Here are the travel notes I kept during a New Jersey - to - Illinois ride. Most people do this route the other way, hoping to catch the prevailing winds. I was going to be in NJ anyway and only had vacation time after that, so it had to be an east-to-west trip if I was going to do it now. Turns out the winds worked out OK. But I was lucky... I have done multi-day rides before but this is the longest single ride I have ever yet done: 10-days, self-supported. It is early in the season but I am in pretty good shape and feeling pretty confident about riding. I know how to do multi-day rides on my own, complete with camping and other gear, and I have a nearly-new bike (a Giant OCR1) which I have just broken in with four 1-day rides totalling over 500 miles. I have mailed my bike to my mother's house in NJ (UPS -- the local bike shop boxed it up for me and a NJ shop fine-tuned it after I re-assembled it). I am leery about total endurance, though, especially with the Appalachian hills in front of me. Plus, this new bike requires me to get used to a different shift/brake system, the whole cleat thing (I've only used unclipped platform pedals before), and a really bent posture (previous bike was a Trek 7100 hybrid), so I am a little uncomfortable. Also, I have a vague sense of where I'm going but have not picked out a specific route (I have learned that I tend to change my mind anyway) and don't even have a good set of maps beforehand. I had considered paralleling Rt I-80 (but that would require plenty of information about local roads) or taking a southern route (there is a Pittsburgh-D.C. rail-trail which would avoid the worst hills, but that would make for a longer total journey -- and that trail is not good for my skinny tires anyway). So I settle on the northerly path across PA (Route 6 is a state-designated bike route), followed by a more-or-less direct route west to the southern perimeter of the Chicago/Gary metro area. From there I'll know what to do. Weather channel shows rain the day I wanted to leave. Well, no harm in spending another day visiting the folks. After that, in the evening, I am preparing my gear at my sister's house in New Jersey. She lives only a dozen miles from the shore and has agreed to give me a lift in her truck so I can start at the ocean. SHe's got some hiking gear I appropriate. Note: this coming Monday is a US holiday (Memorial Day) often taken to be the start of summer. This affects traffic, hours of operation of stores, pace of road construction, etc., from Friday through Monday. Day 1 (Thursday, 26 May 2005) I am at the ocean at South Belmar, NJ, with my odomoeter reading 543.25; my mother gets the traditional tire-in-the-water picture and I set off. It's just after 8am local time. W on Belmar Blvd about 9 mi to Farmingdale, then take Rt 524 west. By and large the shoulders on the NJ roads are pretty wide and paved. Just like a lane (but more filled with junk); indeed, in NJ it is very common to use these as a lane -- during rush hour, or when the car ahead of you is making a left turn. So the shoulders are good -- but not just for you! Beware! After exactly 1 hour of travel I am at Stillwell Corner's road turning north when I have a flat tire. Unbelievable -- just before leaving IL, I had the LBS install a Kevlar tire (rear only -- it's always the rear that goes flat, right?) I travel with a spare tube to avoid messing with patches, so it isn't TOO long before I'm patched and off again. Continue N past Rt 33. At about 20 mi take Rt 522 NW; becomes Freehold Road. Pass Englishtown. About 40 mi I am at Kingston Mall (near Princeton). Stop for lunch in the Pennsylvania-Dutch-run market. Considered stopping at Princeton (my alma mater) to review maps but I am too stinky. I did take too roundabout a route here, trying to follow the Raritan river. But it is a scenic route and pretty flat. 61 mi: Neshanic. Follow Pleasant Run NW 72: past Stanton: becomes Lebanon Stanton Rd -- go N. This was a LONG climb. Should try 31 after stanton. 70: Lebanon; US 22 west. Guess what: another flat! In the front! (Remember -- the front never gets flat...) Unbelievable --- two in one day. On local advice I head from Annandale to Clinton looking for a bike shop. There the locals never heard of a bike shop -- and I have no fresh tube -- so I do a patch. Stupidly it did not occur to me to ask another local or look in a phone book until after patching. Clinton does indeed have a shop and the owner was good about helping me out. I now have Kevlar in the front too :-( . ANd I now have TWO fresh tubes. Take 31 North. THis section of NJ is hillier. I made a bad judgement call. Being hill-phobic I figured it would help to force myself to tough it out, that is, not shifting gears or speed very much here; I wanted to be able to have more wiggle room when the _real_ hills appeared in PA. That was a mistake -- it would have made sense to do that during previous weeks. By doing it today I end up pretty tired so the PA hills are unwelcome tomorrow. By the same token it was a little penny-wise and pound-foolish of me to avoid the NJ hills in the High Point area -- they're nothing compared to PA, and had I stayed in NJ longer, passing north, I could have avoided some of the Poconos later by entering PA (and US Rt 6) further east, closer to NY. 92: Washington seems to be a real town (not everything on the AAA map is...) Stop for some dinner. 98: Butzville; T into US 46 heading west. Easier here along Pequest river. 106: Delaware river Family campground. Should have taken this but thought I could make the Delaware Water Gap. Wrong -- that would require using Interstate 80. Now it is late and I am tired and in no mood to hunt for a new road or a campground. There is a truck stop at Columbia (where US 46 ends in I80); a sign has the tent icon but I see no "official" place to camp at the truck stop. I pay the $75 for a hotel room and take my lumps. Well, I get a decent shower and even have access to laundry so this gives me a chance to regroup after the flats and all. Also I can repack my bike a bit more efficiently. Note that truck stops like this have rent-a-showers; could be useful in the future. ("Like this" may mean "at an interstate highway".) So I quit about 8pm and take the chance to watch the weather channel. Looks like a couple of days with real chances of rain, then a long sunny stretch. Nothing I can do about it now! 108.29 miles, 7:03:38 in the saddle means 15.4 ave. (Max=33.3) Day 2 (Friday, 27 May 2005): Time to tackle the Poconos! Start around 7:30am near Columbia NJ. Just south of the truck stop is a footbridge to PA and Rt 611. Nice ride! But 611 has some big hills... (Note: PA shoulders on these local roads are not always wide or in good paved condition.) 10mi: meets 191 (at hill bottom, of course). Kind autoshop owner gives my tires extra air. pass through Stroudsburg. Rt 447 is very nice! Rises gently with the Brodhead river through pleasant wooded sections. Saw a black bear crossing the road! (It seems as shocked to see me as I was to see it...) 26mi (10am) nice breakfast at Canadensis. (Note -- cash only. I have several $100 bundles tucked here and there in my stuff for this kind of event.) But leaving Canadensis, the road is now VERY hilly, and mostly uphill. I jettison some useless tourist stuff, and even walk one last peak just before Lake in the Clouds (these names are very suggestive...) After that it's mostly DOWN hill, and I hit 38mph on the slope to Panther. I didn't quite get it yet that this was going to be the pattern for a few days: long hills up, great speeds coming down. E.g. past 84, PA 191 and 196 are hilly. 45 Hamlin -- food etc. Post office on main road so I mail off two days worth of clothes to save weight. Now I have 4 sets of shirts/shorts, including the one on my body. Use 590 West, then 348. Noticeable traffic. More hills, and my shifter is not working so well. Eventually (Mt Cole) 348 parallels I-84 and becomes more level, then ends in 435 which is a nice ride. Unfortunately 435 just ends in I-81 so I am dumped onto an interstate, which I ride 1 mile to an exit. 59: use local roads to get to Dunmore. At a gas station break I check a local phone book and find another local bike shop for some tweaking of the front derailleur and the brakes. The shop is in Scranton; the road is through town on fairly busy local streets -- all downhill! The LBS (Bill's Sporting Goods) also trued my rear wheel; the brakes had been rubbing, giving me an excuse for feeling tired :-) . Turns out the rack for my rear bags had shifted position and was pushing the rear brake assembly off to one side. "Fixed" that easily with a good shove, but it continued to slip out of position during the week. Lesson learned: check for free spinning of the wheels at least once a day. Getting out of Scranton was a terrible experience. The local roads are obstructed by landfills or something, leaving only the interstate (forbidden), US 11 (which is extremely busy, right through town, with no shoulder), or Rt 307 (a county road, I guess, heading way out of my way and over many hills, according to locals). Plus -- started to storm. Waited out some of the storm, then tried Rt 11, looking for parking lots and sidewalks, or at least a shoulder shared with storm sewers. This was not at all fun. Drivers were not at all thrilled. 72mi: still not making much progress, and the storm started up again. Well, then, time to eat something I guess (4:30pm -- but only 5:45 ridden!) Again locals confirm the only local-road option out of town is very hilly. I decide just to walk the bike through the store-fronts' grass. Took most of an hour for just a couple of miles. Suddenly near Clark's Summit there are sidewalks and shoulders! And leaving town, it's ALL downhill! In fact that mostly continued till the end of the day. Things are looking up! I'm well over 20mph for half an hour or so. 82mi: US 11 has become US 6 and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a sign indicating that I am now on bicycle route Y . Hurray! Not only that, but there is a campground at Tunkhammon as my map showed. (The "Official" designation means that the shoulders are in very good shape; this route turns out to be a pleasure to ride, in general. Also note that as a US highway it avoids the steepest climbs by using a combination of curving around hills, blasting away peaks, and crossing bridges over valleys.) 90mi: It's been a long day of hills and traffic and it's already 7pm, so I quit. Campground ($21! Harrumph!) is pleasant and I get cleaned up, chat with the other campers. I content myself with junk food from the camp store; I discovered only the next day that there are places like Perkins (restaurant) just west of here on Rt. 6. 90.00 miles, 7:04 saddle time; only 12.7 mph! Ugh! (But max=38.7! yum!) Some comments: the Hesperis matronalis always smells great, even when it's not visible. There are very few mosquitos this time of year. Winds have been mostly mild and blowing neutrally across my path. PA smells mostly like forest land in the east, giving way to farm land (horses, cows) by mid-state. Day 3 (Saturday, May 28, 2005) Start just before 8am. Quickly becomes sunny. I have to begin with about 5-6 miles of uphill work -- ugh! But the views are great! There is mist in the valleys, and I am above it. (Remember, I started at sea level!) Great LONG decline into Meshoppin; I pass 32mph even though I am riding my brakes (there are curves and construction signs and loose gravel; I really don't want to exceed 30-35mph.) 12mi: lots of up and down. 27mi Wyalusing: water refill. Then just out of town (~30mi) there is a great Scenic Overlook. 39mi, Wysox: there are LOTS of traffic and safety warnings on US6. This place must be a magnet for traffic trouble. 42mi, Towanda: there is a Burger King north of town, and food shopping. I take a break. This was, actually, a mistake. With these hills (and my gear) I am working harder than I usually do on my bike, and doing so after a nice greasy burger and salty fries really upset my stomach. I finally had to decide to make an emergency potty stop (and yes, I was carrying toilet paper and a trowel); by luck a fellow working in his company shed (on a holiday weekend!) let me use the facilities. I'm wishing my brakes were tighter. No bike shop listed in my "Official PA State guide to Official Bike routes" until Mansfield. Hm. 52mi, Burlington: happen upon county library, which is handy: rain is threatening and I want to check out the predictions online. (1:30-2pm or so). Looks pretty grim. In retrospect I think the wunderground.com predictions were unnecessarily dismal. (Thunderstorms predicted through SUNDAY, all the way to Gary IN!) But for today: the rain is now started, and there is no reason to think it's going to quit any time soon. I decide to pedal through the rain since the thunder is clearly to the south and the wind is from the west (a headwind -- how nice!) Not too bad but there is no let-up for 2 hours. Take a break with a granola bar. West of Sylvania to county line is the only really big hill, and ends in a rest area. I take advantage of the fact that I'm carrying dry socks, but my feet are really cold. Ran across a (homeless?) guy on foot, walking in the rain. Gee, that's even less fun. I think I spooked him by calling out to him from my bike. My ears popped going up hill. Weird! Road shoulders becomre poor for the last 5-10 miles to Mansfield. 80mi: Mansfield. Two rainy hours takes a lot of the fun out of riding, and I really don't want to camp in this. Right off Rt 6 I find the Mansfield Inn, a very pleasant hotel for just $50. Laundromat just a block away so I get everything clean and dry. Oswald's bike shop is right around the corner but closed at 4 (just before I arrived) and not open Sundays (tomorrow). After that rain, I notice my fingers have actually wrinkled; my heels are numb, too. Warm shower felt good; I have to remember on these long rides to use lotions and so on -- this is hard on my skin. Sun came out by 5pm or so. Grr! I coulda kept going. 81.57mi with only 5:$6:34 in the saddle (ave 14.1, max 35.5) That makes three days in a row of decreasing mileage! And only one tent night out of 3! I've got to turn this around! Day 4 (Sunday, 29 May 2005). I start at 7:30am, feeling pretty tired. Morning fog, cool weather, some headwind. Turns sunny after a couple of hours -- nice. Roads mostly even or downhill -- yay! -- from approach to Wellsboro until approach to Gaines. 35mi (10:30) Breakfast will have to be a gas station stop in Galeston. Forecast: scatted storms today, tonight, and tomorrow :-( No shoulder till Walton. Major uphill run between (pleasant) rest area and Denton Hill. 50mi: Denton Hill: high point of Rt 6 in PA (4242ft above sea level, I think). So on average it's all downhill now:-) And in fact it really is mostly downhill from here till Pt Allegany. But I can't get much speed: there are some headwinds, and the shoulder is missing or borken from Coudersport approach till Roulette exit. 59mi (about 12:30) : Coudersport -- groceries, McDonalds, etc. At Mina, I ran into that same homeless guy! (He said he'd gotten a lift from the cops, spent the night in a hospital. He's walking and/or hitch-hiking to Colorado!) Waited out a brief rainstorm. Then -- surprise! Rear tire is low! Ack! I reinflate and hobble my way to Pt. Allegany (76mi). Attempts to pump more air in just make it worse. I can't believe it -- another flat! Fixed it with a spare. Note: gas stations (as opposed to service stations) seem to offer only 80psi air pressure. That will do in a pinch but is much lower than it should be. Not sure what to do about this. Later I will find stations which can offer more pressure but have no gauge, which sounds a little risky to me. I vow to get an air pressure gauge to carry around. (Note: the ones sold in chain stores are for cars and don't measure high enough pressure. The one sold me by a bike shop does not work with Presta valves! Finally at Napa Auto Parts I find a $25 gauge that does the trick. It ain't exactly light but it's not too large.) A little before 4 I am finally ready to push off again, toward Smethport. Some major hills here! I passed 80 mi (i.e. I stemmed the decline in miles per day). I also _finally_ exceeded 30mph (first time today); winds are decreasing a bit, and now I see maybe I was riding on underinflated tires? Some rain comes and goes -- I wait out another one. (Note that headwinds mean I can see the weather that's coming my way...) 86mi, Smethport: locals report there is likely no nearer camping than what my AAA map shows (in Kane). Hmm, that's a ways to go yet. Well, I can do it! Meet a biker who is prepping for a 2-day Pittsburgh-> Ohio fundraiser (150mi) 100mi (just under 7hrs pedal time -- not a very fast century, but not bad under the circumstances) en route to Mt Jewell. It's a massive climb but not TOO steep and road is very good; new road from mid-Mt Jewett to west, where ground is level. Camping available at Lantz Corners but I will trust AAA and wait till I get to Kane. Very tired approaching Kane. (I think I am not eating well enough.) Guess what: there is no camping in Kane. I ake a motel rather than ride back to Lantz Corners. (Only $37!) I take a long walk for dinner to a family restaurant (Kane also has a Subway, bar+ grill, steak house -- and a drive in movie theater!) The restaurant is, actually, pretty bad, but it's good to have volume. 112.11 miles in 7:46:59, ave=14.4, max=35.5 . A pretty good day, but I start to wonder why I bother to lug around the camp gear. It's a lot of extra trouble; plus, camping has the disadvantage that when you've found a campsite (often not easy!) it's (almost by definition) far from town; so you have a potentially long ride just to get that much-needed dinner. In the morning you have to dry things off and pack it all up, taking time. And you arrive at day's end with a still-wet towel. And for what? $37 (motel) is more than $21 (campground) but not that much. Hmm. (Well, I would later decide that campgrounds are more like $10-$15 and hotels more like $50-$60, so with some advance planning, camping can work out to a significant advantage. Maybe. Your mileage may vary, etc.) Day 5 (Monday 30 May, 2005). One side effect of it being Memorial Day is that there are plenty of wind-meters (aka American flags) distributed everywhere. I start today at 8:50am, feeling pretty tired. Also the weather doesn't look promising; maybe today should be an easy day? 0mi: Kane prepares for a parade. 15mi: Sheffield -- no visible restaurant. Too bad. 27mi, Warren: big city. Use Business Rt 6 as indicated by the "Route Y" signs. THere is a big family restaurant on this route -- brunch. Note: after adjoining Youngsville there are no towns to speak of nor any useful services until Corry. 50mi (3 hrs -- good!): took a nap at a turn-around in the road. Ahh! Sunny! 59mi, Corry: Right over county line I encounter a Center for Large, Slow-Moving Americans (a.k.a. Walmart). Plenty of food etc. available. Also there are McDonalds, Perkins, etc. on the other side of town. 72mi: Union City: services available. shoulder/road poor quality until county line. 87mi, Cambridge Springs: I ask about camping. Best bet is Saegertown. I should've taken rt 86 like they suggested, I guess, but I wanted to stay with Route Y. (Out here, Rt. 6 runs straight, over hills -- like in midwest, not like in eastern PA.) 96.5mi: finally say goodbye to route Y. All inquiries about camping point to Woodcock Lake, but directions are unclear and I waste time on wrong turns. Very frustrating when I'm tired. It's actually a local government park called Col Crawford Park. Siganage very poor! Use 86 S of Cambridge Springs, then go E on 198 (just E of Saegertown), use causeway (=water on both sides) to cross lake and follow road. 100mi @ 6:14 -- that would be something like my third best century ever! 108mi: arrive at campsite. Young attendant impressed; turns out he has been to DeKalb for the Drum and Bugle competitions we host! Set up camp and went to restaurant (sans shower) at 86 & 198 (about 4 mi away). Note that campsites are plentiful today -- they were not available one day earlier! Evening walk -- bats in park. So it wasn't a short day after all -- a pretty good one, in fact. 115.97 mi in 7:19:53. Average 15.8 but it was actually around 16.0 before I limped out to dinner. 34.1 max Day 6 (Tuesday, 31 May 2005) Nice weather -- winds weakly from the west. Did not start until 9am (packing). Took 86S to Meadville -- big mistake! Hilly, then lost track of Rte Y, then hit urban Meadville -- yuk. Took 86 to 27 to 322. 15mi: Walmart -- got an Ohio map! Took 322 -> 18 -> Jamestown -> 58 WEST (be careful!). About a mile or two from the Ohio border I am filled with anticipation and ... got ANOTHER FLAT! This is just too much! Rear tire. Seems to be a snakebite (pinched tube) which I later heard was a consequence of underinflated tires. Very helpful homeowner - with a dead battery of his own -- gave me a 100psi charge right there. That was great. Note that I am now AGAIN out of fresh tubes. Need to look for a bike shop. 36.33 (at 2:24:40 travel time -- about 1pm): Welcome to Ohio! Had lunch in a diner approaching Kinsman. 53mi: I have been told by locals that the nearest bike shop is in Warren. Enroute, I discover Lakeland Cycles right on OH 5in Cortland OH. Bought two new tubes AND a spare tire. With my luck ... (Also: a decent water bottle. My previous "freebie" did not have a screw-on top and I got tired of dumping water on myself by accident.) Next toy will probably be a CO2 cartridge. Shop guy "MIke" advised that 303 would be very heavy traffic; 305 would have 2 hills, one steep and one long. Golly, that's terrific (not!) Rt 5 road condition is moderate to poor. Rt 305 near Cortland is the same but improves west. It's not too hilly until near US Rt 422. Eaxactly at county line we see the steep hill. It is VERY challenging, but I did it! Then it's hills more or less constantly to Hiram. (Note: services at Champion but NOT obvious in Hiram). Hills are doable until the Cuyahoga river. Then it's just too much! I need a break. Losing enthusiasm ... Helpful clerk at Mantua Center advises that there is a Jellystone Campsire nearby. Oh joy -- but I am ready to do it (I have ridden about 80 miles today). Jellystone is just W of Mantua CORNERS. CHarges $39 a night! FOrget it! But the guy gave helpful directions (W to Chamberlain -- terrible road condition -- then dead ends in Mennonite Rd; East to Paige; south to 303. OK!) Gas station customer directed me to Mar Lynn campground, which is actually right on 303. (becoming a KOA.) US 14/OH303 area is _terrible_: strip malls etc. But camp is close (I am at 96.25mi) and very nice -- even has wireless service! Note: primitive campsites are disappearing-- "camping" means RVs -- attendant charged me $20 "cash only" to pitch a tent. Swim in lake a few minutes, take a shower. Easy access to many restaurants. To celebrate entering Ohio I choose Ruby Tuesdays, which serves wine.... 100mi (at 6:34 pedal time): another Walmart, which I use as a map library. The Delormes Ohio gazetteer seems to show no elevations! Bummer! It shows state's campgrounds but none with showers near Fremont (my next general destination) except before Bellevue or in W. Seneca County on 101. Hmm. (Also none by Edgerton.) Note: references to "Route N" from McGill (US30) to Pierpoint(?) -- gee, maybe I should've found an Official State Bike ROute for Ohio too? ... Return to campsite too late (10:30pm) to do laundry. Shoot! 102.62mi today in 6:46:09. Ave=15.2; again it was near 16.0 earlier (before hitting Rt 303). Max=38.4 Day 7 (Wednesday, 1 June 2005). A warm sunny day with faint breezes from the EAST! I air-dry my stuff and pack slowly, leaving jsut before 9. There is a bike zone on the road, from right outside camp to OH8 (except within the town of Hudson). Evidently it is to connect with the Summit County Bike Path. Bike shop right on Rt 303 in Peninsula. No need to visit (finally!) Hilly starting at Peninsula. Nice ride through the national park. Road surface is often poor, though. 13mi: Major hill -- went down at 40mph. But couldn't down shift fast enough (stupid front derailleur!) and so I fell over (stupid cleats!) 17mi, Medina county line: another major hill, labelled "17% grade" Holy cow! I made it -- but boy was I wheezing at the end (long at the end of my set of gear selections!) 23mi: plenty of services at Brunswick exit of I-71. I chose a breakfast place (10:30am) By the way, traffic on 303 is pretty steady; it's just 2 lanes, with minimal shoulders. Not for the faint of heart. Malls become downtown Brunswick. Sidewalks OK for slow speed. Shoulder resumes. Finally, after I-71, terrain becomes pretty flat. Good bye East Coast hills, hello midwest plains! Road surface not great in Lorain Co. 50mi, Huron Co -- road improves. 303 does NOT end but I will follow the map and try US20. Locals say no: use 60 (N, then NE) instead, to Rt 113. Just in time: winds are now from the N and NE... 62mi: Birmingham -- begin Rt 113. A great ride -- road is mostly straight, mostly flat (a few hills), mostly level (or even downward for me), mostly in great condition (including a wide "berm"), mostly very light traffic -- and I even have a little tailwind. I did over 20 mi in a little over an hour. At Rt 99 decided to find the westward road to campsite. At Bellevue, 113=US20 is terrible! With directions, get off at Rt 18W, found COunty Line Road (ST62) then 101. No sign of campsite but with locals' help found it (on Rt 101, just W or Road 196). Hit 100mi in the process, at 6:10 -- I think that's my 2nd best century ever, now. Campsite needs work but has potential and a VERY helpful (and cute!) proprietress. Started laundry, swam, set up camp, had a shower, picked off a tick (!), then ate junk food at the camp store. She also gave leads for campsites tomorrow -- a good trick I should remember. Random Notes --- Water stinks of sulfur -- there is a local hot spring. THere is some kind of tree with insignificant looking but very sweet-smelling flowers on all the roads here. Spotted a working oil well. Pretty bad sunburn developing. Cottonwood trees shedding their fluff. PA's beautiful rhododendrons have been replaced by OH's lovely paeonies. Nearing time-zone boundary and you can tell (sunrise, sunset are very late as measured by local clocks -- hard for me to start "early" (by the clock); all this will change tomorrow.) 105.91mi today, in 6:40:08 -- 15.9mph ave, max=40.6! Day 8 (Thursday, 2 June 2005) Start at 9am. Stocked up on BOTTLED water. Warm breezes around 5-10mph from the SE ! And now all the roads seem to be straight, flat, level, good-condition, and low-traffic (actually NO traffic, mostly!) This will be a good day! Opted for County Line road. When that ran out, tried westward roads at random, some N and S roads as seemed necessary or appropriate. Sandusky river area seems really beautiful. 32mi: Rising Sun -- first town encountered all day. Good thing I had provisions! (And it only has a convenience store -- no restaurant.) Considered Wayne Rd to a restaurant in Wayne but I am making such good time so ... Continue W to 199, N to 281, W to I-75 and OH 25 -- no stores. Guess this will be a granola-bar day. I have done 42.75mi in 2:18 -- that's 18.5 mph -- with this tail wind. I never do so well so long. (And this with only a couple of moments above 25mph, e.g. an interstate overpass -- not much of a hill, eh?) Just easy cycling and a tailwind. Great! 62.35mi at 3:14:18 cycle time; average now 19.3 73.56mi at 3:44:18 cycle time; average now 19.7 Unbelievable -- I get to sit up -- it's quiet -- I pushed just a little at one point to get daily top stpeed (26.8) on FLAT terrain. 77mi: some hills. I finally cross 30mph. 78:59mi at 3:58:37, average 19.8. First gas station all day! I do need a break but I've gone great miles already and it's only 1:35pm local time. Things do slow down now, finally, as I wind through Defiance. Lost some tailwind on OH18. 100mi after 5:18 pedal time -- by far the best century I have ever done. 104.6mi, Hicksville -- got Indiana map. Yay! Starting to rain a little (4:30pm) 108.00mi (5:47 pedal time): Welcome to Indiana! Opted to do IN 8 to IN 1 south to St. Joe (Yes, it's called St Joe) Pick up CR60 all the way past DeKalb County (!) airport. Ends in CR427. Go North a few roads to CR11A. TUrn LEFT (SW) to cross I-69; first access road to right is actually a KOA driveway. I don't like KOAs much, but it works. Showers are excellent! just like a hotel. Tent up in a drizzle, then another microwaved dinner in the store. Off and on rain continues. I quit for the day at 5pm (i.e. 6pm Ohio time). Excellent progress today: 129.3 miles in 7:02:30 saddle time: 18.4mph average (30.7 max) Have to plan ahead now: two long days to finish, or three easy ones? Day 9 (Friday, 3 June 2005) There was a little night rain, then a morning breeze dried things off. Nice laundry facilities leave me with a dry towel. Leave at 7:30am (new time zone) -- overcast, no wind. Local roads to Garrett (services), then IN8 to Albion (few services) Local again (mainstreet=CR300), T's at CR330N; T's at CR350N; stop sign= Albion Rd - West to US33). 35mi, Ligonier: restaurant at US6 & US33. Local makes conversation (he's a bike collector) and before you know it I'm being interviewed by the editor of the local paper! US 6 is occasionally heavy with trucks; shoulder OK. Roads all gently hilly (esp. W of Albiom) but US6 is pretty level. Note: when offered county roads, make sure they are paved! 51mi: Napponee: services. This is an AMish town. The Amish use bikes! ... Sun comes out -- not as strong as yesterday. 73.2mi (excatly 4 hours pedalling): I have reached Rt 31 -- very busy. Many services. In Walkerton I spot my first Caseys (the gas/convenience store in all small midwest towns). I have already seen a CHicago Tribune box. 91.2 (5:01) South Center -- nothing much. Road getting ratty. 100mi (5:29:27) This is now my second best century. [Remark: later in June I would essentially tie this time, but in a closed loop. That one was accomplished in 6hours, 15 minutes total on the kitchen clock.] 109.07 (6:01): US6 & IN2 -- Westville, many services. At IN2 and IN49 intersection, traffic looks really bad. I ask local directions at the "Family Services" gas station there. Much better! A block north is Chicago street, which winds thru residential sections of Valpo [no one says Valparaiso]. Ends @ IN 30 but one block north is Joliet Road, also very nice. Note: road is winding, hence double-striped. Be nice to impatient cars wanting to pass legally. 124.3mi (6:57) ends in US 30. Ugh! 4-lane & very busy. But there is a wide shoulder. As I debate whether this might be _safer_ than local roads, I see a car careen wildly, missing a turnoff road and knocking down a street sign. Young driver has a flat tire. Well, that settles it: US 30 is not for me! 134mi: Ten misearble miles later I have found the local access road by the I-65 exit in Merrillville, with all the hotels. I think "Economy Inn" would have been cheapest ($30?) but I'm at a Super-8 ($44). Bike in room. This was my longest day: 134.07 miles in 7:35:06, ave=17.7, max=30.0 Day 10 (Saturday, 4 June 2005). It's sunny and humid. Winds are calm with breezes from the south. Up and out early (6:55am) -- Weather channel calls for afternoon showers in Chicago. Cross 30 (to North) to 73rd street -- much bettern than using Rt 30, leaving only 3 execrable miles on US30. (Note: later I found that I should've steered south of Merrillville altogether. Pleasant county roads lie there.) 12.69mi (0:51 pedal): Welcome to Illinois! Immediately move from US30 to Sauk Trail Road. Bright red corn poppies! 24.4mi: found the western terminus of the Long Path Trail (?) at Western Ave. Very nice paved trail. Passes bike shop on trail in Frankfort. 40mi: Cedar Road -- I have been here before on a day trip! 42.57 (2:48): I leave the trail and follow routes previously blazed. 57mi (3:44) Lockport. THere is an all-day breakfast shop at Rt 30 (!). Huge traffice pileup on Caton Farm road -- unusual. 70mi (about 1:30pm -- 5 hours of pedalling). Skies are looking dark to the west. Winds from S (sometimes SW) getting very strong. Hope to make it to Sandwich so as to ride north with this wind. Past Rt. 47 & Walker Road, storm is kicking up dust. Hope to take shelter in church (0.1 mi south) but can't make it in time -- too windy! Climb into gully. No time to find poncho; use windbreaker. Comtemplate tornado actions. After 10 mins or so, hear two guys in a pickup offering a ride 00 accept. They drop me off by Yorkville (47 & 71) where I wait with the (motor)bikers. Change into dry clothes and repack. That was something! Around 2:30 it is getting sunny again so I head off. Used Rt 34 -- not so good. Got lost in Plano ttraffic jam, too. Many small branches are down. Still some winds from south. 100mi at 6:21. Familiar routes now. I lost contratration with tailwind near town; overshot preferred route so I circled around airport (and thus hit headwinds). Only at 103.6mi did I finally go over 30mph! Home! Got some water, then camera == head to lagoon for the traditional photo, courtesy one very confused passerby. See wife at work (around5:30pm) Home again, shower, big dinner, phone calls, etc. Worst storm damage seems to be right here in DeKalb! Today: 113.21 miles in 7:05; ave=15.9, max=31.2 Totals: 1 108.29 7:04 15.4 33.3 2 90.00 7:04 12.7 38.7 3 81.57 5:46 14.1 35.5 4 112.11 7:47 14.4 35.5 5 115.97 7:20 15.8 34.1 6 102.62 6:46 15.2 38.4 7 105.91 6:40 15.9 40.6 8 129.30 7:02 18.4 30.7 9 134.07 7:35 17.7 30.0 10 113.21 7:05 15.9 31.2 By state: NJ=108.3mi 7:04 15.3 PA=436.0mi 30.22 14.36 OH=280.2mi 15:48 17.73 IN=168.1mi 9:41 17.38 IL=100.5mi 6:14 16.11 Total: 1093.1 miles, 69hours 9 mins, 15.8mph average while pedalling. Note: 1093 is the smallest prime such that (2^p - 2) is a mupltiple of p^2. The next is 3511. No one knows another.