The LaMiWa Epic -- Day #5: Running on Empty

Distance: 78.6 miles
Climbing: 3,980 feet

Total Distance: 531.0 miles
Total Climbing: 20,920 feet

Today started with about 14 miles of downhill. Eventually there were hills to climb, and I had a hard time finding the energy to climb them. It made for a difficult day. I think I didn't eat properly last night, so I was running on empty most of the way. I was glad that I didn't have to go very many miles today to make my goal. Today I made sure to eat a better dinner so that I will have the energy to make it to Washington, DC tomorrow.

I nearly ran over a snake today. It was curled up on the pavement, and I came within about an inch of hitting it. There were a lot of caterpillars crawling across the road.

Tomorrow there will be one final mountain pass to climb, and it will be mostly downhill to DC from there. My route will take me along an old railroad path, so there won't be any steep grades once I make it there.

Tomorrow's goal: Washington, DC!

The LaMiWa Epic -- Day #4: Roller Coaster

Distance: 121.7 miles
Climbing: 11,086 feet

Total Distance: 452.4 miles
Total Climbing: 16,940 feet

Max Speed: 47.7 mph

I took Sunday as a rest day. I did the things I normally do on Sunday. I visited the Wintersville ward for church. Then I came home and talked to family for most of the rest of the day. I think it is fun to visit other wards and meet the people in the area. It was also interesting to visit the Wintersville ward because my dad served his mission in approximately that area.

I woke up "dark and early" this morning so that I could leave as soon as it was bright enough to bike. I wanted to get all the way to Frostburg, Maryland. Biking 120 miles in a day is doable, but I was more anxious about today because I knew that there would be over 10,000 feet of climbing. The section of US 40 that I followed from Washington, Pennsylvania to Frostburg, Maryland is sometimes called the "roller coaster" because it goes up and down the mountains. There were some long steep climbs, and a lot of descents got me going downhill at about 40 mph with minimal effort.

When I was in Uniontown, Pennsylvania someone tried to convince me to bike along a bike trail to get to DC. It is a gradual climb up to Frostburg in constrast to the roller coaster US 40. The thing I didn't like about his route was that it was 84 miles long while my route was 50 miles long from that point. I don't think the hills slowed me down enough to justify the extra mileage. Besides, even though I was anxious about this part of the route, this was the segment of the LaMiWa Epic that I was most looking forward to.

The scenery was beautiful today. The rolling hills are stunning, and the trees are lush and green. I think my dad would have enjoyed today. It's too bad he couldn't be here. I do have to thank him, because I was unsure that I would be able to make it all the way to Frostburg until I talked to him. He thought I could make it, and that gave me the extra bit of confidence I needed to press on.

I biked in four states today: Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. It was fun to finally cross some state lines after spending three full days in Ohio. Tomorrow I'll bike in three states: Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. I'm not close enough to get to DC in one day from here, but I am close enough that the next two days will be "short" days of 70 or 80 miles.

Tomorrow's Goal: Winchester, Virginia.

The LaMiWa Epic -- Day #2: Snake Bite

Distance: 116.8 miles
Climbing: 1,342 feet

Total Distance: 240.4 miles
Total Climbing: 2,724 feet

I had a nice tailwind this morning and I was able to get some good mileage until about Norwalk. I followed US 20 most of the way from Perrysburg to Norwalk, but there was a nice biking trail that went from Fremont to Bellevue that I took for some of the distance. I was getting hopeful that I might make it all the way to Strasburg.

About half a mile outside of Norwalk I ran over a piece of glass and got a flat tire. I changed the tube, pulled out the glass, and pumped up the tire the best that I could. Half a mile later I got another flat. I ended up walking about 1.5 miles to a bike shop in Norwalk to see what was up. It turns out I got a "snake bite" flat. These happen when the bike goes over a big bump and the tube gets pinched. The result is two holes in ththe tube that look like a snake bite.

The flat tires cost me about two hours of time. After that, I had no chance of getting to Strasburg. I was happy to make it to Wooster. I hit my first hill just a few miles outside of Ashland. When I got to Ashland, I was feeling very hot and tired. I happened to see a small shake shop on my route. It was just what I needed. It was great to take a break and cool down before biking the rest of the way to Wooster.

I've come to the end of the flat portion of my trek. I'll be climbing up some steep hills over the next few days. I probably won't be able to get as many miles in per day, but in a strange way I'm looking forward to the hills.

Tomorrow's Goal: Steubenville, Ohio. It's on the border of Ohio and West Virginia.

The LaMiWa Epic -- Day #1: Dandelions

Distance: 123.6 miles
Climbing: 1,382 feet

I made it to Perrysburg today. The ride has been scenic in some places as the trees are blossoming. There are lots of dandelion blossoms too. I passed a lot of houses with big lawns, and some were covered in dandelions. They look pretty while in blossom. The big thing to do around here must be mowing the lawn because I saw more people out on their lawn mowers than I could count.

I thought that I crossed a state border on bike for the first time today. Then I realized that the first time I had ever done that was when I biked from Grand Junction, Colorado to Moab, Utah along the Kokopelli trail. It was the first time I have ever biked from home to another state though, since I stopped by home on my way from the Michigan capitol builing to here to pick up some things I forgot.

I faced a headwind most of the way today. It made for some very slow going. It was also the first time I tried riding with all my gear and I was surprised at how heavy it was. All of this made today's ride much harder than anticipated. The wind forecast looks more favorable tomorrow than it was today, so hopefully that works out.

Tomorrow's Goal: Wooster, OH or Strasburg, OH if I am feeling it.

The LaMiWa Epic -- Day #0

Tomorrow I will embark on a bike trip from Lansing, Michigan to Washington, DC (hence the name LaMiWa). I will start at the capitol building in Lansing and finish at the capitol building in Washington. The 600 mile journey, with over 25,000 feet of climbing, will take me through six states (MI, OH, WV, PA, MD, VA) and the District of Columbia. My plan is to complete the trip in six days of pedaling plus one rest day. The first half of my route will be relatively flat through Michigan and most of Ohio. Once I reach Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, the terrain will become more rough as I climb over the Appalachians. After crossing the Appalachians, the route will still be hilly, but it will be mostly downhill until I reach DC.

Why this trip? One day I was playing around on Google maps and tried looking at biking directions to various places. Since my wife, Tina, is from the Washington, DC area I thought I would see how long a bike trip to there would be. I thought it would be a difficult, but interesting thing to try. So my plan was that the next summer that we visited Tina's family I would leave a week early and bike out there. Then Tina can drive to Maryland, and I can put my bike on the car so I don't have to bike all the way back.

Today I am finishing up all my preparations for the trip. I've been combing over the Google maps directions to make sure that the roads are bikeable. Sometimes Google maps gives biking directions with part of the route on dirt roads, but that won't work with my road bike. My dad sent me his satellite phone so I will be posting updates on my position that way. He also sent some lights for extra visibility. I also have to sort out a few things with my rain gear and bike rack. There are some packages that I hope will come today with this equipment, but I may need to find an alternative.

In order to pack as lightly as possible I will be staying in motels along the way, and eating and whatever places happen to be around. I want to keep my plans flexible in case of unexpected delays. I don't need to be in DC until the 16th, so I have some breathing room in case conditions are more difficult than expected.

Tomorrow's Goal: Lansing, MI to Perrysburg, OH