Day 45: Fini

100 miles. What? We're done? Yep. It took us 42 days of cycling with 2 days of rest, and we made it home safely! Thanks to everyone who made this trip so enjoyable. It was an experience we will never forget! So what really happened the past few days? Well, again, we apologize our tardiness and for neglecting to mention what cities we have visited lately. During Day 40, as we were finishing our pizzas in Little Caesars we decided to check how far it was directly from Danville, KY to Washington, DC. Google maps said it was only 536 miles, however, our maps said we had 800 miles to go. For a variety of reasons we decided to go for it. It was a new adventure all in itself. There were no maps to follow other than the Google route. So we never really knew when the next gas station was, what kind of shoulder we would have, or where we would be sleeping. Although we would have liked to have visited with the cookie lady and motor up those really steep hills everyone talked about, we also wanted to get home. The 10-day weather forecast for each city didn't look too good. Family, friends, sleep, money, and dreams of home cooked meals were all motivation we needed for the past few days. Day 41: We biked from Danville, KY to Portsmouth, OH. Day 42: Portsmouth, OH to Parkersburg, WV (Mount Wood Community Park). Day 43: Parkersburg, WV to Aurora, WV. Day 44: Aurora, WV to Winchester, WV Then today we biked from Winchester, WV to Washington, DC. After spending some time in DC we headed towards the water. We made it to a park near Annapolis, MD. It was only about 30 miles away from the capitol. We knew a while ago that last night would be our final night camping. So we decided to indulge with a nice hotel. The breakfast this morning was phenomenal. Eggs, waffles, muffins, hash browns, the works. It was the perfect start to our last day on the road. The plan was to make it to DC, get some cool pictures, and then head over to Annapolis before 6pm so we could pick up our rental car from Hertz. That night in Little Caesars we were going to book our train tickets for Thursday, June 17th, but they were all sold out. So we priced out renting a car and found it was even cheaper than the train. Plus, it gave us room to be flexible. This worked out great because we picked up the car a day earlier on Wednesday. Once we had our car we continued to bike over another few miles to the ocean and finish the journey by dipping our front wheels in the water. That morning we were kind of worried about riding into DC. It didn't take us long to learn that Google maps doesn't always pick the easiest or safest route. Short-cuts don't always mean flatter or shoulder. During the final ride we stopped at a bike shop to pick up a few extra spokes, just in case, and they said there's a bike path right behind the store that would take us right into the city. It was awesome! We really lucked out. It was one of the nicest asphalt trails we have been on this whole trip. We're not sure the locals seemed to like it that much. As we waved to them grinning ear to ear they were somewhat unresponsive. That is except for Lori and Laurie, two triathletes we met along the way. We cycled through George Mason, Georgetown, and the GW campuses. Had lunch in the Mall and then had some picture taken. The President didn't let us into the White House, we must of smelled pretty bad. We did meet Steve out near the front gate who was visiting from San Francisco. You can imagine how good he felt knowing it only took him and his daughter a few hours versus days to get there. He had a really nice camera and took some pictures for us which was really great, thanks so much Steve! The rain held off as we moseyed over to Annapolis to pick up our Ford Focus. At first we were concerned about it's size, but once we saw the trunk we knew we would be in good shape. After heading down to the water for final pictures and a final dinner stop at Subway we rode home (but not on a bike). The Hertz lady told us we had 24 hours to return the car to Toledo, OH and had unlimited miles. "You just can't go to Mexico, sorry, I have to say that" she said. So we thought about it and decided to take a little detour through New York City. It seemed pretty close and we were really in the mood for a slice of pizza. So except for the unexpected toll roads we didn't have any traffic at 3am, parking was free, and it was an absolutely amazing way to cap off our journey. There probably should be another post for Day 46 but all it would say is that we returned the car 45 minutes before our time was up. Yeah, we enjoyed cutting it close. We picked up the van we left at the train station in Toledo, OH and then made it back home that night to surprise our families. We'd like to think they had no idea we'd be home so early. In total the trip ended up lasting 46 days. 42 days from Ocean to Ocean, and 40 days of actually cycling. An estimated 3500 miles were traveled. And so far $2,061 has been raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan. Thanks again to the people who made this trip what it was, a wonderful experience. It was truly a blessing to meet people from all across America and to have so much support. This couldn't have been accomplished without all of you! Thank to everyone for following our blog, we hope you enjoyed it. Finally, thank you so much for your donations! Having a wish come to fruition is an unforgettable experience that will last forever. God bless America!

The White House

Hey there Mr. President

Dipping the tip, just for a quick second

Finishing up the trip

It's aluminum not steel

Now throw it in the water

Times Square

We had too

Just like NYPD

This happened back during our first day of rest before Carson Pass. We saw them roll over in front of us and they quickly jumped out of the window, safely and smiley.

Make-A-Wish Foundation

Shout out and thanks to the Wilkins family, Nan Cowan, Trevor Smith, Katie Hill, Jim Taubitz, Joann Siewert, Liisa Walimaa, Jan Wolfe, and The Lutheran Church of the Master for their donations. Thanks for helping make these children's dreams come true! For those of you interested in participating in a bike trip similar to ours I would highly recommend the Wish-A-Mile 300. It's a three day ride this summer from July 22-25th which starts in Traverse City and ends in Chelsea, Michigan. This is how Michael became interested in longer rides and why we are raising money for this foundation. There is a newer and shorter ride this summer called the Wish-A-Mile 50 which happens on July 25th. For both tours you have a fee to pay for amenities and the Heroes Hurrah. There is also a minimum fundraising goal. All in all though it's a great weekend for a great cause that would love to have cyclists of all skill levels. It doesn't look like the tours have filled up yet so feel free to click on the header above and sign-up. Michael will be riding again this year and any questions or concerns you may have feel free to contact him through email at mloogs@gmail.com

Day 44: We're not out of the woods yet

80 miles. First, we apologize to everyone for how late it has been since our last post. It has been very challenging with only one phone since Michael's broke. Having an amply battery supply is our first priority. Next, is finding cell phone service. Then it's fighting off the lazy eye (sleeping). We wish it was a 1000 mile day, but we'll take anything close to 100 miles. As you all could probably guess we are in Virginia now and are rolling on through. There were a number of mountains today and it rained a bit. However, the scenery has been just spectacular.

Day 43: Into the wild

110 miles. It's wild and wonderful here. We did not get rained on last night which was great. It seems we have finally made it to the Appalachian Mountains today. We had about three climbs that reminded us a lot of those out west. Another broken spoke today and another pavilion that showed up right as the sun set. It seems we've been following a portion of the Race Across America route which is pretty exciting. Those racers will probably be passing through the area in a few days. We learned today that you should be careful of who you ask for water from.

Day 42: An unexpected gift at an unexpected time

120 miles. Some possible foreshadowing here. This morning we awoke to more storms. We were looking to get on the bike by 6am so when we heard the rain as the alarm went off you could imagine our disappointment. We checked the weather and figured it would be another hour until it passed. So we reset the alarm and it was clear the rest of the day after that. Just a bit humid. The campground we are at tonight is deep in the woods. The stars are clearer than ever and bugs are bigger than ever. Hopefully there will be no more storms tonight as each us are going without the rain fly. Ruthie, the hostess, was extremely nice and gave us free bottles of water as we arrived. A great gift which we each drank immediately. When we called on the phone and said we were biking across the country she thought it was the "vroom vroom" kind. You should have seen her face when we pulled up. Vroom vroom.

Day 41: Change of plans

142 miles. So as we were sitting in Little Caesars last night we began to wonder why we still had 800 miles left. We only have 150 to go in Kentucky and Virginia couldn't be 650 miles long, right? So we played around with google maps and found some short cuts that may save us a few miles. Hopefully the new route won't be too hilly or unpaved, but we're up for any surprises. Well, we got what we asked for today. About halfway through the day we noticed another large storm approaching. So we pulled off at the next gas station which happened to have a Subway. How convenient. You would think it would start getting old for us. Nope. We checked our only iPhone (Michael's broke last week) and saw it was an intense storm that would pass quickly. So we waited and had a bite to eat. Then we continued on our way about an hour later only to find a road flooded. As we approached, a women in a small compact car was turning around. That wasn't an option for us. So we pedaled through it not knowing how deep it would get. At first it looked like we weren't going to have a problem and could coast through. Then after we surpassed the first stream we rounded the turn to find even more water. This time you couldn't lift your feet and coast. Once our feet became wet it turned out to be pretty fun truckin' through a river. That night we arrived at our destination around 8 and had some McDonald's and Wendy's to celebrate fording the river and the big day. While at Wendy's Tim was approached by a young boy who asked why he was carrying such a big bag. After Tim replied that it carried all of his stuff the boy says,"have you ever seen a real live hammer head shark? Because I own one." By 11pm we still hadn't determine what we were going to do about sleeping. As we left Wendy's we could tell a storm was rapidly approaching. So we booked it across the street, desperately looking for some shelter. And there it was, a pavilion. Literally seconds after we entered it began to pour for the rest of the night.

Day 40: Movie time

101.5 miles. During our first break today we saw a large, dark looking cloud heading our way. Checked the weather report to find a thunderstorm warning in effect. So we decided to find a theater in town and let the storm pass. We booked it 5 miles to Keystone Cinema and watched Get Him to the Greek. It was a little raunchy and very R-ish but did have some hilarious scenes. We biked into Danville, KY just as the sun fell and changed up our supper for once. Great day though and we didn't even get wet!

Pizza pizza!

Day 39: Taking care of business

116.5 miles. Yea, we're tcb-ing. We awoke early with full stomachs from the night before. It had to be all of that home cooking and possibly a few extra sandwiches. On the road we came across some young guys picking up trash on the side of the road. On the back of their brightly colored shirts it read,"Adopt a Highway Worker." We realized this is not a marketing scheme to adopt a highway worker. Although, there is a lot of potential there. We switched into the Eastern Time Zone today. It'll take a few days to adjust but we're almost there. We made it to Sonora, KY which is just off of Highway 65. That's great for us because we found the place we're always looking to eat at as well as a trucker $10 shower. After eating and washing up we headed back to a pavilion we saw on our ride in. We'll need all the rest we can get as the Appalachian Mountains approach. All we keep hearing from fellow cyclists is how hard they are. We're up for the challenge. Shout out to the guys we met near McDaniels today. Keep on truckin' guys!

Day 38: A feast

65 miles. Wow. What an unbelievable day. We each had a great night of sleep in the garage. Thanks so much Sue for letting us stay there! It sounds like we were the first bikers to do so. Michael woke-up around 8 and gave Jack a call. He drove by and took Michael over to Buddy's shop, Shetler Automotive. The lock nut for the cassette was on pretty tightly. After a few whacks at it, he was able to get the nut off. Thanks again for the assistance Buddy! You're more than prepared now to start that bike shop! Jack, thank you so much for driving Michael around and making this work. It's great to meet people with big hearts in a small town! Michael put a new spoke on and trued the wheel. Back on the road towards Elizabethtown, IL where Tim was Michael met three other cyclists. Daniela, Jocelyn, and Brian. They were heading to San Fran, so we had a bit to talk about. It sounded like they had already heard our story after stopping in town. Everything travels so fast by word of mouth down here. They gave us a great tip on a church in Sebree, KY that houses cyclists. Check out their blog at www.bikingforleprosy.blogspot.com. Thanks for the tip! Meanwhile, in town, Tim had the chance to sleep in a bit and grab a bite to eat. There was this really cool restaurant on the Ohio River. By the way, the river is really dirty. The cool part about the place was the large amount of food for such a small price. Oh, and it tasted really good too. Once we met up here, we left E-Town around 1230 just after another storm had passed. We made it through today with no problems other than a few more thunderstorms. Today was really humid so it felt great to get rained on. The second we arrived in Sebree, KY someone said the church is right around the corner. Sure enough we were greeted by more members of the First Baptist Church. In particular, Bob and Violet Hardison. Violet had Kalli show us around and said dinner's almost ready. We quickly showered and a half hour later were sitting down at a table with two other bikers eating a home cooked meal. Never in our wildest dreams would we have thought this would happen. Smoked turkey, home made stuffing, encrusted onions, tomatoes, lemonade, salad, and rolls (which she apologized for because they had been frozen) were all set before us. It was delicious, to say the least. Much better than combos from a gas station. They even had dessert. "Sorry guys, all I have is ice cream and brownies." Hopefully she didn't think we'd be mad. Scrumptious, all of it. The company of Jim and Gary, two cyclists going the other direction, as well as Violet's stories made the evening unimaginable. Thank you so much from the depths of our hearts and stomachs!

Only Virginia is left

Nice place, you should see the tv. They have laundry machines for us too!

Violet had this picture. He biked around the world.

Day 37: E-Town

125 miles. We rick rolled today. Left pretty early and said goodbye to Bruce. We met four people on the road from Holland who were very nice. Once we were 100 miles in, the storms started. It was raining pretty hard and there were a few light shows happening, but it was starting to clear up at the same time. So we pushed towards Elizabethtown, IL. Only six miles from the end Michael broke a spoke climbing a hill. Thinking it could be fixed as easily as the last one Tim rode ahead to figure out where we'd be sleeping for the night. It didn't take long for Michael to realize that he was not going to fix the spoke unless he could get the rear cassette off first. That required a special tool or at least a wrench, hammer, and possible vice. Fortunately, he was stopped in the driveway of a nice lawyer, Jack, who was just leaving with Mary Jo. They saw Michael and asked if there's anything they could do. He tried convincing them he was fine and that "somehow it'll work out" but thankfully they didn't buy it. They gave him a ride into town and even set him up with the town's best mechanic, Buddy. It was very late at night and Buddy's shop was in another town 6 miles away. So Michael's bike stayed in Jack's car for the night and Jack arranged to pick him up/drop him off at Buddy's shop in the morning. During this time, Tim is in town wondering what in the world is taking Michael so long. Michael's phone has truly died this time, 5 days ago to be exact, so there is no means of contact. Even if there was service. Plus, he found out the Rose Hotel is booked and the Rose River Inn was charging $125 a night for a bed and breakfast. Although, it is a beautiful place to stay at. The forecast called for thunderstorms all night. Sue, the owner, was far too kind and dropped the price to $75. As Tim is about to reluctantly take the room, she offers her garage for both of us to sleep in for $10 with a shower. Thank you so much Sue! We really appreciate all that you did for us! Somehow not to long later we were eating tombstone pizza at a bar watching the NBA Finals. Wow, E-Town is great.

Camping out in Sue's garage

Day 36: The red, white, and BLUE!

104.5 miles. Averaged 13.4 mph. Met two guys biking our direction this morning. For a while we were beginning to think we were crazy for not heading west. We had a quick and cheap breakfast with them then took off and said, "we'll probably see you out there!" Then came their reply, "probably not!" It sounded like they were taking their day today. On the road we didn't meet anyone else today. Although, we did meet a few territorial dogs as well as drivers. One baby blue Honda Civic in particular that made a few loops around. Probably just checking to make sure we were ok. Yea. We made it to our last rest stop 12 miles before Chester, IL where we are staying tonight. At the gas station the owner mentions an Eagle Club that has a biker shack for us. We are so glad we stopped there. This shack is awesome. Another free shower and place to stay. It even has air-conditioning. Luxurious. The other great part is that we met a fellow Wolverine, Bruce. He is riding westward across the country for Multiple Sclerosis. You can check out his blog at www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/transcon2010. Great meeting you, Go Blue! Shout out to all the Spartan fans. STATE!

Toot toot

Would it be too far to bike to Chicago?

Day 35: Who let the dogs out

107 miles. Averaged 14 mph. We met a bunch of friendly cyclists today. First, we met Dennis Howe at www.dennishowe.blogspot.com. Next, we met a group of fifteen or so went by that we're all touring together with Adventure Cycling. Then we met a group of four guys later on in the day who had all met up at various points of their trip. Three of the have a blog which is www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/caravanofcrazies. The other guy, Nick, has a blog at www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/nicktransam2010. They gave us a great tip on a place to stay for the night in Ellington, MO. Nice meeting you all, thanks again! Supposedly, there is a site called warmshowers.org which helped us to find Herman. He was so kind to let us stay at his place and especially for the shower. Thank you so much! The number of bloodthirsty dogs has been beggining to increase. We heard Kentucky will be the worst. The leader of the 15 person tour broke his collar bone because a dog got caught in his gears and caused him to crash ending his trip. Dennis had a little can of pepper spray and said he had to use it a few times. Hopefully, we'll be ok and can ward off these dogs with our unpleasant stench. We would hate to use our bear mace. Shout out to Linda, Leon, Pastor Bill, and the rest of the congregation at Faith Fellowship Church. It was great to feel so welcomed even with our cycling clothes on. Thanks so much for the cookies and ham sandwiches! God bless you all.

Wow, that's a lot

Day 34: People helping people

108 miles. Averaged 12.6 mph. We had another excellent night of sleeping. Free showers and free camping in a park under a pavilion. We are on a roll, it's not even fair. Within the first 20 miles we ran into three other cyclists stopped on the side of the road. Jen and Ken were riding recumbents and Sky had just rode up on a unicycle. All three were heading west. The reason for their stop was because Jen and Ken had a broken chain. They needed a special sprocket to connect it back together. Fortunately, we had one for them. It was great helping them out. People helping people, it's a magical thing. Jen and Ken are biking for the Donate Life organization in loving memory of their daughter, Alexandria. They're biking out to meet the child who received her donated organ. Check out their blogs at www.kenandjennc.blogspot.com and www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/6429. The craziest guy we've met so far was riding a unicycle across the country has a website as well. His website address is www.thirtysixer.com. After getting the chain fixed we parted ways. Great meeting each of you! The humidity has been pretty noticeable the past few days. Unlike the western states where it's so dry the sweat evaporates it immediately. Here, you're just sweating constantly. It's kind of cool. We made it to a small town of about 800 people called Hartville, MO. Who knew right in the center of town they would have a Subway. Someone has a sense of humor. We made it just before closing time and met two other cycling groups in town for the night. The first group was a 78 year old couple from Australia. They were riding a tandem bike and told us we have some hills yet to climb. Really nice people. We can only hope to still be walking by that age. Keep it up Frank and Barbara! The second group was Georgia and Chaz from Indiana University, go Big Ten! They started just a few days ago at the Mississippi river and are heading to San Fran. It sounded like it's been tough so far but we told them they'll feel great pretty soon. Shout out to Kevin Englebright who we met at a stop yesterday. He mentioned he had cancer and was fascinated by our trip so he decided to make a donation. Thanks so much Kevin! We'll be thinking and praying for you!

Home of the Ash tree

Sky

Day 33: We're not in Kansas anymore

89.5 miles. Averaged 13.2 mph. A very eventful and accomplishing day. Last night, as we were sitting in McDonald's pondering Sonic shakes, a kind stranger came up and asked which way we were headed. We told him towards Girard, KS and he mentions that our road is closed. He also said he saw another biker trying to pedal through the dirt road and suggested against it. So quickly we decided on an alternate route which seemed to not be a problem at the time. However, about 6 miles into our ride today we encountered a different gravel road. Since turning back around is an irrelevant question, we pushed ahead with courage, heart, and not much brain. It was a bumpy ride on the not so yellow dirt road, but somehow we made it through. We made a pit stop in Pittsburg, KS. Shipped home our cold weather gear. We weighed a trailer with everything in it and found it to be 58.3 lbs. Yikes. We also shipped to Brooks his footies and bicycle pants he lent us. Thanks for letting us use them dude! Sorry you couldn't make it down to Pueblo last weekend. I guess we're just rolling too fast! Tim had some administrative work to do at the library. While Michael finally bought a Gator Skin for his rear tire. We should be all set now. Our final stop for the day was Golden City, MO. We've crossed off another state and another map. Only four more states and maps to go! Can't say we'll be missing much about Kansas, no offense to anyone. The wind didn't agree with us all that much. You could probably say it wasn't a fan either. Also, there were a lot of closed roads. We ran into a second closed road today and decided to push through again. Good decision. Luckily, the bridge over the highway wasn't out. We'd like to thank all of the gracious people we met today. The girls at the UPS store, the librarians, Tailwind Cyclists, and great people at Cooky's. It was great talking with all of you! Shout out to our friend and past roomate Peter Christmas who is moving to Portland today. Good luck at business school and tear it up out there dude!

The show me state?

Yea, let's keep going

Best pies

Three pies for each of us, except chocolate's already gone

Day 32: A tale of similar cities

137.5 miles. Averaged 13 mph. What a great day! It started off amazingly with a delightful breakfast provided by the Clark family. Breakfast burrito omelettes and more delicious strawberries, so good. Jathan and Cameron were so polite and you were all so accommodating, thanks again for everything! Things do happen for a reason. After we left, we ran into a number of other cyclists down the road. Bruce and Steve were two retirees who offered us a number of suggestions about places to stay and see ahead. Joe, who was right behind them, was from Thailand. He mentioned he couldn't believe how nice Americans are and we had to agree. There have been so many caring and thoughtful people along the route so far which is defining this trip. Chris and his family who were peddling a four person bike said it best today. "This is all about the people you meet." We couldn't agree more. So far on our journey we have traveled through two Fairplays, two Placervilles, and now two Eurekas. The last time we made it through Eureka, NV (Day 12) we had a tire failure along the way. So it felt a lot like deja vu when Michael's rear tire split again. The difference this time was that duck tape was not needed, thanks to a spare tire, and it only took 15 min to fix. He'll have to find some Gator Skin tires in the next town. At a stop in Eureka, KS we met Shauna who was very excited to see that we are biking for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Her son, Billy, had been diagnosed with cancer and had the opportunity to have his wish granted. He wished to go on a fishing trip and it sounded like he had a great time. Thanks for the drink Shauna! It was great meeting you! Billy, we'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you for being an inspiration to us through our 'tough' times. You are definitely a Wish Hero! We made it to Chanute, KS before the sunset. Had dinner at our favorite place. Then, we found a campground at a park directly across the street. Free showers and camping, great deal. After setting up we rode back through town for our fifth meals of the day. McDonald's and Sonic for dessert. We have got to stop eating so healthy.

The Eureka/caution sign

A four person bike, 850 lbs including 3 people

Day 31: Eating, riding, and living fresh

94.3 miles. Averaged 12.5 mph. To be honest, Michael's odometer has been malfunctioning for a few days now so these numbers are somewhat estimated. It was a fantastic day, to say the least. We shaved off 5-7 miles from our route by taking another short-cut. The purpose of the detour was to send home our winter gear but unfortunately the UPS store didn't open until 5pm. Then, at a rest stop, we ran into our first pair of cyclists going our way. It was a father and son who had just started in Pueblo, CO. After talking, we realized that we had all spent the same night in Tribune, KS a few days ago. They said the wind was giving them some trouble but they were managing with not much training. That sounds familiar. Just past Hutchinson, KS, we were waved down by Tom. As a fellow cyclist himself, he was very interested in our trip and understood our dislike for the wind. It seemed nobody could explain why it was coming from the north today. Tomorrow it looks like it'll be coming from the east, but at least it won't be as strong. Great meeting you Tom! Once we made it into Newton, KS we had our daily staple of food with some additional treats. Right across from Subway was a Sonic. We headed over to get some shakes, tots, and poppers which all tasted so good. Then our biggest treat was meeting the Clark family. On our way into town Bob waved us down and offered us a place to stay for the night. Him, his wife Jodi, and their two sons, Cameron and Jathan, have been so kind. We thank you so much for your hospitality, those delicious strawberries, and a place to rest our heads for the night. Tomorrow's a big day. We are going to get up and at em' early. You got to love those breakfast miles.

Kansas wildlife

You know where we be eatin' fresh

2 for 1 shakes

Day 30: We're halfway there

94.5 miles. Averaged 13.4 mph. We'll make it I swear. We're feeling the burn, the sunburn that is. Yesterday, on our day off we went to the local watering hole, the pool. It felt great to relax and nap for a bit. However, we're feeling the 'bit' a bit. Oh well. On our last ride we switched into Central Time and we're still trying to get used to seeing the sun so early. The wind was pretty strong again, coming out of the South. We met three other cyclists riding in the opposite direction today. Gene was from Switzerland, Ray was 68 years old, and Kurt had just started in Wichita. Each had a touring bike like many of the other cyclists we've met. So far we've been pretty happy with our Trek road bikes. Hopefully I haven't spoken too soon. Of course we had some Subway once we made it into Great Bend, KS. Today's the first time we've deviated from the Adventure Cycling maps. We cut a tangent that saved us 10 miles and prevented us from riding directly into the wind. For tonight it looks like we're going to try and survive another stay in a Walmart parking lot.

We were let in for free!