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BIKERS FACING DOUBTS, AND MOUNTAINS

Img_1015Elmer Jackson, left, and his son, Jeff, on their arrival in Utah. (Photos by Tim Hathaway)Img_0978

Last week saw some ups and downs for Red Bank’s intrepid cross-country bikers, Elmer and Jeff Jackson.

Both father and son had some serious battles with uncertainty. But Jeff’s were more manifest: while Elmer was notching one day’s ride after another, Jeff spent almost as much time in the car with sagman/blogmeister Tim Hathaway as he did in the saddle.

At his doctor’s suggestion, Jeff had stopped taking a medication that made him sweat, and thus more prone to heat exhaustion. But coming off it left him lethargic.

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Still, they managed to rack up some decent mileage.

On Monday, June 16, they did 67 miles, from Austin, Nev. to Eureka, Nev. That was followed by a 55-miler from Eureka to Ely, Nev.; Ely to Majors Junction, Nev. (56 miles), which included “the two highest summits on US 50 in all of Nevada,” writes Hathaway; Majors Junction to Mormon Gap, Utah., another 55 miles; Mormon Gap to Milford, Utah, another 55 miles (for Elmer, that is; Jeff had to Honda it again); and then, on Saturday, another 56 miles to Cedar City, Utah, with Jeff again riding shotgun in the car due to fatigue.

This week, they’re off to a better start. Yesterday, they climbed 4,400 feet, to 10,000 feet above sea level, as they pedaled from Cedar City to Tropic, Utah — a total of 63 miles.

From Hathaway’s blog:

The climb took about five hours, and after a leisurely lunch at the summit the guys continued their way on a plateau, ending near Tropic at an elevation of nearly 7000 feet. The plateau is actually the geological descendant of a family of volcanoes. The guys bikes past jagged lava flows (over 1000 years old), lush meadows and verdant pine and cedar forests. Jeff ended his day a little early in the hopes of reserving himself for tomorrow. We have the longest day coming up yet: 84 miles.

If all goes well tomorrow, we will be in a good position to finish Utah by Friday. This would mean that after three weeks of grueling mountains and desert heat, the guys finally have their legs and can sustain 80 plus mile days.

This, of course, was the original plan. But we have yet to enter Colorado.

In an effort to keep expenses down on their fundraising effort for Red Bank’s West Side Christian Academy, the trio is hoping to identify readers who know of people living along their route who might be able to put them up for a night.

Here’s the list of towns they expect to travel through:

UTAH (June 19-25)

Milford

Cedar City

Tropic

Escalante

Boulder

Torrey

Caineville

Hanksville

Hite Recreation Area

Blanding

Monticello

COLORADO

Dove Creek

Dolores

Durango

Pagosa Springs

Del Norte

Salida

Cotopaxi

Westcliffe

Wetmore

Pueblo

Boone

Olney Springs

Ordway

Eads

KANSAS

Tribune

Leoti

Scott City

Dighton

Ness City

Alexander

Rush Center

Larned

Nickerson

Hutchinson

Heston

Newton

Cassoday

Eureka

Toronto

Chanute

Walnut

Grand

MISSOURI

Golden City

Everton

Ash Grove

Walnut Grove

Fair Grove

Marshfield

Hartfield

Hartville

Houston

Summersville

Eminence

Ellington

Centerville

Pilot Knob

Farmington

Ozora

St. Mary

ILLINOIS

Chester

Murphysboro

Carbondale

Goreville

Elizabethtown

Cave In Rock

KENTUCKY

Marion

Clay

Dixon

Sebree

Beech Grove

Whitesville

Falls of Rough

McDaniels

Sonora

Buffalo

Howardstown

Bardstown

Springfield

Harrodsburg

Berea

Booneville

Hazard

Hindman

Bypro

Elkhorn City

VIRGINIA

Breaks

Haysi

Rosedale

Meadowview

Damascus

Sugar Grove

Wytheville

Radford

Christiansburg

Catawba

Daleville

Buchanan

Lexington

Rockfish Gap

Charlottesville

Palmyra

Bumpass

Ashland

Mechanicsville

Richmond

Ashland

Fredricksbug

Dale City

Alexandria

Arlington

WASHINGTON D.C.

MARYLAND

Chevy Chase

Bethesda

Rockville

Glenelg

Jarretsville

PENNSYLVANIA

Delta

Maritta

Columbia

Manheim

Reamstown

Norristown

Please email Tim Hathaway with the name, address and contact information.

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Posted on June 24, 2008 at 8:49 am, filed under Charity, Children, Done Good, Education, Fundraisers, No Regrets bike tour, People. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed. Email this story.
Zoe An American Bistro

  • to me, whether they complete the trip is not important. what impresses me is the fact that they even embarked on this journey at all. it's one thing to dream about it. but to actually do it is absolutely incredible! you are both truly inspiring!

    Posted by: linda b on June 24, 2008 at 12:17 pm | Permalink

  • Brilliant, fantastic - go Elmer, go Jeff!

    Tim thank you for sharing all.

    Information on housing/towns - great idea - let me know see what I can do.

    david prown

    Posted by: David Prown on June 26, 2008 at 7:47 am | Permalink

  • Elmer and Jeff—In the now legendary words of Timothy J. Russert Jr—"Go get 'em!" You are out there, bravely biking and battling on, truly an inspiration for all of us who are reading about you, and, I am certain, to all who have met you along the way. It's all about the journey…I think of you all the time and send my best wishes.
    Marnie

    Posted by: Marnie on June 26, 2008 at 2:19 pm | Permalink

  • Bless you both!!!

    Posted by: alexander a on June 26, 2008 at 2:48 pm | Permalink

  • elmer and jeff can call me when they get back and i'll give them on of my electric cars to use for a month so they can rest their legs. the picture of the mountian in utah made me tired just looking at it. good luck guys.

    Posted by: remsen straub on June 27, 2008 at 8:43 am | Permalink

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