Natchez Trace - Wednesday

Hi ya all!!

See we have very quickly started to talk like our Southern friends!! We got a chilly (59) early start this morning - we were in heaven, but Southerns were looking for some heat!

Another great day of riding - more continuous corridors of green - we rode a couple of miles and entered into a new state - Alabama. We were only there for a short while, but did notice the hills getting higher and longer! We crossed the Tennessee River via a beautiful bridge - which was quite an accomplishment for me - for those of you who know me well, I don't do well over them, but...... they cleared all of the cars, Randy, Tara, Arlene, and Cindy accompanied me across with CCM following in the SAG to be sure I could do it!! (ABB should hire her!) I hugged the middle yellow line and looked straight ahead, neither left nor right till I got across! Whew!!!!!!

We had two detours in Tenn - one a 5 mile that gave us a view of small town rural America and the other was very short lived! Tennessee offered more long climbs - the last one I did was 6 miles with a 4 mile downhill following!! Arlene and I were picked up at mile 369 because I just wore out!!!! You have to stop when you don't feel safe - I felt badly for her, because she was ready to keep on going, but shortly after we were picked up the road turned into that nasty rough packed "tar and chip" surface.

Randy finished his third century today!! Congratulations!!! Dave and Carl finished at 386 as planned - everyone else rode varying amounts!! We all had dinner at the Pizza Hut and some awards were handed out - reddest lips - Arlene, 3 centuries - Randy, duct tape - Clarence, 50 miles - Merryann, southern belle - Tara, free pass to Subway for a yr at your cost to Dave, America By Bike support staff to Carol Moore, sorest ____________ to Carl, wet rag (spirits of amonia) lady to Cindy, and "where is my banana?" to Carole (it was in my shirt pocket for about 50 miles and I couldn't find it!!

Off to bed for and early start again tomorrow to finish the last 56 miles! Carole and Randy

Natchez Trace - Tuesday

Hi everyone!!!

Well, we are off to another day of fun riding - we spent the night in an adorable Bed and Breakfast in Europa, Miss. It is an extremely small town and we are sure to be the talk of the town because we are going to be in the town newspaper - we had a spectacular hostess who went out of her way to accommodate us. The second picture is all of us at 6 am in the front of her house. This would be a good time to tell you who all was with us - Doc Dave and Carol Moore, Coach Arlene from Alabama - behind her is her granddaughter, Tara - a super kid, myself, Clarence and Merryann from Alabama - Clarence drove our second SAG wagon and was often seen driving ahead and then riding his bike back 5-10 miles to meet us and riding back to van - his wife (for my relatives has to be Aunt Gerry's sister), Randy, Carl and Cindy - Carl reminded me so much of Steve Wilson! This is a super group of people who blended and have had a fantastic week together!

As you can see by the sign with Randy and I we were headed to Tupelo and on to Belmont for the night. The morning was gorgeous and quiet with lots of birds singing and just peace and quiet and green. We have seen very little wildlife - several roadkill snakes, squirrels, and armadillos. For all of you cyclists, this is a dream world - great road - I feel like it must be Lance Armstrong's training route - SAG wagons come along and hand you water when you are so very hot.

All went well until we hit Tupelo where traffic started to pick up and then we ran into road contruction - one lane very rough - loaded up all bikes and drove past for 2-3 miles. Soon we were on our way again away from all of the noise - peace and quiet and finally a small town of Belmont - hotel we stayed in - owner gave us all front door keys, left to go to a funeral 20 miles away and left me in charge of hotel - oh hello, small town America!

Randy and Carl completed their second century, Arlene, DAve and I did 93 miles.

Randy and Carole

Natchez Trace Monday

Hi everyone!!!

We had another great day with lots of firsts! Breakfast at 5:30 in the dark because a fuse blew in the dining area. No prblem for

us we just continued to eat and then drive out to Trace and started riding by 6:30. It was a gorgeous first 22 miles and then all of a sudden, our nice smooth road turned into a rough worn tar and chip!!! YucK!! We lost so much time on that surface - rode it for 61 miles until the last 12 miles turned back to a very smooth surface!!! It was very hot and humid, but as long as you ate and kept hydrated, you were ok. This was a long day - 90 miles - Randy and Carl rode their first century ride. Poor Carl is having difficulty sitting down!! Cindy rode her first 50! Marianne rode her first 40! We had our first person to have to ride in the van due to a flat tire! Dave popped a spoke! I rode 90 with Arlene - first time I have ridden this many miles on back to back days! We all feel good and arrived in a little town of Eupora, Ms - we are staying in the cutest little Bed and Breakfast tonight and as I type, the owner is getting our breakfast ready for tomorrow morning at 5:30 so we can start off again on another 90 mile ride - we hope the surface is good because we will have an 11mph northeast wind. We have heard the high is to be 83 which will be our coolest day so far - can't say that any of us will miss the heat!! SAG wagons have taken incredible care of us!! The food at the rest stops are laid out ready for us to eat - water bottles, etc. ready for us so we could move on!! Would like to say more, but must go to bed - I didn't have time to download pictures from my camera so these are from yesterday. One picture is of an 6 mile resevoir - picture of myself and 3 of the women -we called ourselves Natchez Parkway Wilted Women's Cyclists!!! This was toward the end of Sunday's ride.

Hope all are well! Randy and Carole

Natchez Trace - Sunday, June 15

Hi everyone!!!

I think I have this figured out now and will try to fill in from yesterday and add today's. We are riding with a super group of people on absolutely beautiful surface and surroundings. Most of the pictures that I am showing you have been taken while I have been riding. Yesterday after finishing 68 miles, we swam, toured Vicksburg and went to eat. We all got to know each other a little bit better during our 2 hour dinner. Off to bed and up early this morning.

We started with a group picture at milepost 68 and quickly spread out to be several miles apart. I rode mainly at the back today because it was so beautiful and I was just enjoying myself riding about 14-16mph pace and taking pictures while I was riding. It was warm this morning, but not quite as humid as yesterday - however, it got very hot very quickly!!! It is very tricky to figure out how to keep yourself hydrated and full of food both to be able to survive the weather and still have energy! We had several personal records today in the group. Cindy rode her first 50, Tara rode her first 68 yesterday - Carl rode his first 68, and Randy rode his first 70 yesterday, Marianne rode 45 and Clarence rode 15! All are quite proud of themselves. Our SAG wagons have been incredibly accommodating - never knew watermelon could taste so good!!! Thanks to Carol Moore and Clarence for being there when we needed them the most. We have had to learn new things like peeing in the woods - today I wasn't very successful and actually got most of it on my pants - this a change of shorts!! Several people (Carl, Tara) are having a tough time dealing with sore "bootys"!!! Randy rode into our hotel today adding 11 miles to everyone eles's 50. I did well until the last mile and then knew I had to eat - came to hotel and jumped right into pool with riding clothes on because I was sooooo hot!!!

After being refreshed, we all went to a Western Sizzler restaurant and enjoyed the buffet. Dave went back to Jackson to sight see - several are at grocery store - rest are just resting trying to psych ourselves up for tomorrow - we have an 80 mile ride and it is to be hot - hope to be riding by 6 am.

I will let you know tomorrow how it went - Happy Father's Day to all of you out there! Randy and Carole

Natchez Trace

Hi everyone,

Was feeling good until I tried to make this entry - this is my third attempt and I am going to make it short - more tomorrow!! Had a great ride - hot and humid, but was able to stay hydrated and felt well at end of ride! Group from Alabama are all really nice fun people - went swimming, toured Vicksburg Battlefield - dinner and then to bed to get rested for tomorrow!!! Parkway is absolutely gorgeoous - feel like I am riding through an enchanted forest - perfect road surface and beautiful greenery! bottom picture is of Arlene and I just finishing the 68 miles!!! More tomorrow! Randy and Carole

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Natchez Trace

Hi everyone!!! We arrived here safely this afternoon about 4:30 and met our new southern friends! It is hot, but not too bad - high tomorrow is to be 86 which is a lot better than 90. We have a happy energetic group at this point - hope it lasts - we drove on the Parkway tonight for a couple of miles and it is beautiful! We can't wait to start our 65 miles tomorrow - hope to be on the road by 7, but will have to have a picture before we start! More tomorrow! Randy and Carole

HI everyone!! We left a 2;30 yesterday afternoon and were on the road until 11 last night - we spent the night in Tennessee 50 miles over the border!!! Hope to get on the road by 7 this morning and a long day of traveling to get to Natchez sometime this evening. We have expandedd out eating places to include Cracker Barrell!!! Later, Carole and Randy

Alpha Sigma Tau Greek Sing

I don't really know how exactly this thing works but I'm going to give it a try.
Yesterday I was sent the youtube link for the video of my sororities Greek Sing performance. Greek Sing is put on every year during Greek Week and all of the sororities and some fraternities participate. It cost five dollars to get in to see the show and all of the money raised goes to Mercuy House. See not everything Greek life does is party we actually do a lot of good!
My sorority placed fourth this year out of nine others, which it's an honor to even place considering how much time and effort goes into these performances. So click on the link and watch it! I spent four hours every week practicing for this thing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYaqLGNQ8l4 Our theme was Candy as you'll be able to tell very quickly

Natchez Trace Parkway Trip

Hi everyone!
Just wanted to let all know that Randy and I are planning to leave tomorrow to drive to Natchez, Mississippi. Assuming we survive the trip down, we plan to meet up with six people from Alabama and on Saturday morning begin our trek up the Parkway on our bikes. For those of you unfamiliar with this Parkway it was originally a trail blazed by Indians traveling from the Gulf of Mexico to the Ohio River Valley. A number of years ago the federal government developed the trail into a Parkway. The road is only two lanes with 50 mph speed limits and no trucks are allowed on it. There is nothing commercial, nor any stores, and only one gas station in the total 450 miles of road. We will be staying at hotels very close to the Parkway for the most part. There are camp grounds along it that cater to cyclists, but we decided we needed the comfort of hotels. We will have two SAG vehicles traveling with us - Randy and I hope not to have to use them except for rest stops. We are planning to ride the entire route in six days - which will be a challenge for both of us since we have 3 very long days back to back in the middle of the trip. Heat and humidity may be a factor, but we going to be optomistic about it!!!
We plan to keep all posted through the week. So wish of luck, say a prayer, and we hope to return to Pa. Friday or Saturday 6/20-21. Carole

Kyle's Graduation

This seems to be a little late but while I was reading the blog I thought I should post on Kyle's graduation. The ceremony was long and made even longer by a speech on globalization given by a man who had a terribly thick accent. He's finally finished! He now has an undergrad degree in Computer Science AND a Masters in Business.
For those of you who don't know, Kyle is now working in the IT department at Adam's Electric.

My Paris Pictures

Well I'm SURE some of you are planning on posting your pictures or other random/fun/exciting news/stories... whatever floats your boat.  Lots of you have been clicking on the blog and reading it (the site tells me how many hits it has each day) but apparently no one wants to post themselves! I'm sure some of you will soon... in the meantime here are some of my Paris Pictures from my trip!  

The girl in the pictures with me is Meghan, the family's niece who came along to help so I'd have some breaks and be able to see the city.

Wedding Fun!!

Hey all, these are mainly Aunt Carole's photos with a few of ours thrown in. There are a few from the shower, then the rehearsal dinner and of course the wedding. I think they pretty much confirm what we all already knew... that it was beautiful and a great time was had by all! And also that there's a reason none of us are famous dancers! (Yes, that even applies to you Dustin).

If you have pictures PLEASE post them so everyone can enjoy them. If you need instructions on how to do so email me, it's quite easy and I'd be happy to help.

CONGRATULATIONS MELISSA AND TOM!

When will I get my Rebate Check?

When will you receive your federal rebate? Now we know — the Internal Revenue Service published the payment schedule yesterday.

The IRS plans to start issuing about $107 billion in rebates on May 2 to about 130 million households. To be eligible for a rebate, you must file a federal income-tax return. So, assuming you file by April 15, here are the general rules:

Direct Deposit: If you complete the “direct deposit” section of your return, your rebate will probably be deposited directly into your bank or credit union account.
And you’ll get your rebate faster than others will. The U.S. Treasury plans to directly deposit rebates in three weekly batches: on May 2, May 9 and May 16.
Directly deposited rebates “will all be done in the first three weeks of May,” IRS spokeswoman Peggy Riley said. Altogether, the IRS expects to issue about 34 million rebates this way.

Paper Checks: If you do not complete the “direct deposit” section of your return, you’ll get your rebate in the form of a paper check, by mail. The Treasury plans to put rebate checks in the mail in weekly batches, starting May 16 and ending July 11.

Order of Payments: Exactly when you’ll receive your rebate depends on the last two digits of your Social Security number. (If you’re married and filing a joint return, the IRS will rely, for this purpose, on the Social Security number listed first on the return.)

To understand how this will work, consider the last two digits of your Social Security number to be a whole number.

For example, if your Social Security number ends in “26,” your number is 26. The closer that number is to zero, the sooner you’ll get your payment.The closer that number is to 99, the later you’ll get your payment.

Here’s how it’ll work if you use direct deposit:

If your number is from 00 to 20, the Treasury will send your rebate directly to your bank or credit union account May 2.
If your number is from 21 to 75, your rebate will be directly deposited May 9.
If your number is from 76 to 99, your rebate will be directly deposited May 16.

The Treasury will use a similar procedure for mailing of paper checks:

If your number is from 00 to 25, the Treasury will put your check in the mail in May.
If your number is from 26 to 75, the Treasury will put your check in the mail in June.
If your number is from 76 to 99, the Treasury will put your check in the mail in early July.

To receive a payment, taxpayers must have a valid Social Security number, $3,000 of income and file a 2007 federal tax return. IRS will take care of the rest. Eligible people will receive up to $600 ($1,200 for married couples), and parents will receive an additional $300 for each eligible child younger than 17. Millions of retirees, disabled veterans and low-wage workers who usually are exempt from filing a tax return must do so this year in order to receive a stimulus payment.

Keep in mind that the amount of your rebate could be reduced — in some cases to zero — if you are delinquent on federal or state income taxes, federally backed college loans or certain other debts, such as child support.

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=177937,00.html#Calculator

Adventures!

Hello everyone!

As most of you heard over the holidays I'm heading to L.A. to give it a try. I'm leaving January 7th (Monday) so I've only got a few days left to prepare. I'll be driving out and taking a very southern route to try and avoid as much bad weather as possible but hopefully hit some sights along the way. If any of you have friends in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, or Arizona those are the main states I'll be driving through... I think I'm fairly well covered but possible places to stay with friends are very appreciated!

I've set up a blog for my adventure although I'll be posting a little on here as well. But my 'Megan Goes West' blog will have daily updates and hopefully pictures and some video feeds too, we'll see how much time I actually have once the trip begins. View the blog at meganshaffer.blogspot.com and check back often!

I'll put a link to it on the side for easy access. It is open to anyone so you wont have to sign in to view it.

Government offers TV coupons

I'm not sure if any of you still use those old rabbit ears to watch TV. I'm sure you've all heard of the "digital" transition that's going to occur on February 18th, 2009. Basically what's going to happen is the TV station broadcasters are no longer going to be sending an analog signal over the airwaves. They are converting this signal to a digital signal to free up some radio frequencies. This is not an HD signal, HD is a whole other can of worms. It's a digital broadcast signal.

If you have one or more televisions that receive free over-the-air television programming (with a roof-top antenna or “rabbit ears” on the TV), the type of TV you own is very important. A digital television (a TV with an internal digital tuner) will allow you to continue to watch free over-the-air programming after February 17, 2009. However, if you have an analog television, you will need a digital-to-analog converter box to continue to watch broadcast television on that set.

If you have satellite or cable service nothing will change for you, you will not need a converter box.

The converter boxes are expected to cost between $50 and $70 and will be available at most major electronics retail stores. Starting Tuesday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will begin accepting requests for two $40 coupons per household to be used toward the purchase of the boxes. If your still using an analog TV to receive free TV over the air waves you might as well take this government handout.

To request a coupon, consumers can apply online at www.dtv2009.gov. The government also has set up a 24-hour hotline to take requests, 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).