FILL THIS HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY BIKE TOUR Revised September 13, 2010

0CTOBER & NOVEMBER 2010
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG: http://transam2010.blogspot.com/
If you are receiving this, it is because we continue to believe that you should be interested in supporting us or even joining us for part or all of a cross country bike tour in the fall of 2010! So, read on!
WHO AND WHY?
The core group consists of two intrepid adventurers, Carl Tippit and Peter Conway. WHY? We share a “bucket list” dream of cycling across the country. Beyond that, we plan to use the ride to raise money and awareness for a non-profit founded by Liz Tippit called FILL THIS HOUSE. (http://www.fillthishouse.org/ )So, even if you can’t ride with us, we encourage you to support us by making a donation to Fill This House once we complete the ride. Each rider is paying all of his/her expenses so 100% of all donations will go to Fill This House.
IS THERE ROOM FOR ME?
Yes! We will be joined along the route by other adventurers who will join us for one or more week long legs (stages) of the trip. See below to see who has signed up, and for what stage. The good news is that there is still room for you!
WHEN IS THE RIDE?
We will start Monday October 4, 2010 and plan to finish 49 days later on November 21, 2010.
HOW LONG IS THE ROUTE?
Approximately 3150 miles, barring wrong turns.
I AM INTERESTED, BUT I CAN’T SPEND 49 DAYS.
We are breaking up the ride into 7 week long stages. As our rest day is Sunday, we will be able to meet people at airports along the route on Saturday evening/Sunday morning, so that they can ride with us from Monday- Saturday.
WHAT IS THE ROUTE?
We will ride west to east, from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine FL. We will travel through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. We are using a route designed for cyclists by the Adventure Cycling Association. They have named it The Southern Tier. To see the route, go to their website: http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/southerntier.cfm?pg=overview
WHAT IS THE ROUTE LIKE?
To quote Adventure Cycling:
The Southern Tier Bicycle Route is our shortest cross-country route and offers a wide variety of terrain, vegetation, climate, and people all the way across the nation from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The route is rich in human culture and history -- ranging from the Spanish and Mexican influences in California, to the ancient indigenous pueblo cultures in Arizona and New Mexico, to the imprint of the Spanish conquistadors in Texas, to the bayous and French influences of Louisiana, to the Old South of Mississippi and Alabama, to a four-hundred-year-old city in Florida.
WHAT WILL BE THE DAILY AVERAGE MILES TRAVELLED?
75 miles. However, due to varying elevation changes (e.g. mountains) and some long stretches between services (e.g. desert) days will vary between 50 and 100 miles.
WILL THERE BE ANY REST DAYS/LAYOVERS?
Yes. Taking cues from the Good Book, we will bike for six days and rest on every seventh.
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT WILL THERE BE?
We will be supported by “Vanna” a small RV and trailer which will carry all of our gear, spare parts and us when needed. During the day, Vanna will be our SAG wagon, on call in case of emergency or fatigue, and meeting us at pre-ordained food/water/ rest stops. Part of the trip expenses will cover the expenses of Vanna and the various drivers who will be traveling with us.
WHERE WILL WE STAY?
We will stay in clean but cost efficient motels along the route. We are budgeting double occupancy, but you can always ‘upgrade’ to a single.
WHERE CAN I JOIN OR LEAVE THE TRIP?
Stage Dates From To Meet Us Leave Us Driver Guests Miles Av. Miles
Pre 9/27- 10/1 Cleveland, OH San Diego, CA San Diego Bill Burgess Holly Burgess 2420 485
1 10/03-10/10 San Diego, CA Tempe, AZ San Diego Phoenix Bill Burgess Ron Neill? /Holly Burgess 412 68.67
2 10/10-10/17 Tempe, AZ El Paso, TX Phoenix El Paso Bill Burgess Bill Conway (jr)? 540 90
3 10/17-10/24 El Paso TX Del Rio TX El Paso Del Rio Dan Fishwick Michael Novak 455 75.83
4 10/24-10/31 Del Rio, TX Navasota, TX Del Rio Houston Dan Fishwick Charles Breer, Michael Novak, Sam Lombardo 466 71.83
5 10/31-11/07 Navasota, TX Baton Rouge, LA Houston Baton Rouge Curt Johnson Scott Emerson 410 68.33
6 11/07-11/14 Baton Rouge, LA DeFuniak Spr., FL Baton Rouge Pensacola Curt Johnson W.Ginn/ L.Tippit/C.Hitchcock 431 71.83
7 11/14-11/21 DeFuniak Spr., FL St Augustine, FL Pensacola St. Augustine Gina Cronin Bill Conway/Jeff Fallon/Warren Morris? 410 68.33
RIDE TOTALS 3089 73.98

HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN JOIN CARL AND PETER EACH STAGE?
Two. Vanna has room for five, including the driver. Stages 4 and 6 are full.

HOW MUCH WILL THE TRIP COST PER WEEK?
Approximately $1200, including $300 estimate for airfare. Here is the estimate:
TRANS AM COST ESTIMATES PER PERSON PER WEEK
DAILY WEEKLY Notes Notes

Your Part of Group Expenses
VANNA 8.5 59.5 1000 miles@.50 per mile IRS business deduction RV rental = $1400/wk
TRAILER 2.15 15.05 Quoted daily rate & tax & insurance U-Haul = 28/day
DRIVER 30 210
SNACKS 7.5 52.5
Misc grp expenses 5 35 E.G tolls, fees, parking, repairs
Sub Total 55 375

INDIVIDUAL Cost Estimates Actual will vary. Depends on where we stay and dine
DINNERS 30 210
LODGING (ea. DBL occupancy) 40 280
AIRFARE/TRAVEL (guessing here) 300
Shipping bicycle 100
Sub Total 70 890


Est Grand Total 125 1265

Check for $375 per week due to Peter Conway by September 1st

INTERESTED IN JOINING US?
If interested, give Carl or Peter a call. We have room on most stages.

Riding a bike across the USA

The Great TRANS AM Ride to FILL THIS HOUSE!

http://www.cycle4fillthishouse.org 

Dear friends,

As most you of already know, on October 1^st I am embarking on a trek, crossing the United States on a bicycle. This has been a long term dream. I am blessed to be able to do it with a number of family and friends. Joining me for the entire route is Carl Tippit; about a dozen others will join us for a week along the way. It should be a glorious ride.

We will start in San Diego CA on October 4^th, finishing seven weeks later in St. Augustine FL on November 21^st. Our route will take us over mountains, through deserts; traversing the Wild West and the Gulf Coast. Major cites we pass include Scottsdale, El Paso, Del Rio, Austin, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Pensacola and Tallahasse.

The ride Carl and I are making has a purpose beyond the dream of bicycling cross country. We are also riding to raise money for a charity founded by Liz Tippit - “Fill This House”.  It does wonderful work with foster kids who have never been adopted and age out of the foster care system. Liz takes a number of them under her wing and ensures that they get a solid start as they face living independently. More information about what Liz is doing can be found at www.fillthishouse.org 

We have established a web link for those of you who would like to sponsor us on this ride: http://www.cycle4fillthishouse.org  You can donate in any amount large or small. The route is 3200 miles long, so if you donate only one dollar a mile….we will be most pleased!

Here are some fun ways to think of donating:

1 cent a mile - $32….. 10 cents a mile - $320 dollars….you can do the math from here!

$10, $20, $30 per state – there are 8 of them

$10, $20, $30 per week - there are 7 of them

Once again, here is the link to the site where you can donate online: http://www.cycle4fillthishouse.org 

If you want to wait until we are through to donate, you can do that too. We have a blog where you can check in from time to time. The blog address is:

 http://transam2010.blogspot.com

Thanks for considering helping us to fill every house for every foster kid in Cleveland.

God Bless,

 

Peter F. Conway

1113 Duneside, kiawah Island SC

                   &    

29025 Edgedale Road

   Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124

       440-915-9241 (c)

       216-378-9463 (f)

www.turtleconproperties.com

 

www.AETrealestate.com

 

 

Hotel Information for meeting/leaving/room mates on the TRANSAM trip

Stage	Dates	Meet Us	Hotel Name	Address	Phone
1	10/2/- 10/4	San Diego	Bay Inn And Suites San Diego	3325 Midway Drive San Diego, CA  92110	619-224-3166
2	10/9 - 10/11	Phoenix	Quality Suites Tempe	1635 North Scottsdale Road  Tempe, AZ 85281	480-947-3711
3	10/16 - 10/18	El Paso	Courtyard By Marriott El Paso Airport	6610 International El Paso, TX  79925	915-772-5000
4	10/23- 10/25	Del Rio	La Quinta Inn Del Rio	2005 Veterans Blvd Del Rio, TX 78840	830-775-7591
5	10/30 - 11/1	Houston	Best Western Inn Of Navasota	8965 Highway 6 Navasota, TX 77868	936/870-4100
6	11/06 - 11/08	Baton Rouge	Courtyard By Marriott  Baton Rouge Acadian Ctr	2421 S Acadian Thruway Baton Rouge, LA 70808	225-924-6400
7	11/13-11/15	Pensacola	Americas Best Value Inn - Defuniak	90 Business Park Road DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435	850-892-3125
8	11/20-11/21	St. Augustine	Holiday Inn St Augustine	1302 N Ponce De Leon Blvd St Augustine, FL 32084	904-494-2100

 

Here is the complete list of weekend  hotels to meet us or depart from on the trip. (Still working on daily hotels)

 

REMEMBER:

1. Unless you are a van driver (or Carl/Liz/Peter)  you will need to make your own hotel reservation. 

 

2. All of these hotels have rooms for @ $80 per night. If you want a single, book it!

 

3. If you don't mind a room mate,  there is an opportunity to share a room/expenses most weeks. I'll let you know individually about that, but let me know if you are OK with sharing a room.

 

4. If you are going to ship your bike via Federal Express to the hotel, please call them before doing so to ensure you have the correct shipping address and that they are looking for it.

 

Questions? Let me know!

 

 

Peter F. Conway

1113 Duneside, kiawah Island SC

                   &    

29025 Edgedale Road

   Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124

       440-915-9241 (c)

       216-378-9463 (f)

www.turtleconproperties.com

 

www.AETrealestate.com

 

 

TRANSAM TRIP - GETTING YOUR BIKE TO AND FROM THE TRIP

It is not too early to begin thinking about the logistics of getting your bike to and from the trip. Here are the parameters:

 

1. Vanna and trailer can carry a maximum of six bikes. SO, this means that unless you are on Stage 1 Or Stage 7, you will need to both ship your bike to the trip and ship it back home after. The first and last groups will be able to save one leg, if they wish.

 

2. Options we discussed at Sunday's meeting:

• bring bike on plane, car or however you are arriving
• ship bike via Fed X to the hotel where you are meeting us, and ship it back when done

3. Both options require having a bike box, bike case, or "air caddy" (see www.shipbikes.com)

 

4. Here is a good link for both getting a bike box and for how to Fed X it if you choose that option: http://www.shipbikes.com/howdoes.html

 

5. Bottom line, you are responsible for getting your bike to and from the trip, but you should discuss your thoughts with me well ahead of time so we are all figuring this out efficiently and effectively.

 

6. Thinking out of the box (literally). It occurs to me that perhaps some people can share a bike. Look at the folks cycling before or after you. Maybe you could share a bike so that the bike stays with us multiple weeks.  (I know how attached we each are to our own bikes, but........you never know......synergy may be possible!)

 

Peter F. Conway

1113 Duneside, kiawah Island SC

                   &    

29025 Edgedale Road

   Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124

       440-915-9241 (c)

       216-378-9463 (f)

www.turtleconproperties.com

 

www.AETrealestate.com

 

 

TRANSAM 2010 1ST PLANNING MTG

Agenda for tonight's meeting. Read it and see if it generates some questions...

 

See you at 6 PM!

 

Peter

PARTICIPATION IS GROWING FOR TRANSAM TRIP!

If you are reading  this, it is because you are going on this trip, considering going on this trip OR the draft committee is considering you for  participation in this trip!

(OK, or maybe you are connected/related to someone going, and  want to keep  in the loop.)

 

If you look at the chart below, the trip is beginning to come together very nicely. We have LOTS of interest in joining the ride  for one or more stages, and we have several tentative drivers.

This is most encouraging!

 

Here is what I want you to do, if you don't mind:

 

1. FEEDBACK: If you appear on the chart, let me know if what I have is correct or not.

2. Red folks: Like our President, we want to turn all red folks into blue folks (despite their political persuasions). If you are now  red and can turn blue, please let me know.

3. No Shows: If you are not on the chart, but would like to be, PLEASE let me know, and whether you are red or blue right now.

4. OTHERS?: We still have room for a few more riders, and a driver maybe two, depending on how it all shakes out. Feel free to promote the trip.

5. Sign up to be a friend of the TRANSAM BLOG, so we can begin to use it to communicate with the world. Here is the link to the blog: http://transam2010.blogspot.com/

 

Here is what I know to date:

 

Stage	Dates	From	To	Meet Us	Leave Us	Driver	Guests	Miles	Av. Miles
Pre	9/27- 10/1	Cleveland, OH	San Diego, CA	San Diego		Bill Burgess		2420	485
1	10/03-10/10	San Diego, CA	Tempe, AZ	San Diego	Phoenix	Bill Burgess	Ann Harlan/Ron Neill	412	68.67
2	10/10-10/17	Tempe, AZ	El Paso, TX	Phoenix	El Paso	Bill Burgess	Ron Neill?/ Bill Conway (jr)?	540	90
3	10/17-10/24	El Paso TX	Del Rio TX	El Paso	Del Rio	Dan Fishwick	Michael Novak	455	75.83
4	10/24-10/31	Del Rio, TX	Navasota, TX	Del Rio	Houston	Dan Fishwick	Scott Emerson	431	71.83
5	10/31-11/07	Navasota, TX	Baton Rouge, LA	Houston	Baton Rouge	Curt Johnson		410	68.33
6	11/07-11/14	Baton Rouge, LA	DeFuniak Spr., FL	Baton Rouge	Pensacola	Curt Johnson	Walter Ginn/ Liz Tippit	431	71.83
7	11/14-11/21	DeFuniak Spr., FL	St Augustine, FL	Pensacola	St. Augustine	TBD	Bill Conway/Carl Walter?	428	71.33
TOTALS								3107	73.98
		means Tentative

 

Sometime in  early April  I anticipate an evening meeting where we can all meet and get excited about the journey. I will keep you posted on that.

 

In the meantime, keep on rolling!

 

 

Peter F. Conway

1113 Duneside, kiawah Island SC

                   &    

29025 Edgedale Road

   Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124

       440-915-9241 (c)

       216-378-9463 (f)

www.turtleconproperties.com

 

WANT TO JOIN US? HERE ARE THE FAQS

FAQ SHEET

WHO AND WHY?
The core group consists of four intrepid adventurers, Carl & Liz Tippit, Larry Schulz, and Peter Conway. We hope and expect to be joined by other adventurers who will join us for one or more week long legs (stages) of the trip. So, the Who may be You!

WHY? We share a “bucket list” dream of cycling across the country. Beyond that, we plan to use the ride to raise money and awareness for a non-profit founded by Liz Tippit called FILL THIS HOUSE. (http://www.fillthishouse.org/ )So, even if you can’t ride with us, we encourage you to support us by making a donation to Fill This House once we complete the ride. Each rider is paying all of his/her expenses so 100% of all donations will go to Fill This House.

WHEN IS THE RIDE?
We will start Monday October 4, 2010 and plan to finish 49 days later on November 21, 2010.

HOW LONG IS THE ROUTE?
Approximately 3150 miles, barring wrong turns.

WHAT IS THE ROUTE?
We will ride west to east, from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine FL. We will travel through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. We are using a route designed for cyclists by the Adventure Cycling Association. They have named it The Southern Tier. To see the route, go to their website: http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/southerntier.cfm?pg=overview

WHAT IS THE ROUTE LIKE?
To quote Adventure Cycling:
The Southern Tier Bicycle Route is our shortest cross-country route and offers a wide variety of terrain, vegetation, climate, and people all the way across the nation from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The route is rich in human culture and history -- ranging from the Spanish and Mexican influences in California, to the ancient indigenous pueblo cultures in Arizona and New Mexico, to the imprint of the Spanish conquistadors in Texas, to the bayous and French influences of Louisiana, to the Old South of Mississippi and Alabama, to a four-hundred-year-old city in Florida.

WHAT WILL BE THE DAILY AVERAGE MILES TRAVELLED?
75 miles. However, due to varying elevation changes (e.g. mountains) and some long stretches between services (e.g. desert) days will vary between 50 and 100 miles.
We plan to publish a daily route log by the end of December.

WILL THERE BE ANY REST DAYS/LAYOVERS?
Yes. Taking cues from the Good Book, we will bike for six days and rest on every seventh.

WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT WILL THERE BE?
We will be supported by “Vanna” a small RV and trailer which will carry all of our gear, spare parts and us when needed. During the day, Vanna will be our SAG wagon, on call in case of emergency or fatigue, and meeting us at pre-ordained food/water/ rest stops. Liz will drive Vanna for much of the route, but we are seeking another driver or two for part of the trip.

WHERE WILL WE STAY?
We will stay in clean but cost efficient motels along the route. We will also bring some camping gear in case the sprit moves us to occasionally camp out in a particularly scenic area during ideal weather.

I AM INTERESTED, BUT I CAN’T SPEND 49 DAYS.
We are breaking up the ride into 7 week long stages. As our rest day is Sunday, we will be able to meet people at airports along the route on Saturday evening/Sunday morning, so that they can ride with us from Monday- Saturday.
 

WHERE CAN I JOIN OR LEAVE THE TRIP?
TENTATIVE:
Stage Dates From TO Meet Us Leave Us
1 10/03-10/10 San Diego,CA Tempe, AZ San Diego Phoenix
2 10/10-10/17 Tempe,AZ El Paso, TX Phoenix El Paso
3 10/17-10/24 El Paso,TX Del Rio TX El Paso Del Rio
4 10/24-10/31 Del Rio,TX Navasota, TX Del Rio Houston
5 10/31-11/07 Navasota,TX BatonRouge,LA Houston Baton Rouge
6 11/07-11/14 BatonRouge,LA DeFuniakSpr,FL Baton Rouge Pensacola
7 11/14-11/21 DeFuniakSpr,FL St Augustine Pensacola StAugustine

HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN JOIN US EACH STAGE?
Two maximum. We can either have two cyclists, or one cyclist and one van driver for the week.

HOW MUCH WILL THE TRIP COST PER WEEK?
At this point, we have not developed a weekly budget. That will come in due course. You can ball park the cost by figuring in seven nights in a motel, evening meals at restaurants, your share of the weekly grocery bill for breakfast/ lunches on the road and your share of Vanna’s weekly expenses. Plus travel costs to join and leave us.

INTERESTED IN JOINING US?
If interested, give Carl, Liz, Larry or Peter a call. We will add folks on a “first to commit” basis for each stage.