Lancaster, PA

We didn't leave the motel at Hunt Valley until noon. We made a stop at the post office so Hap could get some things mailed off. Then we rode to the North Central rail/trail that we had heard about. It wasn't paved but we were hoping that it was packed down enough for us to ride on. We were also hoping that we could ride on the trail long enough to get away from some of the traffic. Hunt Valley is just off of I - 83, north of Baltimore. A very high traffic area. We found the trail and headed north. This trail runs north all the way to the Pennsylvania border. We were thinking that we would get off of it where it connected with the Adventure Cycling route that we have been following up the east coast. But when we got to that point we found it so nice to ride without having to worry about traffic that we just stayed on the trail. The weather was beautiful finally! It was in the 70's and sunny. We ran into lots of cyclists, joggers and walkers. A couple of cyclists rode along with us for awhile. We saw an interesting sight on the trail. There were some very large trees that some industrious eager beavers were busily eating through. See the pictures above. I think I'm very glad that the beavers weren't around. They must have very large teeth! We crossed into Pennsylvania on the trail at the Mason/Dixon Line. When we got to the town of New Freedom we stopped for ice cream and debated on whether we should continue on to Lancaster or find a place to camp. We ended up riding back down the trail about 3 miles to a campground. The campground wasn't on the trail. It was in Freeland, MD. We had to climb a mile and a half up a steep hill to get to it. On the way we passed a large buffalo farm. At the campground they charged us $28 for a site with no water or electric. Somehow that seems so unreasonable. But what can you do? I guess I won't complain about a hot shower and a picnic table! We set up camp, cooked our pasta, salmon and green beans for supper. See picture above. Then watched a movie on the computer. Or should I say Hap watched a movie....I watched the inside of my eyelids.

It was an overcast morning when we left. We rode back to New Freedom for breakfast. Actually it was lunch since it was 11:30A. There's nothing wrong with hamburgers for breakfast is there? We decided to stay on the trail heading towards York, PA. then getting off the trail to Lancaster. We had a flat front tire so Hap went ahead and put a new tire on while changing it. This is the third tire on the front and we are on the sixth rear tire. That's great tire wear for a ride like this. We have been very happy with the tires that Hap picked when we left. When we got off the trail we ran into another cyclist who helped us with directions. Have you ever noticed how easy people make directions seem. We were able to follow the first four turns...it was the last few that caused the problem. We got all turned around. As we were stopped looking at the map (again) a lady pulled up and asked if we needed help. We told her we wanted to get to Rt 462 headed to Lancaster. Here is what she said "well, if you go right you can go to Rt 24 to get something to eat, because you are probably hungry, there's a pizza place down on the corner, and if you need something to drink there's a .......... so do you want to follow me?" We thanked her for the directions and took a chance and followed the sun! We got to another crossroads and another guy in a car stopped. We asked how to get to Rt 462 and he said "go to the T, turn left and it's right there". See we did know where we were! We got on Rt 462 toward Lancaster and found a very nice shoulder to ride on AND lots of cyclists on the road. That's always reassuring. We made one ice cream stop before we got to Lancaster. Riding through Lancaster wasnt' bad at all. Then we had to find our friend Fred's house. We asked a lady where Landis road was. She said go one mile and it's the next road. By the time we got to Fred's house it was starting to get dark. But we made it. It was great to see Fred. We plan to spend a couple of days here and then make our last left turn towards Ohio.

Hunt Valley, Maryland

The morning we left Fredericksburg was in the pouring rain. Temps were in the 50's. It was a good day to be a duck! Today was the first day of the entire trip that we have had to break out our gortex socks and gloves. So I guess we shouldn't complain about a little rain. Leaving the hotel the first few miles were on a very busy road. Thank goodness it was four lanes for the part we were on. Once we turned off the main route, we were on some nice low traffic roads. The rain stayed with us most of the day. It didn't seem too bad though. We just didn't stop much today so we stayed warm. The terrain is becoming more rolling hills. Guess its time to get our climbing legs in gear again. We ate on the fly today. I guess its called grazing. Our plan was to stay as close to Mt Vernon as we could so that we could visit Mt Vernon tomorrow. In order to get to the motel we had to cross an interchange for I-95. That was exciting. I don't think any of the drivers had a sense of humor at all. But we made it, AND I don't wanna do it again! We got to the motel, did some laundry and cooked some soup and salad for dinner. All of that and it was STILL raining!

When we left the motel the next morning we had one goal for the day! Stay off of Rt 1. When we did a tour several years ago from Ohio to Va Beach, we had ridden to Wash. DC, Mt Vernon and then got on Rt 1. That was really scary. We knew that wasn't a good idea. Today we ended up doing a big loop around Rt 1, going through Fort Belvoir on the way to Mt Vernon. Hap took his officer's basic training there (a couple of year's ago......). Oh, I forgot to tell you. It was raining and in the 50's again when we left the motel. Oh well, that's bike touring. What can ya do? Going through the Fort was interesting. I think everyone else decided to drive through at the same time that we did. Wonder why THEY didn't go drive on Rt 1? We finally got to Mt Vernon and took the tour. What a fascinating place! We left Mt Vernon, heading to Alexandria on the Mt Vernon bike trail. The trail runs along the Potomac River. It would've been prettier had it been sunny instead of rainy and overcast. In Alexandria we planned to stay with Jim and Kim from the tandem club. They had a beautiful 200 year old home in Old Alexandria. We walked a few blocks to an italian restaurant for dinner. Great food!

Jim decided to be our tour guide to Washington on the bike trail. Sort of a bike GPS! He had also contacted another tandem couple who was going to meet us and help us get to the Capital Crescent bike trail that went north out of Washington. It was cold again, in the 40's, but at least it wasn't raining! We rode passed the airport and across the 14th street bridge. The cherry blossums were blooming and were beautiful. Washington is actually a great city to see by bicycle. This is the third time we have ridden into Washington. We met up with Gabe and Diana and Jim headed home. Gabe and Diana gave us a short tour of a few monuments before showing us how to get on the trail. As it turned out they live north of the city just off the bike trail and invited us to spend the night. So we made plans to meet them further north. We stopped in Bethesda for some mexican food for lunch. Diana and Thunder rode out and met us on her trike (see picture above) and once again we had a guided tour. We could get used to this! Gabe and Diana took us out for chinese food. Oh, I almost forgot today we entered our 24th state!

This morning we left on the Rock Creek bike trail and headed north towards Baltimore, MD. It was in the 50's and NOT raining. It is supposed to warm up finally. We'll see! The sun did come out briefly in the afternoon. When we got off the trail the terrain was rolling hills again. We had a good ride today. More traffic than we had in southern VA. We stopped for lunch and had some great sandwiches. As we were riding I noticed that my pedal or crank seemed to be getting loose. So we stopped and Hap tightened up my crank. Towards late afternoon the roads really got busier. The last five miles of the day were just ridiculous. We kept pulling over to let people go by. There were no shoulders and traffic was backed up going both directions. But we made it to Hunt Valley. I called the hotel to get directions and the lady asked me where we were. When I told her she said, "Oh, you need to turn around and go back......." What? I'm NOT going back there! We finally figured out she was wrong and we just needed to keep going forward. But the main thing was to get off the road. When we got in the room we both shut the door and said, "now they can't get us!" We walked down to the grocery for our dinner. Our plan now is to ride to Lancaster, PA before turning west to Ohio and home. Later....

Fredericksburg, VA

At the motel in Sandston Hap discovered that somewhere along the way we had broken a rear spoke. We aren't sure how long it had been broken. Usually its pretty obvious when one breaks. Hap spent some time replacing it. This is the first broken spoke we have had the entire trip. On past trips we have broken alot of them so we were prepared. Hap's a gotten very good at fixing them over the years. So it didn't take him long. For dinner we walked across the parking lot to a place called "Soul Food". It was an interesting restaurant. You paid by the pound for buffet food. $5.49/pound. The food was ok.

We left Sandston and planned to skirt around the northeast corner of Richmond. We found a nice four lane road that was great for riding on until we found some road construction. After all the traveling on the bike, it is interesting to see how people/cars react to our bike in traffic. Being on the back of the tandem I can really watch what is going on. Afterall I have to protect our "assets"! One lady drove right up behind us, we were on a 4 lane section, and she had a clear passing lane to move into. But she just stayed on our wheel. Finally she had both lanes of traffic lined up behind her. Eventually she passed us, BUT she kept all four of her wheels on our side of the right lane. Interesting?? Before leaving Richmond we stopped for some sandwiches. Once we got out of town we were on nice low traffic roads again. There wasn't much traffic at all. When we left the hotel it was about 60 degrees and threatening rain. By the time we left Richmond the temps were dropping, eventually down to the 40's and it started to rain very hard. We spent the rest of the day riding in the rain. We were heading for a little town called Beaverdam where a friend of ours lived, Charlotte. The terrain changed today. We are finding more rolling hills. It was a beautiful place to ride. We arrived in the town of Beaverdam and called Charlotte. She said her house was another 4 miles down the road. So off we went again in the rain. When we arrived Charlotte welcomed us with some great hot coffee and a warm, dry house. Thanks Charlotte! She also cooked us a great meal of homemade stew and biscuits. Mmmmm.....

Since the weather was supposed to be bad again the next day we decided to take a day off and spend it with Charlotte and Boo Boo. Ok so we are getting our dog fix again as you can see in the picture above. Charlotte cooked us breakfast and then showed us the sights around town. We stopped by the post office to mail off the maps and things we don't need anymore. We are on our last set of maps. That's so hard to believe. When we left home last May, I collected all of the maps that we would need for our adventure and put them in a huge plastic tub in our living room. Throughout the year someone has been going by the house, getting the maps we need and mailing them all over the country. Now here we are almost a year later having used most of those maps. Wow! Hard to believe. We went out for chinese food for lunch. Then we stopped by the EMS station that Charlotte works at for a look see. By the time we got home we were all pretty tired and just sat around and talked.

This morning we left Charlotte and Boo Boo heading for Fredericksburg. Once again it was threatening rain, but it was warmer in the 60's. We were expecting rain all day. We had a great ride today. Low traffic roads, some rolling hills and pretty scenic views. We also had more color in the trees and bushes. Maybe spring is finally on its way. It seems like it has been a cold winter. When we arrived in Fredericksburg we were trying to find the Motel 6 that I had made a reservation for. I called the motel and asked the lady for directions. When I asked her how far it was to the hotel she said, "I am not sure by bicycle, but if you drive it is about 5 miles!" I am leaving ya'll with that statement. If you figure that one out let me know. I asked her about it when we got to the motel. "Wouldn't the distance be the same if you were riding a bike or driving a car?" She said, (and I quote) "I don't know, I've never ridden a bicycle.........."

Sandston, (Richmond) VA

On the way out of Suffock we stopped at a grocery store for breakfast. While we were sitting there eating outside the rains came. It rained pretty hard for several minutes and then stopped. This was the theme for the day. The temperature was a balmy 70's. We had a good tailwind all day. We were going off the Adventure Cycling route once again today. We decided to make a stop in Jamestown/Williamsburg area. We saw that a free ferry ran across the James River and there was a campground near the ferry stop. The riding was wonderful again today. Not much traffic and excellent roads. We are using the Delorme Virginia atlas to navigate. We arrived in Surry and made our way to the ferry. When we got off the ferry, for some reason several sheriff and police stopped the traffic from unloading and loading the ferry. Then three sheriffs came running up the road to the ferry. We were far enough away that we couldn't see what happened. As we were walking by another sheriff I asked him what happened and he said that they were probably just looking for someone. So I said, we're they lookin for a couple on a bright yellow tandem. He said yeah so you better get outta here. We rode down the road alittle and found the campground was closed. Mmm.... no problem, I'll just call one of the other 3 that I have numbers for. No answer. OK. No problem, we'll just stop in the Jamestown Visitor Center and see if we can get some info. We went in and asked at the desk if they knew anything about campgrounds. No. There's some literature around the corner she said. We went where she said and found a stack of general brochures on Williamsburg. None of them had anything about camping. We went back outside and I called a couple of hotels that I had found the day before. While we were standing there, several people stopped to talk about our trip. It was fun to share our adventure with them. And also talk about Alpha One. As we were standing there, the rains came! By the time we left they had stopped ... for a minute. It started pouring again as we rode to the hotel. We found it finally after calling a couple of times.

This morning we stopped at a pancake house for great banana pecan pancakes. Then we rode through Williamsburg before leaving town. What an interesting place. Definitely worth a revisit in the future! Once again we became our very own tourist attraction! Today the weather changed to cooler temperatures in the 60's and a headwind. The riding was great again. We followed Rt 5 toward Richmond. It was a little odd though that even though there wasn't much traffic, we had several cars either blow the horn at us, yell out the window, or not move over at all. It didn't make sense especially when there just wasnt' that much traffic. Oh well! This is such a beautiful part of our country. I think I will take this beautiful green countryside over the brown desert, rocks of the southwest! We stopped for a snack beside the road. Our snack today was an apple and peanut butter.

Suffock, Virginia STATE NUMBER 23! 9000 MILES!

In Plymouth we walked down the street to a laundry mat. Hap got another beard trim next door at the Barbershop. It sure seemed hot today. It was in the 80's. While we were walking back we found a chicken dinner fundraiser. Hap walked back later and picked up a dinner for us.

When we left Plymouth in the morning we were surprised by a sudden drop in temps! It was 40's and the wind was fierce from the north. We got maybe a mile and decided to put on our tights and another layer. Big change from yesterday! The roads were once again super for cycling! We got alittle confused at one intersection that said "Bicycle Route Port of Call Detour" and it sent us the wrong direction. One trick I have learned over the years, is when you are cycling through a state, if you check with the Dept of Transportation of that state usually they have suggested routes for cycling on. Most states have a State Bicycle Coordinator that can help you with questions. In my looking at North Carolina I came across the Port of Call Route that they were talking about. So we figured that wasnt' the same route we were on, since we are generally following the Adventure Cycling route up the east coast. We continued through the detour sign and found we were on the right path. Just before crossing the Abelemeyer Sound we stopped at a little store for a snack. It was at this point that it started to rain. We knew that we had a 5 mile bridge across the sound. We were alittle concerned about crosswinds, and trying to negotiate the 2 lane bridge in traffic. But it turned out to be not so bad. Not much traffic and the wind wasn't that bad either. After crossing the bridge we turned onto a side road that took us into Edenton, NC. What a pretty town! As we were riding we saw a Kiwanas Fish Fry and decided to stop and eat again. Hey we had to support the town didn't we? The food was excellent and the people doing the cooking were fun to talk to. After a while though it started to spit rain again so we decided to find a hotel and get in a hot shower. We checked into the Super 8, took a hot soak, and then started eating again! It was nice to be out of the rain!

The next day it was still raining and in the 40's so we decided to stay another day. We got up and walked to the Edenton UMC that was just down the street. We met Bill and Gail at church who were kind enough to take us to the grocery store after church and then back to the hotel. We bought lunch and dinner supplies. Most of the rest of the day we spent relaxing and going through our extra maps and stuff. We are going to mail home some things that we don't need anymore since we are on our last leg of the journey. We also got a call from the local newspaper, who did an interview with us about our trip. I think we will definitely be back to Edenton! I wish the weather had cooperated so that we could have seen some of the sights. But we'll be back!

This morning a photographer from the newspaper came by to take a photo of us leaving town. We headed out Rt 32 towards Suffock. It was still overcast but temps had warmed up to the 60's. We road off and on Rt 32 north most of the day. Once again great cycling roads, and low traffic. We are starting to see more farming land. Today wheat and some cotton along with the pine trees. It started to sprinkle when we stopped for a pizza. We had planned to camp tonight but instead will stay in Suffock inside.

We had an interesting experience with a hotel room in Suffock, VA. Another first! Hap called a Days Inn in Suffock and told the guy we were cycling through and asked if he had a room tonight? The guy said, (in a foreign language....I'll let you guess which one.....) bicycle? No, no room..... OK. Later in the day, I called Trip Rewards which is an 800 number that represents several different chains, one happens to be the Days Inn (yes, the same Days Inn). They said the Days Inn in Suffock had rooms. Mmmm... ok...we'll take it. We ride into town, well actually we had a heck of a time getting into town. Couldn't find the road...road on the freeway...don't mind the NO bicyclist signs on the onramp...that's just a guideline. Hey Hap, do you think that sheriff noticed us riding on the freeway? We stopped at three gas stations and asked directions. No one seemed to know anything about where the Days Inn was. We finally found it. When I went in the lady said no, we don't have a reservation for you. I said I called Trip Rewards and made it. She said, well they didn't call me. I am full. I went outside and called Trip Rewards. They assured me that we did have a reservation. I said can you call the hotel and talk to them. Trip rewards put me on hold and called the hotel. After speaking with the lady at the hotel. She said I should file a complaint with Trip Rewards. I'll transfer you. No, I just want a room. I will call back for that. When I went back in the lady discovered that she did have a smoking room on the second floor but we couldn't take our bike up because we would get the carpet dirty and besides we had a heavy bike............?? OK, I'll let you guys figure that statement out. We went outside, called another hotel and got ready to leave. Now, the lady comes running out the door. She said I called a lady and she isn't coming. So I do have a room. I couldn't give it to you because I would get in trouble with her. Well, now your in trouble with me cause I also had a reservation. Never mind we don't want a room, we found another. Thanks! After all that we saved $10 by staying at the other hotel. The moral to the story?? I'm not sure yet. But I will figure it out! I wanted to ask her if every person on her list of "reservations" had personally called and made the reservation with her? They must have because she didn't seem to know what the internet or online reservation was. Oh well, we had a big chuckle out of it. And the funny part......it was still raining when we road across town looking for the other hotel!

Plymouth, NC

We ate breakfast in the room at the Days Inn in Jacksonville. The room had a jacuzzi so Mr. Shingles took advantage of a morning soak beofre we left. There was quite a bit of traffic on US 17 through Jacksonville. Luckily we followed the Adventure Cycling route and was able to get on side streets away from the traffic. The weather is beautiful. Sunny and 70's. All of the riding today was on low volume side roads through rural North Carolina. It was beautiful. Lots of pine forests and a few farms starting to pop up. The forests reminded me of riding in Tar Hollow and Scioto Trails near our home in Ohio, but without the hills. Maybe we are getting close to home? We stopped for sandwiches at a little store for lunch. As we were sitting beside the store, all of a sudden a rooster crowed right behind us! Scared us to death! It was pretty funny. Wonder why he was crowing at 1:00pm? We arrived at New Bern on the Nuese River and where we thought we were going to cross the river the road was closed. We called the KOA and found that they were actually in Bridgton which was on the other side of the Nuese River. The lady said just come down US 17 you can't miss it! I hate it when they say "you can't miss it" The bridge over the river was really something. It was almost like 2 or 3 bridges coming together in the middle of the huge river. And of course all of them merged from 3 lanes down to 2 with no berm. It wasn't bad though everyone seemed to move over for us. Once on the other side US 17 divided off of another major route so we had to negotiate a busy interchange. After that we had our 2 miles on US 17. Now the cars and trucks weren't so happy. By the time we got to our turn, a car zipped up beside us, turned on his windshield wipers and finally went around. Hey Hap is it raining? The KOA was very nice. We set up camp and I went to do the laundry while Hap cooked. Beans, rice and green beans for supper. Thanks Hap!

The next morning we stopped at a restaurant for breakfast. As it turned out, if we had ridden into town on the way to the KOA yesterday we wouldn't have had to ride on US 17. Once again the Adventure Cycling route we are following is on low volume backroads that are just great. We stopped and watched some lumbertrucks picking up trees. Who knew there was so much tree cutting being done in North Carolina? It is so nice not to have to keep watching for traffic. And it is so nice to have some piece and quiet while riding. We couldn't find a campground on the AC route so we opted to go into Chocowinity, NC to camp. On the way to the campground we stopped for dinner stuff at the grocery store. A lady came over to us, introduced herself and said "how would you like to buy some auto insurance?" What? "We don't have a car? "No, problem, you can still use it. They pay you if you are in an accident" Now she had my attention. "So what's the difference between this and my car insurance?" "Well, they pay you $10,000 if you die!" Ok, that's enough. She finished by saying "You can sign up anywhere, so if you are interested here is my number and I will come wherever you are and sign you up!" OK, so we're going to call her from every state before we get back to Ohio! Twin Lakes Campground was very nice. We cooked stir fry broccoli and caulifower for supper with rice. For entertainment we watched a DVD on the computer. It was a good night.

This morning we fixed oatmeal for breakfast before heading out. It was even warmer today, in the 80's. We also had a wonderful tailwind. The route was again backroads with little or no traffic. What a joy! This is what riding is all about. We stopped in Pineville NC at a church for lunch. We had our very own smorgesborg. We rode into Plymouth expecting to go another 8 miles or so to a B & B that we had found on the internet. But when we arrived in town we decided to check out the hotels. There were no campgrounds around. We stopped at Wendy's for a Frosty before checking into the Plymouth Inn. We had to walk down the street to do the laundry and Hap also got a beard trim. On the way back we stopped at the store for a barley soda.

The last three days of riding have been some of the best riding we have had in awhile. I think on this trip it is easy to get into the mode of just riding. Sometimes you just need that little nudge to remind you why you love doing what your doing. Thanks Lord for the reminder.

Here is the latest picture of Mr. Shingle. As you can see the spots are clearing up nicely. The three spots on the right are the original three that appeared. I have finished taking all of the anti viral meds. I am still having some pain in the area but it is for sure better than last week.

Jacksonville, NC

We had a wonderful stay with Gayle and Larry in Wilmington. They sure went out of their way to take care of us. We felt right at home. It was such a blessing to have a couple of days to spend in a real home. My shingles thanks you! We sure had some great food while we were there. Larry cooked breakfasts of sausage gravy and biscuits because she had seen on the blog that I was missing my mom's. He also fixed some fantastic sweet potato pancakes that we had never had. Yesterday, they loaned us their car and we drove down to Caroline Beach to pick up two mailings. One of them is our last set of maps for the trip. It is so hard to believe that this adventure is down to a few maps. We can hardly wait to see what happens in our remaining time!

Gayle arranged for a Fox and local NBC news came over and taped an interview and of us riding for Alpha One. Cystic Fibrosis is a lung disease many people have heard of, but Alpha One Antitrypsin Deficiency is a disease that is less understood. You can check out the story at :

http://www.wect.com/global/story.asp?s=8065636

We left their house this morning after the taping and it was hard to leave! Larry and Gayle drove out with us. Gayle sitting in the back videotaping our departure. We have a date though! A year from now we are all going to meet somewhere and they will be riding with us! We cannot wait! Thank you guys so much for all you did.

Today's ride was beautiful. We left Wilmington, NC on Rt 133. We thought it wouldn't be so busy because it paralleled I-40. It was a little busy but not bad. The biggest news for today was the sunny, but cooler weather. Perfect for cycling. When we got to Burgaw we turned east on Rt 53 toward Jacksonville. There was less traffic but there were several big logging trucks. We stopped for a snack at a Hardees. Traffic really picked up in Jacksonville. As we were coming into town, there were two big trucks behind us. The first passed just fine. The second, I don't think planned to slow down or move over, so I put my hand out to hopefully let him know we were there. Finally he slowed but as he went by the car coming toward us had to run completely off the road! Then the two trucks got stopped at a light and we passed both of them just up the road! I don't know, doesn't make sense to me!

A Shingles update: The rash is much improved, the pain is lessoning but still in the "I'm not havin any fun and I don't like this category". We plan to take things day to day and just go by how I feel. So we'll see. Would I be dissappointed if we couldn't finish this thing? Of course but my health is first, so we'll just leave it in God's hands and see what happens!

Wilmington, North Carolina

We left Murrells Inlet on a beautiful sunny morning. It turned out to be a warm, 72 degree day with a great tailwind! We at breakfast in the hotel room. So breakfast was leftovers....peanut butter and tortilla, jello and fruit, protein powder, and gatorade. Now that's a...well, not real sure what that is..... We new this day would be one filled with lots of traffic on US 17 that we were riding following most of the day. And yes it was. We rode all day through the beaches area of Myrtle beach and North Myrtle beach. On spring break. We didn't factor this into our trip when we left home. We have been following the adventure cycling map (sort of) as we have come up the east coast. Because of our little "detour" into Georgetown for the little "stayover" (who knew?) we had to ride on US 17 to go north or go out of our way back to the original route. We have been talking with another tandem couple, Jeff and Louise, who are also cycling the east coast via cell phone. Hap ran into them when they were checking out of the hotel we were in at Georgetown. Hap said hi you must be the tandem couple who started in Key West? How did he know? Well, about a week or so ago we stopped for breakfast in the town of Midway, GA and the owner said a tandem couple had been there a few days before and we're traveling north up the coast from Key West. We just happened to be in the same hotel a week (or however long it was) later. Since they we're leaving they exchanged phone numbers. They are also riding north up US 17. US 17 is the main thoroughfare for coast traffic on the east coast. Not our choise for cycling on but that's where we are now! For the two days that I was laid up (or on my side!) Hap talked via phone to them about the route and they also stayed in the hotel we stayed in at Murrells Inlet. Thanks guys! As we were leaving Murrels Inlet we called and they had stayed about 10 miles north of where we were. We talked frequently on the phone and they told us a great route that they were following trying to stay off US 17 as much as possible. Sort of a Tandem / GPS! We finally met up with them, I think in North Myrtle Beach (not sure though). All I know is there was lots of traffic, going somewhere, in a hurry! We ate lunch with them and rode together for awhile. We had quite a time negotiating the traffic and detouring off of US 17 as we could. I wonder if the drivers appreciate the fact that we probably added 15 miles or so to our day but zig zagging? Probably not, but I am sure they got to the beach or bungee jumping or ziplining or eating or who cares, in time........for what?

We left Jeff and Louise as they stopped for the night and kept going north. Our plan for the day was to ride as close to Wilmington, NC as we could get. And to make sure that I was ok. We had an incredible tailwind. It made the day pretty easy. I think that the shingles are alittle better but certainly not clear yet. Our friends Gayle and Larry invited us to spend a few days with them in Wilmington recuperating and to go to Easter Sunday service with them. Thank you Lord. His timing is great isn't it? As we rode we talked to Gayle about our progress. They were going to come and pick us up after Larry got off at 6pm. Oh, I forgot to tell you we crossed into another state, N. Carolina. Number 22! At 5pm we arrived in Shallotte, NC. It was another 8 miles to Supply, NC so we called Gayle and said we would meet them in Supply. As we left Shallotte we did ONE map check (Rule #2,349: Please check the map a minimum of two times. Said reading must be witnessed by both Eaton's or a substitute is allowable). We happily leave town thinking we follow one road all the way and as we are riding. I said where is all this traffic going? The road doesn't really go anywhere? Finally, a certain someone (no names but remember I 'm not driving!) pulls over to look at the map. Mmmm..... (uh oh, I hate it when he does that!) We were supposed to turn about a mile back. Where does this road go? Oh, HOLDEN BEACH! And it's the only route to the beach...no wonder! We turned back and found the best riding of the day. Finally a small country road with no traffic. It was great. We went into Hardees at Supply, called Gayle and planned to meet them. They came bringing, a truck, a car AND FOOD! Gayle had made crab cakes (still warm!), shrimp (still chilled), cole slaw, bananas, and brownies (Still warm!--bonus points for warm brownies). It was getting dark so we sat inside the car and ate. They drove us to their house, where we had a great place to stay, AND a warm oatmeal bath for Mr. Shingle, sir. (I think I need to call him sir, cause I don't want to make him mad again). It was a great day.

As we rode I was thinking about our route, the traffic and wondering why, if we don't really like the beaches, or the traffic, why are we always riding IN the traffic, BY the ocean? I think the next lap do around the US, we are going to take a smaller loop and stay off the coasts. That way everyone can drive to the beach and no one will be in the best place, THE MOUNTAINS!

We are going to stay another day here in Wilmington, see how I feel, pick up mail and maps tomorrow and go from there. So until next time. Happy Easter. HE LIVES!

Murrells Inlet, SC

We had a great ride on a beautiful sunny day into Andrews. The route was great with not much traffic. We rode through a National Forest with lots of pine trees. We stopped for a juice break about mid day for lunch. It was one of those perfect cycling days. We even had a tailwind! We arrived in Andrews with a storm on our heels. There were no campgrounds so we stayed at the Colonial Inn. The only hotel. We rode over to the grocery store for dinner supplies after checking in. We also checked out a few churches for church the next day.

Now the story of where we have been all this week really starts! As you can see everything was fine on Saturday's ride into Andrews. Sat. afternoon I thought I noticed alittle tightness in my left hamstring but nothing really unusual. Sunday morning when I woke up, my left buttock was extremely sore. It was so sore that it was difficult to walk. We decided to take the day off thinking that this was my typical back pain issue that I've had for quite awhile. We also noticed that I had three what looked like "bug bites" on my left gluteus maximus (look it up!!). Mmmm....maybe they are spider bites? So Hap spent some time "googling" spider bites. We had camped out a few nights before so maybe I got bit? All day long I spent in bed as the pain kept getting worse. We were in Andrews, SC which was about 20 miles from the closest hospital. We weren't sure what to do. I hated to call 911 to get a ride to the hospital because I kept thinking someone who is having a heart attack might need the ambulence at the same time. We decided to call one of the local churches to see if there was anything they could help us out. Rev. Stockton and another pastor came over to the motel. They prayed for me and annoited me with oil which was such a blessing to us. It's alittle scary sometime when you are just "out there" and aren't sure what to do. They also suggested that we call 911. After they left I just tried to go to sleep hoping the pain would somehow get better. Well it didn't and by about 4am, I just told Hap to call 911. The ambulence ride was about 30 minutes or so. It seemed like forever to me. When the doctor came in the first thing we talked about was my back problems. I know that I have several bulging discs and my first instinct is to consider the possiblity that I have "blown out a disc". Which would be a disaster. But when Hap mentioned the "bug bites", and the doctor looked at them for about 3 seconds and said, "You have the shingles". I couldn't believe it. On the one hand I was happy(I am not sure I should use the word HAPPY about anything this week!) he was sure it wasn't my back. But on the other hand shingles can be very painful. Ouch! The treatment for shingles? Steroids, Anti viral, and pain meds. Then we had another little problem We are in a hospital 30 miles from our hotel and our bike, no transportation, and no place to stay? Hap ended up renting a van, Enterprise car rental picked him up at the hospital, he came back, picked me up, dropped me at the hotel (that he had found sometime?), picked up prescriptions for me and then rushed back to Andrews to get our bike and gear. He was a very busy boy!

All this week we have been staying at the Jameson Inn in Georgetown, SC. The pain has gradually decreased all week. Yesterday we took a short ride in town just to see how I would feel riding. It wasn't too bad so we decided to move forward tomorrow.

Today we rode a short 20 mile ride to Murrells Inlet. It was a pretty day to ride. We rode alot on US 17 so there was alot of traffic. But the ride went well so I think we feel comfortable with continuing the ride. I wasn't so sure a couple of days ago.

Just in case you have never heard of shingles. Here is some info for you. Shingles is a virus that is caused by the chicken pox virus. It occurs in people who have had chicken pox. For some reason the virus "hibernates" in your nerves and comes out for various reasons. The symptoms? A blistering rash (sooo that's what those bug bites were), usually following a nerve tract, severe pain, tingling or tightness. There is a vaccine for shingles on the market now. I think I am going to do alittle more research on that when we get back home.

Moncks Corner, SC

We have now been through or at least been in 21 states on this little bike ride. And we passed the 8500 mile mark today. We spent a couple of days with Hap's ol' boss from RCA, Nick and his wife, Phyllis. We had a wonderful two days of resting, relaxing and eating some great food. Hap "helped" Nick with a few projects around the house. As you can see by the picture above Nick is "supervising" Hap. Just like the old days. Nick and Phyllis live in Sun City which is really the size of a small city. We were surprised by the amount of traffic and people. Nick took us down to the salt water pool (one of four pools at Sun City) and we also got in the hot tub. It was so good to swim laps again. That is one thing that I really miss. The hot tub felt great. We ate at a Golden Corral Buffet that was awesome. The second night we went to the Greek Table and the third night we ate at a chinese/japanese buffet. It would be great to have so many food options at home. Hap and I made a Walmart run for some supplies.

Yesterday morning we left Sun City and rode to Waltersboro. It was a great ride. The temps were in the 70's and sunny. We rode on some really nice low traffic roads. There isn't much berm here but the S. Carolina drivers have seemed to figure out the "how to pass a bicycle concept". Something the Florida and Louisiana drivers haven't. In Waltersboro we camped at Green Acres Campground. It was a nice little campground that reminded me of the campground we used to go to when I was growning up. Everyone was really friendly. Alot of people came over to find out what the heck we were doing. Another couple named Eaton came over to meet us. We set up camp, cooked noodles, salmon and green beans for dinner. And then went to the community building to read and check email on our computer. There was a group in there. The women were knitting and the men were playing cards. Finally one of the men came over to the women's group and announced to his wife "It's 22 minutes and 47 seconds until 9pm and it is time to go to the trailer." That caused alot of laughter especially from his wife!

This morning we packed up and rode to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast. I tried the biscuits and gravy hoping they would be as good as mom's. But they weren't! Guess I'll have to wait until I get home. We had another good ride today on low traffic roads. We are once again following the Adventure Cycling East Coast route. They do try to keep you off of the major highways. It was alittle more overcast today but the temps were still in the 70's. It is supposed to storm tonight so we are thinking of staying at a hotel once we reach Moncks Corner. We got into town about 5pm and found a hotel. We had to walk down the street to get our laundry done. So we just ordered a pizza for dinner. Now we're just headed for bed. Later.

Sun City (Hilton Head), South Carolina

We ate breakfast in the hotel. The big story for the day's ride is the WIND. 20-30 mph with 40 mph gusts from the west. We are heading north and out of Florida finally! Another state down, how many to go? Well, that really depends on how we are getting home. I hope we decide soon....... We hope to stay along the coast as long as possible to hopefully have warmer weather until the spring weather arrives in Ohio! We got on Rt 17 and headed north. It turned out to be a nice road for riding on. We just had to hang on and wait for the wind gusts. It wasn't as bad as we thought it would be though. The temps were cooler in the 50's. But I guess if you consider that Circleville had a foot of snow fall and blizzard conditions we won't complain about having to wear our tights today. We stopped in Yulee FL to pick up our mail. Before we left Florida a carload of kids threw a deck of cards at us. That was a first. Glad it wasn't a bottle because they hit Hap right on the side of his head. Good bye Florida! Before crossing into Georgia on Rt 17. We discovered that we were on an actual bike route. We saw signs that said Georgia Route 95 Bike Route. That's a good sign. We rode to Brunswick for the night. We both were pretty tired after riding in the wind all day. We stopped at a grocery store and got some chicken, green beans and corn for dinner. We had a scare also. I discovered that I didn't have my cell phone. I quickly called the hotel in Jacksonville and they didn't have it. Then Hap remembered that I had put it in my pocket when we went to breakfast and THAT pocket was packed inside the trailer. So we called "the trailer" and sure enough "the trailer" rang.

The next morning we continued on Rt 17 north. The road continued to be a great road for riding. The wind had died down which was nice. Traffic was light too. We stopped for a snack along the road. While we were stopped another cyclist road up. He was a 78 yr old man who said he rides 25 miles every day. I said well you've got a nice road to ride on. He said it is today but you it is really busy during the week (it was sunday). I said oh so you don't ride this road all the time. He said sure I do. I don't care if they do throw stuff at me or yell at me I'm still gonna ride my bike. I guess if you're 78 and still riding you can ride anywhere you want to! We spent the night at the Midway Motel. It was supposed to get down into the 20's. All I have to say about the Midway motel is that the towels had hair on them. Yuch. I showed Hap and he just started to pick the hair off! Hap stop that. Please just go get me some clean towels. For dinner we walked down to Captain Joe's restaurant and had some great seafood and salad bar. I'm not sure going to an all you can eat salad bar is such a good idea for us. We were stuffed!

We left Midway in our usual "early morning" fashion. 11:00am. We stopped for breakfast. Then got back on Rt 17 heading for Savannah. We decided not to ride into Savannah but stay on the outskirts of town. We road out near the airport and stopped at gas station for a snack. While riding we the traffic did it's usual thing when you get near a bigger city. Even though there were four lanes, we're in the right hand lane, left lane is clear, cars would fly up behind us and just sit there. Some day someone will explain this to me. I"m not asking for anything special. Can't they just drive their vehicles? They wouldn't even have to slow down. It's called turn the wheel slightly to the left and keep going. After leaving Savannah we went through the Savannah Wildlife Refuge. It was pretty. But it went right by a big factory. And that means big trucks. But they were all pretty good and gave us room. Not too bad. The only really bad traffic we found today was when we were just a few miles from Sun City which is just west of Hilton Head. On Rt 170 there was no shoulder and lots of very important drivers. I know they were important because them getting to wherever they were going was much more important than us surving riding on the road. But we made it. Oh and when we were just getting ready to merge onto Rt 278 with alot of traffic, a van pulled up next to us and a guy leaned out the window and started asking us questions about where we are going etc. Uh, would you mind if we pull over to have this conversation? Finally the van went on and we managed to get to Sun City in one piece. We arrived at Nick and Phyllis's house. Hap and Nick worked together at RCA in Circleville. It is so good to see them again. We plan to spend a couple of days here before heading north.

Jacksonville, Florida

We rode to a cafe for breakfast before leaving the town of Hawthorne. It was alot cooler than it had been. It was clear down in the 60's! Brrr.... Yes, we have been watching the weather back home in Ohio! In Hawthorne we decided to take Rt 20 instead of following the Adventure Cycling Route. As it turned out Rt 20 seemed to be a nice route. There was alittle traffic on it but nothing too bad. We stopped for lunch at Palatka. Traffic picked up as we moved closer to the big city! We debated on which route to take into St Augustine. While we were at lunch we called four different campgrounds. Two of them were full and the other two wanted $45 to camp! I don't think so. We called a hotel and found one for $49. I think it was a better deal! We took Rt 207 into St Augustine. It was a nice wide four lane highway with a really nice berm and not much traffic. We saw a couple of cyclists that were riding. They pulled over and stopped right beside of us. We said hello and they sort of said hi and then turned away. Mmm..... Hap do I stink?? Riding into St Augustine was alot better than we anticipated. We had ridden through there a couple of times before and didn't have fond memories of it. We only got tooted at a few times and maybe one yell at so I think that is a pretty good ratio. When we checked into our hotel, I got the laundry done while Hap did some bike maintance. He put on a new back tire, tightened up some nuts and bolts and lubed a pedal. We have been hearing a creaking noise for awhile and we can't seem to find it. Doesn't that just drive you crazy? Maybe it's the OLD bodies starting to creak? I'm not sure that WD 40 will help! For dinner we walked next door to IHOP.

We ate oatmeal and fruit in the room for breakfast and then started our left turn north. The day was beautiful. Sunny! 70's. We had a headwind but it wasn't so bad. We rode up A1A along the shore all day. It was really pretty. We stopped for a snack on the beach. While we were stopped mailman George called to go over our mail with Hap. We were going to have him send it to our friends in Hilton Head that we will be visiting in the next week. But first we have mail to pick up in Yulee, FL. As we got into Jacksonville Beach the weather became more cloudy but the temp was still warm. We got alittle lost or should I say I didn't tell Hap where to turn and we went way out of the way and had to turn around so it made for a much more fun ride! And that's what it's all about right! We finally found the right road and headed for the ferry to cross the St Johns River near Jacksonville. On the way to the ferry many drivers passed us alittle too close for comfort. One particular car, which was full of....let's say alot of silver haired people, seemed to make a special effort to see the writing on our bicycle. What was sort of funny depending on who ya talk to was that we were all going to the same place. So when we got to the ferry terminal ALL those cars with ALL that silver hair was sittin and waitin. And to make it even better. When the ferry came they told US to get on the ferry FIRST. So ALL those people had to wait while WE walked onto the ferry! I call that BLIND JUSTICE! The man who was directing traffic getting cars on and off was a character. When he walked off the ferry he looked at our bike and started talkin very fast....we couldn't understand a word he said. What we heard was ....bike.....long.....must..be.....on..first....go.... WHAT!?

When we got off the ferry we stopped at a gas station for some dinner supplies. What can you buy at a gas station for dinner? OK here's my healthy tip of the day. We already had rice and a can of chicken. So we bought a can of green beans (yes, they have them at gas stions check it out!), a beer, powerade and some chips. There ya go. Dinner! Hap refilled our fuel bottles for our stove with unleaded gas. The lady at the gas station said that was the least amount of gas that she had ever had. It was .76 cents! We had about a mile to ride to Hugeonot Memorial Park. Now they had campsites for $7 bucks. Now we're talkin. And that included the shower. It was pretty late so we quickly set up the tent and cooked dinner. The bugs came out about that time which speeded up the dinner process! As we were walking to the showers it started raining. So that's why it was getting dark so early. We were in the tent by 7pm because it was dark by then. It was a long night. During the night a storm hit and the wind was just wicked. We had to get out of the tent several times to batten down the hatches. The wind even pulled our stakes out of the ground. I woke up in the morning to Hap saying "We gotta get out of here! There's a bad storm coming. It had been raining all night. He was looking at weather.com on the computer. I think the red stuff is the really bad stuff and that is what was coming. We quickly started packing up. In the middle of that it started to rain again so we jumped back into the tent until it slowed down. Does anyone think this is fun? We stopped at the bathroom before heading out and a couple of people told us that their tents had blown away during the night and they had slept in their car! MMmmmm.... And several motorhomes had packed up and left during the night. MMMmmm....maybe we should be worried?? We had planned to stay along the coast until Fernandina Beach which was 25 miles north. But looking at the Adventure Cycling map we were only 12 miles from the Jacksonville Airport. So we decided to ride to the closer place. Afterall it's only 12 miles. That's nothing. Never mind the howling winds, or the pouring rain....we're tough....we love this stuff..... As we were riding I was debating whether I would rather be doing this ride today or be at work! I never reached a conclusion because we were really moving along and I couldn't breathe. And of course there was the several turns that we missed. That helped the plan also. We finally got within striking distance of the airport and stopped at a gas station to get directions and call some hotels. We have found if you call first you can get a better rate. The manager in the gas station was so helpful. She called a hotel for us and even said she would take us. Oh and a guy walked in and said you guys better be getting somewhere it is going to get worse in about 30 minutes. We only had a mile or so to go so we thanked her for the help and went out into a downpour. I hate it when my feet get wet! When we got to the hotel we were drenched and everything we had was also. When Hap opened the trailer there was a big puddle of water in it. We opened everything up and I headed to the laundry room. My brothers and wives called and were heading home from Daytona so they stopped by to say good bye. They left us some left over grilled chicken that was great for supper. Tomorrow we will be leaving Florida and into Georgia. Another state closer to home! Oh yeah, did I mention that the 12 miles was actually 25 miles! A few more miles of fun!

Hawthorne, Florida

We're back! We have had quite a busy week driving all over Florida. We couldn't have planned this week because everything fit together too well. We rented a mini van threw the tandem and gear in and headed to Miami to visit the main offices of Alpha One. It sure seemed like we were moving awfully fast! It was a beautiful sunny 80 degree day. As we were riding we got a call from Alpha telling us that there was a major power outage in Miami, maybe we should consider not coming or staying outside of the city. As it turned out we had been talking with Father Dale and Val from Grace Church in Circleville and they were in West Palm Beach. We arranged to stop and spend some time with them and their daughter, son in law and grandson. We had a wonderful visit. It was such a blessing to see them. We didn't get to see Val, she had the flu. By the time we left West Palm Beach, the power was restored and we drove into Miami. I am not sure we would ever get used to the traffic in Miami. We found out the hardway if you are not moving a split second after the light turns green, someone will let you know! I am really glad we are not on the bike down here! Yiomara, her husband and daughter picked us up at the hotel and we went to a great seafood place for dinner.

The next morning Yiomara and Katie met us for breakfast along with a photographer. We went across the street to the University of Miami to take some neat pictures. When we left Ohio many months ago, on our mission to spread the word about Alpha One we never expected the very warm welcome we received from the whole Alpha One organization. Yiomara brought her bike and rode with us over to the Alpha one offices. It was a mere 3.5 miles BUT we SURVIVED! It was some ride. We rode on and off the sidewalk trying to avoid as much traffic possible. Ha Ha! That was a joke. When we rode up to the Alpha office we were greeted by all the employees standing outside with noise makes, and confetti. Boy we're we surprised! It was awesome. Then they took us inside for an incredible meal and to talk about our trip. We also got to learn about the function of the Alpha Organization. It was a wonderful surprise. What I didn't realize was how much the Alpha organization was a family. We felt like we were part of a big family. We loved it and appreciated it so much. We rode back to the hotel and Yiomara picked us up and we met several of the Alpha group for dinner at a great seafood house. We had raw bar with trays of fresh oysters, stone crabs and shrimp. I had my very first raw oyster and I liked it! We also got to know alot of the people that we have been talking with for the past many months. We left there feeling like we were leaving our family. Thank you Alpha for all that you did for us in Miami! We are looking forward to doing anything we can to spread awareness and help Alpha patients.

We left Miami and drove west toward the gulf coast. We stopped to look at some alligators and neat birds at a sanctuary on the way. In Fort Myers we found a hotel and went to the grocery for dinner stuff.

The next day we spent on Fort Myers beach. We thought we should at least get on one beach while we were in Florida. It was fun for a couple of hours. Then we headed north to Palmetto (by Bradenton) to stay with our friends Chuck and Annmarie that we had seen on their way south. It was som much fun to see them. We had a great time. The first night we went to a chinese buffet. The next day we spent the day on Anna Marie Island. It was a beautiful beach. And it wasn't as "touristy" as the other beach. Chuck let me drive his "sportscar". It is a BMW Z4 convertable. We drove across the big bridge to Tampa. Just as we were coming up to the bridge a Carnival Cruise ship was going under the bridge. That was pretty cool! It didn't look like it was going to fit but it did. When we had 3 clear lanes in front of us, Chuck said "Punch It!" So I gave it alittle gas. He said "no all the way to the floor". So I did! Wow! We took off like a rocket. It was neat. But then I've been traveling along at 15 mph instead of the 95 mph!

On Sunday morning we went to the Baptist church with Chuck, Annmarie and another couple from Ohio. After chuch they had a fish fry so of course we had to eat. What can you do? We didn't want to be rude! Then we relunctantly left them to head to Ocala to meet my brothers and wives at the Ocala Speedway. There came down to race their motorcycles. They race vintage motorcycles. My family has always been into motorcycle racing. My dad raced back in the 60's. They have been coming down to Daytona for Bike week in March since I can remember. In fact the way Hap and I met is Hap sold Mike a motorcycle when Mike decided to go roadracing instead of dirt track racing. They started racing together back in the mid 70's. I sort of tagged along to the races when I could. It was really fun to see them race again. We stayed at the track with them in Jeff and Peggy's RV. So THIS is what "camping" is?

Yesterday we drove back to Gainesville and checked into a motel to repack and get ready for the last leg of our journey. And it has been a journey. I think it is funny when people ask us how we planned for this trip. Believe me there is no way to plan something like this. Like the note at the top of the blog "Everyday is an adventure and God is always there". Ya never know what will happen next. We spent the day just relaxing at the hotel. Although, I did get a massage and a haircut.

This morning we woke up to a threat of severe storms, so we decided that our fallback plan would be to do a short ride to Hawthorne mostly on the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail. It was a nice trail. We checked into a motel just as the rain came. But we lucked out again. The awful storms they predicted never happened. Just some heavy rain. After the rain we walked down the street and went to the Dollar Store. Ok so now I am worried about me. I realized how excited I was to be able to go "shopping?" At the Dollar Store?? And I was looking at underware?? Anybody else see a problem. And then when we checked out the girl said, "Do you ride bikes?" I thought how does she know that? Is it obvious? Maybe she saw me looking at the underware??? I asked how she knew and she answered "Because your legs look strong!". Oh, ok. Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful clear warm day. We will be riding to St Augustine and the "left ocean" tomorrow for our next left turn. We have one more before reaching Ohio.