Where's Joe?
Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Michigan
Stage 12 of the Journey: April 9 - April 26
Pennsylvania
April 9
The weather finally cleared and Joe pedaled out of Fredrick, MD, on a chilly, 33 degrees, morning. The temperature warmed by the time he crossed the Pennsylvania border and he rode on to Gettysburg. Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee could never recover from this battle where almost 50,000 men were killed or wounded. It was here, in 1863, that President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous "Gettysburg Address." One memorable line reads,"...that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Joe pedaled on to Carlisle for a total of 68 miles ridden today.
Gettysburg
April 10
Joe rode 73, sunny, hilly, miles through "absolutely gorgeous" farm country to Lewisburg. There are many very large, very old barns dotting the countryside. Joe said the small towns he rode through reminded him of small European towns. The houses are close together and come all the way down to the sidewalk; no front yards. His hotel room overlooks the Susquehanna River.
April 11
Joe and Rocinante are riding on an old railroad bed that is part of the "Rails to Trails" program. In this nationwide effort, unused railroad lines, after the steel rails are removed, are turned into hiking, bicycling, and horse trails. Today, Joe is riding the trail in the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania." He pedaled 62 miles to Slate Run.
Bald Eagle
April 12
Joe finished the final 28 miles of the 57 mile bike trail through the beautiful canyon. Along the way, he spent a half hour watching a bald eagle perched in a nearby tree. In the distance he could see the female eagle on the nest. Every once in a while, a little eaglet popped its head into view above the rim of the nest. Joe was pretty excited. Not too many years ago, the bald eagle was threatened with extinction because the pesticide DDT was preventing them from reproducing. New environmental laws eliminated the use of DDT and the bald eagles have made a slow but steady recovery across the United States.
New York
April 13
Joe rode 52 miles today. He crossed the New York border and pedaled into Salamanca, which is the only town in the US located entirely within an Indian Reservation. The townsfolk do not own the property. They lease the it from the Seneca Indian Nation. Rained a little. Nice, wide 8' shoulders to ride on. Friendly people.
April 14
Even though Joe was rained out he had a good day. He is staying at the restored, 100-year old Myer's Hotel in Salamanca. Wonderful antiques. Mark Siocum, the owner of the hotel (but not the land, if you recall from yesterday's entry) took a keen interest in the education, tourism, and adventure aspects of the Big Ride. He wanted Joe to see a nearby town that had developed a prosperous tourism industry so he loaned Joe his pickup truck. Mark also arranged for the local newspaper to to a story on Joe. Thanks, Mark!
April 15
Joe rode 50 miles through acres and acres of grape vineyards to Fredonia. He is on Lake Erie. Barbara, Parnell, Becky and the kids drove up to meet him. On Monday, Parnell will ride with Joe for a couple of days.
April 16
Joe is sure glad to have family with him on Easter Sunday.
Niagara Falls
April 17
Joe and family drove to Niagara Falls and took the "Maid of the Mist" tour boat ride. Next, Joe and Parnell mounted their bicycles and pedaled across rugged countryside back into Pennsylvania. It was continual up and down riding. Joe said it was not as difficult as the West Virginia mountains but nevertheless, "It will bring you to your knees." They rode 70 long miles
Pennsylvania (again)
Ohio
April 18
Joe is in Ohio. He and Parnell pedaled 80 miles to Twinsburg, located between Cleveland and Akron. If you recall, Parnell rode with Joe last summer in Wyoming. The rugged terrain gave way to gently rolling farmland and pleasant bicycle riding. Barbara, Becky and the kids followed in the car. It means a lot to Joe to have company on his long adventure. The family is headed back home to Kentucky tomorrow.
April 19
Today was a lovely day for bicycling. The terrain was flat and there was a nice tailwind. The road was newly paved with wide, smooth shoulders. He rode 72 miles to Norwalk. For the last couple of days Barbara carried Joe's belongings in the car. He said it's a lot easier riding a bicycle without 60 extra pounds. Especially uphill. Joe and Parnell noticed that the odometers on their respective bicycles did not coincide. Parnell's mileage matched the odometer on Barbara's car but Joe's mileage came up a little short. A little bit of difference spread over 10,000 miles adds up to quite a few miles. At some point, we will have to get Joe's odometer scientifically checked and have the students calculate the actual miles Joe has ridden. Joe's odometer currently reads 11,397 miles.
April 20
Joe visited the home and Presidential Library of Rutherford B. Hayes, our 19th president, in Fremont. Although Hayes was a general in the Civil War and three-times governor of Ohio, he styled himself as an "ordinary" citizen. Joe says the opulent 31 room mansion with 12 ft. ceilings wasn't like the homes of the "ordinary" people he knows. This was the fourth presidential library Joe has visited on the trip. Joe pedaled 57 miles to Bowling Green. The countryside is flat farm land. Towns are larger and closer together than in other rural areas he has visited across America.
Lockport Covered Bridge, built in 1999
April 21
As Joe pedaled the good roads through the beautiful farm country of northern Ohio he watched the work of busy farmers as they plowed and planted their springtime crops. The farms are large and the land is flat. A local truck driver suggested a road he thought Joe would appreciate. It wasn't on the map. Joe took the secret road and was certainly delighted when he came upon a brand new, modern, old time, wooden, covered bridge. There is a special, somehow soul uplifting quality in a wooden covered bridge. Joe rode 63 miles to Holiday City. He will be in Michigan tomorrow.
Michigan
The Gospel Group "Assembled." Vote! Vote! Vote!
April 22
Joe wants to share a bit of hometown news. Two fine young men, Johnathan and William Goodwin from up on Cat Creek in Powell County, are in a Gospel band called "Assembled." Their band has been nominated for Gospel Group of the Year by the Music City Gospel Showcase. They need and deserve your vote; and here's how you do it. Go to www.musiccitygospelshowcase.com Scroll down to the group category and check "Assembled." Voting ends May 1 so don't delay. These are good, hardworking, talented kids. Please help them with your vote and go hear them perform if you get the chance. Their website is www.assembled.org Joe rode 65 miles across rolling farmland to Battle Creek, Michigan. Nice people.
"Lord, I have done my duty and I have told the truth and have kept nothing back... and Truth shall be my abiding name." Sojourner Truth
April 23
While in Battle Creek, Joe visited the statue of C.W. Post, of breakfast cereal fame, and also the statue of Sojourner Truth, the former slave, abolitionist, preacher, and women's rights advocate during the 1800's. Rain began to fall as Joe pedaled out of Battle Creek and continued for the next seven hours. 66 miles later, when he reached the city limits of Holland, the sun came out. Holland, Michigan, like the European Holland (the Netherlands) is famous for tulips. So, it's tulips tomorrow and Joe promised to count each one.
April 24
It's tulip time in Holland! Everywhere you look-tulips. Beautiful, beautiful tulips. Joe personally counted 958,127 perfect tulips. He didn't count the ones that were not yet in full bloom or any that had lost a petal so the total would have been way over a million. Joe was interviewed by Shandra Martinez from the Grand Rapids Press. It was Shandra's birthday. Happy birthday, Shandra, from all your new friends in Kentucky. Come see us sometime. Joe rode 10 miles around town seeing the sights and talking to people. In late afternoon he headed south to Allegan. The rim on his bicycle is cracked so he called the good folks at Pedal the Planet Bicycle Shop in Lexington, KY. They have taken care of all Joe's mechanical needs for the entire trip. Thanks Mark, Wendy, and Troy.
April 25
Before we get too far from the tulips, we need to mention some Holland friends with strong Eastern Kentucky connections. Dave and Tish Fackler, with Impact Missions http://www.impactmissions.com have brought Christian mission work groups to our area for many years. These groups work tirelessly, with joy and love in their hearts, to help people in need. Joe missed seeing Dave and Tish because they were in Louisiana helping people affected by Katrina build homes. Impact Missions organizes mission groups throughout the western hemisphere. Our friends at Pedal the Planet Bicycle Shop in Lexington have shipped a new wheel for Joe to pick up at a bicycle shop in Kalamazoo. The temperature was 34 degrees this morning and never broke 40. Add to that the cold rain and you will understand why Joe had a miserable day of bicycling. He rode 20 miles to Plainwell.
April 26
Joe said there was no doubt in his mind that everyone had already cast their vote at www.musiccitygospelshowcase.com for the Gospel Group "Assembled" so I guess we don't need to mention that. Joe picked up his new wheel in Kalamazoo at the Alfred E Bike Shop. The Pedal the Planet folks in Lexington not only sent the wheel but picked up the maintenance tab. If you recall, they came to the long distance rescue was last summer when Joe was in Moab. Joe rode 35 miles to Paw Paw.