A Nightmare day

Day 32


Distance travelled: 45.2 miles
Time in the saddle: 4 hrs 44 mins
Overall distance travelled: 2919 miles

I woke nice and early, which quite surprised me because I couldn’t sleep last night. It took me ages to get off. I started really well by squirting sun tan location into my eye, why don’t they colour code the spray button. I know it’s simple to point the spray in the right direction but first thing in a morning is not the right time to think straight…. admit it you’ve all done it. My right eye will never suffer from sunburn…that’s if it ever stops watering…it hurt. I broke my pannier rack sometime yesterday. I stuck it together with plaster…awe gusher needed a plaster…poor bike. It’s a good job I watched Blue Peter I would have never have known how to do it other wise. The only thing I didn’t use was a washing up bottle…shame I’ve always wanted to do something with a washing up bottle but never found out what to do…. careful.
It is eight miles to Pittsburgh on the highway 22. I couldn’t use it through Pittsburgh so I had to detour. It took me seventeen miles to get into the centre. There was a broken water main on one of the roads so I had to do another detour…it was getting ridiculous. I am really disappointed with how many miles I have dne today but at least I’ve done some. I will make up for it tomorrow.
As I finally entered Pittsburgh in torrential rain I bumped into a policeman on a cycle. Matt his name was and he asked me what I was doing….I put my clothes back on and….only joking. I chatted with him for a while and told him that I need to get to a bike shop to fix my pannier rack. He told me to wait where I was he had to do a small job and he would be back in five minutes…then he would cycle with me to the shop. When he came back his gun wasn’t smoking so it was resolved without any problems.
We cycled through the city and got to the shop pretty quickly…thanks Matt you were brilliant. They guy in the shop wasn’t so nice. He wasn’t going to do t at first but relented once I told him that I was cycling across the country. To be honest he did a nice job…but nothing else….Natt where are you when you are needed.
Trying to get out of the city is even harder than getting in. I cycled for ages then stopped next to a guy sat at the side of the road…I probably shouldn’t have…he was waving at passing traffic...and slavering profusely. He didn’t understand what I was saying so I tried a different language…English. He said I could go on the highway, which I wasn’t confident with. Another guy approached so I asked him…he said the same. The first guy shouted out at the top of his voice that he had told me where to go…a nightmare…the solution…run like the wind, which I did….or cycled. I couldn’t cycled on the freeway…I asked a copper.
I asked some guys in a garage which way to go. They told me not to go through a particular area, which I was heading…I might not get through on a bike….and they didn’t mean because of the road restrictions. By this time I was ready for anything and didn’t really want to detour again. I wasn’t that intimidated with the boys from the hood, boys with hoodies, or Robin Hood, whatever they are called. One guy even offered to drive me to the edge of town, which was nice but although I was tempted I declined his nice offer. They gave me an alternative, which one guy said “you might get through in one piece….I was enthused….. That will do….. I actually met a couple of guys on the street in the supposedly rough area who were really helpful. Two massive black guys, who were quite intimidating but very polite and helpful….It just shows not everything is what it seems.
I eventually got back onto the 22, which was legitimate after Churchill. I managed to get a puncture, which I fixed really quickly……a few miles down the road I got another one. …is today never going to end? I am looking at patches of grass at the side of the road because I suspect that I may be camping out…that’s the type of day I am having…bring it on. Nothing can damped my enthusiasm…Only five hundred miles to New York and this is the first day where I’ve had lots of problems…I’ll walk there if that’s what I have to do.
I finally came across a motel, which looked better than it was. The guy at the desk was very nice and it was cheap. The problem is there is no Internet, I will have to got to a ‘bar’ to send this message…so be it.
Tomorrow is bound to be a better day…we’ll see.

On to Pittsburgh

Day 32
Distance travelled: 89.2 miles
Time in saddle: 7hrs 10 mins
Overall distance travelled: 2873.6 miles

I felt a lot better this morning when I woke up. My knee seems to have healed...well it didn't hurt anymore. I left Old Washington and travelled on to Highway 22. It was very hilly and they went on for a while but it didn't really bother me...I just gritted my teeth and walked up the steep ones. I stopped at a fast food place just off the highway after about twenty miles. I was chatting to a couple of people who weer asking me about my journey. It's always nice to chat to people. It is definitely banjo country around here and I passed some pretty isolated places. One guy in the fast food place was so cross eyed I don't know how he managed to see where he was going. I caught him looking at me...or he could have been looking at the guy thirty feet to my right...weird. I was chased by at least five dogs today. I don't mind them chasing me as long as they don't catch me....they've got to do something, it's pretty quiet for them around there. I told them to bugger off, a phrase they are probably not used to...but it worked, perhaps they understood my Orford accent better than I expected. One in particular got really close but a size nine cycling shoe on its nose made it change it's mind...it actually sneezed after I caught it....must be allergic to me. the roads are quite confusing, or is it just me...I was going down the 22, which is apparently OK...It suddenly turned into freeway, which I can't cycle down. I chanced it for quite a while but I was worried that I would be pulled up again. I don't want to be arrested and spend the night in a cell with a bloke called Basher...Mummies and daddies all night and guess who would be mummy?
I left Ohio and cycled into West Virginia, for a short while. I eventually entered Pennsylvania and look forward to getting to the Hudson.
I decide to stop at a motel called Comfort Motel. It's very nice...a little more expensive but I'm fed up of staying in hit holes...I deserve a bit of pampering. I can print off a Google map for the next part of my journey and it's only eight miles outside Pittsburgh. I can cover that in just over half an hour.
It will probably get busier as I get in to New York. If anyone knows somebody who lives or is staying in New York and fancies greeting a tired Brit cyclist in about five days then please let me know. I will be finishing this part of my journey on Brooklyn Bridge, probably about one o'clock in the afternoon. I will let you know definite details over the next couple of days. Even if its only to say hello.

Been a hard day

Day 31
Distance travelled 68.2 mils
Time in saddle: 5hrs 58 mins
Overall distance covered: 2784 miles

I knew when I woke up that it was going to be a really difficult day. My knee was sore and to be honest I just wasn’t in the mood for doing the cycling. I did lots of little organisational things …anything before getting on my bike. It was like revising when I was at college. I would do anything before I would get my head in a book. I knew it had to be done, I just left it….the same thing happened today. Eventually I managed to get riding and came across lots of rolling hills, just my luck. The town seemed to pass by quickly, they all seem to look the same…a couple of houses or one main street. I quite like some of them, better than the cities. People sat on their verandas always wave, as do the guys on lawnmowers. I forgot to mention that when I was cycling through Columbus yesterday a policeman on one of those three wheeler bikes rode behind me for ages…he wanted to keep me safe on the busy road…wasn’t that nice?
I cycled into Cambridge and checked out a motel. It was still pretty early and I hadn’t even done sixty miles so I decided to go to the next town, which was Old Washington. The motel is a 1970’s building that has just reopened. It seems nice and the lady behind reception was very nice indeed. She let me use the room to see if my Internet worked. IF it goes off, which she said may happen I can go to reception and pick it up there.
I received a message from Daniel, my son. He says that he and Thomas, my other son are really proud of me and lots of other lovely things. I am so proud of them both. The message made me feel fantastic and so lucky to have them as my sons….it’s something that you can’t buy…brilliant. I can’t wait to see them.
We have had trouble with the donate button on the website. The last entry was at the beginning of June. If you have donated please check that it has gone through. The button is working now so please try again. I am working hard and pushing myself for two worthy charities. I am trying to make the blog interesting and I hope that you are enjoying it….please donate.
I am going to have an early night and get my head sorted for tomorrow. It will be better I know….there isn’t that far to go….on this leg of the journey. Bring on Spain.

Past Columbus, thank God.

Day 30
Distance travelled: 99.4 miles
Time in saddle: 8hrs 15 mins
Overall distance: 2716 miles

You don't know what I had to put up with to get on the Internet last night. The motel, although it was very nice...and cheap it didn't have the WIFI. I had to go to a restaurant, that specialised in pancakes. It was the size of a dinner plate, one on top of the other I only got half way. They seemed confused by my explanation...I was full. She asked me if I wanted a bag...I assured her that I didn't feel sick then realised that she meant a carry out. They kept filling my coffee cup up...no wonder I was awake until about 2.00am. The girl who served me looked very much like my mates daughter. It's amazing, two people thousands of miles apart looking alike.
I cycled for ages and didn't bump into any one, then out of the blue a guy on a motorbike rode along side me and started chatting. His name was Bruce and he was a First Gulf Veteran. He asked me what I was doing and promised to follow the blog. He said Afghanistan would turn out to be another Vietnam....there speaks the word of experience....old soldiers tend to say it the way it is and are not usually far from the truth. Still as I have said I am not interested in the politics....just the well being of our soldiers. It was great to speak to Bruce and I hope he keeps watching the blog.
I went through Columbus, the state capital..I think. It was as rough as arseholes...if you will excuse the expression. I suppose its like all cities, some great buildings but some really run down areas. It was a shame. As I left the city there were some really impressive houses that were probably the homes of some really wealthy people in years gone by. Now they are run down and desperate for renovation. It's a shame when towns 'shift' their areas of wealth. It is the same in Liverpool, some great buildings that once belonged to wealthy merchants, but now are derelict.
I tried to book into a couple of motels in the East of Columbus, but there were really rough and they didn't have WIFI so I decided to cycle on. I didn't fancy any more pancakes. When I asked directions to the next town it became clear that many Americans have no concept of distance in terms of miles....merely in terms of time in a car.
I kept asking how far the next town was....all said about twenty minutes in a car...I told them I was on a bike.....it may as well be a spaceship.
I called at a small town called Kirkersville where I was directed to the motel that I am staying at tonight. The lady in the corner shop was great and she brought her son out to ask where I was going and where I had been. They seemed genuinely interested in what I was doing, which always surprises me. I am a middle aged guy from the UK who cycles everyday....that's about it really...except I have some fantastic people waiting for me when I get home...that makes it special and I can't wait.

Out of the dodgy motel

Day 29
Distance travelled: 84.6 miles
Time in saddle: 6hrs 58 mins
Overall distance: 2614 miles

I was glad to get out of the motel. When I turned the taps on to have a shower the water was brown, however it soon cleared and I was able to wash my dangly bits. I woke to the sound of coughing; wheezing and farting…when I got out of my room it was worst. How dare they steal my thunder, pardon the pun. As I left all the residents were sat outside their rooms, looking worse for wear. I bet they paid more for the booze than they did for their room, unlike me. When I arrived last night you could see the owners eyes light up when he heard my accent. It was like something out of the Beverly Hillbillies, the only thing that was missing was granny in a rocking chair. I’m surprised that my bed sheets didn’t have eye holes cut out of them. There was a woman…all twenty-eight stone of her potting a plant. I thought ‘that’s a big pot to put a plant in’ …it was her leg…come to think of it the plant was probably a bush…please don’t ask. As I was leaving I would have shook the owners hand but I wasn’t sure how to negotiate the extra finger on his right hand.
As I was leaving I am sure I heard a banjo playing in the background and I can't swear but I thought I saw Burt Reynolds standing in the shadows with a bow and arrow...just in case. But I got away....deliverance, thank the lord.
The wind was against me this morning and it will probably be like that all day. Never mind soon be home.
As I was riding up to a town called Knightstown I came across two young American guys called Boris and Ian who were walking across America from Connecticut to Los Angeles. I thought I was hard done to cycling. They must be crazier than me. I told them that they would meet some really nice people and I hope they do.
I stopped at Knightstown for breakfast, it seems a lovely town. As I was cycling into town I came across a funeral home with a ‘Butcher Chapel’ probably not the best name to be associated with a funeral home.
It has been a good day. Nothing much has happened except cycling of course. A few dogs barked at me but none chased me…. it was probably too hot.
I passed through Wayne County….cool. That wouldn’t happen in the UK unless I changed my name to Cheshire.
I finally left Indiana and entered Ohio. Only a couple to go.
I finally go into Inglewood, quite a large town with a nice motel. I could have cycled further but the chance of a decent place to stop swung it for me. The hotel hasn’t got the Internet but it is clean, reasonable and the people who run it are sober….a plus. I will have a wonder into town to see if any of the eating-places have the Internet so I can upload my blog. I will sort something.
I spoke to Daniel and Thomas, my sons today. It was great to hear their voices. The only problem with speaking to them is once I put the phone down I feel really homesick. I can’t wait to see them. I’m going to embarrass them to death with the amount of hugs and kisses coming their way.

Through Indianapolis

Day 28

Distance travelled 82 miles
Time in Saddle: 6hrs 30 mins
Overall distance travelled: 2529 miles

I forgot to change my watch over to Eastern Time so I was an hour behind before I started this morning..if you know what I mean. I received a message from Jeff and Martha. They had left me a beer wrapped in ice at the covered bridge I past last night. I saw the bundle on a bench but I didn’t know it was for me. I was gutted. It was quite hot when ` was at the bridge and a cold beer would have gone down a treat. It just show what kind of people they are though…the best.
As I was riding out of Rockville I stopped and asked a couple what the time was. We got chatting and the told me that they were originally from Canada bur moved to America forty years ago. Bill’s family were from Scotland and Gail’s family were originally from Manchester. It’s a small world isn’t it?
It became quite hilly again but it’s not as bad as it was before…I just put my head down and grit my teeth…and of course peddle like mad. It gets me to the top.
I bumped into Jeff and Marsha coming back from Indianapolis. It was great to see them again. Jeff has an operation on his shoulder tomorrow…all the best luck for that Jeff, and a quick recovery. We took some more pictures, they gave me some chocolate, which was appreciated…I love a bit of chocolate. I was on my way once more. I hope we meet again someday they are great people and I feel as if I’ve know them for ages.
I stopped for a drink in a small store in the middle of nowhere. I walked into the shop and it was bristling with guns…as well as food and everything else. It was really weird; there were racks of rifles and handguns….sold like sweets….only in America.
It seems such a contradiction, such a nice friendly people with a fascination for lethal weapons.
As I got to Indianapolis I found myself back on the Interstate…not a good place to be. It was even scarier than the 36 a couple of days ago. The drivers made it clear that I was not welcome. One drove along side me and shouted “are you crazy” I giggled, its what I do when I’m nervous. It probably confirmed his suspicions. After about two very nervous miles I managed to get off onto highway 40. I stopped at a fire station to ask direction. It was called Wayne TWP…they names a place after me….I think not. The guys at the station were great and we had a nice sit down and chat for a while. They even offered me a bed for the night but I wanted to do at least another twenty miles before stopping for the night. Two different drivers offered me a place to stay as I stopped at traffic lights. One of the firemen warned me not to accept any offers in the city so I declined their kind offer. He also told me to watch out for prostitutes and pit bulls…perhaps they looked the same, I was worried. However nothing happened.
I finally got to place called Greenfield and decided to call it a day. The motel I chose was a bit dodgy. There were a load of guys and girls sat outside one of the rooms drinking….one of the guys was the owner. You can’t buy booze on a Sunday in this state but they were obviously drunk. I should have asked for some. I couldn’t get an internet signal in my room so I have to go to the roadside and sit on the grass verge to get a signal…..I bet the motorists think I’m a nutter….not wrong there then.
I was feeling a little bit homesick today…nothing serious but I wanted to hear a British voice so I phone uncle Ken and auntie Hilda…great to hear them. Dave and Angela were there too so I had a chat with them. I was going to phone Daniel and Thomas but it probably would have upset me…I’m missing them lots…. soon be home.
I will probably be in New York in about ten days, well before my intended arrival date. I may rebook my flight to Spain and have more free time once in Europe. I will make up my mind over the next few days, depending on how things go.

Life is full of coincedences.

Day 27

Distance travelled: 75.3 miles
Time in saddle: 5hrs 52 mins
Overall distance; 2447 miles

I woke up this morning after great sleep in a luxurious bed to the sound of thunder. It then started to pour down. I wasn’t looking forward to starting off. I had a little trouble with my editing system last night and it took me ages to sort it so it was quite late when I finally got to bed. It was well past one o’clock. I finished putting the edited piece onto you tube this morning. Martha called in to see if I was OK, which I was. I eventually got all my things ready and went to say goodbye and thank them for a fantastic stay. I hate saying goodbye, especially after being made to feel so welcome. Martha cycled to the edge of town with me to make sure I made it out in the right direction….I’m always being escorted to the edge of town. Do you think they are trying to tell me something…only kidding? It was much appreciated you know what I am like for getting lost? A final goodbye and I was off. It had stopped raining but it was dull and still quite warm. At least the wind was sort of behind be, which made the start of the ride much easier. I wanted to see how far I could cycle get today but the chances were that I would have an early finish. I keep saying that but nearly always continue to do another few miles. Being with really nice people makes me really homesick…I can’t wait to be with the people I love and it drives me onward. I always thought that I would meet some really nice people on this trip but the reality has gone well beyond my expectation…thanks everyone for an amazing experience.
The rain came down again with a vengeance. It absolutely pored down and I got soaking wet. It doesn’t really bother me, you can only get so wet then it doesn’t matter. My Lycra soon dried off but my socks and shoes are soaking.
As I cycled past a small town called Hume I noticed a barbershop, just off the highway. It was away from the town and it was the only shop in the area. I went in and there were two guys sat in the shop, Jim, the barber and his friends Greg, both really nice guys. Jim did a really good job and I felt a lot tidier. Instead of brushing the hairs off in the traditional way he used an airline…, which worked a treat. As I rode away I hadn't realised that I had forgotten my cycle helmet. It was only when Greg, the guy in the shop pulled up in a car about three miles east on the 36 and handed the helmet to me...cheers Greg you are a gent.
As I rejoined the 36 going east I bumped into Geoff and Marsha. They were parked on the side of the road. They had pulled up after passing me on the highway. They were off to a wedding near Indianapolis. We had a chat and Geoff gave me a cold beer…the man is a godsend…. cheers Geoff you are a star. Bizarrely the place where I went for my haircut is Geoff’s regular barber…you couldn’t make it up could you…coincidences, amazing. Shortly after I crossed the border into Indiana. I was a little sad to be leaving Illinois, great countryside, great flat roads, fantastic people and some very fond memories.
I decided to stop at a place called Rockville for the night, a smallish town, but probably bigger than most I have been through over the few miles. I thought it was quite ironic after the release of my charity record...perhaps it will be a good omen. Please keep down loading the charity record.
Jo Warburton is having a 'brain storming session' on how to create support for the charity ride and how best to promote the sponsorship. If you would like to get involved in any way please email me and I will give you Jo's contact details. I'm back in motels after two fantastic days in people's houses. What a difference a day makes.....still it makes me appreciate the good times.