />It was a very relaxing day taking in the Nashville sights and I’m ready for our final week. Tomorrow we have our biggest climbing day with 11,000 of climbing to be done. It should be fun. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">I hope you get a chance to check out the other photos from today on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157608059526422/">Flickr</a>. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"></p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-58616528495595678182008-10-14T14:16:00.001-07:002008-10-15T07:39:21.534-07:00Day 31: Erin, TN to Nashville, TN – October 14, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2941995199/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/2941995199_5e3cf3c6b7.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2941995199/">Ricky Bobby and Team Colorado at Cumberland River 2008 10 14_2316</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 71 Miles<br />Ride Time: 4 hours 13 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 16.9 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 6465 feet<br />Work: 2353 kJ<br /><br />Today we rolled into Nashville. It is the largest city we will bike through and our final rest stop before we reach the Atlantic. We started out in Erin just 70 miles from our destination. The morning was cloudy so I didn’t get many photos. The Tennessee country side is extremely pleasant. Small farms, houses and forest dominate the landscape.<br /><br />We had a lot of rolling hills to climb but they are not bad since it only takes a few cranks to get to the top and one gets to relax on the decent. I continued to ride with Team Colorado as we are getting to be well oiled machine in our pace line riding. Although once and a while they grumble about Ricky Bobby pulling to hard on the hills. I do this just to keep them honest and now they tend to continue to keep pulling instead of turning it over to me when we get to hills. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Cumberland River 2008 10 14_2299 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2943130352/"><img height="171" alt="Cumberland River 2008 10 14_2299" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/2943130352_18a8da0c36_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="old house 2008 10 14_2298 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2942270645/"><img height="171" alt="old house 2008 10 14_2298" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2942270645_e237b893a6_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />We had lunch on the banks of the Cumberland River and then rode into Nashville. For a few miles into town we followed a bike path on the river. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="River Trail 2008 10 14_2320 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2943132558/"><img height="172" alt="River Trail 2008 10 14_2320" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2943132558_9f8e9f75f3_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Nashville 2008 10 14_2324 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2942272495/"><img height="172" alt="Nashville 2008 10 14_2324" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2942272495_af78bf0611_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Nashville 2008 10 14_2324 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2942272495/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">The last mile we had to go on the city streets to get to the hotel which was located in the center of downtown. We arrived before 1 pm which gave us plenty of time in the afternoon to explore the home of country music. Tomorrow I plan to see the country music hall of fame.<br /><br />It is amazing that a 70 mile ride seems like nothing these days. It was another great ride. Life is great in America.<br /><br />I hope you get a chance to check out the other photos from today on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157608036525901/">Flickr</a>. </p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-28523603775391106212008-10-13T18:25:00.001-07:002008-10-13T18:44:38.679-07:00Day 30: Union City, TN to Erin, TN – October 13, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2939849744/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2939849744_ef86359357.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2939849744/">at the Tennessee River 2008 10 13_2275</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 100 Miles<br />Ride Time: 6 hours 12 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 16.2 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 5528 feet<br />Work: 3331 kJ<br /><br />Today we enjoyed the beautiful Tennessee country side. We headed out of Union City and biked through rolling hills. We passed well maintained homes and small farms. Unlike Missouri with its large mega farms, Tennessee seemed split between homes and agriculture with lots of woods in-between. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="house 2008 10 13_2236 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2939012601/"><img height="171" alt="house 2008 10 13_2236" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2939012601_7188a278f2_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="old barn 2008 10 13_2234 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2939864914/"><img height="172" alt="old barn 2008 10 13_2234" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/2939864914_2a3caaa7a4_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />We also came across barns for tobacco that at first seemed to be on fire. We thought they were used to smoke ham but later when we saw one with its door open we noticed that it was filled with tobacco. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Smoke Barn 2008 10 13_2249 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2939038667/"><img height="172" alt="Smoke Barn 2008 10 13_2249" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/2939038667_8625b9990a_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />We stopped for lunch in Puryear, it looked like it had not changed in 100 years. But unlike the other deserted towns of Missouri or Oklahoma, Puryear seemed well maintained.<br /><a title="Lunch Puryear 2008 10 13_2254 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2939899314/"><img height="171" alt="Lunch Puryear 2008 10 13_2254" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/2939899314_353dbd6d29_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />We continued on over the Tennessee River and rode along the Tennessee Ridge surrounded by forests that were starting to get their fall colors. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Tennessee Ridge 2008 10 13_2286 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2939938446/"><img height="171" alt="Tennessee Ridge 2008 10 13_2286" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/2939938446_d2f86acbda_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Tennessee Ridge 2008 10 13_2288 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2939940946/"><img height="171" alt="Tennessee Ridge 2008 10 13_2288" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2939940946_c9da2de3b3_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />I rode with the Colorado Team since this was our fourth day of century riding and we could utilize the pace line to conserve energy. We are all looking forward to our final rest day in Nashville in two days. The day after Nashville will be one of the longest rides.<br /><br />It was a great day to ride and take in the scenery. Tennessee is much more beautiful then I expected.<br /><br />I hope you get a chance to check out the other photos from today on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607978153189/">Flickr</a>.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-34656794539731853752008-10-12T20:26:00.001-07:002008-10-12T20:47:55.245-07:00Day 29: Poplar Bluff, MO to Union City, TN – October 12, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2936022747/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/2936022747_ae8733e031.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2936022747/">Welcome to Kentucky 2008 10 12_2227</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 104 Miles<br />Ride Time: 6 hours 40 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 15.7 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 1510 feet<br />Work: 4057 kJ<br /><br />We crossed the mighty Mississippi River today and it required some improvising by our Trek Travel guides. The original plan was to take a ferry across but a government dispute has temporary closed it. We ended up loading everyone into the van and doing a 100 mile detour to get back to the other side. Once at the ferry landing in Hickman, Kentucky we continued on our way to the hotel.<br /><br />The Mississippi River valley is very flat so we only had 1510 feet of climbing today. I did more work today then yesterday which had almost 8000 feet of climbing. The difference being is that today for the last 15 miles I raced to the hotel. (It was NASCAR Sunday) While Gary and I were taking photos of the Welcome to Kentucky sign the others had gone ahead. I pulled Gary to the group which took about 2 miles to catch them. Once I had caught my breath I decided to jump ahead because we were going up a hill. The group then gave chase and it took them almost all the way to the hotel to catch me. Grateful Dave had pulled the group back onto my wheel but he did not have enough to pass. I tried to break away again but Grateful kept on my wheel but I splintered most of his group.<br /><br />We arrived at the hotel and broke out the beer. Beer is a recovery drink, isn’t? Our guides had called ahead for pizza. It was a great finish to another great day in our cross country adventure. Life is great.<br /><a title="Dog 2008 10 12_2173 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2936005629/"><img height="171" alt="Dog 2008 10 12_2173" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/2936005629_8091ea9b49_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">More dogs chased us again.</p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="cotton field 2008 10 12_2177 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2936862322/"><img height="171" alt="cotton field 2008 10 12_2177" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2936862322_d4d0206ce8_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Cotton Field 2008 10 12_2180 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2936862788/"><img height="171" alt="Cotton Field 2008 10 12_2180" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2936862788_bd8a81b277_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Cotton Field 2008 10 12_2180 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2936862788/"></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="cotton stacker 2008 10 12_2183 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2936863974/"><img height="171" alt="cotton stacker 2008 10 12_2183" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/2936863974_4433af87fb_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Cotton fields of Missouri and the machine that makes "mega bales"</p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Ricky Bobby at the Mississippi River 2008 10 12_2202 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2936870062/"><img height="171" alt="Ricky Bobby at the Mississippi River 2008 10 12_2202" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/2936870062_cb1a2f82d4_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Ricky Bobby at the Mississippi River.</p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />I hope you get a chance to check out the other photos from today on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607971697842/">Flickr</a>.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-83897576791195168782008-10-11T20:28:00.001-07:002008-10-11T20:45:50.302-07:00Day 28: West Plains, MO to Poplar Bluff, MO – October 11, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2933410728/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/2933410728_799052cff4.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2933410728/">dog 2008 10 11_2146</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 113 Miles<br />Ride Time: 8 hours 4 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 14.0 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 7996 feet<br />Work: 3943 kJ<br /><br />Our main challenge today was dogs. We must have been chased by almost a hundred dogs. It seemed like every house we passed had a dog or more and they would either bark or chase us. Some came close but no one got bit. Most of the dogs are not smart enough to know that you have to run forward of the bike to catch us. Time after time the dogs would run straight at the bike and then when they reached the road they would have to turn. Only about one or two had figured out they had to run at a diagonal if they wanted any chance to catch the bike. Most of the time I would just speed up and leave them behind but some dogs would follow for a long time. I had one dog that raced us for a good quarter mile before giving up. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Stephanie 2008 10 11_2119 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2933398198/"><img height="171" alt="Stephanie 2008 10 11_2119" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/2933398198_8dcf780a99_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />Team Colorado started out with mechanical problems first thing this morning as Dave’s chain ring had a bent tooth. He had broken the chain yesterday and this was not noticed yesterday since he never used the small ring after that. While he changed bikes, Stephanie started out and I joined her. We rode together all the way to lunch. I expected Team Colorado to catch up but they never did since they also took a 6 mile detour as the made a wrong turn. At the end of the day Hollywood’s directions where in taters so I’m surprised if they would ever find the hotel but lucky for them they found the Sonic where I was enjoying my chocolate shake. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Hollywood's directions 2008 10 11_2155 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2932555141/"><img height="240" alt="Hollywood's directions 2008 10 11_2155" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3202/2932555141_e291085049_m.jpg" width="171" /></a> <a title="Team Colorado at Sonic 2008 10 11_2153 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2932554841/"><img height="172" alt="Team Colorado at Sonic 2008 10 11_2153" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3180/2932554841_7f40135707_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />The road continued through the Ozarks so we had a ton of small hills to climb as the road snaked its way along the ridges. We also had to deal with about 6 miles of gravel road which proved very challenging. Lucky no one in the group crashed or got a flat. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Barn 2008 10 11_2118 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2932539393/"><img height="172" alt="Barn 2008 10 11_2118" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2932539393_a0b0a647fe_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Archie 2008 10 11_2132 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2932545379/"><img height="171" alt="Archie 2008 10 11_2132" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/2932545379_95baea5625_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Archie 2008 10 11_2132 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2932545379/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Courthouse Sinclair 2008 10 11_2149 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2932554043/"><img height="172" alt="Courthouse Sinclair 2008 10 11_2149" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2932554043_be97428efb_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2933408744/" title="lunch 2008 10 11_2142 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/2933408744_a27b7042ea_m.jpg" width="240" height="172" alt="lunch 2008 10 11_2142" /></a><br /><br />By the end of the day we had finished the hills of the Ozarks and entered the flat river valley of the Mississippi River which we will cross tomorrow. I was glad to pull into a Sonic and have a chocolate milk shake. We had just completed 17,000 feet of climbing in the past two days.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Stephanie 2008 10 11_2147 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2932553171/"><img height="171" alt="Stephanie 2008 10 11_2147" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3295/2932553171_a44f489299_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />I hope you get a chance to check out the other photos from today on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607918169748/">Flickr</a>.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-20572067551978687262008-10-10T19:54:00.001-07:002008-10-10T20:03:28.353-07:00Day 27: Branson, MO to West Plains, MO – October 10, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2930726698/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2930726698_c0dfa89e4f.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2930726698/">Hollywood 2008 10 10_2031</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 103 Miles<br />Ride Time: 6 hours 38 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 15.6 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 9265 feet<br />Work: 3904 kJ<br /><br />Pulled out of Branson and right away we had a 1 mile climb with lots of commuters going to work. It makes one glad that I don’t have to drive. We had some morning fog also to contend with and we would pull off to let cars pass us when required. I’m not sure why Missouri roads do not normally have a shoulder or with all these hills at least a passing lane. Luckily the roads have been smooth unlike Oklahoma. I guess one can not have everything.<br /><br />Today was Hollywood’s first day to ride after five days off. He is back to his normal joking self. When Big Wink flatted he had the jokes coming right and left. It was good to have him back to help on the pace line.</p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Big Wink's flat 2008 10 10_2036 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2930727486/"><img height="171" alt="Big Wink's flat 2008 10 10_2036" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3135/2930727486_f71869177e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />Dave our guide now has several nick names. His original name was Big Wave, not from his surfing skill but from his hair. We gave him a new name, Big Wink, after the other day when he had Tara pick him up to help with logistics. This was on one of the toughest days of riding due to the Oklahoma wind. She had already told us this before she picked him up since she had to go back to get him; wink, wink. In Branson Big Wink got a haircut so we can now also call him “Little Wave”. Later in the day we able to give him another name; “Half Day”. This was because he only rode half a day while letting Tara ride in the afternoon. We like kidding him and he takes it well. Big Wink also likes to ham it up for the camera and I was able to get him doing different poses.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Big Wink and Dave 2008 10 10_2045 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2930730898/"><img height="172" alt="Big Wink and Dave 2008 10 10_2045" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2930730898_cc6545c182_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Big Wink 2008 10 10_2061 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2930734588/"><img height="172" alt="Big Wink 2008 10 10_2061" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/2930734588_21fb2572cc_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Big Wink 2008 10 10_2061 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2930734588/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Big Wink 2008 10 10_2060 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2930734090/"><img height="171" alt="Big Wink 2008 10 10_2060" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/2930734090_f4c44469e3_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />Most of the time the roads seamed to go along the top of the ridges but every now and then it would drop down to a river or lake and then we would have to climb our way back to the ridge top. Today was one of our biggest climbing days with over 9000 feet of climbing. In the afternoon I dropped the Colorado boys going up one of the long hills and they were never able to catch back up. They got close but Dave broke a chain and had to wait for repairs.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Horses 2008 10 10_2102 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2929883933/"><img height="171" alt="Horses 2008 10 10_2102" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/2929883933_7e99aab4f4_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Red Barn 2008 10 10_2112 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2929885013/"><img height="171" alt="Red Barn 2008 10 10_2112" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/2929885013_0169f05cac_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />All these hills always provide something to look at which makes the day go by fast. I really enjoyed the scenery. I even stopped and helped a tortoise across the road so a car would not hit him. It was another beautiful ride across America. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Tortoise 2008 10 10_2104 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2930741594/"><img height="357" alt="Tortoise 2008 10 10_2104" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2930741594_bf5fc00fd2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />I hope you get a chance to check out the other photos from today on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607897970425/">Flickr</a>.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-84641935846412239322008-10-09T16:50:00.001-07:002008-10-09T16:59:24.372-07:00Day 26: Rest Day in Branson, MO – October 9, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2927304019/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2927304019_b49863d31f.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2927304019/">Ricky Bobby in Branson 2008 10 09_2006</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Today was our third rest day. I slept in and had a late breakfast. Dan had tuned up the bikes in the morning and in the afternoon I went for a short ride. It turned out to be 30 miles which was further then I planned but I kept my heart rate down and enjoyed the scenery. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Dan 2008 10 09_1991 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2928165714/"><img height="172" alt="Dan 2008 10 09_1991" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3253/2928165714_c7800beaf2_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Branson Dam 2008 10 09_2000 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2928166542/"><img height="172" alt="Branson Dam 2008 10 09_2000" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/2928166542_fbbc8e7f6d_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Branson Dam 2008 10 09_2000 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2928166542/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />I had been trying to ride to the Arkansas border but the directions from Google map turned out to be wrong so I never made it. It appears that one of the roads had been closed since the completion of Interstate 65. I did get to see the Historical town of Hollister, the School of the Ozarks, Table Lake and Table Lake Dam. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Lake Branson 2008 10 09_2008 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2927311097/"><img height="171" alt="Lake Branson 2008 10 09_2008" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/2927311097_b5d8c17427_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Ricky Bobby School of the Ozarks 2008 10 09_2013 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2928171596/"><img height="172" alt="Ricky Bobby School of the Ozarks 2008 10 09_2013" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2928171596_1318de3062_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Ricky Bobby School of the Ozarks 2008 10 09_2013 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2928171596/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Hollister 2008 10 09_2018 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2927312207/"><img height="240" alt="Hollister 2008 10 09_2018" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2927312207_d4a590198f_m.jpg" width="171" /></a> <a title="Branson Landing 2008 10 09_2024 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2928170436/"><img height="171" alt="Branson Landing 2008 10 09_2024" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2928170436_bc19d47292_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />The Ozarks are a beautiful place but the town of Branson is so contradictory with all the music shows and tourist traps. It is such a mash up of country and western and Midwest culture that one is overwhelmed when walking down the streets. The “Andy Williams” theater is just yards from the Dick Clark Theater, duck rides, miniature golf, McDonalds, hay rides, etc…<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Horse 2008 10 09_1995 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2927308887/"><img height="171" alt="Horse 2008 10 09_1995" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2927308887_1fa9c88ee6_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />I guess that’s what makes America great is that everything can be mixed together. Riding my bicycle across America is giving me a great view of this wonderful land.<br /><br />Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607895556521/">Flickr</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/">All Photo sets at Flickr</a></p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-16846079205478175552008-10-08T14:38:00.001-07:002008-10-08T21:44:37.194-07:00Day 25: Neosho, MO to Branson, MO – October 8, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2925506782/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2925506782_4d985357b6.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2925506782/">Group 2008 10 08_1954</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 91 Miles<br />Ride Time: 5 hours 51 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 15.6 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 7059 feet<br />Work: 2909 kJ<br /><br />After two days of rain and cloudy skies we had just a gorgeous day. Blue skies and almost no wind made the ride through the rolling hills of Missouri just a joy. It did start cool at 40 degrees and it only warmed up to the high 60s but it kept us from over heating as we climbed the never ending rollers. After the flatness of Oklahoma we seemed to stop often to take photos of the scenery. We had been starved for sites and the ride offered lots of panoramic views as we rode along the ridges of Mark Twain National Forest and followed park of the tour of Missouri course. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Pace line 2008 10 08_1960 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2925602976/"><img height="171" alt="Pace line 2008 10 08_1960" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/2925602976_6a39e1c67a_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Gary 2008 10 08_1970 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2924743101/"><img height="171" alt="Gary 2008 10 08_1970" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/2924743101_b47ba7b4fe_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Pace line Hay Fields<a title="Gary 2008 10 08_1970 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2924743101/"></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Dave in Missouri 2008 10 08_1984 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2925597354/"><img height="171" alt="Dave in Missouri 2008 10 08_1984" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/2925597354_9d14860a74_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Bridge Cape Fair 2008 10 08_1988 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2925598234/"><img height="171" alt="Bridge Cape Fair 2008 10 08_1988" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3089/2925598234_1a34444564_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Dave Cape Fair<a title="Bridge Cape Fair 2008 10 08_1988 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2925598234/"></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Missouri road 2008 10 08_1983 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2925607468/"><img height="172" alt="Missouri road 2008 10 08_1983" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/2925607468_4b59e200ff_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">On the ridge in Missouri.<br /><br />We said goodbye to Jack today as he had to leave us to go home to help his son in a family matter. Our prayers go out to him and his family. We hope that he can rejoin us later in Nashville. I think riding is a great reliever of stress and calmer of the soul. I know I left all my frustrations behind in Oklahoma as I battled the wind and completed rides that I thought that would never end.<br /><br />We ended the day in Branson. This has to be the weirdest place. More on Branson in tomorrow’s blog since it is a rest day and we have the day to relax and explore this most unique slice of Americana. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607838102557/">Flickr</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/">All Photo sets at Flickr </a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"></p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-14213496756620626112008-10-07T19:55:00.001-07:002008-10-07T20:07:23.694-07:00Day 24: Bartlesville, OK to Neosho, MO – October 7, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2923370018/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2923370018_c3f4e96753.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2923370018/">Dave and RIcky Bobby 2008 10 07_1943</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 112 Miles<br />Ride Time: 6 hours 23 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 17.6 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 3294 feet<br />Work: 3245 kJ<br /><br />We finished up with Oklahoma today after riding across it for almost 6 days. We reached Missouri at mile 90. All day it was cloudy with drizzle off and on but it only really rained on us briefly. Eastern Oklahoma has nice roads so they were not a factor. And the winds were out of the west which provided a nice tail wind most of the day as we headed east to Missouri.<br /><br />I wish we had more sun so I could take photos because Eastern Oklahoma is a lot more pleasant to ride through then the Panhandle. Our route was very scenic since as we stayed off of the main roads for most of the way.<br /><br />I rode with Greg and Dave all day since Hollywood was still not able to ride. Nobody had a flat today so we made good time.<br /><br />We crossed into Missouri and we took our customary “Welcome” photo. As we continued along we found Missouri totally different than Oklahoma. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2922491549/" title="Dave 2008 10 07_1949 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2922491549_3b87bf4d4b_m.jpg" width="240" height="171" alt="Dave 2008 10 07_1949" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2922536085/" title="Missouri 2008 10 07_1951 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2922536085_0949d71bc7_m.jpg" width="240" height="171" alt="Missouri 2008 10 07_1951" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">The trees and hills become much greener. It is as if they drew the border along a climate zone. We road on old Route 60 and we were surrounded by lush green trees. It was a very nice ride into Neosho. We topped off our 112 mile ride with chocolate milk shakes and burgers at Shoney’s. A few hours later we ate dinner. I love this cross country diet.<br /><br />Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607806640311/">Flickr</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/">All Photo sets </a>at Flickr</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-84614977539378235232008-10-06T20:10:00.001-07:002008-10-06T20:56:16.181-07:00Day 23: Ponca City, OK to Bartlesville, OK – October 6, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2919368513/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3172/2919368513_f0cd00c4cd.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2919368513/">Rain prep 2008 10 06_1928</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 75 Miles<br />Ride Time: 4 hours 52 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 15.5 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 3000 feet<br />Work: 2706 kJ<br /><br />Our fifth and final day in Oklahoma again looked like weather would do us in. For the past few days we had been watching a storm move across the United States towards us. The prediction was 100% chance of rain and that is what we got. At first when I woke up I thought we may be able to get out in front of the storm but that idea only lasted until 6:30 am when it first started to drizzle. By 7am the clouds had opened up and it was dumping buckets outside. We waited around for awhile but we all new we had to get started. It would not get better for a long time so we headed out at 7:45. <br /><br />For 45 miles of riding it rained on us. Our group had numerous flats as it was almost impossible to see the road for glass as the rain pelted us. Thanks heaven that the road had a wide shoulder and we did not have to worry about the traffic. Finally as we reached Pawhuska for lunch the rain stopped. Hollywood was a champ and had warm hot chocolate for us. He had been feeling under the weather the past two days and was assisting our guides who were taking great care of us.<br /><br />After lunch we rode through the most beautiful part of Oklahoma we had seen on Okesa Road. We were lucky that it had stopped raining so we could fully enjoy it. The green rolling hills were dotted with pastures for cattle and small forests with the occasional oil well thrown in. At times the sun would peak out from behind the clouds and warm us.<br /><br />We reached Bartlesville in no time as the roads were smooth and assisted with a mild tail wind. It looked like the clouds would regroup and rain more but it never did. Later in the afternoon I was able to walk to Starbucks for a coffee. The first Starbucks I had since Durango, Colorado.<br /> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2920215578/" title="Hampton Inn Bartlesville 2008 10 06_1930 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2920215578_c80db85b35_m.jpg" width="240" height="172" alt="Hampton Inn Bartlesville 2008 10 06_1930" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />Life is good when you can relax in the afternoon with a coffee and read the paper. For those keeping score at home, the final tally is 3-1-1. I had defeated the Oklahoma weather. I guess my original fear of Oklahoma’s wind was overblown.<br /><br />Tomorrow we ride to Missouri and say goodbye to Oklahoma. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607765554830/">Flickr</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/">All Photo sets</a> at Flickr <br /> </p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-36228948600102712092008-10-05T14:44:00.001-07:002008-10-05T14:53:40.432-07:00Day 22: Enid, OK to Ponca City, OK – October 5, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2916549030/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/2916549030_e960afc28b.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2916549030/">sunrise 2008 10 05_1906</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 73 Miles<br />Ride Time: 4 hours 11 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 17.5 Mph<br />Total Climbing: Unknown – could be about 2000 feet<br />Work: 2171 kJ<br /><br />Day four of our fight with the Oklahoma wind appeared to be a battle. We awoke to the wind blowing as fiercely as it was at noon yesterday. Normally our mornings had provided us with minimal wind but it was already blowing at 20 mph this morning. Looking at the flag blowing like crazy next to the hotel as the sun was rising did not do much for my confidence. But as we started out the wind was not as much as a factor. After warming up for the first 10 miles at a slow pace the Colorado boys, minus Hollywood, and I decided it would be better to ride at our pace and try to finish early. We formed a three person echelon to combat the cross breeze from the south as we headed east. We only stopped once before lunch to take in a sunflower field. This field was welcome relief form the endless hay, corn and sorghum fields. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Gary and Sunflowers 2008 10 05_1914 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2915711701/"><img height="172" alt="Gary and Sunflowers 2008 10 05_1914" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/2915711701_137dcebd4e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Dave and Sunflowers 2008 10 05_1913 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2916554182/"><img height="171" alt="Dave and Sunflowers 2008 10 05_1913" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/2916554182_c3a3702678_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />The three of us were using the whole lane for our echelon and sometimes the oncoming lane when the road was bad. Since today was Sunday they were not many cars on the road. The road turned bad but then we turned North and the wind propelled us down a gravel road at 25 mph. Dave led the way which gave Gary and me the confidence to follow. I have never gone so fast on a gravel road before.<br /><br />A turn back to the East put us within 5 miles of lunch. Once I spotted Bones in front of us I picked up the pace to 25 mph since it was NASCAR Sunday and Ricky Bobby was warmed up and ready to go. Dave made a joke which made me hurt from laughter and they dropped me.<br /><br />Lunch was in the parking lot of a giant gas station. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Lunch stop 2008 10 05_1920 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2916591196/"><img height="172" alt="Lunch stop 2008 10 05_1920" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/2916591196_b96930f6cc_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Lunch at the Gas Station 2008 10 05_1919 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2916570896/"><img height="171" alt="Lunch at the Gas Station 2008 10 05_1919" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/2916570896_36cc9eef5a_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Lunch at the Gas Station 2008 10 05_1919 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2916570896/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Once Gary had replaced his battery in his bike computer we were on our way. I think Gary didn’t trust us to tell him when his turn for pulling was up; which we may have done once or twice but never intentionally.<br /><br />For most of the ride after lunch we had a tailwind as we made our way north to Ponca City. We passed a huge oil refinery just out side of town. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Gary in the refinery 2008 10 05_1921 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2915748225/"><img height="172" alt="Gary in the refinery 2008 10 05_1921" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/2915748225_63d5acb9af_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="refinery 2008 10 05_1923 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2915739369/"><img height="172" alt="refinery 2008 10 05_1923" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3138/2915739369_79e1d5c3d9_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />About a mile from the hotel we ran into the first road biker we have seen in Oklahoma. I think he was surprised to see another road cyclist as we were. He rode over to us and we told him all about our trip and he told us about his cycling adventures in Oklahoma. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="John from Ponca City 2008 10 05_1924 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2916587858/"><img height="240" alt="John from Ponca City 2008 10 05_1924" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/2916587858_6307689fb2_m.jpg" width="171" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">I think the people in Oklahoma are the friendliest people I have ever met.<br /><br />I am certainly glad I am seeing America from bicycle. We reached the hotel shortly after 1 pm. This makes the score now 2-1-1 in my favor. I wonder what the wind will do for tomorrow on our final day in Oklahoma.<br /><br /><br />Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607749481216/">Flickr</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/">All Photo sets </a>at Flickr</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-49337030489515257972008-10-04T19:11:00.001-07:002008-10-04T19:19:51.917-07:00Day 21: Woodward, OK to Enid, OK – October 4, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2913056047/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/2913056047_84327231c3.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2913056047/">Lunch spot 2008 10 04_1894</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 115 Miles<br />Ride Time: 7 hours 25 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 15.5 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 3164 feet<br />Work: 4223 kJ<br /><br />Today the Oklahoma wind came out full force to prevent us from completing our ride. The wind almost won but we battled back for a tie.<br /><br />The plan was simple, start early and try to finish as soon as possible. The morning went well. We were out at the crack of dawn preparing and on our way as the sun rose on the horizon. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Sunrise 2008 10 04_1892 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2913901076/"><img height="171" alt="Sunrise 2008 10 04_1892" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2913901076_708089cfc9_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="2008 10 04_1889 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2913899846/"><img height="180" alt="2008 10 04_1889" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/2913899846_dee1633c37_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="2008 10 04_1889 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2913899846/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Our path took us through the first scenic parts of Oklahoma we have seen. We winded though Boiling Springs State Park and rolled along NS 221 for our first pleasant riding in Oklahoma. After passing Waynoka the wind made its present felt with a good 15 mile cross wind. Again the Oklahoma roads were terrible and made the situation worse as we rode across bump after bump.<br /><br />We reached lunch for a much needed rest. Trek had picked out a wonderful spot in the middle of no where which was just par for the course for Oklahoma. After lunch the wind picked up from the south as we headed east. To combat the cross winds the Colorado boys and I formed an echelon. Even though the wind was brutal, I felt we were making good progress. However, at mile 88 with the wind gusting up to 30 miles an hour, we had a brief touch between Dave, Greg and me. While Dave and Greg maintained their balance, I was not able to and ended up on the ground. We had not been going more than 12 mph so I only had some minor road rash on my right leg and a small cut above my eye where my rear view mirror holder on my sunglasses scrapped my eyebrow.<br /><br />The bike was fine and we soon back on our way. There would be sections ahead where we would turn straight into the wind but we cut our pace line rotations to half a mile each instead of the normal one mile. We joked about calling the van for a ride but we were never going to let that happen.<br /><br />We stopped for milk shakes and burgers at Braum. The shake was the largest I had ever seen but they were gone in no time. We had definitely worked up an apatite today. Two hours later we ate dinner like we had not eaten all day. I wonder why?<br /><br />Yes the wind had spilled my blood but we came back to finish. The score now is 1-1-1. Two days left in Oklahoma. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Ricky Bobby 2008 10 04_1901 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2913900804/"><img height="172" alt="Ricky Bobby 2008 10 04_1901" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3253/2913900804_0ba7e8a71b_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607745130965/">Flickr</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/">All Photo sets </a>at Flickr</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-36514450255267026892008-10-03T19:22:00.001-07:002008-10-03T19:57:47.113-07:00Day 20: Guymon, OK to Woodward, OK – October 3, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2911223658/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2911223658_64f22b04b9.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2911223658/">Dog on roof 2008 10 03_1872</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 130 Miles<br />Ride Time: 7 hours 33 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 17.2 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 3797 feet<br />Work: 4720 kJ<br /><br />Oklahoma will be one of the hardest states because it goes on for ever. It will take us 5 days to cross and the scenery does not change much. The day started out the same as yesterday; wind and bad roads. The road was the same poor condition with a bump every 10 yards that shock your body to the bone. I decided I was not going to let it bother me and power through it.<br /><br />The wind was ever present and continued to get stronger as the day progressed. It acted as a small slap on the right check as it blew from the south against our eastward progress. When we turned south east to Woodward with 20 miles to go it became a price boxer, attacking me face on. The wind was not longer small slaps but full body punches that tried to send me back to New Mexico. But no wind today was going to get me down. I got down in a time trial position and started to crank it out. The wind countered with uppercuts but I shifted down and reached a cadence of 85. The wind then sent right and left hooks. I down shifted again and reached my Zen cadence of 90. The wind continued to battle it out with me by sending dust and hurling bugs at me. But by then I had crested the last hill and seen Woodward ahead. 4 miles to go and I was now locked onto my target. Nothing that the wind could throw at me now could stop me.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Dog on roof 2008 10 03_1874 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2910378373/"><img height="171" alt="Dog on roof 2008 10 03_1874" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2910378373_046b038ccd_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Lunch 2008 10 03_1877 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2911228170/"><img height="171" alt="Lunch 2008 10 03_1877" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2911228170_0dd66ae91a_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Lunch 2008 10 03_1877 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2911228170/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Fort Supply Lake 2008 10 03_1886 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2911234114/"><img height="171" alt="Fort Supply Lake 2008 10 03_1886" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/2911234114_5c078bcb61_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="House 2008 10 03_1881 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2911230872/"><img height="171" alt="House 2008 10 03_1881" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/2911230872_615f2b9565_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />Since today was a long ride we had two lunches. The first was in front of an old abandon hotel that had dogs on the roof barking at us while we eat. The second was at Fort Supply Lake which was very scenic and was a nice break from our day riding across the Great Plains.<br /><br />Today I beat the wind. It is now tired at one to one. 3 more days in Oklahoma to go but I’m confident I can beat it.<br /><br />Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607673368594/">Flickr</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/">All Photo sets </a>at Flickr</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-31624521592201647932008-10-02T20:47:00.001-07:002008-10-02T20:53:31.236-07:00Day 19: Clayton, NM to Guymon, OK – October 2, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2908472844/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3040/2908472844_8c72b07bce.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2908472844/">Welcome to New Mexico 2008 10 02_1860</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 109 Miles<br />Ride Time: 6 hours 01 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 18.25 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 899 feet<br />Work: 3127 kJ<br /><br />Today we entered Oklahoma and now are in the Great Plains. The total climbing was only 899 feet for over 100 miles. That is pretty flat. In addition, we lost almost 3000 feet in elevation from Clayton to Guymon. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Welcome to Oklahoma 2008 10 02_1861 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2907628309/"><img height="172" alt="Welcome to Oklahoma 2008 10 02_1861" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2907628309_be408f673c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />We will be crossing Oklahoma for 5 days since we entered via the panhandle. Our biggest obstacle now will be the wind. And today we saw the three sides of it; tailwind, side wind and headwind. We left Clayton with almost no wind but within an hour it had become a nice tailwind. We made good time to lunch as we had an 8 person pace line going.<br /><br />After lunch I did not join the pace line since I’m not totally confident in a pace line since you have to spend so much time watching the wheel in front of you. So I was on my own after lunch with a side wind that got stronger and stronger as the day went. I was also battling the road for the first 40 miles after lunch. Every ten yard the road would have an one inch gap that would just make the bike shake and kill your wrists and butt. I could not get into a rhythm of riding since every 8 seconds you had to deal with the bumps. I was constantly trying to change my position to ease the pounding my behind and arms were taking.<br /><br />Finally at mile 90 the road became a joy to ride since it had been recently repaved. I could find a comfortable position in get into the Zen of cycling. Unfortunately at mile 100 the road turned into the wind and I came face to face with a head wind. Progress almost came to a stop as I worked hard to do the last few miles. But by then I had found my Zen and I was not going to let any wind stop me.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Barn 2008 10 02_1865 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2908475720/"><img height="171" alt="Barn 2008 10 02_1865" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/2908475720_687a61384e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Horses 2008 10 02_1867 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2908476736/"><img height="171" alt="Horses 2008 10 02_1867" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/2908476736_23955fb036_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Horses 2008 10 02_1867 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2908476736/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Guymon water tower 2008 10 02_1870 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2908479976/"><img height="240" alt="Guymon water tower 2008 10 02_1870" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/2908479976_81ca5c95da_m.jpg" width="171" /></a><br />Today also had the fewest number of photos taken, eleven. Besides the “Welcome to Oklahoma and New Mexico” ones there were very few other photos to take. We took the “Welcome to New Mexico” photo on the way out since we did not get a group photo when we entered. But in a way the vast flat landscape of the plains were peaceful.<br /><br />Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607650590994/">Flickr</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/">All Photo sets </a>at Flickr</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-28494914876797122492008-10-01T21:37:00.001-07:002008-10-01T21:48:45.696-07:00Day 18: Raton, NM to Clayton, NM – October 1, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2906571244/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2906571244_c05171703c.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2906571244/">Ricky Bobby at top of pass 2008 10 01_1784</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Day 18: Raton, NM to Clayton, NM – October 1, 2008<br />Miles: 112 Miles (route was only 91 but I did some extra riding)<br />Ride Time: 7 hours 04 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 16.5 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 3805 feet<br />Work: 3734 kJ<br /><br />Raton is around 6500 feet in elevation so it was cold in the morning. But the sky was clear so the temperature warmed up fast. We had a great climb out of Raton through Sugarite Canyon State Park. We saw a bunch of dear in the canyon. The last mile of the climb was steep but I was able to race up to the top with no problems. This would be the last major climb until we get to the east coast. We reached just over 8000 feet at the top and the rest of the ride would be down hill.<br /><br />We were joined today by Hollywood’s brother Jim, who had flown in from Colorado to join just for the day. He just stared riding a few months ago but he tackled the pass like a real trooper. He didn’t even stop at the top but just kept going. At the top we were on Johnson Mesa and surround by cattle pastures. Again as yesterday the cattle would always turn to look at us as we passed them. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2905731421/" title="Jimmy makes it to the top 2008 10 01_1788 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2905731421_1f1331cb63_m.jpg" width="240" height="171" alt="Jimmy makes it to the top 2008 10 01_1788" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2905696765/" title="Cattle 2008 10 01_1801 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/2905696765_9e49a91df0_m.jpg" width="240" height="171" alt="Cattle 2008 10 01_1801" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />I wanted to ride by myself today so once at the top I broke away from the rest. I wanted to see how much more energy it would take compared to riding a pace line. At the end I rode extra so it turned out hard to compare. I did notice that I’m still off my top power from my training rides so I still have room to pick up the pace.<br /><br />From the mesa we started descending, first through a step decent in another beautiful canyon which opened up to pastures and prairies. I biked through some almost abandon towns, Folsom and Des Moines. At Des Moines I turned left onto Route 64 and headed for lunch. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2905713003/" title="Folsom 2008 10 01_1825 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/2905713003_23b13c4aeb_m.jpg" width="240" height="172" alt="Folsom 2008 10 01_1825" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />After a quick bite I was back on my way to Clayton. It was all down hill but it always appeared like I was climbing. The decent was so gradual that you really never saw it. The decent was 1300 feet over 40 miles so it really doesn’t count. For 40 miles the landscape continued to get flatter and flatter as we entered the plains. I was still seeing antelope along the way but they were greatly out numbered by cattle. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2905662507/" title="Antelope 2008 10 01_1830 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2905662507_478ab7ed0e_m.jpg" width="240" height="171" alt="Antelope 2008 10 01_1830" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />Clayton had a huge feed lot outside of town which we rode past. So I think the town has more cows then people.<br /><br />Once arriving I rode some more. I was going to ride to Texas to take a “Welcome to Texas” photo but I got tired and turned back after going a few miles. Tomorrow we will pass Texas on our way to Oklahoma so I will try to take it then.<br /><br />It was a great day soaking in the western Americana since tomorrow we will be in the Great Plains.<br /><br />Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607619160341/">Flickr</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/">All Photo sets </a>at Flickr</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-58871542858012601722008-09-30T20:46:00.001-07:002008-09-30T21:24:18.916-07:00Day 17: Taos, NM to Raton, NM - September 28, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2902556985/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/2902556985_a760d752a2.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2902556985/">Trek Travel Group 2008 09 30_1705</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 95 Miles<br />Ride Time: 5 hours 48 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 16.5 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 5146 feet<br />Work: 3048 kJ<br /><br />Yesterday we were joined by a new rider who will join us for the rest of the trip. Archie was suppose to start in Santa Barbara but had some business he had to attend to and could not join until now. Archie is also from Colorado and knows 3 of our riders well.<br /><br />This morning we had five us on the pace line out of Taos. Both Big Wave and I had decided to ride with the three Colorado boys. Archie had gone ahead with the others since he did not feel ready to join the pace line yet. The Kit Carson Road out of Taos was narrow but it did not have much traffic on it. It was a beautiful climb going threw a valley lined with pine trees and the occasion Aspen tree. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Aspin 2008 09 30_1693 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2902554535/"><img height="171" alt="Aspin 2008 09 30_1693" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3041/2902554535_6be43e54b2_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Big Wave 2008 09 30_1688 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2902553821/"><img height="171" alt="Big Wave 2008 09 30_1688" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/2902553821_c7ca858e8e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />We reached the top of the pass, 9101 feet, after 18 miles. We posed for a group photo before starting the decent to Eagles Nest. Eagles Nest was also scenic since it was this huge pasture surrounded by mountains. It also had a large lake in the middle. We then had a small climb to get to Cimarron Canyon which had just an awesome decent to the prairies leading to Raton. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Ricky Robbie 2008 09 30_1721 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2903402410/"><img height="172" alt="Ricky Robbie 2008 09 30_1721" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/2903402410_38a58bc510_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Trek Support 2008 09 30_1727 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2903404528/"><img height="240" alt="Trek Support 2008 09 30_1727" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3259/2903404528_fa7fd1f399_m.jpg" width="172" /></a><a title="Trek Support 2008 09 30_1727 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2903404528/"></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />Cimarron Canyon was just as gorgeous as any other landscape we had seen in the past few days. Once in the prairies we saw all types of animals, antelope, bison, cattle and horses. At one point a group of horses raced us until they ran out of field because of a fence. The cattle would always turn their heads and look as we passed by. I guess they don’t see a bunch of bicycles every day.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Horse 2008 09 30_1764 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2903407744/"><img height="172" alt="Horse 2008 09 30_1764" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/2903407744_2b7fa8c27a_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Antelope 2008 09 30_1759 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2902546805/"><img height="172" alt="Antelope 2008 09 30_1759" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/2902546805_3d748826b0_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Antelope 2008 09 30_1759 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2902546805/"></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />We had a run of bad luck as three of us had flats. It was funny that we would pass Buzz, Bones and Sparky and then we would have a flat and then they would pass us. Only for us to pass them again once our flats were fixed. By the third time we had run out of time to catch Sparky and he finished first for the day.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Hollywood 2008 09 30_1775 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2903408280/"><img height="171" alt="Hollywood 2008 09 30_1775" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2303/2903408280_2cc4cb8deb_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />We know it is not a race but once and a while we like to compete with each other and have bragging rights at dinner. As Hollywood always says, “Never let the facts get in the way of a good story”.<br /><br />All in all it was another beautiful day in America. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607588406940/">Flickr</a>. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br />All Cross Country Photo sets at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/">Flickr </a></p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-49912388947465571982008-09-29T14:52:00.001-07:002008-09-29T14:57:16.288-07:00Day 16: Taos, NM Rest day - September 28, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2899393893/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2899393893_ae3a031399.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2899393893/">peppers 2008 09 29_1673</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Today was our second rest day of our 40 day trip. Taos is a nice little western town with an artist community located here. Around the over 400 year old town square are galleries and artist studios. Our hotel is located on the square and my room and balcony overlooks it. I watched people do Tai-chi this morning while I read the paper and drank my Starbucks coffee.<br /><br />I was thinking of going for a little ride but Taos is not bike friendly. Most of the roads have no shoulder and the drivers don’t seem to keen to share. Durango and Santa Barbara were much better to ride in. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Gallery 2008 09 29_1677 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2900240542/"><img height="174" alt="Gallery 2008 09 29_1677" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/2900240542_4749391e25_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="roof 2008 09 29_1675 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2899396979/"><img height="174" alt="roof 2008 09 29_1675" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2899396979_922a8ef7ac_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="roof 2008 09 29_1675 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2899396979/"></a> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Door 2008 09 29_1674 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2899395031/"><img height="174" alt="Door 2008 09 29_1674" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/2899395031_090eca3c24_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Peppers 2008 09 29_1678 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2900241084/"><img height="240" alt="Peppers 2008 09 29_1678" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3123/2900241084_63b54136e7_m.jpg" width="174" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><br /><br />Weather was nice so I walked around and took some photos. It was relaxing not to have the news on. What is happening to the world? The $700 billion rescue plan for the banks gets rejected. This is great time to ride and not have to think about this mess.</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806749758863049570.post-58433322853780069462008-09-28T22:40:00.001-07:002008-09-28T22:55:42.404-07:00Day 15: Pagosa Springs, CO to Taos, NM - September 28, 2008<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2898068880/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2898068880_223b7903e5.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2898068880/">Greg and Gary at the Rio Grand River Gorge - 2008 09 28_1663</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rhanke/">rhanke</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Miles: 141 Miles<br />Ride Time: 8 hours 45 minutes<br />Avg. Speed: 16.5 Mph<br />Total Climbing: 8743 feet<br />Work: 4697 kJ<br /><br />It was the best of times it was the worst of times. Today was the longest ride on our Trek Travel Cross country trip, 140 miles. This was going to be my longest ride ever. Up to this point my longest was 126 miles so this would be about 15 miles longer.<br /><br />The day started early as we rode out at 6am to go to breakfast. The sun had not even come out so we rode a quarter mile to an old Victorian home set up for breakfast. We then on the road at 6:45 just as it was starting to get light. Sunrise would still be another half an hour away. A cold 38 degrees required long finger gloves and an additional layer.<br /><br />I was still cold but the Colorado boys passed by after about 2 miles and I jumped onto their train. They always form a pace line and ride fast. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Colorado Team 2008 09 28_1639 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2897206415/"><img height="172" alt="Colorado Team 2008 09 28_1639" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2897206415_852467713e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">The ride out of Colorado to New Mexico on Highway 84 was beautiful. The valley had ranches with lots of cattle and horses and the mountain sides started to have Aspen trees that had changed to golden yellow. After crossing into New Mexico the Aspen trees become more numerous. I had never thought that New Mexico would be so lush. I always thought it would be like Arizona. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Aspin trees 2008 09 28_1618 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2898039802/"><img height="171" alt="Aspin trees 2008 09 28_1618" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2898039802_5244f3f052_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a title="Aspin Trees 2008 09 28_1622 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2897198233/"><img height="171" alt="Aspin Trees 2008 09 28_1622" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/2897198233_eb373bf7df_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Aspin Trees 2008 09 28_1622 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2897198233/"></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Aspin Trees 2008 09 28_1652 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2897213351/"><img height="171" alt="Aspin Trees 2008 09 28_1652" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/2897213351_a0bce6b688_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />We had lunch in Chama, another great picnic lunch. We took 84 south of Chama and then turned onto East 64 towards Taos. Again the Aspen trees colored the mountain hill sides. At mile 70 we started the long climb over the pass to Taos. We climbed for 9 miles to reach 10,500 feet. As we climbed you could see the dark rain clouds gathering at the top. About a mile from the top Dave almost caught back up to me but Ricky Bobby would have none of that and I put the pedal down and raced to the top.</p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2897216269/" title="Ricky Bobby at the top 2008 09 28_1656 by rhanke, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2897216269_3eb18cca20_m.jpg" width="240" height="172" alt="Ricky Bobby at the top 2008 09 28_1656" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"> </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">As we reached the top, the temperature dropped to below 40 and the skies opened up with first hail and then rain. For about 25 miles on my decent the rain continued to fall and chilled me to the bone. The only redeeming factor was that we still had some rolling hills to climb which kept the blood flowing and kept me warm. As I approached lunch number 2 it stopped raining. But you could still see the clouds coming. The Colorado boys soon rolled into lunch and we hooked up to ride into Taos.<br /><br />Hollywood flatted and we stopped to assist him. </p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"><a title="Greg Flat 2008 09 28_1661 by rhanke, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/2897222027/"><img height="171" alt="Greg Flat 2008 09 28_1661" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/2897222027_c9e85bc74f_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Gary continued on since he was starting to feel weak since he had been sick in Durango. We then raced to catch back up with him. The wind was now picking up but since it was coming from behind we were able to maintain speeds of 25 to 30 mph until we caught back up with Gary.<br /><br />We crossed the Rio Grande River and then the road turned and the wind become a side breeze that slowed our pace to 10 mph as we had to fight the wind just to stay upright and not be blown over. We fought the wind for 10 miles before we turned right and the wind was at our backs again. We raced into Taos to get to the hotel.<br /><br />What a day. We had the best landscapes, good riding, good wind at times and then the worst rain and even hail. This longest ride will definitely be remembered.<br /><br />Today’s photos at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/sets/72157607539767958/">Flickr</a>.<br />All Photo sets at Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhanke/collections/72157607429548840/</p>SaratogaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16307714027176364680noreply@blogger.com0