Five States Left to Go!

 

After last night’s rainout, I was off and riding before 7:30 this morning to do a 25 mile loop from Harrah’s Casino Hotel where I was staying, across the Bob Kerry Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge into Omaha, around and through Omaha, back across the Route 275 bridge into Iowa, around Lake Menawa and then back to Harrah’s.

There was fog along the Missouri River when I began and the bridge was shrouded in white as you can see from the pictures.  The clear shot was one I took after the end of the ride when the fog had cleared.

 

After crossing the bridge and beginning the loop through Omaha, the roadside part of the trail crosses a bridge and comes out at the Ameritrade Field where the College World Series is being played . (That’s why I stayed in Council Bluffs on the Iowa side of the river.  Omaha hotels were VERY expensive.)   

 

Across the street the Union Pacific railroad’s VIP/Public Relations train was parked.  I’m not sure, but it may have been used to bring VIP’s to the College World Series.

 

                                    

 

                            

I began while riding through the west side of Omaha to notice an annoying problem.  I had prepared a course for today’s ride to load into my Garmin and also printed a cue sheet from that digital course.  However, there were places where the cue sheet was missing a turn between two other turns, and the same thing happened a couple times on the Garmin course.   So I got an extra mile or so from bypassing places I was supposed to turn at.  I didn’t get too far in the wrong way since my Garmin usually advised me “off course” shortly after missing a turn.

After passing through Omaha I crossed the Route 275 bridge which has a separate bicycle lane.  I noticed some glass on that lane and a few miles later spent quite some time finding the glass in the tire which went flat.  I finally found it, put in a new tube and made it the rest of the way without any further problems.

                                        

On the Iowa side of the river I looked forward to the ride around Lake Menawa which on the map looked like it would be very scenic.  Not quite!  The path around the lake was separated from the water by trees and further distance than it appeared. About the only view of the lake was one small section on the east side,complete with lily pads, where you could see the opposite side of the lake and a few tall Omaha buildings in the distance.

 

What was supposed to be a 25 mile ride ended up being almost 30 because of the problems with the directions, and a two mile extra ride to the Bob Kerrey bridge to get a clear shot after completing the loop.  Then it was back a mile to Harrah's, put the bike in the car, take a shower, check out, and back into the car for the trip back to Maryland with a stop to see my cousin Debbie in Ohio.  I'm sure my friend Guy, who told me about the "World's Largest Truck Stop" in Wolcott, Iowa, will be disappointed that I didn't stop there tonight, stopping instead at the Pilot Truck Stop across the street because they have an Arby's and that's what I felt like for dinner as I drove!

This two state ride on the last day of June has brought my total states ridden to 45.  Originally I wanted to complete all 50 states by my 70^th birthday, which was last August.  But the Covid-19 Pandemic put that on hold.  Now I’m just five states away, and I have plans to complete the last five in August on a three week road trip around the west that will bring me (and my bike) to North Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.  After I get back to Maryland I’ll preview that trip in the next blog post.

Have a good 4^th of July everyone!

The June Trip Begins

 

It’s day five of the first of this summer’s two trips to complete my attempt to ride in all 50 states.  I’ve taken two rides so far, although neither has been in a state that reduces the number needed to reach 50.  And after arriving in Council Bluffs, Iowa this evening and getting ready to ride a ride to get two new states, a series of pretty heavy showers rolled through.  They aren’t going away for a few hours so I’ve decided to delay my two state ride until early tomorrow morning (when no rain is forecast) and then head back east.  So this blog will give you a quick rundown of my trip so far, but it will be the next entry that will detail the still to be taken 25 mile Iowa/Nebraska ride.

Thursday, August 24

This was a day when I neither cycled, nor went to a ballpark so seven bike states still remain and five ballparks.  Today consisted of a drive to Wexford,PA northwest of Pittsburgh to visit with my wife’s cousin.  I was able to fix her computer printer which was not responding and then went out to dinner with her and two of her neighbors who have been very helpful to her as she deals with mobility and health issues.  Her neighbors are rock and roll fans who go on several cruises a year that feature old rock and roll groups on board.  We spent dinner throwing out the names of old songs and singers.  A fun, musical nostalgia dinner.

Friday, August 25

More nostalgia as I met a former Amtrak colleague in Akron, OH and we rode the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad through the valley of the same name.  It was a trip down memory lane for Frank and I as the train we rode was made up of several old rail cars that were operated by Amtrak during its early years.  

As we walked through the train from our seats in the round end observation car (which unfortunately was not good for looking out at the tracks because it had locomotives and a power car attached behind it), we passed through coaches that had run on Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains in the early 70’s before being sold to MARC (the Maryland commuter rail service), and a car that had been Le Pub on the Montrealer during that same time period.  The seats in the coaches were the same as they had been the last time I saw these cars, so we felt like we were walking back in time.  At the stop adjacent to the railroad’s shops we saw some of the line’s rehabilitated Alco locomotives, a favorite with railfans, and some cars from the original California Zephyr that they use for special excursions.

The ride through the park was very scenic, some people boarded or detrained at intermediate stops along the route which ran northward for about 25 miles through

the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to the Rockside Station near Independence Ohio.  Volunteer train crew members provided interesting narrative as we went along.  There is also a paved bike trail through the park that I could have had the option of going one way by train, putting my bike in the baggage car, and then riding back via the path.  But Frank is not a cyclist, so I just had to settle for looking out enviously at those riding the path through the park.

Saturday, June 26

After staying the night at the Microtel in Delphos, Ohio on the western edge of the state, I went out and took a 15 mile ride through the town and the farms nearby.  This town sat on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s New York-Chicago mainline and saw many trains pass through every day including the famous Broadway Limited.  Today, the railroad is operated by a short line operator and only sees an occasional freight train.  One of the two tracks has been torn up, but crossing signals still warn of the approach of a slow moving freight.   

As I approached a crossing on my bike, the crossing lights began to flash and I got up hopes of seeing a train come by, but alas, there was nothing to be seen on the rails.  It turned out that a technician was making an adjustment to the electronics that control the gate.  So I pedaled on into a strong southerly wind.  But as much as I struggled against the wind going south, it helped me northbound and I was able to cruise along in the 20-25 mph range without much effort.  A nice ride, but not a new state.  I’ve ridden in Ohio before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then a drive to Chicago and passage through a torrential rain on the south side of Lake Michigan.  I visited the wine shop run by another former Amtrak colleague in the Rogers Park neighborhood before going to Des Plaines (everytime I hear the name of that town I think of Tattoo from the old TV show Fantasy Island, shouting “Da Plane. Da Plane” when the aircraft arrived with those coming to live their fantasy).  For the next three nights I stayed with my friend Paul and his wife Wendy.  I met Paul when he was on the cross-country tour that I joined in 2016 but did not finish when I came down with bronchitis.

Sunday, June 27

Paul and I went up to Milwaukee to see the Brewers play the Colorado Rockies at American Family Field (formerly Miller Park) a huge stadium with a retractable roof.  This was one of the five current ballparks at which I’d never seen a game.  When we got there the roof was closed and the ballpark looked like an alien spaceship that had landed west of downtown Milwaukee!  As we walked to the stadium from the parking lot we saw the great Milwaukee Brewers Sunday tradition…fans tailgating in the parking lot.  Tables, chairs, grills, brats and hot dogs were everywhere to be seen and people were having a great time.

By the time the game started the roof was open, but even with a clear view of the sky this massive ballpark with great concessions, good sight lines, and a crowd of about 25,000 just didn’t have the charm of a PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Camden Yards in Baltimore or the latest iteration of Busch Stadium in St. Louis.  We did see the famous racing sausages between innings during the middle of the game.  But we were very disappointed when Bernie Brewer, who slides down a huge slide high above left center field after each Brewer home run, no longer splashed down into a tank of water.    What an anti-climactic landing!

The Brewers won and after the game they had “kids run the bases”.  There must have been 10,000 kids among the 25,000 fans at the game.  Almost none of the fans were wearing masks.  And I now have reached 26 of the 30 current major league ballparks.

Monday, June 28

Another bike ride, this time 25 miles with Paul on the paved path through a nearby park.  Despite a forecast of rain all day we didn’t have a drop.  A nice easy ride, but not a new state for me.  I’ve previously ridden in Illinois.

We planned to go see the Minnesota Twins (my favorite team) versus the Chicago White Sox (Paul’s favorite team even though he lives in the northwest suburbs which is Chicago Cubs territory).  But around 4 o’clock the game was postponed due to “rain”.  Maybe it rained at the ballpark on the south side of Chicago,but there was nary a drop in Des Plaines.  Pretty disappointing!

Today, June 29

An all-day drive of 450 miles with the hope of picking up two new bicycle states this evening.  But it rained so I hope the forecast of no rain tomorrow is correct so I can ride early before checking out. The agent at the front desk of the Harrah’s hotel in Council Bluffs, Iowa where I am staying gave me an extra hour for checkout to make sure I'll have enough time for my ride tomorrow morning.

The highlight today was a stop at the Iowa 80 truck stop in Walcott, Iowa about 20 miles after crossing the Mississippi River from Illinois.  It’s not your typical truck stop.  There were about eight fast food outlets, a restaurant, an entire building selling just about everything you could want (and many things I can’t imagine anyone wanting).   There’s a repair facility for trucks, a couple of different gas stations.  They claim to be the world’s largest truck stop.  Far be it from me to argue with that claim!

Tomorrow

A 25-mile morning ride from Harrah’s along the Missouri River, cross the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian/Bicycle bridge into Omaha and a ride through town, cross another bridge back into Iowa, ride around a lake, and then return to the hotel with the number of states left to ride standing at five (North Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Nevada).  Those will be part of a three week journey in August.

Tomorrow I’ll head back east and hopefully have an Iowa/Nebraska ride to write about tomorrow night.

Bruce

Heading Out On The First of Two Summer Trips To Get Seven More States Plus Ballparks

 

On the verge of leaving this week on the first of two trips this summer to complete my quest to cycle in all 50 states, I opened up the travel section of the Washington Post this morning (yes, I still read a paper newspaper—at least on Sunday) to find a timely story dealing with something that I’ve been wondering about—what I will find out there on my first post-pandemic trip, especially in regard to masks and social distancing.

I’m not too concerned about the cycling part of my trip.  I’ve been riding mask-less since last summer since riding is essentially a solo activity as long as when riding in a group you maintain adequate distance from other riders.  I always carried a mask just in case I ran into someone I wanted or needed to talk to, or had to stop at a store for more water or sports drink.  And the cycling on this first trip will end up being solo (the second trip will conclude with the Hotter N Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls, Texas where I’ll be riding with about 13,000 cycling companions.  But that story will be two months from now.

This first leg will include several activities involving others.  First I will visit for a day with my wife’s cousin outside of Pittsburgh.  I know she’s vaccinated (as I am).  I will take her out to dinner and I’m glad that I’ve actually gone inside to a restaurant for the first time this week, since I’ll have to do it again.  When I leave there it’s off to Akron, Ohio where I will meet a friend from my Amtrak days.  He and I will ride the Cuyahoga Valley Railroad train to Cleveland and back.  I wondered whether that train is considered public transportation meaning that masks are required.  Indeed they are since that requirement has not yet been rescinded by the Department of Transportation, even for those who are vaccinated. 

After our three hour train buff trip it will be in the car, with a hotel overnight in western Ohio.  When I stop to eat I plan to primarily use drive-thrus.   I will have a container of wipes which I will use on all the touch surfaces in the hotel room, but otherwise am not too concerned about a hotel stay.  

 A drive to Chicago will put me at a friend’s house for three nights.  Both he and his wife are vaccinated. On Sunday we will go to Milwaukee to see the Brewers play the Colorado Rockies, and I will reduce the number of major league ballparks I need down to four.  I have already been to games at Nationals Park in Washington and Camden Yards in Baltimore so it won’t be a new post-pandemic experience.  Although both ballparks said vaccinated fans could be mask-less, I chose to wear a mask whenever I was in a crowd (except in Baltimore there were so few fans that there was nobody sitting within 15 feet of us, so I did remove my mask except when going to get something to eat or to visit the men’s room).  I’d say about 15 percent of fans were wearing masks in Washington and Baltimore.  I will be interested to see how Milwaukee compares.

Monday my friend and I will take a bike ride keeping enough distance between each other  (no new states—I already have Illinois and Wisconsin) and then go that night to see a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins.  No new ballpark, but for us a battle of loyalties—he’s a Sox fan, I’ve rooted for the Minnesota Twins since 1959 when they were the Washington Senators!

Then Tuesday it’s off in the car again to the Omaha area where a 25 mile ride will get me both Nebraska and Iowa.  I’m actually staying in Council Bluffs, Iowa at the Harrah’s Casino Hotel because it was the least expensive good hotel in the area (hotels in Omaha are very expensive because of the annual NCAA College Baseball World Series going on during my visit.  As it turns out, Harrah’s is perfectly
located.  A bike path that is part of my 25 mile loop goes right past the hotel’s backdoor.  I’ll arrive at the hotel Tuesday evening, get up early Wednesday to take my ride which will cross the Missouri River twice, once on a bike lane which is part of a road bridge, and then back on the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian (and bicycle) Bridge.  Check out is 11 a.m. and I’ll begin the trip home, with a hotel night in Indiana, a night visiting a cousin in Ohio and back in time for the July 4^th holiday weekend.

Then the big trip comes in August which will get me the last five states—North Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Nevada as well as three ballparks—Coors Field in Denver, Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.  That will leave on Pac Bell Park in San Francisco to get.  But more on the late summer trip after this week’s trip is done.