PAC Tour Epilog

I decided to wait awhile after the ride to write the epilog - to gain some perspective.  When I finished the ride I was definitely feeling great.  What an experience!  I expected the euphoria to subside over time.  Two months after the end of the ride I still had that great feeling and a big, broad grin.  I felt like I had reached the point that people were tired of seeing me be so happy, time to move on.  Then the holidays.  Everyone loves the holidays, right?  Five months after the end of the ride I still smile when I think of the experience.  So what's it all about?

Here are some things I've identified about the experience.  The 26 days of riding filled my body with endorphins.  Cyclists, runners and other endurance athletes can identify with the feelings.  Life on a natural high is very exhilarating.

Riding in the quiet of the morning gave me a spiritual connection like I've never known.  When I think of those mornings and I am transported back to the experience of that connection. 

Physically I felt great.  Someone asked me if I rested for several days after completing the ride.  Well, no, after riding so many consecutive days I was ready to continue to ride those distances every day.  It wasn't as if I stumbled across the finish line, but rather, cruised.  I could have turned around and riden back.  If there weren't other aspects to my life that I was missing, I would have been sorely tempted to rally the group for a return trip. 

How did this come about?  Early on in my adult cycling days I saw a presentation about the Southern Cross.  A cross-country ride put on by the people I rode with, that went from California to Florida in 20 days.  I thought to myself, "You should do that someday."  That's as formal as the entry on the "bucket list" ever got, but it did spark an awareness anytime I heard about anyone riding across the US.  A year and a half before the ride I began to inch myself toward the idea of riding across the country.  I started riding more with idea of becoming fit.  I thought of buying a new  bike and then thought that if I rode across the country that would be my reward.  A couple of months later I realized that I was being foolish in riding a bike that was giving my aging back aches.  I bought a bike that fits, and then the thinking became serious.  I started reading about others' experiences and riding more.  I planned on gradual preparation.  In 2010 I rode 4,000 miles and intended to ride 6,000 in 2011, a number that was suggested as the year before a cross country ride minimum base mileage. 

Then in late November PAC tour announced the Southern Transcontinental ride would be run in 2011.  I had anticipated it being in 2012 since they had an established pattern of running the ride on the southern route (the shortest distance) every four years.  So I researched other transcontinental rides and began planning training tours.  Because the Southern Transcontinental begins in September, it allows one all spring and summer to ride into shape.  So ride I did.  I took on the mountains in Colorado because I had never ridden in the mountains before.  I rode RAINSTORM again because it is grueling and a legitimate training ride for PAC Tour.  And on and on.  When I got to July, I had to decide:  Sign up or defer.  I sent in my deposit  and my commitment became official. 

I inched toward that decision, but I did need the year and a half to get in shape physically and to make the mental commitment.  It was a grand adventure.  Jean Hudson commented on one of the earlier posts, "Its all about the journey."  Indeed, it is.  It was a grand experience.  And like all grand experiences, graduation day is just the tip of the iceberg.

I appreciate all the encouragement of those who followed the ride and the camaraderie of the riders who made the journey with me and really, on all the rides that lead up to the big one.

I encourage you to pick your new, next Grand Experience and have at it.  The journey is the reward.

PAC Tour Metter to Tybee Island, GA (26)

Today      90 miles    1,400 feet of climbing       5:37 elapsed time    52 - 85 degrees
Total   2,859         110,000                            9  22:45

WOW!  What a ride in.  An all day celebration on bikes.  We laughed, we hugged, we congratulated, we ate, we photographed, we smiled, we pedaled, we cheered, we shouted, we dipped wheels in the ocean and we took pride in our achievement.  After the last 25 days, how could this be any better.  Great roads, albeit with some traffic, the same clear blue skies and moderate temps we've been enjoying since leaving the desert and a celebration of cycling, truly another day in Paradise.  Looking back, I never could have anticipated the great companions, pleasant and helpful crew and perfect weather we've had this whole trip.  Toooo much!  We've been smiled upon and we know it.  The Epic is over, except for the celebrating, and I can't imagine what could have made it better.  Life is good.  This is a great country.  I'll let the smiles tell the rest of the story:

Morning road with Rose and Brian

No, the "G" is not for Green Bay

Deer season in Georgia

Sixteenth hole, par 5 from the blue tees Smithfield Country Club

Christopher

Johnathon (Little John)

Bob, Jamie and Bob Share the Road

Tandem pulled me along today, courtesy of Sid and Karen

Lunch

Rose, Jamie & husband

Jerry, Johnathon, Tracey, Brian & John

Parker, Paul, Rebeca and Christoper

Street scene in Savannah

Fishing boats

Susan, Bob & Rose

John, Ron, Bob, Bob & Johnathon

The group rides into town

Brian and Rose

Ron

Kids always love water, don't they?

The group - part I

The Group - part II

Yes, we rode all the way.

PAC Tour Perry to Metter, GA

Today     119 miles    3,800 feet of climbing            9:45 elapsed time  52 - 88 degrees
So far  2,769          108,600                                9   17:08

The weather today was beautiful, as usual.  Blue skies, cool morning temps rising to seasonable levels in the afternoon.  Warm enough to keep tree shaded roads comfortable.  Road surfaces were all great today, even the ones I rode while I went off course.  (I didn't get "lost" I just explored a different part of Georgia than the rest of the riders).  When I found myself and rerouted my ride so I could join the ride up the road, the lunch crew called to find out what I was up to.  They were happy I was accounted for and would be rejoining the route up ahead.  Luckily I was able to reroute so I tacked on only an extra mile and a half for the day.  Nice rollers to start the day, but lots of traffic.  Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.  Actually we never were.  But we have reached urban civilization where morning people rush to work and have schedules to meet.  Finally about mile 30 we began riding some quieter roads.  The traffic reminded me of home.  Not such a bad thing to put up with.  Overall, I'd have to rate it as "Another day in Paradise."

So today was the penultimate day in the penultimate state.  Tomorrow our tour reaches its conclusion.  Yes, I know the meaning of penultimate.  After Georgia, we will reach the state of rapture.  Rapture is touching the front wheel of the bike in the Atlantic Ocean, is not having to get up and ride a hundred or so miles tomorrow, is celebrating with fellow riders at the conclusion of the ride, and finally rapture is the feeling from having set an incredible task, working to prepare for it, taking it on, and reaching a successful conclusion.  Each of us will treasure the joint and individual accomplishments of the ride.

I don't mean to offend by the use of rapture as the image of denouncement for this event.  But I don't care to apologise either.  Let me rail about political correctness for a moment.  Two phrases popped into my head today during the ride:  "Say what you mean." and, "Mean what you say."  I believe if we did more of those two things and did less worrying about "correctness" we would have a more honest and open society.  End rant.

The riders have caught a bug.  The virus is "Ocean Fever."  They say they can smell the ocean from here.  Tomorrow we will all mass after completing most of the day's ride for a group ride to the ocean.  The stage is set tomorrow is the big event. 

Great porches in Metter

Morning road - with traffic today, no meditating

Forested roadside

Today's defunct gas station

Young John (Downham) one of the fastest riders

Everything's better in Metter

I knew I'd see one eventually

Old town

Doesn't it look inviting?

A long straightaway to end the day

PAC Tour Eufaula, AL to Perry, GA (24)

Today      111miles      5,300 feet of elevation gain          9:42 elapsed time   54 - 81 degrees
So far   2,650           104,800                                        9   7:23

Another grand day in Paradise.  Sunny skies, great smooth roads, the usual.  The day started with the climb up out of the river valley, as expected.  After navigating through Eufaula and turning into Georgia, we were soon on those, quiet, smooth country roads again.  This part of Georgia has a lot of logging activity and pine forests.  The few trucks on the road were log carriers (see below), which some riders dread because they tend to move faster than regular truck traffic.  I think they provide a wide berth when they pass bikes, so I don't mind them so much.  All day long we were on smooth roads.  We passed a turnoff to Plains as we didn't know if Jimmy was around.  We passed into our ninth state of the tour and our fourth time zone.  I looked at our map after today's ride.  Ample evidence we're getting close.  Lots of smiles from riders looking at the map.  Whether due to pride or relief may be a moot point. 

This afternoon we began to see pecan trees, lots and lots of pecan tree stands.  We also saw some bales of hay.  Surprisingly very little hay is baled and left in the fields in Mississippi and Alabama.  We did see a lot of un- or under- utilized pastures in those states though.  Running late because of time change, laundry (last of the trip for me, yeah!) and length of the days ride, so pictures follow.

Sunset seating, facing West, front row

Morning road

Log truck, comin' 'round

Hill climber (Tracey)

Hey, hay bales

Today's defunct gas station

Flint River

Pecan trees

Afternoon road

Crossing the reservoir in Eufaula

PAC Tour Greenville to Eufaula, AL (23)

Today     111 miles     5,200 feet of climbing         9:35  elapsed time   54 - 81 degrees
So far   2,539            99,500                              8  21:41

Ho-hum.  Another blissful day in Paradise.  I know its repetitive, but its true.  We had great weather and great roads again today.  Nice big rollers out of Greenville and throughout the day up until we got close to Eufaula.  There we enjoyed a nice downhill into the river valley, which, I'm sure we'll get to climb out of tomorrow morning.  As we have ridden east from the Mississippi River the land has gradually gotten more green and productive.  We're still travelling through farming areas with a lot of cattle farms.  But as we head east, the population has grown denser and the roads more trafficked.  Today we started on a quiet country road and finished on a busy four-lane US numbered highway.  Part of which is due to location of our hotel, but partially due to increased density.  Remember the day in Arizona where the route sheet had a turn out of the hotel lot and the next turn was into the lot of our destination?  Well, now we make quite a few more turns each day.

I've long held that in the Northern tier of the US, people are more private, less open on the East coast and gradually become warmer and more open as you head West.  I'm thinking of Boston, Chicago and San Francisco Bay.  I think that's true of the Southern tier as well.  I've noticed fewer people outside, even though the weather is great, as we move East.  Seeing a woman alongside the road out walking yesterday was almost shocking.  Further West you see people walking and jogging alongside the road, but not in the South. Two things seem to define social contact in Alabama: religion and football.  There are lots and lots of small churches as we travel the state.  There are lots of cars with flags, houses with flags and business signs that say either Auburn or Alabama.  And, I can assure you, both are taken quite seriously.

The friendliness of people and courtesy of drivers throughout our ride has surprised me.  People wave when you wave to them.  Men, women, kids, old and young, they all wave.  And they give way.  Particularly in Mississippi and Alabama when I'm climbing a hill and a vehicle approaches behind, invariably they wait for the no passing zone to end before thinking about passing.  I return the favor by waving them around once I can see the road ahead is clear.  They wave or honk with appreciation.

Today's defunct gas station/store

Brahma

Climb ahead

Pea River

Morning road