Hancock Md May 4 to May 6 2026

 Today is a day we will not forget.  We woke up in a chilly 40 degree morning but with a clear sunny day it warmed up quickly.  This was a 77 mile day on the C&O and the Western Maryland Rail Trail.  There were a few obstacles with two construction detors and a downed tree blocking the path.  Around the middle of the day I saw my left eyesight begin to deteriorate,  By the time we reached Happy Hills camp my site was almost completely gone.  We packed up all our gear and Mark, one of our leaders drove us to Frederick.  Laura quickly found a hotel where we could unload our bicycles and all of our gear.  Mark then dropped us off at Frederick Health hospital.  After a few hours in the ER they said they my case was not within their ability to treat me and recommended we go to Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Center.  We took a one hour Uber ride to Hopkins.  This became an all night ordeal as we saw a resident intern around 2:30 am and then a staff doctor around 7:30 am.  They confirmed that I had a detached retina and said they could schedule surgery within a few days but recommended that we go home for the surgery and the needed followups.  We could not find a car rental agency that would allow us a one way rental to Florida.  We then thought to try UHaul who let us rent a 10 foot box truck.  We drove back to Frederick got our gear and then spent a night in Rocky Mount, NC.  We arrived in The Villages Wednesday night.  Thursday morning we met our surgeion and will have surgery Thursday afternoon.

Unfortunately this will terninate our TransAm Express tour.  Assuming all goes well, we with start to train for our Camino walk this fall.

Brunswick Md May 3 2026

 Today was our first real day on the trail.  It was about 45 degrees when we left our hotel in Crystal City.  We started on the C&O canal towpath at mile marker zero and ended at mile mark 55. We stopped for a view of Great Falls.  We also stopped at White's Ferry for a much needed break. Our destination was Brunswick Family Campground in Brunswick, Md.  The day turned out to be sunny and about 60 degrees woth about a 10 mph wind.  We rode with some other members in the group.  Laura and Beth were assigned cooking duty today so it was good that we arrived early (around 3:00).  Just enough time to set up camp and take a shower before going to the grocery store. All in all a great start to our tour.

Washington DC, May 2

 Today was a fun day.  We rode as a group to test our bicycles and got to know each other better.  We cycled to Mount Vernon and then into DC.  We posed for pictures in front of the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.  We also took the opportunity to dip our rear wheels in the Potomac river.  We plan to dip our front tires into the Pacific Ocean if all goes well.  Tomorrow the journey west begins.

Washington, DC May 1

 Today was our first official day of the Trans Am Express tour.  It was just a day to meet the other riders and plan for our shakedown ride tomorrow.

We spent the past two days visiting many of the Smithsonian museums.  The Holocaust Museum was the most impactful.  The pictures there were hard to internalize.  My father served under General Patton in the 89th Infantry Division.  He was among the soldiers that liberated the concentration camp in Ohrdruf.  The museum displayed the insignia for his division (The Rolling W) and acknowledged the liberation of Ohrdruf.  The command limited the number of soldiers that could enter the camp itself.  My father was not allowed in but he saw the soldiers coming out of the camp and he said he was amazed that these battle hardened soldiers came out sobbing from what they saw.  We saw pictures from Methausen, a concentration camp in Austria.  Laura and I visited the camp when we were on a cycle ride along the Danube.

One interesting site we saw was the May Day protest marching past the mall.  There was a lot of shouting, hateful ranting and grotesque signs and effigies.  Apart from that the museums were a pleasure to see.  Tomorrow is our group ride.