Ride History
2021, 2023 Rides:
Southeastern Connecticut
27 and 33 mile rides, 3rd Saturday in August
2020 Ride:
Canceled due to Covid-19
2019 Ride:
Southeastern Connecticut
33 mile ride, 3rd Saturday in August
Southeastern Connecticut
2 rides: 40 and 27 miles, 3rd Saturday in August
Thirteen cyclists participated; 6 did the short, 7 did the long. Both rides started at the Mystic Cycle Centre
and finished cycling down the west side of the Mystic River and over the drawbridge in downtown Mystic.
Southeastern Connecticut
40 miles, 3rd Saturday in August
This was a 41 mile ride starting at 9am from Mystic Cycle Center, Rt 1, Mystic, CT.
From there, the ride headed east on Rt 1 to Pawcatuck; North on Rt 2 to the Route 2 Rotary;
West on Rt 184; Onto Military Highway with a SAG stop at the UConn Avery Point
Campus. The ride concluded as it passed the New London Airport and through historic
Downtown Mystic.
Southeastern Connecticut Tour
250 miles, August 17 - 23
This year's ride was a 6 day tour of Southeastern CT. On the last day of
the ride a crowd was gathered at the Alzheimer's Association Offices in
Norwich for a special ceremoy and celebration. Many family, friends and long
time supporters were in attendance. Several cyclists joined me on some rides.
Southeastern Connecticut Tour 2
300 miles, August 13 - 20
This year's ride was a 8 day tour of Southeastern CT. It included many
historic and interesting places in this part of CT. All of which attracts
thousands of visitors, especially during the summer months. Ride distances
varied from 30 - 50 miles. Several cyclist friends joined me, including
my son Jon.
Southeastern Connecticut Foliage Tour 1
200 miles, October 7 - 12
This year I made up my own short five-day Fall ride in Southeastern Connecticut where I live.
As usual, autumn foliage was very pretty. Highlights on this ride included Mystic Village, Stonington Borough, Stonington Point,
Mystic Seaport, Eastern Point Beach, UConn Avery Point campus and Watch Hill, RI.
2011 Ride:
I did not do a ride this year due to prostate cancer surgery.
Eastern States South
670 miles, August 24 - September 8
This year I completed the East Coast riding the 16 day, 960 mile (south) part from Washington, DC
to Jacksonville, FL. The first day was a challenging 90 mile ride to Fredricksburg, Virginia. We then
passed thru many Civil War sites and fine plantations in the deep South. One of our "days off"
was in Savannah, Georgia -- lots of history to see there.
Blue Ridge Parkway Tour
700 miles, May 25 - June 6
This year's 12 day ride could best be described as a tall, skinny, 700-mile long 'Figure-8', that started and
ended in Charlottesville, Virginia. There were three cities where we stayed an extra day or two and do smaller 'loop'
rides. This feature was intended to give us an opportunity to explore the Shenandoah Valley and it's many
historic museums and sights both on and off our bikes.
Eastern States North
Portsmouth, NH to Washington, DC
670 miles, August 16 - 26
This was my 10th Ride For Alzheimer's, and a very special one. I had been looking forward to
riding the 11 day Eastern States since it's close to
home. In fact, this was the very first Ride For Alzheimer's ever to go thru Connecticut! I had
ended in Portsmouth before, so it was nice to start there for a change. The hills were
extreme - some with 16% grades! My training prepared me, but despite being a shorter ride
than some previous years, I was glad when we reached DC.
Portland, OR to Los Angeles, CA
1450 miles, September 8 - October 1
This was a huge, 23 day ride down the length of the West coast. The Pacific Ocean was the backdrop for many of the
photos I took, especially once we hit good weather in California. Between my bike failing to show up in time, and the
amazing journey we all shared, this ride will be a truly unforgettable one for years to come.
Niagara Falls, NY to Portsmouth, NH
560 miles, July 31 - August 6
This was a shorter 7 day ride, from the breathtaking Niagara Falls, across the rolling farmland of upstate New York,
and over the Appalachian Mountains. We rode thru many beautiful farms in Vermont and New Hampshire, until reaching our
destination - the wheeldipping ceremony at Rye Beach.
San Francisco, California to St. Joseph, Missouri
2116 miles, June 3 to July 4
This year I headed out to cross 6 states in 35 days: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri.
I rode a total of 2,116 miles!
Travel route highlights:
Golden Gate Bridge, Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, Donner Pass, Lake Tahoe, Mt. Rose, 16 mile downhill ride to Reno
Nevada, Nevada Bad Lands Desert, the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats, Salt Lake City, Wasatch Mountains, Utah Badlands,
Book Cliffs, Monarch Pass (11,312 feet elevation), Continental Divide, Royal Gorge, Dodge City, American Plains where
Jesse James and the Dalton Gang rode a century ago, and St. Joseph, home of the Pony Express.
Minneapolis, Minnesota to New Orleans, Louisiana
1750 miles, August 21 to September 15
This year I wrote from top to bottom across the US on ABB's "Great Mississippi River Ride". I had a great
time until 3 days from New Orleans when Hurricane Ivan was predicted to make a direct hit on New Orleans
and unfortunately we had to end the ride early and go home!
Even so, this was a really fun new ride for me.
Astoria, Oregon to Sioux Falls, SD
1900 miles, June 22 - July 19
Once again, I picked up the ride that ends where I started the previous year. This was my first time
starting on the west coast, however! (Yay, retirement!) I loved photographing the Rockies
and the Northern Plains as I trekked across Big Sky Country. It was quite an experience to see the irrigation
techniques employed on the huge fields of potatoes and onions. Almost 600 new photos this year!
Sioux Falls, SD to Niagara Falls, NY
1050 miles, July 21 - August 4
For my fourth ride, since I was still teaching at Ledyard Middle School, I had the same concerns over how early I could
hit the road. So I decided to re-run the same route as the previous year. This was an amazing year, and
I wound up on numerous TV news broadcasts and newspaper front-page stories! I had a wonderful
experience meeting dozens of people along the way, and the support for the Alzheimer's Association
was just tremendous. And the photos of Niagara Falls are just amazing! My wife Donna met me in Niagra Falls
for a mini 3 day vacation before the long drive home.
Sioux Falls, SD to Niagara Falls, NY
1050 miles, July 14-25
This was my third ride, and I didn't want to do the same route I had done before, but I couldn't start
any earlier because of school. What to do? Well, it turns out ABB offers a "Norther Tier Package," part of a
different cross country event, and
I was able to pick it up mid-way. This was a fantastic ride, but sadly I had to cut it short due to
a tragic death in our family. I really had a good time and met a lot of wonderful people.
St. Joseph, MO to Erie, PA
1023 miles, July 3-17
For my second ride, I decided to go further back and did the middle two legs of a cross country ride, ending in Eire, PA.
This ride was mostly through the corn and soybean area of our country.
Erie, PA to Portsmouth, NH
620 miles, July 20-27
This was my first ride, an amazing beginning to an awesome 16 year cycling adventure.
This was the final leg of America By Bicycle's Cross Country Challenge.
We cycled across upstate NY, did challenging climbs over the Adirondacks and mountains
of Vermont and Southern New Hampshire, and ended in Portsmouth, NH.
