Well, today was pretty boring. I rode a total of 10 miles into town, once for lunch and again for dinner.
Today was hot. Exceptionally hot. And tomorrow and the next day are supposed to be the same way. Highs of 103 says the weatherman. Oh boy. I spent most of the day sitting in the shade. The owner guy here lent me a comfy chair, so I pretty much just said around, played games on the phone, and studied for my GRE's a bit.
After I got back from getting dinner, this guy came over and told me that I could
come hang out in his camper to get out of the heat for a while. So, I grabbed my sandwich and went over. It turns out that he lived in Reading, MO (right near Joplin, MO) and had lost his house in the tornado. So, he's living at his parents' camper until he can close on the new house. It was really awesome chatted with him and hearing all of the first hand stories from the tornado. He lived with his dog, Jamie, and was really close with his son who goes to college on Topeka. So thanks Gary for letting me come and watch TV and be air conditioned and get some great stories.
And Jason is back! He got a ride here from some nice lady named Nancy for the last 35 miles or so. She made him a sandwich and gave us some homemade cookies. Things are starting to feel "normal" around here again. It's nice not being alone in Kansas anymore. I guess I didn't realize how much I missed just having someone to talk to.
Tomorrow: Cottonwood Falls, KS.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Day Twenty Eight
Today really had it's ups and downs. Hah, literally. I rode 79 miles from Paola, KS to Lyndon, KS.
The day started great. I don't know which part of Kansas is flat, but it's not right here. Not that it's terrible or anything, but there are just a lot of rollers. It was hot but not too hot, just enough to keep me sweating and thirsty.
I finally made it to Osage City. I got dinner at Subway, then headed up to my campground. I found the address, but no campground in sight. I was not pleased. So I found another, which was 13.5 miles back along the same way that I had came in. Awesome. I got to that address and no campground. By this point I was pretty legitimately upset. So I called the place, and he said they were 2 miles north of Lyndon, where I was about 1 mile south. Sigh. So I rode up, and made it there eventually.
The day took a turn for the better at that point. I'd met 2 cyclists earlier going from northern California to DC. It turns out that they were part of a 5 guy team (4 riders and a support vehicle driver,) and they were staying at the campground I had ended up at. So, I'm at their campsite, and I got to hang out with them all evening. They have an 18 year old, a 40 something year old, and two guys in their 70's, plus the driver. The guy in his 40's was great. He bikes around a ton, and sounded like he'd been on a lot of adventures. He seemed a little jealous that I was doing it self-supported. So we chatted all night, and they made me a burger. Cool. So thanks to those guys for brightening my day up.
I also left my wallet at the counter of the check-in, and the owner was nice enough to return it. I guess it's a good thing that I returned the one I found, because it brought me that good luck.
The sky is huge out here. I love the Midwest.
Tomorrow: A waiting day here, where Jason will meet me tomorrow night!
The day started great. I don't know which part of Kansas is flat, but it's not right here. Not that it's terrible or anything, but there are just a lot of rollers. It was hot but not too hot, just enough to keep me sweating and thirsty.
I finally made it to Osage City. I got dinner at Subway, then headed up to my campground. I found the address, but no campground in sight. I was not pleased. So I found another, which was 13.5 miles back along the same way that I had came in. Awesome. I got to that address and no campground. By this point I was pretty legitimately upset. So I called the place, and he said they were 2 miles north of Lyndon, where I was about 1 mile south. Sigh. So I rode up, and made it there eventually.
The day took a turn for the better at that point. I'd met 2 cyclists earlier going from northern California to DC. It turns out that they were part of a 5 guy team (4 riders and a support vehicle driver,) and they were staying at the campground I had ended up at. So, I'm at their campsite, and I got to hang out with them all evening. They have an 18 year old, a 40 something year old, and two guys in their 70's, plus the driver. The guy in his 40's was great. He bikes around a ton, and sounded like he'd been on a lot of adventures. He seemed a little jealous that I was doing it self-supported. So we chatted all night, and they made me a burger. Cool. So thanks to those guys for brightening my day up.
I also left my wallet at the counter of the check-in, and the owner was nice enough to return it. I guess it's a good thing that I returned the one I found, because it brought me that good luck.
The sky is huge out here. I love the Midwest.
Tomorrow: A waiting day here, where Jason will meet me tomorrow night!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Day Twenty Seven
Today was annoying. I rode 40 miles from Harrisonville, MO to Paola, KS.
Those 40 miles were probably 65% dirt roads. Not nice packed dirt like the Katy Trail, but bumpy rocky dirt. And it was surprisingly hilly. I'm glad I was only riding 40 miles, because I'm not sure I could have held onto my sanity had I done much more.
But hey, at least I crossed another state line. Although I didn't even get a state line sign. The road was called "State Line Road" so I took a picture of the road sign and went on my way.
I was finally able to get in touch with the owner of this wallet I found. Jason and I found it last Wednesday, and, not being able to find a phone number inside, I just emailed the Katy Trail people and waited. I got an email a few days later saying someone with the right name had posted a lost wallet on their forum. So, I called the number, and left a message. I thought it was strange that I wasn't getting a call back, but there wasn't much more that I could do. Finally this morning, the lady called me. So, when I got to Hillsdale I sent the wallet to it's owner (using her credit card, which we had agreed on.) Her license said Santa Fe, NM, so Jason and I were hoping to get a place to stay out of the deal, but apparently she had moved to Lincoln, NE. Bummer. So
my good citizen deed has been completed for the trip.
I got dinner at this gas station. Pre-made sandwiches, BBQ Twisties, and Peace Tea. Yum.
The road into my campground was like 3 miles long. Literally. I wasn't too impressed. Eventually I found the check in place, and payed for my site. I chatted with the guy a bit, who asked me if I was crazy. I've been getting that a lot. He told me the route he would take, which was basically what Jason and I were planning on doing anyways.
I'm staying in a State Park right on a lake, so I went for a walk on their trails, which was nice. The weather is beautiful right now.
Tomorrow: Turkey Point Campground in Osage City, KS to await Jason on Wednesday night.
Those 40 miles were probably 65% dirt roads. Not nice packed dirt like the Katy Trail, but bumpy rocky dirt. And it was surprisingly hilly. I'm glad I was only riding 40 miles, because I'm not sure I could have held onto my sanity had I done much more.
But hey, at least I crossed another state line. Although I didn't even get a state line sign. The road was called "State Line Road" so I took a picture of the road sign and went on my way.
I was finally able to get in touch with the owner of this wallet I found. Jason and I found it last Wednesday, and, not being able to find a phone number inside, I just emailed the Katy Trail people and waited. I got an email a few days later saying someone with the right name had posted a lost wallet on their forum. So, I called the number, and left a message. I thought it was strange that I wasn't getting a call back, but there wasn't much more that I could do. Finally this morning, the lady called me. So, when I got to Hillsdale I sent the wallet to it's owner (using her credit card, which we had agreed on.) Her license said Santa Fe, NM, so Jason and I were hoping to get a place to stay out of the deal, but apparently she had moved to Lincoln, NE. Bummer. So
my good citizen deed has been completed for the trip.
I got dinner at this gas station. Pre-made sandwiches, BBQ Twisties, and Peace Tea. Yum.
The road into my campground was like 3 miles long. Literally. I wasn't too impressed. Eventually I found the check in place, and payed for my site. I chatted with the guy a bit, who asked me if I was crazy. I've been getting that a lot. He told me the route he would take, which was basically what Jason and I were planning on doing anyways.
I'm staying in a State Park right on a lake, so I went for a walk on their trails, which was nice. The weather is beautiful right now.
Tomorrow: Turkey Point Campground in Osage City, KS to await Jason on Wednesday night.
Day Twenty Six
Today was a waiting day in Harrisonville, MO. I guess I'll say that I rode 8 miles, but I'm really only putting it so that my odometer count stays corrects.
I slept until about noon, which was awesome. I watched TV for awhile, then motivated myself enough to ride into town to get lunch and dinner stuff.
I tries to go to this coffee place, but alas, it was Sunday and they were closed. Blast.
So I just went to the supermarket and bought sandwich stuff. And milk. I hadn't had milk in ages so I was pretty excited about that. I was going to ride around town for a bit, but the sky didn't look too friendly, and frankly I think I had seen all that there was to see.
I just hung around all afternoon. I ate, watched more TV, and did a lot of planning. I think I got the next 9 days planned out, which includes a few huge milage days. Let's hope Kansas really is as flat as they're saying.
I got my socks, spandex, and a few tanks washed, along with my bike.
Tomorrow: Hillsdale State Park in Paola, KS.
I slept until about noon, which was awesome. I watched TV for awhile, then motivated myself enough to ride into town to get lunch and dinner stuff.
I tries to go to this coffee place, but alas, it was Sunday and they were closed. Blast.
So I just went to the supermarket and bought sandwich stuff. And milk. I hadn't had milk in ages so I was pretty excited about that. I was going to ride around town for a bit, but the sky didn't look too friendly, and frankly I think I had seen all that there was to see.
I just hung around all afternoon. I ate, watched more TV, and did a lot of planning. I think I got the next 9 days planned out, which includes a few huge milage days. Let's hope Kansas really is as flat as they're saying.
I got my socks, spandex, and a few tanks washed, along with my bike.
Tomorrow: Hillsdale State Park in Paola, KS.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Day Twenty Five
Today was okay. I rode 57 miles from Windsor, MO to Harrisonville, MO.
I woke up to a cloudy sky. By the time I was packed and ready to go, it was raining, and by two minutes down the road, it was pouring. No worries though, I actually enjoy riding in the rain. The only downside at that point was that I was on the trail, which is dirt, so my newly cleaned bike got a fresh coat of mud on it. Oh well, I'll just wash it again.
It got bad when the thunder and lighting came. Normally I'm not really to intimidated by storms, but this one really was on top of me. Luckily I came to a bridge, so I took shelter there. It was crazy for about 20 minutes. I saw a strike about 300 yards away. I've never heard thunder so loud. Luckily, weather passes by quickly out here, and so it was relatively clear in no time.
I finished the Katy Trail, going down to Clinton. It was actually out of my way to go to Clinton, but 1) I wanted to finish the trail and 2) I was afraid of hitting dirt roads taking another route. I made it to Harrisonville, MO around 3 and checked into my motel. It's okay here. I ordered pizza so that I didn't have to bike into town, and enjoyed getting to watch some TV.
Tomorrow: A rest (err... waiting) day in Harrisonville, MO.
I woke up to a cloudy sky. By the time I was packed and ready to go, it was raining, and by two minutes down the road, it was pouring. No worries though, I actually enjoy riding in the rain. The only downside at that point was that I was on the trail, which is dirt, so my newly cleaned bike got a fresh coat of mud on it. Oh well, I'll just wash it again.
It got bad when the thunder and lighting came. Normally I'm not really to intimidated by storms, but this one really was on top of me. Luckily I came to a bridge, so I took shelter there. It was crazy for about 20 minutes. I saw a strike about 300 yards away. I've never heard thunder so loud. Luckily, weather passes by quickly out here, and so it was relatively clear in no time.
I finished the Katy Trail, going down to Clinton. It was actually out of my way to go to Clinton, but 1) I wanted to finish the trail and 2) I was afraid of hitting dirt roads taking another route. I made it to Harrisonville, MO around 3 and checked into my motel. It's okay here. I ordered pizza so that I didn't have to bike into town, and enjoyed getting to watch some TV.
Tomorrow: A rest (err... waiting) day in Harrisonville, MO.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Day Twenty Four
Today went about as well as it possibly could have. It was sunny, high 70s to low 80s, with no wind. I rode 62 miles from New Franklin, MO to Windsor, MO.
Nothing really eventful happened on the ride. I guess I met two women this morning who were pumped about riding 26 miles to Pilot Grove. They said I was belittling their accomplishment with mine (they were joking, clearly.) I ate lunch in Sedalia at a great little cafe. I sat at the bar and chatted with the owner.
Oh yeah, I hit what we decided was our halfway mark. 1700 miles. Pretty cool. I wish Jason were here to enjoy it.
I'm camping in this town park where they have a handful of campsites. It's a nice place. There was a Sonic right down the road, so I had that for the first time. I was underwhelmed. It's really pretty standard fast food.
When I got back, it was still really early, and I was board, so I decided to clean my bike. It now looks brand new. I even cleaned all the junk out of the cassette, and relubed the chain. I'm good to go now.
I talked to Jason a few minutes ago. His uncle passed today. My thoughts are with him and his family. The funeral is Tuesday morning, so he should be back out Tuesday night, or Wednesday. We'll be back on the road together in no time.
Tomorrow: Harrisonville, MO, which I'll call home for a couple days.
Nothing really eventful happened on the ride. I guess I met two women this morning who were pumped about riding 26 miles to Pilot Grove. They said I was belittling their accomplishment with mine (they were joking, clearly.) I ate lunch in Sedalia at a great little cafe. I sat at the bar and chatted with the owner.
Oh yeah, I hit what we decided was our halfway mark. 1700 miles. Pretty cool. I wish Jason were here to enjoy it.
I'm camping in this town park where they have a handful of campsites. It's a nice place. There was a Sonic right down the road, so I had that for the first time. I was underwhelmed. It's really pretty standard fast food.
When I got back, it was still really early, and I was board, so I decided to clean my bike. It now looks brand new. I even cleaned all the junk out of the cassette, and relubed the chain. I'm good to go now.
I talked to Jason a few minutes ago. His uncle passed today. My thoughts are with him and his family. The funeral is Tuesday morning, so he should be back out Tuesday night, or Wednesday. We'll be back on the road together in no time.
Tomorrow: Harrisonville, MO, which I'll call home for a couple days.
Day Twenty Three
Today I rode a measley 32 miles from Easley, MO to New Franklin, MO.
I got the chance to do a bit of hiking today. I'd been looking at the bluffs all morning, wanting to get a view from the top. So, when I passed a sign for a scenic lookout, I couldn't pass it up, especially since I'm in no rush for a few days. It was a short 5 minute (if that) walk, but the view was pretty amazing. There was a nice old lady at the top who I chatted with for a while. She offered to take my picture and email it to me, which was peculiar since I was holding my camera. I suggested she just take it on mind, and while she was a bit flustered about the LCD screen, she did just fine.
It was really windy today, and pretty cool, especially for Missouri this time of year so I hear. I didn't push to hard, and went pretty slowly. I got lunch at a gas station. Mediocrity at it's best.
I eventually came to this campground, Katy Roundhouse. It wasn't nearly as far as I'd wanted to go, but it was only 6$ for the night, with a shower. So I decided to just crash here.
I got hotdogs and beans and tea and apples and had quite a feast for dinner. It felt good to cook for myself, even though it was only over a fire. You take what you can get around here. So then I charged the phone and camera, took a shower, and am in bed. For those that are interested, the beard is great. Here's a teaser:
Tomorrow: Windsor, MO (Still on the Katy Trail.)
I got the chance to do a bit of hiking today. I'd been looking at the bluffs all morning, wanting to get a view from the top. So, when I passed a sign for a scenic lookout, I couldn't pass it up, especially since I'm in no rush for a few days. It was a short 5 minute (if that) walk, but the view was pretty amazing. There was a nice old lady at the top who I chatted with for a while. She offered to take my picture and email it to me, which was peculiar since I was holding my camera. I suggested she just take it on mind, and while she was a bit flustered about the LCD screen, she did just fine.
It was really windy today, and pretty cool, especially for Missouri this time of year so I hear. I didn't push to hard, and went pretty slowly. I got lunch at a gas station. Mediocrity at it's best.
I eventually came to this campground, Katy Roundhouse. It wasn't nearly as far as I'd wanted to go, but it was only 6$ for the night, with a shower. So I decided to just crash here.
I got hotdogs and beans and tea and apples and had quite a feast for dinner. It felt good to cook for myself, even though it was only over a fire. You take what you can get around here. So then I charged the phone and camera, took a shower, and am in bed. For those that are interested, the beard is great. Here's a teaser:
Tomorrow: Windsor, MO (Still on the Katy Trail.)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Day Twenty Two
Today went pretty much as expected. I rode a lonely 51 miles from Portland, MO to Easley, MO.
I slept in late this morning knowing that I was going to be doing a low mileage day. Once I was up, I went to the shower room to get ready, to find it locked. The manager had told me to lock it when I left, and so he must have 1) been an idiot and not seen that I was still there and 2) not trusted me. Ugh. It was find though I suppose, I had showered the night before. So I brushed my teeth out of a water spicket and wet on.
About 15 miles down the road, I found this awesome house open to bike tourers and hikers (and anyone else, I suppose.) It was 5$ a night on an honor system, and they had beds, showers, a bike shop room, the works. I wish I had known it was there and gone last night, or been able to stop today. Oh well, if I'm ever on the Katy Trail again I know where to stop.
I ate lunch at this airport restaurant outside of Jefferson City. I got there at 1:45 and they closed at 2. I ate the worst sandwich of the trip (yeah Jason, probably worse than Dimitri's) and went on my way.
There was a tour on the Katy Trail going west to east, so I passed about 300 people in about an hour. I felt like I was going the wrong way on a one-way street. I only almost got hit once. I've been "Howdy"ing everybody in Jason's honor.
So now I'm at Cooper's Landing. It's a marina/RV park/ camping/grocery/music venue/Thai food place. Hah. I didn't get the Thai food, but got a burrito from the store instead. Something about Thai food in central Missouri made me uncomfortable. I ate outside listening to some older guy playing guitar and singing songs. I've got a recording if anyone wants a taste of this life someday.
I'm writing this post sitting on the dock, watching the sun set on the Missouri river, still listening to the same guy. I'm really not quite sure how I'm going to introduce myself back into society.
Tomorrow: Still on the Katy Trail.
I slept in late this morning knowing that I was going to be doing a low mileage day. Once I was up, I went to the shower room to get ready, to find it locked. The manager had told me to lock it when I left, and so he must have 1) been an idiot and not seen that I was still there and 2) not trusted me. Ugh. It was find though I suppose, I had showered the night before. So I brushed my teeth out of a water spicket and wet on.
About 15 miles down the road, I found this awesome house open to bike tourers and hikers (and anyone else, I suppose.) It was 5$ a night on an honor system, and they had beds, showers, a bike shop room, the works. I wish I had known it was there and gone last night, or been able to stop today. Oh well, if I'm ever on the Katy Trail again I know where to stop.
I ate lunch at this airport restaurant outside of Jefferson City. I got there at 1:45 and they closed at 2. I ate the worst sandwich of the trip (yeah Jason, probably worse than Dimitri's) and went on my way.
There was a tour on the Katy Trail going west to east, so I passed about 300 people in about an hour. I felt like I was going the wrong way on a one-way street. I only almost got hit once. I've been "Howdy"ing everybody in Jason's honor.
So now I'm at Cooper's Landing. It's a marina/RV park/ camping/grocery/music venue/Thai food place. Hah. I didn't get the Thai food, but got a burrito from the store instead. Something about Thai food in central Missouri made me uncomfortable. I ate outside listening to some older guy playing guitar and singing songs. I've got a recording if anyone wants a taste of this life someday.
I'm writing this post sitting on the dock, watching the sun set on the Missouri river, still listening to the same guy. I'm really not quite sure how I'm going to introduce myself back into society.
Tomorrow: Still on the Katy Trail.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Day Twenty One
What was supposed to be a great day took a turn for the worse. I rode 54 miles from Augusta, MO to Portland, MO. Jeesh, I feel like I'm back in Maine.
Last night was crazy. I woke up to wind gusts around 3am so I put my rain fly on. Jason woke up around the same time and staked his in too. We could see the huge cloud bank rollig in. It was good timing, because not 2 minutes after I got back into my tent, it started raining. I checked my weather reports every 5 minutes for the next half hour to make sure there were no tornado warnings, but we were fine. I eventually fell asleep, but awoke again around 5 to loud thunder. It was just incredible. We got up around 7, and the rain was just stopping.
We got ready to go, and Jason miraculously found the tent bag that he had lost out in the corn field. Awesome.
The day was great until lunchtime. Jason had gotten a phone call about a week and a half ago saying that his uncle who had been fighting cancer wasn't doing very well. A few days later, they said he was doing much better. However, today he four out that he has about 3 days. So, Jason is flying home to see his uncle one last time, and make sure he gets to the funeral. Send your thoughts and best wishes to Jason and his family.
So the plan is: Jason is riding straight through 190 miles to Kansas City to fly home. I'm going to spend a few low mileage days on the Katy Trail, and a few in Kansas City. Jason will then fly back out to Kansas City, and we'll continue the trip. Hopefully we won't lose more than a couple days. It's like halftime for our trip, since KC is more or less the halfway point.
So I'm camping in Portland, MO tonight. I'm writing this from the most cliche Midwestern bar, eating chicken strips and fries. We'll be back on track in no time.
Tomorrow: Still on the Katy Trail.
Last night was crazy. I woke up to wind gusts around 3am so I put my rain fly on. Jason woke up around the same time and staked his in too. We could see the huge cloud bank rollig in. It was good timing, because not 2 minutes after I got back into my tent, it started raining. I checked my weather reports every 5 minutes for the next half hour to make sure there were no tornado warnings, but we were fine. I eventually fell asleep, but awoke again around 5 to loud thunder. It was just incredible. We got up around 7, and the rain was just stopping.
We got ready to go, and Jason miraculously found the tent bag that he had lost out in the corn field. Awesome.
The day was great until lunchtime. Jason had gotten a phone call about a week and a half ago saying that his uncle who had been fighting cancer wasn't doing very well. A few days later, they said he was doing much better. However, today he four out that he has about 3 days. So, Jason is flying home to see his uncle one last time, and make sure he gets to the funeral. Send your thoughts and best wishes to Jason and his family.
So the plan is: Jason is riding straight through 190 miles to Kansas City to fly home. I'm going to spend a few low mileage days on the Katy Trail, and a few in Kansas City. Jason will then fly back out to Kansas City, and we'll continue the trip. Hopefully we won't lose more than a couple days. It's like halftime for our trip, since KC is more or less the halfway point.
So I'm camping in Portland, MO tonight. I'm writing this from the most cliche Midwestern bar, eating chicken strips and fries. We'll be back on track in no time.
Tomorrow: Still on the Katy Trail.
Day Twenty
Today was great! We rode 84 miles from Highland, IL to Augusta, MO.
This morning Jason and I were sitting at our complimentary breakfast when we saw two apparent bike tourers leave they hotel. When they returned to fill their water bottles, we asked them where they were headed. Apparently they started in Los Angeles and were headed for DC. They asked us if we were planning on taking the Katy Trail through Missouri, and when we said no, they told us we should really look into it. Missouri is they home of the Ozarks, and while the hills aren't huge, there are lots of short steep climbs. The Katy Trail is part of the Rails to Trails program, which converts old railroad beds to bike and running trails. That means it's flat. Super flat. From where we got on in St. Charles, MO it run 230 miles west to Clinton, MO, about 20-30 miles from the Kansas state border. Needless to say, we room their advice and aimed for the Katy Trail.
We crossed the Mississippi River today too! It's actually flooding right now, so it's super high. They casinos along the riverfront were all flooded out. We made our way over to the Arch in St. Louis and hung out for a bit, basically just long enough to get some pictures. They we headed out.
It was terribly hot, and it took us awhile to find a reasonably priced lunch. We eventually found a pub that was a bit pricy, but it worked. We had a terrible waitress, and we were at the restaurant about an extra 45 mins just waiting for our check. Oh well. As we were about to leave, this guy came up to us and asked if we were the ones with the Treks. We told him about our trip and he was pretty excited. He told us that life as a vagabond was the life to live. Apparently he had just quit his job of 11 years, bought a sailboat, and was getting ready to sail around the world. I don't knowif I could licethis way forever, but he was a pretty interesting guy.
We eventually made it to the Katy Trail. It's awesome. It's not technically paved, but it's crushed limestone and good enough to ride on. We made it to Augusta, and decided we didn't want to ride anymore to the campground we had in mind. We were pretty hungry, thirsty, and tired.
Luckily there was a middle school softball gameright off the trail. We stopped and got dinner at the concession stand, and watched they game. After waiting for the game to finish and everyone to clear out (maybe 50 people) we set up our tents in the outfield. We're hoping we don't get kicked out, that'd be tragic. We should be fine though. We charged our phones a bit, and are crashing, getting ready for our first full day on the Katy Trail.
Tomorrow: 100 miles (give or take) down the trail.
This morning Jason and I were sitting at our complimentary breakfast when we saw two apparent bike tourers leave they hotel. When they returned to fill their water bottles, we asked them where they were headed. Apparently they started in Los Angeles and were headed for DC. They asked us if we were planning on taking the Katy Trail through Missouri, and when we said no, they told us we should really look into it. Missouri is they home of the Ozarks, and while the hills aren't huge, there are lots of short steep climbs. The Katy Trail is part of the Rails to Trails program, which converts old railroad beds to bike and running trails. That means it's flat. Super flat. From where we got on in St. Charles, MO it run 230 miles west to Clinton, MO, about 20-30 miles from the Kansas state border. Needless to say, we room their advice and aimed for the Katy Trail.
We crossed the Mississippi River today too! It's actually flooding right now, so it's super high. They casinos along the riverfront were all flooded out. We made our way over to the Arch in St. Louis and hung out for a bit, basically just long enough to get some pictures. They we headed out.
It was terribly hot, and it took us awhile to find a reasonably priced lunch. We eventually found a pub that was a bit pricy, but it worked. We had a terrible waitress, and we were at the restaurant about an extra 45 mins just waiting for our check. Oh well. As we were about to leave, this guy came up to us and asked if we were the ones with the Treks. We told him about our trip and he was pretty excited. He told us that life as a vagabond was the life to live. Apparently he had just quit his job of 11 years, bought a sailboat, and was getting ready to sail around the world. I don't knowif I could licethis way forever, but he was a pretty interesting guy.
We eventually made it to the Katy Trail. It's awesome. It's not technically paved, but it's crushed limestone and good enough to ride on. We made it to Augusta, and decided we didn't want to ride anymore to the campground we had in mind. We were pretty hungry, thirsty, and tired.
Luckily there was a middle school softball gameright off the trail. We stopped and got dinner at the concession stand, and watched they game. After waiting for the game to finish and everyone to clear out (maybe 50 people) we set up our tents in the outfield. We're hoping we don't get kicked out, that'd be tragic. We should be fine though. We charged our phones a bit, and are crashing, getting ready for our first full day on the Katy Trail.
Tomorrow: 100 miles (give or take) down the trail.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Day Nineteen
I really don't have much to say about today. We rode 92 miles from Greenup, IL to Highland, IL.
We woke up to rain. It was still pretty warn though, so we just dealt with it. We rode for about an hour before it cleared up. We found a turtle on the road, and took some pictures together. I named her Shelly.
The day went smoothly once the rain stopped. It got nicer and nicer as the day day continued, and it was hot and sunny by the afternoon. We pressed pretty hard, and we made it to Highland around 6:20. We're staying in a hotel again tonight. We made it to Muncie on Jason's birthday, so he still had a birthday present hotel room to cash in on.
We went swimming at the hotel and then got dinner at Mazzio's. Then we came back to the room, and just chilled eating Italian food and watching Miss USA. Solid night.
Tomorrow: Somewhere in Missouri (crossing the Mississippi!)
We woke up to rain. It was still pretty warn though, so we just dealt with it. We rode for about an hour before it cleared up. We found a turtle on the road, and took some pictures together. I named her Shelly.
The day went smoothly once the rain stopped. It got nicer and nicer as the day day continued, and it was hot and sunny by the afternoon. We pressed pretty hard, and we made it to Highland around 6:20. We're staying in a hotel again tonight. We made it to Muncie on Jason's birthday, so he still had a birthday present hotel room to cash in on.
We went swimming at the hotel and then got dinner at Mazzio's. Then we came back to the room, and just chilled eating Italian food and watching Miss USA. Solid night.
Tomorrow: Somewhere in Missouri (crossing the Mississippi!)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Day Eighteen
Today was a really great day. Or I should say ended up being a great day. We rode 85 miles from North Spencer, IN to Greenup, IL.
We were actually off to a terrible start, much like our day ended. There were thunderstorms all night, which actually woke me up, which is saying a lot because I'm a pretty heavy sleeper. Luckily my tent is great, and kept me dry. Jason had a little less luck and got a bit wet, but we didn't get struck by lightning, so it's all good.
We got breakfast at the campground. They had this goofy system where you ordered at the window, brought the slip to the desk to pay, then brought the slip back. I accidentally got an extra order of scrambled eggs, but I ate them anyways. I got some B&G (biscuits and gravy,) which were actually pretty good.
It was supposed to rain all day, but we ended up avoided it all day save for a few sprinkles. We got the inciteful advice that it was "gon' rain." Thanks man, you're really helping our optimism.
It wasn't especially hilly, but not completely flat either. Oh well, it all evened out I think. We hit the time change today too, so we got a free hour. Awesome. We also accidentally rode on Rt. 70 (a highway) in an accidental merge incident. We cut through the grass quickly though, and were soon in the clear.
We got lunch in Marshall, IL. Our waitress was a little standoffish, but when we told her we were from Maine, she revealed that fact that her uncle apparently owns "like half of some
town called Auburn." Hrmm. Paul Duplease or something like that? The name actually
does sound familiar.
The excitement of the day came when we passed through Martinsville,
IL. We were riding by a little community event when some
people called us over for drinks. We accepted, and spend about a half hour at the Rt. 40 festival. Yup. They were celebrating a road. Apparently it's historic or something, and this was it's 200th anniversary or something. So we got orange drink, popsicles, and se
cookies. We got pictures too, and might be in their paper, since we were riding the road they were celebrating across the country. I'm going to try to get a copy of the paper shipped home.
We're staying in a hotel tonight since last night was so miserable. It was only 40$, but it actually really nice. We can't ask for more. We were in early enough that we were able to take a ride into town. We got ice cream and dinner, and stocked up on donuts for breakfast. It really ended up being a great day.
Tomorrow: Highland, IL.
We were actually off to a terrible start, much like our day ended. There were thunderstorms all night, which actually woke me up, which is saying a lot because I'm a pretty heavy sleeper. Luckily my tent is great, and kept me dry. Jason had a little less luck and got a bit wet, but we didn't get struck by lightning, so it's all good.
We got breakfast at the campground. They had this goofy system where you ordered at the window, brought the slip to the desk to pay, then brought the slip back. I accidentally got an extra order of scrambled eggs, but I ate them anyways. I got some B&G (biscuits and gravy,) which were actually pretty good.
It was supposed to rain all day, but we ended up avoided it all day save for a few sprinkles. We got the inciteful advice that it was "gon' rain." Thanks man, you're really helping our optimism.
It wasn't especially hilly, but not completely flat either. Oh well, it all evened out I think. We hit the time change today too, so we got a free hour. Awesome. We also accidentally rode on Rt. 70 (a highway) in an accidental merge incident. We cut through the grass quickly though, and were soon in the clear.
We got lunch in Marshall, IL. Our waitress was a little standoffish, but when we told her we were from Maine, she revealed that fact that her uncle apparently owns "like half of some
town called Auburn." Hrmm. Paul Duplease or something like that? The name actually
does sound familiar.
The excitement of the day came when we passed through Martinsville,
IL. We were riding by a little community event when some
people called us over for drinks. We accepted, and spend about a half hour at the Rt. 40 festival. Yup. They were celebrating a road. Apparently it's historic or something, and this was it's 200th anniversary or something. So we got orange drink, popsicles, and se
cookies. We got pictures too, and might be in their paper, since we were riding the road they were celebrating across the country. I'm going to try to get a copy of the paper shipped home.
We're staying in a hotel tonight since last night was so miserable. It was only 40$, but it actually really nice. We can't ask for more. We were in early enough that we were able to take a ride into town. We got ice cream and dinner, and stocked up on donuts for breakfast. It really ended up being a great day.
Tomorrow: Highland, IL.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Day Seventeen
Today was a really long day. We rode 117 miles from Muncie, IN to North Spencer, IN.
The day was off to a great start. We had a big breakfast, and were on the road by 8:40. Dr. Harvey road the first 10 miles with us, which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I think the way he took us was a little out of the way, but in the end I'm sure it didn't cost us more than about 5 miles.
The morning went pretty well. It was flat and pretty straight. We ate lunch at 3rd Generation Pizza and got chicken fingers. They were mediocre at best and gave me pretty bad indigestion. Blagh, oh well.
Some guy handed us two coupons for free sandwiches from Chick-Fil-A out of his car window. So we got those and were on our way
Near Plainfield, IN it started getting a bit hilly, and that lasted for about the last 40 miles of our trip. At about 20 miles left to go, we faced about 3 miles of dirt roads. And even when we made it off of the dirt, the roads were still terrible. With about 4 miles to go, it started to rain, and our last mile was on another dirt road. We got to our campground just before 10, so we rode for about 13 hours.
On the plus side, Dr. Harvey gave us some Halt dog spray. So we got the chance to use that a few times today when we were getting chased. For the most part we just yelled, "HALT" at the dogs, and usually they would stop... especially the chained ones.
Tomorrow: Effingham, IL (changing time zones!)
The day was off to a great start. We had a big breakfast, and were on the road by 8:40. Dr. Harvey road the first 10 miles with us, which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I think the way he took us was a little out of the way, but in the end I'm sure it didn't cost us more than about 5 miles.
The morning went pretty well. It was flat and pretty straight. We ate lunch at 3rd Generation Pizza and got chicken fingers. They were mediocre at best and gave me pretty bad indigestion. Blagh, oh well.
Some guy handed us two coupons for free sandwiches from Chick-Fil-A out of his car window. So we got those and were on our way
Near Plainfield, IN it started getting a bit hilly, and that lasted for about the last 40 miles of our trip. At about 20 miles left to go, we faced about 3 miles of dirt roads. And even when we made it off of the dirt, the roads were still terrible. With about 4 miles to go, it started to rain, and our last mile was on another dirt road. We got to our campground just before 10, so we rode for about 13 hours.
On the plus side, Dr. Harvey gave us some Halt dog spray. So we got the chance to use that a few times today when we were getting chased. For the most part we just yelled, "HALT" at the dogs, and usually they would stop... especially the chained ones.
Tomorrow: Effingham, IL (changing time zones!)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Day Sixteen
Today was a rest day in Muncie, IN. The Harvey's are really great. We had an amazing breakfast and lunch, and a big spaghetti dinner. I'm really starting to miss homecooked meals, so it feels spectacular to be cooked for again.
We took a ride into Ball State to get a tour of the university where Dr. Harvey is a professor. They bought us smoothies and bought us each a Ball State t-shirt, which was awesome. After the tour, we did some parts shopping. I got my new rack and some gloves (I think I was starting to do permanent nerve damage to my palm/pinky finger, so hopefully they help.) We're so appreciative of Mrs. Harvey carting us all over town, it would have been a huge pain to try to bike everywhere we needed to go.
We returned home, and I got my new rack put on. It seems a lot sturdier than the original, so hopefully it works out. We were able to just sit and relax and watch TV, which felt amazing.
After dinner we went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a beautiful night out. I almost wish I had been out riding. Almost.
We came back and got directions for the next week printed out. It's nice to have a whole week planned rather than trying to do it day by day.
So we get one more night in a real bed with nice shower before about 2 weeks of trucking across the Midwest. We've decided to cut south earlier than planned, which will allow us to avoid Colorado altogether and as much of the Rockies as possible. We should be seeing Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico now, which I'm actually pretty excited about.
Tomorrow: Hickory Hills Campground, North Spencer, IN.
We took a ride into Ball State to get a tour of the university where Dr. Harvey is a professor. They bought us smoothies and bought us each a Ball State t-shirt, which was awesome. After the tour, we did some parts shopping. I got my new rack and some gloves (I think I was starting to do permanent nerve damage to my palm/pinky finger, so hopefully they help.) We're so appreciative of Mrs. Harvey carting us all over town, it would have been a huge pain to try to bike everywhere we needed to go.
We returned home, and I got my new rack put on. It seems a lot sturdier than the original, so hopefully it works out. We were able to just sit and relax and watch TV, which felt amazing.
After dinner we went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a beautiful night out. I almost wish I had been out riding. Almost.
We came back and got directions for the next week printed out. It's nice to have a whole week planned rather than trying to do it day by day.
So we get one more night in a real bed with nice shower before about 2 weeks of trucking across the Midwest. We've decided to cut south earlier than planned, which will allow us to avoid Colorado altogether and as much of the Rockies as possible. We should be seeing Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico now, which I'm actually pretty excited about.
Tomorrow: Hickory Hills Campground, North Spencer, IN.
Day Fifteen
We woke up this morning to a big change of plans. We rode 104 miles from Bellefontaine, OH to Muncie, IN.
Last time we checked our maps, we had about 280 miles from Orrville, OH to Muncie, IN. We did 119 miles yesterday, so we were planning on doing about two 80 mile days. However, apparently using walking directions saves huge numbers of miles compared to bike directions (why? I don't know...) So when we rechecked our map this morning, we only had 100 miles to Muncie, IN. So, we decided to do another big day (this time with a late start, since we had planned on doing a shorter day.) But we made it in by about 8:20. Not too shabby.
I realized this morning that my back rack had broke even more. We rigged up a pretty good system with some rope, and it took enough of the weight to get me all 104 miles to Muncie. I should be able to get it repaired/get new one tomorrow in town.
We stopped in Bellefontaine center this morning to buy snacks and a lunch so that we wouldn't have to stop for a long lunch. While we were stopped, a guy drove by and asked where we were headed. So we chatted for a minute before he drove off. Typical. However, a few minutes later he drove by again, and handed us a Subway sub. We're so grateful for all of the amazing people we've met so far.
We did an awesome 14.7 mile piece this morning. We basically treated it like a sprint and did it in just over 45 minutes, which is on the order of a 19mph pace. We love the Midwest.
We also got our first real rain this morning. It lasted for probably about 2 hours, but was only really frustrating for about a half hour. Actually, not even frustrating. I actually really enjoyed riding in the rain. Not that I want it every day, but it was nice for a bit.
Anyways, we made it into Indiana a day before we expected. There was no welcome sign, just a state line sign. How anticlimactic.
We got chased by more dogs. Most were smaller and fine, but some were definitely a little bit scary. Please chain your dogs Midwest.
We're staying with some family friends of Jason's, the Harvey's. It's kind of funny actually, because my sister was friends with their daughter when they lived in Auburn. What a small world. They made us burgers and pasta salad and broccoli and potatoes and all kinds of amazing things. If you can't tell, food is really the biggest part of our life right now, second maybe to actually cycling. We had hot showers and each have our own real bed, and I was able to watch the Bruins win the Stanley Cup. Today is great.
Tomorrow: A rest day in Muncie, IN.
Last time we checked our maps, we had about 280 miles from Orrville, OH to Muncie, IN. We did 119 miles yesterday, so we were planning on doing about two 80 mile days. However, apparently using walking directions saves huge numbers of miles compared to bike directions (why? I don't know...) So when we rechecked our map this morning, we only had 100 miles to Muncie, IN. So, we decided to do another big day (this time with a late start, since we had planned on doing a shorter day.) But we made it in by about 8:20. Not too shabby.
I realized this morning that my back rack had broke even more. We rigged up a pretty good system with some rope, and it took enough of the weight to get me all 104 miles to Muncie. I should be able to get it repaired/get new one tomorrow in town.
We stopped in Bellefontaine center this morning to buy snacks and a lunch so that we wouldn't have to stop for a long lunch. While we were stopped, a guy drove by and asked where we were headed. So we chatted for a minute before he drove off. Typical. However, a few minutes later he drove by again, and handed us a Subway sub. We're so grateful for all of the amazing people we've met so far.
We did an awesome 14.7 mile piece this morning. We basically treated it like a sprint and did it in just over 45 minutes, which is on the order of a 19mph pace. We love the Midwest.
We also got our first real rain this morning. It lasted for probably about 2 hours, but was only really frustrating for about a half hour. Actually, not even frustrating. I actually really enjoyed riding in the rain. Not that I want it every day, but it was nice for a bit.
Anyways, we made it into Indiana a day before we expected. There was no welcome sign, just a state line sign. How anticlimactic.
We got chased by more dogs. Most were smaller and fine, but some were definitely a little bit scary. Please chain your dogs Midwest.
We're staying with some family friends of Jason's, the Harvey's. It's kind of funny actually, because my sister was friends with their daughter when they lived in Auburn. What a small world. They made us burgers and pasta salad and broccoli and potatoes and all kinds of amazing things. If you can't tell, food is really the biggest part of our life right now, second maybe to actually cycling. We had hot showers and each have our own real bed, and I was able to watch the Bruins win the Stanley Cup. Today is great.
Tomorrow: A rest day in Muncie, IN.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Day Fourteen
Yup, we're definitely in the Midwest. We rode 119 miles from Orrville, OH to Bellefontaine, OH.
And that 119 miles wasn't all flat either. This morning was actually surprisingly hilly. We were up at 5 (well, I was up at 5:30) and we were out by just after 6:30. We had some rolling hills for a while, and some bigger hills around Mansfield, OH. After Mansfield though it sure flattened out. We were able to cruse at about 15 mph, which sounds slow for a road bike, but for a loaded touring bike, it feels like you're flying.
I had some trouble with my ankle today. Near the end of the day yesterday it was starting to hurt, and it continued today. I get tendinitis quite often, so my guess is that it's something like that. I'm hoping that some ice and Advil, with a rest day in a couple days, will do the trick.
I also noticed today that a piece of my rack was broken. I'm hoping it will hold together for the next two days until we get to Muncie, IN for a rest/repair day, where I can either fix it or get a new one. Hah, sometimes it feels like I'm in a video game where I have to try to make it to checkpoints and find stores.
It took us forever to find lunch today. We finally found a place around 3:45 and about 75 miles in. We sat there for a while and charged the phones while we watched Rosanne and then Miss Congeniality II.
We hit our 1000th mile today too! That really makes it feel like we've come a long way. We celebrated with an ice cream cone. Chocolate vanilla twist, of course.
We're staying at Zane Shawnee Caverns, which in this native-American run campground. It's kind of weird here. We splurged for a cabin (which is called "the raven,") but kind of wish that we'd just tented, because it's not really worth the extra money. Oh well, now we know.
So if nothing goes wrong with the bikes, and if the land stays flat, our next two days should be great. We have two days to do about 160 miles. Since we did almost 120 today without much trouble, we're hoping that it'll go great.
Also, Jason is 22 tomorrow (the 15th.) Be sure to send him birthday greetings! We're getting a hotel tomorrow to celebrate, and hopefully our day won't be very long.
Tomorrow: Somewhere between Bellefontaine, OH and Muncie, IN
And that 119 miles wasn't all flat either. This morning was actually surprisingly hilly. We were up at 5 (well, I was up at 5:30) and we were out by just after 6:30. We had some rolling hills for a while, and some bigger hills around Mansfield, OH. After Mansfield though it sure flattened out. We were able to cruse at about 15 mph, which sounds slow for a road bike, but for a loaded touring bike, it feels like you're flying.
I had some trouble with my ankle today. Near the end of the day yesterday it was starting to hurt, and it continued today. I get tendinitis quite often, so my guess is that it's something like that. I'm hoping that some ice and Advil, with a rest day in a couple days, will do the trick.
I also noticed today that a piece of my rack was broken. I'm hoping it will hold together for the next two days until we get to Muncie, IN for a rest/repair day, where I can either fix it or get a new one. Hah, sometimes it feels like I'm in a video game where I have to try to make it to checkpoints and find stores.
It took us forever to find lunch today. We finally found a place around 3:45 and about 75 miles in. We sat there for a while and charged the phones while we watched Rosanne and then Miss Congeniality II.
We hit our 1000th mile today too! That really makes it feel like we've come a long way. We celebrated with an ice cream cone. Chocolate vanilla twist, of course.
We're staying at Zane Shawnee Caverns, which in this native-American run campground. It's kind of weird here. We splurged for a cabin (which is called "the raven,") but kind of wish that we'd just tented, because it's not really worth the extra money. Oh well, now we know.
So if nothing goes wrong with the bikes, and if the land stays flat, our next two days should be great. We have two days to do about 160 miles. Since we did almost 120 today without much trouble, we're hoping that it'll go great.
Also, Jason is 22 tomorrow (the 15th.) Be sure to send him birthday greetings! We're getting a hotel tomorrow to celebrate, and hopefully our day won't be very long.
Tomorrow: Somewhere between Bellefontaine, OH and Muncie, IN
Monday, June 13, 2011
Day Thirteen
Today was just about a perfect day. We rode 76 miles from Hubbard, OH to Orrsville, OH.
For the record, we're officially in the Midwest. When we first crossed the border into Ohio, I was pretty skeptical about calling Ohio Midwest, but now that we're into the farmland, I've got no problem saying that. Things are absolutely starting to flatten out. That's not to sh we didn't do some sizable hills today, in fact we had about 15 miles of rolling hills, and a ride through the fairly hilly Akron, OH. But on average, the lad is looking a lot flatter.
Speaking of Akron, what a terrible
city. Here's an tidbit that pretty much sums up the city:
We were riding alon when we heard a lot of yelling. We passed a house with about 7 or 8 people on the porch. A large white lady had one foot up on the railing, pelvic thrusting, while another lady shouted, "BUT I WAS ON BIRTH CONTROL!" We also drove past an 'Adult Arcade' with the slogan, 'It's better than instant bingo!' Now I don't know what an adult arcade entails, or what instant bingo is, but I've got a new favorite expression. Like I said, basically sums up the city. Never going back there.
Our new friend Ally from Hubbard, OH bought us a bag of granola that we'd been trying to find the night before. Awesome. They're a great family. Grammy came to visit us this morning, so we chatted with her while we got packed up this morning.
The day really did go very smoothly though. Few hills, no dogs, no flat tires, and a beautiful low 70's and sunny. Just perfect.
We're staying at Caskey's Campground tonight. He got invited inside, so we went in and chatted with the owner for about an hour. He offered us a ride into town, so after we set up our tents we went in and got dinner. We met his grandfather too, who's 87 and still gardening and buildig stuff. He fought in WWII in Italy, and apparently lost his senses of taste and smell in construction accident. What an incredible guy. I wish we'd had more time to hear some of his stories. Anyways, the owner is super nice, and only charged us 10$ for the night, which I'm pretty sure is about half off. I love nice people.
And I'm writing this post from my tent with the rain fly off, and under a big Midwestern sky. Life is great.
Tomorrow: Waking up at the crack of dawn and trying to push 116 miles to Bellfontaine, OH to stay in a cabin.
For the record, we're officially in the Midwest. When we first crossed the border into Ohio, I was pretty skeptical about calling Ohio Midwest, but now that we're into the farmland, I've got no problem saying that. Things are absolutely starting to flatten out. That's not to sh we didn't do some sizable hills today, in fact we had about 15 miles of rolling hills, and a ride through the fairly hilly Akron, OH. But on average, the lad is looking a lot flatter.
Speaking of Akron, what a terrible
city. Here's an tidbit that pretty much sums up the city:
We were riding alon when we heard a lot of yelling. We passed a house with about 7 or 8 people on the porch. A large white lady had one foot up on the railing, pelvic thrusting, while another lady shouted, "BUT I WAS ON BIRTH CONTROL!" We also drove past an 'Adult Arcade' with the slogan, 'It's better than instant bingo!' Now I don't know what an adult arcade entails, or what instant bingo is, but I've got a new favorite expression. Like I said, basically sums up the city. Never going back there.
Our new friend Ally from Hubbard, OH bought us a bag of granola that we'd been trying to find the night before. Awesome. They're a great family. Grammy came to visit us this morning, so we chatted with her while we got packed up this morning.
The day really did go very smoothly though. Few hills, no dogs, no flat tires, and a beautiful low 70's and sunny. Just perfect.
We're staying at Caskey's Campground tonight. He got invited inside, so we went in and chatted with the owner for about an hour. He offered us a ride into town, so after we set up our tents we went in and got dinner. We met his grandfather too, who's 87 and still gardening and buildig stuff. He fought in WWII in Italy, and apparently lost his senses of taste and smell in construction accident. What an incredible guy. I wish we'd had more time to hear some of his stories. Anyways, the owner is super nice, and only charged us 10$ for the night, which I'm pretty sure is about half off. I love nice people.
And I'm writing this post from my tent with the rain fly off, and under a big Midwestern sky. Life is great.
Tomorrow: Waking up at the crack of dawn and trying to push 116 miles to Bellfontaine, OH to stay in a cabin.
Day Twelve
We're really knocking down states quickly here. We rode 63 miles today, from Titusville, PA to Hubbard, OH. I wish we could keep doing a state border per day, but I suppose that we'll be in Ohio for a few days.
Boy, other than a free dinner last night, Pennsylvania wasn't very good to us. Today was really hilly again. It's a good thing that we had planned for a shorter day, because we wouldn't have been able to make it much further.
One thing's for sure, the Pennsylvanians are definitely not a fan of paving their roads. We saw more dirt today than ever before. I mean, I realize it's Amish country and all, but it was kind of ridiculous. We ran into a completely new style of paving today too. The half pave. No, not side by side, or one end paved the other dirt, but instead striped. I'm not joking. Literally, 100 feet of pavement, 100 feet of dirt, 100 feet of pavement, 100 feet of dirt, etc., for a solid few miles. I just don't get it.
The Pennsylvanians also love not tying up their dogs. I was riding behind Jason this morning when I heard a few barks. This was nothing new, so I thought nothing of it. However, when the barks continued to get louder, I turned to see two rather large black beasts pursuing us. When dicussing it with Jason later, he said he heard me yell a certain curse word and fire past him as quickly as I could, which is when he turned to see the dogs. We ended up escaping with our lives. While this was the worst of it, we were chased by at least three other dogs along the way, not all quite as threatening.
Finally, after the dirt, dogs, and hills, we made it too Cedar Ridge Campground in Hubbard, OH. We chatted with the owner for a while, and with the owners granddaughter, who works at the camp, along with her boyfriend. They offered to give us a ride into town to get dinner, which was great because 1) we didn't have to ride in, and 2) he drove like a 2010 Mustang (okay, I'm not actually sure about the year, but it was really nice. So we got dinner and a tour of Hubbard before returning to make a fire and eat dinner.
Tomorrow: Somewhere in the southwestern direction from Hubbard, OH.
Boy, other than a free dinner last night, Pennsylvania wasn't very good to us. Today was really hilly again. It's a good thing that we had planned for a shorter day, because we wouldn't have been able to make it much further.
One thing's for sure, the Pennsylvanians are definitely not a fan of paving their roads. We saw more dirt today than ever before. I mean, I realize it's Amish country and all, but it was kind of ridiculous. We ran into a completely new style of paving today too. The half pave. No, not side by side, or one end paved the other dirt, but instead striped. I'm not joking. Literally, 100 feet of pavement, 100 feet of dirt, 100 feet of pavement, 100 feet of dirt, etc., for a solid few miles. I just don't get it.
The Pennsylvanians also love not tying up their dogs. I was riding behind Jason this morning when I heard a few barks. This was nothing new, so I thought nothing of it. However, when the barks continued to get louder, I turned to see two rather large black beasts pursuing us. When dicussing it with Jason later, he said he heard me yell a certain curse word and fire past him as quickly as I could, which is when he turned to see the dogs. We ended up escaping with our lives. While this was the worst of it, we were chased by at least three other dogs along the way, not all quite as threatening.
Finally, after the dirt, dogs, and hills, we made it too Cedar Ridge Campground in Hubbard, OH. We chatted with the owner for a while, and with the owners granddaughter, who works at the camp, along with her boyfriend. They offered to give us a ride into town to get dinner, which was great because 1) we didn't have to ride in, and 2) he drove like a 2010 Mustang (okay, I'm not actually sure about the year, but it was really nice. So we got dinner and a tour of Hubbard before returning to make a fire and eat dinner.
Tomorrow: Somewhere in the southwestern direction from Hubbard, OH.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Day Eleven
Well, we finally made it out of New York. We rode 90 miles from Salamanca, NY to Titusville, PA.
We had a pretty smooth first half of the day. We got lunch just before the border. There were some hills, but nothing too bad. When we finally crossed over into Pennsylvania, we were disappointed to not have a big "Welcome to Pennsylvania!" sign. All we got was a "Keep Pennsylvania Green" sign. Oh well, I guess that's what we get for taking back roads.
The day took a turn for the worst around 5:00 and about 25 miles to go. Jason got a flat tire. We were able to fix it relatively quickly, but it definitely set things in motion.
We took a turn down to Flat Road (which we were excites about, hoping that it was in fact flat) but found that it was dirt. If we have to do a short dirt road, we suck it up, but we were supposed to be on this for a while, so we decided to head back to the main road and take the long way around.
The bad thing about the long way around though is that is was hilly again. I know that Jason was certainly bummed about this, but I thought it was actually
kind of fun. It was basically like doing a sprint workout, with a rest on the downhills.
Eventually we made it to Titusville center. We stopped to grab dinner at Pasquales, a pizza and sub shop. They were the best! They gave us each a HUGE heaping portion of an incredible strawberry shortcake. And even better, about halfway through our order, the folks there decided to give us our meal for free. Some people are just too nice. So, if you're ever in Titusville, PA and need some food, now you know where to go.
Quite fittingly, the last 6 miles from Pasquales to Oil Creek Campground were terrible. We had about a mile and a half climb to about a 4 mile, very hilly, dirt road to the campground. But we eventually made it in around 9:45. Everything is wet here, so the fire was a no go, but hopes are high for a better day tomorrow.
Tomorrow: Hubbard, OH
We had a pretty smooth first half of the day. We got lunch just before the border. There were some hills, but nothing too bad. When we finally crossed over into Pennsylvania, we were disappointed to not have a big "Welcome to Pennsylvania!" sign. All we got was a "Keep Pennsylvania Green" sign. Oh well, I guess that's what we get for taking back roads.
The day took a turn for the worst around 5:00 and about 25 miles to go. Jason got a flat tire. We were able to fix it relatively quickly, but it definitely set things in motion.
We took a turn down to Flat Road (which we were excites about, hoping that it was in fact flat) but found that it was dirt. If we have to do a short dirt road, we suck it up, but we were supposed to be on this for a while, so we decided to head back to the main road and take the long way around.
The bad thing about the long way around though is that is was hilly again. I know that Jason was certainly bummed about this, but I thought it was actually
kind of fun. It was basically like doing a sprint workout, with a rest on the downhills.
Eventually we made it to Titusville center. We stopped to grab dinner at Pasquales, a pizza and sub shop. They were the best! They gave us each a HUGE heaping portion of an incredible strawberry shortcake. And even better, about halfway through our order, the folks there decided to give us our meal for free. Some people are just too nice. So, if you're ever in Titusville, PA and need some food, now you know where to go.
Quite fittingly, the last 6 miles from Pasquales to Oil Creek Campground were terrible. We had about a mile and a half climb to about a 4 mile, very hilly, dirt road to the campground. But we eventually made it in around 9:45. Everything is wet here, so the fire was a no go, but hopes are high for a better day tomorrow.
Tomorrow: Hubbard, OH
Friday, June 10, 2011
Day Ten
Woah, double digits! Today was a pretty good day, all and all. We rode 99 miles from Bath, NY to Salamanca, NY. We really debated doing an extra mile to hit the century but inevitably decided against it. We'll get it eventually...
The day started off in a pretty rough manner. In our first 50 minutes, we rode 3.7 miles. the hills were just attrocious. We did get to bike along with some deer thins morning though, which was pretty cool. Jason had to hit the breaks to avoid them. Nice.
From there the day got a lot better though. The land finally leveled out and we were able to really bang out a lot of miles. The weather was a lot better today too. It was mid-70's, which is pretty much an ideal riding temperature.
We ate lunch in Angelica, NY at this nice little place called the Acoustic Cafe. We've been doing so well with lunches. Hopefully we'll be able to keep that up. After lunch a couple doing a motorcycle tour chatted with us for a few minutes, and got our picture. Hopefully we'll get to end up in lots of random people's photo albums.
The second half of the day was pretty uneventful. We got a lot of flat ground and really cranked out the mileage. We decided to not stay in Allegany State Park since we were getting in after they closed, as well as avoiding some hills by going elsewhere. So we're at Elkdale RV Park, where they're letting us put up our tents. Sweet.
Hopefully we'll be getting out of New York and into Pennsylvania tomorrow mid-day. I'm pretty pumped to get out of this state. Oh and by the way, Salamanca, NY is really high on my list of places that I never want to come to again.
Tomorrow: Titusville, PA
The day started off in a pretty rough manner. In our first 50 minutes, we rode 3.7 miles. the hills were just attrocious. We did get to bike along with some deer thins morning though, which was pretty cool. Jason had to hit the breaks to avoid them. Nice.
From there the day got a lot better though. The land finally leveled out and we were able to really bang out a lot of miles. The weather was a lot better today too. It was mid-70's, which is pretty much an ideal riding temperature.
We ate lunch in Angelica, NY at this nice little place called the Acoustic Cafe. We've been doing so well with lunches. Hopefully we'll be able to keep that up. After lunch a couple doing a motorcycle tour chatted with us for a few minutes, and got our picture. Hopefully we'll get to end up in lots of random people's photo albums.
The second half of the day was pretty uneventful. We got a lot of flat ground and really cranked out the mileage. We decided to not stay in Allegany State Park since we were getting in after they closed, as well as avoiding some hills by going elsewhere. So we're at Elkdale RV Park, where they're letting us put up our tents. Sweet.
Hopefully we'll be getting out of New York and into Pennsylvania tomorrow mid-day. I'm pretty pumped to get out of this state. Oh and by the way, Salamanca, NY is really high on my list of places that I never want to come to again.
Tomorrow: Titusville, PA
Day Nine
Oops, I forgot to blog last night! Yesterday was a really hard day. We rode 64 miles from Ithaca, NY to Bath, NY.
It was hilly. And hot. Hilly and hot. Really hilly and really hot. We were going To stay at Demon Lake Campground, but with about 9 miles to go (and at 7:30 at night) we saw a sign for a campground 2 miles away, and decided to stay there.
Today is much cooler, and quite a bit flatter. Things are looking up.
Today: Allegany State Park, NY
It was hilly. And hot. Hilly and hot. Really hilly and really hot. We were going To stay at Demon Lake Campground, but with about 9 miles to go (and at 7:30 at night) we saw a sign for a campground 2 miles away, and decided to stay there.
Today is much cooler, and quite a bit flatter. Things are looking up.
Today: Allegany State Park, NY
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Day Eight
Today was a rest day. It sure felt great to be off the bike for a while, and hopefully we'll feel rejuvenated tomorrow. I was incredibly hot today too... we saw 96 in Ithaca.
Ithaca was great to us! We got our bikes fixed last night, and finished up some more mine repairs today. I played with my seat height, filled my tires, lubed my chain, and got my pedal working again. We also successfully changed Jason's tire. Great!
We had a great time hanging out in the city too. Carla took us swimming at first dam, which actually isn't really a dan, but just a big cool rocky swimming place. We almost watch a kid jump about 50 feet into shallow water, but luckily he didn't, and we distribution have to see someone die. We met up with Carla's friends Kaiya, Emily, and Abby, and got lunch with them downtown. After, we went and explored a gorge at Treman State Park. Epic.
We went out to dinner with Carla's Dad, stepmom, stepbrother, and his girlfriend. We had some strange dinner conversation, but we had a great time. We also met the wife of the drummer of Blue Oyster Cult. Cool? Thanks to Carla and her family for taking us in for a day and a half and buying us food. We appreciate it so much.
So, we're reset. Laundry's done, bikes are fixed, some gear was unloaded, and we're fed and rested. We're ready to get back on the bicycle.
Tomorrow: Somewhere 20-30 miles west of Corning, NY. Maybe at a commune?
Ithaca was great to us! We got our bikes fixed last night, and finished up some more mine repairs today. I played with my seat height, filled my tires, lubed my chain, and got my pedal working again. We also successfully changed Jason's tire. Great!
We had a great time hanging out in the city too. Carla took us swimming at first dam, which actually isn't really a dan, but just a big cool rocky swimming place. We almost watch a kid jump about 50 feet into shallow water, but luckily he didn't, and we distribution have to see someone die. We met up with Carla's friends Kaiya, Emily, and Abby, and got lunch with them downtown. After, we went and explored a gorge at Treman State Park. Epic.
We went out to dinner with Carla's Dad, stepmom, stepbrother, and his girlfriend. We had some strange dinner conversation, but we had a great time. We also met the wife of the drummer of Blue Oyster Cult. Cool? Thanks to Carla and her family for taking us in for a day and a half and buying us food. We appreciate it so much.
So, we're reset. Laundry's done, bikes are fixed, some gear was unloaded, and we're fed and rested. We're ready to get back on the bicycle.
Tomorrow: Somewhere 20-30 miles west of Corning, NY. Maybe at a commune?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Day Seven
And so ends our first week on the road. It was also our shortest. 60 miles, from Morrisville, NY to Ithaca, NY. We're staying with Jason's friend Carla.
We woke up to our friend Dan bellowing out his window, "Gentalman, start your engines!" Chatted with him while we packed, and got a nice early start.
All of our excitement today happened before we even started riding. As we pulled into the gas station this morning to get some breakfast, a guy at the pumped said, "Hey! Is one of you Greg?" Quite shocked, I told him that I was. Turns out it was Paul, the owner of the campground we were supposed to stay at. We explained what happened, and Paul's wife told us we may have to sell ourselves if we run out of money. Doubtful.
Moments after breakfast, my clip unscrewed from my show into my pedal. In an attempt to retrieve my clip, I broke my pedal by stripping the bolt, so I was forced to ride clipless on my right foot for the day. Oh well.
We had a beautiful ride to Ithaca. Jason had a little trouble with bags, and got a flat tire about 2 miles from Carla's, but we made it through relatively comfortably.
We took a ride in to the bike shop in town to get things looked at. For me, it was my fork and pedal, and Jason was searching for a new back rack. The guy said he couldn't have a fork for me in 2 days, but gave us the number of a guy that could. Apparently my pedal is reversible and just has a test ride pad on one side. Oops.
So, we took a ride to Swan Cycles to see Glen the bike master. Glen works at Cornell, and runs a makeshift shop out of his home. He doesn't do it for (much) profit, but just because he loves to bike. I got a brand new Surly Long-Haul Trucker fork, installed, for only $94. Absolutely amazing. That's probably about $50 less than any other shop would be able to do the job. Glen is the man. Jason got a new rack too for an incredible price.
We returned to Carla's very happy, and ate a huge dinner of steak and absolutely delicious pasta. Then we took a ride into town to get ice cream and drive around. Today was the best day yet.
Tomorrow: A rest day.
We woke up to our friend Dan bellowing out his window, "Gentalman, start your engines!" Chatted with him while we packed, and got a nice early start.
All of our excitement today happened before we even started riding. As we pulled into the gas station this morning to get some breakfast, a guy at the pumped said, "Hey! Is one of you Greg?" Quite shocked, I told him that I was. Turns out it was Paul, the owner of the campground we were supposed to stay at. We explained what happened, and Paul's wife told us we may have to sell ourselves if we run out of money. Doubtful.
Moments after breakfast, my clip unscrewed from my show into my pedal. In an attempt to retrieve my clip, I broke my pedal by stripping the bolt, so I was forced to ride clipless on my right foot for the day. Oh well.
We had a beautiful ride to Ithaca. Jason had a little trouble with bags, and got a flat tire about 2 miles from Carla's, but we made it through relatively comfortably.
We took a ride in to the bike shop in town to get things looked at. For me, it was my fork and pedal, and Jason was searching for a new back rack. The guy said he couldn't have a fork for me in 2 days, but gave us the number of a guy that could. Apparently my pedal is reversible and just has a test ride pad on one side. Oops.
So, we took a ride to Swan Cycles to see Glen the bike master. Glen works at Cornell, and runs a makeshift shop out of his home. He doesn't do it for (much) profit, but just because he loves to bike. I got a brand new Surly Long-Haul Trucker fork, installed, for only $94. Absolutely amazing. That's probably about $50 less than any other shop would be able to do the job. Glen is the man. Jason got a new rack too for an incredible price.
We returned to Carla's very happy, and ate a huge dinner of steak and absolutely delicious pasta. Then we took a ride into town to get ice cream and drive around. Today was the best day yet.
Tomorrow: A rest day.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Day Six
Well, I don't have a whole lot to say about today. Everything went pretty smoothly. We rode 61 miles today from St. Johnsville, NY to Morristown, NY.
Today was hot. Really, really hot. I ended up with about 5 layers of sunscreen on. Better that than rain though I suppose. I can't complain.
We started the day with a gigantic uphill. We didn't even try to ride up it. So we walked our bikes about a mile and half up the side of a mountain. On the plus side, the downhill on the other side was just as incredible.
We got a lot of flat roads today, and managed to get a lot of good miles in. We got lunch in Ilion, NY. What a weird little town. We got a bag of bagels, ham, cheese, chewy bars (emphasis on the bars, they're not Chewy brand,) and two teas for under 10$. Great deal? So we made bagel sandwiches on the sidewalk.
We rode through downtown Utica. It's definitely on my list of top five places I don't want to live. We also rode through Clinton. What up NESCAC.
Lastly, and most excitingly, our sleeping situation got marginally better tonight. We rolled into Morrisville and were getting dinner before heading over to the nearest campground. However, we ended up meeting this guy who told us that the camp was no good and that we should come to his house and camp in his backyard. So we gladly accepted. So we ate our Subway sandwiches in Dan's backyard on newspaper placemats, got a nice shower, and chatted next to the crick with nice little bonfire. What a life.
Also, as a side note, I forgot to mention all of the wildlife we've seen. Countless chipmunks and squirrels, some rabbits, a handful of deer, and lots of fish jumping. We also almost got attacked by geese on about three different occasions. Bah.
Tomorrow: Ithaca, NY.
Today was hot. Really, really hot. I ended up with about 5 layers of sunscreen on. Better that than rain though I suppose. I can't complain.
We started the day with a gigantic uphill. We didn't even try to ride up it. So we walked our bikes about a mile and half up the side of a mountain. On the plus side, the downhill on the other side was just as incredible.
We got a lot of flat roads today, and managed to get a lot of good miles in. We got lunch in Ilion, NY. What a weird little town. We got a bag of bagels, ham, cheese, chewy bars (emphasis on the bars, they're not Chewy brand,) and two teas for under 10$. Great deal? So we made bagel sandwiches on the sidewalk.
We rode through downtown Utica. It's definitely on my list of top five places I don't want to live. We also rode through Clinton. What up NESCAC.
Lastly, and most excitingly, our sleeping situation got marginally better tonight. We rolled into Morrisville and were getting dinner before heading over to the nearest campground. However, we ended up meeting this guy who told us that the camp was no good and that we should come to his house and camp in his backyard. So we gladly accepted. So we ate our Subway sandwiches in Dan's backyard on newspaper placemats, got a nice shower, and chatted next to the crick with nice little bonfire. What a life.
Also, as a side note, I forgot to mention all of the wildlife we've seen. Countless chipmunks and squirrels, some rabbits, a handful of deer, and lots of fish jumping. We also almost got attacked by geese on about three different occasions. Bah.
Tomorrow: Ithaca, NY.
Day Five
Boy, we sure had a lot of ups and downs today. 86 miles, from Nassau, NY to St. Johnsville, NY. I'm not quite sure where to start, so I guess I'll do positives first and negatives second.
Today really flattened out. We had a few big climbs, but not much compared to the last few days. We got lucky with the bike paths today (er, mostly, see negatives later,) for they were paved and allowed us to get in some really fast miles. And they were beautiful.
We stopped to find a map this morning in Nassau center. We went in to Grampy's, but alas, no maps. So, we went next door to look for maps. When they didn't have maps or a bathroom, we returned to Grampy's to at least fill our water bottles. But let me tell you, Grampy wasn't happy about us looking for maps elsewhere. He got (legitimately) mad at us for leaving and coming back. Sorry gramps, just need a maps of New York. Anyways, Jason'S friend Dave left shortly after, and Jason and I decided to head towards St. Johnsville (oh, we finally found a map just down the road, New Yorkers love their Stewarts.)
We rode through downtown Albany, and managed to survive. We lunched at Subway, and chatted with the clerk for a while while trying to fond a campground. We eventually found a place, but when we called, the manager told us of a big 5 mileclimb right before, and told us of another closer campground. What a really great guy.
Now on to the negatives. When we were on one of our bike paths, we ended up at a random barrier, and had to lug our bikes up a hill and across a few traintracks.
However, that was the least of our worries. On the next bike path, I was ripping right along at about 13 mph when some kids passed by the other way. I moved to the side to give them room to pass, but as I came back to the center, there was a big wooden post in the middle of the trail that I'd forgotten to watch for. Anyways, I hurdled 220 lbs of weight into the post dead on. However, on a loaded touring bike, you don't go over the handlebars as you might at first expect. Not with 50 lbs of weight on the back. No, what happens in you just stop. Oh, and also bend the bejesus out of your fork. Anyways, it bent straight back, so I can still ride it fine, the wheel is now just about a half inch from the bottom tube. Such is life. Ill try to have someone bend it back at the next bike shop we find, or buy a new fork, or i could just keep riding on it.
And lastly, we ended up riding into the night. We rode through upstate New York by headlamp into our campground. It was cold and dark and not very fun. Jason was having a lot of trouble with his rack too, so he had even less fun than I did.
But we made it. We're here safe and sound, camping again. We were on the road for 13 hours today, so I'm calling it bed time.
Tomorrow: Somewhere between here and Ithaca, NY.
Today really flattened out. We had a few big climbs, but not much compared to the last few days. We got lucky with the bike paths today (er, mostly, see negatives later,) for they were paved and allowed us to get in some really fast miles. And they were beautiful.
We stopped to find a map this morning in Nassau center. We went in to Grampy's, but alas, no maps. So, we went next door to look for maps. When they didn't have maps or a bathroom, we returned to Grampy's to at least fill our water bottles. But let me tell you, Grampy wasn't happy about us looking for maps elsewhere. He got (legitimately) mad at us for leaving and coming back. Sorry gramps, just need a maps of New York. Anyways, Jason'S friend Dave left shortly after, and Jason and I decided to head towards St. Johnsville (oh, we finally found a map just down the road, New Yorkers love their Stewarts.)
We rode through downtown Albany, and managed to survive. We lunched at Subway, and chatted with the clerk for a while while trying to fond a campground. We eventually found a place, but when we called, the manager told us of a big 5 mileclimb right before, and told us of another closer campground. What a really great guy.
Now on to the negatives. When we were on one of our bike paths, we ended up at a random barrier, and had to lug our bikes up a hill and across a few traintracks.
However, that was the least of our worries. On the next bike path, I was ripping right along at about 13 mph when some kids passed by the other way. I moved to the side to give them room to pass, but as I came back to the center, there was a big wooden post in the middle of the trail that I'd forgotten to watch for. Anyways, I hurdled 220 lbs of weight into the post dead on. However, on a loaded touring bike, you don't go over the handlebars as you might at first expect. Not with 50 lbs of weight on the back. No, what happens in you just stop. Oh, and also bend the bejesus out of your fork. Anyways, it bent straight back, so I can still ride it fine, the wheel is now just about a half inch from the bottom tube. Such is life. Ill try to have someone bend it back at the next bike shop we find, or buy a new fork, or i could just keep riding on it.
And lastly, we ended up riding into the night. We rode through upstate New York by headlamp into our campground. It was cold and dark and not very fun. Jason was having a lot of trouble with his rack too, so he had even less fun than I did.
But we made it. We're here safe and sound, camping again. We were on the road for 13 hours today, so I'm calling it bed time.
Tomorrow: Somewhere between here and Ithaca, NY.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Day Four
So I'm writing this post from the inside of my tent in. We rode just about 68 miles today, from Amherst, MA to Nassau, NY. That was our third state border... the next one won't come for a while.
Today was a lot better than the last. Maybe I'm just starting to get used to doing 10 hour weighted rides every day. The head wind that we'd been dealing with finally let up, which was fantastic, and it was bright and sunny all day. I'm sure not looking forward to our first rainy ride.
Jasons's friend Dave rode with us today. He's camping with us tonight and riding a few miles with us tomorrow. It's been great to have the company.
We ran into some pretty big hills today, but nothing too steep compared to Prescott Hill yesterday. Just some long 2-3 miles climbs. But we managed to get some pretty incredible
downhills too, so I guess it all evens out.
We had another great lunch today. Our lunch pictures are the best. We met some guys who toured England, Ireland, Wales, etc., and who had mountain-biked Nepal. He seemed like a pretty cool guy. We also met a few folks hitch-hiking from Burlington across the country. We're just letting tons of cool people!
We're camping tonight since we couldnt quite make it to Albany. We chatted with the guy here, and still haven't found the head ramrod (their words, not mine,) who owns the place to pay. I'm sure we'll find him in the morning.
Time for bed though, another long day of hills awaits.
Day five: Somewhere just east of Utica? (let us now if you have a place for us to stay!)
Today was a lot better than the last. Maybe I'm just starting to get used to doing 10 hour weighted rides every day. The head wind that we'd been dealing with finally let up, which was fantastic, and it was bright and sunny all day. I'm sure not looking forward to our first rainy ride.
Jasons's friend Dave rode with us today. He's camping with us tonight and riding a few miles with us tomorrow. It's been great to have the company.
We ran into some pretty big hills today, but nothing too steep compared to Prescott Hill yesterday. Just some long 2-3 miles climbs. But we managed to get some pretty incredible
downhills too, so I guess it all evens out.
We had another great lunch today. Our lunch pictures are the best. We met some guys who toured England, Ireland, Wales, etc., and who had mountain-biked Nepal. He seemed like a pretty cool guy. We also met a few folks hitch-hiking from Burlington across the country. We're just letting tons of cool people!
We're camping tonight since we couldnt quite make it to Albany. We chatted with the guy here, and still haven't found the head ramrod (their words, not mine,) who owns the place to pay. I'm sure we'll find him in the morning.
Time for bed though, another long day of hills awaits.
Day five: Somewhere just east of Utica? (let us now if you have a place for us to stay!)
Friday, June 3, 2011
Day Three
First of all, sorry that the maps up top aren't working so well. They actually do work very well, but running the app on my phone wrecks the battery and we need the phone for maps more than anything. Hopefully that'll get resolved eventually...
Today was better than the last. 70 miles almost on the dot, from Littleton, MA to Amherst, MA.
We're still dealing with a pretty good headwind, but it died down a little bit for the second half of the day. We've had good luck with the weather otherwise (except that I burnt my shoulders... oh well, at least they match my arms now.)
We're still having good luck with the bags. They only fell off once today when I hit a huge pothole on a big downhill. A minor retaping and I was good to go.
Speaking of big hills, we ran into a HUGE hill off of 202 in Mass. I think that there were about seven turns that we took where the hill just kept going. I walked up the last third of it probably. Ridiculous.
We just had a huge spaghetti dinner, and are hot tubbing now. Perfect.
Day 4: Somewhere between Albany and the NY state boarder.
Today was better than the last. 70 miles almost on the dot, from Littleton, MA to Amherst, MA.
We're still dealing with a pretty good headwind, but it died down a little bit for the second half of the day. We've had good luck with the weather otherwise (except that I burnt my shoulders... oh well, at least they match my arms now.)
We're still having good luck with the bags. They only fell off once today when I hit a huge pothole on a big downhill. A minor retaping and I was good to go.
Speaking of big hills, we ran into a HUGE hill off of 202 in Mass. I think that there were about seven turns that we took where the hill just kept going. I walked up the last third of it probably. Ridiculous.
We just had a huge spaghetti dinner, and are hot tubbing now. Perfect.
Day 4: Somewhere between Albany and the NY state boarder.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Day Two
Today was just incredibly difficult. 96 miles, from Wells, ME to Littleton, MA. We're staying with a friend of Jason's. He made us three hamburgers each for when we got here and gave us beds and a shower. What a guy.
Let me tell you, 96 miles wouldn't be too bad, BUT this was basically through the mountains of New Hampshire. And into a headwind for almost the entire way. Plus, we had to take a handful of detours, 12 miles worth of detours all told. One road was closed, and 2 other times we had to take major detours to avoid bike paths.
Oh, the bike paths. GoogleMaps really likes the bike paths on bike directions. However, they're dirt and meant for mountain bikes. Why would anyone looking for bike directions be on a mountain bike? Doesn't make any sense, but it's a pain. It's hard to catch them all, and so we have to deal with them as they come.
In better news, we fixed our bags up with duct tape, and they only "fell off" once the entire day. Success. We also crossed two state boarders, which was pretty cool.
Anyways, I'm mega tired so I'm headed to bed. Again, a donations page for Make a Wish will be up soon.
Day Three: Amherst, MA
Let me tell you, 96 miles wouldn't be too bad, BUT this was basically through the mountains of New Hampshire. And into a headwind for almost the entire way. Plus, we had to take a handful of detours, 12 miles worth of detours all told. One road was closed, and 2 other times we had to take major detours to avoid bike paths.
Oh, the bike paths. GoogleMaps really likes the bike paths on bike directions. However, they're dirt and meant for mountain bikes. Why would anyone looking for bike directions be on a mountain bike? Doesn't make any sense, but it's a pain. It's hard to catch them all, and so we have to deal with them as they come.
In better news, we fixed our bags up with duct tape, and they only "fell off" once the entire day. Success. We also crossed two state boarders, which was pretty cool.
Anyways, I'm mega tired so I'm headed to bed. Again, a donations page for Make a Wish will be up soon.
Day Three: Amherst, MA
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Day 1
Well... the first day. And what a day it was. 70 miles, Festival Plaza in Auburn to Wells, ME. You can check out the first two sections of the day at the top of this page... the third isn't there because my phone was dying. Hopefully I'll get better at keeping it well charged.
The day started with a thunderstorm. Leaving Jason's house the skies were (very nearly) black as night. We made it down to Festival Plaza (about a mile from Jason's house) just as it started to pour. Luckily, Jason's barber was next door, so we waited out the storm inside. We got our start at about 10 am.
We realized pretty quickly our bags were failing. About 3 miles in one fell off my bike. Not completely, but enough to get nervous. We fixed it and kept riding, but it was soon happening on both sides, and happening to both of us. We did the rest of the day stopping every few miles to readjust and make sure everything was stable, which was a pain, but it got us to Wells. The project for the morning is fixing that problem.
Other than the bags, smooth sailing to Portland. We went right down Commercial Street, with the plan to take Rt. 1 most of the way to Wells. Rt. 1, we soon found out, is more or less a highway across Back Bay. Exciting. But We're alive.
At lunch, we stopped at Dimitri's in Scarborough. Chatted with the guy a while, and he took our picture to put on their facebook page. I couldn't find the page, but you're welcome to look.
We also ended up taking a bike path through a marsh, which was great a first. We ended us running into some construction of the path though, and got pretty slowed down.
Pretty straightforward day other than that... just really tired now. Ate a great dinner with Justin LeClair at a chinese restaurant. We got way too much food, but it'll get eaten eventually. That's all for tonight. I'm off to shower and watch the Bruins now. Keep an eye out for a link for a donations page (Make a Wish!) It'll be up soon.
Day 2: Littleton, Massachusetts.
The day started with a thunderstorm. Leaving Jason's house the skies were (very nearly) black as night. We made it down to Festival Plaza (about a mile from Jason's house) just as it started to pour. Luckily, Jason's barber was next door, so we waited out the storm inside. We got our start at about 10 am.
We realized pretty quickly our bags were failing. About 3 miles in one fell off my bike. Not completely, but enough to get nervous. We fixed it and kept riding, but it was soon happening on both sides, and happening to both of us. We did the rest of the day stopping every few miles to readjust and make sure everything was stable, which was a pain, but it got us to Wells. The project for the morning is fixing that problem.
Other than the bags, smooth sailing to Portland. We went right down Commercial Street, with the plan to take Rt. 1 most of the way to Wells. Rt. 1, we soon found out, is more or less a highway across Back Bay. Exciting. But We're alive.
At lunch, we stopped at Dimitri's in Scarborough. Chatted with the guy a while, and he took our picture to put on their facebook page. I couldn't find the page, but you're welcome to look.
We also ended up taking a bike path through a marsh, which was great a first. We ended us running into some construction of the path though, and got pretty slowed down.
Pretty straightforward day other than that... just really tired now. Ate a great dinner with Justin LeClair at a chinese restaurant. We got way too much food, but it'll get eaten eventually. That's all for tonight. I'm off to shower and watch the Bruins now. Keep an eye out for a link for a donations page (Make a Wish!) It'll be up soon.
Day 2: Littleton, Massachusetts.
Great omen?
First post from the, um, road? Getting ready to take off from festival plaza, waiting out a thunder storm.
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