Thank yous

I have been home now for a while now. Many friends have asked when I was posting again. I figured it was time. I have to admit that I needed some time to decompress, unwind, relax, or to let things get back to normal.  All though, I am not sure what normal is now that the ride is complete. My legs are still telling me daily that they should be moving more than I am sitting at my desk at work. I don’t need to hit the gym daily, like I was prior to the ride, but I am trying to going about every other day or so.

I have a large pile of scraps of paper on my desk at home. They are all the little notes I made during my ride with names and places and such on them. I have to organize them; they are my thoughts and memories that would have been lost otherwise.  There are many things I want to be sure and put down in writing, to share with anyone that is interested in the ramblings of this crazy old woman.

There are quite a few people I want to make sure I make a special note of, each of them helped me in their own special way.

First must be my daughter Hanna Fleeman. She helped me start the blog and the go fund me page and she was there every time I asked to change either of them. Not to mention she has been one of my biggest cheerleaders and she did the babysitting of Bailey and Maxwell, my two miniature schnauzers. Thank you and I love you!

There is my friend who would go out and slow down, to ride with me during my training period. It was so nice to have the company. You know who you are.

Gene called me everyday, just to see how my ride was going. I looked forward to your calls more every day. Thank you.

On Day three, I stayed with a dear friend in Myrtle Beach SC, Maria Post and her son, Joey. This is where I lightened my load. Bless Maria’s heart! She brought my heavy saddle bags back home to NC for me they were here waiting for me when I got home.

Day Four, I stayed in Charleston with a family friend, college student. She will remain un-named but her bed was heaven and just what I needed on day/night four.

Night Five was in Beaufort SC with the Eubank Family. Thank you Josh and Andrea. Not only did Josh help me adjust my bike seat and get it to quit sliding. It just took more muscle than I have. They also rescued me the next day and brought me a tire pump when I had my third flat. My replacement tube had a different valve stem that the standard ones my previous tubes had and that my pump worked.

When my crank/bearings acted up in Georgia a nice woman named Carol who just happened to be still working when I saw her truck parked in front of the Jessup Mobile Home Accessories, 4161 Savannah Hwy, Jessup GA 31545. She so kindly drove me to the closest and only bike shop, Wilson's Bike Shop 1546 Hwy 84, Blackshear, GA 31516 912.285.8234.  She only asked that I “Pay it forward” someday. I am sure that will not be a problem.

Now the owner of the Bike Shop in Blackshear stayed at the shop late, waiting for me to arrive with my bike. Then he drove me to my hotel in Waycross with the arrangement that he would check out the bike in the morning and give me a call. William L Wilson called me at 9:00 in the morning and surprised me. My bike was ready and I wasn’t!  He was in the parking lot. So I quickly finished packing, checked out and back to the shop we went. He had not only delivered me but fixed the bike, no charge. I was so happy I forgot my sunscreen that morning. It was the only day I did. This was the first and only day I got sunburned. Now I have to tell you about Mr. Wilson, he isn’t just the owner /operator of the only bike shop in the county, he also is on the volunteer fire department and rescue squad and he is the county coroner.  He is just a man of good will and many hats!

About mid-way through my 10th day I met a nice young man named Chris in Chatahoochee, FL at the local DQ. We had lunch and he listened to the story of AllBecauseWeCan.  He lifted my spirits and helped me move on down the road.

April 12th, Roger Williams and the rest of the guys at the Holmes County (FL) Roads Department,  2740 US-90, Bonifay, FL 32425 fixed my second flat that day, before noon mind you, using his own inner tube. and patched both of the tubes for me, before sending me on my way. If it had not been for them I would have quit that day, right there. Their kindness got me through that day and back on the road.

I met several people while I was held up for the rain in the Garden Inn 8500 Pine Forest Rd. Pensacola 32534, The clerk/receptionist that took me to the Walmart Express for foods, The worker that was also staying there who had breakfast with me each day and the businessman who was from Victoria!

Many Thanks, to Pam and Neal O’Hara who not only put me up for the night but put on a beautiful dinner party, with great food and fine company. It is always nice to catch back up with old friends. I love you both.

I was sad to leave Gulfport and Pam and Neal but excited to know I was going to see my sweet nephew, Philip. Had it not been for all the flat tires and rain I would not have been able to see him at all. You see he is in the USMC Reserves and it was his drill weekend. Being two days behind made it so I could see him.  The weather was perfect on this last Sunday of my ride and the wind was at my back. I made amazing speed and time. It helped that I was lucky enough to ride the Tammany Trace and what a beautiful ride it was, plus it helped me make great time!

In Albany, LA, I stopped for a break and a snack. There I met a very nice couple, Joyce & Chris Neal, who offered to put me up for the night if I needed a place to stay.  Their son was fascinated by my bicycle. They gave me their number and told me they had people in TX if I ran into problems.  I did hook up with Philip later that night  and stayed in Baton Rouge.

I stayed on the front porch of a house in the middle of what felt like nowhere TX.  It turned out to be Winnie, TX. It was during a very heavy down pour of a lighting storm.  I had knocked but no one was home but the dogs. I stayed there for what was close to an hour and a half, just waiting on the porch.  I was thankful for the refuge from the storm.  Jaci Harrington doesn’t know it but she was my savior that day.

Of course Tarra and Justin Buchman, Clay's parents, were my support veihicles for my last day. they made it absolutely the best day, fun and exciting!

To Laura Garcia for writing my story and the Advocate’s Editorial Board who actually “got” the whole feeling and purpose of my ride. Thank you so much.

And mostly to Clay, who shows people every day that the bigest reason to do anything, is simply because you can. I love you.

I don't know where I will go from here or what my next big adventure will be. I am sure that I will be hard pressed to top this one. If you come up with any good ideas, please drop me a note. Until then, I may be that crazy old woman sitting on the front porch in the rocker. But I will be thinking about that next big adventure, not just watching the world pass me by.

May the air stay in your tires, the wind be at your back, the sun in the sky, the rain stay in the clouds and the dogs stay in their yards.

Advocate Editoral

I am slowly working on organizing the bits and pieces of information that I jotted down during my ride, on anything I had at hand, into something readable for all of us. But in the mean time back in Texas, I was very please to get the word from Tarra that the Advocate had written an Editorial about me last week. I was even more pleased after I read it, to see that they actually understood me, my drive, my motive. They got the picture.

https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2016/may/05/one-persons-commitment-can-make-a-difference/

Victoria Advocate

I was asked to post the link for the story in the paper. I also realized I did not post any pictures.
Somethings only come as an afterthought.

https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2016/apr/22/grandma-bikes-halfway-across-country/

1604 miles later

Mission Complete

The Big Finish

My time riding in Texas was nothing like I had envisioned it to be.  I am not sure what I had expected it to be. Who knows, cowboys riding horses in the fields with all the cattle and oil wells. Sounds kind of silly doesn't it... I did see lots of cattle and at times had conversations with them when the music being piped into my ears wasn't what I wished to hear.
On Wednesday, I left Orange TX right on schedule, knowing I had a 100 miles to do. I did not want to be late. I was surprised to find the beautiful wide shoulders are covered with white rock. It made my ride feel like I was riding with the brakes on. it was a lot of work. Once I got off the that road I turned into the ranch land. And it was a lot of ranch land that went on and on and on. And then the clouds started to thicken and get darker and darker and then the sprinkles started and there was nothing around. All the drives that went to any out building was chained shut. I was really starting to worry with the first clap of thunder. Then in the distance out of nowhere, near Winnie, a house showed up with a big front porch.
I parked my bike under one of the big trees then ran to the front porch and rang the door bell. No answer. Big clap of thunder and I rang it again. I decided to wait. There were dogs inside the house, barking like crazy. I was very thankful they were inside. I stayed on that porch for nearly and hour and a half waiting for the weather to clear. The house was at an intersection and many people noticed me, but only one asked if I needed help. I just told her I was waiting out the storm. She left. I left my Card for AllBecauseWeCan on the porch so she will have some idea when people ask about it later, well maybe she will.
Having been stopped for so long put me behind for that 1.5 hrs. That made the stress of the rest of the ride that much harder.
I did finally make the ferry at Port Bolivar at 8:45 PM for the 9 pm ferry. Talking to the crew, I let then know about my ride and the blog and that I had started in Orange that morning, they boarded me first and disembarked me first as well. Many of the passengers on the ferry came to talk to me too, during the ride to Galveston. It was a very nice finish to a very long day.
I was thrilled to know going to bed that I didn't have to worry about the weather for the next day, plus I would get to \sleep a little later since Breakfast at The Scottish Inn is not until 7:00 AM.
Thursday wasn't a happy morning for me since I slept a little later, knowing breakfast would be later. But my laundry didn't dry, so I had to use the blow dryer on some important things. Then I turned on the news to find out that, of all things, the weather men were wrong and there is another big storm going to pass through late in the afternoon. (Humpf) I would have started sooner if they had said that last night.
I quickly pack up. Eat instant oatmeal, bad coffee and a banana. I fill my water cups and off I go heading down the coast, praying for a back wind. There is 42 of the 69 miles for the day straight down Galveston beach it could be a tough day.  So off I went knowing I only have 2 more days to ride. Just as quickly as the day before, the clouds came up. but at least this time there were houses and buildings and places I could get out of the weather and not get totally wet. I managed to get to my turning point off the island and stop in at a gas station that conveniently had hot dogs/sausage dogs and corn dogs. I was in heaven for about the first 30 minutes then at 2 hours I was not so happy. I gave up and started back off with just a little drizzle that did stop just down the road. I made 5 miles and the bottom fell out again.  This time I got introduced to Buc-ee. Very nice place to waste another 2 hours.  By now I have talked to Tarra. Very frustrated since she is meeting me in Bay City to start the final leg.
Once again it did stop. This time the sky cleared. it got beautiful and I was able to pump out the miles. We got checked into Bay City and Called it a night. I had had enough of the weather men for awhile.
Tomorrow is another day.
Friday was the perfect day for riding. There was just a light breeze, not a cloud in the sky and sun everywhere. Tarra would ride a few miles ahead, hang her sign out the window then hoot and holler as I rode by. She even managed to get a crowd every now and then. By the end of the day all kinds of people were honking and waving as we passed.
Justin came and met us for lunch and joined the crew. He would stop traffic as he felt necessary
Then the route coincidentally, took me right by Clay's school so the reporter from Victoria's The Advocate, Laura Garcia, met us for an interview and Clay finished the ride in his mothers car.
Today is actually the day after, and my body isn't sure what is it supposed to be doing. My legs are thinking about going on strike after 21 days of continuous circular movement, they don't know what to do with just walking and riding in cars and sitting.
Today, my daughter Tarra,  Clay's mother, took me shopping for clothes to wear for the duration of my stay. Traveling light meant I only brought the bare necessities, 2 changes of riding clothes and sweats to sleep in.  Shopping was a must.
We stopped at the gym where Tarra works out regularly, Citizen's Health Plex. The young lady at the counter asked if I was the woman on the front page of the newspaper. I knew it was on line but was surprised to hear it was in print too. I guess it just made the story more real for me somehow.
I cried.
Of course we went straight to the store and picked up several copies!

nearing the finish line

It's hard to believe this adventure is almost over. Or is this just the beginning of something new? Only time will tell.
I didn't write last night because I didn't get to my stopping point until after 9:45pm. I am sure that everyone has heard about all the rain and flooding in the Houston area, well that trickles down hill so to speak, which puts the waters in the areas of my travels so I have to watch them.
Yesterday, I was stuck on the front porch of a cute little house in the middle of nowhere, TX, for an hour and a half just waiting for a thunderstorm to pass.. Today I was in 2 different gas stations for 2 hours each. that makes the days go long and the nights go short.
The big finish is tomorrow. I will arrive in Victoria. I really doubt that I will post tomorrow. I have grandchildren that will be getting lots of hugs and kisses but I do promise I will tell you more.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Good Night.

Rain and Rain again

It was hard for me to believe that today was the 18th day of my adventure. It has almost come to an end.
It started with light sprinkles this morning. Just enough to wear the jacket but not enough to get wet. I didn't wear it for long. I have finally found the warmth that I have been expecting for my whole trip!
It was a relatively uneventful ride today. The road through western Louisiana is the same as it was in the rest of the state, a rough 3 foot shoulder covered with lots of road debree. The nice part of my ride and the fact that I do ride my recumbent bike is that I see more than just the road, like someone riding a standard road bike. I was able to see the beautiful birds. I saw cardinals, and the most bright beautiful blue birds. I watched a Blue Heron take flight from one of the many flooded bayou's and I get to see all the beautiful flowers blooming at the side of the roads. I saw many of what at first I thought were rice paddies but later decided that they must be craw-fish farms.
I did make it to Texas! The ride was uneventful until I was about 10 miles from my stop for the night and it decided to rain, a lot. I took cover under an overpass for about 20 minutes for the worst to pass and then went on to finish the day cool and wet. It took twice as long to go those last 10 miles than it should have but I did finally make it.
I have another long day tomorrow so, you know the routine...
Good Night. Be Safe until we can be together again!

A Century Ride, wait More than a Century Ride!

I left Gulfport, Sunday morning with the wind at my back and the sun shining. It was so very nice. I left right on time, not long after sun up. I like to do that and beat the traffic especially on Sunday, because Sunday Drivers are NOT nice.
The morning started with a triumph. I was able to ride the US90 St Louis Bay Bridge! Bridges are not my forte, so tackling that beauty was very exciting.
Then I road 8 hard miles on the Beach Boulevard which was literally on the beach of the Gulf and the beach was on the road in many spots because the wind was blowing from the East.
Later, my wonderful program got me again. It sent me down a road that wa beautifully paved for a mile or so before it turned to sand. So I had to do a back track then go a few miles out of the way to get back on track. Then I no sooner got back on path and it tried to send me down an overgrown, chained private road, again adding miles. But despite these things I was making really good time, I was pumping out easy 14 mph.I was actually starting to get excited because I knew I was going to get to ride on another one of rails to trails.
Unfortunately I had to ride through Slidell. The towns people do not know the meaning of share the road. More than once pickup trucks came within a fraction of an inch of me. The roads in Slidell are just as bad. no shoulder, high curb, lots of trash that is dangerous for bikes and the sidewalks are even worse!I did eventually get lucky enough to find the entrance to the Tammany Trace Bike Trail, but that is only because my tracking program had it located.
The Tammany Trace was a gem. It was used by very few riders,especially on the east end. I was surprised to see it has a speed limit of 15 mph that my detour many road bike users. There was even a picnic area in the middle of the trace near a draw bridge that is just beautiful!
I have to say, I was sad to get off the trace and back onto the road. I stopped and ate a sandwich Pam had made for me in the morning then I hit the highway hard. I pushed and pushed. My goal to work on catching up and it worked. I banged out almost 150 miles!!!
Hence the reason no post last night.

Today was another day. Up and going at sun up was hoping for another century but the weather had other things in mind. I got on the hwy and went on and on until the lighting started. I stopped 25 miles short of where I wanted to go and have been watching the weather.
I have around 350 miles to go and have know idea if I will be able to ride tomorrow or how far if I do. Houston's rain and wind is here now, but they say there is more for tomorrow. Plus flooding can go on for days.

What ever, I will think about that tomorrow.