Day 11 - Southbound and down

I looked up the definition for Southern Hospitality.  Here’s what I found:  The natural gracious and generous love exuded by the Miller family of Blackville, SC.  

Thank you Millers from all of us on the bike trip.

After a day of rest on Sunday, we arose early and were pedaling by 6:02am.  Foggy and overcast, eventually reaching the mid-80s before  finishing in the rain 84 miles later.

We traveled south on Route 3, then Route 301, leaving Blackville, then to Barnwell crossing over the Savannah River into Georgia through Sylvania ending in Statesboro, GA.  The terrain was less flat with a few small rolling hills.  

There were a few drag races to the top of some hills!  David remains the undisputed champion.  

29 miles before a camper breakfast (we were really out in the boonies - no restaurants).  35 more miles til lunch where Rose and Lil found a nice church yard with a pavilion (with electric to run the blender for our smoothies).  And a fenced in playground for Dixie.  We were amazed since Lil BACKED the motorhome up a winding driveway past some low branches and serpentined around the reflectors and parked right next to the pavilion.

Jenna and Ellie are doing great.  Their diligent preparation is paying off.  Ladina too.  We are having a great time.  

Today’s stats:  84 miles.  14.2 average MPH.  We had 64 miles before noon - a new record for us.

A quote from David as we approached a hill:  ‘It’s a hill.  Get over it.’  (Easy for him to say).

A quote from Lil a few days ago while sweeping the camper’s floor after being in a sandy campground.  Something to the effect of:  ‘My goodness, I could build a sandcastle here’.  Thank you Lil and Rose for taking good care of us riders.  But I never found your sandcastle.

Ladina challenged David up a small hill.  Her E-bike has 5 levels including 80% assist - referred to as Turbo.  Even in Turbo for Ladina, David still won.  Ladina said ‘I had it in Turbo, but David IS Turbo’.

Today is Dave and Rose’s 52nd wedding anniversary.  We celebrated with dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant.  As I write this back in the motorhome, they are enjoying a game of Hoss with JRo and the El Train.  Grandma is bidding them up!

Being Memorial Day, we join in remembering those who gave ‘the last full measure of devotion’ so that we, as free men and women, may enjoy the blessings of liberty.  We renew our commitment to preserve these blessings, so that they may not have died in vain.

Thank you friends, neighbors, relatives, and loved ones for your prayers and good wishes.  Much appreciated.  

Today’s blog post by Darrell. 

Georgia line!

We may not text and drive but what about biking?

We fit two blenders in our camper?! Delicious smoothies. 

Unique bridge over the Savannah River.

Happy Anniversary!

Day 10 - Rest Day

We arrived at our niece’s house in Blackville, SC,  last evening. (Jon & Louella Miller). She is Mary Nissley’s daughter (Dave’s sister). We are “squatting” here for two nights and enjoyed our day off today. 

Some went to church this morning with the Miller’s and some stayed at the house and had a relaxing quiet time. 

Had a wonderful meal with the Miller and Kem families. Missed Susan Kem who is in PA spending time with her mother, Mary. 

There was lots of activity this afternoon with the SC second cousins playing spikeball, volleyball, and spending time swimming in the Edisto River. 

Planning to get back on the road tomorrow by 6:00 am!

By Rose

On the way home from church. 

Afternoon spikeball and volleyball.

Lots of good food at the Millers!

Swimming at the river :)

Doesn’t take much effort for this crew to look like squatters :) 

Day 9

We checked out of the KOA this morning at 7:15 and backtracked about 20 miles that we didn’t get fished yesterday. When we were loading the bikes into the camper David noticed he had a flat! David fixed his flat and got out of there by 8:10. We caught back up to the coup and loaded up the bikes again so we can cross a bridge then went to a Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Left there by 11:30. Stoped for water twice. Stoped for lupper at 3:30 and on to Jonny and Louella’s this evening and a rest day tomorrow.

Stats 

75miles, average speed 13.3, sunny day high 87 low 70. 

Setting out 

Changing flat tire 

Breakfast 

Playing categories with second cousins

By Ellie 

Day 8 - Friday: Wet and record breaking

We have now been riding seven full days plus last Friday afternoon for a total of 660 miles. That times 6 bikers totals 4260 miles. We are also more than halfway to our destination in Sarasota Florida. 

Today was challenging! From the forecast we knew there was going to be lots of rain. We left the KOA in Lumberton, NC at 6:01 and road 1 hour to South of the Boarder. Were disappointed to find that everything was still closed so we rode to Dillon and had breakfast at a Waffle House. Rose and Lil arrived in time to join us for a good breakfast with the locals: very good, friendly  service. It started raining while we were eating. Now what? The consensus was “ride bike”. We rode for better part of an hour in a steady rain and head wind. Rest of the morning was wet and dry roads but no rain. Had a first for this trip by riding 70 miles before lunch at 1:00. It started raining again while eating. The forecast looked good so we decided to wait it out. By 2:30 clouds were breaking up again so we left and rode till about 5:30. We still had 20 plus miles to another KOA in Summerton so we loaded the bikes on the RV and drove to the campground. We will backtrack in the morning to start riding again where we left off. 

Lil and Rose worked through several more issues today. This time involving the toilet and water tank in the RV. By the time we are finished with this trip, they will have it all figured out!

Stats

103 miles. Average was 12.9 mph.

Quote of the day: Dina after lunch - I’m going to put on some sunscreen because it’s getting sunny and that’s when I typically get burned.

We all laughed at that (including mom).

By Grandpa Dave 

Breakfast at Waffle House :)

A rainy start after breakfast. 

“It’s hard to hold Dixie back when she is so excited!”

Beautiful swimming after a long day!

Day 7

Woke up

Left by 6:06

25 miles to Wallace for breakfast 

3 breakfast restaurants weren’t open yet so we ate in the camper

Rode more miles 

Saw lots of pig and chicken feather trucks 

Saw a sign “day 12 without chocolate, lost hearing in my left eye”. 

Saw a guy with a boring job. He had to run pipes underground beside the road with a boring machine

Lots of simple houses along the road in the morning

Black water in the swamps and rivers we pass

The sun came out again today 

The temperature started in the low 60’s and went into the mid 80’s

Mom smutsed the back of Jennas hands with sunscreen 

99 miles

In a KOA in Lumberton with a pool

We got to swim

15 miles to go to south of the border 

Quote of the day “my nose is running and my feet are smelling”

By David 

Chicken truck

“White Lake Marine: Husband Daycare Center”

Swimming 

Dinner 

Day 6 - A Day With the Saggers

Rise and shine has been at 5:20am! The bikers rode out at 6am again. Rose and I (Lil) had extra clean up due to rain last evening. Everything was wet and sandy and we try to keep some semblance of cleanliness and order! 

We caught the riders in Washington, NC for breakfast at Shep’s Grill. No one was ordering anything resembling fish because of the road kill they’d recently passed!

 The ACE continued on business 17 and happened upon road construction on a bridge. A narrow path lined with orange barrels was the only option! I apologized to any barrels I might flatten and squeezed thru by a hair’s breadth to spare. Whew! Rose and I were both glad to be safely through and no sooner than we breathed a sigh of relief we came to Road Closed !! With only one option, we flipped a u-turn and went right back through those barrels!

Soon after we happened upon Yoder’s Farm and Garden Supply on 118 between Vanceboro and Grifton. What a busy fun store and restaurant they have! Some ‘stripe’ of Mennonites in dresses and black head coverings. A Dutch Valley (from PA) semi pulled in while we were there. 

Today’s destination is Cabin Lake County Park in Pink Hills. The bikers came in around 4pm. We enjoyed a delicious meal of lasagna, salad, and garlic bread and then a relaxing cool evening reading, playing games, and planning tomorrow’s route. 

Today’s Stats:

93 biker miles. 13.6 mph average via 17, 118, 11, 111, and Cabin Lake Rd

599.4 miles on the RV trip odometer 

- Lil Nissley 

Wonderful breakfast!

Today’s poster spoke more to Rose and I!

Yoder’s 

The bottom bunk is my cozy bed. I think I have the best spot in the house!

Day 5

 Day 5 - Expectations Exceeded 

We drifted off to sleep last night with a bit of dread.  The forecast was for 100% chance of rain totaling over an inch.  It’s amazing how short-sighted one can be when packing.  This is Darrell writing today and speaking for myself…I didn’t pack any rain gear.  And speaking for the rest of the Rishels…neither did they.  Except Ladina and Grandpa…they’re the wise ones.

We departed camp at 6:12 under thick clouds.  But no rain.  So we rode.  No rain.  Two plus hours.  Then breakfast. God determined to water the earth with showers of blessings in a BIG way last night, but gave the bike riders a beautiful cool riding morning with only an occasional drizzle.  It felt really good.  Thank you Father.  And we had 63 easy miles by noon with a tailwind.  Lots of new pavement in NC.  After a roadside lunch, We were at our campground by 2:30, ending in a steady but warm rain.  Now we’re cooped in the coop. 

Stats:  83 total miles. 14.2 MPH.  Via Routes 13 & 17 from Suffolk, Virginia to Williamston, North Carolina

Quotes:  Today went a lot better than I expected.

-Grandpa Dave

Other quotes:  i’m looking forward to sitting on something wide enough for my bottom to fit.

-Not sayin’

Interesting stuff:  The coop stopped at what looked like a closed/or abandon convenience store parking lot and set up for lunch. The irate property owner wanted to shoe us away. But after we talked, everything was OK. He was right… We should’ve asked to park there first before setting up.  Lesson learned.

Darrell’s Observation:  The drivers of 18 wheelers seem to be the most courteous drivers.

The cleanest shoulders are in North Carolina. Delaware Maryland next and so far Virginia is last, but still not bad. I didn’t say Pennsylvania because on the route we took there weren’t any shoulders in PA.

In addition to the snapping turtle we saw on break, we discovered a new species of turtle.  Its scientific name is flatiasa pancakius.

Thank you for following the blog.  We greatly enjoy your comments (although some are coming through as anonymous)

By: Darrell

4 states down, 4 to go. That’s halfway right?

Wet lunch stop. 

Cooped in the coop.

Day Four - Recovery Day

 Left our campground at 6:45 this morning and backtracked 25 miles in the RV to where we stopped riding yesterday. Today was an ideal day for riding bike - temp was low 70’s, cloudy, and a tailwind all day. 

Rode to within several miles of the Bay Bridge Tunnel and had breakfast while Ladina had Dixie at the vet to get her rabies shot. Loaded the bikes at the bridge and all enjoyed a relaxing 18 mile ride to Norfolk. After dropping the bikers off at approximately 11:00 am, Rose and Lil drove to Davis Lakes Campground in Suffolk, VA. 

While riding along, a big tractor with corn planter passed the bikers. That was too much for David Rishel, so he pulls out and drafts behind it for a bit at 26 mph! 

The following will give some insight to Lil amd Rose’s role on this trip. Phil Nissley text Lil, “do you putter along beside them all day or do you go burning ahead?”  Lil’s response was, “we pass, pull over, feed them , they go, we clean up, pass, set up, feed them, repeat!” This is perfect description of our job duties along with, laundry, buying water and ice each day, campground reservations, and set up! 

Lil keeps hanging up encouraging poster’s around the RV. Today’s was “A little progress each day adds up to big results.”

Thanks to Rose and Lil, we have been eating very well. Tonight’s menu was potatoes w/chili, cheese, and veggies. Apples and bananas w/whipped cream for the Big D, my favorite as a teenager when I was home. 

It started raining this evening and cool rainy weather is in forecast for the next two days.

Stats

63 miles today. Average speed was 14.3 mph 

Had crosswind or tailwind the whole time. Conditions were great today. Should have ridden an extra 30, because of tomorrow’s forecast! 

Starting the day.

Proof of Dixie’s vaccination in hand!

Coming out of the bay bridge tunnel.

A big bridge the bikers rode over.

Written by Grandpa & Grandma

An Eventful Day Three!

We woke up this morning at 5:10 and left our campsite at 6. The morning started off with an 11 mph headwind and unfortunately throughout the day increased to a 17 mph headwind. Before breakfast we turned the wrong way so we added a couple miles to our route. We had to take a break for water and the bathroom. We stopped at Red Roof Family Restaurant for breakfast at 9:15. Grandma and Lil got everything packed up and joined us. It was a good breakfast and we took our time. 

We didn’t start riding again till around 11. We stopped at 12:30 and filled up our water bottles. We weren’t hungry yet so grandma and Lil went another 12 miles. When we were drafting mom hit my (Jenna’s) tire, overcorrected, and lost her balance. She fell away from the rode, practically headfirst, into some very tall grass. Her shoe and knee were the only things injured. Grandpa and dad made sure that her and the bike were ok and then we set off again. Grandma and Lil set up lunch for us under some great shade trees, we got there after 2. After our late lunch we rode only about 18 miles and then called it a day. The wind made it really hard. 

The campground that we were hoping to stay at told us that we weren’t allowed to stay there because Dixie wasn’t updated on her vaccinations! We all got a kick out of that. We ended up at a very nice state park. The only issue was that it was further away and we were too tired to ride 25 more miles. So grandma and Lil come and picked us up and drove us back to the campsite. They’ll then drive us back tomorrow morning. We had some hiccups today but we are all safe, showered and fed now so I believe we can conclude we had a blessed day!

Stats 

85.16 miles for today. Our average was 12.9 mph. We left at 6:00 and grandma and Lil picked us up at 4:30. The high temp was 87 and low was 70. The headwind ranged from 12 mph when we started to 18 mph in the afternoon. The wildlife we saw was a fawn and a good sized black snake that Ellie almost ran over! 

Our early morning start. 

A fawn Dad, Mom, and David saw alongside the road.

 

Our lunch break with some drying laundry :)

Dixie hanging out with the clean clothes. 

Written by Jenna and Ellie 

Day two

This morning we got up at 5:15 and we’re aiming to leave by 6:00. We had a light breakfast in our room and went down to the lobby. There was breakfast in the lobby so we had a second breakfast there. :) Uncle Doug drove grandpa’s truck down and met us at the motel. We all started riding at 6:30 and left the truck at the motel. When we left it was already 70 degrees! We stopped to eat our third breakfast at 8:00. We road 60 miles and made stops for water and the bathroom all by 12. Meanwhile grandma got grandpa’s truck at the motel and drove it, and Lil and Dave Nissley were driving down in the camper. They caught us by noon and went ahead a little and made us lunch. Dave Nissley joined us for the last over 30 miles of the day.  

Stats 

We road 93.6 miles today. Our average was 13.8 mph. We left at 6:30am and the first arrivals got to the campsite at 4. High temperature was 94 the low was 72 this morning. Jenna had two flats (one front one back.) 

Quote of the day 

“Copy David he knows what he’s doing.” -Jenna

 “I’m ready for winter” -Grandma

Our last “hill” we had to go up :)

All biking together. 

Wonderful lunch alongside the road :)

We’re staying at Woodlawn campground tonight. It was quiet and there was lots of shade! 

Written by Jenna and Ellie

First day!!

 This morning Grandpa went and got our camper and brought it to our house to pack up around 9:30. 

Waiting around for everyone to be ready.

Let’s get this show on the road!

 Grandpa, Ladina, Jenna and Ellie left at 2:30. 

Thanks to everyone who stopped by during the day to send us off. Dave and Dolly Fisher. Aunt Rhoda.  Aunt Janie. Aliya. Aunt Rochelle, Avi and Beck.

Thanks to everyone who will be praying for our safety along the way!

Stats. 

37.8 miles. 13.1 average speed. 16 miles in we stopped at a turkey hill to fill up on water. Got to our motel at 5:45. And then we had pizza for dinner!

Darrell and David left at 5:30 after work. 35.3 miles. 14.8 average speed.

Darrell and David left at 5:30 after work. They had a flat tire and David’s derailer broke. Thankfully they still made it by 8:30, before dark. 

Grandma, Lil, Doug, and Dixie will all join us tomorrow :)

Writen by Jenna and Ellie 

Dinner Rewards

4/18/22
Olde Mill

4/26/22
Agape

5/8/22
Cava (also doubled for Mothers day)

5/10/22
Primanti Bros

5/19/22
Take out from Stoltzfus Meats