Meet Three More Riders

Justine Dobies is the only one of the riders to have done the Big Ride in the past, and she's done it twice in the past! She's known as the Eveready Bunny, as she's very focused and always seems to be riding. Note that she does not have high tech riding gear - wears shorts, sandals!

Helyn Anderson is from Brandon, Vermont, only about 20 miles from us. She's a real hoot. Her ride was threatened when her bike and some valuables were stolen from her home, but a number of caring friends made the trip possible, including a bike shop in Middlebury which provided a bicycle. Helyn is one of a kind!

Michael Yee rides in the front, the middle and the back of the pack as the spirit moves him. He's been known to take many naps along the road. His next career will be as a pharmacist, as he returns to school for his third year this fall.

Land of Hospitality

We'll remember the stretch from New Ulm, MN to Valparaiso, IN as long (we had seven days without a rest, including two centuries), but as among the most hospitable. I may leave someone out, so please forgive me if I overlook a contribution made by family and friends of riders. In Owatunna, MN, we stayed at the fairgrounds and were greeted by Vern's wife and extended family with their trunk full of pies. Terrific! Then we had Liz and Ane's families with a glorious water stop (picture below) with rhubarb pie, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb cake, etc. Very festive under a striped tent. Then we had a family that has been touched by lung disease that has set up a wonderful water stop outside Dakota, MN. Finally, although we missed it (Bill because he was out in front of the stop and Kathy because she missed a turn), David Lambert's family did a stop. These have made the long stretch much more tolerable. The rest day today is most welcome.

Bill is riding as he wants to - front, middle and rear as his fancy strikes him. If he rides with anyone on a consistent basis (and those who know Bill will know that he's not that predictable), he rides with Jeff Rich, a medical supply salesperson from Michigan. Jeff is not only quite a card, he's terrific at directing the loading of the gear truck. His picture is below. Along with the other riders, he has looked forward to the rest day to sleep, eat what he wants, do laundry, just relax.

Sleepers

Just for humor, a few pictures of people sleeping in different locations - the ground, a stage in a high school, and on a shelf in a booth at a beer garden at a fairgrounds. Shows the riders will sleep just about anywhere. There was a discarded couch on the ride Friday, and others got a picture of Greg asleep in it, but I missed that. Barry said he was tempted to lie down but wasn't sure he'd want to get back up!

Kelly's First Century into Coal City

What a day Friday was. Kelly McCall, our Big Rider who uses a hand crank did her first century - 109 miles. The picture on the road is with Jodi Matakovich on an earlier day, and the yellow jersey is appropriate for her big century. For a while she was riding with "the kids" who formed a V and road like geese fly. Kelly is supported separately from the rest of the group by her mother Carol, and that makes the ride work for her. She arrived in Coal City in time for pizza (which lasted well into the next day, and I've even seen some two day old boxes of the stuff.) The Coal City camp site was notable for two attributes - showers that were at quite and distance and weren't in all that good shape and the noisiest bunch of revelers I've ever heard in an adjacent camping area. After listening to their loud and tasteless music, screams, and swearing until 11:38, I called the local police who did a wonderful job of getting them quiet. Several probably underage drinkers took off running and ran up against at least one of our tents. Quiet for the rest of the night, but I have to admit that the riders were not their usual quiet selves at 5 a.m.

Humor on the Road

Several days after Pollie McCloskey hit a large bird (goose, turkey, duck, vulture) with the gear truck, the truck acquired a memento of the event.

This One's for You, Heather

Heather and Chris, sister and brother-in-law of Bill's have asked for more photos of Bill, so here they are!!!

Half Way and You're Not in South Dakota Any More

The group reached the halfway point in mileage and in time on the road on the 18th in Huron, South Dakota. Pictured here is Sean Bennett at the Riverside Park. It was while the first part of the group was celebrating this milestone that we bbblearned that a rider who had just observed his birthday the day before had taken a bad spill and was hospitalized. He fractured his pelvis and will not be able to complete the ride but is now at home and doing fine. We will miss him and his wife, who was also a rider but will think of them often. That same afternoon, we had thunder and lightning going into de Smet, SD, which fried the battery in Dan Scott's bike computer. The weather since has been much cooler, and everyone associates that with reaching Minnesota.

The first day into MN included our last check point in SD at a wonderful bike shop (Sioux River Bicycles and Fitness) in Brookings (thanks, Bob - hope you're still following the blogs) and a gorgeous, shady water stop at the SD/MN border. Barry Verbel declared he wanted to pitch his tent and spend the night there. The riders actually had rounded one curve and had their first tail wind in a long time - only lasted for two miles but did wonders for their spirits, as you can see from the photo of the four grown men on swings. That's Bill on the right. From the left are Sean, Bennett Tom Vancura, and Scott Hadley.

I can't seem to get the paragraph spacing to work; keep going for description of South Dakota.

SOUTH DAKOTA

I think that for many people, leaving South Dakota behind will be a fond memory. Their impressions of the state may not be fair, but I'm sure they're going to last a long time. As crew, I remember it for being wickedly hot, windy, lacking in shade, and full of biting flies. The headwinds particularly get into riders' heads and were unrelenting. Day after day. One rider got up and said, "But, Daddy, I don't want to play on my bicycle today." One of my worst water stops ever (no shade at all but one with water/gatorade most appreciated by the riders because the heat was taking so much out of them) was across the road from a major threshing operation. Somehow it seemed to make the wind even stronger.

Below are two photos from Scenic, SD. That's the place name and also is a fairly apt description. It's was also real hot and dry, with horrible headwinds. That morning we had just a bit of rain, but it didn't cool things off at all. Please note that the Longhorn Saloon (sawdust floor, lots of local character) includes on its sign "Indians Allowed". Above the sign are rows of longhorn skulls. Below that photo is a photo of a live longhorn, which at least has a tail to swat those awful flies. Wonder if his skull will wind up above the saloon sign.

This is for you, Page

The daughter of a rider wrote and said that she was enjoying the blog and would love to see a picture of her dad. These pictures are for you, Page. I do have to tell you that your dad cleaned up today and is clean-shaven for the first time in several days. I'm not sure if it was because it scratched or because it was coming in sort of... well... you know... white. I've really enjoyed getting to know Greg and talk about life in Tennessee and his family. So, these photos are for you, Page. (Janice, too.)

Meet the Teachers

Steve McCloskey teaches business law at Shoreline Community College. He's also the husband of Ride Director Pollie McCloskey. They've been married for two years, and what a two years it has been. Steve had tonsiillar cancer and couldn't do the ride as scheduled last year. This year he's healthy and is on the ride. Shortly after they finishes the ride, he and Pollie will be in Honduras for three weeks, where they work diligently on behalf of the Honduran people.

Kari Georgi is a music teacher in middle school in Washington State. She's a brass player and really seems to enjoy her students. Kari almost consented to continuing the ride from DC to the Atlantic with Bill, but she found something better to do...she'll be riding back to Washington on the back of her dad's motorcycle. Hopefully the wind will be at her back on the return!

Lisa Gizzarelli is a biology teacher in junior high. She designed the cool biking jerseys with the red sleeves that appear in many of the pictures. She's wearing a shirt here that was signed by all of her students from last year that she says gives her inspiration. Lisa is famous for trying out more seats on the ride than anyone. I think she has three at last count, but we think there may be another one somewhere. Luckily for Lisa, she's made friends with one of them!

She's one of the more serious photographers on the trip, and it shows on her blog - crosscountrybybike.blogspot.com.

Scott Hadley is a second grade teacher from the Sacramento area. I can't imagine how cool it would be to have him as a teacher. Scott is both fun and serious. He and another rider recently buzz- cut their heads! Scott is usually toward the front of the pack and is a strong rider.

Rider Demographics

For those who are interested, we have some good demographics on the riders, courtesy of Greg Sterling who collected and analyzed the data. He worked from the list of cook teams, and I'll have to get into cook teams in a later blog. The demographics are a moving target, as we've had several birthdays since the data was collected. In any case... Range of ages - 19 to 76 (Tall Ben Thiesse to Bob Jones) Median age - 49 (For those who are challenged statistically, this measures the middle of the number of ages) Mean age - 46.7 (The average) Mode - 63 (Largest frequency) The concentration in decades - 15% Teens and 20s 11% 30s 22% 40s 15% 50s 30% 60s 5% 70s Since this was done, Dan Scott turned 60, so the concentration is even greater. No one has done a similar study of occupations, but it certainly seems that there are plenty of attorneys on the trip. I had expected more teachers, and there are a few, which I'll try to include together in a post on the next rest day.

Meet Riders Who Stay Together

Greg and Trish Dimmit are from Washington State and stay together whether they want to or not. They're on a tandem! Tandems can really get speed up on downhills and flat stretches but are much tougher on hills. Given the requirement for teamwork, you really have to have two people who are in synch, and the Dimmits are delightful in that regard. Greg is a commercial refrigeration salesman, and Trish is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines. I met their two daughters on the day we left Seattle.

Brian O'Sullivan (left) and Phil Williams have been friends for thirty years and ride together most days. They both have dry senses of humor and are a lot of fun. Phil and Bill Harm spent some time talking in Billings and found they have lots in common. Phil is an ecologist with NOAA working with endangered species. Brian used to work at Sound Transit with Marty Minkoff, and a quick survey of those of us sitting around indicates that he's now a consultant. Great life!!!

The two handsome fellows above are Jay Carlson (left) and Nick Fels (right). Their numbers are 5 and 10, and at most bbbbbevery water stop they come in together. They've known each other for decades and both work as attorneys in DC - Nick with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Jay with a firm doing mostly corporate work. (Over Nick's shoulder you'll see the box truck that the gear and food is hauled in. Pollie, the Ride Director has to drive it.)

South Dakota and a Rest Day

From Kathy:

Our fifth state!! This is Jerome Mercer, an attorney from Wisconsin, at the border.

What do Big Riders do on rest day? They do their laundry, sightsee (Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and the Crazy Horse Memorial. They also watch the Tour de France. It's great to be with a group of people who share some of the difficulties of the Tour: sore butts (buy stock in the company that makes Assos Butt Cream - the best, we're told, after Bag Balm, a Vermont product), sore knees, stressed Achilles tendons, headaches, bad lower GI.

The Newcastle overnight was at a senior center where the hospitality was great. The only downside to tenting there was the hourly trains. Why they have to blow their whistle in the middle of the night is beyond me. The ride in from Newcastle started out very scenic and pretty, with a ride through Custer State Park. One stretch of road had no shoulders, lots of curves and significant decline and then climb. We arranged to have vehicles follow the riders with flashers on to keep cars and semis from pressing them. With the low level of traffic, it was relatively safe for the riders.

We had a truly delightful water stop in Custer, WY next to an old bank building housing a Starbucks where you can order small, medium, and large. When the stops are attractive and the ride is going well, the riders take time to socialize with each other and enjoy the local community. This was one of those stops. Makes being crew a treat; a water stop in the middle of nowhere with nothing of interest is the opposite. I had one set up at the side of the road on a bad stretch going into Newcastle. Barely got the car off the road and shoulder, and a state trooper stopped by to say he wasn't thrilled about the location. I said that the lone tree was important. He said, "oh, so they can sit in the shade when they have some water." I had to explain that it wasn't about the shade but about some privacy. We don't have a lot of modesty but a bit of cover is real nice.

After the ride through the park, there as a nasty stretch coming into Rapid City - four lane divided highway in higher temperatures and stronger headwinds with climbs that were more than expected. Scenery totally boring. The directions into the campus for the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology were not a model of clarity, and quite a few riders (and this crew member) wandered around the city a bit. The food in the cafeteria here wasn't stellar but filling. The ice cream was terrific, and with root beer made a great float.

Enough for this posting. Makes me a little crazy that the blog eliminates the spaces between paragraphs. Harder to read. I'll follow this with a posting on riders. Soon.

Meet the "Kids"

We are fortunate to have along on the rider some really fine young people 21 and under. The youngest is Ben Thiesse, shown in the upper left. He and Sean Bennett (with the super-cool yellow glasses) are students at RPI in the aeronautical engineering program. Ben is not only the youngest on the ride - he's the tallest. To the right of Ben's photo is Liz Schulz. She's between Ben and Sean, and that's normally their riding order as well! Liz will be a senior b

English major and wants to take a couple of years after college, then go to med school. Liz's friend from 6th grade and the oldest of the youngest (turned 21 on the trip - thanks for the cupcakes, Mom) is Ane Klomps, in the bottom picture. Ane is studying to be a nurse. Ane's hand says "Thanks for the cookies, Dad". The cookies were much enjoyed at this water stop! (Food is a frequent theme and topic of conversation with Big Riders!) David Lambert (photo below Liz) is an Indiana native, Purdue student, and electrical engineering major. He's also a ham operator and has helped Jerry (assistant ride director) to get the radios in our cars up to speed for the trip.

Coals to Newcastle

From Kathy:

This picture shows cars on a coal train going through Newcastle, WY. Open pit mining of coal and production of methane gas are huge in the Powder River Valley, and we've seen evidence of this energy production for miles and miles.

Yesterday, the ride was one of the hardest on the trip - 112 miles from Sheridan to Gillette. I've been to Gillette on business before and so recognized a bit of it. We left Sheridan very early; I think it was no later than 6 a.m. There was a significant stretch of construction on the highway we were scheduled to ride and no realistic detours. The construction crew was very good in sagging (carrying) a couple of bicycles and riders (and in the case of Trish and Greg Dimmit - one bicycle and two riders for their tandem.) The vast majority of the riders rode through the construction, which was long and uphill and gravelly. I don't think this would have been possible on the first day of the trip, but the riders really have toughened up. From the perspective of the driver of a car, it was unusual to be paced through the construction by about 30 bicycles. Everyone made it through, with a terrific view of the Big Horn Mountains at the top of the ridge to make it worthwhile. Unfortunately, there were 90 miles of climbs and rollers left to go. I was providing water at mile 20 (all smiles) and again at mile 72. The riders found things to smile about, particularly the location of the stop - the Spotted Horse Cafe in Spotted Horse. Spotted Horse has a population of 2, and we were charmed by both of them - Jerome and Colleen. Best (and only) food for miles around. This location is one that has been by-passed by I-90 and few tourists go into the bar. Quite a place. There was a shady area outside where I spent five hours - the first rider came through at 11:15 and the last at 4:15. The shady area also had a discarded toilet, and it was pretty popular as a seat!!

We spent last night in a community park in Gillette. The grounds were lovely, and there was a pool and community center. We had a terrific dinner at the Prime Rib and Wine Bar with Allison, Lisa, and Kari (Bill's harem). The food was wonderful, the conversation lively. Bill got back rather on the late side to participate in the cook crew for the next day's lunch but made up for it this morning by keeping the coffee going and going and going. The park was wonderful for tenting until we were awakened at 2:30 by shouts of "Fire, fire, everybody get out!" I checked outside, saw no fire so went back to sleep. We heard this morning that some young kids had, in fact, started a small fire in a more remote area of the park.

Today's ride from Gillette to Newcastle was much easier - tailwind, shorter, not as many hills. Much more fun and not as much work.

Next post introduces five more riders.

Billings to Hardin to Sheridan

The picture on the left shows Bill and the Wyoming welcome sign. This is our fourth state! The picture on the right memorializes the completion of the first 1,000 miles. The guys sitting on the hot asphalt are Andy Lasseter (already introduced in previous blog) and Steve McCloskey. More on Steve later with a better picture.

The weather since Billings has been grand. The temps have moderated so that the mornings start out in the 60s and the afternoons get up to the low 80s. Much better riding weather. Yesterday, the ride was a relatively quick 50+ miles from Billings to Hardin. Hardin had a lot more going for it than we expected from the size of the community. There were several restaurants, including a great pizza place and a community center with pool right next to the high school at which we were camped. There was a very strong wind - probably gusting to 40 or 50 miles an hour. Several tents almost got airborn. The wind died down over night, and we had tail winds to day. The ride from Hardin to Sheridan was 80+ miles, but the riders seem to knock that off easily now. Tomorrow's ride is reputed to be one of the toughest days - 112 miles with no services (gas stations, restaurants, etc) along the way. This means that the day is tough on the riders and tough on the crew. Hopefully the temps will stay down and everyone will get an early start. Everyone will be relieved when all the riders are in. If we had had these circumstances with last week's heat, I think there could have been some very unhappy folks out here. Interesting - the reaction to doing 100+ miles the next day is very different now from what it was before the first. Then, everyone ate big and slept long the night before, and there were some nerves showing. Now, it's - oh, another century? No big deal.

The Crew

From left to right, it's Pollie McCloskey (ride leader married to Steve, a Big Rider), David Hokanson (mechanic), Kathy Harm (Gunga Din - water girl,), Jerry Nash (second in command), and Ann Kosick (a para-medic and wife of a Big Rider who's driving an RV). We're obvously a very congenial group and have an overriding mission - to support the riders and do everything we can to make their ride safe, enjoyable, and meaningful. We have met so many wonderful people along the way. They've helped us with water, given us ice, let us set up water stops in their lanes. The biggest load falls on Pollie, of course, as all the riders look to her for everything from their cue sheets or DRGs (the daily route guides that detail the route) to the time for breakfast. There's one thing that's never a question. No one asks "What's for lunch?" because the answer's the same - PB&J. I wish there were more of us so that we could do more for the riders. They're working so hard to realize their dreams.

More from Rapid City, SD or sooner.

Three More Riders

On the left above is Jodie Matakovich from Panama City, FL. Jodie introduced me to an essential camping/outdoor product I didn't know I needed - the fem funnel. (This message is obviously from Kathy.) Jodie is an artist and interestingly is probably the least predictable rider when it comes to order of finish. Depends on the day. Yesterday she beat almost everyone, trying primarily to beat the heat.

In the right is Bob Jones from Maryland. He's a 76 year-old CPA with his own firm of 10 CPAs, of which he is the only male. Bill and I enjoyed a walk with him to dinner one evening, and we talked about a huge variety of topics. Bob gets the ride done every day, and he's by no means ever the last one in.

Below is Adam Marengi, who will be starting Tufts Dental School (Bill's alma mater) shortly after he returns from the ride. He and Bill rode together the first day and had a great time. Almost since then, Adam has been nursing a tender Achilles tendon. Adam normally rides with Greg Sterling and Margo Harrison. They are alleged to have official team meetings!

Great looking folks, aren't they? I'm going to try to get a good picture of each rider on the blog.

Meet the Riders

From Kathy -- I'll be posting pictures of riders from now on, and the first is of Andy Lasseter of Phoenix, AZ, an event/trade show planner. From the pose, you may well be asking what was he thinking? As he was rudely awakened at 4 a.m. with all the others sleeping in close proximity on the floor of the Harlowton, MT Youth Center, he may not be thinking at all. Note the tan line! Bill and I were grateful for our extra hour's sleep at the Countryside Inn across the street, a perk that crew were given. Harlowton was very welcoming after the 100 mile ride.

We left Harlowton early for the 90 mile ride to Billings. The wind was mostly at the riders' backs, so it was a much easier day. The riders just flew. All made it into "camp", which is a dorm here at Montana State University. Yesterday, Kelly McCall made the entire ride. Kelly rides a recumbent with a hand crank, as she had a spinal cord injury that left her legs too weak to cycle. Kelly has true grit. See her blog at http://360.yahoo.com/kdmclieb.

The last two nights (in Harlowton 90 miles out and here in Billings) we have been exceedingly fortunate in having the meals catered by Beyond Basil - a Billings business. The vegetarian entrees have been the best I've ever encountered in group meals. My mouth waters as I think about it. At the conclusion of last night's meal (about three minutes before we got back to the dorm), there was a huge thunderstorm. The record one hour rainfall before this time had been .19 inches. Last night, they got 1.06 inches in an hour. The really oppressive heat has dissipated to a degree.

Tomorrow's ride is rolling hills with few curves - so few the curves even have names. It's only 50 miles or so, and it follows a rest day. After this past week's heat, hills, and long distances, everyone is looking forward to the day. Not that we wouldn't welcome another rest day, particularly if it could mean another meal from Beyond Basil.

Right now, David Hoganson, the mechanic, is leading a bike maintenance clinic in the next room. Seems to be going well. Lots of interest.

For you ICMA-RC folks, I found there's yet another participant on the ride - Brian O'Sullivan - formerly with Sound Transit. With Bill and me, that makes about 8% of the riders.

Most of the riders have varying degrees of butt soreness. Bill has his share but no raw spots, so he's doing well. Up to about 60 or 70 miles a day he's fine, but put another 20 or 30 on and he's tender. One woman (she designed the ride shirt that Andy's wearing in the picture above) has had such a problem that she now has three seats along on the ride - her original and two bought in Helena, MT. She's riding on one and finding that it's pretty good. She has one as a back-up. If you aren't friends with your seat, it's a long day!

Missoula to Harlowton

From Kathy - There are quite a few blogs being kept by riders young and older - see http://www.cleanairadventures.org/big_ride_across_america on the left side of the page - scroll down - for links. There are some gorgeous pictures and funny stories. Missoula to Avon was almost 100 miles and we spent the Fourth of July there. Slept through any fireworks there may have been. Then yesterday, we had only 61 miles, but it was in temps over 100. The first climb took the group up over the Great Divide at over 6300 feet. Last night we slept in the gym on the floor, and Bill slept on the actual floor rather than the air mattress. Up at 4:45, breakfast at 5:15, on the road at 5:45 to beat the heat...NOT!! TODAY - 101 miles in temps up to 105. Really difficult day for the riders today. They're not all into camp yet, but I'm taking this opportunity in the public library in Harlowton, Montana to send a quick note. Right now, the word is hot, hot, hot. We have met lots of wonderful people - a nice farm couple bailed me out today. I was at water stop number four, and Bill left his camelback there (intentionally) and his water bottle (not!) Debatable whether I distracted him. He had about 20 ounces of Gatorade, but that's not enough for the 20 miles he had left. He was given water and iced tea by a wonderful couple. We have been sleeping in the tent, college dorms, and in a high school gymnasium. The weather is too hot for camping outside right now. We expect to be in the youth center tonight. We'll have time to put up more photos, write more from Billings on Sunday, a well-deserved rest day.

Idaho/Montana

We were in Idaho too short a time. We spent the night in Sandpoint Saturday, neat place with great huckleberry shakes. Sunday night we were in Montana, in Thompson Falls for Kathy's birthday. The ride to Thompson Falls seemed effortless, about 85 miles, the temperature not too high. Dinner at Minnie's was delicious, with pie a la mode for dessert. All the riders can put away incredible amounts of food, but the crew has to be careful - not enough exercise. Everyone was especially packing it in for the first century (one hundred miles in a day) of the trip. The first part of the century was beautiful, along the Clark Fork River, very scenic. We had nice rest stops in a couple of very small towns and then had a less pleasant ride with a lot of traffic (drivers not giving the bikes the amount of room they deserve on the road), and temperatures got pretty high. There was a long, gradual climb in this unpleasant portion, and then there was a terrific downhill into Missoula, a pretty college town. The downhill grade had riders going up to 47 miles an hour. Missoula is a great place for a rest day - REI and a couple of bike shops. We had dinner last night and breakfast this morning in the college cafeteria and are looking forward to eating at an Indian restaurant tonight. Tomorrow's breakfast and lunch (more PB&J sandwiches) are done from the gear truck in the parking lot in the morning. Bill's relaxing this afternoon, and Kathy's going to try to get a pedicure. We are enjoying the other riders and crew tremendously. For all you RC folks, we have a participant along on the ride - Marty Minkoff from Sound Transit. He's fun to get to know, as are the rest of the riders. There don't seem to be real divisions between individuals based on age or any other factor I can detect. Just really nice people united with a focus on going from one end of the country to another.