End Bike Route.....for 2012

The bike trips for 2012 have come to an end!

Sunday was the last riding day of this segment.

Glenn rode 51.89 miles from Providence to Boston.

His riding time was 4:02 minutes with 2620 ft. of ascent.

He expended 2553 calories which were quickly replaced

at Wagamama at Faneuil Hall!  We departed from

Boston after lunch and headed south to CT where

we spent Sunday night.   Monday morning we continued our drive 

south to visit a childhood friend, Jackie Gindoff Aufseeser, in Wayside, NJ.  

Jackie and Lynn
So much history in this friendship!

Jackie and Glenn

After a quick visit to check on Glenn's dad in NJ, we headed back to Maryland to spend

Yom Kippur with Jill, Shahak, Benji and Evan. Wishing an easy fast to those who celebrate!

Back to the Real World
Happy to be back to bus stop duty with Benji this AM!

Just plain "PA" here in Maryland.
Glenn "the machine" Hirsch is resting his bike for a few days!

Wrapping up

The trivia question the other day asked what the most common
street name in the US is.  The winner, Natalie Nicholson,
knew that it is 2nd street/avenue.  Thanks to everyone who played along!

The total number of miles for this segment of the ride is 385.1!

We are very excited to share the news that Uncle Glenn's Ride 2012
including the May ride and this recent ride has raised $2576.00
for I Care I Cure thanks to the generosity of so many of our
friends and family members.  We hope to add a few more dollars to
that total at our Welcome Home Uncle Glenn Event in Atlanta
on Tuesday, October 2 at the Sweet Tomatoes on
Peachtree-Dunwoody Road near Perimeter Mall.

If you can join us, just print this flyer and bring it with you.  
If you can't print from here, let me know and I will email the original flyer to you!
Order dinner and a drink and Sweet Tomatoes will donate 20% of your
total bill to I Care I Cure!   Such an easy way to make a donation!
We'll be there from 5:30 to 7:30 to greet you.



Thanks so much for your support!   We appreciate it more than we can say!
There may be a blog or two in the next few weeks but I will be back daily
next August when we begin the final leg of I Care I Cure I Cycle on
the East Coast Greenway when we journey from Boston to
Calais, Maine at the Canadian Border.
We've come a LONG way from Key West, Florida!

Mission Accomplished!

Boston or Bust!

Taking off from Providence...this is a wonderful
backdrop for the departure photo this morning.

The campuses of Brown University and Rhode Island
School of Design are right up the hill.
Had some rain last night but the sun is shining now!

Providence is a very bike friendly city.  Atlanta could take
some notes on how things are done here!

Glenn checked out the cue sheets for his ride from
Providence to Boston and found that the route was more than
100 miles and northwest to Worcester before heading to
Boston.  He consulted his GPS and google maps and found a more direct route
which avoided Worcester and was about 52 miles...a much better
choice for today.   The weather was beautiful and the ride was uneventful.


Notes from Glenn
There were two vehicles that kept my mind occupied today.  One was a truck that had decals for what I presumed was that fan's favorite teams: San Francisco 49ers, Boston Celtics, NY Mets and the Montreal Canadiens.  I thought that person would be interesting to chat with to get his explanation of how he became attached to teams so geographically spread apart.  The other was a car and I wondered what political statement the driver was trying to make as tied to the roof was a huge stuffed animal dog wearing a T-shirt that said "shame on us."  The quality of the roads was not that good today and I had to focus to avoid another spill and fortunately that did not happen.


T-Shirt Trivia 
Here is the last trivia question for this segment.  Glenn noted that there
seemed to be a Main Street in every town we visited.  Without using the internet for
research.....Is this the most common street name in the nation or is it something else?
By the way, the house that was pictured on the day through Hartford was the home of Mark Twain.
No winner for that question so we have shirts for future winners!

My view of Boston as I drove in from Providence!

Glenn's view of the Charles River as he pedaled into Boston!

 

Mission Accomplished!
Glenn rode into Cambridge happy to
have completed another leg of the ride!

Our celebratory lunch at Wagamamas in Faneuil Hall in Boston.

Glenn's computer is on his bike in the car tonight so the stats for
today as well as the total mileage for the trip will have to wait
for tomorrow.  Today was an early day so we were able to
make a few stops in Connecticut on our way southward.
Of course, this meant time to visit a few more folks along the way!

 Glenn's parents always instilled in him the importance of family so
we took some time to visit with Jack and Fran Cohen in CT today.
Jack was Glenn's mom's first cousin and always a family favorite!

We credit Facebook and my blog posts there for this reunion with
George and Marsha Carfi, friends from Atlanta who have
moved to CT.  Marsha saw on FB that we were in New England
and George wrote us a message just in time to catch us on
the way back from Boston!  Great to catch up!

Late night here! We'll have one or two more blogs this week to wrap things up!
Thanks for following our journey once again and many thanks
for your kinds words, support and donations.

More tomorrow or Tuesday!

Happy Fall....The Season Not a Bicycle Accident!

Cool, Crisp Morning in Connecticut

Heading out on this chilly, foggy morning.
Frima and Glenn get in the spirit of the ride
with their I Care I Cure I Cycle shirts
while Bert wears his Georgia shirt!

I sometimes mention the "Cue Sheets" that Glenn follows on the ride.
Here is an example.  He downloads and prints them from the
East Coast Greenway site and uses them as guides each day.

Heading out of Willimantic, CT at 9:15 AM with temps in
the upper 40's!   Before leaving, Glenn had to fix the clips on his
shoes and pump up his tires.  Lots to do each morning before
getting on the road.  Off to Providence!

From the seat of Glenn's bike

Frog Bridge in Willimantic, CT

"Why frogs, you ask? (And why wouldn’t you?)

Well, rather than the birthplace of Kermit or an area with a high French population, Willimantic is known as being home of the infamous “Battle of the Frogs” in 1754. To paraphrase the legend: One hot summer night, the good people of Windham (which Willimantic is now part of) were roused from their sleep by “a shrieking, clattering thunderous roar” unlike anything they had ever heard before. Fearing that it was either an Indian attack or Judgement Day, the townsfolk freaked out and began to panic — some ran through the streets brandishing muskets, others fell to their knees in frantic prayer. Some cooler heads finally prevailed and went in search of the ungodly noises, but to no avail. Only the next morning when the sun came up, did they find the source of the horrendous cacaphony — a nearby pond, down to no more than a puddle thanks to the dry summer, was ringed with scores of dead bullfrogs. Apparently, some sort of frog turf war had broken out and the carnage was excessive . . . but not as excessive as the embarrassment the citizens of Windham were to endure over the next few decades.  But as the years passed, the denizens of Windham/Willimantic embraced the frog legend — a frog now appears on the official town seal. So when it came time to build the new bridge, the town leaders decided to get hoppy with it and put the town’s unique stamp on it. Hence, the frogs."    From Internet after googling Frog Bridge :)

 Connecticut on the East Coast Greenway.
One minute there was a trail, the next was this scenic Dead End!

Same body of water from the other side of the bridge

Welcome to state # 12!   
This might be my favorite state....I do LOVE the Ocean!


Glenn improvised much of today's ride with the use of his GPS on his
telephone.  He enjoyed pedaling through the rural areas in CT and RI 
passing rivers and lakes with some autumn colors on the trees.  The area
was not as hilly as he expected and he was able to ride a bit faster today.

He covered 69.51 miles in 5 hours and 1 minute of actual riding time.
He won't be able to chow down quite as much tonight since he only
used up 3466 calories today.  The elevation gain today was 3346.
I was happy to see him ride in to our hotel in downtown
Providence at 4 PM, the earliest day so far!

This must be the right way!
There is an East Coast Greenway sign....
small but it is there!

When Glenn and I began this journey, we reached out to the East Coast Greenway 

office for advice and support.  Our contact there happens to live in Providence so we 

just had to try to see him.  Eric Weis, the Trail Program Coordinator, came to 

the hotel to meet us and hopes to ride with Glenn in the morning as he heads out of Providence.

Lynn,  Eric's daughter Violet, Eric and Glenn

We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and family as we

continue this journey.  Each day we receive a note from the I Care I Cure

office about a donation made in honor of Uncle Glenn's ride.  I'll

try to provide a total by Monday to let you know our total to date for 2012.

If your life has been touched by someone with childhood cancer and

you want to help I Care I Cure fund research to find targeted

therapies that would provide gentler and less toxic treatments,

just click here and donate in honor of Uncle Glenn's ride:

 https://www.icareicure.org/donate-step-0/

 Tomorrow is the last leg of ride for this year.   

Boston or Bust!

Hurry Up and Wait!

Miles to Go Before We Sleep!

One of these days I will learn to just take my time and enjoy the sights rather than 

rushing to the ending place of a route to wait for Glenn.  I guess he just can't travel

as quickly as I do in the car despite his efforts to do so!  I arrived in Willimantic, CT

at 2:15 this afternoon and Glenn rode in at 5:30.  Thank goodness for McDonald's Free WiFi.   

I've been asked recently what Glenn eats along the way while I dine at nice restaurants

with friends :)   Each morning, we pack up 2 or 3 peanut butter and nutella sandwiches,

a few protein bars, trail mix, dried fruit and, today, I added pretzels.  His two water

bottles and his camelback are filled and he is ready to "hit the road" (hopefully, not

literally...although that did happen Wednesday AND yesterday).  

See the abrasions on Glenn's knees as proof.  His knees were the 

only body parts I was allowed to photograph

Those of you who are regular blog followers know our three

rules for choosing hotels but I'll fill in the new folks.  

The hotels should have:

1. Free Parking

2.  Free WiFi

3. Free Breakfast

Our hotel last night was the first on this trip to include all three!

Time to take off!

Great Architecture at Yale

Glenn headed out of our 3 ("free" as one of our grandsons might say) star hotel

in New Haven at 8:30 this morning headed north, then east through the

hilly and less congested countryside of Connecticut.  On the way out of town, 

he pedaled past Yale to find the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail 

which was a really pleasant way to begin the day.  He wishes there were 

more trails like this one on the East Coast Greenway.  As planned, we met

in Farmington just before noon .  We were joined there by an extended family
member, Kathy Beaty Young, my brother-in-law Jim's sister who
lives in Avon, CT.  Thanks to Kathy for her support and for meeting us!

Kathy Young with Glenn on the ECG route in Farmington, CT.

Anyone familiar with this intersection?

A lovely lunch with Kathy on the Farmington River.
Apparently, this river flows northward near this site.

My view at lunch!

After departing Farmington, Glenn forged his own route to Hartford

to save a few miles after his very long, grueling day yesterday.  He

made it easily to the Capital City and even stopped to take a few pix.

Connecticut State Capital in Hartford

Today's Trivia Question

Name this building and win a shirt!

Yesterday's winner was Marcia Mandel and the answer is.....
The George Washington Bridge!

Gas prices going up more as we head north.
Filling up in Willimantic, CT.

After a quick ride through Hartford, Glenn headed east with Willimantic
as the final destination.   After few wrong turns and an escort by a local
rider, he finally pulled into Willimantic at 5:30.  No fall on today's ride :)

Tonight we have the pleasure of staying with old friends from Lakewood
in Marlborough, CT, a short ride from the route.  Bert and Frima Miller  are
gracious hosts and it is great fun to catch up.
Thanks for our wonderful accommodations!

Our hosts, Frima and Bert with Glenn in their
incredible lodge-style home on 20 acres!

Chef Bert created this masterpiece!
A bed of sauteed spinach with garlic topped with
thin potato pancakes with scallions, cajun spiced grilled
swordfish garnished with mango-peach chutney and splattered
with a lemon-garlic aioli.  Who wants the recipes?

Good thing that Glenn expended  4102 calories today!

Other Stats for the Day:79.18 miles 
6 hrs and 20 minutes of riding time
3355 ft. of elevation.

Glenn will head out in the morning headed for Providence, RI.

 More tomorrow night.....
Enjoy your weekend!

Another Day, Another State!

Ten States Down, Five to Go!

Glenn took off by 8 this AM from the bike/jog trail along the Westside

Highway in lower Manhattan.  The ride north in Manhattan was one of the most

relaxing for Glenn since he didn't have to consult his cue sheets or worry about

what turns to make or how bad the traffic would be.  The fun ended when

he got lost in the Bronx.  Not a good place to get lost!  The ride continued 

through Pelham, New Rochelle, Mamaraneck, Harrison and Port Chester. 

After leaving NY, it was a long day up the east coast of Connecticut through 

Stamford, Darien, Southport, Fairfield and into New Haven. Glenn even

caught a glimpse of the Long Island Sound at points.  The sun was shining

most of the day but some big gray clouds caused some concern.  No rain

ever appeared, thankfully!  Glenn didn't make it to the hotel where I have 

been waiting for him since 4 PM.....His cousin Michael Alevy, who

lives in New Haven, rescued him from the dark, unfamiliar 

roads just five miles from the hotel at 7:30.  We aren't used to being

this far east.  It gets dark much earlier than in Atlanta!

Thanks, Mike!

Stats for today are pretty incredible for an "old guy"!

8 hrs, 22 min of riding time but 11 hrs and 10 min in total 

99.52 miles...almost a century

4958 calories expended....we better carb load tonight!

4425 ft. elevation....not big hills just a lot of gentle up and down.

Glenn's riding buddy for this morning was Michael Pollack,
a young friend from our years in Lebanon, PA who now lives and bikes 
in NYC.  I had breakfast with his Mom, Hanna and sister-in-law, 
Dorel, at the same time but, sadly, forgot to take a picture!
Thanks Pollacks for sharing the morning with us!



Today's Trivia!

Name this bridge and win a t-shirt!
Answer will be revealed in the next blog post.

Glenn's view of Riverside Church near
Columbia University.

This was a first!  I happened upon Glenn in
Mamaraneck, NY!  I had no idea I was anywhere near
his route!  Surprised both of us!  We couldn't have 
planned it any better!   

Glenn's appearance in Mamaraneck, NY was a surprise to me and to
our long-time friend, Marilyn Kneller-Rimsky, who was meeting me
for lunch and for a much needed catch-up session!
Very cute downtown area

I was thrilled to spend a few hours along today's route in West Chester, NY
with Marilyn Kneller-Rimsky and Rikki Leifer Kaplan, friends from
HS in New Jersey.  Glenn does the hard work and I play!

Finally, Glenn found this East Coast Greenway marker on the road.
That makes his navigating so much easier!

Glenn's cousin, Michael and Gina rescued Glenn at the
end of today's ride.  Now off with them to Carb Load!




As a kid I had a dream - I wanted to own my own bicycle. When I got the bike I must have been the happiest boy in Liverpool, maybe the world. I lived for that bike. Most kids left their bike in the backyard at night. Not me. I insisted on taking mine indoors and the first night I even kept it in my bed. ~ John Lennon

Glenn's bike by his bed for the night!

Mystery to Solve

One of you out there in cyberland has been following us everyday and

writing wonderful posts to us but they are coming through to us as 

being from "UNKNOWN".  Please email me to let me know who you

are.  We love hearing from you!  Write to us at lynnhirsch@yahoo.com

Tomorrow's ride will begin in New Haven, CT and take us

to Willimantic, CT east of Hartford.  CT is a BIG state!