RAGBRAI ride

This is a photo of my friend Tracy's father on the Bike Ride Across Iowa-he is the older one on the rear of the tandem.

What can I say, it is Bourbon Street!

Well the Odyssey is completed-ALMOST

What a trip this has been. I have made so many new friends along the way. I did not have any problems, other than the wind, bad drivers, no place to camp, no stores for a store stop, shoulderless roads, 112 degree heat index, and oh yes, no one to talk with-other than my own personal SELF-just kidding.

I am hoping to do the final "LEG" to the Gulf of Mexico this fall, when it is cooler-about 100 miles.

Would I do it again-the ultimate test-yes, emphatically. I learned a lot about myself and the great people of our country. Am thinking about another trip-Odyssey 2!
I will add a few more photos to Picasa later..
Thanks to everyone who looked at this.
Love ya'll,
Terry

Almost to New Orleans

We are in southern LA, and hope to be in "Nawlins" Wednesday. It seems that I started this Odyssey just a few days ago. The farther south that I've traveled, the hotter the weather has gotten. My friends from GA arrived Saturday and we started riding on Sunday.

NO 'MO TRAILER TO TOW

yesterday was the last day to tow that trailer-65 #'s of stuff.I have spent much time in this motel room resting.
This is so nice and cool. The GA crowd arrives on Saturday, so I will have friends to ride with and talk with.

Let the PARTY begin.

On to Vicksburg!

The  weather has been less than kind since leaving Memphis. The past two days, thunder storms were pretty bad-Cathy would have loved  it. The rain was coming down in sheets-what fun! With much thunder and lightening. I have learned to watch the storms approach, and get to cover ahead of the storm, then just wait it out. Today I could see it coming and found a large barn with a shed, which I took advantage of. I even took a NAP on bales of hay while it rained-pretty cool. The owner came by and said more storms were coming, so he gave me a ride to Vicksburg.

THIS CROSS COUNTRY CYCLING IS PRETTY EASY IN A PICK-UP TRUCK!! I left the Garmin on and had my best average time ever for a 50 mile ride.

Wind and Heat

Friday and Saturday were unbelievable.
The heat index was 105 +, with a headwind from the south at 15-25 mph.The forecast calls for more of the same on Monday. It really wears a body down-must make frequent stops, get in the shade for a few when possible, and to stay within one's limits. The net result is long days. The wind must take at least 20% away from one's speed.
Net result I am in a Patel Motel in Clarksdale,MS, and may be here until Tuesday when the wind and temperature should be lower - Boy that a/c feels so good.
If this plan does not work, then it may be "Thank God and Greyhound to Greenville and/or Vicksburg,Ms.

Not a good day today!!

Spent the night in Ripley, TN last night.I have been motelling more than camping.The temp has been so hot.
I rode on US 51 today. When I began, I had an 8 foot shoulder, which decreased to 3 ft after about 50 miles.
The cars were coming unnecessarily close, so I stopped, stuck out my thumb, and the first pick-up truck that came by gave me a ride into Memphis. It was getting dangerous, so I bailed. My new friend Ken took me to the area where I needed to go. His driving was terrible, so I'm not sure if I was more safe or not.

Still very hot!!

I have been getting up very early-a la  The Natchez Trace Ride. It is a good way to beat the heat. I rode from Reelfoot Lake/Tiptonville to Ripley TN today. There was a lot of very flat country-you know pedal, pedal,then pedal some more. So far I have ridden 1,743 miles, and should be in Memphis in a day or two.
Elvis is still in the building-Thank You Very Much.

There is a campground on the premises at Graceland, I wonder if they will let a Georgia RedNeck hang a hammock there-we shall see!

Long day yesterday

  I rode from Cairo,IL to Reel Foot Lake in Tennessee yesterday-260 miles in the last four days. It seems to be best for me to only think about what must be done the next day-one day at a time. When I look too far ahead it can be discouraging.

This photo is for Michael, and tell Carl this Waffle House has the LITE menu.                                                                      

Mui caliente here!

Boy, is it ever hot here. Been in the high 90's for several days.
Will start getting up very early and be on the road by 6:00 am in the morning.
Today's ride was 49 miles to where Forrest S. spends some of his time-seeing customers.
It was a very hilly ride. David left to go back home this morning, so I am back at it alone.

I hope tp make Memphis an about one week.Have ridden over 1,400 miles so far.

Some of the people that I've met-my new friends

I don't know his name, but I met a young man at a Farmers Hardware in Wapello,IA. He helped me find a part to repair my very "old" backpacking stove. You see, I never throw anything away. I will probably never know his name, but I have thought of him as I ride countless times. He had a severe disability-only partial movement with one arm, slightly better mobility with the other, and walking was quite difficult for him, yet there he was with a SMILE, great ATTITUDE, such INTEGRITY and Spirit working away. I am sure he qualified for much disability yet he was trying. It just made me realize how very small the things that I call problems actually are.

The photo of My Benefactor is of the handyman at the campground where I stayed for the past two nights He had fallen on hard times-lost his job, evicted from their apartment, living in a one room RV with wife and dog, yet he shared part of what he had with me.

Possible dupe of this, sorry!

All I seem to have done the past two days is dodge storms. Yesterday a man stopped me to talk.  It started raining as we talked, so he invited me to take shelter at a barn across from his home. After five minutes I decided that he was a SERIAL killer, so I rode on on the rain-DUH!!!!

Education of a wanderer

Set a new personal record yesterday-1,014 miles in 23 days. I am almost halfway there-I think.
I have lost six days to bad weather, hoping the bad weather is over. I will be meeting David Johnson near St. Louis Friday. It will be nice to have someone to talk with-other than myself.

Finally- a good day to ride

Got in 59 good miles today. There was little to no wind, unlike Friday when it blew at 23 mph.
It was a sunny day with much to see. I rode by the river much of the day.
Spent the night last night with my friend Tracy's parents in Bettendorf, IA.
Her dad is 87 years young and is going to do Ragbrai this year-he is my role model.
He will ride across Iowa. You should see his bike seat-looks like an arm chair

Tough Day

Wow, the guide book did not mention all the climbing that I had today.
Thank goodness it may rain tomorrow-need a day to rest. Toughest 38 miles for me ever.

Still having much fun seeing the country. Am Dubuque, IA tonight.
All the rednecks are not in GA.

What a great country we live in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have met so many really cool people, seen so many neat towns and cities.One never sees our country like from a bicycle at 10-12 mph. People will stop and talk with you, take your photo. A new friend named Diana gave me a cross made from wood pulled from the river buried for possibly centuries. Her pastor made it. She said a prayer with me for my safe journey- that is pretty special. She had lost 50 lbs and was determined to do more. Good Luck Diana.
Had more good rides-50,50,59 and 81, pretty good for towing a 65 lb trailer, and headwind.

The wind never stops here. It is relentless.

Ride day 5.

Today was an easy, recovery ride day. As I wes leaving Little Falls, I rode thru Lindbergh SP-Charles that is.

I was back on rural roads. Found a neat old Catholic church, circa 1876, in the midst of nowhere. It was a small community called N. Prairie,MN-Population about35. I did 51 easy miles, and stopped at a campground near Clearwater, MN.

Riding Day 4

Long tough day. Rode 85 miles, last 10 were simply awful. There was not much to see and another headwind the last 12 miles. I made it to Little Falls,MN. It is a neat town, as are so many I've been thru.

First three riding days.

Day 1-Rode from Itasca SP to a resort on the MR, Becker's Resort.72 miles. I was able to keep a good pace with the trailer and saw a lot of the rural MN countryside. It looks like rain all the time.
all except for the area where I ran into road construction-had to PULL the load 3 miles through deep sand. It was impossible to ride in it.
Day 2- Rode from Becker's to Grand Rapids, MN-trivia question, Judy Garland's home-there will be a test.
I was traveling east with a 15 mph headwind, so it took a while. I stayed in a Corp park at a dam by the MR
rode 52 difficult miles.
Day 3-Grand Rapids to Palisade,Mn. 60= miles. more rural MN countryside, lots of it.It started to rain just as I got there.Found a SP with a big pavillion and made it home. It rained all night, but I was dry and warm in the pavillion, sleeping in my raingear.
day 4- an unplanned rest day. The weather forecast was for 70% chance of rain, 20-25 mph wind. Being the intelligent rider that I am I rode anyway(NOT). I rested in the hammock most of the day and got my camp stove repaired. I also started reading TOM SAWYER.I found a little diner and pigged out all day.
Paliasade has a pop. of 211-more later.

Tomorrow is the day

Well, I start in the morning.

Things will be OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEll, missed the connecting flight from Minneapolis to Bemidji last night, thanks to Delta.
Arrived and was deplaning at 9:50 and connecting flt departed at 9:50-talk about timing!

Spend too much here!

As Toby Keith says, "I Love This Bar".