Hutchinson to Spicer

 We started out this morning on the nicely paved Luce Line Trail, but after only 4 miles it became a gravel trail & we opted to ride the roads instead.  It was all two lane roads, mostly with a nice wide shoulder & I felt very safe.  There was some traffic on certain roads, but like yesterday they were courteous.  Didn't see any plastic animals today, but did stop to take a picture of some real wildlife.  Also saw some Canadian Geese flying over, but couldn't get a good picture.

We could tell we were really getting out in the country when we would roll through a town & there weren't even any restaurants to stop for lunch.  Fortunately there were some gas station/convenience stores where we could get something to eat.  A couple riders reported that when we were stopped in Grove City at a Cenex Station, the mayor came out to greet us.  He asked if we were staying in town, but I don't know where we could have stayed.  All we saw was the Cenex, a bar, a couple of churches & a large grain mill.  We were probably the closest they got to a celebrity today, and we felt very welcomed.

Our goal today was to get to Spicer, where we can pick up a nice trail.  The group tends to stretch out a bit on the roads because people ride at different paces.  I was riding close to a couple of others, when one of them took off ahead.  I thought he was going to try to catch the next group ahead, but when he got out far enough ahead, he stopped and took this nice picture of me and another recumbent rider.  Thanks to Jim Aldeman for sharing.

Total of 51 miles today.  Tomorrow we will be mostly on trails.

Maple Grove to Hutchinson

 First, allow me to give you a brief introduction to this adventure.  The trip was put together by a friend & fellow Coast to Coast rider, although he did it in 2014, and mine was in 2019.  The goal of this journey is to ride some of the paved bike trails in Northern Minnesota.  In order to reach the various trails, we have to do some road riding in between.  We start north of Minneapolis, go west & then north & then east to Lake Superior & then south back to where we started.  We stay in hotels every night & are able to enjoy local restaurants all along the way.  We are fortunate to have the spouse of one of the riders who drives a vehicle containing all of our clothes & gear, some snacks & some tools.  The only thing we riders have to do is pedal 750 miles in the next 2 weeks.  Here is a picture of the group when we set out this morning.

We have quite a variety of bikes including a recumbent tricycle, 4 traditional upright bikes, 2 long wheel base recumbent bikes, and my Cruzbike Q-45.  The beginning of our trip today included about 40 miles of roads getting out of Maple Grove.  It was mostly uneventful.  Some roads were better than others, some traffic was busier, but all of the drivers were considerate.  This area seems to have a lot of plastic animal statues.  2 of the images below actually show statues that double as mailbox enclosures & 1 is advertising for a local restaurant.

This is obviously farm country, with lots of corn & hay growing to support the cattle and dairy operations.  After the 40 miles of roads we came to the Luce Line State Recreational Trail.  It is nicely paved, and provided a great finish to our first day. More tomorrow.

Tomorrow I leave for Maple Grove, MN to start my next bicycle adventure.  This is really my first trip since the Coast to Coast in 2019.  That is not to say that I haven’t been riding!  I follow a forum from Cruzbike (the company who manufactured my bike), and an avid participant has been setting up different “Challenges” for the past few years.  Since I always need a goal to keep myself exercising, I have participated.  I could always ride right around home & so never traveled far.  That was convenient, especially during the Covid 19 years.

One year it was pick a 12 mile route & ride it every week, working to improve your speed on that route.

One year it was challenge yourself to ride 3,000 mile between May and October. (I did 3,004)

One year it was build up your endurance throughout the season to ride the fastest century (100 miles) you have ever done.  (15.4 mph for me at 69 yr old.  Not fast compared to a lot of Cruzbikers, but I was satisfied, and exhausted, that day.)

This year he didn’t have a challenge, so I needed a different incentive.  I saw a post on Facebook from another Coaster about this trip, and it was just what I was ready for.  I’m looking forward to this ride, meeting some new folks, and enjoying Northern Minnesota in late summer.

Not much has changed with my Q 45 Cruzbike since 2019 when I rode it across the country.  Here is a current picture:

I have replaced the chain & the tires a few times because they were worn out.  The biggest change for me is where I store my water bottle.  Notice it is under the front boom.  I have a tube that I drink through, and I find this very convenient.

Thanks for checking out this blog.  If you leave me a comment or question, I’ll try to reply, but I’m going to be kind of busy riding my bike.

 Starting September 7, 2023, I will be doing a 750 mile bike ride around Northern Minnesota.  I am thinking of reactivating this blog, and wondering if anyone who followed my Coast to Coast ride in 2019 is still signed up to receive an email when I put up a new post.

Please let me know if you do.  

This is not as ambitious a trip as I did before, and it is a much smaller group, but I am looking forward to it.  I have been getting my miles in preparation around home in West Bend so that I'm in shape to handle an average of 50 miles per day.  

Hope to hear from you!

Jim

Update & Reflections

Well, it's been over 2 weeks since this picture was taken at the Atlantic Ocean in St Augustine, FL

I have had a bunch of time to look back on the whole C2C experience.  I even read all of my past blog posts.  It is time to share some of my thoughts and feelings.

First a medical update - loyal blog followers will remember that April 4th I went down with the bike on a muddy shoulder.  It was totally my fault & could have ended my cross country quest.  I should have seen the mud slick, and avoided it just as 15 or so bikers ahead of me did.  Can't change that, so no need to dwell on it.

After going to the local ER and hearing that the X-Ray showed no fractures, I decided to monitor how I felt & decide each day whether I could ride.  I took one day off and things improved somewhat.  The next morning I got up early & took a ride around the parking lot at the hotel we were staying at.  I found that pedaling did not really hurt, so went out that day ready to stop if things changed.  I did the same thing every day until we reached St Augustine & never missed another mile.

The troubling part was that walking was still painful, even though I could bike with no problem.  I hoped that once I stopped pedaling, walking would become easier too.  That didn't happen, so about a week ago I had an MRI done.  They found what is called an avulsion fracture in one of the knee bones.  It is apparently not easy to see in an X-Ray & is not a large fracture, but explains why walking was painful.

My next stop was an orthopedic specialist who said I should not have biked that last 800 miles!  Fortunately it appears to be healing anyway, but I am now wearing an immobilizer for 2 weeks.  If it continues to heal properly, no surgery will be needed, but probably a bunch of Physical Therapy.

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I decided to put my reflections on the whole Coast 2 Coast trip in the form of bullet points.  Each one could have a full paragraph, but that would take a long time to read (and write).  Let me know if there is something in particular you would like expanded & I will try to respond when I can.

*The amount of planning, work & support needed to put together a trip like this is something I would never want to do on my own.  Thanks Bubba's Pampered Pedalers.  It was worth every dollar.

*I saw the Southern tier of the USA in a way that I will never forget.  12 - 15 mph is the perfect speed to really see mountains, deserts, ranches, cities large & small, hills, farmland, swamps, rivers, hurricane devastation, The Gulf of Mexico, etc.  The most memorable for me was to see the desert in bloom.

*The quality of the roads can vary greatly from one county to another.  There were many times we would see a County Line sign, and the road conditions would change instantly.  Overall Louisiana had the best roads.

*The people made the experience complete - this includes the other riders, the staff & the locals we encountered all along the way.

*Why people insist on riding those terribly uncomfortable upright bikes is a total mystery to me.  My Q45 Cruzbike recumbent performed flawlessly & I didn't experience back or wrist or neck or butt pain as so many other riders complained of.  There is a learning curve to riding a recumbent, but for me it is an easy trade off.

*I started biking 4 years ago to improve my physical condition as I get older.  That has been a great success.  I did not expect to enjoy riding as much as I do, so that is a pleasant surprise.

*I was not prepared for the constant barrage of bad weather we experienced on the 2019 C2C.  Everyone involved in past trips agreed that this was the worst weather year of the 10 trips Bubba has done.

*The best thing I did in preparation was my "Motivational Partners" routine.  It made the trip become a review of my whole life.  I had plenty of time each day to reflect on my MP.  I would draw energy from them, or send it to them & I remembered lots of life experiences in the process.

*I knew early on that reaching St Augustine would be an emotional experience for me.  I remember thinking ahead at various times what it would be like & the end result lived up to my expectations.

*My family is the best!  What a support crew.  All the other Coasters were amazed.  Here we are in St Augustine.

*I am happy to have taken on this challenge.  This was not a lifelong quest for me as it was for some other riders.  I wanted to learn about myself in the process & I think I have.  I hope it makes me a better husband, father, friend, colleague . . . . and mostly, a better Child of God.

Day 52 - Palatka, FL to St Augustine, FL

36.2 miles today
2,752.9 total trip miles
12.4 mph average
305’ climbing
FF - 1
MP - Joanne, the love of my life & wife for almost 45 years.  I was really reaching above my status in life when I started dating the smartest, prettiest & interesting girl in high school.  It was the first big risk I had taken in life & since it worked out so well I have been taking risks ever since.  She is my soul mate, she helps me keep my life in balance & I look forward to spending the rest of our lives together.

This was the perfect way to bring the C2C adventure to a close.  Good weather, flat paved bike trails, easy riding, short distance.  I have taken almost 100 pictures of city signs across the country, but this is the one I have been waiting for.

When I arrived at our lunch location, my family had gathered there to greet me & we enjoyed a nice lunch together.  Then at about 1 PM, we all had to bike another 2 miles to gather for a final group picture.

We then biked single file for the last mile to the beach.  Dipping the front wheel in the Atlantic Ocean completed the Coast 2 Coast journey.

Here I am with Bubba getting the C2C medal.

What an adventure it has been.  I will need some time to process the whole experience.  Watch for a future post with some of those reflections.

WDYLT - ILT completing a Coast 2 Coast bike trip is a much more emotional experience than I expected & as Bubba would say “It’s All Good”.

Day 51 - Gainesville, FL to Palatka, FL

He is Risen!  Alleluia!  Happy Easter!

52.8 miles today
2,716.7 total trip miles
13.3 mph average
853’ climbing
FF - 3
MP - All people & groups unnamed as MP’s previous to today.  The sad fact is that I had only 45 riding days to choose a Motivational Partner for.  For that reason I have set aside this day for everyone I couldn’t name.  This includes those I know personally, as well as musicians, writers, teachers & actors.  Every connection has made me the person I am today & I am grateful for the wide variety of influences I have been exposed to.

This adventure is quickly coming to a close & fortunately Bubba knows the group needs to wind down so the last few days are reduced mileage & today we even had 20 miles on a bike trail rather than on a highway with traffic.  Right off the trail outside of Gainesville is a large nature preserve with all kinds of wildlife.  It was a great opportunity to get off the bike & look around.

I found it to be an interesting mixture of animals listed that might be on the trail.  I didn’t see any of the listed animals, but it was a great place to go birding.  This picture shows the swamp with a large Live Oak tree across the way.

My family is already gathered in St Augustine relaxing  & touring the city.  I still have 35 miles to pedal tomorrow & then dip my front wheel in the Atlantic Ocean to complete the Coast 2 Coast journey.

WDYLT - ILT the moss that commonly grows on the Live Oak trees & often hangs low is not really a part of the tree.  It is a totally separate plant that just uses the Live Oak as a host.