Roanoke to Richmond, the final adventure

On Sunday (July 12) we rested at my parents' house in Roanoke. This rest day entailed more rest than others because our usual activities required less effort to complete. We had laundry and internet at the house, a car to take us to the grocery store, and a personal chef to prepare all of our meals (thanks, mom!). My parents also threw us a little party on Sunday night, inviting my girlfriend and her family as well as some of our long-time friends from the cycling club. I greatly enjoyed seeing everyone but still couldn't truly comprehend the means by which I traveled to the house from Astoria, OR.

Over the next 3 days we made our way to Richmond, after which Larry finished the ride to Yorktown and I loafed around my apartment (and continue to loaf at present).

July 13: 71 miles from Roanoke to Lexington, VA

One of the nice things about good parents is that they will bend over backwards to help you out. My parents will gladly tackle any beast of burden, and therefore my mom drove our BOB trailers (we're not sure if BOB stands for "back of bike" or "beast of burden") to Lexington for us. Riding without these 50-pound storage units invigorated us and eased our ride through the hills.

Before we left the house, the Roanoke NBC news affiliate, WSLS, sent a crew over to my house to do a story on the Ride for Jim. My girlfriend is a producer at the station, which may have had something to do with this press coverage (thanks babe)! Here is a link to the story:
http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/roanoke_man_is_almost_finished_cycling_across_the_us/41347/#fragment-1
We rode for a bit with the BOB trailers so that all could see what we looked like on a regular day, after which my superhero mom swooped in and snagged them.

Because of my house's location in Roanoke, we decided to ride along The Blue Ridge Parkway to Buchanan, and from there we picked up the TransAm. After arriving in Lexington, both my mom and girlfriend drove up for BOB delivery and also to take us out to eat in the beautiful, historic downtown at The Palms restaurant (a cycling club favorite). This was truly a high point on the trip.

Riding along the Blue Ridge Parkway


View from the Parkway overlooking The Great Valley


July 14: 82 miles from Lexington to Charlottesville, VA

We were blessed with yet another day of good cycling weather. A high pressure system in Indiana gave us low humidity and a high in the mid 80s for the second day in a row. We also rode along The Blue Ridge Parkway again, which is noticeably cooler because it is essentially a ridgeline road. In fact, we veered off route to ride an extra 20 miles along the parkway for the purpose of avoiding a steep 4-mile climb and instead spreading this elevation gain over the course of many more miles. The disadvantage of the parkway is that it has no convenience store services so one has to pack all of the water and food necessary for the trip distance. Larry and I had a buffet-style lunch of beef jerky, cereal bars, dried fruit, pretzles, and other snacky stuff at a picnic bench near an overlook & trailhead. For dessert we both had a nap in this peaceful setting before setting off again.

About 11 miles before we were to leave the parkway, a bicyclist heading in the opposite direction called out: "Are you Charley or Larry?" His name is Brian, and his group is heading from Yorktown, VA, to Kentucky this summer before completing the TransAm next summer. He was riding with four other cyclists and two sag cars, and two of these riders are friends of one Jack Haar! In fact, Dr. Haar rode with them for the first couple days of their trip and told them that they'd probably intersect us at some point. We chatted for a while at an overlook before wishing each other good luck and going our respective directions.

The ride took us to Rockfish Gap, which is on top of Afton Mountain. For those who travel I-64, you may recognize this mountaintop as a spot that regularly is covered with fog or other bad weather. Fortunately it was clear and gorgeous so we enjoyed a nice view. The route took us on somewhat of a roundabout route into Charlottesville from there, so we just rode 250 East all the way instead of literally getting on and off of it multiple times over the course of 22 miles.

A Christmas tree farm along the parkway

Howard, Will, and Brian (left to right). Howard is Dr. Haar's neighbor, and the other guys are riding with him to Kentucky this summer. Next year they'll ride from Kentucky to The Pacific.


July 15: 70 miles from Charlottesville to Dr. Haar's house (Larry) and 100 miles from Charlottesville to Richmond, VA (Charley)

This ride essentially ended my adventure, but I couldn't help being excited to return to Richmond. Larry would still have one more day riding to Yorktown, whereas I will not do so until August 23 as part of the Ride for Jim Finale Rally.

The good weather held out again, and the ride was pretty flat and shaded. The only troublesome part of the ride came at the beginning, when we ventured on the treacherous 250 East Bypass to depart Charlottesville. There was pretty intense traffic but it mellowed out once we got out of the city. I probably should have sought out a better way to leave the city.

We didn't want to take the TransAm out of the city because it takes a very scenic route on the way to Hanover County. It leaves Charlottesville in a southward direction, then heads far north, and then back south a bit. We opted to take 250 East to 22 East all the way to Mineral, VA. This route shaved 18 miles off of our ride, and we also found a way to shave off a few miles between Mineral and Hanover County by skipping the venture to Lake Anna.

Riding into Hanover County we received quite the welcome. First of all, Dr. Haar rode out to meet us (yes, on bicycle) on the road. It was great to see him and he was definitely excited to see us. He then guided us past Scotchtown, the birthplace of Patrick Henry, to his house in Hanover County. The official Ride for Jim Welcoming Committee greeted us as we entered the neighborhood with applause while waving an American flag. Goodbye to the adventure, but welcome back to a normal life!

I rode my bike down to my apartment in Richmond, from which I drove my car back to the Haar's house. Mrs. Haar prepared lunch for us when we arrived, and then had a nice dinner party for us that evening. Dave Jenkins, one of the ride organizers, and his family came over to dine with us and again it was great to see another familiar face. We had a great dinner and a great breakfast the next morning. Mrs. Haar must have been keeping track of the blog because she had our favorite foods. Thank you so much to the Haars for their wonderful hospitality!

The countryside outside of Charlottesville

Dr. Haar met us on the road. We finally found the man whose signature we've followed through all those guest logs.

Apparently we're being photographed while photographing Scotchtown

Scotchtown, Patrick Henry's birthplace, happens to sit along the 76 near Dr. Haar's house in Hanover County

The official Ride for Jim Welcoming Committee to Hanover County.

Larry with the Haars


July 16

Larry completed the ride to Yorktown solo, where he met up with his wife, youngest daughter, and a family friend. The weather was a bit warmer and more humid but he didn't have to carry the BOB trailer and was rewarded with Ben & Jerry's ice cream at the beach. He was proud of his accomplishment, and deservingly so, as was his family. It was certainly nice to meet them, after only hearing little snippets about them throughout the course of the trip.

In total, Larry's odometer said 4,000 miles to the Victory Monument in Yorktown, and 4,001 miles to the beach where he dunked his front tire into the Atlantic Ocean.

One of many Where's Charley posters around the MCV campus

Uzo and Jason found me

Larry finished the ride to Yorktown: 4,001 miles in total!

Pictures from Carbondale, IL, through Hindman, KY

For a long stretch after our 4th rest day in Carbondale I didn't have access to a computer with USB hookup. Although the Hindman Historical Society provided internet access from which I posted a text-only update, I simply didn't have time to load pictures. Below are the pictures from July 3 through July 8, covering the stretch of land from Carbondale, IL, to Hindman, KY.

July 3: Carbondale, IL, to Marion, KY

A lake in Illinois

I saw these stears on The Zoo's blog (http://zoobikes.blogspot.com - my friend Jeff who I crossed in Missouri and 4 of his friends riding East to West comprise The Zoo). I was equally impressed with the massive horns, and it's pretty cool to happen upon something that another group mentioned.

Illinois countryside

Definitely time to change the tire! Fortunately my tube wasn't popped and lasted for the remainder of the trip.

Riding on the ferry across the Ohio River (from Illinois into Kentucky)

The Ohio River



July 4: Marion to Utica, KY

Kentucky countryside

We lodged at the Utica Firestation

Firemen and EMS responding to a car that had hydroplaned and flipped over


July 5 was rainy so I didn't take pictures. We rode from Utica to Hodgenville, KY

July 6: Hodgenville to Harrodsburg, KY

Downtown Hodgenville, KY, President Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. Note the childhood and adult statues of Abe. We were shortcutting the TransAm route and wouldn't have seen this had we stayed exactly on route.

Reconstrution of Abraham Lincoln's boyhood cabin east of Hodgenville. Again, a shortcut allowed us to see this.

Lunch with Jim Beam Noe in beautiful Bardstown, KY.

The old tavern where we ate lunch. Yes, it was built in 1779


July 7: Harrodsburg to Booneville, KY


Downtown Berea, KY.

Linda's Victorian Rose B&B, where we stayed in Booneville. What you're looking at used to be the church's altar. Linda and another worker rennovated the church and pastor's house (built in 1915) into the B&B.


July 8: Booneville to Hindman, KY

The Appalachians


Back patio at the Hindman Historical Society

Resting in Roanoke

The Trans-Am takes a southeastern course after entering Virginia, and then moves northeast to follow the course of Interstate 81 from Rural Retreat to Vesuvius before heading east to the the coast. My hometown of Roanoke lies south of the exact route so we decided to ride through and take a rest day. I have a tough time comprehending that I rode on a bicycle from Oregon to my parents' house in Virginia, but apparently it's true.

July 9: 112 miles from Hindman, KY, to Rosedale, VA

David woke up early to have breakfast ready for us at 5:15a. We requested fruit and cereal and he provided us with a wonderful selection of each. Bananas, strawberries, apples, and hand-picked blueberries are a treat normally and we especially appreciated them after eating convenience store breakfasts.

Our morning's ride took us to Elkhorn City, KY, which is right before the Breaks Interstate Park straddling the border with Virginia. Along the route we ran into some of the roughest road and definitely the hardest climb (along Rt. 611), which of course stands out more than the otherwise decent riding. We ate lunch at The Rusty Fork, where we had a nice conversation with the owner about how hilly the area is and also we got our water bottles filled. The lunch was both big and delicious. Larry had a nap and I had a piece of butterscotch pie for dessert.

The Virginia border was only 3 miles after lunch, and I was happy to see the sign. Unfortunately we were greeted by a climb, but it wouldn't be Appalachia without one. The ride included a few of these long climbs, and we were glad to see Rosedale. The excitement of entering Virginia definitely gave me the extra strength I needed to finish this very long day.




July 10: 73 miles from Rosedale to Wytheville, VA

After a long day on 7/9, I was glad to see that we could take a huge shortcut on this day. The route took us very far south to Damascus and through some hilly area including Mount Rogers (the highest peak in Virginia), only to head back north; this would be around 100 miles and obviously be tough riding. Instead, we headed south on the route to Meadowview and then took Route 11 all the way to Wytheville. Route 11 is a pretty main road running parallel to Interstate 81, so we saved a lot of mileage and had a much easier ride. Not that I'm biased or anything, but Virginia is a gorgeous state so riding along this major road was still very enjoyable. In addition, riding only from 9a-4p was a treat compared to the 10-14 hour days we've often done.

One issue we had, though, was that Larry has another broken spoke on his rear wheel. Again, it's fortunate that we had an easy ride with the mechanical issue. The next day we would have a selection of bike shops, too, so we weren't really worried about the issue.




July 11: 99 miles from Wytheville to Roanoke, VA

I was pretty stoked for this ride because I knew that I would be rewarded with my family and girlfriend at the end of the trail. It gave me the kind of motivation where I felt bulletproof.

We rode about 43 miles to Radford, where we found a really good bike shop (Radford Paddle & Bike) that was able to satisfy Larry's bike needs. He needed a new rear tire and the shop had the Specialized Armadillos, and the guy also was able to do a big re-dishing of Larry's rear wheel in addition to putting another spoke in. This gives the wheel more balance, which may have been causing his wheel issues along the trip. Hopefully this will fix his wheel issues from here on out.

I'd coordinated to meet with my dad, brother Louie, and friend Jim for lunch in Christiansburg, which was the halfway point. I was so glad to see them all and eat at Famous Anthony's (food's good but the nostalgia for me couldn't be beat). After lunch, dad grabbed our BOB trailers and Larry and I rode the rest of the way with Louie and Jim. Jim could probably ride any route in southwest VA blindfolded so he led us along the 76 to Catawba and then we dropped down 311 into Roanoke to my house. He's also ridden cross-country 3 times. Louie hasn't done any road biking in Virginia since he picked it up while working in Montana last summer, so he was glad to check it out. It rained on us but without BOBs, cold weather, or major climbs I didn't really mind.

I honestly can't believe that I rode a bicycle from Oregon to my house.



Left to right: Louie, Charley, Kipper, Larry

Left to right: Louie, Charley, Jim, Larry

Spoiled Rotten in Knott County

July 7: 107 miles from Harrodsburg, KY, to Booneville, KY

We had very nice weather today and the ride was very pretty. The first half of the day's trip continued through the rolling hills of Kentucky, meaning that you can wear yourself out quickly if you try to power over every one of them since there isn't enough time to recover on the slight downhills - I have to continually remind myself of this fact.

We had lunch in Berea, which is a nice college town and the location from which I posted last. Berea is the starting point for the Appalachians, so both climbs and descents increase in length. This type of riding appeals more to me so I was a happy camper. Also, we were shaded more than we've been since probably Idaho by the overlying trees - another plus.

We stayed at Linda's Victorian Rose B&B 2 miles before Booneville. Linda and a guy who she hired refurbished an old church (built 1915) and the pastor's house into this beautiful B&B. Linda also drove us into town to pick up some dinner, and cooked us a great breakfast in the morning. There was another group of 3 cyclists riding East to West who stayed there, too. These guys rode most of the way from Hindman before hitching a ride for the last 10 miles or so because it was getting dark and there were some mountains yet to climb! The ride from Hindman is only 67 miles but they admitted that they didn't leave until 11am; by contrast, Larry and I leave by 7 unless there's a short ride planned or some other good reason to sleep in...I'll give you one in a minute.

July 8: 67 miles from Booneville to Hindman, KY

As mentioned before, Linda cooked us breakfast but not until 7:15a. We slept in because we knew it would be a short ride (for us). Nevertheless, we still left well before 11am.

The first half of the ride was mountainous, but the second half of our day was spent following a small river around the base of the mountains so we made pretty good time. We were only on the road from 9a-4:30p, which is a very shorty day for us. The weather was beautiful and there were plenty of trees for shade, so once again I was very happy.

We've staying at the Knott County Historical Society, which is run by a gentleman named David. In the guestbook's 2008 section we saw photographs of the infamous Jack and Nancy Haar, and hope that next year there will be riders looking for our pictures! David has taken wonderful care of us. We ordered some takeout dinner, and he's also given us this delicious sweet tea, a couple of baked potatoes loaded up, some hot dogs, and two massive bowls of ice cream. Dare I say my stomach couldn't handle any more? I dare.

Lunch in downtown Berea, Kentucky

Finally some Internet! I just wanted to give a brief update of mileage and a couple of tidbits about the past few days while this restaurant and coffee shop will allow.

July 3: 101 miles from Carbondale, IL, to Marion, KY

The ride was very pretty and we had good weather - nice! Also, we had the treat of riding a ferry across the Ohio River to cross from IL into KY.

4th of July: a patriotic 71 miles from Marion to Utica, KY

We finished the ride before the afternoon showers and enjoyed another day of good riding weather. We stayed at the Utica Firestation and experienced wonderful hospitality. One of the firemen who we met at lunch let us in the firehouse, showed us the trucks, and even let us shower at his house! The firestation doesn't have showers so this was very generous. Another rider named Chris was there for the night, too.

July 5: 110 miles from Utica to Hodgenville, KY

We had cool weather but unfortunately it rained on us for a few hours in the morning. This was more of a problem with vision (no windshield wipers on my glasses) but weather-wise it didn't really bother me. Quick fact: Hodgenville is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.

July 7: 87 miles from Hodgenville to Harrodsburg, KY

Today's ride took us through historic Bardstown, KY, which is the center of the bourbon world. We were honored to met Jim Beam Noe, the plant engineer manager at the the Claremont distillery and supporter of the ride. He treated us to lunch at a historic tavern in downtown Bardstown and entertained our many questions. The weather was also our friend today.

July 6

Rest Day in Carbondale, IL

July 1: 105 miles from Farmington, MO, to Carbondale, IL

How convenient for stuffing myself silly

My best Popeye pose

Welcome to Illinois

Crossing the Mississippi River from Missouri into Illinois

A wild turkey in Missouri

A brewery in St. Genevieve County, MO


June 30: 115 miles from Rolla, MO, to Farmington, MO

Ceiling decorations at the great restaurant/service station in Bixby, MO, where we had lunch

Larry and his gallon of iced tea (between lunch and water bottle fill-ups it was gone)

A little ice cream for dessert




June 29: 40 miles riding East from Marshfield, MO, followed by "The Frank Trail" north to Rolla, MO

Frank, our savior!



June 28: 122 miles from Pittsburg, KS, to Marshfield, MO

Jeff Joyce, a friend from high school who I found while crossing a bridge under construction in Missouri (his blog is zoobikes.blogspot.com)

The Ozarks begin

The huge pie selection at Cooky's...I'm hungry thinking about it

Welcome to Missouri


June 27: 125 miles from Eureka, KS, to Pittsburg, KS

Plate #1 at Chinese buffet

Plate #2 at Chinese buffet

Plate #3 Chinese buffet

A celebrity autograph in the guestbook of the Rosalia, KS, restaurant
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June 26: 130 miles from Nickerson, KS, to Eureka, KS

The hills are beginning to form

Marshy eastern Kansas

The cup says it all


June 25: 127 miles from Ness City, KS, to Nickerson, KS

Hedrick's B&B and exotic animal farm in Nickerson




June 24: 104 miles from Tribune, KS, to Ness City, KS

The Frigid Creme next to our hotel

The little black dots are bugs on my arm. I learned to that the day will be fine so long as I keep my mouth closed when riding past the cattle farms.



June 24: 104 miles from Tribune, KS, to Ness City, KS




Entered the Central Time Zone when crossing from Greeley County to Wichita County in Kansas

The Greeley County Medical Center, where Larry was treated for cellulitis


More pictures from the June 23 rest day in Tribune, Kansas

The Horace Greeley Museum in Tribune (the town was named after the New York Tribune, founded by Horace Greeley)