Ruth and Mary Jo's Cycling Adventure: May 2010

Why are two crazy ladies riding across the United States?

Seven years ago while I was huffing and puffing to keep up with Ruth's running pace, she asked me if I would run across the USA with her.

You are crazy!" I gasped. "but I will cycle across the states with you."

We started planning the trip that day. We ordered the transcontinental maps from Adventure Cycling Association. Then Ruth's husband got a job in Evian, France, and we put our plans on hold.

Throughout the last seven years, we continued to discuss our trip. Then this last Fall, Bill and Ruth returned to Cincinnati. We looked at our maps again,checked into various cycling groups that are crossing the states this year, and kept pedaling on the back roads of southwestern Ohio.

As we learned the prices and the dates of the organized trips, we realized those trips would not work for us. We finally decided that a spring trip would work, and we decided on the Southern Tier Route. The maps route us through southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and then to our final designation - St. Augustine, Florida.

Throughout the trip we will stay in motels and bed&breakfasts and travel as lightly as possible. We plan to average eighty miles per day, take three rest days, and reach our destination on May 1st.

Our husbands are traveling with us the first two weeks. They will carry our gear for us and will be playing golf or attending spring training baseball games while we are cycling. Hurray for our very supportive husbands!

We will try to update the blog every day. Some nights we may be so tired that the only words we will be able to type are: "We made it!" We may be in a motel without a computer or cell coverage.

We will miss our family and friends along the trip. As St. Patrick's Day is approaching we think of this Irish Blessing:

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields and

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

To All: Please Take Care! Love, Mary Jo and Ruth

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Yes, we did make it back to Cincinnati. We are happy to be back with family and friends. In the spring, Mary Jo enjoys gardening and the lettuce that she planted in early March was ready for harvesting.

On the way back to Cincinnati, Ruth stopped to see her beautiful grandaughter, Maddie. As you can see, she is preparing her for a cross-country trip.
We loved the trip and are proud and happy about the accomplishment. We have no regrets about the way we did the trip - staying in motels, having all the motels booked before embarking on the trip, riding west to east although we had a lot of headwinds, and having our patient husbands sagging for us the first two weeks. If you are considering cycling the southern tier please feel free to contact us.
morleyruth@hotmail.com or mjpeairs@gmail.com
We urge all to take a chance and do some of your own exploring. Whether by foot or bicycle or traveling to another place, find out what's over the hill, around the corner, or down the road. We want to hear all about your adventures, so keep us posted!
Thank-you for taking the time to read our blog.

Ruth and Mary Jo

3045 miles and we are still good friends!!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Day 42, Palatka to Anastasia State Park, 47 miles

3052 miles! 42 days on the road! Eight states! We actually did it by just pedaling our bikes. It was an adventure of seeing backroad America and meeting so many helpful and kind folks.

For the last time the rooster alarm went off and for the first time Ruth got out of bed before Mary Jo. After seeing the beginning of the sailboat race on the St. Johns River, we started off for the last time.

We helped another turtle across the road and helped some workers pick cucumbers. Later this summer, the workers will be in northern Ohio picking cucumbers.

It was becoming hot and the wind was coming from the east. We approached St. Augustine and passed the park where Mary Jo ended her East Coast Ride nearly five years ago.

We went over The Bridge of Lions to Anastasia Island. With our excitement and maybe a few tears in our eyes we almost missed the entrance into the state park. We quickly turned around and there were Don and Bill with a congratulatory banner. Now we were crying.

We cycled down the park road to the beach, pushed our bikes through the sand, and reached the ATLANTIC OCEAN! The front wheels were bathed by the surf.

After setting the bikes down we ran into the cool, refreshing waves. We did it, we found the Atlantic Ocean.

Mary and George, who we have been sharing the road with these last few days, appeared to congratulate us. Next year they are planning to do a transamerica crossing.

The guys had done their usual and brought a picinic lunch to us. I don't have to tell you where the sandwiches were from. Then four champagne glasses appeared with a bottle of champagne.

Two beautiful trophies appeared; Ruth had a red bike on her trophy and Mary Jo had a blue bike. (Thank-you Evelyn.) We ate the best picnic lunch ever!

We arrived at the Super 8 motel with another congratulatoy message.

Tonight we eat a healthful dinner, hopefully no fried food. Tomorrow we head back to Cincinnati and we will try to remember how to live a normal life.