Re: Do dead cyclists go to Heaven or Hell?

Ron Wallenfang

> On Jan 2, 5:14 am, Jens Müller <usenet-11-2...@tessarakt.de> wrote:
>
>
>

> > Someone in a German cycling newsgroup recently asked whether cycling is
> > allowed on the Overseas Highway. Is it?
>
Here is the Philadelphia to Savannah portion of my 2005 trip report:

Bike Trip Report
Philadelphia-Savannah-Milwaukee
April 22, 2005 through May 7, 2005

April 22, 2005

This is the middle leg of a three year plan to bicycle the entire
east
coast. Last year, I went from Philadelphia north to Ste. Anne de
Beaupre,
Quebec, and back, re-entering the US at Matanuska, ME, which is as
close to
the top of the eastern US as I could conveniently get, and returning
via
Boston and NYC. This year, I'll cover the stretch from Philadelphia
to
Savannah. Then next year (2006), I hope to go from Key West to
Savannah,
and from there back to Milwaukee via a more southerly and westerly
route
than this year.

Anyway, I took YX Flight 156 from Milwaukee to Philadelphia on Friday
afternoon, the 22nd. I had to check my saddlebag as baggage because I
have
a Swiss army knife along, that wouldn't be allowed on the plane. I
arrived
more or less on time at my son Matt's apartment in Center City
Philadelphia
around 8:30 p.m. He had picked up and tested my bike, which I had
sent
ahead of time via UPS to a Philadelphia bike shop. After visiting
and
dinner, I went to bed around 11:00 pm.

April 23, 2005 (Day 1)(Saturday)

Left at 5:40 a.m. (sunrise was at 6:00 a.m.) and rode 5 hours (79
miles)
before I took a food/beverage stop near Bel Air, Maryland. The
starting
temperature was 49 degrees, rising soon to about 60 degrees. The wind
was
from the south, but rather light. With intermittent light rain, I got
wet.

Route: Miscellaneous Philadelphia streets to 291 by the Airport, then
continued on 291 to Chester, which took me to 13 into Wilmington, then
2 to
Newark, Del., then 273 to US 1.

Roads are safe so far, with not too many hills until I reached
Maryland.

I rode in Pennsylvania for 22 miles and Delaware for 23 miles.
Delaware is
the 43rd state in which I have biked.

The spring trees and flowers are in full bloom! Some examples are:
flowering crabs, red bud, pink and white dogwoods, and forsythia
bushes.

After lunch in Bel Air, I rode through Baltimore, mostly on US 1,
except
when I lost the route, and continued toward Washington on US #1,
making a
short stop for beverages 10 miles past central Baltimore. I was
confident I'd
get to Washington in time for the 5:30 Mass at the Shrine, but near
Laurel
(mile 124), I got a rear flat from a sharp 1" long nail that
penetrated
right through the Kevlar liner and thick tube.

Fixing it was a chore. My LBS had recently put on a new rim, which
was a
deep "V" and the stem barely fit through it. After several
unsuccessful
efforts, and lost CO2 cartridges, I got it partially filled.

Fortunately, I found a bike shop in Laurel (3 miles ahead) that was
open and
their repairman filled the tire properly. He said I should use a
long
stemmed tube with that rim, but they only stocked it for a narrow
tire. I
bought one and also bought some replacement CO2 cartridges.

Just as I left the shop (about 5:30 p.m.), a thunderstorm broke out,
so I
took cover in a nearby fast food place, where this note was written.
My
plans were to stay tonight with my daughter Margaret, in Washington,
whom I
called and left a status report.

I did eventually make it at 7:30 p.m. to her trailer/apartment at
Catholic
University of America, from which she is to graduate next month.

With mud from 3 states on me, thanks to the rain, Margaret washed my
clothes, which were far beyond benefiting much from a short rinse job
in the
sink (my usual daily practice on these trips). She also went on the
internet and helped me locate a couple alternative on-route churches
and
Mass times for tomorrow morning.

We had Chinese food for dinner and some wine. After dinner, Margaret
went
out with friends, and I went to bed.

Mileage for the day was 143. (22 miles in PA; 23 miles in Delaware;
97
miles in MD; 1 mile in DC)



The temperature peaked at around 70 degrees. There was a net head
wind
(from the south).

April 24, 2005 (Day 2)(Sunday)

I left at 5:40 a.m. and rode through the D.C. mall in the a.m.
twilight,
crossing into Virginia after 9 miles. I caught a 7:00 a.m. Mass in
Alexandria, as planned, and then rode to Fredericksburg, stopping at
11:30
a.m., with 62 miles. It's been rather cold (40's) so I've had my
heavy
shirt on all morning. The wind was out of the south, despite the
cold, so
it's another headwind. And the hills are constant, with no level
ground
since Alexandria. There were no high hills, but little hills one
after
another, so my speed has not been very good.

After lunching in Fredericksburg, I stayed on US 1 another 32 miles
to
Doswell, where my brother and I had stayed four nights during a tour
of
Civil War battlefields in 2003. Riding through that area brought
back
bittersweet memories about my brother, who had terminal cancer and
died
later that year.

At Doswell, I turned east on Route 30 and continued to West Point and
later
to Williamsburg on Route 60. With a bit of a tail wind and fairly
flat
roads, the riding went well, but . . . . . . . . .the rear gear
started
jumping, especially when I stood up to pump, which I do a bit on flat
roads,
because it helps my rear end, if I lift it out of the saddle every now
and
then.

The problem got worse, and I could see that the sprocket was
wobbling,
especially in the top gear, and also when I put substantial pressure
on the
right pedal. More or less limping into Williamsburg (can you limp on
a
bicycle?), I flagged down a local biker, who gave me directions to a
shop in
town. I would have never found that shop on my own. Anyway, I
located the
shop and then had to ride back to Highway 60 (3-4 miles) to find a
motel.

At dinner, I guzzled down a pitcher of water, a bottle of wine and 2
cups of
coffee. I was obviously a bit dehydrated.

Mileage for the day was 168.
Mileage for the trip was 311.
(PA: 22; MD 97: VA 159; DEL 23; DC 10)
Temperatures were in the 40's and 50's. I wore my heavy shirt all
day. The
winds were mostly out of the SW, moderate to light, and netted out to
be
about neutral for me.

April 25, 2005 (Day 3)(Monday)

I rode locally in Williamsburg, and attended a weekday Mass. I had
ridden 20
miles by 10:00 a.m., and was at the bike shop (Bike Beat) when it
opened.
The news was bad; my frame is cracked at a weld above the bottom
bracket,
and is un-repairable. TREK couldn't get a new frame here until
Friday, but
the dealer had another shop in Newport News with a TREK 520 bike in
stock
with that frame size. With luck, I'll be back on the road tomorrow.
The
frame itself is warranted. I'll have to pay the labor and deal with
TREK
later.

Robert Maye at the shop "went the extra mile" to get me a replacement
bike
for the day, as they have neither rentals, nor used bikes. But he put
one
together for me.

There are certainly worse places to be laid up for a day than
Williamsburg.
I looked around the "Colonial" area, took a nap in a nearby park, and
biked
over to Yorktown.

Temperatures rose from around 40 to the mid 60s. It was sunny and
rather
windy.

Mileage for the day was 60, with 21 on my 520; and 39 miles with the
borrowed bike.

April 26, 2005 (Day 4)(Tuesday)

I got up and had a big breakfast, then went to a 9:00 Mass, checked
out of
the motel and was at the bike shop before 10:30 a.m. Robert was hard
at work
transferring all my parts to the new frame, which in turn had to be
stripped
of its parts.

I biked to Jamestown and back into Williamsburg, had lunch and read a
book
until the bike was done. I can't emphasize too much the good service
I
received. So I was able to leave Williamsburg by 2:00 p.m. and catch
the
2:30 pm. ferry across the James River at Jamestown.

Temperatures were between 50 and 65 degrees, eventually rising to 69
degrees. There were some sprinkles, but no substantial rain.

I stopped for the day at Suffolk, because of doubts about motel
availability
ahead. In fact, I actually backtracked 3 miles back into downtown
Suffolk,
when I found out there were no motels to the south. So I had quit
before
7:00 p.m.

The terrain was mostly flat to low hills, with mixed woods and farms
with
sandy soil.

Mileage for the day was 77, which were all in VA (52 miles with new
bike and
25 miles with the borrowed bike). The routes that I took were 31;
then 10;
then 13.

April 27, 2005 (Day 5)(Wednesday)

I left at 5:40 a.m. and rode 77 miles to Williamston, NC; arriving
there at
11:05 a.m. Roads were flat, with no hills. Shoulders were narrow,
but
traffic was light enough for it to be no great problem. There was a
light
to moderate head wind. The temperature was in the 60s. There were
thunderstorms last night, but no rain yet today. I put on sunscreen
here,
first time on the trip. I hit the NC line at 7:00 a.m. after 18
miles. My
route continued on 13 to 17, and then 17. After a 35 minute break in
Williamston, I rode another 56 miles to New Bern, arriving at 3:40 for
a
snack and beverages (much needed). Temperatures were now in the 70s,
with a
moderate head wind.

The roads were fair; some stretches had a few feet of paved shoulder,
some
not. There were lots of lumber trucks on the road. I deviated from
17
because of heavier traffic than I liked and took Route 43 in Ernul and
the
last 11 miles into New Bern, then returned to 17, going to
Jacksonville, NC.
After a trip to the grocery store, I stopped for the day in
Jacksonville NC
with 172 miles for the day.

Temperatures were in the low 70s most of the afternoon and early
evening.
There were no hills all day. More headwinds than not.

Land uses were mixed, with farms and piney woods, some of it swampy.
The
farms included a few cotton fields. Soil was mostly brown clay. Lots
of
azaleas were in full color in the yards. Little color in the woods,
unlike
VA, which had lots of dogwood and some past peak red-bud.

Mileage for trip so far is 620.
(PA 22; DC 10; DEL 23; VA 314; MD 97; NC 154)

This is my first time to bike in NC, making it my 44th state.

April 28, 2005 (Day 6)(Thursday)

I started out at 5:45 a.m. and rode 56 miles, stopping 2 miles past
the
Wilmington Bridge at 10:00 a.m. Temperatures started in upper 40's,
making
me wear my heavy shirt for the first 25 miles. Winds were light NW; a
cross
wind; as I'm now headed SW.

Route 17 was pretty good and when some construction is done, will be
very
good for bike riding, until the last 10 miles into Wilmington, which
is very
commercial with lots of lights, turns, etc.

The land was not quite as flat as yesterday, but still no hills to
speak of.
For 25 miles from Jacksonville, the Marine's Camp Lejeune dominates
the
countryside. (Maybe that military connection explains why the
continental
breakfast at the hotel started at 5:00 a.m.). I reached the SC line
a
little before 2:00 p.m. with 102 miles in NC, for a total of 256. By
the
day's end (around 7:30 p.m.), I had made it into Georgetown, with 160
miles
for the day.

It was the second straight day with no hills, but with net headwinds.
Traffic was heavy through Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach;
otherwise it
was okay. I didn't see any alternative routes to avoid that traffic.
From
Myrtle Beach onward, there are palmetto trees, the first that I've
seen on
the road-side, though there were some for sale in NC.

Temperatures remained in the low 70s.

Three people commented on my "squirrel" tee-shirt (picturing and
naming the
10 "most wanted" squirrels for stealing bird seed). Evidently,
squirrels
are real pests in SC just like in WI.

Mileage for the trip has reached 780


Friday, April 29-Day 7

I was ready to leave before 6:00 a.m., only to discover that my front
tire
had gone flat during the night because of stem failure. So I ended
up
leaving at 6:25 a.m. I had 24 miles of good riding before my daily
headwind
appeared and it became quite brisk. This was the third straight day
of flat
roads, but with a head wind.

My 60 mile ride into Charleston became more than 70 miles, because I
detoured onto Sullivan Island to see the place the family is renting
for a
week in June. I had my most horrifying bridge crossing experience
ever
going over the Cooper River into Charleston - two big rises and a
roadway
with two traffic lanes and no extra width. Thus I blocked one of the
lanes
for all but the smallest cars. This irritated a lot of people, and I
feel
badly about it, but there was no alternative I could see. A police
officer
who talked to me on the other side said that the "other bridge" has a
bike
lane, but with extensive construction going on, that fact wasn't
marked by
any signs. Future bike riders into Charleston will not have this
problem. A
new Hwy 17 bridge was to open in July with a full bike/pedestrian
lane. But
it's definitely "high rise" and not for a rider afraid of heights.

After a 45 minute break in Charleston, I headed out on 17 again, which
goes
more west than south for the next 50 miles, making my head wind more
of a
crosswind. My speed also improved. In places the riding was really
glorious, as moss covered trees almost overhung the highway, and the
temperature was pleasant, etc. You live for biking moments like
these!

I ended the day riding south again for 14 miles to Beaufort, again
taking on
the wind.

Miles for the day were 142.
Miles for the trip have reached 922
Temperatures were in the 60s and 70s with a net head wind.

April 30, 2005-Day 8 (Saturday)

I left at 6:00 a.m., with temperatures around 65. The sky is clear,
but
big thunderstorms now in MS and AL are heading this way. I reached
the GA
border via route 170 at 8:50 a.m. after 36 miles in SC (total SC
mileage
236), and rode miscellaneous streets around the Savannah Airport until
I hit
US 80 West, and rode on another 43 miles before stopping at noon in
Brooklet. There I had some fried chicken and black-eye peas, which I
didn't
recognize, nor believe I have ever eaten before. They were good and I
am
now one smidgeon less ignorant about southern food. I told them
(truthfully) that they were the best black-eyed peas I had ever had.