c2c 4500 miles of cycling fun

Day 85: Schoodic Peninsula Acadia NP

2009-09-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Buying food for our picnic lunch at the farmers market
Back in the day French vessels would hide behind the Porcupine Islands to attack the British. A modern cruise ship almost dwarfs one of the islands now
the start of the challenging anvil trail hike
Sylvia’s mom tries out the plush seating offered by a thick layer of moss on a tree root
moss growing in the fractures of a rock
picnicking near the anvil trail’s end
unbelievable fragrent roses near our picnic
checking out the cool dock Chip recently rebuilt
a hardshell lobster before heading home
check out the white tooth like bumps in the claws

Day 84 Acadia NP

2009-09-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Cairn building height tests

Ship Harbor Trail:
exploring a gravel bar
on the bar with a spent lobster trap
sailboat
sky and sailboat

Cadillac Mountain (Desert Islands highpoint):
view of Bar Harbor and the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman’s Bay
Tom, Sylvia and her mom
A simple photo of a rock believing the natural color of the linchens and the rocks may hold promise as a basis for paint skemes in the house
the shot of the color pallet inspiration rock
the Margaret Todd tour boat in Bar Harbor offers 2 hour tours which you help the crew raise and maneuver the sails
Margaret Todd under sail
Although they are hard to see with out enlarging, there are hundreds of lobster trap floats in this picture of Bar Harbor

Afternoon Day 83 Jordan Pond

2009-09-02T03:31:00.000-07:00

Jordan pond
Cormorant on a rock
Rock scrambling Sylvia
Jordan pond
Jordan Pond
Sylvia and her mom and a piece of birch bark
Jordan Pond
View from near the top of Cadillac Mountain
DayGlo/HiViz Lichen
Sylvia and her mom

Video of Sylvia's mom at home by the sea

Day 83 Acadia’s Sand Beach--mostly

2009-09-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

Fuzzy funky fungi covered tree

Sylvia and her mom

ocean waves hitting rocks

delicate wildflower in the rocks

Marsh adjacent to Sand Beach

Acadia's Sand Beach beauty close up

Sand Beach’s sand is deposited every spring and washed out to sea every winter. Here you can see the different layers that make up the beach as Tom looks on.

rocky coast with Sand Beach in the background

Rocks getting pounded near thunder hole

Sylvia with Sand Beach in the background

Lighthouse boat tour Portland Day 82

2009-08-31T04:34:00.000-07:00

Lighthouse boat tour
Portland head light two views
Ram's Island Ledge Lighthouse
Channel marker with a rider
Lobster trap floats

Day 82: Old Orchard Beach

2009-08-31T04:18:00.000-07:00

Sylvia and Kamla seaside
Sylvia and her mom
Kamla's feet cause a turbulent design

Peeble casts sand shadows
Reflections Kamla and me in bubbles

some stoney beach near Ferry State Park

2009-08-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

Beach near Ferry State Park

Tom Sylvia Kamla and Kevin

Waves approach

Mermaid revisits home

Portland Head Lighthouse on day 81

2009-08-28T19:58:00.001-07:00

Bill sportin' Pistol Pete

Portland Head Light

Sylvia sees the light

Workin' Bee

Portland Head Light

Day 79: Fun Videos and Lobster Pics

2009-08-26T04:21:00.000-07:00

Kevin and Sylvia go Cruisin' with Tom and Jerry in Chamberlain SD.

Day 68 Playground fun on "Safe" see-saws

Day 78: WE MADE IT! Cornish, ME, to Portland, ME, 37 miles

2009-08-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

Total mileage: 4130.7

Pictures: Kevin tries on a pair of D&G sunglasses that he found
Kamla smiles after making it to Portland
The crew in Portland

Video of my bikes front wheel.

A beautiful day to end our ride on. We cruised into Portland and at the visitor center stopped for pictures and to dip wheels. We wish to thank everyone who made it possible: people who can and sagged for us; people who went out of their way to help us along the way; and friends we met along the way. If you’ve followed the blog from the start you probably know that of the original 6 people that started the C2C we lost 3 to crashes along the way. As you saw from the posts last week Susan Walker has bounced back quite well from her broken collarbone. Bill spoke with Rick a couple days ago he’s in therapy for his broken arm still. Diane is having a difficult time recovering from her head injury. I thank you for all your prayers for the group and wish you to continue praying for those injured along the way.

Day 77: Conway, NH, to Cornish, Maine 35 miles

2009-08-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Covered bridge over Saco River in Conway
Kamla’s favorite view from the covered bridge
Maine state line with Bill showing off Pistol Pete on the back of his jersey
Riding in the first sprinkle of the day
Taking shelter at the ice cream/hot dog stand
Uppy shows us how its done in the livestock barn

Video of the shower from inside the livestock barn

We left our hotel and got to ride across a covered bridge. Then after 7.7 miles we crossed into Maine. We stopped at the visitor center and got directions on how to make it to Portland using the back roads. After riding 20 or so miles on the back roads we got to a junction with a ice cream/hot dog stand and found out from the owner we had been on the wrong road for quite some time. But it was a blessing in disguise. Before we finished eating our hot dogs the sky let loose with a pounding Hurricane Bill rain. We got to shelter under the awning and umbrella for about an hour till it let up enough for us to continue. We had learned that there was a motel in the town of Cornish about 4 miles away. After riding almost 2 miles the rain picked up. We spotted the fairgrounds and headed to one of the livestock barns for sanctuary. The rain waxed and waned several times while we hung out in the barns ankle deep saw dust. Then all the sudden the rain quit and the sun came out. We left our sanctuary to head toward Cornish. Of course it rained on us while we rode the last two miles into town. It didn’t take long to nix the plans for making it to Portland and find accommodations in the Midway Country Lodge. The blessing is if I hadn’t have missed the turn earlier in the day we wouldn’t have been near a town with a motel.

Day 76: Conway, NH Rest Day

2009-08-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

It was still raining this morning so without much argument we decided to take a rest day. The river is running too high for us to take a float trip so we’ve been hanging out around the hotel. Woody the guy that runs the hotel is nice and he let us borrow his car to drive to Staples so Kamla could ship stuff home. We got some marble slab ice cream then I dropped the Kamla and Sylvia off at a nail salon to get pedicures. This evening we plan on cooking out on a grill at the hotel then riding around 60 miles tomorrow. We’re only 5 miles from Maine and can be in Portland in two days of biking. We’re nearing the end of the ride its gonna be hard heading back to the real world.

2009-08-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Day 75: North Woodstock NH to Conway NH 35 miles over Kancamagus Pass

Pictures:
A New Hampshire sign
Low hanging clouds
Posing on a suspension bridge on the way up the pass
The top of Kancamagus Pass
A quick foot soaking

This morning we loaded our gear in the Prius. Susan was taking our gear and Bill to the White Deer Hotel in Conway where we’ll stay the night. Bill had to go to help unload and also to go to a bike shop and get a broken spoke replaced. Kevin, Kamla, Sylvia and I enjoyed the nice 12 mile climb up Kancamagus Pass. Overcast conditions kept us from getting a clear view of the mountains but we stopped at several scenic overlooks to rest and read about the impact glaciers had had on the mountains during the last ice age. About 10 miles from Conway we stopped to dip our feet in the river and take some pictures. That’s when we heard the first clap of thunder. We managed to ride another 5 miles before being overtaken by a rain shower. As we waited for the rain to let up under a tree in the woods a pack of cyclists went by. We mounted up and a couple miles down the road we found the pack of Canadian cyclists finishing changing a flat. We made it to the hotel in Conway just in time. Not two minutes passed before all hell broke lose; a deluge of hard rain with lightening striking all around the hotel. That’s the second time this trip that we out ran a massive rain storm by seconds (Buffalo, NY, was the other time). We had a blast all evening hanging out with fishermen, harley riders, a couple from NJ and others sitting on the patio in front of the rooms sharing stories.

Day 74b: Arrival in North Woodstock

2009-08-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Pictures: The big arrival

Kevin and Uppy in the front with Susan driving

Kamla sitting on Sylvia in half the back seat

Kamla tries to wake up her leg

Bill trys to revive a sleeping arm

4 disassembled bikes fill the cargo area

While I blogged in the afternoon at the hotel, Susan Walker returned to pickup more cyclists. They were about 20 miles short of town when Susan spotted them. Susan was tired and wished to fit all of them in in one trip. This is what a Prius looks like with 4 bicycles and 5 people crammed in for more than half an hour on the back roads of New Hampshire.

Day 74: Rochester VT to North Woodstock NH

2009-08-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Pictures: on the road outside of Rochester
by barn
we scream for ice cream
crossing the bridge over the Connecticut River into New Hampshire
a covered bridge on River street in NH
NH mountains ahead

What a great night in the Pumpkin Patch B&B. I slept like a baby on the king sized Sealy Posturpedic Euro style pillow top. The owners Debbie and Rich Mathiesen served us a great french toast breakfast with plenty of sausage, bacon and fruit salad bracing us for today’s long ride. Here is the thing about Vermont, they don’t take that good of care of their roads (or maybe its just the hard winters) so they are riddled with cracks. Also there are few shoulders and many roads have too much traffic to enjoy while bicycling. Then you get to a 15 or 20 mile tertiary road that has no traffic and is in beautiful shape and it makes the ride all worth while. So one minute your taking a break stressed and cursing VT then ten minutes later you’re effervescent with joy in spectacular scenery and having the ride of your life. Also you assume that everyone up here is a granola eating easy going free will type. Well that ain’t so, they are some of the most callous lest bicycle friendly drivers I’ve experienced. One guy in a pickup truck heading the opposite direction from we yesterday stopped while I climbed a 12% grade he said, “People like you get killed awful easy.” Maybe the granolas have pushed the rednecks a little too far up here. On a more possitive note my odometer rolled over 4000 miles today. I only did 40 miles then sagged in to the motel with Susan Walker to catch up on the blog.

Day 73 Ticonderoga, NY to Rochester, Vermont

2009-08-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Ford truck
Clint Eastwood riding in the truck
Vermont State Line
Kamla on a old tractor at the Tractor rehabber
Kamla Squirrel
Moose Crossing
Stone walls in a barn yard
Pumpkin Patch B&B
Fine dinning at the Huntington House
Bill gets a gift from Kevin
While getting ready to leave from breakfast I spotted an old Ford pickup so I went over to check it out. Inside, taped to the dash was a photo of Clint Eastwood sitting in that very truck. We took the ferry across Lake Champlain to Vermont. A colorful Vermont dude took our state line picture. Then came a surprise. Here in the heart of earth/animal rights is the first veal farm that we’ve seen. We met up with Susan Walker who has driven up from OK to visit her brother and sag us. She found a good sandwich shop to eat lunch in Middlebury. Afterwards we went community/historical center next door to see the gift shop and the exhibit upstairs about a communality started by back-to-earthers Helen and Scott Nearing. Leaving town we took an alternate route recommended by a cyclist in the bike store. It added 7 miles but was well worth it due to smoother roads, less traffic and a safer descent. The only drawback was the mosquitoes. When Sylvia and Kamla headed into the woods to have a natural break we heard a volley of squeals as they were swarmed by mosquitoes. After covering ourselves with DEET, we grabbed some snacks and took pictures with the local squirrel at a convenience store. Then the real beauty began; lakeside ride, dense woods, leaf litter, glacier laid stones, farmers stone walls, rivers. We had a good climb to end on; 4 miles at 12%. The descent was marvelous along a stream for several miles. Then when Sylvia called to reserve a B&B and was hung up on by the rude owner. What a blessing the next B&B that she called, the Pumpkin Patch, has a huge loft room for all 6 of us and stables for our bikes. After an amazing dinner at the Huntington House we finished out the night watching the DVD Must Love Dogs.

Rest Day in Ticonderoga

2009-08-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Fort Ticonderoga-Involved in decisive battles during the French & Indian War 1758 and was the victory for us during the Revolutionary War
The gang-Sylvia, Kamla, Bill, Kevin
Lake Champlain
the way the fort looked in the late 1800’s when the Pell family(as in Pell Grant) bought the land then began to restore the fort
lots to see
convenience store

Day 71: Long Lake, NY to Ticonderoga, NY, 72 miles

2009-08-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Bissell’s store
Bissell’s store
Hogwarts Headmaster’s Car
Lake Scene
the big steep descent into Ticonderoga 49.5 mph
The Stone House. Our home for two nights.

We are in the heart of the Adirondacks. Lots of climbing some with very steep sections and grades of at least 10% (I was going 2.8mph up one). But the rewards are worth it, numerous lakes, beautiful views, and good roads. As we headed into the town of Newcomb we asked a woman if there was anyplace to get some Gatorade and snacks in town. She said there was an old grocery, Bissell’s Store, that has everything. She commented that the owner is a penny pincher and mentioned that she can remember when she was five years old that he put a skeleton in an upstairs window as a Halloween decoration. She is sixty-one now and it’s still there. The store did have just about one of anything you’d want from 2006 Consumer Reports Buyers Guide to bicycle tires. Shortly after we left Newcomb we missed a turn and headed off route about 10 miles. We didn’t realize it till Kevin mentioned we were in a town that didn’t appear on his map (at the bottom of a long hill that I had done over 46mph coming down). It was cool though Kamla had a state map so we just used it to plot a route to Schroon Lake then got back on route at Severance. With such beautiful roads even getting sidetracked and riding an extra ten miles is a treat. The only argument to be heard is considering by how just big a margin is this summer the best summer ever.

Day 70: Boonville to Long Lake NY, 76 miles

2009-08-17T06:01:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Cemetery
group photo beside a river
a swallowtail butterfly caterpillar
one of best rides of the ride
rock and lake raquette
Long Lake arrival at dusk
A nice hill climb start beside a cemetery. Lots of traffic for a Sunday morning but nice ups and downs. We hit highway 28 to be welcomed with wall to wall traffic fortunately we had a nice shoulder. After lunch we had one of the most pretty rides of the trip. An amazing lake side ride with little traffic on a new road surface. Then we stopped in at the Pedals and Petals shop in Inlet to top off our tires and replenish the chamois butter supply. As we left the town of Raquette Lake we had a long climb. After a short break on top we started down and right into a rain shower. Wishing to put on my rain jacket I pulled over to the side of the road, overshot the edge and hit the soft gravel causing my bike to come to a quick stop and me to get thrown off. I’m fine we just waited out the shower in the timber going thru my panniers looking for the illusive jacket. A long day we got into Long Lake just at dusk. The lakeside lodge is a concatenation of On Golden Pond and Dirty Dancing.

Day 69: Polaski to Boonville, around 52 miles

2009-08-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

Pictures wildflowers and creek view
that’s a big firewood pile
the cookout
We had a short day stopping in Boonville because the next accommodations were over 30 miles farther. After getting our room at the Headwaters Motor Lodge, we headed to the creamery next door. We had already ordered our icecream before noticing a sign about wine ice creams made with wine. So we convinced them to allow us do a taste test with all six flavors. I liked the port but the overall winner was the raspberry chardonnays. Kevin’s keen eye noticed propane grills at the end of the lodge so we decided to go to the grocery store and buy some brats to cook up. We played with the nerf football and I got to put on a cornering ‘clinic’ to illustrate counter steering to the group. (gets you into the turn a lot quicker) After dinner we played foosball and pool in the lodges game room with Patsy Cline playing on the jukebox.

Day 68: Wolcott to Polaski, NY 56 miles

2009-08-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

Pictures: We survived the dive
Venus the only remaining statue that still holds her lamp
Pool hall dinner of old
Pool table and all the fixtures still there
Meadow of flowers
Hot, hilly, demanding. We ate breakfast in this great old store that had a display case and a billiard table that had been photographed in the very store way back in the in the 1920’s. Then we played on playground equipment like overgrown children on a sugar rush. We made Bill happy by making a shop-stop at Wal-mart.
Later we made a wrong turn and ended up eating lunch in Mexico. What an excellent wrong turn at Gerco’s we ate delicious huge sandwiches of which I could only eat half. While we were eating a woman approached and told us of her bicycle ride across America. Just before she left she mentioned that her husband had died yesterday afternoon. I cannot imagine, how, incredible that she had gone out of her way to speak with us at such a time…literally on her way from making funeral arrangements.

Day 67: Rochester to Wolcott, NY, August 13, around 75 miles

2009-08-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Pictures: On a bridge over the Erie Canal: Kevin, Sylvia, Kamla, and Bill
Sylvia on the bridge
Kamla obeys the walk your bike sign
The crew stands on Erie canal’s lock 30 gate
Morris Mini Cooper by Lake Ontario
Lake stone house built in 1832
Lake stone house close up
We rode the Eric Canal through Rochester all the way to Palmyria then ate lunch in a small canal side dinner decorated straight out of Pottery Barn. Later Kevin bought us all Donut Peaches at a roadside stand as we headed northward. We saw a double blooming Rose of Sharon bush. Then as we approached a turn we saw an old Morris Mini Cooper with Lake Ontario in the background. During our break near the Cooper a couple came by and gave us cookies to eat. We also found an old house that was built in 1832. It is made of fist sized stones that were found in Lake Ontario. The owner said that is was used during the underground railroad. That evening we stayed in a complete dive of an hotel. It was like a rat’s maze to try to get to the room. The bartender watered down our drinks towards the end of the night. Lesson: watch the bartender mix your drinks…we didn’t realize were at a juice bar the last hour and a half last night doing nothing but increasing the establishment’s profit margin.

Day 66: Albion NY to Rochester NY, August 12, 38 miles

2009-08-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Bill suits up in Kamla's Bugoff suit to make a phone call outside last night
Bike Outfitters, Josh
Grateful Dead commemorative bike
top tube vertebra
The Erie Canal was again wonderful. In Brockport we stopped at The Bicycle Outfitters. Josh sold us new tires and checked my chain for stretch then gave us a tour of the place. At the end of the front display he got down a Grateful Dead collectors edition commemorative bike that was made by Gary Fisher years ago. The gum tires are showing their age but only been ridden on the carpet in the store and is available for $1200 to any fans. BTW, they also have one new in box too.

Day 65: Niagara Falls, Canada, to Albion, NY, via Erie Canal Towpath

2009-08-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Bruce entertains us while in line at the US border
Teenagers jumping off a bridge in the Erie Canal
Kamla rides along the Erie Canal
Paul’s rear wheel setup
Paul changing gears
This morning, when we were pulling out, we saw another loaded cyclist headed our way. His name was Bruce. He rode along with us to the border crossing telling us stories while we waited for 30 minutes with the cars in line. Crossing the border without a passport went smoothly for Kamla. Just like at the Canadian Border they asked where she was born and typed her name into the computer then let us all cross. Bruce went on his separate way soon after we crossed. We ate lunch in Lockport before getting on to the Erie Canal. The canal made for an easy ride along the crushed gravel and a day of relaxing conversation.
At Medina, famous for its sandstone some of which was used in Buckingham Palace, we met a cyclist named Paul. He is an organic farmer who is headed to work near Detroit because of the opportunities that are nearby. He built his own panniers and wooden front rack. His panniers are made of leather and canvas that he waterproofed with linseed oil, beeswax and pine tar (I think). He made his own wooden fenders too. His bike had two chain rings and on his rear wheel he had 2 single freewheels on one side and a fixie on the other. Oh yeah, did I mention that he didn’t have any derailleurs. To shift he has to get off the bike and loosen the rear quick release then manually move the chain.(Ol’ School style made by Rivendell in SF) He was a cool guy that even let Bill ride his bike around the parking lot. What a way to ride around America.

Day 64: Rest Day in Niagara

2009-08-10T21:19:00.001-07:00

Sylvia at the Whirlpool

Kevin, Kamla, Me and Bill at the Whirlpool with Rainbow Bridge in the background

Sly

Hat day

On the Maid of the Mist

American Falls

Sharing Pictures

Kamla in the Rainbow

The Maid of the Mist in the Rainbow

Day 63: Orchard Park, NY, to Niagara Falls, Canada, Sunday, August 9th, 38 miles

2009-08-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Making it through the gate to the bridge

On the Peace Bridge

Kamla in Canada without her passport

Sylvia and Kamla at Niagara Falls

We came into downtown Buffalo just as the sky started to darken on the horizon. Our route was blocked by, of all things, a bicycle race in progress. After getting asked by an upset racer if we had a 9 speed rear wheel he could use to replace his flat, we asked directions to the nearest hotel then hightailed it to the Adam’s Mark Hotel. A couple of the more effective red-light runners (its Sunday) made it just as the drops started to fall. We all placed our bikes under an awning and snuck into the hotels café/bar to wait out the storm. It was a gully washer but after lunch and blogging another hour or two we headed to the peace bridge to cross into Canada. We had to buzz to have a gate opened so we could wheel the bike BOB combos through, then we got to ride on the sidewalk over the bridge past all the cagers stuck in the traffic. At the Canadian gate the officer checked our passports/ID’s. Kamla had left hers at home but it is being overnighted to Niagara Falls on the US side. We asked the officer whether Kamla would be able to cross back with only a driver’s license. He responded, “They can’t keep you from entering your own country.” At the first bar we had to stop and sample the local beer. With a hearty “SOCIALIZING” (standard Canadian toast) we toasted our accomplishment of officially adding international to our bike ride. We took it easy and made it to the falls just at sunset. Another great day on the bike.

Day 62: Barcelona, NY to Orchard Park, NY, August 8th, 63 miles

2009-08-10T06:04:00.000-07:00

Pictures: sumac trees grow near roadside waterfall
Kamla, Sylvia, Kevin, Julie and Bill
Chatting with Julie
Kamla and Sylvia ride past pretty purple wildflowers
Everyday expect the unexpected. About 20 miles down the road we talked ourselves into riding into Erie State Park to take pictures of ourselves on the beach. In the parking lot within view of the beach we met Julie a veteran car traveler to 47 states (she still has Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Hawaii on the list). She was on her way back from spending a couple days at the Chautauqua Institute, a mixture of faith, science and arts that is reflected in the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Julie is a very bright woman who as music teacher was stifled by the powers that be while teaching at college. Julie visited with us for about an hour sharing travel stories, her philosophy, and her positive energy. For me she nailed her observation that the people who associate themselves with nonconformist groups, such as hippies, are really some of the most conformist/closed minded. When a hippie gets married they‘re no longer accepted. We enjoyed her so much that we didn’t bother to walk down to the beach for the photos.
Then we stopped for lunch at bar/restaurant in Point Breeze just as it started to sprinkle. After being stuck there an hour our serve Judi mentioned having extra bedrooms in her beachside house just a mile and half down the road. While we hung out sipping beers day dreaming about swimming in Lake Erie and wondering if she had a hot tub, Judi tried to call her husband to ask him if it would be okay for use to crash there. Unfortunately he was working on plumbing job and not answering his phone. So after another hour our dreaming came to a stop and we rode the last 30 miles to Orchard Park riding in off and on drizzling rain. Don’t feel too sorry for us. After dinner we went to the hotel’s club and Bill taught us to swing dance. It was a ton of fun…he can really cut a rug.

Day 61: Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH, to Barcelona, NY thru PA 86 miles August 7th

2009-08-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

Pictures: 3 waterspouts behind Bill, Kamla, Kevin and Sylvia
Riding over the raising bridge in Ashtabula
Photo of a nice bottle tree
Crossing into Pennsylvania
Sylvia breaks rank and enjoys the hard serve ice cream
Hanging in front of a nice Erie house enjoying the shade trees
Bill in front of an Erie Church

I'm being eaten by a nothing but flys frog
Blackeyed Suzie’s along a bike path in Erie
Wine tasting
New York State Line

Wow, a day for the record books. First thing this morning the phone rings its Kevin saying we need to run down and see this…over Lake Erie were 4 waterspouts (tornadoes when on land). Watch the video. Then we got to the town of Ashtabula in time to see the bridge raise at 9am (it raises every half hour). Then we stopped at a roadside park and scared off a deer that was eating apples. We all tried the green apples. They were small, tart and good. Later we had soft serve raspberry ice cream cones to reward ourselves after difficult hill climb. Then we had blackberries from a roadside stand. We enjoy great salads for lunch. The roads were nice with good shoulders, rolling hills, lots of trees. In Erie, PA, we enjoyed getting lost in a fabulous neighborhood filled with massive trees and massive houses. We saw a house(now a museum) made of very dark, almost black, stones; very Addams Family. Sylvia and I took pictures with one of the city’s fiberglass decorated frog statues while others read about Erie’s involvement in the Civil War. We decided that sometimes getting off route is a good thing. Then while cranking our way through vineyards towards our Barcelona destination, we spotted the Mazza Vineyard opened for wine tasting, of course we came to a screeching halt. For $2 we got to sample 6 wines each. Even though I don’t care much for wine it was fun. We all kicked in an extra buck in to taste their famous ice wine. Ice wine is only made in this region. To make it they leave the grapes on the vine till mid December. The grapes dry out and become raisins then hopefully stay frozen till picked at below 17 degrees F. They will spoil if it gets warm. Then the winery gets only a drop or two out of each raisin to make the wine. Needless to say it’s a very expensive wine. It’s also a very sweet wine. Before leaving we bought a bottle of their port and a bottle of their fruity Pink Catawba a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon with if you look closely you can spot them in the picture at the NY state line. You all missed a banner day.

Day 60: Cleveland to Geneva-on-the-Lake

2009-08-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Kamla, Howard and Sylvia
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, No we didn’t have time to go in and see it
Waterside shot
Well….I don’t want to renege on the expectations thing but today’s ride through the east side of Cleveland had many miles of busy roads and bad shoulders when there were shoulders. It started great with Howard escorting us through downtown to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where we took up the trail. We rode through spectacular old rich neighbors to start with then circumstances changed. Traffic, bad roads, saying pothole and manhole thousands of times. I got a flat in the rear made with a 16p nail. Bought new tubes and a new rear tire a couple miles down the road at a sad bike shop that charges $1 per tire for air. We made it to Geneva-on-the-Lake in time to do laundry and grab a bite to eat in this kitschy town.

Day 59: Avery to Cleveland, August 5th, 57 miles

2009-08-06T11:10:00.001-07:00

Pictures: Sylvia and the Cleveland skyline

Sylvia, Bill and Kevin at the mosaic entrance to an underpass along the bike trail

Howard, Kamla, Kevin, Sylvia walking to dinner

Horitizontal elevating train bridge

Night time Cleveland

Expectations. This trip has taught me a lot about dispelling expectations.
For example you never hear anything good said about North or South Dakota. In Washington we met a girl, Brooke, who had biked from the east coast. She took a train across North Dakota because she had such low expectations of the state. Of course, North and South Dakota have turned out to be my favorite states so far. As we rode along the Lewis and Clark Trail, we were constantly taken aback with the lands beauty and the kindness of the locals. My expectations of Cleveland were equally as dismal. I expected traffic. I expected the Lake Erie to have its own funky smell which would permeate the region. I expected Cleveland to be a rotting, rusting, heap of a city. The last 20 miles getting to Downtown Cleveland was like biking through Nichols Hills. Huge well kept mansions on the lake front and little traffic. Seeing downtown was mesmerizing. Bridges going this way and that all made of different designs and different materials with differing functions. Every view offers something, well, different. Boats traveling along the river. Bridges rotating others lifting to get out of the way. People making their way to bars and restaurants. Trains rolling by. Seagulls. It’s a city with a lot to offer. It has quite a heartbeat.
The group rolled right up to the waters edge to meet up with Howard and Kamla. At RAGBRAI we met Howard and he said he’d put us up for the night and show us the town when we got to Cleveland. All I can say is well done. The sunlight just broke through the window of Howard’s brick warehouse loft. I’ll try to find my camera and post some pics.

Day 58: Grand Rapids, OH to Avery, OH, August 4th 80 miles

2009-08-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Big Boy Posers
Purina Plant/Grain elevator in Pemberville
Woody’s Restaurant
North Coast Inland Trial Sylvia and Kevin
Another perfect day for a bike ride. It might have made the 80 degree mark. Winds were favorable. The terrain was unbelievable flat. My max speed was 22.5 and that was achieved pedaling with a tailwind. In Fremont we went to Fremont Cycle and Fitness. Sylvia had a rattle she thought was associated with her left pedal. The owner/mechanic, Tom, found a loose mounting bolt on her rear rack. Bill bought a new jersey so now we can auction off the ancient purple/pink one. Do I hear $5? Tom also told us how to get to the North Coast Inland Trail and recommended that we eat at Woody’s. An old drive in restaurant similar to Coits in OKC it even makes its own Root Beer like Coits. As we started to leave Woody’s Sylvia noticed her rear tire was completely flat. We changed it the headed North Coast Inland Trail. We’re very close to Lake Erie. Along the paved rail-trail Sylvia kept thinking her rear tire was getting soft. After a short break she noted her tire was defiantly on the softer side. We found the cause to be a defective tube that failed where the valve stem is patched to the tube about an inch from the stem itself. Most of the excitement today evolved around the anticipation of meeting up tomorrow with Kamla. She flew into Cleveland today and will meet us at tomorrows endpoint. Her easy going nature and warm smile will be a welcomed addition to the group and give Sylvia relief from being the only girl.

Day 57: Monroeville, IN, to Grand Rapids, OH, August 3

2009-08-05T05:26:00.000-07:00

Pictures: We make it to Ohio
Enjoying the back deck at LaRoe’s
The view of the riverside from LaRoe’s
Cathy serves us Christmas breakfast
The front of the Mill House B&B
Another beautiful day for a bike ride. We crossed the state line then watched 2 crop dusters fly about for 15 minutes. While eating lunch in Defiance we called the Mill House B&B in Grand Rapids and made reservations. The old downtown of Grand Rapids is filled with neat stores and restaurants. An old mill was converted to an award winning B&B back in the 90’s. It’s owned by Cathy and Ron . Cathy met us on the front porch and showed us our room and were to stash our bikes. After getting cleaned up and settled we headed to LaRoe’s. We sat out on the back deck and enjoyed a stunning view of the river. Well kept flowers and a neat riverside park full of visitors kept our senses busy while we enjoyed an excellent meal. Our waitress, Michelle, helped identify the Gerber Daisies that were scattered throughout the flower beds. After dinner we went down to the river to watch fishermen ply their trade and the sunset‘s glory. That night we all slept like babes in the Mill House.
In the morning we ate breakfast on the back patio. Cathy and Ron served us coffee cake and breakfast casserole (like the casserole my family serves on Christmas morning). We skarfed it down and left happy full and rested and all in agreement that the Mill House has been our favorite overnight location of the trip. Bill says he plans to bring his bride back to Grand Rapids and the Mill House (voted Ohio’s most romantic B&B) and visit for a few days.

Day 56: Wabash, IN, to Monroeville, IN, August 2nd 63 miles

2009-08-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Sidewalk in Huntington, IN
Sylvia following Kevin and Marisha
Pete
Bill compensates for the new haircut
Pete, Marisha and Kevin in Monroeville

Another great day for biking. Since it is Sunday we took highway 24 out all the way from Wabash thru Huntington to Mardenis. Very little traffic and a nice tailwind had us tooling along at 15.5mph average
Marisha rode the first section to Huntington while Pete sagged. After taking pictures around downtown Huntington, the hometown of Dan Quayle, we decided to cruise all the way to our endpoint, Monroeville, to eat lunch. About five miles outside of Monroeville my odometer made the 3000 mile mark. We ate lunch at a bar then we found the municipal park to stay the night. It’s a great place to camp. There is a pavilion to park you bike under, a shower and a washer/dryer. Another cyclist named Michael is here he started riding in February leaving his home near New Orleans and has gone 7000 miles. After we got settled in at the park, Marisha and Pete left headed back towards Oklahoma . We all enjoyed having them join us these past four days and miss them already. For dinner we went back to the same bar, the Pour House. Three of us had the 5 piece cod fish dinner. It was too much for even us hungry cyclists to eat. We boxed up the leftovers and took a full meal back to Michael. He shared more stories of his ride and I asked him questions about his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
We talked to Diane last night. A friend of hers named John is driving her back to NJ. She is bruised, sore and nauseous but improving everyday.

Day 55: Buffalo to Wabash, August 1

2009-08-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Bill’s favorite breakfast Pancakes

Children of the corn

Flower garden along the roadside

John Deere Roofing

Pretty much another uneventful day. The roads are getting hillier, it can’t stay flat forever. At Fletcher we met Pam who always offers cross country cyclists a futon to sleep on. She gave us bottled water shared stories of other cyclists that had passed thru. In the town of Denver we ate at a diner that had us sign their ‘BIKE BOOK’. A binder filled with names and writings of cyclists who had dined there since 1986. Pete spotted the signature of Tulsan Richard Abbott who ate there in 1995. Kevin and I sagged in with Marisha to get a jump on blogging and laundry. Kevin didn’t realize a surprise awaited him. His wife Sarah, her sister Sandy and Sandy’s husband Greg had driven up from Kentucky to visit for the evening. We ate steaks and chatted thru the evening.

Day 54: Watseka IL to Buffalo IN, July 31

2009-08-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Kevin and Marisha
Bill breakfast in the Iroquois Café
Marisha and Pete at breakfast
Marisha is condemned passing under a bridge out sign
Bill revisits his birthtown
Another glorious day. Smooth roads, tailwind, blue sky’s, temp in the 80’s and no baggage on the bike. Marisha and Pete took turns driving the sag wagon. We had a great breakfast at the Iroquois Café then breezed into Indiana with only a change in pavement to note the new state. Since Bill was born in Rensselaer we deviated course slightly to visit his birthplace. The local bike shop tightened the locknut on Kevin’s rear gears and directed us to a drive-in for lunch. Then it was off to camp at Thrasher Woods campground eating dinner at Buffalo and then sipping good beers by the campfire.

Day 53 Ottawa to Watseka - 90 miles ridden 20 miles sagged

2009-08-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

Photos: Diane’s friends and trail angels Connie and Joshua
I&M Trail
Sylvia and Kevin in front of Lincoln and Douglas Debate statues in Ottawa city park
Haircuts on our day off in Ottawa
Outside the Fiesta Restaurant: Me, Sylvia, Marisha, Phil, Kevin, Bill, Mida, Tim. Pete took the photo.
A first for the trip. We get into the town of Morris meet up with Bill’s friend Ron and decide to eat at Al’s Diner. Just after we order an energetic sprite of a man comes in and heads right for our table. He says his wife told him that cross country cyclists were in town and he needed to get down there meet us and buy us lunch. We asked how he came to know about us. He says, ‘it’s a small town.‘ We shake hands with our benefactor Kim DesLaurieri. He’s the principal of the catholic elementary school and rode RAGBRAI last week raising over $30,000 in the process. We share stories and true to his word he buys us all lunch. After he leaves Ron simple response was, ‘small town America.’
We discussed our route with the Schwinn dealer and decide our best option was to head due south out of town on the Dwight blacktop. In Dwight we met up with Pete and Marisha, Kevin’s friends from the Tulsa area, and decided to stay the night at the Super 8 in Watseka. Unfortunately we didn’t add up the mileage till we had ridden another 20 miles to the town of Cullom that’s when we realized that we still had over 40 miles to go. Thank goodness Marisha was there with the Blazer to sag. Kevin had other friends meeting us in Watseka for dinner so he and Bill sagged in first. Then Marisha returned to Ashkum for Pete, Sylvia and me. I got to meet Kevin’s friends: Tim and Mida who rode across America the first time with Kevin 10 years ago; and Phil who used to live in Tulsa. After a quick shower we kept the Fiesta Restaurant open well past 9 eating and cutting up.

Day 52 Rest day in Ottawa

2009-07-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Susan left around noon to catch a flight back to Oklahoma. We talked to her on the phone minutes ago and she arrived fine and was ready for bed.
Diane’s friend Connie stayed with her most of the day getting the results of tests they were running on her. Diane bruise to her brain is stabilized and she is improving tremendously. They even expect to release her from the hospital tomorrow(Thursday). She will be staying with Connie briefly until a friend from NJ drives out to pick Diane up. Sounds like quite a miracle compared to the way she looked just after the crash. I’m sure Diane wishes to thank everyone for their prayers and give all the praise to God.

Day 51: Rider Down, Rider Down

2009-07-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

We were riding along the I&M Canal tow path. A nice compacted crushed gravel path. I heard a squeal and saw Susan’s bike veer the spit her off to the left. She landed on her left shoulder and head. Bill shouted, “Rider Down, Rider Down.” As I peddled the 150 feet to where she crashed I was watching and hoping to see her stand right up. She had taken a hard fall and was struggling to get her wind back when Diane and I joined Bill at her side. She had hit her head pretty hard and was dazed. Sylvia was on 911 with a complete idiot. After a couple minutes Susan was more comfortable. Sylvia had hung up on 911 and was trying to use her navigation application to pinpoint our position. I realized Kevin wasn’t on the scene and gave him a call. He had stopped about a mile ahead of us and after I filled him in he said he could see someone mowing on a tractor. The mowing crew was more effective at raising the alert than the stupid 911. That operator had recommended that we call the state police and that we could scrawl the phone number in the dirt with a stick since we didn’t have any thing to write with. About 10 minutes later a park ranger in a truck arrived. Then two other vehicles one carrying Kevin showed up. Susan’s first memory of the crash is her response to the rescuer ‘s question “Can you see OK?”. She replied, ”I see good looking guy in front of me.” They placed her on a backboard then left with her. We loaded her bike and BOB on a truck and Kevin left in it to pick up his bike and be dropped off at the ER. Rose, a local woman, said she would show us the way to the hospital. As we turned into the hospital I lead Sylvia followed by Diane and Bill. I heard a squeal, Bill hollered, ’Rider Down”. I looked back to see Diane on the pavement. She was in bad shape. Diane had hit her head hard and was bleeding from her mouth unable to respond to our questions or focus her eyes. It seemed to take forever for the ambulance to get there. A nurse had come from the parking lot to help. I called Kevin and he ran over to the scene. The ambulance arrived and we walked our bikes to the ER. While checking her in we were swarmed by hospital management. They said she was ’nonverbal’ and arrangements to life flight her from Ottawa to Peoria were being made. Judging by the administrators actions we thought the worse. After a brief lunch we were allowed to see Diane. Our spirits were lifted. She recognized us, said our names and followed our conversation. She was moving all her limbs. The cat scan showed a bruised to the back right side of her brain. The helicopter arrived and soon she was on her way to St Francis in Peoria.
Bill’s college friend and his wife arrived from Joliet. They are taking Susan and Diane’s bikes and BOB’s to a bike shop to be boxed shipped. As we loaded her bike we noticed Diane's front tire was soft and figured a slow leak had caused her bike to handle unexpectedly resulting in the crash though no one really know's. Diane’s daughter is making arraignments to get here. Diane’s friend that she spent last night visiting, Connie, who’s a nurse, is on her way to St Francis to see the latest cat scan and take Diane’s personal stuff to her. We hope to hear from Connie soon. Susan has an afternoon flight out of O’Hare to Tulsa. We’ll spend the day tying up other loose ends here in Ottawa and praying for Diane to make a rapid recovery.

Day 50, July 27th, Kewanee to Peru 57 miles

2009-07-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Pics: Bill riding

today's highway

Me, Bill, Susan, Kevin waiting on pizza

Bill, Kevin, Me

Kevin bowling

Its 3:45 and I’ve already had a shower and started the first load of laundry at the Super 8. Five of us in one room only $16.50 each. We got free coupons for bowling so we’ll be headed there in an hour. Diane is staying with a friend in Tiskilwa for the night. That means that tomorrow we get to ride the from LaSalle to Morris about 30 miles along the I&M Canal Tow Road. A crushed gravel path that allowed horses to pull barges along the canal back in the day. It should be a great day but rain is suppose to hit this evening and last thru tomorrow morning.
Today was fun. The first 35 miles in rolling farmland hills. We went through a wind farm. We saw damaged trees near Bureau Junction caused by the storm that happened the last night of RAGBRAI. We ate lunch at a dreadful café and DePue not very eventful day. For dinner we ate nachos and pizza at the bowling alley then rolled a game. I won by 1 point with what would be considered a fairly good golf score.

Day 49, Sunday, July 26, Burlington, IA, to Kewanee, IL, 94 miles--tailwind

2009-07-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

Photos: Bean field Meets Barn

Tony attacks the bridge over the Mississippi leaving Mt Pleasant

The crew makes it to Illinois: Marci, Tony, Sylvia, Bill, Kevin, Susan and Diane

Sylvia and Marci on Henderson County covered bridge

Evanscense on the covered bridge with Diane

The story really starts Friday night in the town square at Mt Pleasant. During RAGBRAI the town squares get transformed into a big central beer garden with stage for bands surrounded by fairground type food trailers. Thousands of cyclist and locals show up for the big goings on. This night Kevin was wearing a C2C T-shirt and a woman noticed it and started to ask him questions. She was planning on riding her bike back to Vermont after RAGBRAI and was wondering if she might join our group. We knew what we would be staying a the Arrowhead Motel in Burlington so we passed along that information to her and she went on her way.
The guys that run the Arrowhead Motel are some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet. I mentioned that a cyclist named Marci may show up during the day and that she is with us while on my way to walk up to the BP for stuff. Once there the very guy I had left this info with 15 minutes ago shows up at BP and offers me a ride back to the motel. A cool guy, he has his head screwed on straight. When I commented about the nice Jaguar he was driving he said, “Its only a Jaguar for the first six months…after that its just a car you drive from point A to point B.” When we pulled into the parking lot Marci was just coming out of the office with a room key in hand. He had left a note to her and a key for her when he left the office. She came our the room and made herself at home. Taking a shower, relaxing and telling us about herself. Born and raised in Vermont, conservationist/environmentalist. Grew up on a farm. Doesn’t own a car. Takes care of a foster child. Dislikes the current job she has with the government. Has read many of the same books I have. Even scolded me for leaving the water running while I brushed my teeth. Holy crap she’s a feisty one.
She had free tickets and wanted to go to a baseball game so she and Tony went. Now who’s Tony? Before the ride Kevin had heard from Tony and he was covering some of the same terrain as us and figured we would cross paths sometime and here he was at the Arrowhead. Tony’s company made the buttons for the OBAMA campaign and he decided a nice ride on the recumbent would get him over the frenzy of the last year.
So they were off to the game and we went to the office and asked them for the name of a good steakhouse and taxi service number. The owner gave us directions along with the keys to his truck. Marci returned about the same time as us and the conversation continued once the sleeping arrangements were agreed upon and her fascination with cable TV subsided. She and I shared a bed and discussed environmental issues, her thru hike of the Long Trail, and life in Vermont till Kevin admonished us for keeping him awake at 11. Of course, my brain was buzzing now so I only napped briefly till I fell asleep around 3. In the morning I regretted the we had not gone outside and continued our conversation, especially when I found out she had decided to ride with Tony instead of our group since he will be averaging more miles per day and she is on a limited time schedule. But the little woodland nymph may check in with our group since we will be passing within 20 miles of her hometown a couple days after she returns her job, child and dog.

Days 42 thru 48 RAGBRAI

2009-07-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

No Photos "'cause what happens on RAGBRAI stays in RAGBRAI"

RAGBRAI was a blast. Most comparable to how much fun it was the first week of college, every day new and different. I will keep this brief . I want to thank Team Crude for taking care of me and my stuff; Team Lynn for all their hospitality; The DreamWeaver Bus fun guys fun golf; Team BV, Team StrangeBrew. Thanks for all the great memories.
Our crew had to bid goodbye to Kamla who returned home to Council Bluffs. Her cool head, easy going nature and charming smile is dearly missed.

Day 39, 40, 41, Onawa to Council Bluffs

2009-07-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Lynn prepares dinner

inside the team Lynn bus

Kevin's tan lines

Kamla's friend Melinda

Last night Kamla contacted her friend Melinda and she found us a hotel room near the Mid-America center where RAGBRAI and Ribfest is going on. This morning its raining so Kamla called Lynn to ask if he could drive back up to Onawa in his pickup and haul us and our gear to Council Bluffs. Lynn, being the nice guy that he is, said yes and came to our rescue. I have spent the last three days catching up on the blog, shopping at a nearby Bass Pro shop and taking in Ribfest. Last night Lynn who also has a RAGBRAI busn had us over for a tasty brat, hamburger and salmon dinner. Kamla made a flavorful green salad and we met most of the Team Lynn riders and got to tour the bus. Then we hit a hotspot near downtown to top the night off. Now the team Crude bus is here from Tulsa and I’ll be taking the week off from blogging to dedicate myself to the RAGBRAI experience. I plan to sign in next Sunday and hope to keep the second half of the journey’s blog more current.

Day 38, July 15, Vermillion to Onawa

2009-07-18T13:20:00.001-07:00

Pictures: Before shot
Bewildered Barber
SD Iowa stateline
Souix City Bike Trail
Telephone/telegraph pole near Onawa
On the way from Vermillion to Sioux City we went through the small town of Jefferson. It’s a complete throwback to the 50’s. I spotted a barbershop and convinced Kevin we should get a cut before RAGBRAI. Outside we took before pictures then we all entered a 1950’s barbershop and freaked out the 39 year veteran barber. He finally got the words out that the electricity was off ‘cause of road construction. Of course we took photos and asked questions till the point that he appeared ready to flee. He explained an old vacuum hose looking things was a hair dryer before we left. Soon we crossed the state line into Iowa but we didn’t know it since we saw no welcome sign. We visited with a retired art teacher now raku clay artist Chuck in Sioux City. Then rode across a nearby bridge for our entering Iowa photo. We ate lunch then headed down a bike trail into the heart of Sioux City. Once we left the trail we got lost but a mailman helped us get our bearings then we made it out of town taking the most direct route to Onawa beside the railroad tracks the whole way. Took some photos of old telephone/telegraph poles and video of a train coming by. In Owana Kamla's friend Lynn came up to meet us.

Day 37, July 14, Springfield to Vermillion

2009-07-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Fish

"It makes me want a Hershey's Kiss REAL BAD"

Gavin Park

Rest Area

Ben of Ben's Brewing Co.

Video: Sylvia gets the first Fish Slappin'

We took a break near a junction and Kevin found a stuffed animal (fish) so we had to perform some fish slappin' on the spot then stow him in the easy access mesh of Kevin’s BOB. On the outskirts of Yankton we got to ride a bike trail in a park called Gavins Point. The climb into Yankton is too much for some so a bicycle rest area has been provided. In Yankton we did laundry and drank some beer at our favorite bar so far on the trip; Ben’s Brewing Co. Ben is a nice guy that treated us like kings and queens and knew everyone’s name who came in the bar while we were there. We left Yankton with a tailwind and cruised effortlessly to Vermillion the home of the University of South Dakota.

Day 36, July 13, Pickstown to Springfield

2009-07-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Catch of the Day

Steeple on Church at Marty

Interior

Riding

Missouri River at Springfield

Posers
Thank goodness we did our long alternate route yesterday while we had the Tahoe SAG cause today we need only make 57 miles to Springfield and we have unfavorable winds. After snapping a picture with our day’s catch climbed out of Pickstown and cruised into the surprising Yankton-Sioux Indian Reservation town of Marty. Martin Marty was the first Bishop of the Dakota territory. He founded a mission near the towns location in 1877. In 1924 the Indian school was founded. A new school has opened now so many of the campuses buildings are closed but the architecture of the church is amazing and worth an hour or two of time to appreciate it. Indian motifs are incorporated throughout the building. Limestone exterior with a grainy sandstone interior.
From Marty we fought the wind all the way to Springfield where we managed to get a 2 bedroom apartment for the night for only $75 or $15 per person at the Finn and Feather (which I highly recommend). It has 3 beds and a futon, I was the only one who had to sleep on the floor. The Missouri river is a sight to behold. The town has a lovely park perched on the bluff above the river. The river looks more like the everglades. Lewis and Clark spent several months hangging with the local tribes.

A storm raged much of the night but we were only bothered when the nearby water tower was struck by lightening. The beef tips at the bar are to die for. Someone had the bright idea to buy extra beef tips and tots and then drop by the store for some eggs and cheese and we made a great burrito breakfast in the morning with our tortillas that Kevin had been carrying since Pierre.

Day 35, July 12th, Chamberlain to Pickstown

2009-07-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Kamla and Kevin
Gas station crowd: Diane, Kamla, Tim, John and Susan

While I drive off John snaps this picture

Kamla at the picnic

Picnic crew
Our helmets at the taxidermist
John, Susan and I skyriding in a cornfield
Sylvia skyriding in a hayfield
John bale standing
Tree/Barn
Our group got up early, broke camp and left without seeing any signs of life from Kamla‘s tent. We headed back to the place we got ate the night before, the Anchor Grille, for breakfast. After asking the waitress and another local to confirm directions, we left as instructed going completely the wrong way. After making it to the interstate without seeing the landmark Dairy Queen we returned to downtown and called Susan to see where she was with the Tahoe. Now it was raining and some wanted to get raingear. We met her a block east of us at a convenience store getting gas and snacks. We had to take out the BOB trailers and dig through the bags to retrieve the raingear. As we are reloading the Tahoe, none other than Kamla rides up to ask directions from a local pumping gas. She didn’t notice us till we hollered at her. We all pedaled out of town together and about 10 miles later she had convinced herself we weren’t all crazy and allow us to stow her BOB in the Tahoe for transport. During Kevin’s 12 mile segment drive (we learned 20 miles was too long and thought the Canadians had it right with 20K between stops) he studied the state map and realized we could make up time by staying on the east side of the Missouri and heading to Pickstown instead of Burke. I was the third leg driver so John and I scouted out Kevin’s proposed route and nabbed some pizza in Platte before heading back to meet the team and have a picnic south of Academy. Later we hang out in a park in Platte eating snacks and took pictures with a pile of skulls in front of a taxidermist house. Later we made skyriding shots in a cornfield and on round bales of hay. Kamla thinks we’re funny and seems to be enjoying her ride with us. 86 miles later we pull into Pickstown and get a couple hotel rooms to pile into. Early in the morning my sister Susan and John have to leave to head back to OKC.

Day 34, July 11th, Pierre to Chamberlain 85 miles

2009-07-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Kevin

Our Picnic, sandwiches with ranch

Susan's leftover sandwich

Backbreaking hill near Chamberlain

video: Diane Riding Speed Racer at the Laundromat

We planned on rotating driving the Tahoe in 20 mile segments. During the first 20 miles of the ride Susan and John went to Walmart to buy some essentials as well as food for a picnic lunch. We fought a respectable head wind then I caught a break by being the next driver. First John and I went back a few miles to try and find an arm pad that had fallen off Kevin’s handlebars then we headed past the riders to a spot on top a big hill 20 miles out. Just as John and I topped the rise we saw another cyclist. We pulled up to her and offered her water and Gatorade knowing it was at least 15 more miles to the next town. We stopped. She jackknifed her BOB (like a pro) and we exchanged the basic info on our rides. She started in Oregon and was riding solo to RAGBRAI. She had began the morning in Pierre, too, and was headed to Chamberlain, also. As she ate a banana and drank Gatorade she told me she was a grade school teacher near San Francisco and grew up near Council Bluffs, Iowa. She gave me the empty Gatorade bottle and empty banana peel and headed on her way. John and I waited for the others to arrive for lunch. When they got there I told them the story about the cyclist. They ribbed me cause I didn’t have any photos of her. I figured I had creeped her out enough by offering her unwashed strawberries and acting like I hadn’t seen another person in weeks. I’m sure a photo would have been grounds for my institutionalization. I parleyed for the next driver to catch up with her, Kamla, and offer her the Susan’s leftover half sandwich. Susan nipped that idea in the bud refusing to yield any of her sandwich and the group was thoroughly convinced that I had imagined the whole thing.
Kevin, Sylvia and John drove the SAG wagon for the last leg after they secured a campsite Kamla arrived met them and set up her tent…she wasn’t a mercyclist after all and I wasn‘t crazy. After showers and a beer we all went to dinner, Kamla joined us for dinner and hit it off with the group. I bumbled around and decided it was better if I just kept my mouth shut. Driving back to camp she asked me when we wake up in the morning to leave. I muttered something along the lines of 5:15 to 5:45. She said that was way too early for her and fled to her tent. Kevin, Sylvia, Diane and I finished laundry and had a blast playing with the free children’s rides and gumball machine while the clothes dried.

Crash

2009-07-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Climbing on Day 2

Above Devil's Lake

Bill Susan and Rick on the summit of Loop Loop Pass

Dinner at uncle John's in Whitefish

Rick leads climb up Marias Pass

On top of Marias Pass

Moquitoes catch up to Rick

Three riders split off to continue on the Northern Tier: Stillwater Susan, California Rick and Oregon Bill.
Several days into their journey near Fargo, Oregon Bill and California Rick collided and went down. Bill got road rash. Rick had it worse breaking his arm between the elbow and shoulder bringing his ride to an end.
Rick and I hit it off from the beginning. We were the only ones doing the journey with panniers. Always feeling panniers were the right choice; drafting each other, standing to climb, secure and assured on fast descents. You’ve been n asset to the ride and a great friend. Thanks for all your advice, “There are no guarantees.“ I‘ll endeavor to make the most of each day. You’re a strong rider and missed by us all. Get well soon. Tim

Day 33, July 10th, Akaska to Pierre 90+miles

2009-07-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Kevin, Susan and Diane catching a tailwind

Susan

Echeloning into a cross wind: Kevin, Susan

Lewis and Clark portrayed by John and Susan

Sylvia's pic of 2 sunflowers in a field

With our gear loaded in the Tahoe, Kevin, Diane, me and my sister Susan, rode off to let Sylvia and my nephew John sleep in and catch us 30 miles down the road. We flew for 30 miles then Kevin took the drivers seat and John and Sylvia started biking. After another enjoyable 25 miles Kevin showed up with lunch. We picnicked on burgers and fries. Shortly a familiar cyclist appeared on a Cervelo. It was a Ride of Hope Canadian doing his extra miles. He had ridden 25 miles back from Pierre. As slender as his bike frame, training for a high mileage supported tour from Atlanta to Portland, ME, he told us where the Canadians were going to be hanging out that night. We topped off his water bottles gave him some Gatorade then he blazed off back towards Pierre. We made it to the dam visitor center for Lake Oahe then stopped for water. Quizzing the staff member inside we found out that Oahe (Oh wa he) means ‘lookout point’ in Lakota and that we had one more hill to climb to make it to Pierre. OMG it was a big hill steep at the bottom and everlasting. I found a diver down flag on the side of the road. Kevin escorted us to our hotel with the Tahoe. John had gone 56 miles a personal best. Susan did the whole 94 miles.

Day 32, July 9th, Pollock, SD, to Akaska

2009-07-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Me and my SURLY steed

Queen of the grasslands

Me and my Surly steed

Me, Susan, Diane and Kevin in Akaska

Our Shadows lead the way

one tree hill on way to Mobridge

the lake and hills along 1804

rolling hills

Susan & me at Bait Shop Diner

Sylvia and John at Bait Shop Diner
The following morning the Canadians ‘racked up’ (their bikes) and drove to a town 30 miles down the road to begin their ride leaving us to ourselves for the day. But we made plans to cross paths again in Pierre. We had a glorious 40+ mile ride along 1804 to the town of Mobridge. The rolling hills looked like they had been mowed. You didn’t see dirt double tracks where ranchers had driven all over the land. No piles of trash hiding in the gullies. At Mobridge we started laundry, ate at a famous chili spot, and took naps in the park. Evidently some kids we giggling and pointing at me while I slept.
My sister, Susan, and her son, John, were on their way up from Edmond to meet us at our destination Akaska (pop 52). We made it to Akaska around 6 completing a 75 mile day. Susan, like a lot of women, has had her fill of sleeping in a tent and requested motels for her stay. The owner of the RV/campground where we were tenting told us there was a fishing tournament going on and that we had a slim chance of finding a room. After spending the next hour fruitlessly riding around town trying to locate accommodations for my sister she and John arrived. The RV park owner came out to mention that she had one room available to rent, a converted garage bay, for $35 for a single person or $60 for two. Susan snapped it up and John agreed to sleep with me in my tent. It was really a nice room and bargain.
Now we headed to dinner on foot. Having ridden around the town on my bike, I thought I knew where to go and we went into an establishment was called the Steakhouse. I turned out to be a bar. The place we needed to go eat was called the Bait Shop (wth). So we walked to the end of town near the decrepit grain elevator, past dozens of fishermen who were having some kind of auction, to the Bait Shop. A great establishment. Café then Bar then Casino then Bait shop all in one neat package; surprisingly fish is not on the menu. During dinner we found out that the fishermen in town were all from Iowa and the tournament was hosted by a judge seated at the next table behind Sylvia. Thinking that making the acquaintance of an Iowan Judge could be advantageous during the RAGBRAI adventure Sylvia was quickly on the case. They had brought their on freshly caught walleye in to be cooked. Sylvia feigned that she hadn’t eaten walleye before talked about our ride and RAGBRAI plans. She found out that one of the other guys at the table is a EMT that will be working RAGBRAI one day this year. Before we left a plate of the judges walleye made it to our table then later another plat full found its way to our campsite. It was melt in your mouth yummy goodness. Far and away the best fish I had ever eaten. BTW the judge didn’t figure he would see any of us at RAGBRAI. Commenting that, “it’s pretty hard to get yourself arrested at RAGBRAI.”

Day 31, July 8th, Bismarck to Pollock

2009-07-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Kevin

Riding

Lunch with the Canadians

Lunch

State Border crossing into South Dakota

June

June's Toe nails

Syl passing out food

Dinasour bike racks

Another reason to take a rest day in Bismarck was to have fresh legs to attack the 94 mile ride to Pollock which has no services along the way. We filled up all out water bottles plus two 3 liter water bladders and headed through town. About 10 miles out we came to a section of construction. There were several vehicles and dozens of cyclist loading bikes onto two big trailer bike racks. The were a group of 40 Canadians from Winnipeg cycling 1000 to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. The amount they raised is enough to complete a house for a single mother and her 3 kids. We rode on through the gravel and dirt then met up with the Canadians unloading their bikes on the other side on the construction zone. They are a great bunch of people and were headed to Pollock for the night too. They adopted us. Carrying our gear and feeding us every 20k at their rest stops and inviting us to stay the night with them. Even with all the help we still struggled mightily against strong headwinds and big hills. It was after 6pm when we got to the High School where they were staying. We ate fish dinners with them prepared and served by local volunteers. Then went to the town’s bar surprised to see Fat Tire Beer on tap for $7 a pitcher. Having a blast with the other cyclists we soon drank the town dry of Fat Tire. We returned to the gymnasium to sleep just before another storm hit. Amazingly we kept dry throughout the last two stormy days.
The fund raising ride is in its 16th year and is called Cycle of Hope. Headed by a lively woman named June, the gaggle of cyclist travel 1000 miles along a different route every year generating donations of over $150K for Habitat for Humanity in Winnipeg., Manitoba. Their website is http://www.habitat.mb.ca/index.html I encourage you to donate to their cause; they helped us out tremendously.

Day 30: Rest Day in Bismarck

2009-07-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

Woke up to rain so we decided to take the day off. Had Chinese Buffet and saw a movie.

Boring day so I figured I would show you the video of
Kevin dishing out an ass kicking. (Yes, Bill, I got his permission)

Day 29, July 6 Stanton to Bismarck

2009-07-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Pics: Cruisin' under the tracks

Passing the Electric plants

Rocking

Diane

Farm
We headed out past several coal fired power plants on the way to Washburn. We shot photos on a rock at a scenic vista and pond. Then I cruised ahead of the group to scope out Washburn and blog. We at lunch at the Lewis & Clark Café and then I stayed behind for about an hour blogging then took off to try and reel in the group before they reached Bismarck. This stretch of 1804 was beautiful and I enjoyed cruising at my own pace in my own thoughts for a couple hours. I spotted the group on top of a hill about a mile away waving their BOB flags at me trying to see if they could get my attention. We had a short break to discuss photo ops of the last 40 miles. Near the junction with Riverside we saw several turkeys cross the road then scared up a doe and fawn. Once in town we called for directions to the bike shop. We were told it was 2 miles away, yada, yada. So we headed up the steepest hill around as instructed. 45 minutes later and after checking with directions on the Iphone we called again and were told we were still 2 miles from the store…did I mention it was hot…Finally we spotted the Epic Sports bike store. Right across the parking lot was a Hampton Inn, Sylvia got us the biggest room they had; big enough for 2 roll away beds and we split the cost 4 ways. The room was great and we feasted at Red Lobster trying to recover our wits.

Day 28: Sunday July 5th Totten Trail to Stanton

2009-07-07T21:06:00.001-07:00

Pictures: Ant ‘hill’ with dried grass stems as camouflage?
Kevin and Sylvia riding
Aerial photo of village ruins
Outside Indian dwelling replica
Inside Indian dwelling replica
Totten Trail’s Proprietor, Kirk, told us that on Sunday we wouldn’t have any luck finding anything to eat till Riverdale about 25 miles away. So we slept in and met Kirk at 8:15 for breakfast then cruised over to the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge. It was closed but we still spent an hour walking around the mile long nature trail. We saw some birds but had just as much fun spotting wildflowers and ant hills (harvester ants that had piles of grass stems around there entrance, much harder to spot than the red granular hills in Oklahoma). The most amazing town, Riverdale, was the next wide spot in the road. It is near the Garrison Dam that created Lake Sakakawea and headquarters to the Corps of Engineers. It seems the perfect small town. Like a Norman Rockwell painting. Curvy roads, well kept homes, large greenspaces and parks, everything in mint condition, and awesome small town except it is much more just a community. No old downtown, no café, more a lakeside retreat. After fixing a flat we crossed the dam and ate lunch in Pick City. While in the dinner we say a passerby checking out Kevin’s bike and rig. Giving it a thorough looking over then shaking his head as if to assure himself we were clearly crazy and walking away. On the road to Stanton we saw 5 antelope which surprised me being out in farmland then several hawks were having a melee overhead. Then we pulled over briefly to celebrate our 1500 mile mark. On the way into Stanton we stopped by to see the ruins of several old Indian villages one of which was occupied and visited by Lewis and Clark. The inhabitants lived in round lodges made of vertical split wood covered with earth. The ruins of the homes look like round depressions; so the village looks similar to a golf course. Camping at the park in Stanton was great, beautiful area and good showers.

Day 27: July 4th Parshall to Totten Trail ND

2009-07-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Kevin and me in a field of canola

Diane and Sylvia riding past a field of canola

Lewis and Clark mimics

Roadside picnic lunch

Malts in Garrison

We chowed down on breakfast at the Parshall café then hit the road. We stopped for pictures in a bright yellow field we later learned was blooming canola, and later for a field of bright purple flowers we learned to be flax. The clouds cleared and with a slight crosswind we headed east. We stopped for lunch of tortillas with peanut butter and honey by a large lake and gave some attention to 4 curious grey horses with black stripes running down their backs. We headed on into the town of Garrison all in agreement that that had been the best 50 mile bike ride anyone had ever ridden. At Garrison we ate shakes at Ye Olde Malt Shoppe and went to the park to take photos with the giant walleye fish monument. We visited with people attending a family reunion at the park then headed another 10 miles east to Totten Trail Resort. Resort is a word but not an appropriate description for this establishment. The ‘proprietor’ was initially curmudgeonly and seemed put out by our presence. Clean showers and a nearby bar/diner for $10/tent was all we needed to know to decide to stay. ’Proprietor’ Kirk came around and befriended us after we ate his overcooked ribs. Even giving us four free drink coupons while we fed quarters into the pool table. After another small fire works display he even pointed out recommended routes to us and gave us a waterproof state map that had been hanging on the walls for years.

Day 26: July 3rd Lund's Landing to Parshall

2009-07-07T08:15:00.001-07:00

Pictures: The Big Mosquito almost gets me (Sylvia pic)
Oil well with natural gas flare
Rock Museum manager Mrs. Jacobson(Sylvia Pic)
The museum’s Infinity Room(Sylvia Pic)
Seeing my fortune through the Rutilated Quartz crystal ball (Sylvia Pic)
Video of fireworks at the motel
We bid Jeff adieu and headed out on a 50 mile ride to New Town loaded with 6 extra liters of water since we wouldn’t be passing any towns or gas stations along the way. Beautiful country side now becoming dotted with new oil wells, tank farms and an occasional natural gas flair burning. A couple of years ago a large pool of oil, the Bakken Shale, was found that stretches for over a hundreds of square miles out here. We got stuck in a rain shower which lasted about an hour and cooled us down a bit. Otherwise a wonderful ride with much easier hills than we experienced the prior day. New Town was created from 3 Indian towns were inundated with the creation of the lake. At New Town we nabbed lunch then headed 17 miles out highway 23 to Parshall. These 17 miles was a downer. Strong head winds, lots of traffic, oil trucks, flat -bedded welders, etc. getting to Parshall drained us. At 3:30 we arrived at the Paul Broste Rock Museum which closed at 4. We paid our $4’s each but weren’t expecting much. The attendant offered us a quick tour then ended up spending an hour talking about all aspects of Paul Broste‘s life, the variety of rare and significant rocks in the collection and answering our many questions. He was a farmer and rabid rock hound. The glaciers of the last ice age ended in this area of North Dakota and they moved a tremendous variety of rocks to the area. The farmers pile them up in the field as they work and Broste would search through to find all sorts of valuable rocks. Broste also was the first to successfully develop a way to produce a perfect polished rock spheres using parts from a Model T. The Museum’s Rutilated Quartz crystal ball is the largest in the world. Smithsonian has asked time and again for the museum to donate some of its finds or it’s whole collection but it remains in a small town of Parshall, ND, off the beaten path but well worth the journey.
Tired and not wishing to sleep in a primitive site with only cold water, we went into town and we’re surprised to find a motel with $50/night brand new cabins (manufactured home/trailer type) to rent. They were wonderful; more than we could ever have wished for. We found out a lot about the town and how things had changed over the last couple years as the oil money from the big find started to roll in. It’s a county of millionaires now. The cabins we were staying in were purchased by the motel and plopped down in the parking lot to house all the oilfield workers/welders. Now things have slowed down a little but they didn’t have a vacancy for most of the last two years. Two Texan’s (oil imports) own and run the local café. They shared more of the local happenings while we feasted on rib eye steaks and drank pitchers of lemonade. That night we watched an impromptu fireworks display in the hotel parking lot and visited with a hard working welder named Darin who was kind enough to shorten our corkscrew/bottle opener with his angle grinder making it easier to pack.

Day 25: July 2 Williston to Lund's Landing

2009-07-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Sylvia finishes loading up her new bike
Mile long boot fence
Sylvia, Diane, and Kevin
On the road
Camp
Today, July 2, Sylvia, from Tulsa and familiar with all who ride Freewheel, arrived to in Williston to join the ride. She got to town around 2pm and came straight to the hotel to meet us. After grabbing a bite to eat she went to the bike shop to pick up her steed. A Terry touring bike with 26” wheels and pink fenders. Sylvia snapped on her rear panniers then Kevin, Diane she and I said goodbye to the Bill, Rick and Susan and headed out of town on a 25 mile ride to Lund’s Landing on Lake Sakakawea. It was a trying and route. Narrow shoulders with lots of traffic and all everyone seemed to be pulling a boat or a travel trailer for the July 4th weekend. The hills were outrageous too, several over a mile long with 6-8% grades one was lined by a fence whose post were covered with boots. Finding Lund’s Landing around 6pm was nice. A beautiful spot on the third largest Army Corps of Engineers lake in America behind Lake Mead and Lake Powell. We all ate walleye for dinner. At dinner we met a guy named Jeff who was riding a recumbent westbound. He was 20 some-odd days out of St. Louis. He said we were the first cyclists he met and that he had become accustomed to talking to cattle while cycling in his solitude. After dinner from the dock we saw a muskrat swimming.
Oh yeah, at Lund’s Landing the camping is free but to use the shower will cost you $12 each.

Day 24: Culbertson to Williston

2009-07-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Road construction near Montana/North Dakota Border
We make it out of Montana ALIVE
Me and Oregon Bill
Rick pumps up Bill’s tire
The evening before we had heard all kinds of stories about how tough it would be for us to make it to the state line because of all the road construction. We found out it was no big deal. For us it was actually a delight having all the traffic orderly follow the pilot truck while we peddled along at our on pace. The only challenge was a couple miles of dirt road and that was difficult only because of the rain the prior day. On the Montana side of the state line is a casino that Kevin and I stopped at for soft drinks and to wait on the others. Just after Susan arrived 3 cyclists heading westward pulled up to visit. Two nineteen year old boys from Boston were traveling with a 20’s something girl from Washington. They had crossed paths the week before and had been traveling together since then. We had a good visit discussing the roads ahead then parted ways. Our group made photos under the Welcome North Dakota sign. We never had the opportunity to make a similar shot for Montana because we were so far off the beaten path when we crossed its state line over 600 miles ago near Heron.
North Dakota greeted us with wide smooth shoulders lovely farmland and light traffic. Bill had a slow leak in his front tire so I stayed back with him and we aired it up every half hour or so. When we got to Williston the map recommends taking a frontage road to get away from traffic. Bill and I started coasting down a long downhill. I’m glad I was taking it easy and not pedaling cause near the bottom of the hill when I was doing about 25mph a motorist didn’t see me and pulled out. I skidded to a stop less than 10 feet from his truck my rear wheel fishtailing wide right. He was all apologies, says he never saw me. After lunch and checking into the Super 8 with the others, I headed down to the local Bike/Auto/Skate shop to true my wheels and rotate my tires.
During the evening, plans were discussed and developed to split the group. Three would be continuing along the northern tier route; Susan, Rick, and Bill. The others (Kevin, Sylvia, Diane and I) joined by Sylvia will be following the Lewis and Clark route down to Council Bluffs and the start of RAGBRAI. When RAGBRAI is over we will regroup Muscatine, Iowa and continue as a group of seven on our original route.
Why the split? I think some felt they would feel out of place at RAGBRAI. Also, the northern tier route offers an easier pace with extra rest days too. I think it is for the best. A couple of weeks apart will do us some good. After RAGBRAI we will be a big happy family again.

Day 23: No rest for the weary onward to Culbertson

2009-07-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Well kept 1902 church
Diane and Kevin take a break to look at the church
Horses catching the breeze on a hilltop
Kevin puts on a 2nd pair of shorts
Cotton ball clouds after rain storm
We decided that we had experienced all Wolf Creek by the evening so instead of taking the following day off we traveled 57 miles to Culbertson. A lot can be said both pro and con about the decision to skip another day off. So far we have only had one day off and that was in Whitefish. Everyone’s tired physically but I didn’t realize how the decision to go on would effect me emotionally. Looking forward to having a day off is what got me to Wolf Point. Ever since the hot day going to Glasgow I hadn’t had legs, every mile came grudgingly. When we got to Wolf Point we celebrated with pitchers of beer and long naps. The reality of the decision to press on didn’t hit home till I got back to the hotel room around 9pm and saw my dirty laundry in a pile on the floor and my computer sitting on the table still in its case not turned on once that day. I spent the next half hour packing all my crap back in the panniers and regretting that I didn’t speak up at the meeting and say, “Hell no I’m taking tomorrow off I’m 3 days behind on the blog and need to catch up.” Those 30 minutes repacking just got my blood pressure up and kept me wide awake till 1a.m.
The ride to Culbertson sucked. The whole day spent spinning at 100 rpm into a 20mph head wind. My legs exhausted around the 40 mile mark along with my butt on a nice 8% mile long hill. Kevin’s butt was so sore he put on a second pair of cycling shorts. We arrived to the dreary RV park to find out the café in town closed at 2pm giving us front foursome an hour to set up tents and stow our gear then start calling Susan and Bill to tell them to come directly to the café to meet us before it closed. They made it in at 1:38. Shortly after returning to the RV/trailer park it started to rain/thunderstorm. We all went to the laundry/bathhouse for shelter where it was at least 100 degrees inside. I typed blog stuff and did laundry. Kevin laid down and fell asleep. Bill, Susan and Rick visited with the neighborhood children who had been trying to sell us stones that they had busted into chunks with a hammer (customized rocks)(Kevin bought 2). Towards the end of the storm the park owner came by and chided us for having the gall to prop the door open (with a customized rock) letting the rain come in and make the floor wet. We were to exhausted to respond. After the rain nifty cotton ball clouds appeared I snapped a picture.

Day 22: Glasgow to Wolf Point and The Louisianna Boys

2009-07-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Pat Climbing Marias Pass
Pat and Dave lead our pack out of Shelby
Pat’s Sail Superstructure
Bill wishes Dave a happy birthday
Dave proudly displays his new rear tire
After being drained by the heat the day before we headed out nice and early; some of us getting to McDonalds before it opened at 6am. 15 miles down the road at Nashua I made a pit stop at the local bar (the only establishment open) and had a coke visiting with the 8 or 10 local guys that were hanging out drinking coffee and solving the world‘s problems. I mentioned that I was traveling with 5 others and two Louisianans were riding through too. When Kevin, Rick and Bill stopped by the bar they mentioned that one of the Louisianans was a Psychiatrist. This really primed the pot with the 2nd amendment T-shirt wearing throng. When Pat got there he was blindsided. The first words out of a locals mouth, “I bet you’re a Psychiatrist.”. “I think Psychiatrist’s prescribe too much medicine.” The verbal melee was on. Pat had a blast fending off conservatives right and left talking about CO2 emissions and cow flatulence. His buddy Dave retired outside to listen to muffled voices of the boisterous debaters assured his friend had matters in well in hand. Pat was aglow with the triumphant when we saw him arrive in Wolf Point spreading tales of his victory sipping a bourbon and coke. While our clan split $6 pitchers of bud light delighting that we were able to make his day.
A little more about the Louisiana Boys. We met them early one morning eating breakfast at the Isaac Walton Inn. On the climb up Marias Pass I caught up with Pat. Pat is a Psychiatrist by profession though it is hard to picture him calmly sitting and listening to other peoples problems. He is outgoing, fun loving, raw, enjoys lively discussions, but most of all he is a wordsmith on par the southern journalist and author Rick Bragg. His blog is http://patanddavesbiketrip.blogspot.com/. Dave on the other hand is polar opposite. He is soft spoke, reflective, and well mannered, contemplative, and doesn’t crave the spotlight. Not what you’d expect for a practicing attorney.

Day 21: Malta to Glasgow

2009-07-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Stock at Large sign marks the boundary of the Refuge
Susan approaches cattlegaurd
Riding 5 miles of gravel road
Bill slides in to the pool
Dave’s worn out tire with delaminating tread
Pam and Sean drove over 2 hours out of their way to take our gear to Glasgow. We all had a big breakfast and got a late start leaving Malta. We decided to take the scenic route adding a few miles to our day but since we didn’t have all the cargo we figured it would be well worth it. So a few miles out of Malta we took a right and went to the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge. We saw several antelope and deer and numerous waterfowl. Unfortunately the road was rough and ended up turning to gravel for the last 5 miles. The gravel caused a slow snakebite puncture in Bill’s rear tire so about a mile after making it back to highway 2 me and Diane stopped to help Bill change his tube. We had heard about how bad the mosquitoes are but nothing prepares you for the reality. Sitting on the shoulder of the road removing the tire from the rim I was swarmed by scores of them. I applied 25%Deet Cutter but it didn’t phase them. So we had to get out our raincoats and put them on the keep them off us. Still swarms of mosquitoes buzzed around. Even after the tire changing was finished the mosquitoes weren’t finished with us. Any time we slowed below 15mph they were there in droves. They also would draft you then land on your shorts and bite. Around the edge of my chamois my butt had so many bites it created an outline.
At Saco we ate lunch the place charged Susan 50 cents for the ice water she had with lunch. Its 29 miles from Hinsdale to Glasgow and it was hot over 90 degrees. After 15 miles a rest area offered us a break from the heat by dowsing ourselves with cool water from then water fountain. The last 14 miles were murder unbearable heat, no strength left in our legs we finally spotted the entrance into the RV park where we were staying. They had WIFI and a swimming pool with icy cold water. Pat, one of the Louisiana guys, bet Bill $10 that he wouldn’t go down the slide into the pool without sticking even a toe in the water first. Bill went and put on his swimsuit, his OSU cowboys baseball cap, and a bandana then went for it. Dave, the other Louisiana guy, needed to replace his rear tire so I talked him through the process; not much of a highlight to his Birthday. Then we pigged out on pizza and went to bed.

Day 20: Harlem to Malta

2009-06-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Diane and Susan with storm clouds on the horizon
Susan’s shadow
Old Church and graveyard
Cut hay field
Antelope
Saturday, an easy ride day. Pam and Sean met up with us in Harlem to carry our gear to Malta. We helped them load the BOB’s in the Excursion then hit the road. Small thunderheads were dumping light rain around us as a result of Kevin’s fire dance the previous night. We cruised along snapping lots of pictures and seeing lots of wildlife. Bill, Rick and I saw over 20 antelope along the way. I was amazed by the number of wetlands and the varied colors of the wild plants growing in the fields we passed. I commented to the others that it reminded me of being inside a French impressionism painting. I took some pictures of an old church and helped Bill change a flat on his bicycles rear wheel. We probably got to Malta by 10:30 and checked into a hotel that Pam and Sean had arranged for us. We took it easy for a while naps, lunch, laundry, shopping the old downtown stores then going to the Dinosaur Exhibit. We treated Pam and Sean to dinner then went over to the 25th year celebration for the local drugstore. Diane had gone to Mass and was already there with some of the church goers she met. (This reminds me, I need to give a shout out to George and all my Sunday School friends at Britton Baptist Church thanking them for all their prayers.) They had blocked off the street in front of the store and were serving roast beef sandwiches with potato salad and coleslaw. Most of us had a second dinner. We listened to 50’s and 60’s era music and watching the young kids dance and Bill‘s enthusiasm rise especially when the DJ started playing his requests. Then around 9pm we went back to the hotel and waited to hear the 9:30 alarm go off to signal the towns curfew.

Day 19: Joplin or Havre to Harlem

2009-06-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Leaving Harve--Rick, Susan, Bill, Diane, Kevin

Campsite and grill;

Scorched earth in the gravel parking lot

Eating dinner;

Bill and Kevin.
Slept in; went back to Wal-Mart; mailed 4lbs 2ozs back to OKC; sat outside closed bike store and cleaned my bike chain; met up with the gang eating breakfast at 4B’s café after they rode in from Joplin. We all went back to the now open bike store and joined the crowd with the Okie Boys and the Louisiana Guys completely overwhelming the bike store owner. Got snacks at IGA then headed out of Havre. The road out was the worst we had encountered. No usable shoulder tons of traffic, rude drivers and lots of semi trucks. We made it to Chinook for lunch then headed out 21 miles to Harlem. As we left Diane queued up behind Rick. They opened up a hundred yard gap on the rest of us before I decided to chase. Rick was setting a pace of 21mph and Diane was working hard to keep with him while I lurked behind. This kept up for about 12 miles until a deer ran across the road in front of us. I hollered “DEER” and Diane nearly jumped out of her skin because she had no idea I was behind her. A couple seconds later a spotted doe came out of the same area and ran across the road then along side us for a few yards before jumping the barbed wire fence and charging off to find its mother. I took up the pace setting at the front trying to keep it between 20.5 and 22 above that and I started to see Diane fade. I thought it would be fun to make it to Harlem in an hour so the pace persisted. We made it in an hour and 4 minutes with Diane grinning from ear to ear proud of the 20 mph average.
Harlem is a gem of a town. Just a block from the Albertsons was the city park adjacent to the police department and city hall. Rick found out where we were to place out tents ( near the signs that say ‘Bicyclist camp here‘) we used the pool’s showers and they left the front door open for us to have access to City Hall’s bathrooms. There were nice shade trees and even a grill. Susan proposed that we cook steaks on the grill and have a great salad. After some more brainstorming we bought charcoal, 2 T-Bone steaks, brats, corn on the cob to roast, baking potatoes, aluminum foil, 2 bags of Caesar salad kits, chips and salsa, some beer and Rick got Champaign to celebrate our first thousand miles.
I thought my stove fuel, HEET or methanol, would work fine to start the charcoal. Kevin and I burned through 3 ozs of it. Kevin wasn’t convinced that the charcoal had caught so he got Susan’s fuel can that holds Coleman fuel for her stove and started to douse the charcoal with it when it ignited. He dropped the flame engulfed fuel can and it rolled into the gravel parking lot pouring out puddles of flaming fuel. Then he attempted to stomp out the flames but found out the fuel sticks to your shoe that makes you dance even more till the fuel burned off your shoe. The puddles of burning fuel attracted attention of some of the children swimming in the pool so questions and answers floated back and forth while we watched the fuel burn off over the next several minutes. Kevin put some ice on his ankle and admired his freshly fire shorn leg. Success the charcoal had caught and the potatoes et al were soon cooking. Chips, salsa, and another 6 pack of beer were consumed while things cooked. Then we feasted on the best camp meal ever. Stuffed to the gills with another beer run to top the evening off.

Day 18: Shelby to Chester to Joplin to Havre

2009-06-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Pictures: Riding up and out of Shelby
The Louisiana Blogging Boys; Pat and Dave
Susan on the road
Bald Eagle Nesting
Pronghorn Antelope
After a great nights rest and some camp oatmeal we headed out. The Louisianans left with us. We made good time. I saw hundreds of gophers, a Pronghorn Antelope, what I believe is a Bald Eagle sitting on its nest. Hit the Camber of Commerce in Chester around 10 learn of the spud’s café and that the library didn’t open till noon cause Thursday nights it stays open late. So I’m hanging out in front of the courthouse typing away. One woman walking by has already stopped and talked to me about the ride for more than 10 minutes. You meet lots of people like her that dream of the adventure of riding across the country.
I found the barbershop ready for business. I told the barber that I wanted a #1 on the sides #2 on top. He says #1 is short and he’ll do a 1 and ½ on top. I was like sure…okay. Kevin and Rick showed up and took the seat after me while I rode around looking for the others; eventually finding them at Subway. They had already eaten so inviting them to join us at the Spud’s café was mute. When I got back I found that even though Kevin asked for a #2 on the sides and #4 on top his haircut looked strikingly similar to my own. So I guess we learned that for $10 you get the haircut the barber wants to give ya not the one you request. After lunch and spending an hour in the library, I left for Joplin flying along with the cruise control set on 23. We drank some PowerAde in the bar/grocery in Joplin the went to the park to set up tents. Well, when your flying along with a tailwind you don’t think much of it but setting up tents in a 30 mph wind; difficult. Then watching the tent beat itself to death is a different thought altogether. After half an hour of Rick and me watching the wind torture or tents and reflecting on the kind of sleep laying in such an abode would provide, Rick came up with the idea of cranking another 34 odd miles to Harve. So we packed up our gear and took off for Harve. When I got to Wal-Mart my cyclocomputer read: 105.68 miles, time 5:45:47, for an 18.3mph average; my fastest century yet. We were beat though and the campground was right by the main road so we sought out accommodations at the Town House Inn.

Day 17: Out of the Mountains and onto the Plains

2009-06-25T11:33:00.001-07:00

Pics: Sunset of day 16 the Sears Motel
Field of iris
Lunch at the C&L Café in Cut Bank; Susan and Diane
Bill Kevin and Rick examine the BOB’s Flat tire

Windmill with Fallow and Planted Fields patchwork

This morning I think everyone woke up from a restless cold night shivering and putting on every piece of clothing within reach. Rapidly we broke camp and made it over to the Whistle Stop Café before it opened at 7. We were told they had amazing French Bread but I didn’t have the balls to order it. Susan got huckleberry French Toast and it was a huge plate covering pastry filled with huckleberry cream.
Diana nailed the first pothole of the morning and flatted. Susan and I fixed her up and gave her instructions on how to fix a flat as we went. This proved apropos since 5 miles down the road Susan’s BOB flatted and Diane got to practice on it. When we made it into Browning, the hub of the Blackfoot Reservation, the others were figuring the worst had happened to us and were ready to hightail it across the rest of the reservation. With a 20+mph tailwind we did just that averaging over 17 mph we flew into Cut Bank for lunch at the C&L Café. The special was beef stew inside a loaf of bread. We discussed the itinerary and decided to cook it another 23 miles to camp at Shelby. On the way out of Bill noticed that Kevin’s BOB tire appeared low. It was going flat so we changed out 3rd tube of the day. All trip to this day we had only had 2 flats. We flew to Shelby still fostered by the tailwind and did the routine, tent, shower, laundry, BBQ. Staying in the campground is the two guys from Louisiana and 2 other guys riding cross country that we met today. Also at the campground were 4 other cyclist 2 boys and 2 girls heading south for Guatemala (I think). When we got back from dinner 3 other okies were at the camp. These are athletic/racing types, recent college grads cranking out 100 mile days with regularity sponsored by SoundPony, Sauced and Summit Co. They had been hearing about us and were pleased to finally catch up with us. They shared their tale of crossing Logan’s pass in Glacier (jumping the barricade to do so and getting caught in the same storm that had us staying in the cabin pinned the in their tent for hours on end eating Vienna sauges and pop tarts. Cool guys 2 from Stillwater 1 from OKC. Over dinner though it was voted our favorite day of the ride so far; based primarily on the ease of the miles though.

Day 16: Over Marias Pass to East Glacier

2009-06-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

Marias Pass was easy and crossing the continental divide should never be easy. On the road by 7 with plans to get breakfast in 7 miles. The breakfast place didn’t open till 9 though so we went on to Essex and the Isaac Walton Inn for breakfast which had been our destination the day before. We got there to find several other c2c cyclist there eating breakfast. A couple of guys from Louisiana riding new carbon bikes pulling 2 wheel burley trailers and a husband and wife riding a collapsible bike Friday tandem. The Louisiana guys have a blog called http://patanddavesbiketrip.blogspot.com/ they’re heading cross country but didn’t seem to be in too big a rush since they had spent the last 3 days at the Isaac Walton. The other couple also blog at http://cyclingsanta.crazyguyonabike.com/ . Santa and Mrs. Claus were spinning along on the climb when Rick and I visited with them. They’re lovable but are heading back north into Glacier for a couple days at twin medicine lakes I think it is.
The climb was gradual along side a railroad and on top of the pass was a statue where Teddy Roosevelt had dedicated Glacier I believe but it was cold and windy and Rick and I left with Kevin when he arrived and motored into East Glacier. The town seemed dismal to begin with the campsite was supposed to be south of the highway and there was a sign but only shabby homes and trailers. So Kevin and I headed up the other way and found a campsite at Sears Motel right across from a nice hostel/grocery/bakery. Us guys enjoyed some beer in front of the hostel, admired the collection of dogs wandering about then happened in to a neat shop next door that makes wooden spoons and even wizard wands. The owner gave us the grand tour and answered all our queries. Evidently it is quite an affair to acquire one of his wizarding wands. You pretty much have to come in person and handle the wand to make the choice. “The wand chooses the wizard.” Then you get a course on how to take care of your wand and you sign you name in the ledger he keeps for each of the wands. Each wand has an id number that the ledger records. It also tells the type of wood, any graining characteristic, whether it has any special features. He had well over 50 wands made of varying woods and with differing twist and spirals in the handle but the sweetest was the dozen or so Harry Potter Wands. Made of flawless clear Holly each had a Phoenix feather included in the handle. The ledger listed over 7000 wands; is he the real Olivander? I’ll keep you posted.

Day 15 Leaving Whitefish 6/23/09

2009-06-23T18:12:00.002-07:00

Pics: Riding out of west Glacier on Highway 2
Glacier
Bill

It rained most of this morning so we pushed back our departure time to 11:00. It was chilly and I improvised shoe covers with some Safeway grocery sacks and Velcro in an attempt to keep my shoes and feet dry. When we headed out the rain had cleared somewhat and for the first hour and a half we had no problems. Rick, Bill, Diane and I just made it to West Glacier when the cloud burst came. We hung out in a convience store sipping coffee and waited for Kevin and Susan. After half an hour or so the shower moved on and so did we about 15 minutes before Kevin and Susan got there. It wasn’t long, maybe a mile when the sprinkles started it showered on us in varying degrees for the next hour. The temperature was around 50 but I was chilled to the bone. Thank god I didn’t send home my lycra leggings. We didn’t stop riding for over an hour for fear of getting colder. When the rain stopped it became more tolerable but the 17 or so mile gap from West Glacier to the next settlement seemed to never end. When we dismounted it was in front of a family run café/bar/cabin place. We had more coffee and discussed our lodging arraignments as we thawed out. It was 11 uphill miles to Essex our original destination but we were spent and decided to stay in the cabins. They’re small and don’t have water in them but dry and heated (although the heated part is up for discussion too). What possessed me to think that going to the bathhouse and taking a shower would warm me up I’ll never know. Heat wasn’t available in the bathhouse and by the time I gave up on drying off I and got dressed I was colder than before. Now came dinner at the café part of the establishment. To start with it appeared the one adult male who had earlier served us coffee and checked us in was going to be taking our orders and cooking the food too. All this while hobbling around on a crutch. Soon grandpa returned from errands and after mentioning he had 27 grandkids and 8 or so great grandkids (I guess you don’t have much entertainment up here when your snowed in) he conducted the cooking of our food by some of the grandkids problem aged 14 thru 16. The food was okay but then we set around like a bunch of bumpkins waiting for our bills to be delivered for about an hour before noticing the only other people eating at the place who were served after us got up and went to the cash register to settle up without receiving a bill at their table. So I hopped up paid my tab and ran back here to get my feet out of my wet cycling shoes and try to warm them up. Before blogging I treated my shoes to Susan’s patented quick dry technique by densely stuffing them with newspaper. I put my feet in my one pair of wool socks then placed them in gallon ziplock bags while I type this but they still resemble ice cubes. Of course by the time you read this we will have cross the Indian reservation and gotten to Cut Bank.

Day 14: the long expected day off in Whitefish

2009-06-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

Rick and I slept in, took it easy, worked over our gear. I transferred my stuff into my new waterproof rear panniers and continued catching up on the blog. We ate lunch a LouLa’s and cruised around downtown on our bikes. For dinner we headed back over to Uncle John and Aunt Jane’s. Rick bought Jane flowers on the way over and she immediately arranged them in a vase with a couple of her neighbors peonies earning Rick a gold star and first in line at the buffet line. Vidalia onion relish dip(from Kevin‘s daughter for fathers day) for appetizer sitting in the backyard (pic: Kevin, Oregon Bill, Aunt Jane, Susan in the swing, Rick, and dog Flossie). For dinner Mexican theme tonight; enchilada casserole, tacos, Texas hot sauce chased with ice cream. Uncle John kept us laughing with endless jokes then entertained us with his banjo playing. (Video) We loved visiting with them and appreciate their fine hospitality.
I also need to give thanks to Pam and Sean for all their hard work procuring the hotel rooms and bringing us dinner the other night. And thanks to the Grouse Mountain Lodge for giving into Pam’s tenacity and allowing us to stay in these beautiful rooms for free.

Day 13: the ride into Whitefish

2009-06-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

This morning Sean and Pam drove Diane, Kevin and me back out to the Dickey Lake campgrounds. Pam was joining us for the ride to Whitefish after being inspired by Diane to get her bike out of the garage and begin riding just 20 days ago. Sean carried all the baggage and drove sag. About 10 miles out the fast boys stopped at a coffee shack (drive thru) and took a break. We had coffee and muffins and flirted with the girl running the place. Today is Oregon Bill’s birthday and we arranged for her to put some candles in a muffin for him. We all studied a small Subaru utility truck that was for sell in the parking lot as a potential sag wagon to use for the rest of the trip. Right side drive, rear engine and only 44,000 km on the dial. Unfortunately the whisper price was twice what any of us expected. Bill arrived shortly and was surprised (pic) by the muffin and coffee and all us hooting and hollering. After the brief celebration we saddled up. A while later a white car with a pole mounted to the roof passed us. Tulsa Bill said that car had passed us yesterday. A mile later the car was pulled over to the side of the road and I arrived to find Bill quizzing the driver about the contraption on his roof. The driver told us it was a 360 degree camera and that he’s collecting the photos for Google Maps. He only stopped because a bug had struck the lenses of the front facing camera. He said that there were around 200 other cars doing the same thing in the US. He showed us the route he had driven the day before and it coincided with our route and he remembered seeing us too. He said it would take about a year for the photos he is shooting today to be available on Google Maps but that we would be able to see ourselves captured on these two days by his camera equipment, immortalized in the Google databank.
In Whitefish we ate lunch at LouLa’s which I highly recommend, though it is slightly pricy, and hung around Glacier Bikes for an hour or so getting minor repairs fawning of some of their offerings. Rick decided to share the room with me at the lodge while the others, except Diane, planned to stay at Kevin’s, Uncle John’s and Aunt Jane’s house about 3 miles away.
We all went over to John and Jane’s for some dinner including Pam and Sean (Pam cycled all 35 miles, way to go). Excellent Cornish hens, and all the fixing’s including John’s famous sourdough biscuits and homemade brownies. John has had quite a life as a veterinarian and shared dozens of stories about cowboys, livestock, snakes and stupid hunters. Everyone was stuffed to the gills and looking forward to a restful nights sleep.

Day 12 Lake Koocanusa campsite to North Dickey Lake campsite

2009-06-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

Today’s photos come from Rick.
Me(Tim) looking at Lake Koocanusa;
The bridge crossing the lake near the town of Rexford
Tulsa Bill warms himself by the fire
Oregon Bill jots down some notes concerning the day’s ride.
The steep climbs continued along the eastern shore of Lake Koocanusa. My legs were feeling great and I soon noticed that I was in the middle chain ring at the top of the climbs. I only used granny on the first hill climbing out of the campgrounds. After regrouping on the road with the others to firm up the days plans Rick and I headed off in the lead foolishly wasting time and energy to ride down to the town of Rexford on a Gatorade Quest. Between Rexford and Eureka the two of us were caught in a good rain shower that chilled us off and soaked us to the bone. Grabbing lunch at Subway we debating getting a hotel room next door ainstead of fighting the elements for another 16 miles to our camping destination. As we returned to our bikes Susan pulled up and told us that Kevin and Tulsa Bill were farther in town having lunch at Jax Café. We joined them and learned no one else had gotten rained on. After trying with only moderate success to find some supplies in town Rick and I headed out toward the campgrounds into a headwind and dropping temperatures and me wearing wet shoes and socks. Kevin and Tulsa Bill stayed behind to do laundry, I figured it would just rain more so I would do laundry at camp. After a short stop in Fortine for chocolate milk (the recovery drink of champions…or maybe just peons) we began the last 3 mile ride to the campsite. I was freezing, maybe the milk cooled me off too much, and never did warm up on the bike. Arriving at camp I found out there were no laundry facilities and I had no clean cycling shorts and few clean dry clothes. My mood soured with this news only compounded by the mention that a bear had pulled another cyclist BOB around a campsite 2 days before pining for a snack so we would have to put out foodstuffs in the back seat of the camp hosts truck. Susan who had arrived before us loaned me her rain pants to cover my legs. I set up my tent; aired up my mattress; and climbed inside my sleeping bag to warm up and work on my mood.
About an hour later I heard some noise and just figured it was someone else arriving. Well it was but it wasn’t another cyclist. It was one of Diana’s followers who came out to support us and ride with us the following day; Pam and her husband Sean.
They had travel 6 hours from eastern Montana and brought all sorts of snacks and salmon for dinner. Theyu also had booked an extra room at the Grouse Mountain Lodge. I guess since I had been whining since arriving at camp they chose me to occupy the extra room. So I ate dinner, broke camp and headed into whitefish with Sean, Pam, Diane, and Kevin who was going to stay at his uncle’s house. I wish one of the others would have joined me in the room but no one else would come. It was great to catch up on laundry and begin catching up on the blog, especially with the knowledge that Sean was transporting everyone’s gear to Whitefish making tomorrows 35 mile day a breeze.

Day 11Through the Cabinet Mountains to Lake Koocanusa

2009-06-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

Got up to a chilly damp foggy morning. Oregon Bill got an early start while Kevin and I pulled up the rear. I was using Kevin’s iphone to order a new set of waterproof rear panniers. It took a while for the people at Performance Bike to realize I was standing in the Montana outback and didn’t have the stupid catalog numbers with me. BTW Alltel doesn’t have much coverage up here so I do have an excuse for the delayed blog postings. (I opened the panniers last night at Kevin’s Uncle John’s place and it had a sample size of Speed Stick Pro Extra Dry Antiperspirant I didn‘t know the iphone came with smell-a-vision)
Upon departure Tulsa Bill reminded everyone that the next 51 miles were without services, nothing until we reached the town of Libby. Those 51 miles in the Cabinet Mountains were great(pic,pic,pic,pic) some up’s and down’s but little traffic and nature’s beauty lapping up to the edge of the shoulder. I shot a video at a scenic vista (Video). The miles clicked by Tulsa Bill and Rick pulled out ahead after 30 miles. Approaching the intersection of highway 2 I was just ahead of Oregon Bill and Kevin. On a fast downhill I managed to swerve and miss two sets of rumble strips designed to wake up drivers and forewarn them of the stop sign ahead. Bill and Kevin, however, went across the strips with their BOB’s in tow, bouncing along the way. Kevin lost a pad from his handlebars and stopped to retrieve it. Bill and I entertained ourselves with snacks and weighing our bikes and ourselves on the truck scale at the weigh in station at the junction (it rounds of to the nearest 20 lbs). Kevin decided to stay behind and warn the girls to avoid the rumble strips. Bill and I continued toward civilization in Libby along a busy stretch of highway 2.
Oregon Bill was ridding strong I was having trouble keeping up. The first restaurant coming into Libby from the west is Fiesta Bonita Mexican. Low and behold that’s where we found Tulsa Bill and Rick sitting down with huge plates of food on the table. We joined them for lunch then went on into the heart of town. We found a green patch of grass in front of the Chamber of Commerce and spread out our wet tents to dry and laid on the grass to nap. About an hour later Kevin, Susan and Diane showed up. Diane had had pedal/cleat problems and hitched a ride into Troy for a basic pair or platform pedal and toe clips. She was riding in a pair of tennis shoes borrowed from Susan and looked tired and stressed. We still had 25 miles to go to get to our campsite (making up 10 of the miles we lost yesterday). The first 10 miles were nice and easy riding beside a wide river but the last 15 miles were tough. Relentless big steep hills in the heat of the day pushed even the strongest riders to their breaking points. Rick and I got to the beautiful shore side campground first, made the arrangements and set up our tents. Oregon Bill came next and he and I bought a six pack of carbs and celebrated the 75 mile accomplishment and chatted with some dog walkers before heading over to set up camp and share the brew. After wonderful dinner at the camp’s restaurant I found myself getting chilled so I rode over to use the restroom on the way back to camp. When I sung my leg over the saddle to dismount my right hamstring locked up in a cramp. I rifled through my handlebar bag to find some Tum’s (the calcium usually helps my leg cramps) and in the process my camera fell on the concrete sidewalk. The camera doesn’t work now but I managed to get the photos off and will use Rick’s photos and camera till I can replace or repair it. The end of another stressful yet awesome day.

Day 10: Sandpoint ID to RV park in MT

2009-06-20T22:44:00.000-07:00

We met up with the group at Wal-mart. Morale was low because of the extra miles the ones that went back to the campsite had to log and the dodgy start to our longest scheduled day so far; 81.6 miles. The first 35 miles were beautiful as we continued to travel along the shore of Lake Pend Oreille (pic). Some of the fast riders spotted 2 moose in a marshy area of the lake but they moved behind brush before their pictures could be captured. Traffic was somewhat heavy but the miles ticked off. We were passed by a fast group of riders. They had shared the same campgrounds so most of our group recognized them. We caught up with them in the town of Clark Fork and made a brief video of them which appears on http://starjumpsforjoy.blogstop.com. They are 16-18 year olds from New England biking across America raising money for cancer research(pic). From Clark Fork we took a longer more scenic route away from the traffic we had been encountering that morning. Before we got halfway through the 14 mile scenic route a cold rain started to fall and we got soaked. A nice man named Steve came by and mentioned that he was building a house and had the roof on and we could stay there and dry off and even spend the night if necessary. The road to his house was the first one after the road surface changed, i.e. the first piece of property in MT. We went done to his new house and enjoyed his hospitality for a couple hours until the sky cleared off and we moved on. Now hours behind schedule on our long 81 mile day. The next 4 or 5 miles of road in Montana were rough (pic) but it was worth it, some of the best pictures of the trip were captured along that stretch. Field after field of daisies and wildflowers with mountains as backdrops (pic) made up for the minefield like quality of the road. Soon we were at and intersection and our natural tendency was to continue to the right into the town of Heron. We crossed the RR tracks which was mentioned in the route list and continued on down the road to a beautiful lake feed by a waterfall; clicking of dozens of more pictures. Next the road turned to gravel, this caused pause with our more experienced touring cyclist and the route maps came out and we realized we were 3 or 4 miles off course and on a dead end road. With no other options, we headed back. Stopping for a snack break in front of the Heron Store General Merchandise where I snapped a photo of the way they grow there shingles up here in Montana (pic). I hear the store has a lovely bathroom, sorry no photo of the WC(ask Stillwater Susan for details). Chain/Derailleur problems further delayed our exodus and when we made it back to the main road, SH200, we knew stopping at the nearest campsite was our only choice. Exhausted we showed up at a RV campground near the intersection of SH 200 and SH 56 just in time to set up our tents before another rain shower hit. 25 miles short of out 81 mile destination. All my clothes were soaked, my panniers weren’t at all waterproof and I hadn’t taken care to place my clean clothes in Ziploc bags because they were still moist from washing the previous day. The most miserable, depressing, emotional end to an interesting day full of unplanned occurrences.

Day 9: Cusick WA to Sandpoint ID

2009-06-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful night at the RV park’s clubhouse (pic) with expectations of an easy 56 mile ride along a Priest River scheduled. We met for big breakfast a Boo-Boo’s restaurant (pic) in Usk. We had a great breakfast and wonderful comroudere visiting and congealing as a group.
A beautiful foggy morning made for lots of good video and pictures. Stillwater Kevin spots a bald eagle (pic) and we all stopped to glimpse it sitting in a tree and flying along the far shore. Things went fine till we left Newport. Shortly after finding a nice volunteer to take our photos in front of the Welcome to Idaho sign (pic) Kevin and I managed to get separated (lost) from our group and we rode about 2 miles out of the way before being brought to our senses by a phone call from Tulsa Bill. We reversed direction and began to chase down the group but in was after noon when we reached the town of Priest River and decided to grab a lunch across the river in town so we did. The others continued on as we fell farther behind. The next 20 miles or so after lunch were very beautiful and we observed many manmade nesting platforms with osprey in the nests. (pic)
Riding the busy highway shoulder to Sagle was unpleasant and the bike trial from there to Sandpoint was rough in places causing my right rear pannier to fall off a couple times. Long story short the last 15 miles were unpleasant. After crossing the old bridge to Sandpoint we met most of the group heading in the other direction to a campsite 3 miles outside of Sagle, ie backtracking 7 miles. Kevin and I went on into town and met Tulsa Bill at a local watering hole. The three of us ended up getting a hotel room in town and headed back over to the brewery at 7 to participate in a trivia completion which our table lead until the last round then lost by a point. Things rapidly died down once the competition was over and we headed back to the room with wounded pride.

Day 8: Flowery Trail Pass to Usk/Cusick

2009-06-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

Day 8 The Alternative Route to Usk
The lesson concerning alternative routes, cagers (car drivers) have no concept of incline. After deciding to not to eat lunch in Chewelah the climb began with a vengeance. About a quarter mile up, I was riding past the towns cemetery knees buckling, looking for an open grave to lie down and take a break in. Plugging along at less than 4 miles an hour. Taking frequent brakes. Standing up and pedal to stretch out the knotted back. Grinding along. A nice woman in town ran out into a parking lot to wish us luck and tell us that she road and that it was nine mile climb and it flattens out between mile 5 and 6.
So as the knees buckled I looked for mile markers wish to see mile 5 and make it to mile 9. Around mile 2 I caught up with Stillwater Susan as she walked her bike and BOB along. After a couple photos I pressed onward and upward. A mile later I caught Oregon Bill and NJ Diane walking their BOB/Bike combos. We chatted for a minute and noticed a deer watching us. Diane rode with me for about 5 minutes the got out of breath and stopped. I took a couple pics then we say Bill still walking and only 200 feet behind. She figured walking would be more efficient and continued to walk with Bill. I rode on toward the summit, losing track of the mile markers, never noticing the flat area around the five mile mark. I pulled off at a wide spot and took a short break and notice a mile marker…it looked like it could be a 9 but I was disappointed to find it read 8. I made it the last mile and found SoCal Rick’s red panniered bike leaning against a guard rail knew it was over. I‘d laid in the grass for ’bout an hour when Diane and Bill finished the days hike-a-bike section. We took pictures to celebrate another summit victory then began discussions about what to do for Susan. I mentioned I had acquired a BOB skewer from Kevin and thought either Rick or I should switch out skewers drop our panniers and descend to get Susan’s BOB. About that time a spotted a cyclist coming around the final bend and told everyone Susan had made it but someone noticed the bike wasn’t pulling a BOB and then it was mentioned that the rider was on a mountain bike. Well it wasn’t Susan it was the woman we had met in the parking lot of her dentist in town. She had finished her appointment and gone home then ridden up and was surprised and pleased to she told us a lot about the area and was about to leave when the phone rang. It was Susan, she had already reached our destination, Usk. She had gotten a ride to the top after I passed her and was first to summit but started to get cold so came down and started scouting for a dry place to stay. We descended. Her efforts paid off and I typing this from the comfort of an RV parks clubhouse. The hostess here is so kind she even had her husband cook extra hamburgers for us. We are showered, laundered and ready for sleep.

Kevin was the last to arrive he said he had checked the incline of the road several times and got readings of 8, 9, and 10 % on the climb, by far the steepest yet.

Day 7 over Sherman Pass and into Colville

2009-06-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Last night was a toughie, the cattle associated with the Fair woke me up at 3 am bellowerin’ like it was the end of the world, keeping me up the rest of the night. I think I was the lucky one I feel everyone else was slept even less. The wake up call went out at 5:15 and we all started busting camp. Just before 7 our luggage shuttle arrived to cart gear. I went on and carried my gear and left right at 7, stopping just long enough for 2 chocolate milks, 2 snickers and some almonds.
The climb of Sherman Pass took around 2:45 of saddle time I averaged 5.2 mph it was a nice steady climb with a one memorable steep section. Before heading down the descent I put the camera in my helmet and shot some video. It was a dull descent 6% meant only 35mph but a pretty stream in the right made for a pleasant distraction. The Columbia River was a beautiful sight and crossing the bridge made a nice video. I made it to kettle falls before noon and bought some PB and honey. In town, other than the one stoplight, is a nice public water park and skate park. I ate lunch watching the kids play in the water park and honey drips collect on my cycling shorts. Then went back to the Health Food Store where everyone else’s stuff was stowed and hung out. Before long Tulsa Bill then the rest of the gang showed up and ate across the street at a restaurant. We headed out to Colville along busy 20 and found the fairgrounds immediately set up tents and took showers, blah blah blah.
Bob the campground host gave us great ideas on where to eat and an alternative route for tomorrow. The original route is riddled with construction sites so we are heading up to over a newly paved road past a ski resort. We’ll see how it plays out.
Since I was riding by myself most of the day these pics are just scenery. One is looking back from near the top of the pass another is from the fire that happened in 1988 and one of my rig at the top.

Day 6 Tonasket to Republic

2009-06-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

After a fine, restful sleep in a motel the day started off great by meeting Dan's family and loading up his trailer with our luggage to be shuttled to Republic. We headed out around 7:30 and started with an immediate climb. Along the way I spotted several beaver lodges and tree stumps attesting to their presence. Others spotted deer and prairie dog colonies. Diane had a trilling flight from a farm dog saying she had " never pedaled so quick in her life." (sorry no pics or vid of this). We met up with Dan about 14 miles out to replenish out water supplies before a steep section of the climb. Then met us again at the town of Wauconda for added support. Most of us made it into Republic just after the end of the Prospectors Day Parade. After getting groceries we headed to the fairgrounds to set up camp, shower and eat. Tonight the fair was having horse racing and we made it over to see a couple of ‘Pony Express’ races. In these races the jockey races a horse for a lap then jumps off that horse and on to another one for the second lap then on to a third horse for the third lap. Handlers manage the other horses on the track and if one gets free then the team is disqualified. The cool thing is that most of the competitors are Native Americans and were racing bareback. Now its raining and I’m in the tent typing this.
For pictures we have Dan and his family this morning loading up. Then a wonderful yellow rose bush in front of an abandoned homestead with Oregon Bill waving and Cali Rick. Old homestead pick. Dan’s family at Wauconda.

Day 5 Okanogan to Tonasket

2009-06-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Last night was somewhat eventfull. We camped at Okanogan's American Legion Park which other than being a place to feed misquotoes is along the main drag in town and our tents were about 40 feet from all the townies loud subwoofers and all the traffic. If that wasn't enough at 11:30 I started squealing in pain wrenched with a leg cramp in my right thigh. A startled camp came to my reascue with Tums and massage. I slept amazing well after that and managed to stand up in the morning without cramping again.

We departed for Republic at 6:37am. Bill from Oregon and I couldn't manage to make it past the McDonalds at the edge of town without a quick stop for coffee and chocolate milk "riding fuel". While outside stretching on the dinning furniture a big guy dressed like a contractor came up and started visiting with us. He was also a cyclist and had ridden 1000 miles last summer to Montana and back. A super nice guy that is looking forward to breaking in his new tandam tricycle riding wife (who weighs 160lbs opps...he let that slip) but with 54 gears and not needing to worry with having to balance it should make for fun. When you want to take a brake just stop pedaling and sit still on its nice wide seat.

Anyway we left McD's when Tulsa Bill and Stillwater Kevin arrived to hightail it to the town of Tonasket. The road was busy but the shoulder was nice and wide. We met up at Shannon's restaurant and decided that we were all to road weary to continue on the tough climb to Republic so we called it an early day. I shipped home 5.5lbs of excess baggage and did laundry with the crew. New Jersey Diane worked her magic and arranged transport for our cargo up to the town of Republic with a supper nice guy named Dan who does nothing but volunteer work. Diane is blogging during the trip too her site is http://starjumpsforjoy.blogspot.com/

Over the last couple of days we have been seeing a Canadian rider named Peter who's ridding solo and ultra- light carrying only a small Deuter backpack and riding a nice Italian steel racing bike. I've included pic of him and his tiny backpack standing outside Shannon's. He rode on ahead today so we're not likely to see him on the road again. We wish him luck on his journey to Ottawa. Another pic is of Bill heading up the hill this morning after the MickyDs stop. Also a pic of the beautiful orchards near Tonasket with Stillwater Kevin.

day 4 making it to Okanogan

2009-06-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

We left early and had a nice breakfast in Winthorp. Then spent a couple hours in its bike shop. I bought a handle bar bag which is a nice thing to have to keep things handy. Then we rode a short distance to the town of Twisp and had a nice lunch to brace us for the big climb. Loop Loop pass is just over 4ooo feet and it took 12 miles of constant relentless climbing to make it. We waited for everyone to make it then had the funnest descent of the trip I reach 45.1 mph as we raced to a shower at the Okanogan fairgrounds followed by a campside dinner where the mosquitoes did most of the dinning. Didn't take many photos today the terrain is more New Mexico like than what you would think WA to be like.
around 60 miles
11:15 time from hotel to camp
average heart rate 96
4200 calories
Looking forward to rereorganizing my stuff to take advantage of the handlebar bag and climbing another pass tomorrow along with another 60 miles.

Days 2 and 3

2009-06-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Day 2 was a blast around 40 miles along side the skagit river. We took it easy and two of the guys had lunch in a nice restaurant in a tiny town. I had an elk burger and a oregon beer.

On the way toward Newhaven I got a pic of my bike with treebeard.

Newhaven is a cute little town with lots of info about the Seattle City Lights hydropower project. The park has a restored steam locomotive that all the little kids had to ring when they found that the cyclists were getting too close to falling asleep in the lush grass under the trees. Leaving Newhaven the big climbs began. The last nine miles must have taken close to 3 hours and it was getting hot. Making it to the camp ground at Diablo Lake was a blessing. Our neighboring campers let us put 3 of our tents up on their site.

Day 3

This morning our camping angels offered to shuttle our gear up to the top on Mt Washington. They did and this made the 32 mile climb much more bearable, it still took us 7 hours to make the summit. Along the way the scenery was spectacular but the clouds were building and about 2 miles from the summit we suffered through a rain shower and pea sized hail.

We snatched up our gear and headed down a 13 mile descent past our campground and into the lodge at the town of mazama. Hot shower, clean laundry and BBQ for all; even WiFi yea.

Day 1: Bellingham to Concrete

2009-06-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

Travel time 10 hours
Distance 59 miles
Calories 2487
Bum soreness 1-10 scale: 2
Beautiful weather for our first day on the road. We dipped our wheels at the park in Fairhaven then waited for the bike store to open to replace a rear rack then around 11 we were off. We rode along the coast for the first 25 miles then hit a valley and headed towards the mountains. Awesome blooming trees, nice farmland etc. Sorry had no luck uploading photos.

Day 0: the other cyclist arrive

2009-06-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

This afternoon most of the other cyclists going on the trip arrived. Me met at Fanatik took some pics then headed off to unload gear in hotel rooms. Later after a beer brake we met downtown at the local brewery (Boundary Bay) for dinner. Then decided to meet at Fanatik Bikes at 8 am for our departure. Here is a shot of the crew, I need to think of pseudonyms for them.

Day Zero

2009-06-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought you could spend hours and hours repacking. Culling items, trying to figure out meaningful relationships between items like: It would be nice to have some Purell in the same pocket as the toilet paper. Then rejoicing at simple successes such as the realization that my tent poles will fit under the top tube of my frame so now my tent doesn't hang a foot off the rear rack. Then getting chuckles out of simple things like the fact that my spork matches the color of orange flavored metamucil, hehehe. One of my great fears on this ride is the dehydration and constipation combo. I'm trusting copious hydration and stealth metamucil delivery via spork to keep that concern at bay.
I'm close to being satisfied with my packing. Still seems like I'm taking a lot of clothes and many redundant items, the brooks running shoes are gonna be a likely eyesore/pain since they'll be strapped on top of the rear panniers.
Now I need to reseat my rear tire since the guys a Fanatik didn't check it yesterday, then I'll take back the chinczy fenders they sold me that rattle all the time.

Day Minus 1: Arriving in Bellingham, WA

2009-06-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

I thought a lot about the blog on the flights here today. I will try to keep them brief otherwise your not gonna read them. I'll keep them funny when possible. So let's start with something funny.

Today after picking up my new bike from Fanatik bicycles I had to ride to another bikeshop to get a front pannier rack so I rode off to the old downtown region of Fairhaven. At Fairhaven bike & ski I got a front rack system and instruction on how to install it. When I went to check out the guy that was helping me did a double take on my name. He said he knew a racer by the same name up here in the great northwest. I told him it was funny 'cause just last week I was on the USCF (United States Cycling Federation) website and I entered my name and a list of races a guy with my name had competed in came up. Of course, I haven't competed in many races especially none in this part of the country.

I'll be going back into that bike shop tomorrow I'm thinking if I see the same guy again I might show him a website that says his friend is leading the tour de dirt championship in my age class.

Anyway here are some pics and one video of the Bellingham area.

Surly LHT gets Christened

Day Minus 2

2009-06-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

Just set up my blog site. Flying out tomorrow morning. Lots still to do.
Here is the routes itinerary. Sorry its hard to read lost some of the formating during cut and paste.

Day Date From To Miles

0 Su, June 7 Stillwater, OK Bellingham, WA Travel day
1 M, June 8 Bellingham, WA Concrete, WA 68.5
2 T, June 9 Concrete, WA Diablo Lake, WA 46
3 W, June 10 Diablo Lake, WA Washington Pass, WA 39
4 Th, June 11 Washington Pass CG Loup Loup Pass, WA 47
5 F, June 12 Loup Loup, WA Tonasket, WA 63
6 Sa, June 13 Tonasket Rest Day
7 Su, June 14 Tonasket, WA Republic, WA 43
8 M, June 15 Republic, WA Colville, WA 56
9 T, June 16 Colville, WA Usk , WA 60
10 W, June 17 Usk, WA Sandpoint, ID 54
11 Th, June 18 Sandpoint, ID Bull Lake, MT 68
12 F, June 19 Bull Lake, MT Rexford, MT 71
13 Sa, June 20 Rexford, MT Whitefish, MT 64
14 Su, June 21 Whitefish Rest Day
15 M, June 22 Whitefish, MT Lake McDonald, MT 50
16 Tu, June 23 Lake McDonald, MT Babb, MT 41
17 W, June 24 Babb, MT Cardston, ALB 56
18 Th, June 25 Cardston, ALB Cut Bank, MT 73
19 F, June 26 Cut Bank, MT Chester, MT 74
20 Sa, June 27 Chester, MT Havre, MT 61
21 Su, June 28 Havre, MT Malta, MT 90
22 M, June 29 Malta, MT Glasgow, MT 72
23 T, June 30 Glasgow, MT Wolf Point, MT 56
24 W, July 1 Wolf Point Rest Day
25 Th, July 2 Wolf Point, MT Culbertson, MT 57
26 F, July 3 Culbertson, MT Lake Sakakawea, ND 67
27 Sa, July 4 Lake Sakakawea, ND ParshalL, NDl 66
28 Su, July 5 Parshall, ND Garrison, ND 69
29 M, July 6 Garrison, ND Washburn, ND 53
30 T, July 7 Washburn, ND Badger Creek, ND 67
31 W, July 8 Badger Creek, ND Pollock, SD 56
32 Th, July 9 Pollock, SD Akaska, SD 72
33 F, July 10 Akaska, SD Pierre, SD 82
34 Sa, July 11 Pierre Rest Day
35 Su, July 12 Pierre, SD Chamberlain, SD 81
36 M, July 13 Chamberlain, SD Burke, SD 61
37 T, July 14 Burke, SD Springfield, SD 96
38 W, July 15 Springfield, SD Vermillion, SD 70
39 Th, July 16 Vermillion, SD Onawa, IA 89
40 F, July 17 Onawa, IA Council Bluffs, IA 65
41 Sa, July 18 Council Bluffs Rest Day pre RAGBRAI
42 Su, Ju 19 Council Bluffs, IA Red Oak, IA 52.6
43 M, July 20 Red Oak, IA Greenfield, IA 72.6
44 Tu, July 21 Greenfield, IA Indianola, IA 77.1
45 W, July 22 Indianola, IA Chariton, IA 44.4
46 Th, July 23 Chariton, IA Ottumwa, IA 76.9
47 F, July 24 Ottumwa, IA Mt Pleasant, IA 75.5
48 Sa, July 25 Mt Pleasant, IA Burlington, IA 43.2
39 Su, July 26 Burlington, IA Muscatine, IA 48.4
50 M, July 27 Muscatine Rest Day
51 Tu, July 28 Muscatine, IA Kewanee, IL 74
52 W, July 29 Kewanee, IL Cornell, IL 80
53 Th, July 30 Cornell, IL Iroquois, IL 82
54 F, July 31 Iroquois, IL Buffalo, IN 52
55 Sa, Aug 1 Buffalo, IN Salamonie River SF, IN 70
56 Su, Aug 2 Salamonie River, IN Monroeville, IN 56
57 M, Aug 3 Monroeville, IN Grand Rapids, OH 75
58 Tu, Aug 4 Grand Rapids, OH Avery, OH 76
59 W, Aug 5 Avery, OH Bay Village (Cleveland), OH 40
60 Th, Aug 6 Bay Village, OH Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH 69
61 F, Aug 7 Geneva-on-the-Lake Barcelona, NY 83
62 Sa Aug 8 Barcelona, NY Orchard Park, NY 62
63 Su, Aug 9 Orchard Park, NY Niagara Falls (CAN/NY 34
64 M, Aug 10 Niagara Falls Rest Day
65 T, Aug 11 Niagara Falls, NY Holley, NY 63
66 W, Aug 12 Holley, NY Pultneyville, NY 71
67 Th, Aug 13 Pultneyville Texas, NY 68
68 F, Aug 14 Texas, NY Boonville, NY 58
69 Sa, Aug 15 Boonville, NY Blue Mountain Lake, NY 60
70 Su, Aug 16 Blue Mountain Lake Ticonderoga, NY 74.4
71 M, Aug 17 Ticonderoga, NY Jericho, VT 67
72 Tu, Aug 18 Rest Day at Peter & Sonja’s
73 W, Aug 19 Ticonderoga, NY Gaysville, VT 52
74 Th, Aug 20 Gaysville,VT North Haverhill, NH 58
75 F, Aug 21 North Haverhill, NH Conway, NH 59
76 Sa, Aug 22 Conway, NH Turner, ME 63
77 Su, Aug 23 Turner , ME Waldoboro, ME 67
78 M, Aug 24 Waldeboro, ME Searsport, ME 46
79 Tu, Aug 25 Searsport, ME Bar Harbor, ME 62
Alternate ride end that would put us at an airport
79 Tu, Aug 25 Searsport, ME Newcastle, ME 59
80 W, Aug 26 Newcastle, ME Portland, ME 53

Total trip miles 4476/4526
Average miles per day 65