| EDT Location Time Elapsed 16:14 Effingham, IL 7 days 00:53 21:00 Sullivan, IN 7 days 05:39 05:23 Bloomington, IN 7 days 14:02 09:44 Greensburg, IN 7 days 18:23 13:24 Hamilton, OH 7 days 22:03 2416.6 miles
Greenville, IL to Effingham, IL The route from Greenville to Effingham has a couple of fairly challenging dipsy doodles, one called the Vandalia Ditch, the low point of the section.
The RV did a clean laundry delivery hand-off along the way to the Follow Vehicle so Mark could maintain a crisp, well-dressed look in line with the rugged whisker masculine image. And, in Effingham the RV let the Follow Vehicle know the position of Walgreens so it could replenish Mark's Coppertone sunscreen to enhance the golden, bronzed look. Keeping Mark in style
At that point, Comfort Suites called the RV in for web update and a quick snooze. The previously clear sky was beginning to have fingers of cirrus clouds, the wind was southerly and the temperature felt a little cooler. The skies to the east looked threatening and deep grey.
At the Effingham Time Station 36, Mark completed 2,153 miles. Elevation for the day was overall pretty constant, except for the two climbs, at about 500ft.
Effingham, IL to Sullivan, IN There are a lot of small hills, but only one climb of over 100ft (just past the Indiana state line). The RV noticed on leaving Effingham that the skies were getting thicker with cirrus and cumulus clouds, signs of more immediately approaching weather.
The RV picked up the two additional crew people, John and Eileen, who were fresh from the St. Louis airport. They were dropped off in Dieterick, 10.6 miles from the Effingham Time Station along what was the most bumpy piece of road we have had so far, washboard like with the washboard continuously 6-8 ft apart. Must have been awful riding. The skies were darker and the wind picked up.
Crew exchange in Dieterick
As we headed through farm land, there was an occasional small drop of rain on the windshield, so the weather seemed to be holding. The RV stopped for some takeaway in Newton. As we left the store, the skies opened up with a great fanfare of rain, wind, and whirling hail. Oh oh.
The brunt of the storm passed quickly and steam rose off the road. But lightening still streaked the sky. A call to the Follow Vehicle said they too were in some bad weather but continuing. There were banks of cumulus cloud across the sky.
Signs of last week's rains, the worst in 500 years (!), were evident. The Wabash River had become a silvery lake with a thin path of road running carefully through water deep enough that only the tree crowns were visible and several homes along the road were surrounded by water.
Fields underwater
Night was again starting to fall as Mark cycled through the Sullivan Time Station 37. At that point, he completed 2,225 miles. Elevation stayed about 500ft with no significant climbing.
Sullivan, IN to Bloomington, IN This section is characterized by rural roads with lots of smaller hills to climb.
Just outside Sullivan, the RV received an S.O.S call, more urgent than the bad weather call in the previous section. Mark had a strong craving for Chinese noodles before sleep time! Find some! .... The RV crew was stymied for just a short bit by that, but quickly thought of the Microsoft Streets and Trips program on the laptop. Through the grace of cosmic coincidence, a China Wok was located in Sullivan! Quick U-turn, burn the miles back to Sullivan, wheel into the China Wok parking lot and leave laden with two enormous containers of Chinese noodles. (John and Eileen also allowed themselves to be attempted.)
Food to go
The countryside grew decidedly more hilly the further we went, with some long hills. Mark kept really good time in spite of them. As he cycled, lightening kept illuminating the sky in the direction he was going. Since the RV needed to take an alternate route given the terrain, and given the weather conditions and his own sleepiness, Mark decided on an early night. So he and all the crew were abed by midnight, and were early to rise at 3:00AM. After a breakfast of chocolate milk and a sandwich (with fresh, strong coffee for Charlie and Richard and a Big Red for Jon), Mark was off to the Bloomington, IL Time Station 38. The weather had cleared, was cool, with no winds.
Ready for some shut eye!
Back on the road again
The Bloomington Time Station crew had thought Mark would be in by 2:00am so had waited up, but rose early to welcome the RV crew and show off a beautiful fixed-gear bicycle that had won the 2008 edition of the Indy "Little 500" bike race, a la the movie "Breaking Away" between the Cutters and the students. Mark arrived shortly thereafter.
Mark's time waiting to be posted at Bloomington Time Station
Little Indy 500 Winning bike of 2008
The RV crew had a WiFiP moment on entering Bloomington, updating the website and checking current RAAM standings.
On leaving Bloomington, Mark had completed 2,292 miles. Elevation was a low of 450 and high of 900 ft over the course.
Bloomington, IN to Greensburg, IN The first 15 miles after leaving Bloomington see some impressive climbs and descents through state parks.
The crew changed at 6:50am Race Time at Nashville, at the base of a descent. Mark stopped for a quick moment and continued on with the new crew in the Follow Vehicle. The Chase Vehicle took the night crew off for a sleep in Greensburg.
Slight pause before getting down to business
During the crew change, we saw a rider exchange by the British leading RAAM four-man team - impressive style.
Setting up for the exchange
1st place 4 man team in action
Later on the route were broad fields of corn and other crops. In the early morning, the air was still damp and the heat had not risen. The sky was clearing but remained troubled, with high cirrus and cumulus. There is still a lot of weather instability, particularly to the south west. Luckily, there is a tailwind for Mark.
When Mark cleared Time Station 39, he had completed 2,355 miles. Elevation ranged from 600 to 950 ft.
The Chase Vehicle... The Chase Vehicle for Mark's team carries backup supplies for the Follow Vehicle, provides a means of transportation for crew changes, carries luggage, and can be a go-fer for various errands. It does not have to be as built up as the Follow Vehicle, but must be able to substitute for the Follow Vehicle in an emergency. (An emergency is not forgetting to fill the fuel tank!) It must have RAAM signage and a slow moving triangle. The Chase Vehicle can be one of the at least two support vehicles a rider must have, although a rider can have any number of vehicles, including a Spy Vehicle.
Time Stations .... The Time Station is a control point for each racer and lets Race Headquarters know their progress. On arrival at the Time Station, the Racer or Support Crew must contact HQ to provide the Racer's location and receive any race updates. The Racer's number, city location and number of time station, and Race Time must be reported. Failure to report accurate time of arrival at a Time Station within 30 minutes of arrival without a valid reason may result in a penalty. HQ records the information and provides a confirmation number.
Greensburg, In to Hamilton, OH This section is particularly scenic, but is challenging for the rider who has ridden over 2,300 miles.
The first 30 miles were a delight as they take Saint Mary's Road, a rural road barely wider than a lane, winding through farms, down tree-lined shady valleys, up and over and around the nooks and crannies of the countryside. But quite hilly and sunny and the temperature is in the low 80's and humid. Not so sure if Mark felt the same way!
Mark climbs with efficiency
Rolling hils of Saint Mary's Road
The RV enjoyed the ramble and came up behind Mark and the Follow Vehicle. Mark looked very focused. The crew in the Follow Vehicle gave the RV a call and asked that we stay near since their fuel was running low. While they refueled, Mark started the long, fairly steep (6% approx) climb out of Brookville, and the rollers beyond. The road wanders among corn fields, wheat, alfalfa and grazing horses.
Mark's parents joined us at a lay-by and Rex and Franz talked maps and directions, and Patsy and I talked about her vacation here.
Funny who you meet on the road!
In the early afternoon heat, the RV leapfrogged Mark into Hamilton. We learned in Hamilton that he had received credit for the four hours and thirty five minute stop caused by the Bear Cat Boozers in New Mexico. This was a great boost to all!
Hamilton is located near Cincinnati and Dayton and is quite busy with traffic. As we approached the east over the past couple of days, we have noticed the increase in density and traffic.
In Hamilton, Mark's mileage reached 2,416 miles. Elevations descended from 1,000ft to 600ft. |
