Day Fifty

The last hours have been packed. Starting with the skit, Bill and I had a great time and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. I was very nervous and stuck to the script but Bill had the nerve to do some improv - at my expense of course. Two other groups sang songs, Joel and Mike Miller did an ABB version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Homeward bound" which was quite charming and had the whole room singing the chorus.
HK then passed out certificates and each of us had a chance to speak a few words. BS was the first one called and handled it quite well. Must be all that courtroom experience. I of course got a little choked up, but started with my limerick: there once was a group from Astoria, who rode ABB with euphoria. We biked many miles and shared lots of smiles and I'd go on and on but I'd bore ya.
The last day was cool and grey with predicted thunder showers. We had to get to the high school by 11:30 in order to get the police escort, and there were many rolling hills around a huge lake that took more time than many thought, and of course there was that bakery along the way that we had to swarm, so the pressure was on.
We gathered like a herd of cats and started to take pictures of each other, then, the big moment came. The police car started, followed by Silver (the two support vans were named by color) then the whole pack of us in our matching ABB jerseys. Bill borrowed a staff member's bike and rode the last three miles with all of us, which just added to my "reasons to bawl my eyes out" list.
We got the shore and most of us took off our shoes and walked our bikes into the sea. Bill dipped his mangled wheel from what was left of his bike - see above "bawling my eyes out" statement.
Rain looked imminent so BS and I, joined by Ralph, rode to the hotel. We took an unintentional detour and ended up doing a few extra miles and since the bakery had run out of goodies by the time we got there, my blood sugar was dropping rapidly.
We got to the hotel, put our bikes in Silver to take to the bike shop, ran to McD for a recovery shake (my last one!) and got to the hotel in time to see an impressive thunder shower with a deluge of water. We watched it for awhile because being from SoCal, we couldn't think of the last time we saw rain. Once again, we were lucky not to have to ride in it. The triple was not so lucky and Will and family came in looking rather grim, but pleased to be in safe.
We ran some errands by taxi which was cool because I've never done that "hey, can I say, follow that car?" and got back in time to start the social hour which started with beer brought by Mark's wife, then the San Fransisco treats and their significant others joined us in our room for wine and cheese, then BS and I took a cab to Maine for dinner.
We walked along a river which had an impressively long and consonant-filled name, and walked over the bridge to New Hampshire. We stopped for a after dinner beverage at a local hangout then called it a night.
Our hotel room was graced by flowers from PR, JR and SR, and also by a final card from GR. Thanks for the thoughts - it was quite cool coming back to see those reminders of you all in the room.
Our last load is today, then a shuttle to the airport, then home again. The real impact of this will take a while to sink in, but to you readers, I thank you for being with me and carrying me through. Wishing you all well, MA

Day Forty Nine

Another day to add to my top ten list, but I wouldn't know which ones to kick off the list in order to make room! Crossed into New Hampshire and enjoyed rolling up and downs in gorgeous forested hills. Didn't have too much traffic as today was and still is, in fact, Sunday, but started to see signs of the real world - airplanes!! Guess we're that close to Logan airport. We did 79.5 miles today - was supposed to be 88 but HK made an executive decision and checked out the route the day before and altered it, conveniently removing two big climbs, one with a 13% grade and the other with an alleged 20% section. Some of the man cubs did the big climbs anyway, since it was only 2 miles off the route, but I chose to be the obedient minion.
The Comfort Inn greeted us with iced Gatorade, water and chocolate bars, and BS and I walked over to Appleby's to get a late lunch. Now, I have to get ready for tonight. I hope I've packed enough Kleenex for the tears I'm sure to shed.
Today I realized that I'm really going to miss the simplicity of life I've had the priviledge of enjoying the last seven weeks. (seven weeks! yikes!) All I've had to do is sleep, wake, eat, ride and socialize with about 65 interesting people. I don't want this to end. I really would like to thank Dr. Ebert for giving me the time off from work, my friends and family for all their amazing support (thanks for the final card GR - you have really touched my heart) BS for sharing the last week of great riding with me, and my portable family that have made these days full of miles of smiles.
Keeping the rubber side down for one last day, MA

Day Forty Eight

I just finished writing about 6 paragraphs and then it just.....disappeared. Is that a way to reintroduce me to reality?
Since I didn't blog yesterday I'll review. We did 77 miles through the lovely hills in upper New York, around Mohawk country. I kept my eyes peeled for Daniel Day Lewis but he never showed. There were historical plaques everywhere (please no dentist jokes - although reading your comments is a crowning moment in my day!) We had a storm following us at about 8 mph and felt a few sprinkles, but never really got wet. The cloud cover did cool us down and held the humidity level to a comfortable 96% Entered the town of Troy and wandered downtown in an area that was ripe for development. The brownstone buildings had the most beautiful masonry and other than some coffee shops and art galleries, there was not much going on. We checked into the hotel and walked back down for some food, and found a great local pub (Watson and Holmes) which had the quintessential New York barkeep, complete with an attitude and a ruddy complexion. I did laundry, went for a late night swim and rehearsed the skit with Bill, who had not only memorized the thing (so much for a head injury!) but timed it in his room. This guy is taking this seriously.
Today we had a beautiful ride through the green hills of upper NY and into Vermont. The minute we crossed the Welcome sign, I swear to God, the forest became more lush, the houses more few and quaint, and labs and golden retrievers bounded joyfully through the meadows. Ok, no dogs, but you get my drift. I have been in Vermont before, and BG, even though the Fall Colors are not happening now, the beauty is still great. Truly one of the most immediately beautiful places I have ever been. It felt good to climb again- about 15 miles of up, then down into the bustling tourist town of Brattleboro, with too much quaint to handle. We ate at a bakery recommended by Jim our mechanic (who lives in Vermont), visited a local bike shop, then headed to the hotel.
It's funny being around this group. The first month we talked about our seats constantly (how bad, what treatments seemed to help) and now all we talk about is food. A bunch of us ate at the bakery so we discussed our entrees. On the 2 mile ride to the hotel some folks stopped at an ice cream shop, then when we got to the lobby we read the board (tells us what time is dinner and our entree choices) and talked about those, then hit the vending machines. Seriously. BS has already noticed how much and how quickly we eat breakfast. Gary calls breakfast "throwdown", as in, what time is throwdown tomorrow? In our skit Bill will discuss the 5 important things discussed at each route rap: breakfast time, where we can get food along the route, dinner time, where we can get good ice cream, and oh yeah, the route.
Tomorrow is another climbing day and we will enter New Hampshire, but don't worry - I'll find some maple candy before we leave this fine area. Take care, and wishing you all sweet thoughts. MA

Day Forty Six

Greetings friends and family from the warm and muggy environs of upper New York. Today we started by dodging traffic to get to breakfast, dodging traffic to get to the SAG and dodging traffic but not each other successfully for the rest of the day. Yes, another crash. Karen, one of the staff whose average speed is around 23 rode by BS, Penny and me today around mile 25. I wanted to be near greatness, and felt pretty good, so got on her wheel to the tune of 19 miles an hour. She was just toying with us, and I told her so. She picked up the pace and I couldn't quite hold on after a few miles, but wanted BS to go with, so I pulled out of the line. They were about 30 feet in front of me, and I could see this van on the wrong side of the road, stopping at each driveway. I thought it was one of those rural mail delivery persons and thought it odd that he was on the wrong side of the road, then he cut right over in front of Karen. She swerved, BS swerved and Penny hit BS's wheel. Down she went. Luckily other than a few scrapes and a sprained thumb and bruised thigh, she is ok. They were probably going over 20 mph. The van guy backed up and said "did I do something wrong?" and I said, "well, you should probably look around next time you do that". His response was "I'm delivering newspapers". I felt bad for the guy because he was not the sharpest tool in the shed, and by the way, who delivers papers at 10:00am? Ultimately all was good to go. We got back on the road and Penny had some shifting issues so we called Mike who got there and was blown away by yet another crash today. I told him we were just trying to fulfill his expectations. Derek, the youngest Miller, was pushed about three feet on his bike by a woman creeping her car forward at a turn, but luckily didn't go down.
Today we are in Little Falls and the Best Western is hosting a wine and cheese reception for our group. Did one of you tip them off about me? This is quite a treat. Thanks for your concerns about Bill, he is up and well, and back to being one of my favorite smart asses. Still won't be able to finish the ride, but seeing him at each SAG makes me glad he's ok. He's thinking of dipping his mangled rear wheel into the Atlantic, and I'll celebrate that he is here.
Only four days left. Really hard to believe. Tomorrow should be a light day, then 2 days of 5000 feet climbing and 80 plus miles. Then, the Atlantic!
Hope you all are well, looking forward to seeing, hugging and appreciating you in person soon. MA

Day Forty Five

Greetings and hope you are all safe and sound. Last night at rap HK told us that most problems happen the first and last weeks of the trip. We are riding through the New England portion of this country, complete with charming homes, small villages and many retirees. Sadly we lost one of our riders in Niagara - Richard (I called him badger boy because he always wore a Wisconsin jersey and had a badger flag on his bike when we rode through that state). Apparently he injured his knee coming into the USA and after a day of ceaseless pain, decided to end the trip. Our day started off unfortunately true to HK's word: Bill, my skit pal, was hit by a motorcycle coming out of the hotel. Jana, who has been riding with him since the second week, said he flew up in the air like a rag doll and landed hard. Thankfully he does not recall a thing. He went to the hospital and ended up with stitches and scrapes, a concussion, and the likelihood that he will not complete the ride. As we rode by we saw the blood on the ground and I cried for about 5 miles. We saw him come in as we were unloading the box, and I cried again. He is very lucky and looking overall well. A bad way for BS to start a trip and a sobering day for all of us.
I am glad that the Ramada Inn is across the street because I am in serious need of a glass of wine. We tried to keep up the cheer today - along the canal we rode for about 25 miles and I said that it was kind of creepy - Erie as it were. BS said that it was a route canal. But somehow my heart wasn't into the comedy.
We are in the hotel and safe, and I feel like crying some more. What a great vacation buddy I can be, eh? Please everyone on and off the bike, take care and be watchful (as my mother would say) of the "other idiots on the road." Love to all, MA