That cool picture of Port Washington (above) was taken after Elvis rode the torturous climb up the bluffs overlooking the port city. As today’s Stage was a solo ride by Elvis he can say, in pirate, “I hammered me bike to the top all by me onesy. Arrrrgh!”

Arrrrgh is right - 66 solo miles really took it’s toll today. Thunderstorms in the morning had Elvis very concerned about getting a big ride in safely, and with no further damage to his naughty parts since the saddle sores are still hanging around. As soon as the rain stopped I hopped on the bike to see how many miles I could log before the next storm rolled through. These last minute departures mean riding solo since most of Elvis’ potential riding partners aren’t typically waiting around for the hot phone to ring with Elvis on the line demanding, “Are you ridin’ or are you hidin’?”.

As the storms dissipated the wind and humidity began to rise. The ride went north through Jackson, Cheeseville and skirting West Bend. A turn east on a specific road ran through Random Lake. Continuing east until the road ended at Lake Michigan and then south through Belgium, Port Washington, Grafton and eventually, home. The wind, humidity and heat sucked all of the energy. By the time I rolled back into the garage I was dog meat dead. Thank goodness tomorrow’s Stage is a short one.

Take a close look at this sign (below) that was noted during the ride. What do you suppose is meant by, “Odds & Ends”? Since Wisconsin is home to both Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein, I wonder. And that “Live Bait” business doesn’t make me feel any better about it either. The phone number is listed on the sign for those of you curious enough but if you choose to call, Elvis would recommend blocking your caller ID, you know, just in case.

Long solo rides can become mindless slogs. Elvis has been known to say, “90% of cycling is psychological, the other half is in your head”. Elvis fights this by using technology. And the perfect gadget for this in an Apple iPhone. I know, lots of Mac haters out there want to poo poo this thing but let me explain why it’s a perfect companion to a cyclist;

1) It’’s an iPod. I don’t recommend listening to music while cycling. This requires that you wear some sort of device in or on both ears. This in turn removes you audibly from your environment. You will not hear danger approaching. What Elvis does is listen to spoken word programs; podcasts, books on tape, The Elvis Kennedy Podcast. This way you can have something in or on your right ear, leaving your left ear clear for the sounds of danger. This is a great way to catch up with the news or read that book you heard about. Elvis once listened to an Earnest Hemingway book on tape - that guy was good!

2) It’s a phone. Big miles require big blocks of time. As astounding as this sounds, the world does not wait while Elvis rides. During short stops for water and food Elvis can check his voice-mails and text messages. He can also make calls or respond to text messages. This keeps Elvis in the loop and more importantly, gives others the illusion that Elvis is sitting at his desk. It’s also handy if you get separated from your riding buddies or if you need to call for assistance.

3) It’s a computer. Sending and receiving emails is simple and another great way to give that illusion of being in the office. Today, Elvis used the internet feature to track rain and storms by viewing a real-time weather radar. You can even get lives updates of the Tour de France!

4) It’s a camera. Not a high quality camera but nice to have in a pinch.

5) It has GPS-like functionality that uses cellular phone towers to triangulate your position. Elvis has used it and it’s pretty accurate - to within about 100 feet. Good enough if you’ve lost your way. And it will give you turn-by-turn directions to the nearest Starbucks or other source of caffeine.

6) It’s small, thin and lightweight. Slides into and out of a jersey pocket easily.

And finally, it can be used to keep the dear readers of the Elvis Kennedy blog updated - LIVE! That’s right folks, Elvis Kennedy is announcing that as of today, followers of Elvis’ Tour Challenge can get live updates during the Stage rides. LIVE UPDATES! See photos of the Stages HERE (http://gallery.mac.com/elviskennedy#100131), and messages HERE (http://twitter.com/elviskennedy).

What’s really cool is that you can subscribe to both feeds and each time Elvis sends a live photo or text message you will be notified (via email or text message). On the photo site simply click on the “Subscribe” button. On the text site you’ll need to get an account (free) for the live updates. Or you can simply bookmark both pages and check-in periodically. Wow! The things that Elvis does for his dear readers!

With all of that - Elvis is tired. Time for bed. Good night.

Mileage Goal: 65. Miles ridden: 66.