Day 36--after 5 months..an update to Boston,

Richmond, In. to Marysville, Ohio
Miles: 107.1
Time: 7:03
Aver: 15.2 mph
Max: 26.2
Est Calories: 7,223
Ascent: 3,081

(You will notice in the blog outline that this entry is posted in November, which is true. However, I will follow by prior posting entries, and pick these entries up where I left off in terms of "by day postings".)

This was our last official century day, and after a long day I didn't get a chance to post my blog. I was going to do so the next day, but circumstances turned decidedly sour the next day, and now some 5 months later I am trying to reconstruct a brief summary of those last days to Boston.

(PS. I'm just trying to get some narrative down, and I'll review the pictures I did take and add some later, particularly of the last day.)

As you may know from my prior posts, I used my roommate's computer to make my posts, and sometimes, due to a case of the "tireds" or laundry or Bob's posting efforts, it just became to late for me to want to post to the blog, and I would pick up and recap in the next day or two. Well, as fate would have it, the next day 37 from Marysville to Wooster included Bob getting hit by a motorcycle early in the day's ride, and with him went the computer. I will refer you to his blog for more details (see my first blog entry for his blog link), but I am glad to say, as bad as the accident was, and despite the difficulties in his recovery, that he is back riding (darest I say on a new bike). In fact we rode together some 27 miles yesterday (11/09-2009) including some 2,000 ft of climbing.

So, while I will be attempting to recap my final days into Boston on the XC ride, I will be relying on some Senior-memories, and very brief notes I made along the way. Beside some typical procrastinations, my delay in finishing up this great cross-country experience was also delayed because of the 7 day 500 miles annual charity ride for Anchor House (more on that ride later) that I have referenced before on earlier blogs, a trip to Alaska with my wife (just a super experience), and various domestic chores that had piled up during my some 9 weeks away from the homestead.

Day 36, while long, was a great day. There had been strong threats of rain early, but it held off for the most part. Everybody seemed to be stopping to take pictures of some pretty spectacular cloud and sun scenery. All I recall me trying to do was out run the very nasty looking weather.

As you'll hear more later in the week, I just can't see with my glasses in the rain, what with two layes of glass (1 perscription, 1 sunglass) there was water on both sides of each glass leaving virtually no visibility. Top that off with water on my bike computer, and I couldn't tell where I was, or when I was supposed to turn. Often during the ride, I would give the riding glasses to the SAG crew, and try to ride with my none-sport glasses...eventually with little success. And, if I were to take my glasses off, like many of the other riders, would get headaches. Because of all these personal problems, I really don't like getting caught in major rain situations for long periods of time, and just thought that if the weather was moving in the right direction, and our route took us in the other direction, that just maybe we could out ride the worst of it. Fortunately, that is what happen this day.

While I don't recall much of the details of the day, I do recall that Bob and I finished strong during the last 10+ miles of the day. There were a number of do-able rollers that propelled us along at 20+ miles an hour for that last bit of the day. I don't recall if there was any tail wind, but regardless, if there was a tail wind it was not meaningful, and the wheeeeeee-factor of finishing strong for the day. The hope was that this was partly a factor of getting stronger, and we hoped that this would be a forcast of our last days into Boston.

I was looking forward to the next day, as my best fiend, Mike and his wife, Jan, along with my cousin Bob, were planning to meet me in Wooster for dinner. They had about an hour ride from their homes up along lake Erie, where I was born and raised. See ya..........