August 7, Stage 32

August 7, Ashland, VA to Williamsburg, VA, 80 miles, 1250 climbing feet. Great postlude ride to Yorktown. With dinner tonight and packing of bike, I will write some more tomorrow. I am delighted to have accomplished this, and overwhelmed with the support of all of you. You will never know how much your prayers, messages and thoughts have meant. I need a little rest for a few days. Life is good! Ellery

August 6, Stage 31

August 6, Harrisonburg, VA to Ashland VA, 123 miles, 4300 climbing ft. Ride began with some flat and then a four-mile climb over the Blue Ridge Parkway at 22 miles. Brought back memories of the ride that Jason and Amy Ellen suggested that I take a week prior to their wedding 5 years ago. They lived in DC and arranged for me to ride to their wedding down Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway in a week. I think that it was around 600 miles--wonderful ride, with a few 100 mile days and a few 10,000 climbing feet days. Besides Amy Ellen's brother Ben, no one else thought that it was a good idea right before the wedding--"What if you have an accident, and ruin the wedding?" I was thinking of that on every single curving 35-40 mph descent the whole way. Unmatched enjoyable experience. PACTour has been gruelling, partly because of so long. Today began last night when I decided that the pain in my hip was severe enough that I would try the hospital emergency room again. Treated well, given a couple medications, that have not helped so far. On the bike I am fine, but walking is excruciating. Also, ended up with about 5 hours of sleep. The ride went well, but I am pretty well spent. Followed Marcy 30 miles with no stops into lunch. Then, rode pretty well on ups and downs to the end, until, with about 3 miles to get into Ashland, going up a hill, I was having trouble focusing and even holding onto the bars. Think I was overheated also. A couple of other riders stopped with me just as I was braking rather than falling over. Cooled down a little and made it in. Feel fine now, except for having ridden 3500 miles in the past month. Really weary, but the end is in sight. Tomorrow is flat and about 80 miles to Williamsburg, then a few pictures, ride back to the hotel, pack up the bikes and prepare to leave Thursday morning. Marsha will meet me in St. Louis, drive us to my 50th high school reunion--I will have some things to report on my recent life--then back to DM on Sunday, where I will promptly fall asleep each afternoon. The ride today was again spectacular, through winding county road, wooded areas, through Virginia agriculture areas--maybe peanuts--chased by dogs--I almost hit one--went by James Madison's home, Montpelier--did not stop for a tour, but it would be nice. Hundreds of places would be nice to visit with time. Spent some time on Monrovia Road. It along with Otterbien United Methodist Church in Harrisonburg yesterday, were some of the continuing United Methodist marks on life out here. Did see two Disciples of Christ churches and a Unitarian/Universalist Church, so Methodists do not corner the market. With the hurried schedule and all the visual images floating by all the time, and the effort of biking hour after hour safely, etc., etc., still have no time to reflect on the experience. That will come in time. Still have to get to Williamsburg tomorrow, which has been the driving goal.

August 5, Stage 30

August 5, Elkins, WV to Harrisonburg, VA, 107 miles, 10,500 climbing feet, by far, the most for any day of the tour. Perfect riding weather, total fog at the start, then lifting, revealing stunning terrain. On Route 33 most of the day. The main contributor to the climbing feet total was seven 2 mile to 4 mile climbs, the toughest as the last two. Then, 25 miles into Harrisonburg, with ups and downs along the way. The climbs were tough, at about 5-9 percent gradient. I told Marsha last night that the Grand hill from 63rd to 56th is about 8-9 percent, but it is over in less than a half mile. I think that I am repeating myself. The winding descents were wonderful. I was the last one in again, due to my slow climbing. Was a tough, but satisfying day, until I got off the bike and the gradual return of the hip pain was back in full force. The shot in Missoula has been wearing off for a few days. Tomorrow has an early climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, then flattish ups and downs into Ashland, VA. Got to get to bed.

August 4, Stage 29

August 29, Parkersburg, WV to Elkins, WV, 123 miles, 7200 climbing feet. This was a day that I dreaded given the length and the amount of climbing, but unanticipated things can make dread worse. Morning started just great, riding on the shoulder of US 50, which by the way runs cross country about 11 miles from my hometown in southern Illinois (100 miles east of St. Louis). A few years ago, NPR did a series on US 50--I forget who narrated the series--followed it all across the country. Anyhow, the mist and clouds hung over the forested mountains--looked like the home page for Google Chrome. This was the Robert C. Byrd Appalachian Highway. All was well until I had a flat rear tire about two miles short of the first stop at 28 miles. Fixed the flat, which I hate to do--could not find anything in the tire. A half mile later, the new tube was flat. I assumed something was wrong with the tire. Decided to ride it flat to the re-fueling stop, which is risky. The guy handling the stop had a tire that would fit and a couple of spare tubes. I changed the tire and the tube, but that takes time. By this time, I was quite a ways behind everyone else and PACTour does not like for folks to not keep up. The guy handling the stop offered to sag me ahead to the next stop--20 miles, but I declined. Got to the next stop and was told that I was on the bubble as to whether I would be mandatorily sagged forward to lunch--30 miles ahead. I refueled, grabbed some cookies and Pringles, and headed out. One couple on a tandem was right behind me and they were sagged. I was feeling performance pressure, so was not able to enjoy the old cars, Lazy Boys on the front porch, and general poverty reflected on the beautiful narrow road that would up and down and in and out for 20 miles or so. The road had been carved out of the side of the mountain many years ago, reflecting the terrain, rather than modifying it. Looked like sandstone, with a pretty good drop-off five feet away from the edge of the road. Lots of potholes and attempts to patch worn areas. Took at picture of the Churchville Methodist Church--they have not added United to the sign. Beautiful scenery--I know, I keep saying the same thing. John Denver's song describes it head on. Once one is off of the interstate system, the WV world is special. I pulled into lunch on the grounds of the Weston Lunatic Asylum, the largest sandstone building in the world, except for the Kremlin. It must be 500 feet long and five stories tall. Lobotomies, and who knows what other "advanced" treatment of patients who were depressed, anxious, probably with undiscovered/unacknowledged abuse, etc. They give tours and have a museum of the treatment used. It has been closed for years. I was the last one in at lunch. One thing that I enjoy every other day when it is available is Tapioca. I found then that Susan had set up the next refueling stop at 99 miles to wait for me if I wanted to ride all the way. I left lunch at 2:00 and headed into some pretty good, slow hills. Made it to the stop, where the guy in charge of it graciously had waited for me and had thought of driving the route to see if I was okay. I was pretty well wiped out at this point, but realized that I was on my own and it did not matter how long it took. A couple of 2-3 mile steep inclines had me in my lowest gear, but then I began to notice the shadows from the trees across the road. I slowed down and began to enjoy the trip, keeping an eye on the cars and trucks that occasionally flew by. Finally got into Elkins about 6:00--stopped at Walgreens for some additional saddle sore medication, and McDonald's for supper. My roommate, Dave, had my bag in the room, as usual, and had tossed some of my shorts from yesterday into the laundry. Tomorrow, on to Harrisonburg, VA. 10K or so feet of climbing, squeezed into 106 miles. About bed time for my legs. Up at 5:45, breakfast at 6:30 and head out at 7:00.

August 3, Stage 28

August 3, Circleville, OH to Parkersburg, WV, 101 miles, approx 3000 climbing ft. Beautiful day of riding, even with the rain for the first couple of hours. We were cleary moving toward the beginning of the mountains. Foggy cloudy mists hung over wooded peaks. After the rain, we had winding roads that draped overall the undulating terrain. We took a bike trail that skirted the campus of Ohio University, then on the shoulder of US 50. After lunch we had more beautifUl wooded winding roads for 10 miles, then more of the shoulder of US 50, which took us most of the way to the Ohio River and Parkersburg. 101 mile day helped, giving a chance for some added rest in anticipation of the next two mountainous days.

August 2, Stage 27

August 27, Lima, OH to Circleville, OH, 120 miles, approx. 1500 climbing feet. Southwest wind and we were headed south for the first 60 miles--I had nothing in my legs, was discouraged by most of the riders passing me by, my inability to hang onto a couple of pace lines. Maybe did not have enough for breakfast. Then, after the second refueling stop, I felt better--don't know if I can attribute some to the Mountain Dew. Felt good going into lunch at 80 miles, then popped some green pills and felt stronger the rest of the day. The route also shifted so that we had some east along with the south. After going through Jackson Center, Rosewood, and Urbana, the last half of the route was spent on Route 56, which wound back and forth, up and down, all the way to Circleville. Beautiful scenery of corn, soybeans, old and new large homes on acreages, or the home for the farm. Kind of like the routes that wind around the Loess Hills, without the climbing over the Hills. Yesterday, we crossed US Route 30, and I-94 and today, crossed I-70 and US Route 40. Saw quite a few signs for United Methodist Churches. Our Iowa UM Bishop Julius Trimble came from Ohio, which has a strong UM tradition. Circleville is quite an historic town/city--part of the early settlement movement of the country. Would be interesting to hang out in this area sometime. Actually, most of the places we have visited would be interesting to experience more than through an overnight motel room. In a nice Holiday Inn Express tonight. The next three days have much more long, steep climbing, the most of the tour. I am about the worst climber in the group. Have not been able to figure out why the quick descents do not balance out the slow, grinding efforts of climbing. The climbing takes forever, and the descents are over in a flash. Don't know how much more my legs have in them. Go to Parkersburg, West Virginia tomorrow.

August 1, Stage 26

August 1, Coldwater, MI to Lima, OH, 129 miles, approx. 1500 ft of climbing. Pretty flat, new computer does not measure altitude. Favorable wind out of west in the morning chaned to southwest as route headed south. Still averaged 16.7 for the day. Plenty of agriculture fields that looked good. Not the black dirt of Iowa,though. We crossed into a northwest corner of Indiana for a few miles this morning. In that small sample, farms/buildings were more run down than in MI or OH. A number of small towns looked like they had peaked 50 years ago,but some still had a United Methodist church functioning, much like IA,IL, and other rural areas--can't keep those young folks on the farm. Methodism seems alive and well in OH after seeing many Lutheran churches in MN and Reformed churches in western MI. Grand Rapids has a major seminary. Marsha asked me to comment on the difference between this ride and the Tour de France. TDF is much faster, no breaksthose pros are obviously in another league.. But some of the terrain would be similar. Iwill churn up the Appalla hians at about 5the mph. You wont see that in the TDF. On to Cir leville,OH tomorrow.p