http://rocketrek.com John Herrington's Press Releases and Blog en-us Copyright 2008 John B. Herrington 1440 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226736000 So where is the blog you are probably asking? In cyberspace... After having spent the better part of three, no four hours typing it, my computer froze and what I had been continuously saving on the website, was no longer responsive and all gone! Heck, darn, grrrr.... I will try again in the morning! And it was really going to be a doosie...

My apologies...

Enjoy the pictures. It's 1:45 am and I'm going to sleep now...
Ok, I'm back, refreshed and reinvigorated and ready to make my final entry. The title of this blog may have more to do with my computer not wanting the journey to end, so it throws me a curveball late in the evening and I have to start all over. Well that's ok. More thoughts and reflections come with a good night's sleep rather than a late night, furious typing session. So let me try this again...

I believe the journey never really ends because the destination is never static. There should always be another place to go or challenge to accomplish as we go through life. When one adventure ends, another one starts. I just have to figure out what my next one will be!

The day started off early, early, early. I was up at 5:00 am in order to get the bike back to where I left off in Titusville last Thursday. I was scheduled to meet my press escort at the KSC Badging office on State Road 405, at 8:00 am. In my hustle to get out the door I always forget something. This time it was my camera. While I assembled my panniers back on my bike, Jay and Margo were kind enough to return to the hotel and fetch my lost article. Luckily my bike doesn't require a set of keys to start; otherwise I would have forgotten those too! (Sound familiar Mom and Dad?)

The ride through Titusville was a non-event. The roads were quiet that early in the morning as most folks were probably sleeping in after the launch the night before. I trundled down Hwy 1 and crossed the NASA Causeway on SR 405, arriving at the Badging office precisely at 8:00 am. I was met by COL Johnny Johnson, USAF (Ret), our escort and docent for KSC and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). I've worked with COL Johnson before during previous trips to KSC and he is always fun to be around and full of interesting stories. I was also incredibly pleased when four colleagues from NASA pull into the parking lot to greet me. Jerry Ross (one of only two people to have flown in space seven times and my mentor), Dr. Joe Schmid (Flight Surgeon extraordinaire, and my personal physician when I become the President), Steve Pruzin (keeper and provider of all things Flight Data File, all of the checklists and articles used by the astronauts during flight), and Jose Hernandez (astronaut in the class of 2004 and assigned as a Mission Specialist on STS-128, also the Prime ASP (Astronaut Support Personnel) for STS-126). As the Prime, Jose was responsible for strapping the crew in the vehicle and is the last man out of the hatch before it is closed for flight. I was a member of that team for two and a half years. Best job in the office next to flying in space! It was great to seeing everyone and fun to talk about my journey. Thanks so much for coming out and wishing me well.

After discussing the route I would follow with COL Johnson, I headed through the west gate and north along the road to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Just after I turned north, I noticed a bald eagle sitting off to my right. Proudly perched on the branch of a pine tree, it symbolized that my journey was nearing completion and that I had been guided safely across the country. If you remember, my journey began with a blessing from the Makah Nation and eagle down was sprinkled on my bike and me to keep me safe in my travels.

I turned east in front of the VAB and made a stop at the Press Site for more photos. Curt Richter, a world-class photographer on assignment to document the end of the shuttle program, came along to take some large format pictures. It was like watching Ansel Adams and his big box camera at work at KSC. I continued down the crawler way toward Pad 39A with Jay Roman hanging out the back of the van, high definition video camera in hand. I passed the crawler-transporter, a massive 5.4 million pound behemoth that carriers the shuttle to the launch pad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawler-transporter

We rounded the edge of the pad perimeter and headed out to the beach road, before venturing into a stiff 20-knot headwind. I was hoping to draft behind the van, but they stayed too far ahead to make an impact, so I was left to grind my way down the road, no rest for the weary! We made numerous stops along the way to the Cape. First was the turn off to the KSC Beach House, which is used as conference center and for the crew. Next, we took some time to pay our respects at Launch Complex 34, site of the Apollo 1 fire and the launch site for Apollo 7. From there we stopped at the entrance to the Gemini launch site as well as the Mercury Seven memorial. Under the concrete lies a time capsule that will be opened in 2464.

http://web.mac.com/jimgerard/AFGAS/pages/misc/mercmem.html

I passed the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse before turning on Camera A road and the beach at Cape Canaveral proper. Just as I left the pavement, I came close to doing a head dive off my bike as the sand took my tire to the left and I went right. Luckily I was able to quickly release my right foot from the pedal just in time. It would have been the only time that I fell off my bike this entire trip and right in front of Jay's camera! Thank goodness for the quick reflexes of a 50-year-old young man!

Just as I had done three months before on Hobuck Beach, in Neah Bay, WA, I pushed my bike through the deep sand and stood at the water's edge as the surf enveloped my front tire and feet. Four thousand, one hundred and eighty-four miles after I began, my trek was complete. Almost complete, that is. I still had to pedal down to the Cocoa Beach Pier and meet with a reporter from the Florida Today, Rebecca, and two friends of Joe Oswald that attended the launch, Sarah and Matt. Once at the pier, I pulled my panniers off the bike and loaded it up in the van and closed this chapter of my life. Now I turn the page and start to write the next...

So what was this all about? Why in the world would I pedal over four thousand miles from coast to coast? As one of my fellow cyclists I met during this trip told me, people have an easier time believing that we can fly in space than being capable of pedaling across the country. Why did I do it? It was for the challenge, to be quite honest, both a physical as well as a mental challenge. And not just to challenge me, but hopefully to challenge students to accomplish great things in life. I was only able to accomplish difficult challenges in my life, because there were people who believed in me and encouraged me to do my very best. I hope that in some small way, what I have done over the past three months will give students the encouragement they need to seek out their own challenges. Flying in space is a challenge, graduating from high school or college is a challenge, as is pedaling across the country. The things we do in life that take tremendous effort, also provide the greatest reward. There is a phenomenal amount of satisfaction that comes from doing a good job, more so when the job is difficult and demanding. I tell students, if you do nothing, you will be nothing. But with time, effort and motivation, all things are possible. You just won't know if you don't try. I challenge everyone to challenge themselves, accomplish things you might not think you are capable of doing. You just might be surprised at where it takes you!

I extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to everyone that has followed my journey. I could not have done this without the support and financial assistance of the Chickasaw Nation, Pro Bikes, South Dakota Gearup and Trek Bicycles. To Jay, Stacy and the folks from Linn Productions, thanks for the IT support and helping document my journey. To Margo, my love, I couldn't have done this without you. No more early morning phone calls with wind in the background from my Bluetooth headset! To my parents, brother Jim and sister Jenn, thanks for your love and encouragement. My birthday celebration in Thermopolis, WY was the best I have ever had. I'm still freaked out over my brother appearing out of the darkness! And, lastly, to my daughters Jessica and Amanda, thank you for always being there for me! I love and adore you both more than you will ever know!


]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226736000 Blog Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226649600 It's amazing how one well placed monocle rear view mirror can totally change the meaning of the photo! Argh matey, I thought I left the last pirate back in Montana!

Friday was a flurry of activity. In addition to getting the final approval for me to ride my bike around the Kennedy Space Center I was working to make sure that my friends were taken care of for launch. The public affairs and media services folks at KSC, namely Lisa Malone, Mary Ann Chevalier, and Bill Johnson, made a tremendous effort to coordinate my time here at the Cape. My deepest appreciation to everyone!

I knew that it would be impossible to complete my ride to the Cape during a launch flow, so I decided to hold off one day and take some time to appreciate the launch from the Press Site. NASA Headquarters and KSC took some time to film my arrival near the countdown count. Jay Roman, Margo Aragon, Erin Coye, and I had a spectacular view of the launch of STS-126. Before I started my ride I told the Commander of STS-126, CAPT Chris Ferguson, that I would make every effort to be here in time to see his crew fly. I am so pleased that it worked out! If you have never seen a Space Shuttle launch in person, I would highly, highly, extremely highly recommend that you make the effort to come to FL before the shuttle quits flying in 2010. It is a personally moving experience that takes your breath away. Not just from the visual aspect, but from a physical one as well. You can actually feel the vibrations from the shuttle as it climbs to orbit. So much so, that many car alarms in the parking lots go off in response to the launch. The light from the solid rocket boosters and space shuttle main engines is so bright you can't look directly at it. It's just like looking at the sun (please don't do this at home). You can tell that from the silhouette of Windy against the light.

If the shuttle launch wasn't spectacular enough, my evening was made complete when I dropped to one knee prior to launch and asked Margo to marry me (SHE SAID YES!) Since we met back near the beginning of my ride, Margo has been an incredible inspiration, a tremendous support, confidant and friend. I am blessed to have met her on this journey and firmly believe there was a greater purpose to this ride than I ever imagined! I started off this trek hoping that I would make a difference in the lives of others and found someone else making a huge difference in mine! Margo, thank you for being there for me! I love you!
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226649600 Blog Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226563200 just don't know how to behave. You just can't let me alone in a room without something silly happening. This was one of those stores that everyone needs to stop in for a good chuckle (and some fine BBQ and pecan pie). On County Road 46 out of Sanford, headed to Titusville, we stopped in for some cold drinks and met Matt and his collection of stuffed animals, Gator skulls, and assorted meat cleavers hanging from the wall. Matt was great to talk to and he asked a lot of questions of the two crazy cyclists that just happened to show up today. The pie was fantastic, but I was afraid I would have to use the side door because my hair is getting a bit shaggy!

I apologize that this blog was running a bit late. I tried to upload the files last night, but a problem with the server prevented me from doing so. Well, better late than never!

For the third day in a row we rose before the sun and headed out at daybreak. With 108 miles planned for the day, we wanted all of the daylight we could get. The ride out Hwy 27 was fast, but warm (71 degrees) and humid (93%). My handlebar tape, camera and just about everything else hanging off of the bike was soon drenched in a fine layer of moisture. I forgot what it was like to be in Florida, even in the late fall. We crossed the border to Ocala National Forest and climbed a few small hills along the way. This was the first time I have run across a bear crossing sign. I would have expected one of those in MT and not in FL. Just before the turn off on Hwy 17, we came across Nancy pedaling the opposite direction, headed for the other side of Florida. She posted to my blog the other night and we made a point of connecting in the middle. Good luck on your ride and I hope you have a mind to continue to the west coast one of these days. I highly recommend it!

When we made the turn down Hwy 17, the wind picked up a bit and gave us a bit of a headwind. Just before the town of De Leon Springs, Erin came face to face with a piece of wire from a blow radial tire tread and ended up getting a flat and changing it in record time. I continued down the road a bit until I realized he was not where he had been a few moments before. I turned back up the road and found him just crossing a bridge, cruising right along. We stopped for some excellent Mexican food at a small tacqueria (sp?) stand and took a break from the wind. We continued south until we picked up CR 46 out of Sanford and started the final press to Titusville. It was a bit of confidence on our part (however misplaced) that we would cover 108 miles today. Even with the wind we made excellent time and pulled in to Titusville just at the sun was starting to set.

Since no one has seen me blog, I thought I would throw a picture in for good measure. Every day after my ride I spend about 4 hours uploading the pictures, typing the text, adding statistics, getting all of my chargers out of the bag and pulling everything together so that it will work the next day. On average, I have been getting to bed around midnight, except with Erin around. For the past couple of nights I have hurried through my stuff as he goes to bed way before I am used to. I thought I was the old man here!

Tomorrow I will head to the KSC Press Site to attend launch and then come back again on Saturday morning to be escorted over to the Cape Canaveral side and the finish of my ride.

Determine how much thrust each solid rocket booster has and how long they burn before being jettisoned over the Atlantic. Any idea how far out to sea they actually land? Once you determine how many pounds of force each SRB exerts, convert it to it's metric equivalent.


]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226563200 Blog Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226476800 ...that is if the bullet doesn't bite you first. Erin and I were pedaling down Hwy 27 toward Ocala. I was in front and he was directly behind me when I passed by a metal object and heard Erin actually run over it. I knew in an instant it was the clip to a gun. With bullets!! I wheeled back around and snapped the picture. I took a mental note of where we were, picked up the clip and stuffed into my pile sweater I had bundled on my left rear pannier. I thought I would give it to the first police office I came across. Twenty-five miles later I found a sheriff's substation in Silver Springs and gave it to the detective on duty. After giving him all of my contact info, he told me it was a 32 caliber bullet and off the cuff mentioned, "I hope no one was shot up that way." I think they are going to go back and look for the business end. He said to expect a call! Just doing my civic duty! I thought about looking for the gun after having pedaled about two miles down the road. I didn't think it would be in my best interests to be pedaling with someone else's gun on my bike! Now that would make the news! Geezzz....

Erin and I rose early once again and hit the road just after sunrise. We planned on covering 90 miles and we were afraid the winds would be our enemy today. We were pleasantly surprised. Though they were up a bit, the winds were coming from our left side and not giving much of a headwind component. I may have done this problem before, but I'll toss it out there again. If we had a wind of 10 mph coming at us from about 45 degrees to our left, what would be our headwind component and our crosswind component? Any idea what the maximum crosswind component allowed is for the space shuttle when it lands?

The highway from Branford to Ocala was great. Nice and wide and an excellent shoulder. The traffic was relatively light with an occasional truck now and then. We passed across numerous spring fed rivers and one had a bridge with a large fence and barbed wire across the top. I guess that is one way to keep kids from jumping from the railing. There was a beautiful stretch of bike path running along side of the road on the way to High Spring. We took it for a distance and had the first opportunity to ride side by side without upsetting anyone on the road. Once in High Spring we stopped to get pictures of a large cycling mural next to the local bike shop (which wasn't open yet). The local bakery wasn't open either (opened at 1000) so we couldn't indulge our craving for pastry. We did stop at My Lil Cafe and slammed down a tasty breakfast. They were also giving away some goodies (cupcakes and pecan brittle) so we took those for dessert. I consider a cupcake before 12:00 pm a form of coffee cake so I have no guilt! The pecan brittle was awesome! As I stepped out the door of the cafe I noticed the Open Sign indicating they would be serving Gatortail on Wednesday for lunch. Darn the bad luck. We were on a tight schedule and couldn't wait for lunch to roll around. Maybe next time!

It turns out that most of the scuba diving that is done in the area is cave diving. Hence the sign beside the road. I believe there are numerous limestone caves associated with the springs. If anyone has been diving is this area I would love to hear about it. I was fortunate to learn cave diving techniques during my stint in the NOAA habitat during my NEEMO mission with NASA. I would love to come back here and dive in this area. The water is spectacularly clear!

Just as we crossed the Williston city limits, I crossed the magical 4000 mile mark (give or take a few) on my trek. I initially thought the ride would be right at 4000 miles, so I am pretty close. Another 130 to go and I will be finished! We stopped for lunch at Ryan's Deli in Williston and had some fantastic sandwiches courtesy of Debbie, Bud and Ryan. I snapped their picture along with Erin outside of their store. Great food and warm friendly service if you ever get out this way.

We rumbled against the first headwind of the day as we headed east toward Ocala. I didn't realize how popular this area is for raising horses! Massive horse farms on both sides of the road. Huge gated entrances and country clubs that include golf and equestrian facilities. My daughter Jessica would go nuts here! When she was 13 she said, "Daddy, horses or boys, your choice!" She has been the proud owner of a wonderful horse named Hobbes for the past four years. She is quite the accomplished rider and has even joined the Polo team at Colorado State University. I didn't realize there was something else I could spend my money on at her college. It never ends, sigh...

We made our way across Ocala and trundled into Silver Springs, FL. I love coming across establishments that cater to a wide and varied clientele. Next time I am in the mood for breakfast and a tattoo, I know where to go! And if I don't feel like leaving the house, that's ok, because they will come to me. Have ink and drink, will travel...

We pulled into the Days Inn with a coupon in hand that Erin found in a local travelers guide. Double room for $45! Not bad! The young lady behind the desk, Kristine, was very helpful. As it turns out, she biked across the country from Providence, RI to Seattle, WA as a member of Bike to Build, a Habitat for Humanity effort. She gave us the website:

www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/content/view/39/55/

If you are a student and have an interest, check it out. What a interesting and satisfying way to travel across the country.

Tomorrow Erin and I have an ambitious plan to pedal from Silver Springs to Titusville. One hundred and eight heart pounding miles. My Mom pointed out that tomorrow will be my three month anniversary from when I started back in August. My goodness how time flies. If I wanted to be sneaky, I could pedal directly over to Ormond Beach and stick my toes in the water, just to say I completed the ride on the 13th. But, being the biking purest that I am, I will keep going to complete at Cape Canaveral this Saturday. I plan on being next to the countdown clock at the KSC Press Site for launch and then return the next morning (assuming the launch goes as planned) to ride past Pad 39A, down the beach road and ending up near the Skid Strip on Cape Canaveral AFS. Once there, I will walk my bike onto the beach (I'd probably fall over in the sand if I rode) and dipping the front wheel in the water! What fun and how sad it will be to see this end...
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226476800 Blog Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226390400 I know it is really a sandwich, but who would make a fake Cuban sandwich? I don't know why this stuff catches my attention, but it sure brightens my day.

Erin and I got an early start just after the sunrise. The hotel was positioned at just the right spot on our ride. Not too far, not too short. But in quality, it comes in a close second to the hotel I stayed in way, way back in Washington State. Remember, the one with the fleas in the tub, no air conditioning and no curtains on the windows? Well, this one at least had AC, no fleas, and curtains, but the bathroom looked like someone had a temper tantrum and took out the door to the cabinet below the sink. If you turned the water on to the shower after flushing the toilet, the water dribbled slowly from the shower-head until the toilet was full. Then and only then did the water start to flow. Hmmmm... At least the shower had brightly colored tile that dated from the 1960's. Oh yeah, the AC unit was held in the window by tape!

The ride down Hwy 27 was interesting. Nice wide shoulder, but not much traffic. That flies in the face of my Truck Traffic = 1/shoulder width equation from Alabama. The wind started to become an issue as the day wore on. We stopped in Perry and enjoyed a fine lunch at the Main Street Café. We started off with an ambitious plan to pedal to a campground about 97 miles to the east, but ended up finding a hotel in the little town of Branford, saving about 7 miles in the process.

The country is sparsely populated between Perry and Branford. We came across a couple of small towns, at one point finding a rather expensive chocolate milkshake in the process. Keeping the law of supply and demand in check, even in rural Florida. Planted pine forests covered most of the countryside. Seeing the trees in even rows is an interesting sight. Along the way we came across a forest service fire lookout post.

The wind became quite annoying as the afternoon wore on. Erin and I traded leads, making for a nice windbreak and a chance to rest. At one point we passed a Florida Correctional Facility (prison) and shortly thereafter came across a sign for Convict Spring. Nice that the state provides directions to the escape facility as well! ;o)

Just prior to Branford we crossed the Suwannee River (namesake for the song?). Nice and inviting river, but a big sign on the bridge warns people to not jump from the bridge.

Tomorrow we will head towards Gainesville and then south toward Ocala. From there we will head east through the Ocala National Forest and pick up the road south toward Titusville. Unfortunately, the winds are forecast to be right off our noses for a good portion of the ride, ten to twenty miles per hour. Oh joy!

For today's math tidbit, do you know how much liquid you are allowed to take on an airplane in your carry on luggage? I believe it is 100ml per container. Any idea how many ounces that would be? What is another metric equivalent of ml? Think volume! 100ml = 100 xx? The reason I ask is that I had to purchase some toothpaste yesterday and I was trying to find one just the right size so I wouldn't have to buy something smaller than I need (which usually costs more per ounce).

]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226390400 Blog Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226304000 Talk about an uneventful day! Nothing much happened, except for maybe having someone point their car at me and swerve away at the last moment. But other than that, what a snoozer! Some people's kids and their cars. The only problems I have had on this trip were usually from teenage kids with too much testosterone and not enough common sense. About all I could expect was for them to hang out of the truck window and bark like a dog or hoot and holler like a fool. But having someone actually move their vehicle directly at you while staring right at you, now that is a different story. While it wasn't really close, it was aggravating and it did make me a bit testy! Let's see how the rest of my Florida ride goes before passing judgement.

I left Marianna this morning after seeing my Dad head toward Texas. I really appreciated his support for the past week from McGehee, AR to Marianna, FL. Thanks so much for keeping an eye on your younger son!

I headed down Hwy 90, appreciating with overflowing glee the width of the shoulder and lack of a rumble strip. After downing a fine, really cold chocolate milk, I got back on the road and headed toward Tallahassee. After about 10 miles of pedaling I noticed someone coming up behind me on another touring bike. I thought for a second it was Chris from cycleforheart.org but quickly realized I was in the presence of another crazed cross-country cyclist. Erin Coye, who hails from the Seattle area, left Washington State back in July and was headed to Maimi Beach. He was taking a more southerly track which brought him down the west coast to San Francisco and then points eastward through Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and finally to Florida. I will pedal with him for pretty much the remainder of my journey, following most of the Adventure Cycle's Florida route. We will get to the Cape in time for the launch of STS-126. Nice way to end the last leg of my journey.

The route we followed took us south of Hwy 90, crossing I-10 a couple of times and along some beautiful stretches of country road. Spanish moss hanging from the branches of huge stately trees with plantation like mansions on either side of the road. We took a circuitous route through downtown Tallahassee and avoided most of the nasty traffic on Hwy 90. Our total distance of nearly 80 miles brought us to a small hotel on the east side of the city. Forty dollars for one room, double occupancy and a large bag of remote controls to go through to make the TV work (Jim is not just the owner, but also the handyman!). Tomorrow we will we point our trusty steeds toward Gainesville and shorten the remaining distance to KSC by another 90 miles or so. I am looking forward to seeing the Vehicle Assembly Building rising in the distance as we near the coast. For today's problem, how tall is the VAB and how many Statues of Liberty could you fit inside, height only?

PS: Jill Reddington made my Dad and I a fantastic Pecan (that's pronounced Peekhan) Pie. Not only it is a fine desert in the evening, but it makes an awesome breakfast coffee cake as well! Great job Jill! Thanks!
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226304000 Blog Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226217600 Why would someone offer you a place to fish, require you to get a permit and then plant grass all over the bank and say you can't stand there? I bet someone didn't even stock the pond! Lure you in and gotcha!

I left the hotel this morning and headed back up the road to start my ride where I left off in Brundidge, AL. A heavy fog was settled over the low points of the highway and made for a spectacular sight as we descended each hill and disappeared into the mist. Hwy 231 is four lane and the traffic was much lighter this morning than it was the day before. I loaded myself with a cup of strong caffeine and chatted with some local folks outside the store. I asked if this is an everyday occurrence and I was told it was their Sunday morning ritual. I've found these types of gatherings all across the nation, be it next to a gas station or a local cafe. The place to get the latest news and make plans for the day. This is the American experience, the people and their ties to the community!

The stretch from Brundidge to Dothan was an easy pedal, some hills and a shoulder of varying width and rumble. This is also the home of Army Aviation, Fort Rucker, AL. Many of my friends at NASA and in the flight test community come from Army Aviation and have ventured through Fort Rucker during their training. One of my classmates from TPS, John Reddington is still here and I met his wife Jill for lunch. We met unexpectedly beside the road as I was off the bike taking a picture of the lower half of Buzz Lightyear! We had not seen each other in almost twenty years. It was nice to get together and talk about our kids and our experiences from our Test Pilot School days.

Just as I was leaving Dothan I came across a small restaurant with a rather unique way to advertise their breakfast menu!

The ride south into Florida was a piece of cake. I passed the National Peanut Festival (I didn't know there was one) and flew ride across the state line. Just beyond the spot where I took the state line photo, there is a very nice visitor's center that serves up great information and a fine glass of cold orange juice! I don't recall getting a free pineapple when I visited Hawaii. Maybe the Hawaii visitor's bureau needs to get with the program! I would venture to say that Hawaii doesn't have many bicycles coming across the border either...

For every little bizarre piece of junk I find beside the road, there is always a sign that leaves me guessing as to the purpose behind it. I have no idea what "bull testing" might be, but they sure want you to know where it is done.

Though their signage can leave me guessing, they sure know how to pave a highway. What a treat to cross the border and actually have a shoulder without a rumble strip and even markings for bicycles along the shoulder. I hope this is a constant theme as I head further east.

As a native of Oklahoma, I have a strong affinity for peanuts. Raw peanuts. Not those salty roasted critters that make you crave liquid to wash them down with, but plain old raw goobers (eating goober peas). However, I have never had a "boiled" peanut! And I probably never will again! If you like boiled peanuts, more power to ya! Yuck! But the gentleman running the peanut stand was a most gracious host and warm soul. He boils his peanuts in an old beer keg and , according to my Dad, he had cars lining up for his product.

The last leg of my ride today took me down Hwy 71 into Marianna, FL. The sun was setting just as I pulled into town, but I still had about five miles to cover before I pulled into the hotel near I-10. Tomorrow I will head back up to Hwy 90 and head east toward Tallahassee. It looks like I will be able to complete my journey to the Cape by Friday and be on hand to witness the launch of STS-126. According to Google Earth, I have another 393 miles to cover. If I pedal approximately 12 mph, how many hours should I pedal each day in order to arrive by 4:00 pm on Friday afternoon?

Now that I have crossed my last state line, I am beginning to get a bit nostalgic about my ride. This has been a remarkable journey that I have enjoyed immensely and it is going to be hard to see it end. Every challenge that we face in life has some distinct period of time over which it occurs. There are times when the end sneaks up on you and you catch your breath that it went by so quickly. That's what it was like to fly in space. You train so hard and once you fly, it goes by far too quickly. Even though my trek has been much longer than my time in space, it has passed with alarming speed. So many memories, so many wonderful experiences. It has been my pleasure to share the journey with all of you. Thanks for being there for me!
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226217600 Blog Sun, 9 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226131200 ...thanks to the homecoming celebration at Troy University, there were no hotel rooms available in the city of Troy. Correct me if I am wrong, but if it is "home"coming, shouldn't they be at home and not in a hotel? Am I missing something here? ;o) We could have back tracked in Montgomery and stayed in this lovely abode, but I'm not quite sure what it is! Any guesses out there?

I am dog tired right now. Please bear with me while I take a power nap and get back to the blog in about 30 minutes.

Zzzzzzzz.....


Thanks for indulging me. This was a long day and I didn't quite get as far as I would have liked. Since I started on the opposite side of Montgomery this morning, it was nearly 30 miles before I even made it around the city and headed south along Hwy 231 to Dothan. Before I left the hotel I had breakfast with the Huwaldt's. Joe, Bobbey, Jonathan and Jacob drove down from Huntsville the night before so that we could see each other during my trip through Alabama. Joe and I worked together at Rocketplane before we both decided it was in our best interests to part with the company and pursue other ventures. Joe is an extraodinary aeronautical engineer and conducted all of the computational fluid dynamic analysis for the vehicle we were designing. He was the smartest and most talented engineer in the company and a pleasure to work alongside. Thanks for taking the time to come to Montgomery!

The ride around Montgomery was not bad at all except for a portion along the south side of the city. I would venture to say that 99.99% percent of the people and drivers I have met have been absolutely fantastic. Courteous and friendly. Except for two brainless wonders and their big white Cadillac! This big honking car pulled alongside and the passenger actually rolled his window down to watch me as they turned in front of my bike and into a parking lot. I don't know if he was curious to see if I would run into his passenger door or he was just looking for a fight. Rather than tempt fate and let out a string of expletives, I just waved and said excuse me! I said it in the manner that Steve Martin would in his comedy routine. "Well, excuuusssseee meeeeee." Other than that one incident, the ride through the city was fine.

The strange looking shelter that I took the picture of was quite bizarre. I have no earthly idea what it is. It was out in the middle of a parking lot and there were a bunch of junk cars scattered about. If you are from Montgomery, I'm all ears!

The morning mist was rising as the sun began to warm the ground. I pulled into a road side convenience store and bought my carton of chocolate milk. As luck would have it, I was given a Little Debbie Honey Bun as part of a giveaway since I purchased the milk. I thanked the ladies in the store and went back outside. I glanced down at the nutritional value on the back of the package and about choked. One bun, one serving, 360 calories. Of those calories, 180 were from FAT! For today's math problem what percentage of the total calories in the Honey Bun come from fat? Do you know the difference between saturated and unsaturated fat?

About the time I was choking over the fat content, I glanced over at a dumpster and noticed mist rising off the metal. While the dumpster is not the most attractive thing to take a picture of, I thought it's otherwise bland form was enhanced by nature's power. Call me weird, it's ok.

My Dad's name is Jim and I just had to take a picture of him and the restaurant that bears his name.

On the way down Highway 231, my Dad mentioned there was a guy following me on a touring bike and he was pedaling pretty fast. About 30 minutes later, Chris Figureida pulled alongside. I asked him where he was from and I about fell off my bike when he told me "Neah Bay, WA." Talk about a chance meeting! He had left Neah Bay back in September and was traveling to Key West, FL. He was pedaling much faster than I was and on a Trek 520 as well, but modified to a large extent. He followed a slightly different route, but crossed paths with my route in OK as well as AR and now in AL. He is pedaling to promote a heart healthy lifestyle and this was his third trek across the country. You can read more about him on his website, www.cycleforheart.org. Like me, he is stopping at schools along his route and talking to kids. Unlike me, he is riding with as little weight as possible and scorching along at a blistering 16-18 miles per hour. Maybe on my next trek I will decrease my load and pick up the pace. I hope we cross paths again in FL, but I am afraid I will be left in his dust!

I rolled into Troy and came across a most interesting billboard for a tire store. I'm not sure Britney Spears would have approved of her image being used in this manner, but it sure was funny!

I had planned to stay the night in Troy, but with homecoming in full swing, I had to find a hotel farther down the road. The plan was to meet my Dad near the town of Brundidge and then head on to Ozark, AL. As the sun was setting I came across some metal art on the side of the road that struck my funny bone. I couldn't make out half of what they were, but the conglomeration of parts was fascinating.

The last thing that caught my eye and brought me to a screeching halt was a sign for a scenic dirt road. Perhaps the road less traveled, but they were trying hard to get you to venture forth. I wonder what lies that direction? Not me, that's for sure!

Tomorrow it is on to Dothan and hopefully crossing the Florida State line. I plan on meeting Jill Reddington for lunch somewhere in Dothan. Jill's husband John and I were in Test Pilot School together back in 1990 and they now live near Fort Rucker, AL. He is a retired Army Officer and helo driver. It will be fun to see her after almost 20 years. How time flies when you are having fun!
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226131200 Blog Sat, 8 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226044800 Is there a more appropriate greeting to the many NASCAR fans that inhabit the hills and hollows of Alabama? This is stock car country with Talladega being one of the shrines of the sport. Many fans of the sport don't know it, but their favorite driver may be 50 degrees cooler in the cockpit of their race car due to Space Shuttle insulation. Here's a link that discusses the technology transfer.

http://ipp.nasa.gov/innovation/Innovation43/ShuttleInsulation.html

This is just one example of many that exist in industry and in our everyday lives. I highly encourage everyone to go to the following link and see what else exists that you may have taken for granted.

http://seds.org/archive/technology/spinoffs.shtml

Our tax dollars at work improving our lives. That was a nice tidbit in lieu of a math problem, don't you think?

I am not fond of pedaling through cities, but getting through Tuscaloosa was a breeze. My thanks to the folks at Velo City Pro Cycles for the great directions. Leaving the city southeast on Hwy 82 led to a series of hills that stretched out over the entire 82 miles. And these were not hills for the faint of heart. Most of them ranged from 4-6% grades and they were one after the other. I like hills. I did say that, right? Did I say I like hills for 82 miles? I don't recall that exact statement. This would have been a beautiful ride, except that the shoulder was essentially non-existent for the entire ride. Occasionally the shoulder opened up to a whopping two feet wide, but once again, the highway engineer placed a rumble strip right smack in the middle. I hate rumble strips!

As I was pedaling down a relatively flat stretch, just prior to crossing a bridge, I glanced over to my right and saw what I thought was a furry basketball. I quickly pulled my brakes and found myself in a staring contest with a groundhog. At least I think it's a groundhog. If anyone knows differently, please let me know. (John, that's a rare Alabama furry basketball. They only come out after football season). My Dad says its a hedgehog. Since I didn't seen any hedges, I would tend to disagree ;o).

I pulled into the County Line Country Store and came across one very spunky "Bama" fan. When I went into the store, Sheila asked me if I was the crazy one pedaling across the country (my Dad had been there before me). When I said yes, she asked if I had a brain. I think I mumbled that I had lost my mind in a earlier state or something of that nature. I told her that I like to capture the images and comments of people I meet along the way, so I convinced her to come outside and pose for a photo. "Roll Tide" she kept saying! "Roll Tide!" Click, "Roll Tide." I think she likes football. At least "Bama" football. I didn't have the heart to tell her my sister went to UT, my brother to Texas A&M and me to the University of Colorado.

The entire day I had a cold front lingering behind me, threatening to rain given the dark clouds over my shoulder. It held off for quite a while, only sprinkling occasionally before lunch. The fall foliage was gorgeous and the leaves where being tossed around by a strong tailwind that was preceding the storm front. I crossed over the Cahaba River just as I turned south into Centreville, AL. I was told it is the longest free-flowing river in Alabama. Beautiful sight! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahaba_River

My Dad and I stopped for lunch in a small cafe just as we were headed out of town on Hwy 82. The parking lot was packed and we followed a couple of folks into the restaurant. Lots of trucks outside and no place to sit inside. Luckily the two folks we met outside offered us a place at their table. Cliff and Vicky Clemmons were a couple of very nice folks that spoke very highly of the area. Vicky is the author of a recently published book about Bibb County and the Cahaba River. She graciously signed a book for me and I gave her a signed NASA lithograph. That is what is most enjoyable about this ride, meeting the people that make every place special.

The rain decided to come down while we were eating and it let up when I stepped outside to get back on the bike. What timing! The hills continued to come and go and traffic kept me on my toes. I continued to find all sorts of gadgets, gizmos and paraphernalia lying beside the highway. I firmly believe that if I stopped for every piece of "Bama" memorabilia that was laying beside the road, I would never get to where I was going. I hope the Crimson Tide football team can hold on to the football better than their fans can hold on to their souvenirs. If not, it will be a short season!

I thought the most interesting thing that I have found to date was the Superman costume back in southeast Washington. I think the Halloween Witch has one upped Superman! She must be covering her eyes because she knows the highway doesn't have much of a shoulder!

We didn't get a chance to stop in to the Fat Girl's BBQ, but if the sign is any indication of the quality of the food, maybe we should go back.

And to close out my ride, passing over Swift Creek was a nice finish. At least it was moving a bit faster than the Bayou back in Arkansas. I was too!

Tomorrow I will end around Montgomery and head southeast toward Dothan. It is a more direct route to Florida and should allow me to shorten my ride, such that I can arrive at the Cape by Friday. Keeping my fingers crossed!
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1226044800 Blog Fri, 7 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1225958400 Ingredients:

1) Take one slightly bruised roadside sweet potato

2) Locate a knife, preferably with the blade closed and not rusty

3) Stuff both of the above items in one "Bama" shoulder bag

4) Take to someone that can at least hold a knife, won't cut their fingers off and knows how to throw this stuff away

5) Buy a pie at a local bakery...

It's amazing the things I find. I should travel the country taking pictures of the junk beside the road. It would make a good coffee table book. Better yet, maybe I can find a coffee table book lying in the grass somewhere!

Today I jumped from one college town to another. Starkville is home to Mississippi State University and Tuscaloosa is home to the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama. In Mississippi I swore I saw Elvis riding a bike on the turnoff to Tupelo and in Alabama, Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant is just about everywhere!

I wandered through the hills of Starkville before popping out on Highway 82 headed eastbound. The wind was slight, barely 5 knots from the south. The shoulder of the Mississippi side of Highway 82 had an ever changing shoulder; rumble strips, gravel, no shoulder, more gravel, more shoulder. What a treat it was to cross the Alabama State line. A NEW HIGHWAY with a REAL shoulder! A rumble strip strategically placed in a proper spot giving me ample room to stay to the far right side of the highway and avoid the plethora of trucks that were constantly zooming by.

The hills of western Alabama were a joy to pedal. It was nice to not be constantly looking over my shoulder and on guard for an errant truck. My Dad stayed within a few miles of my position and had some fun watching a State Trooper stop at least 6 people within a four mile stretch over the period of an hour. The trooper must have been having fun because he gave me a big smile and wave as I passed by!

In the small town of Gordo, AL, I stopped at a gas station to grab something to drink and came across a fellow that was obviously lost. Without a map or even a good understanding of exactly where he was going (or where he was for that matter), he ends up giving me his cellphone and wanted me to ask the guy on the other end where he was supposed to go. The lost soul gave me the name of the town, Corinth, 184 miles to the northwest! Yow! Talk about lost, but he was a nice guy!

While he was lost going west, I didn't fare much better going east. I knew where I was going, but the highway went from wonderful to woeful. My beloved shoulder went by the wayside, some wayside, but certainly not the one I was on. I think there is an inverse relationship between the width of the shoulder and the amount of truck traffic. Decrease the width, increase the traffic. That would be equivalent to decreasing the denominator of a fraction and increasing the total value of the fraction. Truck traffic = 1/shoulder width. That is the mathematical insight for the day.

There is an old adage in aviation. Flying is actually hours of pure boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. I think that could be transferred to my experience today on the road to Tuscaloosa. One section of the road kept me on the edge of my seat for about 15 miles before opening back up to a wide shoulder. When I thought I had seen enough, road construction began and the highway necked down to an even narrower road and NO shoulder! Now that was fun! I decided in the best interest of my personal safety and a desire to live a long and prosperous life, I bailed out of the construction lane and pedal on the side that was being paved. None of the road crew gave me any grief, probably because they would be happier letting me pass than scraping my body off the pavement! My Dad was strategically placed at the end of the construction, keeping an eye on my progress using a pair of binoculars. I think he earned more gray hairs than I did!

I made the final push into Tuscaloosa around 5:00 pm, not before finding the county ran out of money to keep a wide shoulder and they decided to neck it down to keep costs under control. I picked up a hitchhiker for a mile or two before I pulled into the Budget Inn on Highway 82. I put the bike away and made a beeline for Velo City Pro Cycles in Tuscaloosa to replace the tire tube that I used the other day. They gave me some great advice on how to navigate through town tomorrow and find my way south toward Montgomery. Always nice to get local advice (and high carb goo for the road)!
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1225958400 Blog Thu, 6 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1225872000 Did I say Mississippi was flat? I stand corrected if I did. The Mississippi bottom land is flat. Flatter than a pancake, I believe I claimed yesterday. Leave the bottom land and up you go. Up and down, over and over. I really do think I am a nut for hills. It's something about working hard and resting shortly thereafter. The first hill just east of Greenwood rose out of the cotton fields and snaked up through the trees. It was a seven percent grade and I could actually hear the trucks downshifting and struggling up the climb. The undulating landscape carried on for about 30 miles and it was quite a pleasant experience.

The shoulder was reasonable part of the time. I now believe that the rumble strips are not inherent to any particular county. Rumble strips would appear out of nowhere. No change in county or municipality. So much for my highway department theory! I think they are just doing it to keep cyclists on their toes!

The landscape changed dramatically from the bottom land to the hills. Not just the natural features, but the economic ones as well. The homes were more stately and well kept. The yards were manicured and spacious. Throughout my ride along the bottom lands and on either side of the Mississippi, there appeared to be much more poverty and economic downturn. Even though the economic status was less than other places I have been, the people were incredibly pleasant and outgoing. Many times a truck or car would pull alongside or pass in front of me and people would wave and call out. It's amazing how people respond to someone on a touring bike. Everyone seems to be interested and willing to chat! To be honest, many people have expressed concern about me riding across the south, but I have seen the exact opposite. A pleasant and enjoyable revelation over what I was told to expect.

Highway 82 is four lane with a large median separating the eastbound from the westbound. It weaves around the local communities, bypassing the heart of most of the small towns that dot the landscape. My Dad and I pulled into Kilmichael, MS and found an awesome cafe right in the heart of the town square. The place was packed! The Chief of Police started up a conversation with a deep southern drawl. I find my drawl rising to the surface when I chat with folks from the south, be it OK, AR, or MS. It becomes especially strong when I order "swwweeet teeaa" or "peekhan pie." "Thank y'all, y'all come back now, ya hear." Most of my ride took me along Hwy 82, but it was a nice experience to detour into Kilmichael. For today's problem, let's do some everyday math. Our bill for two grilled chicken sandwiches with mushrooms, onions, and swiss cheese, a "sweeeet teea" and "peekhan pie" with ice cream was $17.59 with tax. How much should I have tipped the waitress (there was a sign encouraging me to do so) if my tip was 15%? I tip 20% if the service is great. Do you know a fast way to calculate the tip without grabbing your calculator or pencil? It's easy to figure out 10% of $17.59. Half of 10% would be 5%. Add them together (in your head) and you get 15%.

For those of you that like to shop garage sales or yard sales, this is the place for you. Bonita's Hobby Shop was actually a well stocked yard sale complete with table cloths on each of the folding tables. All of her items were neatly spaced on each table and row after row of clothes lining the side of the house.

Not sure what Kamp Kumbaya held in store for campers, but I had this strange urge to sing as I passed the sign. "Swing low, sweet...."

I slid under the Natchez Trace Parkway, which I am told does not allow commercial truck traffic. Why didn't they build it east to west? Sure would be nice to be rid of the large trucks that prowl Highway 82! Most of the cotton fields I have passed by in AR and just east of the Mississippi have already been picked, so it was a surprise to come along a large field just right of the highway. In the setting sun, it made a beautiful sight with the tufts of cotton brightly lit. I crossed the Choctaw County line and within 500 yards, I crossed into Oktibbeha County. Smallest county I have come across in my travels.

I've been trying to complete 90-mile days, but it is hard with the sun setting just after 5:00 pm. I rolled into Starkville with my taillight and headlight flashing, but I couldn't quite make it to the hotel before the sun set. The key to be safe is always having a plan to minimize the risk. Not riding after dark is mine. Tomorrow my ride will take me through Columbus, MS and down to Tuscaloosa, AL. With just under 84 miles, it shouldn't be a problem if I can drag myself out of bed at a reasonable hour.



]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1225872000 Blog Wed, 5 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1225785600 Swift Bayou? Can you say oxymoron? Jumbo shrimp, same difference, old news, criminal justice? Hmmm.... Given how fast the bayou was moving (glacial like would be a good descriptor) I think the name is a bit misplaced. If however, you apply the title to my recent venture away from the bike, Swiftly going nowhere is right on the money! The problem with taking a little over week away from the bike is that it seems like the end keeps getting farther away. At least in terms of time, not necessarily distance. Unless we were talking glacial movement again, then that might give me a few more inches to cover in the next millennia...

Man, it is nice to be back on the bike! From a psychological perspective that is! From a physical perspective, OUCH! My thighs were burning! What a difference a few days make on the way the body functions. I slammed down a serious amount of water to wash away the lactic acid that was building up over the course of the day. It felt good to pedal an incredibly flat surface. The only hill I climbed all day was the bridge over the Mississippi. My Dad has become my SAG wagon for my ride across the south. Good thing too! He came in very handy today (more on that later). We drove from my home in Guthrie and made it to Winchester, AR where I picked up my bike from Lisa Wilson, Joe Oswald's niece. Thanks so much for keeping it under guard while I was away (though I did see Lynley's eBay ad, but the minimum was not met). In the photo with the bike are Lisa, Laura, Max, Hannah and Jacob. I started my ride from where I left off, the McGehee Best Western. The road was flat as a pancake all the way to the river. Nice sunrise with a layer of fog stretching across highway and the cotton fields. It looked like sheets of cotton weaved across the landscape. The cars acting like cutting shears slicing the fabric pulled taut across the road. I came to the Swift Bayou and chuckled for a about a mile afterward. My mind starts thinking of blog titles whenever I come across something funny.

Just prior to the river I stopped in and visited the good folks at the Arkansas Visitor's Center. Dorothy Lucas, Hank Polson and Norma Lowery were very helpful and even gave me a map for Mississippi and good information regarding my soon to be bridge crossing! My Dad and I worked up a plan where he would follow behind me and keep his flashers blinking while I pedaled as fast as I could across the span. From the pictures I hope you can tell there is little room for error and no room for sightseeing! Just off to the south is a beautiful new span that reminds me of the span across the Houston Ship Channel. Unfortunately, I don't think I could have convinced the workers to let me slide past. Given that fact that some of the concrete had not been poured yet, it would have been a trip straight down into the murky depths of the mighty Mississippi! For today's problem, there is a famous author, humorist, etc... whose pen name was taken from a call made by the sailors who sailed the river and measured it's depth. Who is this author and what was the call? Since these questions do not specifically deal with math, tell me how many feet in a fathom.

My plan with my Dad didn't quite come to pass the way we had planned because there was no room for him to pull over while I passed him on the ramp to the bridge. Instead, he continued across the bridge to find a place to turnaround, while I made a mad dash during a lull in the traffic. I think this is where my heart rate pegged at 188 bpm and I maintained a 17 mph pace up and over the span. I did take some time to click some photos left, right, back and forward, all the while keeping my eye out for trucks. I was lucky that only one truck came upon me at the top of the bridge and gave me ample room when he passed. I topped out at 26 mph down the backside, but didn't even get a chance to catch a glimpse of the river, given my frantic pace. I did wave at my Dad as he passed me going the opposite direction! So much for our careful planning!

I rolled into Greenville, MS after taking my obligatory state line self-portrait. The MS Visitor's Center had some interesting looking catfish adorning the surface of the pond. I'd hate to pull one that looked like that out of the muddy water! The scary thing is, there probably are some that look pretty close!

One of the common themes that I have found from state to state is that every road's surface, particularly the shoulder, is different. At one point, depending on the county responsible for it's upkeep, the shoulder was graced with a set of rumble strips right along the white line that edged the road, with soft, green grass further to the right. Cross the county line and voila, the rumble strip is gone, but they have replaced the grass with gravel the size of small boulders. Continue down the road to the next county and someone, in their infinite wisdom, thinks both of the previous counties have it right and then adds the rumble strip right alongside the boulder sized gravel! Obviously, no one in the county transportation department rides a bike. They probably ride an ATV as their family car, so the rumble strip and gravel make perfect sense! For me, however, it was thirty miles of constantly looking over my shoulder, making sure the noise behind me was a car giving me a wide berth. In most cases yes, in some cases, no! When a car or truck appeared to me to be oblivious to my presence, I'd make a quick getaway across the rumble strip and hope my fillings stayed in my head and my wheel didn't get bent. At times I would try to maintain my tires between the strip and the gravel, but the rocks would inevitably narrow the gap and make my small space into an off road adventure!

When the road finally relented (city maintained road) I found a wide shoulder, but full of bits and pieces of trash and discarded metal waiting to leap up and bite me. Which it did! Right on the sidewall of the rear tire! A big "c" shaped piece of metal embedded itself squarely in the tire, leaving a hole so big even my slime filled tubes couldn't withstand. Flop, flop, flop... This is where my Dad came in very handy! I was right at the 90-mile mark, the sun was setting in less than an hour and I still had another 7 miles to cover. I took the panniers off the bike, laid the bike on its side and took my rear tire off. Realizing that too little time remained to get the tube patched or replaced and still have time to get through town during daylight, I opted to put the bike in the back of the truck and fix it in the evening. So much for having only one flat after 3300 miles on the bike. Not a bad record!

Tomorrow I will head back to where I left off and make my way to Starkville, MS. While I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society) National Conference, the time away coupled with my computer problem has forced me to reconsider my remaining stops at Choctaw, Tuskegee and Gainesville. With a little less than two weeks to make it to Cape Canaveral, I have decided to press on to the Cape without stopping at the three remaining schools. I apologize to anyone that was anticipating my appearance, but I have commitments at the Cape that require I be there no later than the weekend of the 15th of November. Again, my sincere apologies!

]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1225785600 Blog Tue, 4 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1224918000 You would think that I would be satisfied to take it easy during a break from my cross country trek. So what do I do for relaxation? What else? Ride a bike! I joined Andy from Pro Bike and the Oklahoma Bicycle Society (OBS) the Tour de Trees jaunt around Lake Eufala in eastern OK. Jumping from my fully loaded Trek 520 to a totally clean Trek aluminum/composite 2800 road bike, I felt like I was floating on a cloud. Until I hit my first crack in the pavement! Ouch. Light, but an incredibly stiff ride. Every nuance of the road reached up to bite me and rattle my teeth for 68 miles. I love my touring bike! Smooth as silk and a pleasure to tour on. I did take advantage of the lighter weight which made hill climbing a very pleasant experience.

It was great to ride with a lot of enthusiastic folks. As my luck would have it, I forgot to take the battery for my camera (brought the camera) and was fortunate that Curt loaned me his so I could continue to document my rides. The ride took us around the perimeter of the lake and there were a few hills thrown in for good measure. The creativity of manufacturers of Halloween decorations took on a new dimension with the inflatable hearse complete with the rider of death at the reigns! Where do people find these things?

The ride took us across the Eufaula Dam and everyone stopped into Pete's for Breakfast, Burgers and Bait! I took the bait... har har... For today's problem (which I forgot late last night so I am sneaking it in this morning) I pulled up a website that the United States Geological Survey publishes that shows the discharge rate for rivers all across the country (where they have instruments in place to measure such things).

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ok/nwis/uv/?site_no=07242000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060

This link provides the discharge rate for the North Canadian River near Wetumka, OK (my birthplace). If you look at the graph it shows the discharge rate in cfs. What is cfs? Try and imagine just how much water that is. What is a cubic foot? What would be the metric equivalent of a cubic foot? If you are familiar with logrithmic graphs, can you determine the flow rate for the 26th of October? If you are not familiar with logrithmic graphs, this would be something to look up on Wikipedia. Calculate the difference in flow rates between October 21st and October 26th.

Just beyond Pete's there was a turn off which placed a demanding climb (14% grade) on the shortcut to Eufaula. Just prior to the climb, a vicious dog posed for a picture (little furry camera ham). We rolled into Eufaula and took another break at the Braum's Ice Cream Store. If you are a lover of Blue Bell Ice Cream, you need to stop into Braum's one of these days. Awesome ice cream. I'm speaking from a professional ice cream scooper perspective, as I earned my very first paycheck for Braum's back when I was 16 years old in Plano, TX. It really does taste good!

A total of 68 miles to complete the loop, but not before coming across an elk lounging in the grass with a spectacular rack! The hills of Oklahoma provide for excellent touring and a great workout. I'm grateful to Andy for inviting me along and all of the wonderful folks I met at OBS. Now if I could just keep Andy (whom I have dubbed "Capt Recumbent") from falling asleep while lounging on his ever so comfy looking Bacchetta. ;o)
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1224918000 Blog Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1224831600 I took some time while looking for a replacement laptop to try out a couple of recumbent bikes at Pro Bikes. They took some getting used to, but with good coaching from Andy, I kept myself from becoming part of the parking lot pavement. A little twitchy on the steering, but loosen the grip on the handlebars and it is much easier to handle. I'm just afraid I would fall asleep in the reclined position!

I found a replacement at Oklahoma Business Systems. The Baker's have a great store and were super helpful. They provided me a micro HP laptop with a 80 GB hard drive and 512M of RAM. It has all of the bells and whistles I need to support my blogging, including a wireless and video camera! All for the unheard of price of $449! Wow, the price of computers these days. I loaded up all of the software to support my Garmin, including the MapSource software and Training Center for uploading the GPS track and maps for my 705 Edge. The only thing about the laptop that surprises me is just how hot it gets setting on my legs as I type. I need a water cooled cold plate to bring the temp down to something reasonable. It is about 3/4's the size of my IBM and just as functional. So, I am back up and running. Hence the reason yesterday's blog is being typed today. But who's counting... ;o)
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1224831600 Blog Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1224658800 Ever had one? Well, today was mine. I made it safely from Pine Bluff to McGehee, AR in piece and sat down to do my blog and the whole day came crashing down. Actually, it was my computer that came crashing down. Hard down! Completely, unrecoverably, totally, hard down. Funny grinding noises from the hard drive is a bad sign. At least I think its a bad sign. So, here I sit, comfortably in the lobby of the Best Western in McGehee, with Tabitha the cat looking contently down from the back of a queen ann chair, oblivious to my pain and suffering. I wish I had her composure right now. Anyway, I digress...

I had some fabulous pictures, interesting stories and some fun that I would like to have shared with everyone. But, I have to quickly regroup and head back to Oklahoma City, get a new computer, load all of my software, and, somewhere in there, head to Anaheim, CA for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society annual conference next week. So, I will plan to return to the ride on the week of the first of November. That shoots my chances for getting to the Cape by November 10th. I will get there eventually, but not as soon as I anticipated. Unfortunately, this computer does not have the software to load up all of the GPS and pictures that I need to have to make this work. And I don't think the management here at the Best Western would like me to dump all of this on their laptop. ;o)

Please bear with me and hang in for a few more days and I will get this together. Into everyone's life a little hard drive must fall... sigh....

My best,
John
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1224658800 Blog Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223967600 Everyday I continue to be amazed at the people I meet. Today it was Eddie and Buck! Two war veterans (Korea and Vietnam) that were sitting on a bench in front of a roadside store, just shooting the breeze. I walked up and Buck asks, "Are you a spaceman?" I guess my Endeavour t-shirt gave me away. I answered in the affirmative and the conversation just took off. Talk about two fun guys to talk to. They had some great stories and smiles from ear to ear. You guys were a pleasure to talk with and I thank you both for your service to our country. Buck was a para-trooper in the Airborne and I asked him why he would jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I told him a friend once told me that if they made perfectly good airplanes, they wouldn't have invented parachutes. He agreed!

Joe and I left Hot Springs under a cool drizzle with a total overcast. This was the earliest start I have had the entire trip. We jumped out of the hotel and hit the road around 7:30 am. We followed US 270 east out of Hot Springs and encountered a series of hills pretty much out past Malverne, AR. From there the road settled out with a great shoulder and the traffic was not too bad. Some logging trucks to contend with, but nothing as bad as I experienced in the northwest.

Joe was great fun to have along. We were hootin' and hollerin' most of the way. I was having to contend with his impression of Willy Nelson and "On the Road Again" as well as many other dated songs from a bygone era. The total mileage came out to just over 80 miles and he did a great job. Ask him about the dogs that were chasing us this afternoon. I'll let him tell the story on the blog. It will be much funnier than I can tell it. Joe, the floor (or ditch) is all yours...

Lots of interesting stuff on the road today. A large spider web next to a street sign, Department of the Army flag, multi-colored squash and tiny scarecrow (At the Sonic Drive In), and an "Anythang Wanted" sign at a local store. Its funny how this stuff just leaps out and gets my attention.

We rolled into Pine Bluff and wandered around the west side of the city trying to make sense of my GPS directions (still need to talk to those Garmin folks). After weaving through a somewhat questionable neighborhood we popped back out on the main highway and found our way toward the home of Larry and Betty Greene, parents of my neighbor Patty Woodbridge. After a fabulous dinner, Joe headed back to Little Rock with his brother Bart and I settled in for the evening. I will head to Colorado tomorrow and then on to Phoenix to attend the National Congress of American Indians. I will plan on returning to the bike by next Wednesday. From here I will pedal to Philadelphia, MS and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Their middle school is a NASA Explorer School. From there I will head directly east across Alabama to speak at a school in Tuskegee, AL before pointing myself across the southwest corner of Georgia and in to Florida and the last leg of my journey.

Since I am still having some issues with my GPS and it's inability to give adequate directions (not the fault of the GPS, just the software that provides navigation), here are some questions about GPS technical stuff (that's a technical term ;o). How many GPS satellites are in the current GPS constellation? Are there any spares floating around up there? At what altitude are the satellites orbiting the earth? How many GPS satellites do you need to determine a GPS position (not to include elevation). Can you use GPS to determine the attitude of an aircraft or the International Space Station?


]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223967600 Blog Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223881200 Of course I only visited the spa after a grueling day of speaking. ;o) The Quapaw Bath House is one of only two active spas that are still open along Central Avenue. What a treat after having pedaled 3100 miles! Add to that a deep tissue massage and my muscles are ready for the remaining 1000 or so miles to complete this journey!

I made a beeline for Langston Magnet School around 1200 with my friend Joe Oswald in tow. Upon entering the school, it was apparent they were incredibly enthused about space flight and very proud of being a NASA Explorer School. Pictures of the space station adorned the walls of the school. And what amazed me was the fact that all of the photos of the ISS were taken during my flight just after we undocked. The folks in the office were great and even pulled one of the photos down from the wall, removed the backing and had me autograph it!

The students were K-5 and we very excited to hear about space flight. They asked some great questions (and told me some neat stories, as kids that age are prone to do). A couple of students were very good about getting photos for the school paper. Misti, James and Jamesa were great helpers and posed for a photo after the talk. I really enjoyed my day at Langston and hope that the kids took away something from my talk.

Tomorrow Joe and I will depart for Pine Bluff. The trip should be about 78 miles and follow US 270 from Hot Springs. I'm looking forward to spending some time on the road with Joe. I don't think a moment goes by where we are not laughing or cracking up. I hope we don't laugh so hard we fall off our bikes.

On the way out of the Quapaw Spa, I came across a small plaque that listed the constituents of the mineral water (again). It turns out that the water is heated by the radioactive decay of three elements. The water seeps through the ground for some 4000 years, before breeching the surface. Check out the picture and review the elements that make up the water. Find each of the elements on the periodic chart. How is the way that this water is heated differ from the way the water is heated in Thermopolis, WY? The other place where I visited hot springs.
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223881200 Blog Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223794800 Now if this mailbox doesn't make it clear that this is the land of the bass sportsman, I don't know what would.

I left Mt Ida after having a huge breakfast and wandered slowly toward Hot Springs. With only 35 miles to go, I was going to take my time and have a leisurely day on the bike! Even though I only had a few miles to go, the wind kept me at a slower pace than I would have liked. Windy, you're
not working with me here...

This portion of AR is known for its quartz formations and there is even a diamond mine about 40 miles south of Mt Ida. There are also numerous rock shops along the highway. I found one shop that had some very large quartz crystals and took some photos with Windy in tow. When I was growing up in Colorado, my family spent many hours in the mountains searching for crystals. While we found some pretty large crystals, nothing compared to these! Wow!

I stopped for a drink at a local gas station and met probably the friendliest barking dog I have come across on my journey. And his name was Sparky! My family recently lost our favorite pet and his name was Sparky too! And they looked alike as well! Good boy Sparky!

There was a great smokehouse and some awesome beef jerky with a cat that was a pretty good beggar! I'm a bit of a softy so he ate well as I sat enjoying the noon time sun. I think he was sad to see me leave!

I crossed Lake Hamilton and made my way into Hot Springs. I had reservations at the Arlington Hotel in downtown Hot Springs, right across from the Hot Springs National Park. Once there I met my good friend Joe Oswald and his brothers, Steve and Bart from Little Rock. Tomorrow I have plans to speak at the Langston Magnet School and then Joe and I will ride out of town on Tuesday for Pine Bluff.

Here in Hot Springs they bottle mineral water with the following constituents:

Mountain Valley Spring Water
Bottled Water Mineral Analysis
Constituent Parts Per Million (mg/liter)

Calcium 68.00
Magnesium 8.00
Sodium 2.80
Potassium 1.00
Fluoride .25
Iron .01
Zinc .01
Total dissolved solids 230.00
Total hardness 205.00
Alkalinity (CaCO3) 180.00
pH 7.00

What does pH stand for and what value of pH is considered acidic and what is consider alkaline?






]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223794800 Blog Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223708400 Not sure I would want to find this critter on a mountain trail. When I was talking to Ronnie and Christie (the two bikers) at the Rich Mountain Country store, there were three guys walking off into the woods with snake tongs, boots up to their knees and duffel bags. I asked the store's owner if there were a lot of rattlers in the woods and this was the skin he brought out from a paper sack. Apparently the snake bit the guy trying to capture it and spent three days in the hospital (the guy, not the snake). I think the guy deserves the skin!

I had fun wandering through the Ozarks. Beautiful tree lined roads with wide clean shoulders. Lots of little walking sticks ambling across the road. They must have been migrating or something. I've never seen so many. I thought it would be fun to put Windy next to a couple of them. She is not the only one hitchhiking. I saw numerous walking sticks crossing the road in pairs. Pretty neat. Next came the garter snake with the huge curiosity. I pulled alongside and he came right up to my shoe. Next he started to sniff my tire and before I knew it, he was entangling himself between my spokes. He slithered off the side of the road, perfectly content with his new discovery.

Hwy 270 followed the valley floor between the hills. Lots of curves with numerous climbs and descents. I have forgotten how beautiful Arkansas can be with it's combination of tall oak and pine. I had read that many cyclists fear Arkansas for it's rude drivers and narrow roads. I'm not sure where those folks pedaled, but it clearly wasn't along this route. Everyone has been super courteous and the roads have been great. Nice place to tour!

The road into Mt Ida crossed over a few hills and was much more undulating than the previous 70 miles. When I arrived in Mena, I realized I still had another 45 miles to go, and only about 4 hours to make the trip. I left Mena knowing that only one hotel had a room for me in Mt Ida and I hustled to make it before dark. I ran my average speed up from 9.0 to almost 11 mph. I made it with about 30 minutes to spare! Against a 10 knot headwind, no less! Windy and I need to have a talk... No winds Windy!! No winds...

Let's talk power! Not the emperor rules the kingdom type of power, but work (W) over a period of time (dt). P=W/dt. Work is defined as a force applied over a distance. How can we relate this to a bicycle? There are a few ways to measure Power required to move a bicycle forward and I have none of those gadgets on my bike. So let's pretend for a moment that I do. Just looking through some sources on the internet, I have found that the average Power that is generated by a professional cyclist can be between 300 and 500 Watts per hour. Assuming I am producing something close, say 400 Watts/hr and I pedaled for the amount of time I did today, how many Watts of power did I generate? Using that answer, determine what type of things I could have powered. An average size house for how long? Hmmm, makes one wonder...

]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223708400 Blog Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223622000 I know, I know, quit typing so late in the day. I'm going just a little bit nutty. Maybe I should pedal less and type more? I think not... ;o)

It was a fairly straight ride from McAlester to Heavener (pronounced "He vin er"). Interesting sites. Running the gamut from Alien shaved ice to The Hard Times Festival! I guess it makes sense to take time off from hardship to celebrate it!

The shoulders that I praised so much yesterday disappeared and became a passing memory. The road narrowed just after I found the Choctaw Nation's Jones Academy. I didn't realize this school was here, so I took some time to stop by the office and meet with some students. The Jones Academy is an in residence boarding school for grades K-12. Kids from all across the country end school here. They were a lot of fun, I just wish I had known of the school's location and I would have planned a longer stay. At least I had a chance to spend a short period of time.

I took a short cut when I left the school and followed a narrow paved road back to the main highway. I've learned that this is the perfect place for a dog. You can roam free and chase bicyclists at will. Gotta love a dog owner that doesn't mind their dog running freely across a major highway. If you are a dog and can read this, pack your bags and move to eastern OK. I'm sure you will be happy! Nice doggie...

I wanted to stop at the Hateful Hussy Restaurant, but funny thing, they were closed! Go figure! I tend to find tools on just about every bike ride and today was no exception. A 200 foot surveyor's tape! What a find! I strapped that critter down to my bike and found the first post office I could find. Nine dollars and 10 cents later, the tape was on it's way to my house! What a deal!

When I am pedaling along and I see that someone has stopped alongside the road and appears to be waiting for me, I pay close attention. Two motorcyclists did just that today and as I came closer one of them started to wave. Upon closer inspection I realized it was Tony Choate, a journalist for the Chickasaw Times. Tony had just covered my departure from Ada and the Chickasaw Headquarters, but didn't realize I would be pedaling this way. I stopped and took photos of Tony and Stephanie and had a good laugh in the process! Nice to see friends along the road!

I made a turn where US 270 turns south near Wister, OK. I followed a winding road around Wister Lake and negotiated some rolling hills populated by the ever present free roaming eastern OK bicycle chasing canine. I think I counted about 10 in the last 5 miles of the ride. None of the dogs came too close, but they were certainly trying. Probably the funniest sight was the bassett hound bounding through the brush, bent on annihilation. Big old ears flapping in the breeze! At least he (she) had some spunk.

I'm still scratching my head over how a pair of boots were placed so neatly side by side in a drainage ditch beneath a church billboard. Things just keep getting stranger by the day!

One of my friends mentioned in the comments that I should ask how long it took me to fly in the shuttle over the distance I have pedaled. Good idea Dave! If the shuttle travels at 17,500 mph, how long would it take to fly 2975 miles (total mileage to date).
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223622000 Blog Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223535600 Uh oh! This is not good. I'd better start using a map again! I wonder if the exact change has to be in Euro's or Francs? What would be today's exchange rate between Euros and US dollars? If the toll was $4.00 US, how many Euros would that be?

Many thanks to Eugene, Jada and Piper for hosting me over the past two nights. Last night Eugene was the hero of the evening by helping me recover all of the photos I had deleted from my camera's memory card. I thought that I had transferred all of the photos from the memory card to my computer, but apparently that was not the case. As an IT wizard for the Chickasaw Nation, Eugene had the right tools on his home computer to help me recover data from a formatted memory! I owe you big ones Eugene! Many, many thanks!

It was great fun leaving Ada this morning. There were about thirty kids and their teachers from the Chickasaw Nation's Head Start program awaiting my arrival and departure from the tribal headquarters. They gave me and a group of riders from the ECU cycling club a rousing send off. We traveled east out of Ada on Hwy 1 headed toward McAlester. I appreciate the fact that the club took the time to ride out of town with me. Always fun to share the road. Matt, Mike and KC rode quite a distance with me. KC, aka Casey, rode all the way to McAlester, before turning west and heading home. I hope he picked up a ride before the sun went down! It was a very enjoyable ride with the wind slightly off our right quarter which slowed us down just a bit. Windy worked her magic by keeping it off the nose! We're buds, Windy and I!

One of the things that I find interesting in riding across the country is that every county has its own idea of what makes a quality road. Most of the roads in OK have had wide shoulders, but the road between Ada and Calvin had some of the nastiest tar and chip surface that I have encountered in the entire journey. Imagine a gravel road with all of the rocks held in place by a tar surface! Yuck! We spent a good portion of the time wandering between the road's main surface and the shoulder when traffic would permit. When Matt and Mike turned around, I joked that the surface of the road would change about ¼ mile east of town! How prophetic that statement was! Sure enough, right when we crossed into Hughes County, the road's surface became smooth as silk! What a treat! And Hughes County is the country where I was born!! Yea!!!

The hills of eastern OK provide for some beautiful scenery as the road rolls eastward. Old bridges and railroad trestles have stood for years in this part of the country and have become part of the nostalgic landscape. It brings back memories of the years that I spent here visiting my grandparents in and around Wetumka. The scrub oak is beginning to change color and I expect the trees to put forth an assortment of color as I head into Arkansas and wander through the Ozarks toward Hot Springs, AR. One tree that had some interesting color caught my attention (thanks to KC for pointing it out). I never thought I would actually see a real boot tree, but I have a picture to prove it! If money doesn't grow on trees, I guess footwear does...

KC and I rolled into McAlester around 4:30 pm. We wandered through downtown looking for Mexican restaurant to quench my hunger and came across Lupe's on Chickasaw Avenue! How cool is that? Inside we met Emily and Sandra who served up a great meal with lots of smiles. KC decided to head back in the direction of Ada and I realized that McAlester would be my stopping point for the day. I didn't have the time to make it all the way to Wilburton by nightfall, so I found a hotel in George Nigh Parkway and settled in to the Americ Inn for the night! Thanks to Anika at the front desk.

Kudos (congratulations) to Ms Medcalf's 7th hour math class of determining this would be my stopping point. As a matter of fact, I determined that my next stop would be Heavener, OK if McAlester was going to be my stopping point for the day last night! Good job! You betcha...
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223535600 Blog Thu, 9 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223449200 I guess that is not a problem given that I can't grow a beard anyway. Actually, this is my pensive look...

I spent the morning at Sasakwa visiting students from grade school to high school. Sasakwa lies about 25 miles to the northeast of Ada and has been a NASA Explorer School since 2004. Not a large school, maybe 250 students from K through 12, but they are full of spirit. They were having a pep rally for the softball team that is headed to a championship tomorrow in OKC. Lots of great questions and a dedicated staff. Thanks to everyone there for making my visit a success. We were lucky to have some folks from Horizon TV spend the day with us. They are a division within the State of Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. They came down from Stillwater to film my talk for broadcast on the state's public television stations later this month. So, to give them something to film, I loaded the bike up and made my way over to Ada High School and Ms. Medcalf's 6th and 7th grade math classes. What a fantastic bunch of high spirited students! You guys and gals were great! I really appreciate the effort everyone has put into following my journey. It is obvious that all of you appreciate your teacher, Ms. Medcalf. She is clearly a great motivator and has done a super job of keeping everyone's interest in math at a high level! I really enjoyed my interaction with everyone and I hope that I have shown you what the possibilities can be if you put forth your best effort. From the feedback I have already received, I am THRILLED! Yee haa! That is what is journey is all about! Keep up the great work and enthusiasm!

Once again, my lack of sleep and late night tinkering on the blog resulted in the lack of a math problem. So, let's double up tonight...

I leave tomorrow for Hot Springs, AR. I will depart Ada around 9:00 with friends from the local cycling club. I have to do some planning so as to arrive in Hot Springs, AR by Sunday afternoon. If you were me, where would you stop tomorrow night, Friday night and Saturday night? Assume that I will pedal at the rate of 12 mph for roughly 7 hours each day. Take a look at the cities that have adequate accommodations, hotels preferably, camping if necessary. I will take Hwy 1 out of Ada and pick up Hwy 270 from McAlester. This will be a problem of estimation. Since my mileage may stick me in a place that is between cities, use your problem solving skills to figure out where you would stay if you were me. If you want to put your answers on the blog comment section, go ahead. Let's see if we come up with the same answers.
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223449200 Blog Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223362800 She truly is the Goddess of Wind. It is an apt name for my little bear hitchhiker. Ever since she came aboard, I have had the wind at my back; twenty knots on the 29th and again today. This is GOOD!

In the past few days I was able to catch up on a bunch of personal stuff that has needed my attention since I have been on the road. I took some time to attend the Chickasaw Festival in Tishomingo, OK and also was granted the opportunity to ride a float in the festival parade. Half of the fun was taking pictures of those that took pictures of me. Some of the pictures are fantastic! I will add those to the end of my photos from today!

A bunch of us gathered at Pro Bike this morning and slammed down a hearty breakfast at the restaurant next door to John's shop. I was surprised when every major TV station in OKC rolled into the parking lot just prior to our scheduled departure time. It is great to get the word out and I am grateful to the local stations for making the effort to cover this story. I hope some students in the area can pick up the blog and it makes a difference for them. As is usually the case, I failed to get a single picture of the media stuff. To my route coordinator Jay Roman in South Dakota, my humble apologies for dropping the ball! ;o)

I scampered out of OKC like a scolded pup, with about 10 friends in tow! It is quite the challenge to pedal through a city, but I think we picked a great route. We left the bike shop on 63rd and wound around the southern portion of Lake Hefner before picking up Wilshire Blvd through Nichols Hills. From there it was a straight shot to the east side of the city before heading south to pick up the 23rd toward Hwy 177. We shed a few of our fellow riders as we headed eastward. John and Andy had to head back to open the bike shop, but three folks remained, Derrick, Tony and Leslie as we made our way to Shawnee and points south. The wind was FANTASTIC! Thank goodness I waited a day to let the stormy weather and southerly winds pass. Today the winds were howling out of the northwest and made our ride incredibly pleasant. Nothing like a flat road on a river bottom that points southeast with the wind at your back!

We sailed into Shawnee just after 1200 pm and took a rest on the south side of town. From there it was a straight shot down Hwy 177 toward Ada. Tony and Derrick stayed with me all the way down to Asher, before they turned back and met their support van from Edmond (Derrick's wife, Ann). The shoulder of the highway was the cleanest I have pedaled to date. Nice and wide to boot!

From Asher I had another 21 miles to Ada before I met up with Casey and Eugene from the East Central University Cycling Club. We rode the last few miles into Ada together (They had to battle that nasty headwind just to meet me. What fortitude!) When I arrived in Ada, more folks from the cycling club were there to meet us and we all traveled to the Chickasaw Nation Headquarters together. There is an awesome sculpture in front of the building and I just had to take some pictures. From there we headed over to East Central University where I gave a presentation to the local community. We finished up around 8 pm, pedaled through the darkness to dinner and I eventually ended up in the guest room of Eugene and his family.

All told it was a fabulous day! Long, but fabulous. It was so nice to get back on the road, especially with friends to share the journey. We all need to step back once and a while and take care of business, but it is the challenge we find in life that keeps us going everyday. Sometimes we lose sight of the things that motivate us and we can get caught up in the day to day doldrums and we can't fill our sails. I feel alive and energized when I have something that captures my attention and makes me put forth my best effort. There have been days when I would wake up with nothing to do and I felt lost and confused. This ride has given me a purpose and a passion that I was lacking in recent months. I hope that my enthusiasm is infectious and that others benefit from what I am trying to accomplish. If what I am doing changes the life of just one student, then it will have been worth it. This is my payback to the people that invested their time in me and helped me find success in my life. To them, my thanks...


]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1223362800 Blog Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222671600 Some things move a bit slower than I do. Some things don't come out of their shell, either. Kinda like me, the shy type...

Great day coming out of Taloga. I was fortunate that Mike Jackson took me down the shortcut to Watonga. I don't think I would have trusted my GPS to send me down this path. Fortunately, it actually gave me proper directions down this rather obscure road, but it still gives me ridiculous directions when going down a highway. I will be giving Garmin lots of recommendations and data at the end of this ride. The GPS is a great tool for telling you where you have been and collecting the data, but a very poor tool for navigation.

As I was headed down the shortcut (Oakwood Road) I realized that my little rider decided to hop off of my bike somewhere along the way. Just like Dave Atala mentioned in the comments, I felt a bit like Tom Hanks looking for Wilson, the volleyball he became close friends with during his stay on the island. I turned around and went looking for my hitchhiker. I found her laying on her side just past the mean growling dog that gave me a good scare when I pedaled by. I'm such a softy!

I rolled out of the hills and made Kingfisher is fairly fast order. A really solid tailwind gave me a push all the way into Oklahoma City. As I headed down the Northwest Parkway, a motorcycle pulled up alongside and started asking questions about my ride. Steve and his Harley stayed with me in close formation for about a mile before he asked me to pull over and chat. I was in a bit of a hurry as I was trying to make Pro Bike before they closed at 6:00 pm. I had a good chat with Steve, a former Navy man with the US Navy Emblem proudly emblazoned on his Harley.

I merged well with the busy traffic inside of the turnpike that surrounds the northwest side of OKC and sped all the way to the bike shop. I met John and Andy just before closing time and started giving them an immediate data dump on my ride to date. I left the bike in their fine care for a complete tune up and will take a ride out of town with them next Monday. I will be taking a few days here in OK before heading out next Monday to Ada and points east. I will get back to the blog as soon as I hit the road. Thanks for taking the time to follow along with me on my journey.

Speaking of moving slowly, if I pedaled 5 miles per hour slower than I did in yesterday's problem, how much longer would it have taken me to pedal 100 miles? How early would I have had to begin in order to make 100 miles by 7:30 pm?
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222671600 Blog Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222585200 There she was, just sitting on the side of the road looking so forlorn. Lost and alone with no one caring for her. I rode by her once, turned around. Took a photo of her and pedaled away, only to turn around and give her a place of prominence on my handlebar bag. She will have a front row seat for the remainder of my trip. And she's a quiet little traveler too!

Once again, I was awake before sunrise and packed my stuff as the light started to filter into my room. I found a small cafe in Buffalo where at least twelve local farmers were huddled together discussing the price of wheat, serving themselves coffee because the waitress wanted to be anywhere else but here. An omelet with cheddar cheese that couldn't melt because the eggs were too cold. Other than that, my breakfast was pretty good!

I headed out of Buffalo toward the south. The wind was minimal and the temps were hovering just below 60 degrees. I started to climb numerous hills as I rose up the bluff close to Fort Supply, OK. The hills are covered by a huge wind farm with towers stretching as far as the eye could see. The sun was just in the right position to highlight the enormous blades as they stood quietly still in the Oklahoma morning. The last time I came through this area, the wind was howling out of the south and I parked my truck and listened to the "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" as the blades turned in unison. No such sound today. Just the occasional screech of a pair of red tail hawks that seemed to be following me from power pole to power pole.

I rode through Fort Supply and eventually wandered southeast of Woodward. I have traveled this road so many times from CO to OK from my childhood until as recently as July of this year. It has not changed that much over the years.

Since I would not be able to reach Watonga by nightfall, I made a point of finding a place to stay as close to 80 miles away. It seems like most of the hotels (and there are not many) are being occupied by wind farm construction crews or people associated with the oil drilling in the area. I did find a small hotel in Taloga, OK and which would take me about 10 miles off my track toward Watonga, but I did not have any other options.

The landscape changed dramatically as I rode down the hills into the South Canadian River valley. Taloga sits in the base of the valley, in a large lush plain. I pulled into The Taloga Inn and was met by the owners, Mike Jackson and his wife. Mike asked me to hurry and get my bike put away so that he could show me the way out of town that I will use tomorrow. Rather than climbing back up the hills I just rode down, Mike wanted to make sure I knew the locals way of winding through the Canadian River valley. A beautiful paved road that winds around and over the river for about 14 miles, meeting the diagonal highway that will take me directly into Watonga. Nice to have the help of the local folks. To show how small this world is (once again), I asked Mike where he was from in Oklahoma (can't miss the drawl). He said he was from Elk City. So I asked if he knew a very good friend of mine, Bill Khourie. "I've know Bill since I was a little boy." Bill and I work together for the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority and he has been a strong supported of aerospace in the state. It is a small world, yesiree!

For today's problem, let's talk velocity, specifically the velocity of my bike. If I was traveling at 10 miles per hour and I had to reach Watonga, 100 miles away, what time should I start pedaling if I want to reach Watonga before the sun sets at 7:30 pm?
]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222585200 Blog Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222498800 I would have expected a snake, but instead, the little prying eyes in the grass were of a different variety. The strange things I see when I pedal across the landscape. I bet some child is really missing this little guy.

The day dawned a bit later than I expected. Now that I am back in the central time zone, getting up at 6:00 am, left me without light to pedal by. Back in bed for a little more rest before getting up and going around 8:30 am. I was only planning on 80 miles today, since I expected some forecast headwinds. It would have taken me about 117 miles to reach Woodward, OK, so I looked for places to stay in Laverne or Buffalo. Since both are relatively small towns, I thought it would be best to call ahead and make reservations. I am glad I did. In Laverne the only hotel was being renovated and all FOUR rooms were occupied. In Buffalo, I ended up learning that rather than having a hotel, they have a collection of ladies that rent out rooms or houses. Sort of a motel call tree. I made plans to stay at a small bungalow in Buffalo and headed off in that direction.

The wind I was expecting never materialized, so I pedaled effortlessly south, but not before doing my tourist thing in Boot Hill. Wyatt Earp was in good form in the early sunshine! The road south had a small shoulder, but the cleanest shoulder I have yet to pedal. Not a bit of glass or stone. It looked like someone had swept it clean! So nice!

Both sides of the road were lined with crops. Primarily sorghum in a variety of colors. Mostly burnt orange, though! That would make my sister happy, given that she is a University of Texas graduate and her favorite color matches the crop. The road was pretty straight and my speed was averaging 13 mph with a slight tailwind. I dropped into what I thought was a large valley and found a sign talking about the geologic history of the Big Basin. I would have enjoyed going to Jacob's Well, but the road was dirt and the Oklahoma stickers were in great form. No need to get a flat, so I headed back down the road.

I crossed the Cimarron River which eventually flows just north of my place in Guthrie. From there I turned east and picked up a quartering tailwind and a few more hills. This was the first place where I began to see the bright red soil that Oklahoma is famous for. I eventually stopped in Buffalo at the local pizza parlor and tried contacting the lady with the bungalow. Since she didn't answer, I contacted another lady on the call tree and ended up getting a room at the Woolly Bison Inn. Great room at a very reasonable rate. The nicest hotel I have stayed in this entire journey.

If you pay attention to the website, you will see that I had planned on visiting a school in Wichita before heading south. Since I have some personal commitments in OK over the next week, I unfortunately had to change my plans and head directly to OKC. Hopefully in the future, I can make a trip back to Wichita and share my story with the students there. My apologies for not being able to stay with my original plan.

With the excellent amount of sunlight I have been having recently, I want to share some information explaining my Solio solar charger. Here's copy of their basic explanation of how the charger and it photovoltaic cells work:

"Solio has been designed to harness the sun's energy, shortening the process of transforming it into electricity by using photovoltaic cells (PVs). PVs convert sunlight into electricity that can be used immediately. The process is clean, fast, noiseless, and—thanks to Solio—easily portable. Here's how it works. Light from the sun hits the solar cells, exciting electrons within the cell. Some of them break free, and are channeled through a conductive metal strip to create an electric current. This current can either be stored in a battery or used directly in the form of electricity. The stronger the sunlight and the more rays that hit the cell, the more electricity is generated."

To get a better explanation of how a PV cell is constructed, please visit this website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaic_module

]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222498800 Blog Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222412400 You gotta "giddy up" pretty early in the morning to pedal 105 miles. Oh, that was bad.... har har....

Not my longest day, but certainly one of the most difficult. Battling a nasty wind is much more challenging than climbing a pass. There was an episode on the Twilight Zone where the main character keeps looking at something in the distance and it keeps getting farther away. The closer you get, the farther away it looks. That's the way towns and grain silos appeared on the horizon. Getting closer, further away, closer, further away... sigh... All you can do is hunker down and put your best pedal forward. My Dad has always said something when times are tough. "This moment will pass before you know it." How true in this case. One way or the other the winds will eventually stop, either on their own or when you do. So, just keep pedaling!

The nice part about starting early is the wind has not yet reached a level that slows you down. Most of my ride was eastward with some portions taking a more southeasterly track. The wind was variable from the southeast to the southwest, but predominately from the south. Reaching speeds anywhere from 15-20 knots. Gusty at times as well. Thank goodness for my aero bars!

Lots of straight with a few hills tossed in for good measure. I saw a couple of interesting things today, but not as much as in previous days. One was a rather comfy looking chair parked beneath a power pole with a sign saying, "Bryan's Draw." He must have really liked the view! Another interesting site was a pheasant farm. Large pens with netting covering the top with hundreds of ringneck pheasants wandering about. I did see a few pheasants along the side of the road, but they weren't wandering about, if you know what I mean. One of the more interesting sites here in southern Kansas are the feed lots. Lots of cattle, lots of smell. If you ever have a hankering to become a vegetarian, try pedaling by a lot on the northerly side, with the wind from the south. I think your mind might be made up...

The shoulder of the road was great for about half of the ride, but became half as wide as I neared Cimarron. The traffic was a bit heavier as well and numerous cars and trucks were doing their best to honk at me right as they came alongside. I tend to think they want to startle me, but maybe they are just being friendly.

As the sun began to tip lower on the horizon, my shadow was cast across the highway. At one point I came to a field covered with the state flower. Huge sunflowers, hanging their heads as if getting ready to sleep.

One of the challenges when pedaling long distances is that the miles click off really quick in the beginning and slowly slide by near the end. Things move in slow motion and the world seems to creep by. Toss in a good wind and a sore behind and 100 miles can be a challenge. I rolled into Dodge City right as the sun set in a flaming orange ball. It was nice to find a place right inside the city limits. I take some pictures of the historical section in the morning before heading south toward Oklahoma.

For today's problem, let's talk about the wind. Now I am not complaining, really! I just want to use these nasty winds to exercise some math! How fun is that? At one point during my ride, as I left Garden City and passed the airport, I was pedaling on a heading to the southeast. Using a compass, my heading would have been roughly 150 degrees. The winds at that time were blowing strong from the south, or 180 degrees. Let's say the speed of the winds were about 20 knots (sure felt like it!). How many degrees off of my heading were the winds? Once you determine that angle, determine the headwind component I was having to pedal against.




]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222412400 Blog Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222326000 Dorothy and Toto may have gotten here quickly with three clicks of her shoes, but it's taken me just a bit longer and I am still not home! Maybe if I had a pair of ruby slippers with bike cleats I would have been here earlier, but I would have had a lot of explaining to do in Montana and Wyoming! I still think they should have ridden a bike...

I ate a small meal at the Best Western and rolled the bike out the door around 7:30. In the parking lot I was met by some farmers from Mexico who were here to buy some used farm equipment. Only one of them spoke some limited English so we had a chat (limited chat) and took some pictures. Very cordial and genuinely interested in my ride.

The wind was minimal as I started off toward Lamar. One of the pleasures of Hwy 50 is that the shoulder is very wide and smooth. Very few rocks litter the road and there is a set of rumble strips that give me a warning if someone is wandering into my part of the road. As I rolled along at a pretty fast clip (18 mph), a fuzzy little critter caught my eye. I whipped the bike around and snapped a picture of a tarantula. Too bad it was dead. I wasn't sure until I gave him a nudge and he didn't budge. Either dead or really sleepy!

I rolled into Hasty, CO and purchased my daily ritual of chocolate milk. No guilt chocolate milk. So much fun when you ride a bike, not worrying about my caloric intake (well, maybe a little, but chocolate milk is the exception). The Valley Grocery is 100 years old, according to Colleen, the woman running the store. A few farmers were sitting the store and everyone knows everyone. Nice place to stop for a rest.

You see a lot of interesting things on and beside the road. The duck head (not real) caught my attention. I usually pass something by and then realize it would make for a fun picture. Trying to put it into perspective with the road adds to the sense of the abnormality of it's place in the world. I should make a montage of the weird things I have photographed. The duck head and kid's Superman costume come to mind.

I came across an old stone school that the community is trying to keep alive. Not sure how many donations they pull together with their sign, but it is nice to see them putting in the effort.

I happen to be traveling through an area that is smack in the middle of harvest season. Lots of melons, onions, corn and wheat. I saw a couple of school buses rolling through a field, which I thought might be carrying folks that were doing the picking, but on closer inspection, I realized they were used for carrying the melons that were picked. No windows, just padding along the window sills and full of pumpkins. Innovative way to use an old school bus!

Just shy of Granada, CO, I came across the Amache Japanese-American Relocation Camp. I have traveled this road numerous times in my truck, but haven't never stopped. I thought I would today, but there is a long dirt road to the camp and I didn't think it was be good for my tires. I am sure there is a lot of history and I plan on returning and spending some time here.

As I traveled the highway, I began to notice that whoever was doing some of the tar work on the cracks in the road, was a bit creative. I have seen big swirls, hearts, and today I came across a Smiley face! I couldn't pass up a picture of it.

When I crossed the border into Kansas, I stopped to take my obligatory state line photo. At the same time, my very good friend Joe Oswald called so I made sure to take the photo with the phone in my hand. Joe was the most senior Aviation Ordnanceman Master Chief in the Navy when he recently retired. I was honored when he asked for me to speak at his retirement ceremony at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL.

The shoulder of the road changed dramatically when I crossed the border. Different texture and a bit more debris. Unfortunately, the color of the rock makes it harder to discern whether there is broken glass in my path. On more than one occasion, I rolled right through a pile of glass, cringing if and when I would puncture my tire. So far, so good, but I am sure I just jinxed myself.

The wind really picked up from about Holly, CO all the way to Syracuse, KS. I was hoping to make Lakin, KS, but the wind just beat me back and brought my speed down from 16 mph to around 8 mph. I found only one hotel in Syracuse and decided this was the place to stay. I don't have an option of camping, given that I took all of my camping gear off the bike and shipped it home from the Lamar post office. With all of the items I shed, I lost about 18 pounds on the bike. So, now I have to be a bit more cautious about having a place to stay and better judge my distance between stops. It's no fun keeping my fingers crossed hoping the next town has an open hotel. Before I hit the hotel, I downed a great pizza at the Syracuse Pizzeria courtesy of Brenda and Kathy. Another bonus from burning so many calories everyday. I wonder how much weight I have lost...

When I left Las Animas this morning I realized that I had forgotten to place a math problem on the day in the blog. It was also brought to my attention but some of my astute blog followers. Didn't I say I was forgetful? I don't remember... anyway, here's what you and I missed:

When I purchased the charger in La Junta, I needed to make sure that the voltage and current were compatible with my computer. On the bottom of my computer it states that the current for the unit should be about 4000 milli amps (4000 mA). How many amps (A) would that be? Also, the voltage from the charger can be adjusted down to a minimum of 15 volts. Using Ohm's Law (V=IR), what would be the resistance if the voltage is 15 and the current is 4 amps?

]]> http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222326000 Blog Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://rocketrek.com/index.php?pg=blog&date=1222239600 Did I say I was forgetful? I don't remember if I did or not. Oh well, it doesn't matter now. After watching my computer die last night right as I was starting to upload my photos for the day, it dawned on me that either I get creative and find a way to get my computer charger back from my folks in Texas or bite the bullet and buy another! Ouch, I ended up buying another. Chris in La Junta happened to have just what I needed. He is richer and I am poorer, but now I have a charge and can continue my blogging. "And there was much rejoicing... yea...." (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

I jumped out of bed early this morning knowing that I had a large distance to cover if I wanted to make Lamar before nightfall. At 121 miles, it was going to be a stretch. I was feeling great and made excellent time down Hwy 50. I've driven this road so many times, it was a bit of a shock that I was moving a bit more slowly and the mileage signs just didn't click down fast enough. Hwy 50 parallels the Arkansas River for most of it's length through eastern Colorado. Nice and flat with little wind and the temps getting up into the high 90's. I used copious quantities of sunscreen and ended up shedding my shirts in favor of just my yellow vest.

The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad also parallels the highway and many trains laden with coal slide eastward