The 2011 Big Easy Moustache Ride - So It Begins

As we embark on our third annual Moustache Ride, it's only natural that we take a look back at the previous two journeys:

The 2009 Kentucky Moustache Ride was a 3-man expedition through the hills of Kentucky. Brennan and Jason recruited me because (a) as a teacher, I have summers off and (b) my laziness and disinterest in exerting energy made me a perfect candidate to drive the support vehicle. From our trip to the Maker's Mark Distillery to our stay at the greatest motel in the Midwest, the Old Kentucky Home Motel, we had a blast exploring Brennan and Jason's home state, ending at Lebowskifest in Louisville, KY.

And so the following year, how appropriate that we chose my home state to trek through! The 2010 Indiana Moustache Ride added a fourth member, Jason's dad, and our trip from Cincinnati to Chicago ended at the hallowed grounds of Wrigley Field, where we had the pleasure of watching the Reds destroy the Cubbies! We also got a taste of fame, as our arrival to Wrigley was mentioned by Marty Brenneman during the radio call of the previous day's game.

And so here we are, less than a week from our 3rd trip. This year, we'll explore the South, traveling from Houston to New Orleans. We return to the original 3-man team of Brennan, Jason, and myself, and we'll be greeted in New Orleans by a group of pals to revel in a long weekend in the Big Easy!

Many people ask why we do this trip? And why the moustaches? The easiest way to answer, I suppose, is the sheer joy we get from being idiots. But perhaps we'll find a deeper, more enlightening purpose this year. You'll just have to stay tuned to the blog to find out!

While there are many details that have yet to be solidified (including specific roads to take), we do have a tentative plan as far as each day's stopping point:

Day 1: Houston, TX --> Winnie, TX
Day 2: Winnie, TX --> Cameron, LA
Day 3: Cameron, LA --> Abbeville, LA
Day 4: Abbeville, LA --> Thibodaux, LA
Day 5: Thibodaux, LA --> New Orleans, LA


View 2011 Big Easy Moustache Ride in a larger map

The End Has No End

Well, we've had time to decompress (and more importantly shave). So here is the final blog for this year's trip.

One of this year's themes seemed to be slight underestimations of the distance each day. But, because we never knew where we were sleeping each night, it was difficult to properly estimate. On the final day, the final 40 miles ended up to be 55 miles.

Now, Brennan called Haley when there were about 15 minutes away. We were waiting at Liz' apartment a few blocks from Wrigley. And so we started walking, and just barely missed their arrival to the field. We took the guys back to Liz's so they guys could have a proper heroes' welcome (which included the moustachioed cupcakes Lucy made), and more importantly, a shower. As the guys were getting cleaned up, Mr. Behler was recognized outside of Wrigley by someone who had heard our plug on the radio the day before. Our egos were at an all-time high.

As for the game itself, our crew was pretty well spread out. Brennan, Haley, and myself were in what we called the Ferris Beuller seats (left field line), the Behler family was directly across us on the right field side, and Liz, Lucy, Dave, and the rest of the crew were bleacher bumming it. And boy oh boy, was the game a fun one to watch. Here, I'll show you. That 7th inning was hilarious. It was more funny than the drunk 17-year-old that was trying to pick up girls all game. It was more funny than the drunk 30-year-old that was trying to get his picture with Brennan. It was more funny than any of Dave Weber's weekend outfits.

We had our post-game celebration at Wrigleyville North, a nearby pub with adorable bottles of beer. And by adorable I mean tiny. My brother Tom showed up, and eventually we made our way to a pizza place for some adorable slices of pizza. And my adorable I mean gigantic. From there, we tracked down the crew at a karaoke bar. My personal favorite was the duet of Dave and Sarah singing Hall and Oates. Just beautiful!

This summer's trip was clearly a success, and it only strengthens the likelihood (or inevitability) of a trip happening again next year. We are currently taking applications from the remaining 48 states.

Where will the moustaches ride in 2011?!

Final Post (Rider's Perspective):

The last two days were pretty intense. We did 102.5 miles on Thursday, making me a proud new member of the century club. Because of that Brennan and I were a bit rusty to start Friday morning, but luckily the idea of getting to Wrigley Field and the idea of a hot dog and an ice cold Old Style was the proverbial carrot we were chasing.

The ride into Chicago was mostly all on bike trails which made for a bit of stop and go early on, and a very nice ride once we got about ten miles from downtown. We got lost once when we had to switch trails, but luckily we had a nice older couple who showed us where to go. We weaved our way along the lakeshore trail doing a total of 55 miles yesterday, and making the total for the trip 375 miles...not too shabby.

Brennan (my Portugeuse friend) and I thought about just buying tickets to France to help out Lance, butour presence was needed in Chicago to help our Redlegs to a 12-0 drumming of the little Cubby bears. What a great day, great week, and some great mustaches to top it all off.

Day 5: The Friendly Confines

Day 5 Starting Point: Merrillville, IN
Day 5 End Point: Wrigleyville, IL!
Day 5 Brewery: Do the bleachers of Wrigley count?!
Day 5 Distance: 55 miles

Total Distance: 376.65 miles

Today's plan is short and simple. Of the 40 miles the guys have to ride to get to Wrigley, most are on bike paths. So that's good. The plan is for the boys to ride directly to the field. I'll meet them there (and anyone else that wants to greet their triumphant arrival), they'll drop their bikes off and change clothes at a friend's apartment a few blocks away, and we'll head into the game!

I'm telling you all of this now because it's highly unlikely I'll be in any condition to update a blog after the game. But don't fret. I'll be sure to update with final pics from the trip early next week. In the meantime, here are the pics from the final departure this morning!

Here's to hoping that this one will belong to the Reds!

Day 4: We're Famous!

Day 4 Starting Point: Lafayette, IN
Day 4 End Point: Merrillville, IN (another Super 8!)
Day 4 Brewery: Crown Brewing
Day 4 Distance: 102.51 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Total Distance: 321.65 miles

I'll start off with the most exciting news we've gotten today: we've gotten multiple reports that Marty Brennaman, radio voice of the Cincinnati Reds, mentioned our trip on the air today during the Reds/Cubs game. Last night, Jason wrote him an email, introducing and explaining our journey and its reflection of our fandom for the Reds. And it must have been an effective email! If anyone caught what they said, please let us know in the comments section!

In the meantime, let's run through today's journey. The guys are still riding what may become a 100-mile day. While their route has given them stretches without a car in sight (a good thing), it's also given them lots of wind (a bad thing). In fact, the guys rode through a sea of giant windmills (they have pictures on their camera that I'll post later). So that was cool. Luckily they didn't attempt to tilt the windmills (that's right, my friends - a literary allusion!).

We had lunch in Renssalaer, IN. Mr. Behler and I chilled in the courthouse gazebo until the boys arrived (mooching off of the Ritz Cinema's wi-fi). We hit another great lunch spot, which we think used to be part of City Hall. It's called the City Office and Pub, which sounds like something out of Parks and Rec.

A few sidenotes regarding our lunch stops:

• the worse the lunch spot, the more entertainment and story value it provides
• every small town has a Back To the Future-like clock tower
• the City Office and Pub has an inappropriate biking poster in the men's room. It's entitled "Tour de Femmes"

****This just in. Brennan and Jason cycled their way into the century club, riding 102.51 miles today!!!! They celebrated with a cold brew in the hotel room. Notice how Jason is forming the number 100 with his finger and eyes!!!

And now we sit in Merrillville, IN, which is about 5 miles north of tonight's brewery, Crown Brewing.

This was our final brewery of the week (tear drop). At first, we thought we accidentally stumbed upon a pizza place, but lo and behold, there was indeed a brewery disguised as a pizza place. I had three different brews, including their Special Forces IPA, their Crown Brown, and their Blueberry Wheat. I wouldn't say that any of them topped my list for the week, but none of them bottomed my list either (it that a thing? "bottomed"?).

Tomorrow, the guys have a mere 40 miles to reach their final destination.....WRIGLEY FIELD!!!! If you're in the neighborhood, the guys should pull up around 11am. Bring it!

And don't forget to play NAME!!! THAT!!! MOUSTACHE!!!

It's time to NAME!!! THAT!!! MOUSTACHE!!!

Alright. The four of us agree that there is far to little commenting taking place. We know you're out there reading, and we appreciate it. But we want to hear from you.

So we're gonna play a little game. I'm going to post the four moustaches on the trip. You'll notice that each have their own unique character and charm. It'll be pretty easy to identify whose moustache is whose. What we're asking you to do is offer nicknames or titles for each moustache style.

So here they are. Name them in the comments section below:

Moustache #1

Moustache #2

Moustache #3

Moustache #4

Feel free to refer to any moustache and facial hair encyclopedias and/or ledgers that might be of assistance.

Day 3 (Jason's Perspective):

We came, we saw, we rode. We rocked the route today. Granted, it was easier than prior days (less milage, less wind, more enthusiasm from strangers). But we had good roads and low traffic, which made the things quite enjoyable.

Brennan got a flat, but our support team was right there to get us a new tube to finish our last four miles with ease.

Great food, great beer tonight, and a great moustache tonight at the brewery togniht (see pics for a visual). A bear of a day tomorrow, so that is all for tonight.