Day 1 : A Colonial Type of a Day...

Yorktown, VA to 4 miles SE of Ashland - 94.9 miles (94.9 total)

Story [in numbers]:

time on bike: 8:19:40
average speed: 11.3
max speed: 28.6 mph

Story [in words]

today was an all around great first day. the weather was great as we arrived at a little after 7 at the water front to begin our journey. we got the bikes assembled, got the gear all loaded, did our ceremonial tire dip (above), and then we were off on our journey.

the route started on a beautiful section of road, that included many colonial types of locations including yorktown, williamsburg, and jamestown. and as we came into jamestown, we picked up an amazing bike path (probably the best i have ever seen) and were able to ride that for a solid 5 miles or more.

we then rode on SR 5 for a while before coming upon another really nice bike path that we probably rode for another 10 miles or more. both paths were a nice way to kind of easy into the first official day of riding.

we got to see my parents twice more during the day. the first time because they just wanted to catch up with us and see us. and then the second time because cailyn seems to be having some trouble with sun poisoning, and so she is getting terrible rashes on her legs. so my parents went into richmond to get cailyn some knickers that will cover past her legs and hopefully help with the rashes. it was fun to be able to meet up with them a couple of times yesterday.

the one real negative is that i think that we probably tried to push ourselves a little too hard for day one. we were both incredibly spent by the time we got to the camp ground and both of us had a tough time eating because we were just so exhausted. it was great to be able to knock off so many miles on the first day, but maybe not the best decision, i don't know.

we did get to see some amazing pieces of history and of God's creation. in some senses, it is really tough to take in everything that you see in a day. there is just so much that you see in any given day.

Day 0 : From Indiana to Virginia...

well, we have arrived safely in yorktown, va. we left fort wayne at around 8am this morning, and arrived in yorktown, at around 11:30pm. it was a long day of driving, but a great time spent with mom and dad.

the emotions were varied to say the least. excitement, followed by nervousness, and the occasional, "what-the-crap-are-we-doing". but all-in-all, we are excited! i am just ready to get this thing started and get a couple of days under our belts. to feel like we are starting to have a routine, and honestly to just prove to ourselves that we can do this thing.

so...hopefully we can get a solid 6 hours of sleep tonight, and the goal is to head to the start by around 6:30 tomorrow morning. hopefully we are riding no later than7:30. ideally, by 7. we will see. there is still a little bit of bike setup that must happen in the morning.

Day -1 : From Missouri to Indiana...

day #1 of traveling to the east coast is in the books. we got up and on the road this morning at around 7:30am, and arrived in fort wayne at around 7:20pm (after loosing an hour to the time change).

the bed of the truck (left) was loaded up with all of our gear as well as all of the stuff for tahoe (our dog) who will be staying here in fort wayne with my parents while we are going. the bed of the truck was full with cailyn, tahoe, and myself. and it was rather hot to say the least (the ac doesn't work).

we really enjoyed the time to just be together driving. it was a great start to the trip.

the one story that sticks with me from today was this family (dad, mom, and son) who we ran into at the rest stop that we stopped at to eat lunch (subway that we picked up a few exits earlier). i had noticed that the dad and son had been soliciting a few people for money, and i wondered what their story was. i headed to the bathroom before we were going to leave, and the whole time i was in the bathroom, i was thinking about whether i was supposed to help them or not. and on my way back from the bathroom, sure enough, they intersected with me.

the guy said that he wasn't a bum, but that he was needing money to get his family to indianapolis (we were about 140 miles outside of indy). he said that his wife had lost the funds they had. so, feeling like i should help them out, i went to the car and got them a $20 bill and we got back on the road.

but as i drove, i continued to think about it. i was bothered, because i noticed as we were leaving that the family did not get into their vehicle and leave, but rather, they went back to the table they had been sitting on top of, almost as if they were waiting to solicite more people. it was just hard for me, because i had given them $20 and i had seen two other people already give them money. and i know for a fact that was enough money for them to have made it to indy. and so it is really hard for me to believe that they were not just working the system.

it is a really tough thing for me. first of all, i really struggle to figure out how i should be Christ in that situation. what would He do. what is my response supposed to be. and then my heart really broke for that kid...if it is indeed a scam...that is an absolutely terrible story for that little boy to grow up into.

all in all, it was a tough deal...and yet it was good...it was formative...and it provided for good conversation and thinking.

so, tomorrow, mom, dad, cailyn, and i will load up and head to yorktown, va. if everything goes as planned, we should be to yorktown by 9pm. just in time to get the bikes unloaded and setup, and to get to bed to be ready to hit the road on monday morning. we will try to cover about 92 miles on monday.

i will try to make a post tomorrow with our packing list on it along with a picture of all of the gear.

The Gear...

here is a complete list of everything that we will be taking with us on our trip.

Cycling Gear:

- (2) pairs cycling shoes w/ cleats
- (2) 2 liter hydration systems
- (2) bicycle helmets
- (2) head lamps
- light weight lock
- adventure cycling association cycling maps
- map holder
- (2) backpacks
- handle bar mirror
- front and rear lights
- plastic squirt gun (for chasing away dogs)

Camping:

- tent w/ ground cloth
- sleeping bag
- twin sheet
- (2) sleeping pads
- (2) camping pillows
- deck of cards

Personal Care:

- first aid kit
- (2) camping towels
- chapstick
- sun screen
- toilet paper
- monkey butt powder
- bug spray
- 2-in-1 shampoo
- toothepaste
- tooth brush
- razor
- tampons
- baby wipes

Cailyn's Clothing:

- sanuk sandals
- sleeveless jersey
- short sleeve jersey
- long sleeve shirt
- (4) pairs of socks
- (3) sports bras
- pair of underwear
- swimsuit
- zip-off pants
- cotton t-shirt
- (2) pairs riding shorts
- gloves
- riding jacket
- sunglasses
- riding pants
- bandana
- t-shirt sleeve (to hold back hair)
- fanny pack

Brad's Clothing:

- (4) pairs socks
- (2) short sleeve jerseys
- (2) riding shorts
- riding jacket
- zip-off pants
- cotton t-shirt
- gloves
- swim trunks
- sandals
- riding sleeves
- riding leggings
- head beanie
- fanny pack
- sunglasses

Cooking/Food:

- (2) aluminum water bottles
- (4) plastic baggies
- plastic knife
- small jar of peanut butter
- electrolyte tabs/mixes
- clif bars

Maintenance:

- (3) 26" tubes
- (3) 26" tires
- (1) 20" tube
- (1) 20" tire
- (1) 16" tube
- (3) tube repair kits
- floor pump
- spare chain links
- multi tool
- (2) tire irons
- chain lube (8oz.)
- 40ft. roll duck tape on a pen
- zip ties
- (2) replacement cleats
- 50ft. rope

Tech Gear:

- laptop
- laptop charger
- (2) cell phones
- (2) cell phone chargers
- (2) ipods
- ipod charger
- cycling computer

Books:

- Bicycling Coast to Coast
- Bible
- (2) journals
- (2) pens

Bike:

- (2) recumbent bicycles
- bob trailer

Misc:

- knife (Gerber 3")
- debit card
- drivers licenses
- insurance card
- id holder

Century Ride...Check...

century ride: a one hundred mile bike ride.

a century ride is a pretty big deal amongst cyclists...and so, as our final training ride, on sunday, we did a century ride. actually by the time we rolled back into our backyard, we had logged 101 miles.

it was a good experience all in all. we carried all of our gear, just like we will be carrying next week. it was a little more weight than we had been training with, and we did notice a difference. we are really starting to understand why people say that getting rid of any weight you possibly can is a big deal. as a result, we are planning on dropping down from two sleeping bags, to a sheet and a sleeping bag (we will put the sheet underneath us, and open the sleeping bag up on top of us).

cailyn did absolutely great. the morning was pretty windy and she was seeming a little bit demoralized (and i was a little worried about that), but by about midday, the wind died a little and she gained a lot of confidence as we started moving faster. we rode the second 40 miles much faster than the first 40 miles, and cailyn was still going strong. and as a matter of fact, i think that at 101 miles she could have kept going.

i on the other hand could not. with about 10 miles to go the heat (85 degrees) and sun really started to get to me and i started to get dehydrated. i had plenty of water but not nearly enough electrolytes. with about 3-4 miles to go, my legs started to cramp and i had a killer headache. so, cailyn led the way home, and i literally limped home. only peddling when i absolutely needed to. it was not a great ending, but at the same time, it was a good learning experience. i now know what some of that feels like, and i think i know what i need to do in order to avoid some of that stuff.

all in all, it was a good final training ride, and left us feeling fairly confident. and the legs haven't felt too bad the last two days.

the bikes are in at the bike shop getting tuned up. it is crazy to think that the next time that we get on the bikes that we will be in virginia. crazy to think about.

over the next couple of days i will continue to post about some of the emotions leading up to the trip, why we are wanting to do this trip and what we are hoping to get out of it, as well as a list of exactly what we are taking.

the countdown is definitely on. 4 days till we start heading east.

The Route - Transamerica Trail

over the past weeks and months we have had a number of people ask us about the route that we will be taking across the country. it is a route called the transamerica trail. it is a bicycle touring route that is specially mapped by an organization called the adventure cycling association. (if you would like to check it out, you can go to their website at www.adventurecycling.com)

it is predominantly small town america...they try to keep you away from high traffic roads and yet make sure that you are not going to be riding on gravel.

below i will include a state-by-state list of some of the cities that are on the route or close to the route, in case you are interested in trying to piece together on a map where we will be. and if you are somewhere close to the route, we would love to see visitors along the way. just send us an email or text or leave a voicemail and we can get back to you.

so here are some of the towns and cities that are along this epic journey that we are about to embark on:

Virginia
Yorktown
Williamsburg
Richmond
Charlottesville
Roanoke
Christiansburg
Wytheville
Damascus

Kentucky
Elkhorn City
Hindman
Booneville
Berea
Harrodsburg
Springfield
Bardstown
Sebree
Marion
Elizabethtown

Illinois
Goreville
Carbondale
Murphysboro
Chester

Missouri
Farmington
Centerville
West Eminence
Houston
Bendavis
Hartville
Marshfield
Fair Grove
Ash Grove
Golden City

Kansas
Pittsburg
Girard
Chanute
Benedict
Eureka
Newton
Hutchinson
Rush Center
Alexander
Scott City

Colorado
Eads
Sugar City
Pueblo
Williamsburg
Canon City
Fairplay
Silverthorne
Dillon
Heeney
Parshall
Hot Sulpher Springs
Rand
Walden

Wyoming
Riverside
Saratoga
Sinclair
Rawlins
Jeffrey City
Lander
Dubois
Moran Junction
Colter Bay Village
(Yellowstone National Park)
Madison

Montana
West Yellowstone
Ennis
Sheridan
Wisdom
Darby
Hamilton
Stevensville
Missoula
Lolo

Idaho
Lowell
Kooskia
Grangeville
Council

Oregon
Oxbow
Halfway (Half.com, OR …no, seriously. It’s true)
Baker City
John Day
Prineville
Redmond
Sisters
Nimrod
Eugene (Largest city along the route. Population 140,000)
Harrisburg
Corvallis
Monmouth
Salem
Tillamook
Astoria


in the next day or two i will post a list of the gear/equipment we will be taking on the trip, along with a few pictures of the gear laid out as well as what it will look like when it is all packed on board.

From Coast to Coast...Here We Come...

it is incredibly surreal to think that in just two weeks we will be headed towards the east coast to start this epic bicycle journey across america.

over these next two weeks we are going to post a number of things talking about the trip and also our preparation leading up to the trip. so...if you are along for the journey...let the journey begin.

part of any great story is the combination of positive turns and negative turns. we have definitely had some of those over the last couple of weeks. let me share with you one of each from the last couple of weeks.

first the negative turn:

the monday before last, we were riding after work and had ridden the first half of our ride (the out) and were starting into the second half (the back) and as we were cruising along, cailyn took her eyes off the road for just a split second (to wave at someone getting ready to cross the road) and she hit a huge pot hole dead on. It sent her front tire flying up in the air and when it came back down she couldn't keep the bike upright and she crashed...pretty hard...we were probably doing 18mph or so. she wasn't hurt too bad, but the really crazy thing is that as it turns out, there were people outside of the house that she crashed in front of, and so they came out to check on us right away...and as the first guy gets out to us he says..."are you okay, my son was just killed here a couple of days ago." which is not really something you are prepared to hear and was incredibly hard to know how to respond to. we found out later that the boy was only like 8 years old and apparently he had been hit by a car while riding his bike.

the whole night shook both of us up pretty badly, and it was difficult to feel like we should just can the whole trip. but we both knew that would make for a terrible story and that we could not let that emotion win out.

now for the positive turn:

i was talking to a lady in town on the phone the other day about a program we are going to be running this fall. she was going to check on some things and then get back to me in a couple of weeks, and so i wanted to let her know that i was only going to be around for a couple of weeks and then i was going to be gone for a couple of months. and then i told her what i was going to be doing for those two months. and the lady say, "no way, we are getting ready to take my son to the west coast on may 29th (the same day we are leaving) to ride his bike across the country." so she and i start talking more and basically her son is riding almost the same trail (the exact same one from Pueblo, CO to the east coast) and he is wanting to do it in the exact same time frame as we are wanting to do it in. it was very surreal to say the least. and it felt like a great little piece of inspiration...a reminder that we are not totally crazy, but that things like this are what great stories are made of.


and so...a negative turn and a positive turn...i am sure just a pair of many more to come over the next couple of months.