C2CR2C News Releases

Hot Off The Press - Read All About It

November 13, 2010 -- Marty Neese Loses His Treasured Daughter To Cancer

It is with great sadness that we announce the recent death of Brandie (Neese) George, the 28 year old daughter of C2C-R2C Team Mate Marty Neese.

Read the Page Dedicated To Brandie

BillDL - Scotland

September 25, 2010 -- A Post-Ride Synopsis

The C2C-R2C Ride is now over and there has been a lot for Bill Craig and Team C2CR2C to reflect on.

Read Bill's very interesting and personal Post-Ride Synopsis.

BillDL - Scotland

September 18, 2010 -- Bill Is Welcomed Back To Carrollton, Georgia

Bill and Team C2CR2C were welcomed back to a crowd of local people, friends, and supporters of the C2CR2C Ride. He addressed the crowd and tried to capture as much of his speech as was possible by dialling in to the special phone line provided by Neil O'Hara which records messages and saves them as audio files. Unfortunately not all of what he said was recorded because the maximum message length is 2 minutes. So, for those of you who could not be there and do not hear certain names being mentioned amongst the thanks, it is not because Bill forgot.

On his way from Alabama to Georgia Bill recorded the following messages:

September 18th 20101 - 12:40 pm
Hey, it's Bill. We're underway. Next stop Heflin, Alabama. then on to the Georgia state line crossing at Ranburne, Alabama, and then on into Carrollton. We'll be talking to you soon. This is Bill. Bye.
Click To Listen To Clip

September 18th 20101 - 1:15 pm
OK, here we go with another hill. We're gonna dedicate this to one to anybody who has ever rescued an animal or who is a rescue organization. 25! 28! 32! 36!
OK, we're through Heflin and we're heading towards Ranburne, about 21 miles away.
Click To Listen To Clip

September 18th 20101 - 1:24 pm
Hey, it's Bill. You're actually listening to me "Taking One For The Team" again. These hills here are the bad boys, just before home in the last part of before we cross the State Line on into Georgia. We're gonna make it on to the top of the hill where they're waiting to take my picture again, He, he, he! By the way, he's not a sponsor, but I sure have spent a lot of money on lip balm from Bert's Bees (?), so it might be a good idea for me to buy some stocks. OK, almost to the top of the hill, a little bit closer to home. I'll be glad to see y'all. I'll be glad to get something cold to drink. See you later.
Click To Listen To Clip

September 18th 20101 - 4:10 pm
OK Bill, this is my last big hill before I get to my destination, and we're gonna dedicate this hill to all the animals that have yet to be adopted and are waiting on death row. We're gonna dedicate this to the father of No-Kill, Mr. Nathan Winograd. Stay with me. Alright, here we go. 29! (Musical Interlude: "King Of The Hill") 37! That's the fastest downhill time.
Click To Listen To Clip

On his arrival back in Carrollton Bill recorded the following messages starting about 4:45 pm. Please note that the voice messages have been patched together as well as possible.

Raffle draw is underway as Bill arrives back. Deluxe grooming at Four Paws Resort, Dog training sessions donated by Laura Clawson, Unleash the Pawsitive, Four Paws Daycare, from Angel's Jewelry. OK Guys.

Applause then Bill:

What I'm trying to do is call my friend in Scotland (gets cut off). Continues ... We've been trying to get some friends on the phone in Scotland. I want to introduce you to my Crew. This is my wife and navigator, and nurse, and everything else. This is Dondra. And this is my friend, and bike mechanic, and whatever else he needs to do, Marty. They've put up with a lot. I'm really tough to live with on the road, so I'm told.

We have two more friends that aren't with us. One is Bill DL in Scotland. He is our webmaster. Becky is a very important part of Team C2CR2C in that she is like a mentor to me and kinda keeps my head straight. The team is actually 5 members, not 3, and the two that I wish could hear me say this are not here. There are a lot of people who joined the ride early on, and among them are of course our sponsors. I'm gonna list them and at the end I'll ask you just to give them a big hand. All-Type Realty (recorded message times out). Saba are one of the sponsors of my ride, and they provided me with the Saba Juice which is really great for energy, the Borojo which is a muscle builder I take every day. It helped me finish and gave me the energy that I needed and made me feel wide awake. So thanks ... also to Gary Haile, who is the ... (Cuts off)

Grand Saline, that's in Texas. They gave us a very warm welcome and they donated to the project. (cannot make out what Bill says) ... I'm almost done folks!

So, thank you everybody. We really appreciate y'all (Applause plus Dondra's voice: "Yes, very much") ... (Interrupted by prompts from recording service) ... Finally, the ride wouldn't have happened without this guy. Nathan Winograd, Redemption is the book, and it's about the Myth of overpopulation in animal shelters ... (Interrupted by prompts from recording service) ... (important message about the No-Kill solution from the book barely auddible) ... We don't have to kill them. Nathan Winograd. He has another book called Irreconcilable Differences which you should read after you finish that. OK, that's all I've got! ... (Interrupted by prompts from recording service) ... (Applause)

Click To Listen To Clip

As a final note, here are the accrued mileages for each of the days of the ride, which I believe to be correct:

Day 1 : 32 miles (Hurricane Hermine ruined this day)

Day 2 : 63 miles

Day 3 : 74 miles

Day 4 : 76 miles

Day 5 : 72 miles

Day 6 : 83 miles

Day 7 : 68 miles

Day 8 : 68 miles

Day 9 : 53 miles

Day 10 : 65 miles

Day 11 : 51 miles

Total: 702 Miles

Well done to Bill Craig and Team C2C-R2C, Carrollton To Carrollton Ride To Care!

Lastly, by way of a special dedication to you Bill, I have attached two audio files. The first one is of me trying to get the well known Bluegrass Guitar arrangement of "Sweet Georgia Brown" by Doc Watson up to speed for your arrival back home (Bill - Sorry, I had to cheat and "multi-track" it, and it's still way to slow and buzzy!):
Click To Listen To Clip

If that was intolerable, then here's the real (and lightning-fast fingered) Doc Watson playing it himself:
Click To Listen To Clip

BillDL - Scotland

September 18, 2010 -- 11th and FINAL Day of Ride Finished at Carrollton, Georgia

Bill Craig and C2CR2C Team Back In Carrollton, Georgia Safely!!

The route from Anniston to Carrollton was via Heflin and Ranburne, Alabama, and then Bowdon, Georgia. Google maps tells me that this is approximately 51 miles.

Click Icons Below To See Larger Maps In New Window

BillDL - Scotland

September 17, 2010 -- 10th Day of Ride Finishes at Anniston, Alabama

Bill and the C2CR2C Crew arrived safely at the Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn, 210 Colonial Drive, Oxford-Anniston, Alabama late in the afternoon where they were met by the Assistant Manager, Randy Waddell. The journey of 65 miles was a hair-raising one with elements of danger for the entire team on the approaches to Oxford in the afternoon, as described by Bill Craig and Marty Neese in the audio clips:

10th Day - Friday, September 17th 2010 4:45pm:

Hey, this is Bill. We've arrived at Anniston, Oxford at the Hampton Inn. We were welcomed by Randy Waddell, the Assistant Manager here, and we're in the room. We were hoping this wouldn't happen, it almost did, but I was riding along in blissful ignorance and really didn't know what was going on behind me, and it resulted in us stopping the van and discussing the ride. At this point I'm going to let Marty talk to you and tell you what happened.

Marty Neese now speaks:

This is Marty. I was driving the van on what they seem to call a two-lane road, and what I would call a "pig trail" (editor note: not sure if I heard this correctly). Traffic backed up 15 cars behind us. There's no shoulder on the road, so I'm looking and trying to get an area where I can get people to come round. So I rolled the window down and motioned some around. 6 or 7 got around easy enough. Well, 8 and 9 decided to come with them. Well one van and an SUV ended up running a Volvo slap off the road into a ditch and nearly run us off the road because it was pushing us over trying to get around. The lady went off into a ditch and came back up, so I mean she didn't actually wreck, I don't think, as far as I could tell by looking in the rear-view mirror, I saw her coming back up out of it. But I got that shook off and was a little bit upset when another SUV decided to go around and danged it if the same thing didn't happen again. At that point I was on a little leash and said "That's it!" We jumped in front of Bill and said "Look, that's it buddy, hop in the van before we all get killed here, it's not worth it." So about a mile and a half down the road (Editor Note: corrected to 10 miles) we ran into a (cannot make out word) highway where we could start back again.

Click To Listen To Clip 1

Bill Craig has since clarified and expanded on the above account as follows:
The particular incidents occurred about 3.45pm between Talladega and Munford, Alabama, which are about 12 miles apart. We had to travel on in the van until the highway became 4 lanes and there was a shoulder instead of just 6 inches and grass and then a ditch. In all fairness to me, I should be considered a slow-moving vehicle and accorded all courtesies, including slowing down behind me and waiting to pass. As one can see from the photos, more than one vehicle passed against the yellow line.

We have decided (too late I guess) that henceforth, anytime there are more than 4-5 cars behind the van on a 2 lane highway, the driver will hit the horn one short tone which will alert me to pull over and wait until the van and the line of vehicles pass.

This is very important: On making the decision no to continue, I took into consideration the fact that even though we were completely legal with the amber revolving light, both emergency flashers on, and the "Caution Cyclist Ahead" sign on the back door of the van, that I would not want to be even indirectly responsible for causing someone's death - my own included.

Back To Bill who continues in 2nd Audio Clip:

So anyway, we arrived with about 65 miles on the odometer, are safe of course as Marty said, but I wanna tell you that the cars that attempted to pass Marty in the van attempted to pass on the yellow line. We'll be sending you pictures tonight. (Link to photos awaited) It's quite interesting to look at, because they just weren't going to wait. You know, I asked arty and Dondra: "I am a slow moving vehicle, but what if I were a farm tractor? I mean, it's the same thing. They go slowly too." Anyway, we're safe and on our way home tomorrow. Hope to see you there at Pet Supplies Plus, Carrollton, Georgia (See Map Page For Location).

Remember! We're riding for the animals and we're hoping that you will DONATE NOW to the West Georgia Spay-Neuter fund to raise money to Spay and Neuter animals for folks that wouldn't ordinarily be able to afford the surgery. So remember you can do that on the DONATE PAGE of the website. You can do that with a flat amount or sponsor me any amount per mile. OK, this is Bill for Team C2CR2C. See you tomorrow afternoon just after 4pm at Pet Supplies Plus. Goodbye.

Click To Listen To Clip 2

Bill mentioned to me in a short infomational phone message that he was cycling at an elevation of 361 feet above sea level and averaged a speed of 11.4 mph.

Note: On crossing from Alabama into Georgia Bill will be entering a different Time Zone. Instead of being at GMT -6 (6 hours behind Grenwich Mean Time) he will be GMT -5. So for me he will be 5 hours behind, and for those out in California he will be 3 hours ahead of them. (Click for Diagram Of US TimeZones)

BillDL - Scotland

September 17, 2010 -- 10th Day of Ride Calera to Anniston, Alabama

Bill and the C2CR2C Crew left the comfort of the Hampton Inn, Calera, Alabama early this morning for the penultimate leg of the journey to undertake what will be, according to Bill Craig's reckoning, a very hard ride with a lot of large steep hills to contend with. Bill has phoned in the following messages:

10th Day - Friday, September 17th 2010 10.44am:
Hey, this is Bill from the road. We've just gone through Columbiana, Alabama. We left the Hampton Inn in Calera a little while ago. Brad, the General Manager there, gave us a short weather report. 93 degrees but very little humidity, so we're hoping to have a good ride today. I was kind of thinking about next time of issuing myself a challenge of spending the night in 800 Hampton Inn beds. That would be great. Those beds are very comfortable, the room was very luxurious. We had a wonderful stay and we thank Hampton Inn, Calera, and once again our friend Carolyn Parrish of Harvest Your Dreams Travel for arranging the room to be "comped" to us. We're on the way! We'll be checking in with you later. This is Bill and Team C2CR2C telling you Bye For Now.
Click To Listen

10th Day - Friday, September 17th 2010 11.10am:
Hey, it's Bill (roar of passing vehicle) ... taking one for the team. I think those Alabama boys must consider me a moving target! (roar of passing vehicle) I have had to use the "one fingered salute" (roar of passing vehicle) already about 6 times this morning. So ... (roar of passing vehicle) ... They just don't want to get over for a slow moving vehicle, and I can't go any faster than about 8 mph uphill. So, that's the way things are ... (roar of passing vehicle) ... be talking to you later. This is Bill from the road. (roar of passing vehicle)
Click To Listen

10th Day - Friday, September 17th 2010 11.45am:
Bill calls to say that he has just struggled his way up a steep hill and senses that the descent after the crest is going to be a good one and he will shout out his speed. He dedicates the rollercaster downhill to "All American Veterans and anybody serving abroad at this time." Here we go Bill, stand by for speeds:

15! ... 21! ... 25! ...26! ... Oh boy! we've done 28! We'll probably go faster later on. Bye!
Click To Listen To The Speed Demon

10th Day - Friday, September 17th 2010 12.20am:
Hello, this is Bill taking it slow for a change. We're about 43 miles away from our destination. The hills aren't as bad as we thought they would be. We've only done the one uphill walk, so things are going pretty good, except for ... (whoosh of passing vehicle) ... sometimes feeling like a moving target for the dump trucks, 18-wheelers, and the Good Ol' Boys who just like to yell out their window "Get Off The Road!". So, we're going to keep on until we get to Anniston. We all can't wait to see you tomorrow aftrernoon between 4 and 4.30pm at Pet Supplies Plus on South Park Street in Carrollton. There will be a lot to do out there ... (whine of small engined bike scooting past - Bill guffaws out loud at the scrawny sound of it) ... Be sure to be out there. This is Bill. Bye.
Click To Listen To The Speed Demon

It is hard to know yet what specific route Bill has chosen to ride, so a quick consultation with Google Maps provides me with what seems to be the most direct route, albeit on minor roads, and calculates the journey to be about 72 Miles through, on, or past the following:

Calera, Columbiana, Wilsonville, Childersburg, along the Desoto Caverns Parkway to the North West of Talladega Forest and joining Co Rd 21 (roughly the half way marker). No significantly populated towns until Talladega, then Munford, skimming the North end of Talladega Forest, Past Anniston Airport, Under Interstate 20, Hamric Drive East past Quintard Mall and Sky City Shopping Centers, and arrive at the Hampton Inn, Oxford-Anniston thoroughly exhausted.

Click Icons Below To See Larger Maps In New Window

The last day of the ride tomorrow, Saturday September 18th, will take him out of Anniston 25 or 30 miles to the state line between Alabama and Georgia, and then about 25 miles more to Carrollton.

BillDL - Scotland

September 16, 2010 -- 9th Day of Ride Finishes at Calera, Alabama

Bill and the C2CR2C Crew arrived late afternoon in Calera, Alabama after a 53 mile ride to complete the 9th day. Bill phoned in an update which is provided as a summarised transcript below.

9th day - Thursday, September 16th 2010 5:15pm:
At Hampton Inn, Calera. Thanks to Manager Brad and Carolyn Parrish, Harvest Your Dreams Travel, for providing and for booking the accommodation. Getting into mountains of Alabama now and work will be cut out for us over the next 2 days. Followed route shown in news item below - 53 miles.

I have a 79 mile ride through mountains from Calera to Anniston, Alabama, so leaving early tomorrow morning. Don't know how long it will take, and may see me Taking One Or Two For The Team (cycling expression - pushing bike up steep hill) as you saw in the photos.

Reminder that T-Shirts still available on website - Click To Buy. Time is running out. Some may be available on Saturday at Pet Supplies Plus, but they are still available through the website. By purchasing a T-Shirt you are donating the profits to the Carroll County Humane Society's West Georgia Spay-Neuter Clinic. Donations and Pledges will go into a fund to help people ,who cannot afford to have their pets neutered, to get the surgery done. By supporting Me you are supporting Them. Please donate or pledge something. Anything, whatever the amount. Whatever you can. (Click Here to donate now). That's it for tonight. Hot shower and straight to bed now. Talk to you later.
Click To Listen

BillDL - Scotland

September 16, 2010 -- 9th Day of Ride - Tuscaloosa to Calera, Alabama

Bill left Tuscaloosa, Alabama this morning and stopped in the town of Vance, about a half way to Calera, to phone in the following update:

9th day - Thursday, September 16th 2010 12:15pm:
Hey, this is Bill. Just taking a break just West of Vance, Alabama. As you can tell I'm out of breath from the hills which are getting a little bit worse now. They're short duration but steep. That's a good thing, but they are not very terraced before they start again, so that's not such a good thing. But I am still maintaining a good average speed of 11.3 mph and coasting every chance I get. A lot of dump trucks are passing me, and they're passing way too closely and it's a little scary. I think they're getting paid by the load and they don't really care. They're not slowing down for us, and they're not slowing down for me. I would say that we're about 38 miles from Calera and we'll be checking in a little bit later on. This is Bill, Marty, and Dondra - Team C2CR2C on the way to Calera.
Click To Listen

Bill, it has occurred to me that maybe your personal message to truck drivers in your Radio Interview yesterday has come back to bite you :-) By the way, I hope you picked up a replacement for "specimen" in the Dollar General on the 7 before Vance, that is of course assuming you left your stool-steps back at the hotel again.

I am not entirely sure what route Bill has chosen to ride from Tuscaloosa to Calera, Alabama, because he really needs to keep South of the metropolis that is Birmingham, so I have placed my trust in Google Maps to show the suggested route of 56 miles that avoids any Interstates on which he is not permitted by law to cycle on. The route given goes through or past the following towns and cities:

Cottondale, Vance, Woodstock, West Blocton, Brierfield, Wilton, and Montevallo.

Click Icons Below To See Larger Maps In New Window

BillDL - Scotland

September 15, 2010 -- 8th Day of Ride Ends Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Bill Craig and ther C2CR2C Crew arrived safely in Tuscaloosa around 4pm. While Dondra presumably had to do some laundry, and Marty sloped off to pamper himself in the Wingate Hotel's Hot Tub, Bill answered some emails and phoned in the following update (Bill, just as well I listened all the way through the first one before uploading and heard your mild expletive when you got tongue-tied - I liked it though! - I have integrated the content from that one into the narrative for the one I kept):

8th day - Wednesday, September 15th 2010 4:30pm:
Hey, it's Bill, we're in Tuscaloosa, Alabama staying at the wonderful Wingate by Wyndham Hotel. This is the 3rd Wingate we've overnighted at, arranged by Carolyn Parrish of Harvest Your Dreams Travel. So thanks once again Carolyn. The rooms are nice, the service is great, and the breakfasts are delicious. We've got 2 more stops and then we're home. We got in about 68 miles today, and I'm back up to my average of 11.3 mph. Marty's downstairs soothing his aching bones in the whirlpool (he's got a cheek, it's bill who is riding and he's only driving). We'll be down there joining him there in a little while.

I wanted to mention too that we made a short pit stop at The Bike Shop here in Tuscaloosa. Patrick Brown was nice enough to make some minor adjustments to the bike, on the gears specifically, and did so free of charge. Patrick and The Bike Shop are located at 1431 Hackberry Ln # D, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401-3499, Phone: 205-331-4629 (Editor Note: sorry, no website found, but find it here on Google Maps). Any cyclists who are riding through Tuscaloosa who need anything, please give Patrick a call. It was very nice for him to do this for us.

So, we've got 2 more stops to do and then we're home. Hope you're looking forward to seeing us back. We'll be rolling in between 4 and 4:30pm on saturday September 18th at Pet Supplies Plus which is located on South Park Street, Carrollton, Georgia (see Maps Page). The festivities, arranged by the Carroll County Humane Society and my friend Laura Clawson of Unleash The Pawsitive, begin at 2pm and end at 6pm, so there will be a lot of stuff to do out there. So, we'll be seeing you later. Thanks very much.

Click To Listen

BillDL - Scotland

September 15, 2010 -- 8th Day of Ride Departed York, Alabama

Team C2C2C left York, Alabama this morning destined for Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Bill Craig phoned in the following updates:

8th day - Wednesday, September 15th 2010 10:15am:
Hey, it's Bill. We're on our way to Tuscaloosa this morning. It's kind of a late start. We're in Livingston (about 18 miles from York) and have pulled over to have a short breakfast and then get on the way on the Alabama 7. Be talking to you later.
Click To Listen

8th day - Wednesday, September 15th 2010 12:30pm:

Hey, it's Bill. We're in UTAH!!

I think Dondra must have made a wrong turn somewhere. Oh, wait a minute, it's spelled "EUTAW", I guess like the Native Americans must have spelled it (Eutaw is about half way to Tuscaloosa). We've stopped at a Dollar General store, and here's why. We have lost "Specimen". Specimen is our little step stool that we have to use to get in and out of this van because it's so high off the ground. We're all so short legged that we have to use this little step stool. Since he's a stool we decided to call him specimen. Well, we left him at the other motel, so we've had to stop here and pick up another one. I'm refilling my hydration stuff while they're inside and we're going to get going on our way to Tuscaloosa, Alabama in a few minutes. Oh yeah, I got my average speed back up to 11.1 mph again. We've been blessed with some very smooth roads here in Alabama and some nice straightaways with minimum hills. So, we'll be talking to you later.
Click To Listen

Live Phone Interview! Listen To My Interview With Bill!

I was fortunate enough to do a phone link-up and talk to him LIVE from the road today. I have called myself "Radio C2CR2C" for the purpose of the interview. Hope you enjoy it!

Click To Listen

This is the approximate route of the 8th Leg of the ride from York to Tuscaloosa, Alabama along Alabama Highway 7, which goes through or past the following towns and cities:

Livingston, Epes, Boligee, Eutaw, Knoxville, and Ralph, a ride of approximately 78 miles.

Click Icons Below To See Larger Maps In New Window

BillDL - Scotland

September 14, 2010 -- 7th Day of Ride Ends

Team C2C2C arrived safely in York, Alabama in the late afternoon or early evening having completed 68 miles. There were road works where the traffic was reduced to one lane, so it was safer for Bill to pass through them in the van rather than endangering himself and holding up traffic. He has phoned in 3 messages, roughly transcribed as follows:

7th day - Tuesday, September 14th 2010 7:29pm:
Hey, it's Bill. We're in York, Alabama. Thanks to Becky for tonight's accommodation at the Days Inn, York, and to Carolyn Parrish of Harvest Your Dreams Travel for last night's accommodation at the Days Inn, Forest. The other two are out washing clothes right now so that gives me a few moments to talk. We did 68 miles today. The reason we didn't do the full 79 was that we ran into about 8 mles of road construction near Chunky that reduced the traffic to one lane, so for safety reasons we opted to put me and the bike in the van and pass through. By the way, don't ever be on a bicycle coming up on an Interstate 20 entrance of exit ramp. There are all kinds of 18-wheelers and they do not like you! They didn't like me. I found a clearway to bike across a bridge so we could get started up again. Anyway, we're here and we're tired. It got a little hot today as the day wore on, without much of a wind. I was in good spirits early this morning because it was cool and overcast and we went through a lot of shade, but as the day wore on I got more and more dehydrated. It seemed like every time I stopped I drank a whole bottle of hydration fluid. So we'll be talking to you again in the morning when we will be on our way to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, getting ever closer to home ... (recording timed out)
Click To Listen

7th day - Tuesday, September 14th 2010 7:31pm:
(continues where he left off) ... and we're looking forward to seeing you all this coming Saturday, September 18th. We plan on getting there sometime around 4pm, I don't know how to be more exact than that. I hope to find out that a lot more of you have Donated to our cause, which is the Spay-Neuter Fund of the Carroll County Humane Society and West Georgia Spay-Neuter Clinic. As you know there are some people who would just love to have their pets spayed or neutered, but just can't afford it. That's why I'm riding the bicycle, to make sure we get some money for those folks who can't afford it. So I hope to see you this Saturday. Before I leave, one more word about another sponsor. The pretty pictures you see on our website of me, Jake and Maggie were done by Victoria Sutherland Photography of Carrollton, Georgia. There's a link right here where you can go and visit Victoria's website. She makes some very pretty photographs. If you need some wedding photographs, pet photographs, or any kind of photographs, Victoria is the person to see. Talk to you in the morning. This is Bill. Bye now.
Click To Listen

7th day - Tuesday, September 14th 2010 7:32pm:
I did want to say one more thing about, well these people aren't actually one of our sponsors, but they were one of the folks who welcomed us in Grand Saline, Texas. They are Nutty's Old fashioned Peanut Butter. The reason I wanted to mention them specifically is because I haven't been able to keep Marty out of the peanut butter that they sent us in the basket. Every time he tries another flavour he goes: "Mmmm, Mmmm, this stuff'll make ya wanna staynd up an' sayng!" (Editor note: It's not easy to phonetically replicate that Southern accent in text, especially when you're Scottish.)
(Click image to hear Marty's promotional message)
So, Nutty's Peanut Butter folks, if you're listening, he's got the stuff in his hands.
Talk to you later. Bye.
Click To Listen

Speakin' of sangin' about thangs, here's a special request by Bill of this Scottish webmaster guy named Bill tryin' to do a song about Alabama quite a few years ago, even though he's never been there an' can't talk like that:
Sweet Home Alabama (large audio file 5.4 MB may take a while to load)

Bill, I desperately tried to record a new version in a more authentic accent and in roughly the right key in time for you crossin' into 'bammy, but I screwed it up really badly and didn't have time to do it again, so all I have is the following short extract I kept that might be worth listening to:
Sweet Home Alabama Extract

BillDL - Scotland

September 14, 2010 -- 7th Day Second phone-in

First recorded message just received from Bill Craig while on the road to York Alabama

7th day - Tuesday, September 14th 2010 Midday - Talks about two sponsors:

Hey, this is Bill. Taking a short break. Average speed down to 9 or 10 mph due to hills. I want to mention two sponsors.

First of all is LogoMojo, the people who made the C2CR2C logo. This is an example of picking up the phone or writing an email and there they are, "No problem, we'll make you your logo". They sent out various examples for us to choose from, and that's the result of our logo. They have been super, fantastic. They're at www.LogoMojo.com and they're out of Canada. If you need a logo, then quick, they are the folks to see.

I'd like to thank Neil O'Hara who is making these call=-ins possible. His business is called RNC Environmental, and he investigates all kinds of things. He prepares reports on wetlands, asbestos, radon, wildlife habita, etc. So if you need any investigation like that, he's the guy to see. That's Neil O'Hara, thanks for making the call-in reports possible.

I'll check in with you guys again, we're still on Highway 80 East en route to York, Alabama. Talk to you later, Bye.

Click To Listen

BillDL - Scotland

September 14, 2010 -- Departed Forest, Mississipi - Start Of 7th Day

The C2CR2C Team departed Forest, Mississippi about 9am heading for the state line and to the destination of York, Alabama. Bill phoned in the following message about an hour after hitting the road:

7th day - Tuesday, September 14th 2010 10am - Departed Forest, MS
Good morning, this is Bill. We left Forest, MS about an hour ago. We're stopping to get gas and we're on our way to York. I didn't leave much of a message last night. I was really beat when we got here due to all the hills and everything. I lay down and the next thing I knew it was 3 O'Clock in the morning, so I didn't make any more calls or write any more emails due to the slowness of the Wi-Fi we had in the room. So this is the first chance I've had to talk to you.

One thing that is really missing from this ride when compared to the 2008 one is publicity ... lack of it. I don't know exactly how we could have fixed it. You know, a lot of people said "we'll do this, we'll do that" and nothing happened. So the little bit of publicity we got was from Carrollton, Georgia, Carrollton, Texas, and of course in Grand Saline. As I said, I don't know how to fix it, but we're stopping in places and nobody knows we're here, nobody knows we're coming, and I don't know what to do. Anyway, that's just one of the problems of the ride that I haven't spoken about until now. I'll check in again later. Thanks, Bill.
Click To Listen

If anybody can help to publicise the ride and what it is about in the remaining overnight Alabama stops of York, Tuscaloosa, Calera, and Anniston, then please try to do so.

This is the approximate route of the 7th Leg of the ride from Forest, Mississippi to York, Alabama along Highway 80, which goes through or past the following towns and cities:

Lake, Lawrence, Newton, Hickory, Chunky, Meridian, and Toomsuba, the last main town in Mississipi before the state line.

The ride is approximately 76 miles.

Click Icons Below To See Larger Maps In New Window

BillDL - Scotland

September 13, 2010 -- Arrived Forest, Mississipi - Ends 6th Leg of Journey

Bill arrived in Forest, Mississippi some time in the late afternoon or early evening. He sent a brief email about 9pm local time to indicate that the ride had been 83 miles, but that the wireless connection at the hotel was too slow to add any more elaborate details.

He phoned in two updates from the road while en route to Forest, Mississippi:

6th day - Monday, September 13th 2010 1pm - 15 miles from Jackson
15 miles West of Jackson. Crew needed a pit stop. Running parallel to I20, and I wish I was on the shoulder of I20. Will be travelling on H80 East all the way through into North Alabama after Forest. Going to start coasting down the hills, getting up to 25mph at times, and switching into a higher gear ready for the next hill. Travelling approx 7 miles and stopping for a break. On schedule. Breaking for lunch shortly. Talk to you later.
Click To Listen

6th day - Monday, September 13th 2010 3.15pm - entering Jackson
About to head into a very pretty part of Mississippi. Just outside Jackson, so it will be a while before we are in Forest. Dondra will get some photos.
Click To Listen

Note: Bill may already have phoned and recorded a message which has suffered a delay in transmission to me, but otherwise he will no doubt phone in an update about his safe arrival before he leaves for York, Alabama in the morning.

BillDL - Scotland

September 13, 2010 -- Departed Vicksburg, Mississippi - 6th Leg Started

Bill phoned in the following voice message as Team C2CR2C left the Wingate by Wyndham Hotel in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at which they had a very restful night and received excellent hospitality:

September 13th 2010 8.17am - Leaving Vicksburg:

Good morning, this is Bill. We're getting ready to pull out of Vicksburg, heading towards Forest, Mississippi. This is going to be a challenging ride. It's going to be the longest ride of the C2CR2C ride. So hopefully the weather will stay good for us, the winds will remain calm, and I'll be able to get in some miles today. We'll be checking in with you throughout the day. Talk to you later. Thanks, Bye.
Click To Listen

Click to find out more about the Natchez Trace Parkway

I am not sure whether the route today will firstly be along Highway 80 East (referred to on maps as the "Old US 80") until it then meets up with and runs parallel with Interstate 20 at the town of Edwards, so I have shown it this way on the Google map linked to below. Bill will go past or through the following:

Edwards, Bolton, the road off to the Natchez Trace Parkway, Clinton, (where H80 moves further away from I20), through the South side of Jackson, Brandon, Pelahatchie, Clarkburg, Morton (at the start of the Bienville National Forest), and into Forest, Mississippi, right in the Forest.

Jackson is about the half way marker for the ride, and the same distance again as from Vicksburg to Forest will tomorrow take him over the state line into Alabama.

Bill will be avoiding the Natchez Trace Parkway for the reasons described by him on the Route Page. (I firmly believe that if he got some larger stabilizers from Allen Griffin at Perpetual Motion Bicycles Inc. he would do a whole lot better, but what do I know about long distance cycling?)

Bill phoned in the following message around 11:15am somewhere between Vicksburg and Forest:

Hey, it's Bill, I'm on Highway 80. he roads are really narrow now. Very narrow roads, very narrow bridges. No shoulder at all, just the road and then grass, so I have to be very careful. Nice and quiet, hardly any wind to speak of, and sunny.
(Editor note: Bill later phoned in a correction to his transposed description of the width of the road in comparison to the highway. He was having to concentrate on the road and talk at the same time, hence the reversed description. What he meant to say is transcribed here.)
To give you some idea of the width of the road, imagine a 2-lane highway and imagine that, on the road I am on, both of the lanes together are only a bit wider than one of the lanes of the highway. So it's very narrow. That's all I've got to say right now. I don't exactly know where I am. There hasn't been a location sign in a while. I'm on 80 East heading towards Forest. (we hope!) This is Bill. Bye now.
Click To Listen

This is the approximate route of the 6th Leg of the ride, Vicksburg to Forest, Mississippi:

Click Icons Below To See Larger Maps In New Window

BillDL - Scotland

September 12, 2010 -- Arrived Vicksburg, Mississippi - 5th Leg Completed

Team C2CR2C have arrived in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Bill cycled 72 miles today. Overnight accommodation is the Wingate by Wyndham Hotel, which is currently being renovated and surrounded by scaffolding (photos coming soon), but despite the initial surprise the interior of the hotel and the rooms were very comfortable, and the staff very accommodating. We appreciate their generosity in providing us a room for our weary bodies.

September 12th 2010 10pm - Message from Bill about sponsors:

Hey, this is Bill. I just wanted to tell you about a couple more of my sponsors. Pet Supplies "Plus", one of my corporate sponsors. They're located on South Park Street, Carrollton, Georgia. What's special about this particular pet supplies store is that they have a close symbiotic relationship with the Carroll County Humane Society and are always ready to help with adoptions, etc. I hope you'll stop by and see them, and please come on by and say hello to me on Saturday September 18th. I should be arriving a little bit after 4pm. Welcome me and the C2CR2C crew back to town.

Also, one of my other sponsors is Laura Clawson, of Unleash The Pawsitive. Laura is a certified dog trainer and can help you with any kind of problem that you're having, eg. behavior modification or any kind of obedience problem that you're having with your dog. Laura is a very nice person and has been very helpful in setting up the party at the end of the ride, and also with keeping in very close touch with me regarding the website. So please visit Laura Clawson's site at www.unleashthepawsitive.com

Thanks a lot, we'll be talking to you later, Bye.
Click To Listen

I thought you might enjoy a compilation of 4 differing styles of music, from different eras, all with a "Mississippi Theme."

Well Done Bill!

BillDL - Scotland

September 12, 2010 -- Monroe, Louisiana to Vicksburg, Mississippi - 5th Leg

Bill phoned in a voice message about 11am shortly after leaving Monroe, Louisiana:

September 12th 2010 11am - Team C2CR2C left Monroe, Louisiana for the 5th Leg of the ride:

Hey, this is Bill. Good morning. We slept in a little bit this morning and then in a bad part of town made a few wrong turns, so we're just getting started - heading towards Vicksburg, Mississippi. I wanted to tell you a little something about my crew. You know there's 5 of us, right? There's Dondra, there's Marty, there's Becky, and then there's Bill and .... then there's Bill - 2 Bills.

Dondra is of course my wife. She's navigator, nurse, and takes pretty good care of me.

Marty is my good friend and bike mechanic

These 2 jointly make sure that I don't go any further than I need to.
(Phone interference gets really bad here - approximate transcript only and section about Becky re-recorded and inserted later)
Becky is a very important part of Team C2CR2C in that she is like a mentor to me and kinda keeps my head straight when it wants to go astray, keeps me calm when I wanna get angry, and is basically my guru. She's a very important part of the team and I very much appreciate her participation.

And then there's Bill DL who has held this all together and makes this all happen for us. There wouldn't be a C2CR2C if it was not for Bill in Scotland. He does such a good job at keeping it all together.

So that's actually 5 crew members of C2CR2C if you count me, the guy on the bicycle carrying the "No-Kill" message which is "STOP THE KILLING!"

I know you'd be out here if you could, wouldn't you? Yeah, right! (laughs) Out in the heat and the humidity ... (message ends abruptly with what sounds like an alien space craft, which has me worried that Bill has been abducted ... waiting anxiously for another call!).
Click To Listen

To my great relief Bill phoned back later with the following messages:

Sunday September 12th 2010 - 1.30pm - Sounds in good spirits:

Pit stop and chilling out at a place called Start, Louisiana (Editor Note: Start is approx 25 miles East of Monroe, LA between Monroe and Rayville, ie. about a third of the way to Vicksburg, MS). Physically I am fine, but got a bit sunburned. Body signs are stable. Dondra is making sure I'm OK. Really nice day and not too hot. 3 mph headwind is easy to handle. On flat pavement (apart from some badly patched roads in places judging by the photos), so going is easier and able to go a bit further than 7 mile intervals. Taking a lunch break soon.
Click To Listen

Sunday September 12th 2010 - 3pm - Team C2CR2C Finally Get The Chance To Speak.

Dondra Craig (with a hint of boredom):
      "We're moving sloooowwwwly towards Vicksburg ... but we're not far."
Marty Neese (obviously been waiting for the chance of mischief):
      "Hey everybody, this is Marty, drivin' along down the 80, watchin' Bill ... that's a sight you gotta see to understand!."
Bill Craig (with false solemnity):
      "Marty won't be talkin' to you again! (Laughter from all)
        Anyway, we're heading towards Vicksburg.
        We'll check in with you again later. This is Bill, Thanks, Bye."
        (More laughter from all)

Click To Listen

This is the approximate route of the 5th Leg of the ride, Monroe, Louisiana to Vicksburg, Mississippi:

Click Icons Below To See Larger Maps In New Window

Special request from Dondra. Click image

BillDL - Scotland

September 11, 2010 -- Arrived Monroe, Louisiana - End Of 4th Leg

C2CR2C Crew have arrived safely in West Monroe, Louisiana to end the 4th Leg of the journey.

September 11th 2010 6pm - Sounds relived and tired:

Hey, this is Bill. We're here in West Monroe, Louisiana, and we're staying at the wonderful Wingate by Windham Hotel - another one of the many rabbits that our Carolyn Parrish (Harvest Your Dreams Travel) has managed to pull out of the magic hat for us.

I'm beat! Today was a day full of no air moving, it was very hot and humid (as it has been every day), but today was more challenging because of the roads and the pot-holes that I've had to miss. The Trek1000, the bicycle that I used in 2008 and again this time, is holding up very well. I'm asking it to to a lot of things like dodging in and out of broken glass on the shoulder of the road, and nary a burst tire so far - knock on wood. It was 76 miles today, so put us down for 76 miles on our way to carrollton, Georgia.

I wanna tell you about another one of my sponsors called Build-A-Sign.com™, and they're out of Austin, Texas. They've made all the pretty signs that are adorning the side of our Enterprise van (See Multimedia Page - Photos). Each one of these signs are magnetic, and they bear the logos of my sponsors. Each one of the sponsors that wish to have one of the signs will be presented their magnetic sign at the end of the ride. It's BuildASign.com, that's the way it is on the Internet. Give them a check out, see what they can do for you.

I'll be talking to you again in the morning before we leave out of Monroe headed to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Thanks, Bye.
Click To Listen

I received the following musings by email from Bill just before he retired to bed for the night:

Sometimes the hills are long and gradual. Those are the "killers". I'd rather they be short and steep.
Sometimes, if the crew lets me get too far ahead, I look backward a lot making sure they're still there - although if they'd had engine trouble they can call me.
Sometimes I'll go for a very long time without seeing another vehicle coming my way. That makes me feel a little lonesome, because although the trees and bushes are colorful, they don't wave, and I like it when the people wave or blow their horns in a friendly way as they pass me.

I haven't come to any of those long, fast and dangerous down-hills yet, but I'll be sure to let you know before that happens. I'll use the blue tooth to phone in a recorded message and yell the speed out loudly enough so that you can hear it.

BillDL - Scotland

September 11, 2010 -- Minden to Monroe, Louisiana - 4th Leg

Bill phoned in a few voice messages on the journey.

September 11th 2010 11.47am - Message was garbled, but transcribed roughly below:

Highway 80 Louisiana. Roads rougher and a lot of patches in the asphalt that I'm having to dodge. Still, we're doing OK. Not much traffic and winds died down and still at times. Going over the Interstate now (Interstate 20 Junction 55 near Taylor, about 12 miles East of Minden?). Very humid.

The 2nd message was obviously unintentional. It will be hard for Bill to explain to his Club Hypoxia buddies why he has uses clothes pegs to fix playing cards to the forks of his bike so that they make a motorbike sound on the spokes. Click To Listen

September 11th 2010 11.53am - Better quality message repeating some of the content above:

On Highway 80 East heading towards Monroe, Louisiana. Roads getting very patchy where asphalt has been patched and is rough. Not much shoulder, so definitely right there on the road with traffic. There are a lot of hills. Van has blinkers and caution light on top of van is on and is following very closely. A lot of times 18-wheelers coming over the crest of hill don't see me unti they're right on my butt. Having to be very careful. Very sad Sept 11th. A lot of cars with headlights on and a lot of places with flags at half mast. Click To Listen

September 11th 2010 1.03pm - Talks about two sponsors - Enterprise and Amvets Post99:

Hey, this is Bill. We're stopped at town of Grambling, Louisiana about 10 miles West of Ruston (Approx half way from Minden to overnight stop at Monroe).

I wanted to talk to you about one of our sponsors, Enterprise Rent-A-Car®. They provided us with the use of their largest Cargo Van at a reduced cost and we wanted to say thank you. Enterprise were there for us in 2008 and they're there for us again this year. Their big thing is that it's not about us, it's about the animals. We really appreciate Enterprise stepping up to the plate once again this time.

Our next entity is not really ... well they are a sponsor, because they have given some money to the Carroll County Humane Society, and that's my local Amvets Post - Post99. Being a vet myself I am very proud to have Post99 on board and they're featured on the side of our van. Post99 Amvets Club in Carrollton, Georgia.

Our average speed has dropped to 11.1 miles per hour now and that's because the roads are patched. It's a little more dangerous now because it's more hilly and cars and 18-wheelers are coming up on us a lot faster than they did before. They're really being nice though. They're having to slam on the brakes and waiting on me to get into an area where they can pass safely. We're safe so far and we're in Grambling, Louisiana and we'll be talking to you a little later on. This is Bill, Bye.
Click To Listen

Click Icons Below To See Larger Maps In New Window

BillDL - Scotland

September 10, 2010 -- Arrived Minden Louisiana - End Of 3rd Leg

Two recorded phone messages received from Bill Craig. Transcriptions are abbreviated and paraphrased for brevity. Listen to the full MP3 audio file for details. Bill is in good spirits!

Hey, this is Bill. We arrived in beautiful downtown Minden, Louisiana at the Holiday Inn Express a while ago. It's about 7:45pm local time. We decided on a different approach to the ride today. I had been riding to point of exhaustion, then stopping, rehydrating, and starting again. We decided it would be better to ride 6 or 7 miles and I would then be instructed to stop. It slows things up a bit, but saves my muscles from getting seized up and that makes it difficult to start riding again. It's working out well. Today was supposed to be an 86 mile ride, but we took a few wrong turns in Shreveport, Louisiana, so you can put me down for 74 miles. That was the longest ride so far. It was 97 degrees today, but adding in the "heat index" (humidity factor) that put it up to 104 degrees. I'm very tired and this "German Boy" is hitting the sack now. Don't know about the others, they might watch a movie or something.
Click To Listen

About 8:10pm September 10, 2010
(Jubilant Voice)Late beaking bulletin. Just received an email from carolyn Parrish of Harvest Your Dreams Travel, who informs me that nobody is going to have to sleep in van overnight at all!. (Team C2CR2C - "Yay!!"). And that was Team C2CR2C expressing their joy at not having to ( Bill laughs) crawl into the back on the van and tryin' to act like a family. Thanks to Carolyn, Becky Purkiss, and Nancy Farmer (CCHS). Y'all just came through like troopers, and we really appreciate it. That's just made my night. Bye.
Click To Listen

Here's Two songs with very suitable titles. Yeah, I know it's Friday, but it won't be long until Saturday!

Song 1 with Louisiana Theme Song 2 with Louisiana Theme

A breaking news item just in by email. Actually, it came in about 9:45pm Louisiana time, so that sneaky devil in Minden didn't go to bed when he said he was! He realised that bicycling enthusiasts may be monitoring his progress, so to keep them all clued up on the technical aspects, he provided the following addendum:

Today on the bike, I was daydreaming and almost ran over a dead beaver. A BIG dead beaver and had I done so, I would definitely have come off the bike - in a hard way! (see notes below about continual misuse of the expression "Bike") Between that and ripe Armadillos adorning the shoulder, it's an obstacle course out there.
There is hardly any wind stirring here and when it does, I am running INTO it, so it slows me down a bit, but I am keeping my average speed at 11.3 miles an hour.
I have gotten an email from someone asking me the cc (that's "cubic capacity" or size) of my "engine" and if I am on a motorbike, then why was I having so much trouble navigating through the rain/flooding?!!!
Well, this is a continual problem for me and I don't know how to stop it other than by reminding myself to use the correct terminology of 'bicycle' instead of 'bike".

On a side note, Marty functions as our unofficial PR person and is doing very well. He appears to be something of a "Babe Magnet" and, although he does his best to tactfully decline their advances, he repeatedly has attractive ladies offering him their phone numbers. The poor guy's overwhelmed.

BillDL - Scotland

September 10, 2010 -- Departed Longview Texas for Minden Louisiana

Bill cycled out of Longview, Texas around 10am on the 3rd leg of the journey which will take him about 86 miles across the State line to Minden, Louisiana. He reports in his phone-in recording that there seemed to be no sign of rain.

Click Icons Below To See Larger Maps In New Window

He had a couple of important messages to convey. The first was a big thank you to Jerry and Susan Buza of LaZer Art Productions, 235 Timber Ridge Trail, Carrollton GA, 30117, Phone: 678-796-0857 who designed and have offered for sale the Limited Edition C2CR2C Logo T-Shirts. The profits from the sale of these will be donated by them to Carroll County Humane Society's West Georgia Spay-Neuter Clinic, and will be used to allow people who cannot afford to have their pets neutered to have this done there. You can buy one or more T-Shirts HERE.

Bill also asks at this time for people to donate in other ways, such as making a Pledge or a straight donation to Carroll County Humane Society or Operation Kindness from the Donate page of the site.

Click To Listen to his message.

In a second phone-home message made about 11:40am, about a quarter of the way through his ride, Bill tells us that the hills are becoming more frequent and that he does not have a lot of time in between them to recover on the bike, and due to the oppressive heat he is having to take a lot of hydration breaks. It's obviously very hot, or else he has something to reveal to us and Dondra at this time, because he muses right near the end of the recording that "if I was a woman you would call me a 'Hottie' !! " (or something like that)

Click To Listen to his "confession"?

Photographs of the C2CR2C visit to Operation Kindness are now available for viewing.

BillDL - Scotland

September 09, 2010 -- Arrived Safely Longview Texas

Bill and the C2CR2C Team arrived safely in Longview, Texas some time after 5pm, and that ends the 63 Mile Second Leg of the ride.

He phoned in the following messages, which are given in chronological order below:

About 1pm September 09, 2010
Hey, this is Bill just taking a short break. I wanted to talk to you a little bit about speed (frighteningly loud roar of large sounding motor vehicle screaming by!). Every now and then on these Texas highways, and on the shoulder, I will run into really smooth asphalt, and at those times my speed is like 18.75 miles an hour. Then I'll run into some gravel and it drops down to like 12 or 13 miles an hour. But I'm keeping up a good cadence, Curt if you're listening, about 64 beats per minute when I'm doing the 18, and then it drops significantly when I'm on gravel to about 58 beats per minute. So right now we're taking a short break. I don't like to take long breaks, because if I take too long a break then it gets really hard to start pedalling again. Anyway, we're still pedalling away heading towards Hallsville. Of course our accommodations are in Longview, Texas, so we'll be doubling back a little bit, but that's the only place that Becky could find us a place to stay for the night. So, that's it for now. It's not raining, but it is humid as hell. I'm putting out a good sweat and I'm staying hydrated. This is Bill. Talk to y'all later, Bye.
Click To Listen

About 2pm September 09, 2010
Hello, this is Bill. Can I interest you in some roadkill Armadillo? Been passing a lot of these guys on the side of the road. They really are fragrant - Yum, Yum! We're taking a little (cuts out - thought to be "break"), we're still about 18 miles away from our destination and making good time. Here it is a little bit after 2pm. I'm having to rehydrate quite a bit. (fades out a bit but interpreted as follows) I'm using "Rehydrate". That's a product that Allen Griffin of Perpetual Motion Bicycles, Incorporated has. "Rehydrate" is a gel in powder form, and it really works! I'm keeping it on my bike in my (cannot make out the technical term, but assumed to be a "holder") and I use it often. It keeps me from having to use the gel. So go by and see Allen Griffin at Perpetual Motion Bicycles Inc. on Maple Street, Carrollton, Georgia. I'm gonna take a little break and we're gonna head on back on the road Longview bound, and we'll be talking to you later. This is Bill, Thanks, Bye.
Click To Listen

Note: Allen Griffin of Perpetual Motion Bicycles Inc. kindly loaned Bill a spare bicycle and gave substantial discounts on various accessories and equipment.

About 5pm September 09, 2010 - Arrived Safely in Longview, Texas
Hey, it's Bill. We're in Longview, Texas. Finally got here in the rain, again! 2nd day on the road that I've arrived at my destination sopping wet and shivering. So, I've dried off, gotten a shower, and we're here in the hotel room. I wanted to tell you that, in addition to another day of rain, we're bringing in a little more money for the Carroll County Humane Society's West Georgia Spay-Neuter Clinic. We were given a check yesterday in Grand Sayleen ... sorry, I keep saying that wrong ... Grand Saleen, that I forgot to tell you about in a previous report. In the morning we're setting out for the State of Louisiana and hopefully we'll get there before dark. It's a little bit longer trip this time. Today you can put us down for 63 miles, and they were a hard-won 63 miles, because it was very humid when it wasn't raining, and it raised the temperature from 93 degress to 101 degress! So there were a lot of stops and a lot of rehydrating done today. That's it for now. Thanks, this is Bill, Bye.
Click To Listen

Photographs of Operation Kindness and of the previous 2 days ride will follow.

BillDL - Scotland

September 09, 2010 -- Half Way There On Second Day Of Ride

Bill phoned in the following voice message about 11am local time:

Hi, this is Bill taking a break off the bicycle. We're stopping to get ice. I'm going to go ahead and say it. It's not the heat, it's the humidity. The air is thick enough to cut with a knife and I'm having to stop a lot to rehydrate, so we're stopping for ice. We're about 35 miles out of Hallsville. I wanted to say hello to my family in Germany, so you're going to be hearing a foreign language for about a minute or so. (Bill talks to relatives in German - unable to transcribe). OK, that's it for right now. I'll be back after a while as we get closer to Hallsville. This is Bill. Thanks, Bye.

Click To Listen

Slowed down a bit, I think you will agree with me that Bill sounds rather like a famous personality who has been heard to say: "I'll be back".

It's probably just as well that Bill hasn't been stopped and interviewed by the Media while he is battling that heat and humidity, or else there is a risk that he may have expressed himself like this well known movie character.

BillDL - Scotland

September 09, 2010 -- Preparing To Leave Grand Saline For Longview, Texas

Bill Craig phoned in the following voice message about 8.13am Texas Time:

Good morning, this is Bill. We're still at Little Fannie's in Grand Saline, Texas, and we're about to head out for Hallsville.

First a couple of technical notes for our Webmaster, Bill, in Scotland. We'll be sending you some pictures this evening. We don't happen to have any wireless connection here. We're kind of in a rustic area, so tonight we'll be sending you some pictures and also I'll be sending you reports when we take breaks.

OK, once again our thanks to Beth Fisher of Little Fannie's "Home Away From Home", and it really, really is! We're out in the country and the air is really nice and clean here. We're sorry to be leaving here because this bed that I laid on all night long has asked me not to leave it - but we're going to have to.

We'll be heading to Hallsville, Texas next. Our friend Becky has procured us lodgings for tonight in Longview, Texas, and we want to tell her thank you very much because we were kinda worried about that as we actually didn't have any lodgings for tonight, so thank you Becky.

About "Fannie's", and I wanna give you Beth Fisher's phone number in case you'd like to book one of her cottages. It's 903 962 3737. And our friend Carolyn Parrish will have brochures, and she is also a travel agent. She has really taken the bull by the horns to find us accommodations on our trip, and we want to send a special thank you out to Carolyn. Her website (Harvest Your Dreams Travel - "Helping build Memories, one Vacation at a Time") is www.ytbtravel.com/michaelandcarolyn (Correction by webmaster made here - email address is harvestyourdreamstravel@yahoo.com hence the confusion - see Sponsors Page) and her phone number is ... (call quality degrades badly) ... 404 202 0466 ... Thanks Carolyn for everything you've done, it is most appreciated. Give her a call 404 202 0466.

Click To Listen

BillDL - Scotland

September 09, 2010 -- Details of Second Stage

It is about 7am in Grand Saline and soon Bill and the C2CR2C Crew will depart on the 2nd leg of the journey. Hopefully Beth and Pat Fishers' Southern hospitality and all that Nutty's Old Fashioned Peanut Butter won't bag Bill down too much!

The planned destination was Hallsville, Texas but, due to difficulty securing accommodation in Hallsville, the C2CR2C Team will be staying overnight at Longview which is a little bit before Hallsville. Accommodation will be:
Baymont Inn & Suites, 502 S Access Rd, Longview, TX 75602. Phone: 903-757-3663 Fax: 903-753-3780
(Thanks to a close mutual friend for booking and paying for this overnight stay.)

For a "'Text Only" and printable itinerary Click Here or go to the Route Page and click on the calendar days.

Click Icons Below To See Larger Maps In New Window

The route will be along Highway 80, unless otherwise dictated by traffic, weather, or other event.

BillDL - Scotland

September 08, 2010 -- Arrived Safely In Grand Saline, Texas

Team C2CR2C Arrived Safely in Grand Saline (5:14pm Texas Time) to a welcoming party.

Transcript of phone message:

Hello, this is Bill. We made it to Grand Saline, Texas. We're at "Nutty's Old Fashioned Peanut Butter". The people here are very, very nice. We were escorted in by Diana, who is the Police Officer serving Grand Saline, and we met a lot of nice folks like Beth Fisher of "Little Fannie's", where we are going to be spending the night tonight.

We also were given a basket of Morton's salt. This is where "Morton's Salt" is located. Those are the "When it rains it pours" folks, you know? Well it rained today, and it really did pour! So we're about to head out to Beth's place, "Little Fannie's" - it's a kind of a getaway place - where we have the use of a house for the entire night. And let me tell you something, my legs are ready to hit the sack!

So I'll be talking to you one more time a little bit later on when we get to Little Fannie's. Talk to you later, Bye.

Click To Listen

Due to the terrible weather, Bill was only able to cycle a total of approximately 32 miles (awaiting exact figure), but in effect the exertion of forcing his way through the rain and flooded roads would have made it something like cycling twice that distance in good conditions. (I can't believe I just said "Only 32 miles"! You try cycling 32 miles in that weather! I certainly couldn't.

The warm welcome by the kind folks at Grand Saline
Click for larger image

BillDL - Scotland

September 08, 2010 -- Soldiering On Through The Nasty Weather And Wind

Bill Craig phoned in from the bike at 2:01pm Texas Time.

The quality is rather poor due to the oncoming wind, traffic passing on surface water, and Bill's heavy breathing whilst forcing his way through the foul weather. I have cleaned it up as best I can, but here's the rough transcript:

Hello, this is Bill calling from the bicycle. We're on Highway 80 headed towards Grand SAYline ... sorry ... Grand SaLEEN.

You can hear the traffic's pretty heavy. I'm also headed into a pretty strong wind and barely managing a 9 miles per hour pace right now. The rain's starting to pick up a little bit, but right now it's just a fast sprinkle (?). So we're going to continue to go on as much as we can (roar of motor vehicle tearing past on flooded road) and try to make it to Grand Saline (another passing car in rain) about 4.30 to 5pm.

Click To Listen

Bill battling the elements and getting a police escort into Grand Saline
Click for larger images

Wow! That pickup truck is way too close the the car in front!!

Well done Bill. That takes guts and determination.

After looking at the above left picture for a while (probably for longer than is healthy), I got to thinking about lying back looking up and the clouds, or looking at rain running down a window pane, and seeing shapes. Just for fun I emphasised some of the shapes I could see. Have fun, or send some meds to help me!

BillDL - Scotland

September 08, 2010 -- Bill Thanks Relatives Who Sponsored Him

While waiting for the weather to clear enough for him to climb onto the bike and start riding, Bill took the opportunity to extend a thank you message to sponsors All-Type Realty and Saba, respectively run by relatives Pat and Jimmy Warren. Related News items concerning "Saba" Products.

Click To Listen

BillDL - Scotland

September 08, 2010 -- Departed Operation Kindness And Braving The Elements

Bill Craig has phoned in an update at 10:55am Texas Time:

Hello, this is Bill again. We've just left Operation Kindness here in Carrollton, Texas.

We were very impressed with the size of the place, and what they all do here. They adopt out about 3000 animals a year. It's a "No-Kill" shelter. It's the oldest and largest No-Kill shelter in North Texas. Lots of room - they do have to turn animals away, and they hate it.

It's an immense place. 35 employees, that's how many people work there, plus a big volunteer staff. We appreciate Nikki and Julie showing us around the shelter.

We're on our way. We're trying to outrun the rain. Apparently this tropical storm "Herman" ... (Aside: "Is it Herman?" Response by Dondra?: "HermINE") ... "HermINE" is keeping us waterlogged and not able to ride the bicycle still.

We're going to try to outrun the rain and try to get at least some of the way to Grand Saline so that I can get out and ride some of these miles that I have committed to! It's awful out here. Visibility is still very poor and, as I said, we're just doin' the best we can. This is Bill, we'll be talking to you later. Thanks, Bye.

Click To Listen

Being welcomed at Operation Kindness
Click for larger image

Please pray with me for the safety of the C2CR2C Crew.

BillDL - Scotland

September 08, 2010 -- Flash Floods in Texas Delay Ride

Bill Craig "phoned home" the following voice message at 9:40am Texas Time:

Hello, this is Bill. We're in the van. I'm not able to ride right now because the entire Dallas County is under flash flood watch, and there's no way to move the bicycle through the streets because they're flooded, and so the crew has decided that we're going to wait until such time as I can ride.

Visibility is only like 200 feet in front of us and it's going to be flooded much of the way to Grand Saline.

We're at the Operation Kindness shelter right now and about to take a tour, but I really don't expect the rain to let up at any time for me to be able to leave on the bicycle. We'll keep you posted as to what happens with the rain and the flood as it develops.

Thanks, Bye.

Click To Listen

Bill looking dejected in van waiting for rain to stop
Click for larger image

It is clear from the Weather Reports that the weather is atrocious, but we hope that the flooding clears soon and allows the C2CR2C Ride to commence.

Perhaps Y'all can enjoy this by the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan while you wait.

BillDL - Scotland

September 07, 2010 -- Bill Out For Trial Ride Carrollton, Texas

Bill Craig "phoned home" the following voice message at 5:14pm while out for a practice ride (transcription as accurate as possible for now):

"Hello, this is Bill calling you from the bicycle. I'm doing a little practice ride. First of all a weather report. It's raining, which is not necessarily bad, because it's cooling things off a bit."

"I'm in the vicinity of Operation Kindness and we're in a very heavy industrial area, so it means we're gonna have to be very careful with the bicycle ride and with the traffic. If you hear cars behind me, then that's why I'm trying to speak out a little bit louder."

"So right now, as I said, it's a practice ride and we're riding towards Highway 66 where we will meet up with Highway 80 - Grand Saline bound. We expect to get to Grand Saline tomorrow, Wednesday, evening about 4.30. Right now as I said, just a little trial ride to see what we're up against tomorrow morning when we leave from Operation Kindness."

"Hello to everybody. Looking forward to it. Very excited, and we will be at Operation Kindness tomorrow morning at 9.30 taking a tour, meeting some folks, taking some pictures, and of course meeting the animals that we're trying to help to save."

"OK, well I'm going to continue on a little further until we get to Highway 66 and then we'll ....." (phone message cuts off)

No, he did not fall off his bike, the recorded messages last only two minutes. In future multiple messages can be patched together.

Click To Hear Recorded Message

Click thumbnail images to see full image in new window

BillDL - Scotland

September 07, 2010 -- Preparing For Practice Ride 2:27pm

Bill Craig sent the following message indicating that he would soon be leaving the Rodeway Inn and heading over to Operation Kindness to go out on a practice ride:

Click To Hear Recorded Message

BillDL - Scotland

September 06, 2010 -- C2CR2C Crew Arrived Safely In Texas

Bill Craig sent the following message:

"We arrived safely at the Rodeway Inn, Carrollton, Texas, at 18:45 (6.45pm September 6th).
Very tired but happy."

To find your Time Zone difference from Dallas, Texas, click Here.
To see what time it is in the main cities of the USA click Here.

BillDL - Scotland (6 hours ahead of Bill Craig on GMT)

September 05, 2010 -- Awaiting News From Carrollton, Texas

I apologise to any Facebook viewers or visitors directed here from an existing link to view a specific news item. It becomes necessary to create a new page for content when it becomes quite long. You can find links to some of the main news items in the Site Map, or alternatively use the "Older News Items" link further up the page to see the previous two news pages News2.html (previous page) and News3.html (oldest page). Sorry for any inconvenience.

September 5th Midday EST

Bill Craig will depart from Georgia to Texas in 16 hours time. Hopefully he will get a good sleep before his departure in the early hours of the morning.

Please Donate! This is a very valid cause, and you would not be reading this if you were not interested!

To quote Bill Craig:
"We domesticated them, which makes us responsible."

We all wish you the best, Bill, and await your updates to fill this page.

The webmaster on behalf of all your supporters