August 9 – August 15, 1989
August 9 (Day 43): Bowling Green OH to Brunswick OH
123.6 miles
14.0 mph avg
11:00 pm EDT
I am staying at “Bicycle City” at Brunswick Lake Campground. I call it this because I’ve caught the first Bikecentennial group here. There are about twelve of them.
The campground is sort of a dump. Lots of trash and dirty restrooms. No hot water left for my shower tonight. The water tastes terrible.
Nice weather today – I had to wear leg warmers and a long-sleeve shirt until about 9 am. But the temperature and humidity are slowly creeping up.
I had my first Burger King dinner tonight. Tomorrow, I leave the route and go towards Youngstown, then on to Pittsburgh on Friday to see Dave and Karen Wilk. Hopefully the traffic won’t be too bad. Tomorrow begins the hills.
Did you know that Valley City, OH is the frog-jumping capital of the world? I didn’t either.
Oberlin is a nice town. I stopped at a bike shop there to replace a broken locknut; the girl there let me have it for free (the nut).
Berlin Heights had a nice café. I am very tired. G’night.
(2006) I filled my red water bottle up with water the next morning (Aug 10). It was so bad (the water) that it essentially “poisoned the bottle”. I had to throw it out. Tasted like iron.
August 10 (Day 44): Brunswick OH to Salem OH
84.5 miles
12.2 mpg avg
8:00 pm EDT
I was going to go to Youngstown but decided I wanted to stay in a small town instead.
Salem town center is very reminiscent of York, PA. Lots of small businesses in old buildings line the main road. There was also quite a lot of traffic; I went through town at rush hour.
In fact, almost every road I selected had lots of traffic – most with fast tractor-trailers. The worst was Ohio route 5, where there were two trucks every minute and I almost got thrown off the road twice by wide loads. Having only a state map has certain disadvantages – I can’t use good local roads that I can’t see on the map. One today, from Palmyra to North Jackson, had a decent volume of traffic and the right half of the road was completely covered with patches, bumps and potholes.
Weather-wise, it was a beauty of a day; the high about 82 degrees and sunny. The humidity is creeping up though. Tomorrow looks good, then, maybe some rain Saturday/Sunday.
In Hudson I met a retired gentleman named Ray Smith who was interested in what I was doing. The price of my narrative was a viewing of all the children and grandchildren’s photographs.
Extreme variation in the road surfaces today. The more affluent townships had the smooth roads.
I’m in the Barnett’s Motel, two miles west of town on Route 62, and eating at Granny’s Kitchen (but I don’t see any employees over 40). I rode around Salem and found that every pay phone had its book stolen. So Pat Smith, in a dry cleaners, let me use his book and phone to find this motel.
I asked the lady in the motel office if I got a AAA discount – no, but since I biked here, she gave me the trucker’s discount. $24 instead of $30.
I think I’ll be home in about a week. There are some very tough hills east of Brunswick – I hit 47.5 mph down one.
August 11 (Day 45): Salem OH to Robinson PA
70.8 miles
12.2 mph avg
11:35 pm EDT
Pennsylvania at last! Eleven states, one to go. I picked excellent roads today, good surfaces and little traffic. It is pretty hilly, but merciful since the hills are pretty short.
I’m staying with Dave and Karen Wilk, actually in Robinson Township, PA (near the airport). What a fantastic dinner tonight! Steak, spuds, corn, rolls and sherbet.
My mood is quite good. Only five to six riding days left to home. I’ve come quite a long distance, yet it simultaneously seems short. I’m quite exhausted, so I will continue tomorrow.
(2006) Dave Wilk and I worked together at my first job after college in Tysons Corner VA. We became good friends and keep in contact to this day. I try to visit him and his wife, Karen, every year on my way home from the Michigan 24-Hour Challenge bike ride. Of all the people I visited on this trip, their hospitality was the best (considering the competition, that is quite a feat I think).
August 12 (Day 46): Robinson PA (rest day)
11:55 pm EDT
Food. Lots of it. I want it all. We went out this morning and I did three helpings of the all-you-can-eat buffet. Skipped lunch, then did in tons of pasta and rolls at dinner, then ice cream at the Dairy Queen.
We saw a good movie at the theater, “When Harry Met Sally”. It’s about a man and a woman who are friends and fall in love. I was reminded of Vicki and me. Well, not all of it.
It looks like four more days of riding – to Johnstown, to somewhere, to Gettysburg, and then home. I’m staying one more day; I’ll cycle on Monday.
Dave and Karen are really spoiling me. It’s really great and I’m enjoying it, but I feel a little self-conscious about it. They have a nice cozy home at the top of a hill – they’ve put a lot of work into it.
I can’t believe I’m so close to home. Such a good feeling, I want to savor it.
August 13 (Day 47): Robinson PA
8:30 pm EDT
The Race Across America started today.
The following is on a magnet in the kitchen. I usually think these things are tacky, but not this one.
Don’t Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit –
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a person turns about
When they might have won had they stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the race seems slow –
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out –
So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
August 14 (Day 48): Freeport PA to Johnstown PA
91.3 miles
12.4 mph avg
11:35 pm EDT
Ah! The curse upon the right side of my body continues. Tonight, I twisted my ankle in the dark behind the house (burned-out light bulb). I have a feeling I won’t be able to ride tomorrow – in fact, this may be the end of this ride. If so, it’s really going to piss me off – to go all this way just to have this happen.
Very hilly ride today – a lot of climbs. I was either doing 4 or 24. Pretty good roads, though.
If I can’t ride tomorrow, I’ll try Wednesday. If not, then I want Vicki to get me in the car. I grow more tired of traveling every day.
I met some nice people in a bar in Homer City – they gave me pretzels and Gatorade. Dave drove me to Freeport to start the ride. Left the house at 7 am, started riding at 9 am. I have only one more word (pertaining to my ankle): Shit!
August 15 (Day 49): Johnstown PA
9:40 pm EDT
This cross-country trip ends here. I have something that could be described as not a break, but more than a sprain. Anyway, it hurts. I’m told I’ll need to stay off it for 5-7 days. Shit! This is not at all as I had envisioned.
I want no big celebration. A little one is okay. The journey will be incomplete until I come back in the fall and finish it. Maybe I can get Brad, Hugh or Tim to accompany me.
I have mixed feelings – I’m angry that this happened; I’m sad; I’m depressed; I’m glad I made it this far in once piece (lucky, actually); I’m pissed that I’ve gone all this way, only to have this happen with three days to go.
I will, at least, have the option of completing the trip in better weather. Now, it is sticky, humid, warm with a good chance of thundershowers every night.
I’m staying with the Corcorans again tonight. Roger Corcoran has to go to Bethesda tomorrow, so I’ll get a ride home with him.
These should be healed by fall: my abrasions from the crash a couple of weeks ago; my sore right ribs; my tender left knee; my achy right shoulder; my sore right thumb (the crash); and last but not least, my right ankle.
So, the emergency room count is two. I’ll be home tomorrow, and of that I’m very glad.
