Madison, IN to Dry Ridge, KY

Charles Kuralt called Madison, Indiana "The most beautiful rivertown in America." Ladies Home Journal selected it as "The prettiest small town in the Midwest." It has the largest historic district in Indiana with 133 blocks on The National Register of Historic Places. We left the hotel this morning under a cloudy sky with the wind blowing and a forecast of scattered showers. We had a long downhill ride to the Ohio River and the town of Madison. What a delightful way to start our day. Madison, and the other beautiful little towns we've biked through have been one of my favorite parts of this tour. We crossed the Ohio on another big blue bridge back into Kentucky, and rode along the river for about 15 miles. Although the sky stayed overcast, it never rained and the wind was not a problem. Marilyn, Marilee and I biked along together with Lois joining us now and again. The country side was again farm and pasture land. I saw tobacco growing, but no wheat and not much corn. We climbed about 250 feet (according to the map) and rode along a ridge for several miles into the town of Dry Ridge, where we are spending the night. We had views off to the right and left as we cycled past some beautiful horse farms. We only had one long hill that I had to stand and crank up--the others I could make it over in my small ring and the 27 on the back. I am SO GLAD that Ricky suggested changing my back cassette and adding the 27. I remember asking DB when he put it on my bike "what would it do to my speed" and he told me that unless I ride like Tim Perry, I would not have anything to worry about. Turns out that he was right. Speed is NOT an issue on this tour, but getting up and over hills has been a very big deal. I should just stop looking at the maps we follow, because KNOWING that we have more hills ahead of us is worse than just being surprised as we ride along.
Tomorrow we have a 75 mile day to Maysfield, Kentucky. June 1st!! Why don't I just register for the River Cities Tri and stay home and do fun stuff for a while!! I am definitely getting LONG RIDES out of my system on this tour.
Today - 57 miles

Louisville, KY to Madison, IN

Indiana! A day of dogs! I thought we left the dogs back in Tennessee, but they seemed to be everywhere today. We left Louisville this morning and had to cross back over the Ohio River on that long bridge in one of the photos below. We had no problems leaving the city, or for the first part of the ride through pretty, up-scale neighborhoods and subdivisions, but when we got out into the countryside things changed quickly. Several of the first dogs to bark were chained or behind fences, but they sent out a warning to other dogs along the way that we were coming. I was riding with Marilyn, and we were in the lead, so all the dogs were fresh and ready to chase us. And they did!! Big ones, little ones, black ones, yellow ones--I lost count. I must have sounded like a freight train coming when I had time to get my whistle out and start blowing. Some times all I had time to do was yell. Marilyn used her Halt twice. I had mine handy, but never felt threatened enough to use it. They came at us in groups today, too--four or five at a time. These Indiana farmers must love dogs to have so many. Part of today's ride was hilly too, short steep hills, but I made it over most of them without too much huffing and puffing. I wonder if I'll EVER be able to ride hills easily?? I didn't make many photos. We passed through a lot of farm and pasture land again, but saw fewer horses. The crop of the day seemed to be wheat. It's just a sea of green in some places, and so thick it looks like artificial turf. We did very little stopping along the way, and got to the motel earlier that usual, so I've had a long afternoon to rest. Surprisingly, I don't feel tired tonight. Tomorrow we ride 60 miles, back into Kentucky for the night. We've spent ten days in Kentucky, more than in any other state. Tomorrow (Saturday) will start our fourth week. I can't believe how fast the time has passed. We'll ride four days in a row this time, with two 60 mile days, and two 70 miles days. Our next rest day will be Tuesday in Milford, Ohio. The photo today is of our Adventure Cyclist Map a few days ago. I wanted you to see the profile of some of our hilly days.
Today 57 miles - Total so far 1,117 miles

Louisville, KY - Rest Day # 4

Louisville is a beautiful city. Our hotel is in downtown, just off the Ohio River between Main and Market Streets, so we could walk or take the trolley to so many great places. The lazy rest day I had planned didn't happen--there was just too many good things to do. Louisville is the hometown of Muhammad Ali, and I admire so much his determination to succeed in the sport he loved, so I had to go see his museum. Then there was the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory--I couldn't miss that either. I saw a huge YMCA just down from the hotel, and went there to see if they had a Yoga class or a lap pool. They had both, so I swam a half hour, then went to Yoga. Oh, and I was able to squeeze in a massage and a late lunch between the museums and the swim. It was a beautiful day here, and I walked a lot, but I'm so glad I got to visit this city for a day. I would like to come back one day.
Tomorrow it's back on the bike. We'll ride 59 miles to Madison, Indiana. Margarita time, again!!

Brandenburg to Louisville, KY

Yea!! I'm at the Marriott in downtown Louisville, in a comfy chair, legs stretched out on an ottoman, clean from a 15 minute shower, and not too hungry yet. JUST had to ride my bike 51 miles to get here, but after that killer day yesterday, today seemed easy. It was almost cold when we left Brandenburg this morning, after a rain last night. We crossed the Ohio River into Indiana soon after we left the motel, and GUESS WHAT!! Indiana has hills, too! Not as bad as yesterday, but they just kept on coming. On some of the downhills I could get up enough speed to ALMOST make it over the next one. I still had to stand up and crank near the top, but not as often, and not as long as yesterday. Our cue sheet was three pages long today, something like 50 turns, so we had to be careful to stay on our route. We missed a turn early on and had to back-track about a mile, and believe me we DON'T want to add extra miles to our day, so we were more careful after that. We rode through the Indiana countryside for about 40 miles, then got into the urban area and had to navigate our way into downtown Louisville. We crossed over the Ohio River into Kentucky again, and saw our hotel was waiting just beyond the bridge. I toured the cute little town of Corydon, Indiana with the group in the first part of today's ride, but then skipped a museum stop and just rode on the the hotel. Kathy came with me. All either of us wanted to see at the end of today's ride was the Marriott! We beat our luggage here, so although we were able to check-in, we couldn't shower because we didn't have our clothes. We chatted a while with a local guy who asked where we were going, and went on to ask a lot more questions. We stopped by a bike shop and just looked around like for a few minutes like bikers do, then Marilee and I rode along the Riverfront for three or four MORE miles while we waited for the van to get here with our bags. Since there was not a good place for our usual parking lot dinner at Cafe Trailer, we all went out to eat at The Spaghetti Warehouse which is just behind the hotel.
Now, I'm back where I was when I started this note, but this time I'm not one bit hungry. I'm planning a lazy day tomorrow, but there is a "Welcome to Louisville" guide on the desk in my room, so .......
Today 51 miles - So far 1,060 miles - 16 Days of riding - 4 Rest Days

Lewisport to Brandenburg, KY

Today was one of my best days so far, and one of my worst days, too. The 88 miles from Lewisport to Brandenburg started in a dense fog. It gave the early morning Ohio River valley farmland we cycled through a soft and beautiful quality. The roads were smooth and flat for the first 15 miles as we cycled pass more tobacco and corn crops. The sky stayed overcast until almost noon. The hills began too soon, and were almost too much for me before the day was over. Kathy's Garmin showed over 4200 feet of climbing in our 88 miles, with some of the long hills over a mile and a half long. Several of them were 15 - 18% grade. It got hot when the sun came out, and the hills almost got the best of me. I really had a hard time the last 15 miles. I just wanted it to be OVER!! We took a break at a little country store at 75 miles, and I had a coke and part of a PB&J sandwich, and was able to ride on into Brandenburg. We entered the Eastern Time Zone, so when we finally got to the motel, it was 4:45--we started the morning at 6:45--much too long on the bike for me!
Today we passed through several little Ohio River towns, and visiting them, and talking with some very nice local folks just made my day. I fell in love with the riverfront town of Cloverport. We talked a while with a nice guy in a red pick-up truck who told us a lot about their local history. On down the road, we saw a "Strawberries For Sale" sign in front of a Mennonite farmhouse and stopped, bought a quart, and ate them on the spot. The mother and her seven children all came out to visit with us. They had just picked the strawberries that morning. They were red and ripe, and tasted just like strawberries should taste--absolutely delicious!! There were several other interesting places along the way--a rock quarry, a huge mansion in ruins, a bright blue bridge, and more beautiful farm and pasture land.
Tomorrow we have a 51 mile day into the city of Louisville, then a rest day. Again, I am ready for a day OFF the bike. Most of our ride tomorrow will be in Indiana. We'll cross the Ohio River twice. We'll be at the Marriot downtown, so there should be some new things to see and do. I'm looking forward to it--I've never been to Louisville. Wish Mike could come again, but it's just toooo far.
Today was riding day number 15. We start the last half of the tour tomorrow.

Henderson to Lewisport, KY

A cool Kentucky rain pelted down on our screaming yellow rain jackets today as we pedaled through more farmland on our way from Henderson to Lewisport. It started within a mile of the motel this morning, and continued all day, but we're TOUGH now, and don't let a little rain stop us. It does, however, take some of the fun out of it! I am so glad today was a flat ride. I don't think I could have rode hills in the rain--the downhills would have frightened me into the SAG van. My group completed the ride without any mishaps, but two of our ladies fell crossing a railroad track and were banged up quite a bit. One of them cracked her helmet, but neither broke anything that we're aware of. Both are icing their injuries (shoulder, elbows, knees, and hip), and taking Ibuprofen. We don't know yet if they will be able to ride again. I hope so.
Kathy, our California firefighter, has been on a mission to rescue any turtle found crossing the highway from becoming roadkill on the half-shell, and today's photos include her most recent TURTLE 911. Today, by the way, is her birthday. She is the youngest one on our tour--a mere baby at 51!
I saw tobacco growing today. Corn seems to be the crop of choice in this Ohio River valley, along with hay. The farms are beautiful. Most of them have red barns and grain silos, and many of them have white fenced pastures with horses. There is almost NO LITTER along the highways. What a pleasure it has been to ride through this beautiful countryside, even in the rain!
68.4 miles today, Average 13.4 mph, 5 hours and 4 minutes riding time.

JJ and the Rotary's "Cycling to Serve"

Just wanted to give you an update on the Monroe Rotary Club's fundraiser. I was on JJ Dixon's team and rode a total of 739 miles in the two weeks between May 8 and May 22.

"Hello Mike - pass the word to Sondra - we did a total of 1,072 miles for the two weeks - the Rotary Club raised apprx $5,000 for bike trails in Oua Par - great start for bikers and a big thanks to Sondra - I have been reading her reports - I even tried to leave her a note - but I failed to make it work - JJ"

Morganfield to Henderson, KY

The hills we've been riding everyday have made me wish for some flat land, and today I got my wish. We rode an easy 27 miles, almost all flat, through more farm land in the Ohio River valley. We had a little wind, but the roads were smooth with almost no traffic. We had a SAG stop in a church parking lot in Geneva about 10:00, and the pastor came out and invited us to join them for church. One of the ladies told us she read in their newspaper that we were coming through their town. Womantours sends out press releases to the towns we stop in for the night. The people we meet along the way have been one of my favorite parts of this tour. They are always so nice, and are very interested to hear where we're from and where we're going.
We got to the Comfort Inn in Henderson before our rooms were ready today, so some of us went down to their Riverfront. The Ohio River runs right by their downtown, just as the Ouachita does in Monroe. It's a beautiful day here, and people are out enjoying their long holiday weekend. John J. Audubon lived here in the early 1800's, and my photo today is of a bronze statue of him studying a white pelican. We had lunch at The Diner in downtown Henderson, then came back to the motel and sat by the pool for a while. Kathy and Anne both got in the water, but it was toooooo cold for me. After yesterday's hard 87 mile ride we are all happy to have a lazy afternoon of R&R. We have another 90 mile day on Tuesday.
27 miles today - 852.8 total miles - 13 days of riding - 3 rest days

Kentucky Dam Village to Morganfield, KY

Today was one of my favorite rides so far. It was just beautiful all the way. We passed miles of farm land and hay fields, and pastures with more of those beautiful white horses you saw in my photos at The Homestead. They look like work horses, to me. We saw lots of American flags along the way in celebration of Memorial Day on Monday. We had our steepest climb of the tour today, too. Kathy said she saw 20% on her Garmin, but all I know is that I had to get off my bike and push for about 50 yards. I couldn't pedal and breathe at the same time. I was able to get back on the bike after walking, but had to just stand up and crank to the top of the hill. It was tough!
I've been wanting to tell you about our SAG, the white Subaru. It's name is "Little Bo Peep", and we are the "sheep". It's packed with apples, oranges, bananas, gatorade, and all kinds of snacks, sunscreen, and first aid stuff. Today we had fresh cherries and apricots, too. Patti fixed lunch for us today because of the long miles with no stores. We had turkey sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and avocado, potato salad, black bean salsa and chips, pickles, and probably some things I'm forgetting. It was just great--I must have been really hungry--all this talk about food. But, really, the food has been a great part of this tour. Soooo good!! I might as well tell you that our last stop of the day was at a Dairy Queen. After 86.8 miles and six and a half hours of riding, ice cream just hit the spot!! I wonder if I'm going to gain weight on this tour? I think all that stuff you hear about being able to eat anything you want and not gain weight while biking across the country just can't be true. I decided today that peanut M&Ms would meet Andy Holyfield's idea of a healthy snack. She says always combine a carb with a protein, and that equals peanut M&Ms to me.
Tomorrow we have a VERY short day--28 miles to Henderson, Kentucky. Breakfast is not until 8:30, so we can even sleep late. Oh, Mike made it home safely, too. Funny, it took us about the same amount of time to ride our 86 miles as it did him to drive from Kentucky back to Louisiana!

Rest Day - Kentucky Dam Village

I've really enjoyed having Mike here for my Rest Day. He joined us for dinner on the parking lot last night and talked with several of the ladies about our adventure so far. Unfortunately today, he had to do laundry with me. Three days of biking clothes are pretty bad, believe me, but we got that chore out of the way this morning, and had the rest of the day to just hang out. We went to lunch at Patti's Restaurant in Grand Rivers. It has been written up in Southern Living magazine as the best small-town restaurant in the southeast. The sandwiches we had were great, along with their homemade potato chips and coconut meringue pie. We had to wait about 45 minutes for a table, then lunch took about an hour. I was really pushing the envelope with Mike, who had rather just "grab it and go" for lunch. I guess absence does, indeed, make the heart grow fonder. He has been so sweet.
I got caught up on emails today, too. I got this funny one from Keri (my younger daughter). She was telling me about telling some of her friends about my tour and showing them my blog:

I went to Atlanta and showed my friends....they couldn't believe it. Most grannys are home sewing and doing craft projects, mine has a reflective triangle stuck to her butt and is riding a bike to Canada! I'm tired just thinking about it.

Tomorrow we have another long ride--90 miles to Morganfield, Kentucky. We'll have hills again, but not the whole way, and the weather should be good--cool in the morning with sunshine, and temps in the low 80's. Since Mike has been here, and I've had such a nice break, I think I'll try to psyche myself out and think: "tomorrow is the first day of my new three-week tour." Yea!! Just three weeks and 1200 miles to go. Piece of cake!!!

Waverly, TN to Kentucky Dam Village State Park, KY

Today we entered into Kentucky. We'll have margaritas before dinner to celebrate. Almost our entire 54 mile ride today was on a scenic highway called The Trace in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. It was a delightful ride, rolling hills, speed limit of 50 mph, and best of all--NO DOGS!! Four of us stopped for about an hour and toured The Homestead, a beautifully restored living farm from around the 1850's. We cycled by a herd of Bison along the way. It was pretty all the way, very much like The Natchez Trace. We'll have a rest day tomorrow. I am so ready for it. This has been a long six-day stretch for me--the most miles I have ever ridden in one week--383!
Mike is here!! I am so happy to see him. He called yesterday and said he was thinking of driving up to see me on our rest day. I couldn't believe it--it's an eight hour drive from Monroe. Of course I wanted him to come. It will be a great break for me. He is joining us tonight for one of Patti's "Cafe Trailer" dinners. We'll spend tomorrow sight-seeing in this pretty Land Between the Lakes area of Kentucky. He thinks we're going biking (he brought his mountain bike). AIN'T NO WAY, HOSEA!!! I'm sleeping late, eating ice cream, and riding around in a CAR!! No biking for me on my rest day.

Columbus, MS - A newspaper article about us.

Women bicyclists have stopover in Columbus during trip tracing Underground Railroad route


By Vicky Newman
Dispatch Staff
Monday, May 19, 2008 11:27 AM CDT



At 70, Elaine Miller has powered her way across thousands of miles of terrain, and up and over thousands of hills, but “over the hill” certainly doesn’t apply to this woman.

The athletic and adventurous Rochester, N.Y., resident has been cycling cross-country for years, in the United States and Europe. Weeks of biking 65-100-mile days, seeing the countryside, are almost routine to the former college Spanish instructor.

“I started riding in a multiple sclerosis benefit 25 years ago, and I love the physical accomplishment,” Miller says. “I grew up in an era when girls were not encouraged to bike.”

En route to Niagra

Miller was one of more than two dozen women cyclists from various locations around this country, plus Canada and Austrailia, who rolled into Columbus Thursday, en route to Niagra Falls, Canada.


Averaging more than 60 years in age, the women began their 38-day, 2,000-mile trip in Mobile, Ala., May 9. They continued their journey Saturday, after spending a day in Columbus.

Their route follows the Underground Railroad route taken by many slaves in the 1800s.

The challenges the women face may pale beside those faced by slaves years ago, but they exist, nonetheless. And, as it was with the slaves, the trip brings a form of freedom to those who embark on the journey. Riders brave rains, winds and storms. Sometimes they are chased by dogs. While their route attempts to avoid heavy traffic, they face their share of road hazards. It’s all part of the experience. They find safety and support in numbers.

Survivors

Some of the riders are cancer survivors or have faced traumatic illness. Some ride for a cause. Anne Cowan of Bristol, Tenn., is on her second adventure bike tour to raise funds for a hospice foundation. Last year, she raised $51,000. “I got the idea I should do it again,” she says.



Trips are planned in advance, and rooms are booked in towns every 70 miles or so. Laurie Collins, from Charlottesville, Va., is the guide in charge of logistics for this trip. Each day, the cyclists pull out at daylight, and ride until they arrive at that night’s destination.

“Weather is the biggest challenge,” Collins says. “There is a tremendous bonding when you go through rain, headwinds, hail and flat tires. We don’t stop for anything. Once we start, we’re like lemmings going to the sea.”

The women must arrive at their scheduled nightly destinations, regardless of what comes, Collins says. Once, in St. Francisville, La., they faced a major obstacle and setback when they found a bridge washed away because of flooding.

“The crosspieces were still there, but there was a big open gap,” Collins says. “The women crossed the stream anyway, on those narrow crosspieces.”

If weather is bad, health issues arise, or women choose to forego cycling for any reason, they may ride with the SAG (support and gear) vehicle which accompanies the group. The vehicle carries tools, medicines, energy drinks and water and some food, and often serves as the women’s lifeline where convenience stores are not available.

In charge of chow

Patty Jackson of Moab, Utah, is the chef for the trip. Carrying chow supplies in a camper-covered pickup truck, Jackson cooks camp-style in a parking lot for the entourage each night. She bakes in a Dutch oven.

Every five to six days, the tour guides have scheduled a free day. The women spend their time washing clothing, having their bikes repaired, or visiting local attractions.

Some hoped to visit some historic antebellum homes while in Columbus.

Small towns



Sondra Hartt of Monroe, La., explains, “It’s fun to see the small towns of America — see neat places and meet great people. They become like our family, and we keep coming back because it is fun to share and it’s exciting. And, when you finish that last day, it is so phenomenal.”

The bicycle tour is arranged by WomanTours Inc., the only all-women bicycle touring company in the country. For more information, visit the Web site at www.womantours.com.


Reader Comments »

Waverly to Dover, TN

Hello to everyone in Monroe who has sent me a comment. I love hearing from you. I've been gone 2 1/2 weeks now, and I'm missing all of you.
I am SO glad today was short. I made it fine. There were a lot of hills, but I managed to get up and over them. It was a bit cooler than yesterday, and that helped. The group I am riding with stops every ten miles for a "butt" break, and the SAG stops are every twenty miles.
Tennessee has been our worse state for dogs. One of ladies was bitten yesterday. She is one of the slower riders, and has been riding alone. I would have been scared to death, but she seemed ok last night at dinner. The sheriff went out an located the dog. It has had it's shots, so all is ok with that. She was back on her bike today. All of my group is carring Halt, or another form of pepper spray, but so far all we've needed are our whistles. I'll be glad to leave these Tennessee dogs behind. Tomorrow we cross into Kentucky.
I told you all a while back that we have our own traveling Chef with us. She cooks in the back of the trailer, and we have group breakfast and dinners in the parking lot. I know, it doesn't sound good, but the food has been wonderful, and the parking lot dinners work fine. Patti (the Chef) sets up a buffet, and we put the white plastic chairs in a big circle and just enjoy the end of day conversation while we eat. After dinner our tour guide goes over the cue sheets for the next day. We are all off to our rooms shortly after dinner. Most of you know how early Mike Hartt likes to go to bed. Well, I'm beginning to pick up that habit, too. Boy, we are going to be a lot of fun now--BOTH of us going to bed at 8:30!!

Parsons to Waverly, TN

Today I felt a real sense of the distance we've traveled when we crossed over I-40. This was our 9th day of riding--we actually started 11 days ago on May 10th. I'm thoroughly enjoying the touring. For the most part, we're riding along the backroads, seeing a part of the country that we never see while zooming down the interstate at 70+ mph. This has really been a "stop and smell the roses" experience. We SEE the wildflowers, and SMELL the honeysuckle in the air. The days are long for me, though. I'm finding out that after about 60-65 miles, I'm ready for it to be over. No matter how pretty the countryside, all I want to see is the motel at the end of the ride. Today was a very hilly ride, with quite a few of them just going on and on. I have a double chain ring on my bike. DB did put a 27 on the rear cassette, so I have another climbing gear, but the hills are hard for me. I just crank up them as far as I can go, then stand and pump the rest of the way up. Tough on an OLD LADY!! Tomorrow is a short day--45 miles. It has a lot of hills according the the Adventure Cyclist maps we are following, but since the distance is short, I think I'll be ok.
The internet service at the motel here in Waverly is unreliable, so I may be unable to publish this post until tomorrow.
60 miles today - 638.3 total so far

Pickwick Dam to Parsons, TN

I'm on a TOUR, so today we toured! It was a different experience for me again. I didn't care how long it took me to get from Pickwick Dam to Parsons, nor how often we stopped along the way. I didn't even look at my cue sheet very much. Anne, Kathy, and Jennifer are all great navigators, so I just followed them. It was a good day. Warm, sunny, and breezy with a lot of hills on mostly county roads with not much traffic. We did have a lot of dogs today, but nothing too bad. Oh, by the way, the whistles do work. Especially when a couple of women are blowing them at the same time. I saw dogs will come charging down a driveway, then come to a screeching halt at the sound of the whistles. I am now a believer!!
Our first stop today was at Shiloh National Military Park--very much like the one in Vicksburg. We watched a 25 minute film on the battle at Shiloh, along with a bus load of school kids, and toured their museum. On down the road we ran into Barb, our Sous-Chef on the tour, who was changing a flat tire. We stopped and Anne and Jennifer gave her a hand. Both these women amaze me at what all they have in their trunk bags!! Anne pulled out some super glue and repaired the slit in Barb's tire, and Jennifer had some gadget I've never seen before that helped get the stiff tire back on the rim. Both seemed to work great. For lunch today we stopped in the tiny town of Saltillo and had a great picnic out of the sag wagon. Our sag driver for the day had packed all of last night's left-overs in an ice chest, so we had pulled pork sandwiches with slaw and chips. A couple of the ladies bought ice, so we had big cups of cold drinks, then filled our water bottles with iced water for the road. Wildflowers were everywhere and there were beautiful pastures with horses, and sometimes cows and goats. Oh, and one mule. We rode 68 miles, averaged 14.0 miles an hour, and it took us 4 hours and 52 minutes of riding time. We actually left Pickwick Dam about 0730, and I got to the motel in Parsons around 3 pm.
Tomorrow we have another long (for me) day--63 miles to Waverly, TN. The long days in a row are beginning to make me tired.

Fulton, MS to Pickwick Dam, TN

It was cool this morning when we left the Days Inn in Fulton. A few rain drops were falling, but it never really rained. I started out in a jacket, but it didn't take long for me to shed it. In the first few miles we had one short, steep hill after another--much too soon after breakfast for that much exertion. The photo above is of Kathy watching a boat enter the locks at the G. V. "Sonny" Montgomery Locks on the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway. Interesting. We watched the boat as it moved through the locks and was on it's way again. We rode for about 10 miles on the Natchez Trace in Northeast Mississippi. It looks a lot like the Trace does between Jackson and Natchez. We didn't have any cute little towns to stop in for lunch today, so I had a PB&J beside the road, and a bathroom break in the bushes. Oh well, guess that is what makes touring interesting. It's never the same every day. I had to pull my rain jacket out of my "suitcase" two or three times because of rain showers, but they were never bad, and didn't last long. We're staying the night just over the Tennessee border near Pickwick Lake. Tomorrow we have a 68 mile day. In fact this will be my first real "test"--6 straight days of riding for a total of 388 miles. That's a lot for me!! I'm going to clean and lube my chain now. Oh, I'm finally getting the hang of pumping my tires--but I still had rather Mike do it for me. I hope he still will when I get home.
76 Miles

Columbus to Fulton, Mississippi

If all our days could be like today, I could get hooked on touring! Today was just about perfect. We just had a great time. The roads were good, the traffic light, the few hills we had were very gentle, and some of the time we had a great tailwind. We stopped for lunch at the best little Italian restaurant in Amory. The young waitress was overwhelmed when we all arrived, and called the owner to tell her that she had a big group of "biker women" there. The owner, who lives only 3 minutes away, came to help expecting to see a bunch of women in leather and riding motorcycles. She then went out of her way to serve us, even bringing pitchers of iced water for us to refill our water bottles. The food was really good, too.
I rode with Anne and Kathy again, and Marilee, Jennifer, and Marnie joined us today. We just cruised along most of the day. A time or two Kathy and I kicked it up a notch--long straight roads and a tailwind were just too much to resist! It was such a fun day. I never dreamed I would ride 81.6 miles, and think it was EASY!! We averaged 15.4 mph, and it took us 5 hours and 15 minutes (riding time). Tomorrow we ride 77 miles to Pickwick Dam, Tennessee. We'll ride a few miles on the Natchez Trace. This will be our third state. Margaritas!! Yea. Life is good!
81.6 Miles

Rest Day-Columbus, MS

Columbus is a pretty Mississippi town with quite a few antebellum homes. Four of us took a walking tour, then had lunch in their old historical downtown. Later in the afternoon, several of us met in the parking lot to clean our bikes after yesterday's rain. Did I say "I miss Mike Hartt?" He has always done this for me. I hope I put the White Lightening in the right place. Tomorrow we plan to ride to Fulton--85 miles. I am happy to say that I am "no worse from the wear" from yesterday's ride in the rain. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

JJ and the Rotary Club's CYCLE TO SERVE

Most of you know that the Rotary Club in Monroe, via Miles Luke, has teamed up with Twin City Cyclist to raise money for road signs and a bike path. JJ has asked me to be on his team since I will be riding quite a few miles between May 8 and May 22. I am no good at asking for donations, but any of you who would like to give away some money to improve cycling in our community, find JJ and give him a few $$$. I spoke briefly to the Rotary Club at their meeting on May 1 about this tour. I loved their "jaw-dropping" reaction when they heard Mobile to Niagara Falls, but anybody could do it. It's just one peddle stroke at a time, but it takes the courage to START. So I applaud Miles and the Rotary for their efforts to make cycling in Monroe more safe for us. We can do it, but it will take all of us working together--"one peddle stroke at a time."

Eutaw, Alabama to Columbus, Mississippi

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain. OH NO!! I don't bike in the rain--not on purpose!! When I went to breakfast, these women were dressed to RIDE. They were wearing all kinds of fancy stuff, things I've never seen, much less own. Then Laurie, our tour guide, gave the ok to ride. WHAT?? It was RAINING!! There was no doubt that Anne was riding. Kathy was unsure, and I didn't know what to do. Then some of the women started leaving. As I stood there, looking at the rain, I decided that I came on this tour for an adventure, and there would be NO adventure in riding in the sag wagon. So, I ran to my room, put on my new Pearl Izumi rain jacket, and got on the bike. I left with Anne and Jennifer in a "soft" steady rain. I learned a few things on this 64 mile ride in the rain. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. There wasn't much traffic (I guess loggers don't work in the rain), and the dogs stayed on the porch. Even they were smart enough to stay out of the rain! We stopped a few times. I had some hot cocoa once. But mostly, we just peddled on. The pace was a little slow for me some of the time, so I rode out front a lot, but we all got to Columbus about the same time and rode in to the Holiday Inn together. Would you believe it stopped raining as we entered the city limits, and by the time we got to the hotel the sun was coming out, and the rest of the day was beautiful. Tonight before dinner we had margaritas. I learned that is a tradition with WomanTours every time we cross a state line. Ummm, how many more states... Tomorrow is another rest day, so I plan to upload a few more photos to my blog, do some laundry, and buy a mirror for my handle bars. All these women have mirrors on their bikes, so I'm going to get one too. Just hope I don't have a wreck trying to use it!
63.75 Miles

Demopolis to Eutaw, Alabama

On the road again . . . what a great ride. The sun was out, the hills more gentle, and my "FRIEND" stayed home. Anne, Kathy, and I began to paceline when we got off the busy 4-lane and onto the country roads. We decided to each pull one mile (couldn't do 30 seconds, DB, we had too far to go), and it worked great. Not exactly a blistering pace, but we were moving down the road! Marilee (remember, she rode in with me on the 102 mile day) joined us at one of the sag stops. Sag stops were every twenty, and we stopped to make a few photos along the way. A fluffy dog tried to chase us, but stopped dead in his tracks when I yelled at him. The ladies were impressed, so I had to give them a lesson in how to yell at dogs. Alabama dogs, which are exactly like Louisiana dogs understand "southern" yelling. You have to tell them to "GIT BACK" in your meanest voice. So, I think I'll pack my whistle away--never had time to use it anyway.
We had a great lunch at B & N Bar-B-Q in the little town of Eutaw. Caused a few of the diners to stop in mid-chew when we all walked in. A bunch of women in lycra and biking helmets must be a bit unusual here. Oh, and the town weekly came out to interview us. Our picture is supposed to make their paper next week. (Not a lot happening in Eutaw, huh?) We didn't have internet service last night, so I wasn't able to update my blog. We could see I-20 from our motel. It made me think of Monroe. I miss ya'll, but this tour is really fun.
56.4 Miles

Jackson to Demopolis, Alabama

Log trucks are BIG in Alabama, and there are a lot of them. Well guys, I finally got my act together today on the road to Demoposis--98 miles and I WAS OK!!! Liz and Craig, David, Brian and Leigh, DB, Laurie, and Mike (of course), and TCC, all those miles we rode (usually with me hanging on by my fingernails) paid off for me today. We started early again, (I heard roosters crowing) wearing arm warmers. It stayed cloudy and wonderfully cool all day. The road was smooth, with rolling hills and very little traffic until the last 15 miles. I loved it! I am hanging in there with these ladies, and if the roads were flat. . . I met a guy in a store that used to live in Monroe. I was wearing DB's Bike Source jersey, and he asked me if I was from Monroe. Nice guy, worked with mosquito control while there. (Picture on right, near bottom.) They changed our route tomorrow, so all we have to ride is 58 miles. YEA!! That should be like a walk in the park after our last two riding days.

Rest Day, Jackson, Alabama

I have had an absolutely delightful rest day. I feel really good considering how wiped out I felt after yesterday's ride. We rotate room mates every night. At first, I was a little unsure how I would like it, but already I LOVE it. The first night my room mate was a very pretty lady, one of the younger ones, from Rocky River, OH. She races sailboats on Lake Erie with an all women crew. She has a husband and four grown kids at home, and they are all huge Cleveland "Cavs" fans. My room mate tonight is a tall, very attractive lady who looks like she could be sipping tea at the garden club instead of on a bike. She has been on five cross-country bicycle tours, and more shorter tours than she can remember. She packs and reassembles her own bike when she goes on these tours.
But wait, I have to tell you the best part about today. When we rode into Jackson yesterday, I saw the name Nick Waugh on a State Farm Insurance sign. My older daughter's best friend in grade school was Leanne Corley, and I knew that she had married Nick and that they lived in a small town in Alabama. I had NO idea it was Jackson. So today I walked to the State Farm office and asked if Nick was from Louisiana, (and he was) and if his wife's name was Leanne (and it was). WOW! So, I called Leanne at home and she came to the motel and picked me up and we had the best visit. Can you believe that!! It just made my day. She is just as sweet and beautiful as she always was.
Tomorrow we have another LONG day--98 miles to Demopolis, Alabama. Yesterday Mike wrote a comment for me to "quit griping", and that the wind is my friend. Well, I hope MY FRIEND stays home tomorrow!

Bay Minette to Jackson, Alabama

Today started early. Breakfast was at 0615, and everyone seemed in a hurry to get started. They planned for us to take the long way around to Jackson, Alabama--102 miles because we could only cross the Alabama River where is a bridge. I had planned to ride with Anne and Kathy again, and learned later that they wanted to ride with me too, but none of us communicated with each other, and we didn't leave together. I went back to my room after breakfast to brush my teeth, and saw a big group leaving. When I realized that Anne and Kathy had gone on, I set out to catch them. It took me 7 miles to catch Kathy, and we thought Anne was up ahead. She told me later that she had stopped at a store for Powerade, and saw me ride by. Anyway, we all finally got together when we stopped to make pictures of a really pretty swamp. I just thought the Cheaha Challenge that Mike and I rode last Sunday was hard! TODAY was without a doubt the hardest ride I have ever done. No Mike to push me up the hills. No Bryan and David to draft behind. No DB and the Thursday group to echelon to keep me out of the wind!! There was one hill after another! The last forty miles were straight into an unrelenting head or cross wind. We got chased by two groups of dogs. I didn't have time to blow my new whistle, so I still don't know if it works, but I yelled at them and we managed to get by without anything bad happening. Then a big group of us missed a turn and had to go four miles to get back to where we were supposed to be. Lunch was great, tho. Patty, our cook, set up a wonderful picnic for us and we all ate in the shade in a cemetery. We all left together after lunch, but soon the hills and the wind started to take it's toll, and I ended up riding with another group of ladies. Two of them had never ridden a century before today. At our last stop at a convenience store, I had a coke and Advil, and it helped. With 15 miles to go, Marilee and I headed out into the wind again, and cranked our way up more hills--one with an 11% grade. After the most grueling ride of my life, we rolled into Jackson ahead of the pack. Some of the ladies who have Garmin computers said we had 4200' of climbing. All I know is that I am WIPED OUT. I am SO glad that tomorrow is a rest day. Mike told me that I need to go on an easy 15 mile ride tomorrow like the guys in the Tour do. Do I look like a Lance Armstrong type? I don't think so!! I may just stay in bed all day!! Besides, there ARE NO easy rides around here.

Mobile to Bay Minette, Alabama

After breakfast and the group photo this morning, I was just so ready to get the show on the road! We left Mobile under clear, sunny skies and got over that big bridge with no problem. I was in the front group but rode most of the way to Spanish Fort with Kathy, a firewoman from Dublin, California. We found the first Sag stop after about 18 miles of easy rolling hills at BuzBee's Fishing Camp. Mr. Buzbee came out to talk to us. He was a delightful old guy who wanted to know "Where ya'll goin'?", then didn't seem too surprised by our answer. I asked him what he caught in the river there and he answered "fish." After a few photos with him, we headed on down the road toward our first flat. Thank DB, it wasn't on my bike, but three of us stopped to help. I watched and was the official flat photographer. Kathy found the problem right away, and she and Anne fixed the flat like professionals and then pumped the tire up with a BIKE PUMP. I was VERY impressed. I don't think I could get 10 lbs of air in a tire with one of those little things. (I plan to use quick-fills if I ever have a flat.) WE got into Bay Minette around noon and were talking about finding a place for lunch when we saw a family selling Bar-B-Q from their front yard. You couldn't have passed that up either!! Ribs, Sausage, and Chicken with potato salad and baked beans. Yum! Our first day was fun, a little warm and humid, with very little wind, and just enough rolling hills to keep it interesting. Check out Mr BuzBee ---> 36 miles today.

MOBILE! Let the Games Begin!

Oh man, what WAS I thinking six months ago when I signed up with Woman Tours to ride my bike 2000 miles from Mobile to Canada!! I've got to admit that when I got here and met these women who will be riding with me, I felt a little intimidated. There are only about four of us who have not done multiple tours with this company, many of them riding across the country from California to Florida. They all can fix flats, and pump up their own tires, and think NOTHING of riding 60 miles a day, up hill, into the wind, AND in the rain!! Well, maybe that is a little bit of an exaggeration, but really, they are an amazing group of women. I have fixed ONE flat. And, I hate pumping up my tires!! I need MIKE HARTT!!! But, after meeting and talking to some of the women, I began to feel better again. Laurie, our tour guide, had a flat-fixing demo for some of us after orientation. I think she is going to be great. And, every woman I talked with said they won't pass me by if I have a flat. They are all willing to help me change a tire and get rolling again. So, I guess I'll take Mike out of my duffel bag. He was having a little trouble breathing in there anyway. I just hope those new tires that DB at The Bike Source in Monroe put on my bike will keep me from having a flat--then I won't have to worry about it. Tomorrow is our first day to ride. We have to go over a HUGE bridge on the way out of Mobile. We'll only ride 36 miles to Bay Minette, so if I make it over the bridge, I should be ok. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Hiking in Smoky Mountain National Park

Before going to Mobile to start my bicycle ride to Canada, Mike and I hiked in the Smokies with our hiking club for three days, and had a great time. There were not many wildflowers yet, but the mountain streams and waterfalls were spectacular. Mike is so crazy. He has been watching way too much "Man Verses Wild", and kept yelling "Yo Bear" as we hiked up to Mt Le Conte to make sure we didn't surprise a bear along the way. The lodge on Mt Le Conte was so much fun--log cabins with kerosene lanterns and no running water. It's the only place I've ever stayed that gives you a tin bucket at check-in. (Yeah, for WATER--I was thinking the same thing, too, since there were no bathrooms in the cabins.) The cabins were an experience, too. They had double bunk beds, so some of us slept with two people on the top bunk and two on the bottom bunk. Every cabin had a front porch with big rocking chairs. I just loved it! It was so good to park my bike and stop all the "training" I've been doing to get ready for this bike tour, and just spend some time looking at those beautiful smoky mountains.