8/9/95 Drove 350 miles to Absecon, New Jersey. (near Atlantic City) I took the Garden state Parkway. I had to stop 9 times and give them 35 cents each time to use the road.
Ride 25, 8/10/95
Absecon, New Jersey
Ride elevation 90 to 220 feet.
It was cool and cloudy in the morning, sunny in the afternoon. Hi in the mid 80s with a southeast wind at 10 to 15 mph. I started east on US30 because I couldn't go west until the next U-Turn loop. US30 is a 4 lane divided hi way with 2 to 8 foot shoulder, and heavy traffic in spots. It is called the White Horse Pike. The terrain is flat. There are lots of houses and businesses between towns, and an occasional woodland or farm. This is the most densely populated state. I passed through Egg Harbor and Hammonton (the hub of South Jersey), 21 miles. US30 turned into a narrow road with no shoulder, so I turned onto an unmarked road that turned out to be Old White Horse Pike. It is a wide 2 lane with 2 ft. shoulders and light traffic. It ended in Berlin, 34 miles. I turned south on county 563 a wide 2 lane with wide shoulders. I turned west on New Freedom road, but it was full of trucks so I turned south on New Brooklyn New Freedom road wide 2 lane with no shoulders. I Stopped at New Brooklyn county park. It had a scummy little lake with black greasy stuff in the water and hanging on the discarded appliances in the lake. Brown water flowed over a little dam and churned up brown foam. A guy with a RC boat had to fly cast it back to shore after the prop got fouled with black gunk. I turned onto county 536 , a wide 2 lane with no shoulder. I turned east on US322, the Black Horse Pike, a 4 lane divided hi way with 8 foot shoulders, 44 miles. I turned south on Malaga road, a wide 2 lane with no shoulder. Then I turned east on US44 a wide 2 lane with 8 foot shoulders, 62 miles. This entire area has a lot of commercial property for rent, abandoned, and burned down (identified by a parking lot and a sign). Motels, restaurants, shopping malls and industrial plants are included.. US44 had heavy traffic, but I followed it to US322. I then turned on county 575, a busy 2 lane with no shoulder. I turned onto US30 and took the causeway to Atlantic City and back to Absecon. Climbing 340.
8/12/95 I came down with a cold. Since the forecast was for heat index of 105 for the next few days I decided to take a break, I drove 215 miles to Mt. Jackson VA.
Ride 26, 8/19/95
Mt. Jackson, Virginia.
Ride elevation 900 to 1400 feet.
It was sunny in the morning and cloudy in the afternoon, with a high of 85. I started south on US11, a wide 2 lane with 2 ft. shoulders and light traffic. I turned west on county 720 for a few miles and then south on county 698. The terrain is rolling hills with a mixture of small farms and residences, and lots of poultry houses. I turned east on 767 and then south on 616 and 617. I crossed the north fork of the Shenandoah river and turned west on 953. All the county roads are wide 1 lane or narrow 2 lane roads with no shoulders and very little traffic. County 953 ended on US211, a medium 2 lane with moderate traffic and no shoulders. I turned in 618 and then south on SR42, a wide 4 lane with rough shoulder in some spots and moderate traffic. Arrived at Broadway 18 miles. I continued on SR42 to Harisonburg, 30 miles. I continued on SR42 through Dayton and Bridgewater, 38 miles. I turned east on county 646, arrived at Centerville. I turned north on US11, 50 miles, and arrived at Mt. Crawford. I continued on US11 to county 704 and headed east. I continued east on 679 and then turned north on SR276. I had to detour around a traffic accident on 689 and 686. SR276 ends at US33, so I continued north on 620. I continued south on 717. 717 turned to gravel, so I back tracked a half mile to 721, 75 miles and headed west to US11 and turned north. I turned east on 793 and arrived at Endless Caverns, 86 miles. I returned to US11 via 850 and continued north. Arrived at New Market. 92 miles. I continued north on US11. I turned east on 730 until it turned to dirt and returned to US11 and back to Mt.Jackson. Climbing 3710.
Ride 27, 8/22/95
Harrington, Delaware.
Ride elevation 30 to 100 feet.
Clear and hot, about 90 with northwest wind 5 to 15 mph, and low humidity. I started south on US13, a wide divided hi way with 10 foot shoulders and moderate to heavy traffic. The terrain is flat. The only relief large enough for my altimeter to recognize was bridges. I went through the edge of the towns of Farmington, Greenwood, Bridgeville, and Seaford. At Larual, I missed my turn onto SR24, and had to go back a mile, 28 miles. SR24 is a wide 2 lane with a big shoulder on my side of the road for the first 4 miles out to the state park, and then none until just before the junction of SR30. The traffic is light. There are corn and soy farms between the towns. Some have big irrigators on them. I went south a mile on SR30 and then east on SR26, two lanes and no shoulder with light traffic to Dagsboro. The traffic got heavy and then at Clarksville the road was rough and patched and cratered and continued so through Millville and Ocean View. At Bethany Beach I turned north on SR1, 58 miles. SR1 is a divided hi way of 4 to 8 lanes, running along the ocean. It has a a lot of motels, outlet malls, and shopping centers, but also a 10 mile section of just dunes. The traffic is heavy in spots, but there is usually a big shoulder. At Dewey Beach SR1 turns inland and after a few miles is in the country to Milford. I turned west on SR14, a wide 2 lane with 8 foot shoulders which took me back to Harrington. Climbing 230 feet.
Ride 28, 8/23/95
Denton, Maryland.
Ride elevation 30 to 100 feet.
Clear and hot, about 85 with light and variable wind, and low humidity. I started north on SR313. All the state roads in Maryland (that I saw) are wide 2 lane with 6 to 10 foot shoulders. They were a little cracked in spots but otherwise smooth asphalt. There were some narrow or rough spots in towns. The terrain is almost flat, with a few ditches and small hills. There are corn and soy farms and scattered woodlands and clumps of houses. At Goldsboro, 313 turns east and I continued north on SR311 to Marydel, 18 miles. I took SR454 a couple of miles over to SR 302 heading west. SR302 ends at US301 (30 miles), but there are big NO BICYCLES signs on 301, so I went back a half mile and took Crane Pond road south. It is a narrow bumpy 2 lane with no traffic. I turned west on SR19 which crosses 301 and connects to SR213 at Church Hill. I took SR213 south through Centreville (44 miles) to Wye Mills and continued south on US50, a 4 lane divided hi way with wide shoulders and very heavy traffic. I followed US50 south to Easton (64 miles) and turned east on SR331. At Ellwood, 331 turns south and I took 318 east to Federalsburg. There I turned north on SR313, and followed it back to Denton. Climbing 750 feet.
8/28/95 Drove 290 miles to Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Ride 29, 8/29/95
Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Ride elevation 650 to 1100 feet.
Hazy, humid and hot, about 90 with light and variable wind. Fog early, cloudy morning and partly cloudy afternoon. I started east on US50, a 4 lane divided highway with 10 ft shoulders. The terrain is large steep hills covered with trees. There is no flat land between most hills. West Virginia is the mountain state. They say that if you stomped it flat, it would be bigger than Texas. Seems plausible to me. At 28 miles, I turned onto the North Bend Rail Trail. It is a hard packed gravel trail, too rough for me. I got off onto road 50/31, a wide 2 lane with no shoulder and light traffic, and followed it to Pensboro, 33 miles. At 37 miles the road ends at a large washout. I back tracked to SR74 and headed south. It is a narrow 2 lane with no shoulder and very light traffic. There are a few small farms in the crooked little valleys between the hills. Arrived at Pullman and took the road to Harrisville. Pullman is a hillbilly town. Weathered houses and all kinds of junk sitting around. At Harrisville, 55 miles I took SR16 north. It is a narrow, crooked and busy 2 lane with no shoulder. I turned west on US50 at Ellensboro. On the way back to Parkersburg, I realized I had miscalculated the mileage and would come up short. The streets in Parkersburg, are very rough and busy. But on the way back I came to the village of Dallison. It has almost 2 and a half miles of flat land and good roads. So I rode around Dallison for a while to get my extra miles before returning to Parkersbarg. Climbing 5050 feet.
Ride 30, 8/31/95
Nicholasville, Kentucky.
Ride elevation 550 to 1050 feet.
Hazy, humid and hot, about 95 with light and variable wind. I started on Main street and turned east on 169, a wide 2 lane with moderate traffic. I was following the Bluegrass Kentucky bicycle tour route from the slick little booklet they sent me. It has very small scale maps and I found errors immediately. Roads are marked wrong, and some are not marked at all. Without a local map, I could not have followed the tour at all. At East Hickman, 10 miles I turned north on 1975, a narrow 2 lane with light traffic. The terrain is rolling with horse farms, tobacco farms, and large estates. The roads occcasionaly drop several hundred feet into gullys to cross rivers. I turned south on US25, a wide 2 lane for a couple of miles and the north on 1973, a narrow 2 lane. At Athens I turned east on 418, a medium 2 lane with light traffic. 418 drops into the Kentucky River canyon and follows the river for a while. I passed under road 627 and then climbed up to go over the river on the 627 bridge. Immediately after crossing the bridge I turned on 388 and passed Boonsborough State Park, 29 miles. 388 climbs out of the canyon along a tributary. At some point the tour heads east on an unnamed road. I didn't like any of the roads I saw, so I left the tour and followed 388 into Richmond, 40 miles. I took 52 out of Richmond, a wide 2 lane with heavy traffic. I turned on Hagans Mill road, a wide 1 lane. I dropped into a canyon and followed a stream in complete shade for a few miles. Then I climbed out and met Curtis Pike a narrow 2 lane with little traffic and went to Curtis. I turned south on 595, a narrow 2 lane to Kirksville, 53 miles, and 1275, a wide 2 lane with moderate traffic. I followed 1275 east to 52 and followed that to Lancaster, 64 miles. I took US27 north. It is a wide 2 lane with very heavy traffic. I turned west on 1355, a medium 2 lane with light traffic. I went through another shady canyon and then turned onto 1971, a wide 1 lane. I went down some very steep slopes to the bottom of a canyon, where the pavement ended at a ford. The creek was very low and I carried across hopping on rocks with out getting my feet wet. 1971 ended on 563, a medium 2 lane with light traffic, which I took north out of the canyon. 563 winds along a ridge top. I came around a turn and met a horse coming the other way. We both stopped dead for a few seconds. Finally he took the ditch to the right, so I went around on the left. A bit farther I came upon some people at a dilapidated barn. When I stopped, the guy asked If I seen a horse. I told him I seen it running down the road. The gal hollered "Aw shit" and they jumped in the truck and took off after it. 563 ended at 39 and I turned north and rode a brand new 2 lane road with no traffic into the Kentucky River canyon. It dead ends at the water. No ford this time. I can't wade the Kentucky. Both maps say that it goes through. The only other crossing for 40 miles is on US 27. So I had to go all the 8 miles back to 1355, 2 canyons and across the rocks. The horse was tied at the barn, and the gal yelled "we got him" at me as I went by. I yelled "good job" back at her. I stopped at a church on 1355 and lay in the shade and melted ice on my head. I took 1355 to US27, even busier at rush hour,93 miles . US27 has about 3 miles of 4 lane with wide shoulder where it bridges the Kentucky at about 150 feet over the water. Other places I stopped to let long lines of traffic pass. Back to Nicholasville at 109 miles. Because of the heat I rested a lot, especially climbing out of the canyons. That, with the route 39 screw up made this excursion take just under 12 hours, the longest on the trip. Climbing 5210 feet.
Ride 31, 9/2/95
McMinnville, Tennessee.
Ride elevation 550 to 1150 feet.
Hi about 85 with light and variable wind. Dense fog early but clear with low humidity after about 9. I started on US70S bypass, a 4 lane divided hi way with 10 foot shoulders. I planned to stay on 70S, but it turned to 2 lanes with no shoulder, which I did not want to ride in the fog. So I went around the loop the opposite way by taking SR55 southwest. It is just like the bypass with moderate traffic. The terrain is gently rolling hills with cattle farms and woodlands and some houses and businesses. Arrived at Manchester, 28 miles, and turned northwest on US41, a 2 lane with 6 foot shoulders and light traffic because it is parallel to I-24. After about 10 miles, the shoulder ends and the terrain is hilly for a few miles. Then US41 goes very gently down hill a few hundred feet over 20 miles to Murfreesboro. I turned north on Tennessee avenue, and after a few blocks, turned east on US70S, a 4 lane divided hi way with 10 foot shoulders, 61 miles. The land is more hilly and wooded here. I arrived in Woodbury, 79 miles. US70S turned into a wide 2 lane with no shoulder. In about 2 miles, I gained back the elevation lost on US41 and returned to the rolling hills. At about 97 miles I returned to the bypass and finished at 102 miles. Climbing 2500 feet.
9/4/95 Drove 370 miles to Sanford, North Carolina. I detoured about 50 miles extra around construction in the mountains on I40.
Ride 32, 9/5/95
Sanford, North Carolina.
Ride elevation 50 to 600 feet.
Hi about 85 with light and variable wind. Clear morning and hazy afternoon. I started north on US1/US15/US501, a 4 lane divided hi way with 3 foot shoulders. After a mile I turned west on NC42, a narrow 2 lane with no shoulders. It was very busy until I got a few miles out of town then the traffic was light. The terrain is rolling hills with woodlands, small farms, and houses. The dirt is bright orange. After 23 miles NC42 joins NC22 for about 10 miles, and the road is a bit wider. After NC42 splits off again it was infested with log trucks. Some had logs so little that they were stacked across the truckbed. Traffic increased as I neared Asheboro, At Asheboro, 46 miles I turned east on US64, US64 had heavy traffic. It alternates between a 5 lane with no shoulder and a 4 lane divided with 3 foot shoulder to Ramseur, where it turns into a badly truckered 2 lane. There were a lot of trucks with half a house on them. I turned north on NC49 and then east on Old Staley road. I arrived at Staley, 62 miles, and turned south on Old US421, a wide 2 lane with no shoulder and light traffic. I passed the factory where they make half houses. At Siler City, 69 miles, Old US421 turns to 4 lanes for a few miles and is renamed to Second street and Chatham Ave. So I missed the turnoff for Old US421, and took Gees Grove road to get back to it. I went through the tiny towns of Mt Vernon Springs, Bonlee, Bear Creek, and Goldston. I saw a house with nine cats on the porch. Old US421 ends on US421 which is a wide 2 lane with 3 foot shoulder. It turns into a 4 lane divided with 3 foot shoulder after a couple of miles. I passed several large industrial buildings with names I never heard of and a place where they have scraped the orange dirt to build more. I turned south on US1/US15/US501. I was a little short so I went down and back Pendergrass road for a mile. Climbing 3260 feet.