74th birthday ride

Sunday June 4, 2006 I left home this morning with the intention of doing another all night ride.
Several thing happen. Mainly that I became tired after 110 miles and riding on a
busy high way isn't the way I did the all night before. They were on roads with no
lines and very few cars. Tonight the NASCAR race spectators were all on the road as I pass Dover.
Another reason maybe that the 18 years of working the grave yard shift has worn
off. On that shift every Monday was a 24 hour day.
I left home about 9am. the route was on good back roads until I pass Dover Downs
just as the race was over. So many people and motor homes. Several street were
blocked, an office told a driver that it would be an hour before his car moved.
My gps think that a name street is a local road. After Dover Downs, It put me on
Alt 13, that wasn't too bad but 6 miles later it put me on R. 13, DuPoint High way for 26 miles. It was about dark with 15 more mile to go on Rt 13 in Harrington DE that
I decides to pull into a motel. I had full camping gear but thinking of setting up and
breaking down was too much.

Day 2,Monday, June 5, 06.the ride was 106 miles Stayed up until 12:30 am Sunday night. playing with a dial up modem last night . I still wasn't sleepy. It was that I was tired. I was up at 4 am ready to go. My sleep pattern is about the same. Still it was smart not to ride all night. Delaware and Maryland route 13 road have wide breakdown leans and was a pleasure to ride on.
My hopes was to cross the bridge tunnel today. The gps time to the entrance for my pickup by the bridge commission was 8:30. I decided to stop in Olney VA at a Comfort Inn. I called my cousin about 4 pm, to tell then that I would stop for the night, it had started to rain. Food stops were McDonald, senior drink or coffee, 49 cents and a discount on food. A McChicken or fish sandwich and drink for a total of les than 2 dollars.

Day three Tuesday, June 6, 2006, 57 miles, the day started with a free continental breakfast that included make your own waffles. I called my cousin in Norfolk about 7 am. If they weren't available on Tuesday I would turn around for home. By this time I had decided that I would not go to Florida: They would be available so I rode south to the Tunnel and Norfolk. I called the bridge office from a McDonald, ten miles away as they had told me. 757 331 2960. The road have wide breakdown lanes, however, Virginia Route 13 had wide breakdown lane except when the high way pass through older small town, I had to "take a lane". This happen about three times. I arrived at the Bridge and a lady in a pickup truck was waiting. The truck was loaded with traffics cones. I rolled the bicycle between the two row and I gave the driver the 12 dollars to pat the toll. It was 7 miles to the waypoint that I had set to my cousin house. I considered riding the bus home from there. we drove to the bus station and they require a box and non was at the station. My cousin was going to take me to a bike shop for a box. By then tine I felt rested and decided to ride back home I only had 267 miles total at that time. Only two centuries.

Day four, Wednesday June 7, 2006, 117 miles. We had Breakfast I called the bridge and was met with another pickup waiting. I had to lay the bicycle on top of these cones. I was under way with a head wind that made me wish I had put the bicycle on the bus. I plan to ride until dark, my battery charger fail in Norfolk. I plan to rely on the solar charger to support the gps. I arrived in Sal bury about 6 pm and found business 13 to be worst than the bypass. On my south bound trip I had uses the gps to route me through town, I saw bike route signs on some of the streets it used. Since it wasn't dark, I pushed on to the Delaware state line and stayed for the night.

Day five, Thursday June 8, 2006, 120 miles. I started the morning with two package of Oatmeal cooked in the room's micro wave. I didn't get to unpack my tent or cooking gear, the next trips will be with out the camping gear. My bicycle camping in the future will be to camp in one place more than one night, like two days this August, mid week. More on that later, I decide to stay on Rt. 13 and not use the trackbacks that were on both sides on Rt. 13 on my southbound trip. However in down town Dover, I had to :take a lane" again After Dover I stayed on Rt. 13 until id merge with Rt. 1 to cross the canal. I saw a road that connect with Rt. 9 less than a mile away. I used Rt. 9 going south but it makes a lots of switchbacks because of the waters in the area. I came in to New Castle and the gps battery gave out. Seem that a broken wire on the solar panel adapter that I made up was the problem. Sine I have use these roads many times I was on, I marked the place on the map and calculate the distance. I arrived in Marcus Hook with plans to ride the train from there. It was only 7 pm and I didn't see the sign for the station, I could see the rail line, however. I rode through Chester following the "E" route, The main road through Chester is a wide blvd that goes from Trainer to Eddystone. I felt a lot safer than on previous ride through Chester. I stopped in Lester at a McDonald and it was a few rain drops falling. I decided to head for the R1 train stop in Eastwick. I barley was able to muscle the 95 pound of bicycle and gear up the steps. My intention was to get off at Fernrock, a bicyclist got on in center city and saw the pannier and told me he has plans for touring the east coast, he just ordered Adventure's maps. I was talking and miss my stop. i got off at Glenside, arriving home about 10 pm. Four centuries for June.

My birthday ride plan this year is to ride south from Philadelphia, crossing the Chesapeake bay and continue south as far as 10- 12 days will carry me and return by train. http://www.billcotton.com/ My plan was to use the Smith Island ferries to cross the bay. Previously I bike from Yorktown to Reedville VA and used that ferry to Smith Island. The ferry from Crisfield MD to Smith Island was use to get across. Both ferries carry sightseers coming to the Island for the family style meals. I called both ferries for assurance that I could make the connection. The Crisfield captain said that they are running but I better call the Reedville captain. Captain Evens said that with the high cost of gas, he is not sure which day that he will be sailing.

Route US 1, I have rode the bicycle across. The road is narrow and traffic is held up sometimes.

Rt. US 40 I am told that a call to the bridge commission will get you a ride across.

Rt. US 301/US 50. There is a bicycle taxis service available. The bridge commission may have the phone number.

Rt. 13 Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel. Call the bridge commission when you are one hour away from the bridge. They will pick you and bicycle up for the cost of the toll 12 dollars. Phone 757 331 2960 24 hours a day.

The Comfort Inn have data telephone. Ten miles further another hotel offer free high speed connection. My computer don't have a network card. Another reason to get that new Libretto computer. I may have mention that I choose a gps that only have usb input because I wanted the voice output for the car and bicycle. The two other gps that bicycle rider that I know use 60cs and 76cs has serial input and will work with my computer. My Quest has an unused contact pin and speculation was that a down load for a fix was force coming. The ride was uneventful.

I check the solar panel, 5 watt folding unit, on the trip down and with a solid over cast the GPS with voice and full backlight was being powered. I have a 12 volt NiMH 4.5 amp hour battery pack mounted under the water cage. I have a smart charger for this battery. I also have a 12 volt gel cell 7 amp hour mounted on the rear rack under the seat. The wiring is parallel, but I can unplug either. The first and second nights I I plug the smart charger in and recharge the NiMH pack, I didn't ride at night and didn't use gel cell. I have a alternator checker to see when the gel cell is full. The smart charger goes from a red light to green when the NiMH is fully charged. On the third day I plugged in the smart charger and the green light didn't come on. I hooked up a 12 volt dumb charger. and left id on too long. that ruined the NiMH. The next day was the return trip. I felt that I would rely on the gel cell and the solar panel to get me home. On the fourth night, I was so confidence with the solar that I didn't charge the gel battery. On my ride the fifth day I notice that the gps would show a radical charging pattern from the solar cell. I thought that the problem was a plug from the solar cell, but later found that the car adapter/speaker was the problem. I was 30 miles from home in familiar territory when the gps went dark. I noted the mile at a cross road and calculated the mileage to get my total of 404 miles for the trip.

2 They take 12 volt direct, my Quest take 5.5 volt and the voltage dropping is done in the adapter. The speaker, adapter in really made for a car and it fail on me. I though the failure was with my solar adapter. But check I found that the problem is a lose solder joint on the speak/adapter.

3 The flipup antenna on the Quest got caught on a door knob in a crazy move a few months ago. I repair it but nor as good as new, and I almost lost the pivot pin on the trip. About the size of a ball point pin metal part and a 1/8 inch long.

Bus 13 in Salisbury is bad, heavy traffic and no shoulder. Going I used my Crisfield route around Salisbury. I saw bike route signs on some of the roads that seem to get you around also. Rt.13 bypass has breakdown lanes and is ok to use.

VA breakdown lanes ends inside small towns and means that you have to take or share a lane. I rode the fog line but sometimes even they weren't there.