This Leg "Went South" Today!

I almost felt like I had the day off today!  Jill took Glenn north to Havre de Grace, MD,

and he rode south to BWI airport on his own with no visitors or support.  The first thing I 

realized after they left was that Glenn had forgotten to take his bike computer/gps! It was a little 

disconcerting but not the end of the world.  He forged on with just his cue sheets and 

cell phone to guide him the 78 miles he rode in the Day 4 leg .   He began at 

Havre de Grace, MD which is at the point where the 

Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay.

Havre de Grace on the Susquehanna River 

Jill provided the SAG today, Support And Gear,
and also took these departing shots.  Thanks, Jill!

I gave Glenn my camera today so he is the official photographer for Day 4

Biller's Bikes in Havre de Grace provided transportation for cyclists
across the Hatem Bridge over the Susquehanna River from
2006-2012 since the bridge has a "no bikes allowed" policy.   Just this year the
Hatem Bridge Authority started running public buses with
bike racks on the front to solve this problem :)

Glenn traveled inland to reach the town of Monkton which is known for
thoroughbred horse breeding and sprawling horse farms.  From here
he rode on the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail along a creek and through the
countryside.  Sounds like a more relaxing route than most!

A picturesque farm along the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail.

Glenn rode through the towns of Cockeysville, Timonium, and Towson.

Eventually he reached the Baltimore City area and found some

less than savory areas but he kept pedaling with a few stops for

directions.   When he told one group of cyclists that he was riding to

BWI airport and asked the best way to get there they replied, "take 

your bike and hop on the Light Rail Line"!  Of course, he didn't do that!

He rode past the Baltimore Zoo and near the Inner Harbor and

eventually met me at the Amtrak Station at BWI airport at 4:30 PM

We seem to be meeting at a lot of Amtrak Stations these days :)

The Bromo-Seltzer tower was the tallest building
in downtown Baltimore when it was built in 1911.

As Glenn rode this weekend he reflected on where is was 11 years ago.

Most of you may know that Glenn had a heart attack in October, 2000.  He then 

had a double bypass this weekend in 2001.  He has come a long way since then both

medically and in bike miles!   There was a point recently when he realized that he had 

more miles on his bike than he had on his car this year.  

We will take a few days off to celebrate Benji's 6th birthday and begin babysitting

duties here in MD.  We'll be back on the road on Saturday morning with the

ride from Havre de Grace to Wilmington, DE.  On Sunday, Glenn will ride from

Wlimington, through Philly and end this leg of the ride in Trenton, NJ.

Benji and Evan will join me in the SAG vehicle!

I got a report today from the administrator from I Care I Cure and she related

that $322 in donations in honor of Uncle Glenn's ride have come in to them.

Thanks so much to those of you who have contributed!

A "Monumental" Day!

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words so today's blog story

is told mostly in the many photos that were taken on Day 3

Today's ride started right behind our hotel in Alexandria, VA on the Mount Vernon Bike Trail. 

Joining Glenn for the first 10 miles was BJ Shannon, a classmate of Jill's from Pope HS and 

Tulane University.  BJ lives in the DC area and is an avid biker.  They had a great time 

pedaling through DC together and Glenn enjoyed having someone with knowledge 

of the area to guide him so he didn't have to rely on cue sheets.  

Thanks, BJ!

A sign marking the Mount Vernon Bike Trail

You can see our hotel to the left and a sign for the bike shop
right down the street...came in handy for purchasing new
tubes for Glenn's bike!  Nice owner!
http://wheelnutsbikeshop.com/1/

BJ and Glenn at the Lincoln Memorial.  I had to meet them there to
capture the moment since this was the site of the final stop on Glenn's cross
country bike ride in 2000.  So much has happened in our lives since then!

August 5, 2000 - The Lincoln Memorial
The final destination of Glenn's Big Ride Across America
benefiting the American Lung Association.
49 days from Seattle to DC
Glenn's 50th birthday gift to himself!
Pictured are Jill, Me, Glenn, Glenn's Dad and Seth

Do you think that taking photos from a moving car while driving is
as dangerous as texting while driving?  Couldn't resist! 
This was the start of a "Monumental" Day!

Another drive-by shooting of the Jefferson Memorial!

The view from Glenn's bicycle seat!

Can't beat the scenery in DC!
Glenn zipped past the Capital 

Finally he sees a sign for the East Coast Greenway!
Reassurance for Glenn that he is on the right route!

Glenn's second riding buddy for the day was Feivel Cohen, 15.
He is our cousin Jeffrey's son and he has been hoping to do this
ride with Glenn since hearing about it a year or two ago. He rode 29 miles
with Glenn and has pledges for donations from friends and family for
I Care I Cure Childhood Cancer Foundation!   Great job, Feivel!

The Nagiels have been anxiously awaiting Glenn's ride through Maryland

so that they could participate.  Evan LOVED having a shirt that matched his Pa's!

Evan,3, and his buddy,Pa, meet up in Bowie, MD!

Benji and family joined Glenn on the Annapolis Bike Trail.
What a great way to end this incredible day!
Benji will be 6 on Wednesday!

Pa and the boys loved this adventure!

Shahak's sister, Nivi, donned her new logo shirt to
cheer Glenn on at the Annapolis Bike Trail.

We remembered a Gelato place right on the bike trail from
the month in 2006 that we stayed in Annapolis.  It is still
there....Glenn and Benji shared a dish of
peanut butter - nutella!

Glenn was THRILLED to have this group on the trail with him today!
Evan, Glenn, Jill, Benji and Shahak in Annapolis!

Glenn models his new shirt.
He didn't seem to mind the wording :)

The stats for today are great but the fun that Glenn had far surpassed the

experiences on any other day.  The weather was perfect and the company was 

great!   Today Glenn logged 73.87 miles in 6 hours and 21 minutes plus time 

for socializing.  He climbed 3373 feet and burned 3776 calories.

Tomorrow will be a reverse ride....Jill will drive Glenn up to Havre de Grace, MD and he will ride south

to Baltimore-Washington Airport for pick-up there....So tune in for Part 4 of the ride tomorrow!

So Many Historic Markers, So Little Time!

Part 1 of Day 2

Who knew that Applebee's has WiFi!?  I am writing the first part of today's post 

while eating lunch in Fredericksburg, VA. It has been a crazy 

day already and there are many miles to go.   

Glenn called me before I left the hotel in Ashland to say that he had a flat tire and had fixed it but

realized that he didn't have his two extra tubes in case it should happen again so we planned

to meet at the Amtrak Station in Fredericksburg.   I arrived, texted him twice, called him twice and waited.

After 30 minutes with no response, I was ready to head to the police station sure that something had

happened to him on the road.  FINALLY, he called and was fine.....he had his phone on vibrate and

was traveling on a bumpy road!   For sure, he will have the volume turned all the way up from now on!

When Glenn and I caught up in Fredericksburg he related a few things.  He found many cyclists on the

road today and one of them he thought he knew.   There was a man from Richmond on his cross country ride in 2000 and Glenn suspects this was him but didn't stop him to be sure....You know I would have!

It has to be driving Glenn crazy to be in such an historical area just chocked full of markers and sites and

to have such a limited amount of time to stop and read!   One sign said that the area was the

 "Bread Basket of the Confederacy" - growing most of the food to feed the Confederate forces.  

Temps in the 40's this AM....Glenn is his layered look!

This is Glenn's bike computer which provides
all of the stats that I share each day.

Historic Train Station in Fredericksburg, VA
now the home to AMTRAK!

Glenn is decked out in his rain gear....just in case.
Never knew he had these little shoe covers!
Being prepared worked....no rain!


Part 2 of Day 2

Glenn WALKED into the hotel in Old Town, Alexandria at 5:30 PM - 91/2 hours after leaving Ashland although his computer says he was riding only 7:06.....somehow 2 1/2 hours were lost in the calulation! Maybe it was some of those hictoric markers :) He experienced another flat tire just a few blocks from the hotel so he decided to wait to change it in the AM.  I bought him 4 new tubes for his tires this afternoon so he is good to go for the next few segments.  He almost completed a century today - 98 miles, burning 4881 calories and ascending 5230 feet.

A little footnote about Alexandria, VA - I was born in NJ but lived the first
two years of my life in Alexandria in the Shirley Duke Apartments while my
father served in the US Air Force.  I guess I always had some southern roots!

Dvorah and Nivi, Shahak's Mom and Sister, join Shahak,
Benji, Jill, Me, Evan and Glenn for a reunion dinner in
honor of Nivi and Benji's birthdays and Glenn's ride!

Part 3 of Day 2

Glenn was rewarded for his long, grueling day with a great meal -carbs, of course - and time

with family.  Our daughter, Jill, and her family came to Alexandria from Ellicott City, MD to meet us 

for a celebratory dinner.   Amazingly, the rain held off until Glenn reached the hotel but has been

coming down since. Let it rain all night as long as it clears by 8 AM.  The forecast looks good.

Tomorrow will be an exciting day.  For the first time on this ride from Key West, Glenn may have company

for some of the route.  We'll fill you in with names and photos tomorrow.  The ride will begin right behind our hotel on the Mount Vernon Bike Trail and will take in some of the DC landmarks and Annapolis before ending at BWI airport near Baltimore, another 80+ mile day.  We'll enjoy some time with Jill, Shahak, Benji and Evan with bike rides just on Monday, Saturday and Sunday next week.   A little breather for Glenn!

I know you are very curious about the trivia question I posed yesterday.  The statue is General Robert E. Lee.  Jim Beaty wins....how does a cycling shirt sound as your prize?  An honorable mention goes to Faye Canape who will get the new logo shirt for her efforts!  

Tonight's trivia.....how many miles has Glenn traveled since we left Key West.

Hint:  Check the blog from Fall 2011!

Thanks so very much to those of you who have made donations to
I Care I Cure in honor of Uncle Glenn's Ride!
We are so pleased to be able to support this foundation that means so much to our family.

On The Road Again!

We began our journey yesterday battling Atlanta rush hour traffic to head north on Rte. 85 

to Huntersville, NC to spend the night with my sister, Laurie, brother-in-law Jim and 

nephew, Kevin.  We were up and out early to drive to Dewitt, VA to find the spot where

we completed our fall 2011 ride.  The sun was shining this time through that area.

  

We all show off our new logo shirts as we depart from
Huntersville. With us is brother-in-law, Jim, who promises to
train to join Glenn on the next big ride on the West Coast :)

Can you detect that "Here we go again" look on my face?

We found the exact spot on Rte. 1 in Dewitt, VA
where I picked Glenn up at the end of the
Fall 2011 ride.  No rain today!

Farmland in Dewitt, VA....Rolling Hills.

And he is off!   Today's ride started at 11:45 AM
after a four hour car ride to reach this spot.

  

Glenn, the history buff, took this one.   First trivia question.....
Who is this?   Hint: He is in a square in Richmond.

The end point of today's ride in the center
of downtown Ashland, VA

Felt like we were back in the Florida Keys tonight!
Glenn was wondering how far it is from Islamorada in the
Keys to this Islamorada Restaurant in Ashland, VA.
Who wants to venture a guess or just google it?

Today's ride began in Dewitt, VA and ended in Ashland, VA.
The 73.73 mile trek took 5 hours and 14 minutes and Glenn climbed
2904 feet....not steep hills but rolling. The weather was good and Glenn felt that it was
a fairly easy ride especially since he hasn't trained with any long rides lately.  
Tomorrow may be a more challenging day as he rides through
Fredericksburg, VA to the Alexandria area.  Looking forward to meeting up with
Jill, Shahak, his Mom and Sister and Benji and Evan for a nice dinner there.

One source of conflict that Glenn and I have when traveling is his dislike for stopping to ask for
directions when we are lost.   The GPS helps enormously now but I think he has finally
learned that it can save time and miles if he stops to ask for directions when he gets lost on
this bike ride.   He did it FOUR times today!  People were very nice and helpful!

Thanks so much for your interest and support!
More tomorrow!

Ready, Set, LoGO!

Please let me know if you are experiencing problems with the link to icareicure.org
The administrator is working on putting a special section in GENERAL Donations so
that you can designate the donation for Uncle Glenn's Ride!

It was a last minute crunch but today the biking jerseys arrived and

the sign went on the rear window of the SAG vehicle (aka - my car)!

We are hopeful that these new additions to our adventure will add

more visibility to I Care I Cure and encourage others to find

creative ways to raise money for causes that are important to them.

All decked out and ready to roll!

Everyone on the road will know what we are doing!
I hope that the I Care I Cure site is ready for
lots of new interest!
 

The logo is visible whether
we are coming or going!

We are packing up and will hit the road to Charlotte tomorrow

night....by car.  The cycling begins on Friday!  

Don't forget to sign up on the left side of this page if

you would like email updates when I post here.  When you

sign up, you will get an email from FEEDBURNER which may

go to your spam.  Be sure to check for it.  When you
get an email update, just click on I Care I Cure I Cycle - Update
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Thanks for all of the good wishes and for your continued support!

Thanks to:

For the logo and shirt designs

For links to companies who printed our shirts and sign, see the left side of the page.

Where in the World is Biker Glenn?

 I Care I Cure I Cycle hits the road again!

We are getting closer to our departure date so Glenn

is studying the cues sheets and the maps to plot the course for this next leg.

We'll start on Friday, April 27 in Dewitt, VA about 45 miles southwest of Richmond 

hoping to reach the Baltimore area by Sunday, April 29 to begin our grandson, Benji's,

6th birthday celebration.  Glenn will do some riding from there on Monday or

Tuesday to shorten the May 5th ride to Wilmington, Delaware.  We'll end this

leg on Sunday, May 6 in Trenton, NJ!  Follow us on this map

and on the blog as we continue this journey in memory of Ian!

The Greenway gives everyone the opportunity to Sponsor a Mile along the route.
Recently, we made a donation to sponsor one mile in Georgia in honor of our GA
grandchildren and one mile in MD in honor of our grandsons who live in MD!
Plaques will be placed on the route to recognize the contribution!

Looks like we are MORE than half way to the Canadian border.  We are hoping that 3 more
legs will get us there.    Anyone in the Northeast who would like to join the ride, just let us know
We haven't even finished this journey and Glenn is talking about the next one!
Watch for Seattle to San Francisco in 2014!  I Care I Cure I Cycle Continues!