2021 Ride Pages

Today I would be pulling into Savannah, probably right about the time I'm typing this (with one hand!). Please excuse the delayed posts. But it certainly seems appropriate to honor this day with the entries from the days I rode.

Now, where are they, you ask. Well some time ago, Google Blogger decided to limit the number of pages you could display on your blog. BUT, they did allow you to see a page by posting a link. I haven't tried the links yet, because I'm posting them here. I'll test them after posting. If they don't work, we'll try Plan B. I don't have a Plan B yet, but I will have one.

DAY 39 – DAY 1 in 2021

Southport, CT to Port Chester, NY

October 3, 2021

29.5 / 29.5 / 1094.5 miles

 

https://abbikestheatlanticcoast.blogspot.com/p/day-1-39-southport-ct-to-port.html

 

DAY 40 – DAY 2 in 2021

Port Chester to New York City, NY

October 4, 2021

35.2 / 64.7 / 1158.9 miles

 

https://abbikestheatlanticcoast.blogspot.com/p/day-40-2-port-chester-to-new-york-city.html

 

 

DAY 41 – DAY 3 in 2021

New York, NY to Edison, NJ

October 5, 2021

35.7 / 100.4 / 1194.6 miles

 

https://abbikestheatlanticcoast.blogspot.com/p/day-41-3-new-york-ny-to-edison-nj.html

 

DAY 42 – DAY 4 in 2021

Edison, NJ to Morrisville, PA

October 6, 2021

52.9 / 153.3 / 1247.5 miles

 

https://abbikestheatlanticcoast.blogspot.com/p/day-42-4-edison-nj-to-morrisville-pa.html

 

DAY 43 – DAY 5 in 2021

Morrisville to Philadelphia, PA

October 7, 2021

37.4 / 190.7 / 1284.9

 

https://abbikestheatlanticcoast.blogspot.com/p/day-43-5-morrisville-to-philadelphia-pa.html

Better Luck Next Time?

 Well, y’all know I like to do it up big. Today, some Philly residents were able to witness quite a spectacular bicycle crash (just me splayed out in the center of the road as I attempted to make a left turn). My wheel found a nice groove that decided to grab it. I went over the handlebars onto my left shoulder. The orthopedist gave me a very medical diagnosis: you smashed the hell out of your shoulder. You’re off the bike trip today.

Now I could choose to focus on the wreck, or the road conditions, or what I did or didn’t do right. But I choose to focus on the astounding response of witnesses. A fireman who pulled over to check if I needed medical response, but stood there until I had a plan. A nice, sweet woman who was driving behind me, who wanted to see if I needed a bandaid for my knee scrape. The nice lady who was passing by that helped get my bike out of the road. And the absolutely sweetest young cyclist, Miles, who immediately pulled over, helped get the bike to a safe location, who tied my mask on for me so I could Uber, who stood with me until Uber van arrived, offered to store the bike, loaded all my gear into the van, and provided emotional and real support. And then the Uber driver who unloaded my stuff and bike. The hotel staff who locked my bike to their racks, checked to find me a nearby orthopedic/sports med urgent care clinic. And of course the staff at the clinic that were supportive and competent. And to the Uber drivers that had to fasten my seatbelts for me.

And how could I leave out the person who was three hours away, who had to drop everything to come to my hotel to take care of, now, everything that is to come for the trip home and beyond— DL Swain.

Yes, it’s a corker, but I am ALIVE. 

Still, “best day of my life.” (Vicodin probably helps the outlook.)

Underway

Hi all. Just a reminder that I am not able to post daily pages. Even tried using Google Chrome app for iPhone without success. My guess is that once I’m back with the laptop, I’ll have success. Self-supported currently (until Friday’s ride end). I’ll catch y’all up then. Thanks for your patience. 

Powering through vertigo nausea and dizziness with meclizine. And as of this afternoon, significant low back pain. 

Today’s ride was an interesting mix of industrial, residential, and always moving national symbols.

Please remember to check back Saturday for (hopefully) daily posts, mileage updates, etc.

2021 Ride Itinerary

 

Comin' at us like a freight train!

 Two years ago, today, I started riding in Calais, Maine. Hard to believe. Well, guess what? Less than a month from now, I'm starting in Bridgeport and heading to Savannah. October 3 is the official start date, barring unforeseen weather or pandemic emergencies. Looks like there are a few flooded sections on some of the trails, but the on-road option looks clear in those instances.

The first five days or so, I will not be able to blog, as I'll be self-supported. The computer's weight is not something I'm willing to carry. But trust me, I'll post as soon as I am able.

Thanks for riding with me! See ya soon.

We're Planning an October 2021 Ride Resumption!

It's official!

We're planning to resume the middle section of my East Coast ride beginning early October. 

What else is official? The automatic emails to alert you of posts disappears. It may already have, but FeedBurner doesn't continue past July 2021 on Blogger. Hopefully you do get this one. I will disable my "Follow" widget soon, but I have to get all of your emails out of there before that...if I can. Sorry about any inconvenience. :-(

Had a great first season eleven mile ride on the Cross City Trail in Wilmington, NC, to Wrightsville Beach, NC, this week. Should have taken some pictures, but I didn't. Really wasn't even sore after the ride. That is a good sign. DL joined me on this one. Brother Bert picked us up at the beach, and we ate lunch at Oceanic, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. 

One of the problems I had previously was that I could never hear cues, even at top volume, when I used my phone as my navigation device. Also, the phone's screen has so much glare that it was difficult to even see a map on it, much less read anything. Problem solved (I hope). I now have hearing aids and a brand new Wahoo Elemnt Roam. Hopefully can give it a go this next week. Learning how to download maps in the interim. 

Navigation is no joke, especially when roads you're expecting to ride are closed for a day for whatever reason. On the Wilmington ride, I used my phone and Google Maps. The first cue went nicely into my hearing aid. None of the others did. Don't know about that glitch. Luckily it was quite cloudy the entire trip, so no real glare to obscure the map. On busy roads, still can't hear the cues at full volume. The Roam actually has LED lights across the top that indicate turns or cues.

This gives you a bit of the glare idea. In bright light, you almost can't see the map on the iPhone. And the phone takes up a lot of real estate on the handlebars. The Roam highlights the specific route. Hope it works well for me. Shout out to Sarah (hope I didn't butcher spelling!) at The Hub (Athens, GA) for her patience as I asked about a million questions.

Stay tuned folks. October will be here before you know it.

Delayed Again

It should come as no surprise that I have opted to delay the completion of my ECG ride. My plan had been to start in Savannah and ride to Bridgeport. I was to start today or tomorrow. For obvious reasons this proved to be impractical right now. Hopefully all of you that can are safely sheltering in place. To those on the frontlines, thank you for your services. To the rest of you, thank you for your efforts to keep ALL of us safe.

My hope had been to do a few sections during the winter months while caring for my mom. It quickly became clear that would not be an option. I do not regret one moment of time I was able to spend with her. Frankly, since her death I have had very little energy to pursue much of anything. Grief is interesting, and it can certainly be immobilizing.

I have found myself using mom's "good-bye" catch phrase since her death. It would not bother me a bit for it to become the fifth of my "stock answers." [For those who do not know them, they are, pretty much in order: Best day of my life. People in hell want ice water. Don't tell me your troubles; I have troubles of my own. (Thanks to Clint) ...and finally, Ask for what you want. It ups your chances of getting it. (Thanks to James).] Mom's cremation box was buried directly atop my dad's coffin's spot. Her stone bears her signature departure salutation. [The stone maker texted me this photo after he placed the stone Tuesday.]

A week before our self-imposed sheltering in place began, we improved the economy with the purchase of what has now become a great training tool. I never enjoyed spin classes. DL loves them. She has wanted one. Where we live, many people cycle. As you have already picked up from my multiple posts, I don't do mountains. So we don't ride here. Now, we can ride. The regular bike on a trainer is not the same. This allows for a bike that fits both of us. And I have come to appreciate what I have been learning in the beginner spin classes, especially as it relates to form. And I love not having a bunch of people in the room with me. That was my least favorite part of the spin classes I ever took. I also appreciate being able to ride Cadillac Mountain, ride around the Popham Beach area in Maine, and even ride through some trails near the Golden Gate Bridge. It's cool to be able to filter down to my age group and who actually is riding the same class or place at the same time. The other day there were over 600 women in their 60s in one of the classes. But I didn't have to see anyone, and they couldn't see me :-)  [IF you acquire or recently acquired a Peloton, I recommend Hannah Frankson's beginner classes.]

Speaking of improving the economy... When we had some medical appointments in Athens a couple of weeks ago, we were able to support some of our favorite restaurants by ordering delivery or takeout. Up here, we are limited to one takeout place. We are grateful for our Bootleggers! But boy have we missed some of the finer things in life. Like lattes. We took care of that, too! Getting the exact mixture is a work in progress, but we're almost there.

Our hope is to get back to the road in September, starting in Connecticut. How we do this remains to be seen. Flexibility was, and always has been, the name of the game.

Now today, on to our next adventure. Mask making. Stay safe everybody.