Clanc and Chaser go for a Ride

Home Stretch

2010-06-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Upon returning home Clanc and I just weren’t able to keep off two wheels. This time it was on mountain bikes around a frosty Applegate lake. Rolling on single-track felt great - off road riding was something we’d craved all trip. Here Clanc stands next to a frozen trail marker.

Holidays at home with friends and family flew by in a fantastic blur. Clancy arrived home just in time for Thanksgiving with his folks. I crashed my Dad’s house for turkey day and ate so much I slipped into a food coma. Christmas came and went and we caught up with friends leading up to New Year’s. Everywhere we went people remarked, “Tell us about your trip!”: a logical inquiry that we’ve grown used to by now. Thing is, you can’t sum up the last six months of your life in one conversation, let alone convey the feelings associated with all the experiences we shared. I considered putting together a presentation for this reason but I doubt anyone has time for a 3,600 picture slideshow. Do we feel fulfilled, enlightened, complete? Hardly, but we are more rounded and much better for the experience. People say, “That must have been a once in a lifetime type of deal!” Nah - I’m sure it will happen again. Wouldn’t you want to replay the time of your life?

We miss the road. The life of a vagabond is uncomplicated - as long as your wheels are rolling you haven’t a care in the world. Here we sit in our homes surrounded by a plethora of things. Stuff, stuff and more stuff. These things should enrich your life I suppose but if you let it, this stuff can own you and not the other way round.

Moments of memory from the trip are incredible and abundant. Still frames, sounds, smells, tastes. I can remember lunch on the side of the road one day in Washington clearer than anything that happened yesterday. It’s almost like time travel. When you actually want to remember every moment of every day time seems to move much slower (in a delightful way). Who wants to remember exactly what they did at work last week?

When you pause to think about it, life can be a balance between living up to other peoples’ expectations and mindless self indulgence. Neither extreme is healthy. Still, I find that most folks are confronted with this issue on a frequent basis. A more concrete example: when I tell people what I want to do next they often reply with “You have a degree in blah-blah-blah, why would you want to go off and do something else like that?” I want to sail a ship, go to culinary school, make music, fly a plane, hop a train, visit Europe and New Zealand. I tire of complacent lifestyles, having the same routine day in and day out. Not to say it’s a bad thing - just not my cup of tea. An excerpt from a Jack Kerouac novel comes to mind:

“…because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are made to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn…”

This last month has gotten us stir crazy. Don’t get me wrong - it’s positively wonderful being close to friends and family. I just can’t sit still here when there are so many things out there. I don’t expect everyone to understand, but perhaps respect the decision. You only live once, right? Still, so many go on living in a way that prompts me to wonder - is this what you are to seeking to extract from existence? But alas, I am not here to tell you how to think and this is not a philosophy forum. I digress. It’s time get back on the road…

Contact Info

2010-04-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

Update: we are no longer in the habit of checking the shared email account so you would have the best luck reaching me at Chase.Duran at yahoo.com (Clancy's info is below). My photos website for my current adventure can be seen here.

At the moment Clancy is about to jump offshore on the way to the Mediterranean on his own boat adventure. Thanks again to all the kind souls that made our trip worthwhile!

Hello Friends Scattered Near and Far!!!

2010-03-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well time has slipped by and things have changed from our pedaling passed, but it’s still great to be alive and well. My belated last post for the bike adventure is soon to be up - I have been delaying it, trying to prolong the memories but the time has come. If there is anyone out there that wants to contact me while I’m on the boat just e-mail me or check out my facebook account. My email is Clancy.Finchum@gmail.com and my facebook is under my full name. Thanks again to all the wonderful people that made this trip so great for us, it was truly magnificent.

~Clanc and Chase

An Update is Here! (Scroll Down)

2009-12-30T02:17:00.000-08:00

The really short version: We arrived home just in time for Thanksgiving with our families! Having taken the Amtrak from Denver to San Fransisco (thus avoiding a Donner Pass scenario) we had a safe ride back up the coast to southern Oregon. "Normal" life is definitely an adjustment - more on that to come. For right now we are home through the holidays (New Year's) at the very least. Who knows what the next chapter might hold...

In the mean time, your patience is appreciated while we work on finishing the blog. There is more of the adventure to retell and you will no doubt find some interesting reflections on here in the not so distant future.

Lastly, to all those that we've met and that have followed our travels, thank you kindly - we'll talk soon =D

Winding Down or Wrapping up?

2009-12-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

The morning was home to a bittersweet donut breakfast. Clancy’s folks were coming to visit us on the road the following day and Thanksgiving was a mere four days away. Unfortunately, the weather outlook was pretty grim with rain forecasted for the next several days. If we kept pedaling it was going to be cutting it fairly close for the holiday. Clancy didn’t want to rush the last few days of the trip and wanted to keep riding - completely understandable. I on the other hand wasn’t so fond of riding in inclement weather and wanted to be positively home for Thanksgiving. So it was decided; when we met up with his folks I would hitch a ride and he would complete the last leg by himself. It was a tough call - I sure didn’t want to leave Clanc but I equally wanted to meet back up with parents and friends. Maybe the cold rain had made me soft. Speaking of wet weather, it was raining on this fine morning and I pulled out my laptop to kill some time. Clanc got tired of waiting for the weather to change and hit the road.

The rain that day in Leggett never did let up (at least not for long), so I ended up hanging out in the small town all day while Clanc made it up to Garberville. I hit the only two points of interests in Leggett: the “Drive Through Tree” (upper left in collage below) and the K-12 school. The massive redwood was quite the sight - almost as fascinating as the people that failed to drive their cars straight through the tree and removed some extra paint from their mirrors *ouch*. I made my way down to the school when I overheard some ladies at the post office talking about chicken pot pie. When I enquired they extended an invite - you know me when it comes to food! It was quite the spectacle in the cafeteria; there I was eating at the table with the third graders. Took me back to a simpler time at Sam’s Valley Elementary. After we all sang happy birthday to a boy at the table I gave my regards to the chef and ducked out.

The following morning I awoke both bummed out and excited. This was the last day of the trip for me. I intended to ride as far north as possible, tying to catch Clancy before his parents met us on the road. The redwood attractions along the way were pretty amusing. In addition to the drive through tree I had witnessed the previous day, I spotted a couple unique tree houses/homes (also shown in collage) before I entered the “Avenue of the Giants” north of Garberville. The Avenue is a scenic stretch of road just off the main highway that features a high concentration of large redwoods. It was on this section that I spotted Dale and Tresa in their maroon GMC. They hopped out of the truck along with Clanc (they had recently picked him up as well) and I gave them each a big hug. It was an awesome moment - especially since Tresa was the last one from home to see us, having shuttled us up to Seattle more than six months ago to start the journey . A fitting way to bring the trip full circle. I tossed my bike in the back and we headed north towards Eureka where we were to spend the night. Little did I know Tresa had prepared an all out feast for lunch. We stopped at a picnic area and out came the food. Here you can see the impressive spread and an over-indulged Clancy. The best was yet to come though - Tresa had made a shoofly pie for us! This was the confection that we wanted so badly to sample back in Amish country. It was worth the wait…mmmmm.

We reached Eureka in no time and Tresa landed us a plush hotel room at a bargain with her superb negotiation skills. She should be closing deals on Wall Street I tell you! Anyhoo, we settled in, showered up and got to thinking about evening activities. Clancy, Dale and myself decided to head down to the Lost Coast Brewery downtown for some guy talk and Tresa turned in early. The brew was good, the food tasty, and the conversation juicy - you know, all the crazy masculine stuff that went on during the trip that we couldn’t share with Tresa. I kid! It was good to visit in a place that was already starting to feel like home though.

The next morning Tresa outdid herself again and prepared us a red-white-and-blue breakfast. Here she is modeling her creation featuring yogurt, almonds, pomegranate, and blueberries. Delicious and nutritious! With full bellies we loaded our stuff into the truck minus Clancy and his gear. This photo was snapped right before we departed company. Clanc was to ride his bike the rest of the way home (another 190 miles) and we would finish the drive home that day. Another bittersweet moment. We had a safe drive home, where I was dropped off at my Dad’s place to start catching back up. Not to worry - Clancy made it home safe too, and in time for Thanksgiving! He has an entry that will follow about his final leg. Until next time…

Cali Coastline

2009-12-03T23:09:00.000-08:00

After departing Joe’s company Clanc and I rode across the Golden Gate Bridge and snapped the photo you see here. Traveling once again as two was an odd sensation - it served to remind us that our trip was drawing to a close. Only two more weeks up the California coast (tops) until we arrived back home in Oregon. A bit of a sobering realization for a couple fellas that had grown accustom to life on the road over the last six months. That night we rode late into the darkness, trying to distance ourselves from the suburbs and find a suitable spot to tuck away for the night. At a grocery store we bought and fixed some dinner and met a very interesting fellow. He said that he ran a window washing business and indicated that he lived on a bike as well. He mentioned several times that he was happy to be able to meet his obligations and have a little spare change in his pocket. We couldn’t tell if he was really homeless - he seemed fairly well put together and dressed pretty normal. There was a take away though: if you can swing a simple existence who‘s to tell you how better to live your life? In a way this reinforced our entire trip experience. That night we found a freight/storage container and made ourselves at home - simple, no?

You might think that living on the west coast would make it easy to take the coastal scenery for granted. While we had both seen redwoods previously, we couldn’t help but be awestruck. These are the largest living things on earth after all. I tried to imagine what it might be like for someone that had never seen such terrain before - the rocky beaches and ginormous trees. The sights here are certainly unique to the US, to the world for that matter. That morning we spoke to another cyclists as he was breaking camp. Turns out he was a welder and had got burned out with not having a life. So he decided to quit and cycle cross country (I’m seeing a pattern here - the plight of the bicycle tourist). Speaking of cyclists, we began seeing more riders on the coast than anywhere else on the trip. It got to the point that we just waved, smiled, and kept riding. If you stopped and talked to all of these folks you wouldn’t make it five miles in a day. It was a little ironic to find such a high concentration of cyclists here. I say this mainly because Highway 1 was one of the most dangerous routes we had ridden yet (see sign). Also, “towns” on the coast tend to be very small and offered little in the way of services (esp. with regard to bicycles). In addition, many of the California parks/campsites were closed as a result of budget conditions. I suppose the year round weather coupled with the fabulous scenery is enough to make up for these shortcomings. Watching the extremely talented surfers is also a plus.

When we hit Fort Bragg we felt like we had rejoined civilization. A real town with a library and other services - hooray! We celebrated by using the library, drinking some wine and beer hobo style, catching some great live music at a coffee shop, and going to Denny’s. The last thing on this short list was the only thing we regretted. Even with a buzz Denny’s food did a good job of underwhelming us. That didn’t stop us from eating too much though. Here you can see an exhausted Clancy hitting the sack in the restaurant. Luckily we found a nice construction site in which to tuck away and grab some real sleep. The morning was a bit cold and dreary so we visited the coffee shop again to sample some brewed deliciousness. Yes it’s true: in addition to acquiring a taste for bourbon the trip also got me hooked on coffee. A life of vices I tell you! Anyhoo, we reluctantly started riding though the weather was less than enjoyable. We made it a whole 13 miles to the town of Westport before we got fed up with the cold rain and decided to have lunch at a nifty deli. After devouring some tasty sandwiches and homemade bagels we thought it better to loiter in the library to dry out a bit longer. Good fortune found us here. A gentleman by the name of Norm that we had met at the Deli had driven back to Westport; he had intended to do some hiking and camping in nearby Rockport but was discouraged by the foul weather. “Would you guys be interested in drying out in a cabin at the KOA down the road?” he asked, “My treat.” Why yes Norm, that sounds delightful. The lure of the warm, dry indoors made the remaining five mile ride in the rain much more bearable. The shower that night also felt incredible - we were overdue. In the morn we thanked Norm profusely for the luxurious accommodations and he bid us a safe remainder of the trip. What a great guy - we are indebted to you Norm!

The riding day shaped up to be something else - or should I say riding night. We seemed to be getting into the habit of riding without light lately. After soaking up the last of the coastline in the daylight, we began the trip inland and over the mountains as darkness fell. Our target was the town of Leggett but it was quite a ways off yet. Then the fun started. Clancy experienced our first flat tire of night riding all trip - not very terrific considering changing a tire without light is a royal pain. Shortly thereafter I successfully decapitated my front fender while backpedaling, trying to keep warm (don’t ask). The best was yet to come though. Still a good ten miles out from Leggett we ran into a roadblock, literally. A tree had fallen across the highway and cars began accumulating on both sides of the obstruction. Had there not been anyone else around we would have just shuttled our bikes over the fallen tangle of branches, but as it was we felt compelled to help. Luckily a gentleman and his buddy that lived just around the corner showed up and he had a chainsaw at his place. This didn’t stop the yahoo that had been tugging at the fallen tree with a makeshift arrangement of small ropes and tie-downs from continuing his futile mission though. His antics were getting more and more out of control. After nearly backing into the fellow's truck that had walked to retrieve the saw, he hit his buddy with a branch as he tried to throw it off the road. The tension was palpable - we thought a fistfight was sure to break out. Luckily the gentleman with the chainsaw showed back up seconds before an outbreak to save the day (night). I think this photo summarizes the situation pretty well (yahoo is on the right). When we finally got to Leggett at some ridiculous hour we were thrilled to crash out right next to a K-12 school.

A Golden Gate Goodbye

2009-11-30T20:22:00.000-08:00

Luckily we had made contact with a couple kind people in San Fran that were willing to have us. One of these folks was Tilak, Joe’s friend in medicine. After unloading from the train, then the bus, we reassembled our bikes we headed straight for Tilak’s place. When we arrived he invited us into his stunning apartment with a view of the city. “You guys need anything? A shower? Something to eat?” he asked as he grabbed us some beer from the fridge. We filled him in on our trip and explained how we had met Joe along the way, thanking him all the while. Tilak was a super nice guy. “Here are some towels,” he said as he set the linen on the back of the couch. One of us commented, “I bet we smell pretty bad having been on the train that long.” “You guys all smell like #*$%,” he confirmed. We appreciated his honesty. After we all cleaned up we ordered some authentic Italian style pizza and walked down the block to pick it up. The flavor did not disappoint. We were thankful to have real food and a place to sleep that didn’t involve a train car. After watching some Planet Earth (amazing series) on blue ray we all passed out.

The next morning we awoke, excited to explore the Bay Area. Joe and I had some much needed bicycle maintenance to catch up on but Clancy was ready to go, so he bid us adieu and left us to our work. After getting our steeds in order Joe and I cruised over to Golden Gate Park. I had been to San Fran once before but I had never checked out the west side of the city - it was incredible. Our ride through the park took us alongside the botanical gardens, the Conservatory of Flowers, and the de Young Museum. The shot you see here is of Stow Lake, also inside the park. What marvelous green spaces - the most impressive we had seen since Central Park in NYC. The view of Twin Peaks (the highest point in the city) from this same spot was other-worldly. The silhouette of the hill and the homes built on it’s steep grade looked more like France than something you’d expect to find on the West Coast. This glimpse of the hill cemented our decision to pedal to the top of Twin Peaks to catch the sunset.

The steep climb to the top of the city was worth every once of energy expelled. To the west rested the sprawling Pacific Ocean and to the east the urban backdrop of Northwest San Fran. Watching the sunset on the west coast was as fabulous as viewing the sun rise on the east coast. Nothing was in the way so it appeared as if the sun just fell into the drink, slowly being extinguished and swallowed up by the vast body of water. By this time it was downright chilly so we descended the hill, hit up the intersection of Haight and Ashbury, and hooked back up with Clancy. Clanc had done an impressive amount of sight seeing as well. He had also checked out Golden Gate Park and had ridden from Fisherman’s Wharf to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge all along the coast. Moving once again as a group of three, we jumped on the BART transit system and headed for Neil’s house, Bradley’s brother whom we met in Philadelphia.

Neil lived across the bay in Berkeley with his wife Helise and their two delightful children, Sam and Noah. Upon our arrival they welcomed us warmly and encouraged us to eat, do laundry, and make ourselves at home. Five star treatment I tell ya! After dinner the kids got ready for bed and the rest of us weren’t far behind. The next morning we had a family breakfast and visited some more before Sam got ready for his soccer game. Sam and Noah had time to play some basketball against Clancy - here you can see the players in action. The teams were pretty equally matched, I’m not sure who won in the end. We said our goodbyes and the Berkeley family jumped into their minivan and headed off the to game. What fantastic people.

Next we cycled through town and the magnificent UC Berkeley Campus. Filled with wooded areas and picturesque buildings, the campus was a real treat. From here it was onto the BART and back over to San Fran. We hit up Fisherman’s Wharf for a sourdough bread bowl lunch (filled with clam chowder of course), a San Francisco must. Overstuffed, we continued our ride along the coast towards the Golden Gate, the same route Clancy had taken the day before. Along the way we stopped to check out the Palace of Fine Arts (pictured), a building constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. Though I’d been here before I couldn’t help but be wowed by the architectural masterpiece. More was in store on the coastline, including a fascinating wave organ and eventually the red suspension bridge that captivates all that marvel at it. Here, at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge we said farewell to Joe. He planned to visit his brother in Nevada City and it was time for us to make our way up the coast. It was a sad, sad moment indeed. It felt like losing part of yourself - that’s the kind of bond you form with someone when you spend nearly three months biking cross country with them. Sigh… Adios Joe, Godspeed.

The Train

2009-11-28T19:01:00.000-08:00

We rode to the Amtrak station before the sun woke that next morning. Checking our baggage and getting on the train went smoothly until we realized we didn’t have our car assignment. We scurried back to the ticket counter in a frenzy only to make it back to the train and learn that the engine was experiencing problems, delaying our departure. At least we didn’t get left behind. After a bit of waiting we were rolling down the rails in what was my first real passenger train experience. Though we were a little bummed to not be pedaling the rest of the way to the west coast, we were equally excited to experience the journey on the tracks.

As our train began to climb the Rockies we saw an ever increasing amount of snow. Between the elevation and the white world closing in around us I became quite thankful that we were in the comfort of a climate controlled, engine powered vehicle. Our trip to the top of the continental divide culminated in the Moffat Tunnel, a 6.2 mile shaft bored through the mountain. After ten minutes of darkness we arrived at the other side of daylight to witness a true winter wonderland. Trees and mountaintops lay snuggled deep under thick blankets of snow. It’s worth mentioning that we were only at 9000ft, 2000ft below Monarch Pass, the route our bicycle route would have taken us. Brrr! Our subsequent drop in elevation found us in a series of gorgeous canyons alongside the Colorado River. From towering walls exceeding 1000ft to brilliant red sandstone that gave Colorado it’s name (Colorado means “colored red” in Spanish), we were delivered to Utah by way of these spectacular canyons.

By this time we had familiarized ourselves with our fellow passengers for better or worse. Most all the people on the train were fantastic company and seemed to be enjoying the experience as much as us. One adorable little boy befriended Joe - more specifically Joe and his Iphone. The little dude not only provided conversation for Joe but also an abundance of photos and random train video clips. I reckon that’s what happens when you set an eight year old free with a camera phone for a toy.

As daylight was lost we retired from sightseeing and tried to get some shut eye. Easier said than done perhaps. Sleeping on a train with the constant rumble of the tracks isn’t too easy - luckily we each were able to sprawl out and take up two seats, making it possible to get comfortable enough to snag a few hours of rest. As we dozed the train kept on a rollin’ past Salt Lake City and the Bonneville Salt Flats. We awoke just outside of Reno, luckily minutes before the overly-enthusiastic and exceptionally irritating 8am wake up call provided by the café car attendant. If my waking moments came under the power of her voice I definitely would have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, er… reclining chair. Perhaps I wouldn’t have been so bothered by the morning announcement if the Amtrak folks didn’t insist on overheading you the status of the dining car every ten minutes. I guess since food is the only thing they have left to sell you once you’re on the train that they push it pretty hard. This along with the fact that the food is drastically overpriced to the point that you wouldn’t buy it if you weren‘t constantly hounded to do so. We opted to pack PB and J supplies on the train rather than pay 25 dollars for a marginal chicken dinner. In one attempt to kick the PB & J routine I assembled a Frito/mayo sandwich.

In Reno we stopped at a station and were joined by a couple railroad museum tour guides. These folks pointed out notable landmarks and explained historical tidbits regarding the creation and use of the railway. I asked one of the tour guides if he had ever spotted hobos hitching a ride aboard a freight train on the other set of tracks headed east. He verified that he had and to my surprise went on to explain that he had hopped the rails for many years of his life. “Up until about ten years ago I recommended that everyone that was interested in hoping a freightliner go ahead and do so,” he said, “but after 9/11 things got a bit more tricky - now there’s minimum jail time if you’re caught.” This fact might be enough to deter Clanc and I from jumping into a boxcar one day, but I doubt it.

As we began climbing once more, this time up the Sierra Nevadas, we entered the state of California. The snow atop these mountains rivaled the display found on the Rockies - simply beautiful. Upon making our summit at Donner Pass the tour guide recounted the story of the Donner Party and their doomed trip from Illinois to California. I’m glad that we weren’t faced with a similar situation, I’m not sure who would have survived by resorting to cannibalism among the three of us. The thought didn’t sit well, especially since I tend to do pretty poorly without eating.

Before long we arrived in Sacramento and eventually Emeryville, the last stop on the line. From here we had to take a 20minute bus ride over the Bay Bridge into San Francisco. We were happy to be getting off the train having spent the last 35 hours on board. We were not happy to deal with the less than helpful Amtrak staff and bus driver. They almost failed to load our bikes on the bus and were downright rude when we enquired about the bus stop closest to our final destination. We ended up jumping off at the first stop which was the Ferry Building, nearly getting into fisticuffs with the driver as we disembarked. Not the best welcome to San Fran.

The Mile High City

2009-11-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

Continuing our trek into the urban environment of Denver was easier than expected. The highway/freeway that we used to gain entry was busy but had a nice, wide shoulder. As we drew nearer to the city center we paused to refill our tanks with an abundance of samples from Costco. Mmm-hmm. We had been in contact with Andrew, a fellow who lived downtown and ran a bicycle collective. He was willing to host us and we were excited to meet his roommates and check out the surrounding metropolis. Upon arrival we were greeted warmly by Andrew and Scotty. Andrew showed us around their garage that contained a vast array of tools and a staggering amount of bicycles. We later found out just how many folks Andrew and Scotty helped out daily, working on their bicycles and so forth. They played it off like it was no big deal, though I know the community appreciates their skills immensely and they are keeping a ton of cars off the road. While we were whipping up some dinner I was distracted by one of the roommates named Allender - he was out in the garage doing something on his bicycle. I wandered down to check it out and got a whole lot more than I bargained for. Allender ended up being one of the most talented flatland bicyclists in the country. He was doing track stands (balancing on two wheels, not touching the ground) with no hands like they were nothing. Then things started getting really crazy - while still balancing, he started reaching through the frame and moving all about on the bike, at times sitting down within the triangle of the frame. This picture gives a little insight into Allender’s outrageous skills - I assure you, he is NOT touching the ground. Unbelievable.

The next day Clancy, Joe, and myself set out to explore what Denver had to offer. We walked our bikes down 16th street, the pedestrian and bus thoroughfare, steeping in the city atmosphere. It’s interesting the different vibes you get from areas when you slow down and take time to listen. For instance, Boston feels different than Chicago, New York is a world away from Philadelphia, etc. Anyway, Denver had a good feel to it. After wandering the strip and checking out some architecture we headed down to the Auraria Campus, home to three Denver colleges. The walkways were bustling with students and activity. All this roaming about eventually made us hungry (and thirsty!) so we opted to grab a bite and head down to the Great Divide Brewing Company. This award winning establishment gave tours of their small operation which was a definite plus. After the tour we sampled several of their taps and each decided on our favorite pint. I selected their “Yeti” stout, one of the most delicious dark beers I have tasted to date. Luckily the fun for the evening was just getting started. We returned to Andrew’s place and made a store run in preparation for a get-together later that night. Clancy and Andrew acquired a “dirty 30” of Pabst and Joe and I went out for groceries. As night closed in, people filled the backyard and we started a fire in the pit out back. A jolly time was had by all as we talked bicycles and partook of more Pabst than necessary.

In the morning, Andrew offered us a Denver tour which we gladly accepted. The day started with the best breakfast we had eaten all trip from a restaurant called the Watercourse. Everything was homemade - from the bread, to the preserves, to the most amazing home fries I have ever tasted. They even produced the ketchup in-house, incredible! Needless to say my eggs were cooked to perfection. With full bellies, Andrew led us downtown on some great bike routes. He asked us if we wanted to bomb 18th street. Sure, why not? From the top of the hill we picked up speed and began catching light after light for over 20 blocks. I didn’t look down at my speedometer as we weaved through traffic but I can tell you that we were moving along at a decent clip. When we got to the bottom I only had one question - can we do that again!? From here we dropped by Coors Field (pic) and Union Station before stopping in at Cycle Analyst, the bike shop where Scotty works. Scotty gave us a full tour of the establishment, even the buildings in back. I lost count of how many rooms of parts, frames, forks, and wheels we wandered though. There was enough hardware to build an army of cycles. Hats off to Scotty for sharing his workplace and knowledge. After Scotty got off work we all met up and had dinner at the Vine street Pub. More good food and beer, oh dear! I could get used to this. That night we stayed up late and socialized some more, attempting to put off the fact that our train was set to leave early the next morning. We said our sad goodbyes and hit the sack. We felt like we were leaving home.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

2009-11-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

We were excited to see mountains, and we got them, eventually. Eastern Colorado is not surprisingly a lot like Kansas. We had the opportunity to ride alongside 20+ miles of decommissioned railcars, designed to haul automobiles, parked in the middle of nowhere. A testament to the current economy I suppose. All I can say is that there are some talented train yard artists out there; some of the work on display belonged in a gallery.

It wasn’t long before we spotted the sign you see here. We took it as a healthy perspective - only later did we find out that this area had suffered a disastrous fire less than two years ago. The reconstruction is still in progress. We had a chance to visit extensively with a lady that lost her previous home in the blaze. Actually, she hosted us! Her name was Gillian and we had the pleasure of meeting her through the super awesome clerk at the library. Once at her place she put us up proper in her 5th wheel, a setup especially for folks doing work exchange and cross-country cyclists like us. Speaking of work exchange, Gillian introduced us to helpx.net, a site that allows you to connect with folks around the globe. Work and Travel in New Zealand anyone? We had the pleasure of doing some work around Gillian’s place, which is great since we are rarely able to repay our hosts. Clancy and Joe dug and backfilled the electrical trench you see here. I got off easy and helped Gillian install some sliding glass doors. Ah teamwork. Also worthy of mention, her place was a wildlife refuge of sorts, home to dogs, goats, horses, and a large number of injured and recuperating turkeys and geese. Gillian was indeed an awesome lady and quite the adventurer herself. She had traveled all over the world and sailed extensively. We had quite the time socializing and cooking spaghetti in her house that evening.

The next day we rolled into Pueblo, Colorado. We had been in contact with Chris and Danny, attendee and pastor of a local church that was happy to put us up for the night. We scurried through a sketchy section of road construction as nightfall was closing in, arriving at the church just in time to join the potluck in progress. Let me tell you, people pulled out all the stops for this dinner. We sampled everything from cornbread and chili, to pasta, to more than our share of desserts. Funny how food seems to find us (or is it the other way around?). After overstuffing ourselves we enjoyed a bible study before watching a couple VHS movies and proceeded to crash out from fullness and exhaustion. It had been a number of days since our last rest day so we opted to lay low the next morning. We watched a De Niro flick over an extended breakfast and eventually filtered outside. Clancy explored Pueblo on bike while Joe and myself took advantage of the library. A lazy day felt great for the legs.

In the morn we mounted up on our rested steeds and started making our way north to Denver where we planned to catch the Amtrak to San Fran. The scenery did not disappoint. We were surrounded by mountains for the first time following the Ozarks and boy did it feel good. In addition to the terrain we laid eyes on the world’s largest rocking chair - 21 feet and weighing over 9,000 pounds, it seemed like a proper chair for Paul Bunyan. That night we scoped out the Colorado College campus in Colorado Springs. While we were enjoying a live funk bank in the student union a fellow approached us and introduced himself as Luke. Having toured himself he was easily able pick us out as bicycle traveling types (I’d normally chalk it up to us not showing frequently but we were each fortunate enough to have taken one that morning). Luke invited us to the Synergy House just down the way where some people were gathering that night. We kindly accepted and showed up a bit later in time to meet Jack and his fellow housemates. Everyone was super friendly and excited to have us. We had the pleasure of meeting Daniel and Lisbet at the Synergy House as well. Daniel had traveled from Argentina clear up to New England over the last year and a half on bicycle. What an epic Journey! He couldn’t say enough good things about South and Central America despite some people’s hesitation to visit such areas. Before saying our goodnights Daniel, Lisbet, and Luke offered to accompany us on a ride out to the Garden of the Gods the following morning. We graciously accepted and found ourselves on some great bike paths on the way to the garden the next day. The Garden of the Gods is a geological masterpiece. Fault lines have stood horizontal bands of sandstone vertically, resulting in a series of rocky spines that must be seen to be believed. The sight was the most impressive since Glacier National Park. Check out our photo gallery for more pictures - definitely worth a look. Departing from the garden, we pedaled toward Manitou Spring where we enjoyed naturally carbonated mineral water and some music from a character named “Grandpa Taylor.” Soon afterward we said our sad goodbyes to our tour guides and new friends. After grocery shopping and hitting up REI we began riding once again with daylight quickly fading. We opted to ride late into the night on a dirt path that cut through the Air Force Academy. This might not have been the best decision in the end. I foolishly rode ahead of Clancy and Joe using only moonlight to illuminate my way given that my headlight was on the fritz. I ended up ramming straight into a low gate that snuck up on me; sadly it was chained solidly to a concrete reinforcement so there wasn’t much give to the sucker. As I came to an abrupt halt the rear end of my bike lifted clear up, attempting to catapult me over the gate. I still don’t know how I didn’t end up flying over the handlebars. Instead I found myself awkwardly dismounting the bike to the left while still holding the controls. The arse of the bike came crashing down next to me, both of us standing upright. I was lucky to escape with only a sprained thumb. The bike didn’t fare as well and suffered a severely smashed (but still rideable) front wheel and a bent frame right behind the head tube.

Moron.

Kansas Finale

2009-11-24T23:44:00.000-08:00

Continuing our trek through Kansas, we briefly paused at the post office in Alexander to pick up a care package. Lori and Gary (our Wisconsin Family) had sent us some fantastic goodies. Among the bounty was some delicious mushroom soup, homemade banana bread, hot packs (these came in handy later), and most importantly, beer! Er…I mean soda - you can’t ship beer mwahah. We excitedly tucked our goodies away for later consumption after sampling a healthy amount of the banana bread (we had to make sure it wasn’t stale, duh). It wasn’t long before we ran into one of the more interesting human powered machines all tour. This fellow was headed to Boston with his solar car/bicycle contraption with the help of a support vehicle. The entire roof was a solar panel and the large box you see on the bottom of the rig is a battery that helps him get up and over the hills with this near 200-pound beast. Looks like work to me!

As we rolled through the small town of Dighton we heard some hoots and hollers coming from the opposite side of the road. At first we thought the locals were just razzing us but one of the gang was yelling: “Come have a beer for the road!” He had our attention. We introduced ourselves and found their hospitality and Keystone Light quite delightful. We talked about Halloween Plans (today was the 31^st, yikes!) and nearby things to check out. One of the fellows had a Ripstick, half skateboard-half rollerblade doohickey that we all tried to ride. Ripstick skill seemed to be positively correlated with alcohol consumption. Can’t blame us for trying! Before we departed the gentleman operating the barbeque on the porch asked, “You guys ever had an armadillo egg?” No sir, never have - I was under the impression that they didn’t lay eggs. Turns out he was referring to a jalapeno popper (mmm cream cheese) wrapped in bacon. It was the perfect parting gift. That night we had a low key Halloween in a nearby hostel of sorts. Nothing seemed to be going on in town. We couldn’t help but sigh and think of last year’s awesome Eugene Halloween. At least the sunsets in Kansas are beautiful.

Something funny happened the next day as we entered Tribune, Kansas. As you can tell from the picture, Main street was completely torn up. Not too odd I suppose. Not a single person was out on “the strip.” Again, not super creepy in itself. What was disturbing: music was blasting from every lamp post mounted speaker (see pic). Not just any music - Britney Spear’s “Hit me Baby One More Time.” As we rolled past all the motionless buildings with our three loaded down bicycles we couldn’t help but wonder if we were on some kind of reality TV show. Ok Ashton, we‘ve been Punked, now come out from behind one of the buildings! He never showed. The shot you see here is us waking up the next morning - I wish the white dusting was another prank, one done with confectioner’s sugar. Instead it was very real, very cold frost, which explains why Clancy and I remain in larva form (thanks to Joe for the chilly photo credit ;).

The Hosting Streak Continues

2009-11-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

When you’re hot you’re hot they say. Apparently we were hot in Kansas despite the rapidly dropping temperatures. As Joe scurried into the little town of Rosalia to find a restroom he was flagged down by a helpful citizen that was in a hurry to open the church to the likes of us bicycle travelers. Barely able to contain his excitement, let alone his bladder pressure, he was shown around the Methodist church. Then just like that our lady savior vanished. Joe calls us up (we’re just behind him) and tells us of the fortunate news. What’s more - the fridge and freezers are packed with food - food that our host said we should help ourselves to! That night we sample a great deal of frozen pizzas, Oreo cookies, and Twinkies in a health food marathon.

The following afternoon John made contact with a gentleman named Charles through a friend of a friend. Charles was eager to have us and we rolled in late that evening. We were greeted by warm hellos and offers of cigarettes. Though we declined the cancer sticks, the hospitality was indicative of the entire household. We conversed with all the roommates about topics from stand up comedy to Salvador Dali and Surrealism. Turns out everyone who lived under the roof was a teacher, all of them raised as Mennonites, which mixed up a fine cultural cocktail that we happily partook of. Speaking of cocktails, we also gained more insight into 3.2% beer and the mess of liquor laws across our country that vary by state. It made me miss Oregon where you can walk into the grocery store (even on a Sunday) and buy an honest to goodness brew. Maybe I’m just an alcoholic.

Just down the line in Seward the next night we began speaking with a fellow on the street named Bryan. We got to talking about Kansas, all the places he had lived, and the Seabee’s (a military unit he was part of). Fascinating character; turns out he owned the better part of the commercial and residential buildings in this municipality. When he learned that we were hunting for a camp spot he offered us a house he was fixing up just down the lane. A warm fireplace and a fridge full of beer awaited us. He gave us a brief tour, told us to make ourselves at home, and said he would be by later to hang out for a while. When he did return we were well into the beer (don’t worry, we made a run to the liquor store - we didn’t want to drink all of his!). Our new travel companion John, quite the musician, had already been playing us some tunes with a harmonica, guitar, and tambourine. Talk about a one-man band! Then Bryan dropped into the jam session. It was one of those moments that wish you had a video camera with a boom mic setup. The musical creation unfolding in front of our eyes and ears was something to behold. Bryan played us some songs he had written himself, as did John afterward. The scenario made me wish I could contribute something - then again, my ears were having such a great time just soaking in the surroundings. We wound down the evening with some discussion of religion and politics (the two generally forbidden topics) and crashed out happy.

The next day we woke up and rode our bicycles - surprise! Excuse the sarcasm - what I’m getting at here is that we ride our bikes nearly every darn day so I kind of take it as a given. I’ve read too many blogs that do little more than regurgitate the details of the daily ride. I’m thinking (and hoping) that you might be more interested in other aspects aside from how many times our pedals circle the crank each day. Plenty of interesting stuff does happen on the road however. For instance, on this particular day John treated us to some roadside yoga while Joe practiced the art of Zen and bicycle maintenance in the form of changing a flat tire. Both John and Joe are Yoga masters of sorts (though they wouldn’t admit to more than taking a few classes) and we appreciated their sharing of knowledge. Here you can see John flying Clancy like some kind of upside-down bird. How’s that back feel Clanc? Better now I’m guessing. I also mentioned that John is a talented musician - this is a skill that doesn’t stop working when John jumps on a bicycle. He was known to wear his harmonic holder, mount a tambourine on his handlebars, and have a bucket on the rear of his bike as a makeshift drum, all so he could continue the melody while he was riding! I can’t imagine trying to make anything resembling music while riding down the road, I fall off enough as it is. My hat is off to you John.

That night we crashed at the Zion Lutheran church in Hutchinson after Joe dropped off his new bicycle to have the derailers adjusted. Having yet another indoor place to sleep that included a kitchen was really beginning to spoil us - perhaps we were getting a little soft? We had some couscous and veggies, hit the sack, and tried to have dreams that we were snow camping and still hardcore (not really). We awoke the next morning with no intent to get started at the crack of dawn (did I mention it was cold!?) and took our time gathering our things and Joe’s bicycle. On the way into town the previous day we had passed a huge air and space museum called the Cosmosphere - why not check it out while we were here? The facility had been compared to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in DC so we were certainly glad we decided to drop in. As soon as you step into the lobby of the building you are greeted by real-life SR-71 spy plane, the fastest aircraft on the planet at mach 3.3 (2,200 mph). I was impressed - I think the little guy in the picture was too. Other exhibits included rocket engines, lunar rovers, art murals, and space suit underwear (think pampers). Heck of a place for a world-renowned space center if you ask me.

The following day we were afforded another touristy treat. Larned, Kansas, site of Fort Larned, was a reinforcement established in 1860 to safeguard traffic on the Sante Fe Trail. Everyone back home is familiar with the Oregon Trail but we didn’t learn about the flow of goods and people between Independence, Mo and Santa Fe back in grade school. The acquisition of land from the Mexican-American War and early gold rushes served to boost trail traffic. Native Americans didn’t take kindly to the new interstate through their front yard and in response to their retaliation the US Military became involved. The preserved and renovated fort provided fascinating insight into the daily lives of Indians and soldiers of the era. Empty barracks and hospital quarters illustrated the seriousness of the situation and frankly were more than a little creepy. I bought an “inedible souvenir” portion of hard tack at the gift shop, the infamous cracker of yesteryear that soldiers were rumored to be less than fond of. I didn’t think it was so bad - then again I didn’t have to eat a pound of it a day in place of fresh bread. I’ll let you judge for yourself based on Joe and Clancy’s facial expressions.

That night the hosting streak came to an abrupt and tragic halt. Frozen and soaked from the persistent rain, we crawled into a tavern in the little “town” of Rush Center around 5 PM. Not one of the locals spoke to us that night, excepting the not so friendly waitress and the downright hostile bartender. Perhaps we were sitting and drying our wares at the favorite corner table. We attempted, unsuccessfully, to warm ourselves up with round after round of Keystone Light before slipping into a combine garage five hours later (a regular two-star sleeping setup). In the morn we faced more sadness. John had decided that he was to continue riding over the Rockies, the rest of us already having made up our minds to not gamble on the weather (and frostbite!). With a decent looking forecast ahead, John reasoned that he shouldn’t dilly-dally any longer than necessary and charged onward, once again making us a party of three. We wished him the very best and a safe trip over the mountains.

How Flat?

2009-11-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

Let me set the record straight right off the bat - Kansas has an undeserved reputation for being flat and devoid of anything interesting. In reality, the landscape is much more rolling than one would expect, particularly in the eastern region of the state. Additionally, as we heard from many east-bound cyclists, the people in Kansas are among the friendliest on the Transamerica route. It was here that we set a trip record for consecutive nights hosted.

Though it treated us well, Kansas was not all daises and daffodils. Joe’s bike began acting up once more as soon as we crossed the state line, the rear wheel again at fault. By this time it was nickel-and-diming him to the extent that money for replacement parts might be better spent on a new bicycle. We flagged down a truck so that Joe wouldn’t be forced to ride on his crippled wheel and continued riding without him, on toward Pittsburg, Kansas. Along the way Clancy and I were faced with a road outage. The detour around the construction zone was a full eight miles so we thought we would proceed as usual, riding straight through on the closed road. This might or might not have been the best approach in retrospect. The tricky part of this scenario was that the missing section of road we needed to use was an overpass that crossed over a busy interstate. We began by riding up a muddy slope where the ramp to the bridge would have been. Clancy managed to plow through despite accumulating a substantial amount of mud. I didn’t fare so well; the minimal clearance between my wheels and fenders soon proved to be inadequate and my forward progress ground to a halt. I was soon kicking my front fender trying to free the wheel of accumulated earth, cursing like a sailor all the while. Having eventually made it down to the four lane thoroughfare we were now faced with a real life game of Frogger. Luckily, the road crossing went smoothly and the bank on the other side was not as treacherous as the first. Next time we arrive at a detour we might think twice about short-cutting (but I doubt it).

Once we arrived in Pittsburg we met back up with Joe who had since decided to order a brand new touring bicycle. Exciting news! This meant that we had a few days to kill while awaiting delivery of said bicycle. We made a beeline for the post office as we were expecting a slew of care packages. We were not disappointed - in addition to clothing and snacks sent from home, Craig and Ronda (from Kentucky) had sent a parcel weighing over ten pounds, chalk full of goodies. So impressive was the bounty that we felt the need to catalog it. Huge thanks to our parents, Craig, and Ronda! It was at the post office in the process of loading up our loot that we met Charles the dental technician. He inquired about our travels and was tickled to discover that Joe was indeed a dentist. This prompted him to invite us over to his lab/clinic for a tour - what a treat! After giving us some hands on experience in the dental laboratory Charles asked us where we were staying for the night. We shrugged our shoulders and explained that we more often than not camp in an out-of-the-way location. Almost immediately he marched us down to the basement. “This is where you guys are sleeping for the night,” instructed Charles, “How long are you in town for?” We explained to him the predicament of Joe’s bike and that we would be around until Thursday. “The place is yours until then,” said Charles with a smile. Exceedingly grateful to be sleeping indoors, we thanked him enthusiastically. We walked back up to ground level and were introduced to Charles’ grandson, Ian. After shooting the breeze for a while we inquired about his killer looking WRX in the parking lot. “You guys want to go for a ride?” he probed. We hopped into the sleek, white STI (top trim level of WRX) and found ourselves scooting swiftly down the highway. I soon realized that this was one of the quickest cars I had ever ridden in; that’s when we found the beautifully banked 90 degree corner. Our bodies tensed as we wondered if the forces of gravity and the all-wheel drive would hold us against the tarmac. I was at full pucker. It was apparent that Ian had competed in a local autocross competition earlier that day, our knuckles white as the car’s paintjob from gripping the armrests.

The next morning we headed down to the bike shop for some routine maintenance as well as to wrap up Joe’s bike order. A fully loaded bicycle laid against the outside of the building, stacked with more gear than any of our mounts. A bearded fellow stepped outside and approached the compilation of steel and cargo. His name was John and he was riding to San Francisco on the same route as us. After learning this tidbit of information he inquired if we would mind some extra company. Not at all good sir, not at all - we welcomed the opportunity of being four strong, especially considering John’s intriguing background as a sailor and musician. He had already crossed the Atlantic four times under sail and played most instruments found under the sun. While John wrapped up some business at the bike shop us three amigos headed down to Pitt State University to check out the campus and dining hall. With the intent of relaxing over the next couple days, catching up on the blog, and consuming some pop culture in the form of movies, life was good.

That night Charles extended us a most unique opportunity. “You guys should head out to my lake house and stay there a couple nights if you’d like.” Still in awe, we unanimously decided to accept. We loaded up in his El Camino and motored down the road to the next town over. Arriving after dark, we settled in, fixed some supper and watched the movie “Gran Torino,” the newest Eastwood flick (highly recommended). The next morning the crew headed back to Pittsburg to pick up Joe’s new steed and I took the day to explore the property and catch up on some writing. The placement of the house on the lake was magnificent indeed but perhaps the most picturesque feature to be seen was the tree in the back yard, aglow with the fiery colors of fall. The vacation house was like a sanctuary for our souls that last night. So very peaceful indeed. We awoke the next morning and reluctantly peddled off , Joe on his new bicycle, journeying away from a piece of paradise in Kansas.

Luckily it didn’t take long for us to stumble across another warm and delightful set of accommodations. That night we cruised into Chanute where John struck up conversation with a young man outside the Fire Escape Coffee House. Turns out the warehouse sized facility was home to a Christian youth center and recording studio. The coordinator, a gentleman named Mark, gained word of our travels from the fellow John had been speaking with and invited us in out of the cold. He showed us around the giant building, complete with massive rec room and four bedroom apartment where we would be staying (this space is typical occupied by Christian bands that come to play in this venue - several of which we had heard of). Mark also told us the inspiring story behind the youth center, namely how it was funded by donations from the local community. From the sounds of it, the area really needed a place like this to positively influence adolescents given an abundance of nearby drug activity. Mark and his wife Marilyn deserve a medal for the blood sweat and tears they have put into making the center a reality. We stayed up late that evening hanging out with youth group, playing games like pool, foosball, and ping pong. In the AM we departed, taking a moment to scope out the fascinating sculpture you see here before leaving town. It was dedicated to Octave Chanute, the gentleman that wrote the book that the Wright brothers used to construct their flyer. The whole framework behaved as a giant mobile, moving with the wind. What a fascinating tribute.

Missoura (local pronunciation)

2009-11-17T15:34:00.001-08:00

Okay, you caught me, we had to cross back into Illinois before reaching Missouri. A couple important things happened here I suppose. Joe was able to get another I-phone in Carbondale, site of Southern Illinois University (his first one took swimming lessons in his open rain jacket pocket). Also, we rolled through Chester, IL home to Popeye the Sailor. You might be suspicious, much as I was, to hear that Popeye is from the Midwest - not many oceans around here, no? It made more sense when we learned that this was actually home to the author that created the lovable cartoon character. Cut Popeye some slack alright, not everyone can smoke a pipe and be a healthy role model for children who refuse to eat vegetables. On a more serious note, it was in Chester that we realized peddling over the Rockies might be a foolish (or perhaps impossible) endeavor. Talk of Amtrak stations and rental cars started flying around as we debated our desire to test fate.

From Popeye’s home it was just a skip over the Mississippi river into Missouri. Here you can see the largest barge arrangement we have witnessed the entire trip, proving the waterway is still vital to interstate commerce. It should be noted that while the sign for Missouri bears the slogan “The Show me State,” we were unable to determine the origin of this clever nickname (though we thought of some inappropriate examples). Perhaps it indicates that we should have booked a tour guide before entering the commonwealth? Maybe one day I will consult Wikipedia.

One thing you don’t need a tour guide to discover in Missouri is a plethora of armadillo carcasses. Prior to this trip my only hands-on armadillo experience was a horrific basket fashioned from one of the critters that sat on our entertainment center. Judging by their numbers, the poor creatures really seem to struggle with crossing the road safely. In addition to loads of expired armadillos we also spotted a number of ancient looking miniature turtles and even one tarantula. Who knew Missouri roadsides harbored so many intriguing species?

As the flat levees of the Mississippi gave way to rolling hills we found ourselves climbing into the Ozark Mountains. The fall colors were beautiful and served to keep our minds off of the seemingly endless roller-coaster terrain. Unfortunately, the roads lacked any kind of overlooks and the one magnificent clearing was atop a ridge where the rain was pouring down and I dared not pull out my camera. You’ll have to make due with this dozer snapshot. It was also in the Ozarks that we met Ian, fellow cycle tourist and adventure traveler. In addition to making his own panniers (see pic) he had hopped several trains in the not so distant past, something that Clancy has taken a fancy to lately. We invited Ian to ride with us since he seemed like a really chill guy. To our chagrin, he accepted our offer and rode with us for a few hours until his bike began experiencing mechanical difficulties. Since he wasn’t too far from home he was able to call his mom who was kind enough to come pick him up (mom’s are great like that!). We were sad to loose our newly acquired fourth riding buddy but were thankful that he had transportation. Luckily, we hadn’t seen the last of Ian. That night we pulled into the small town of Eminence and began sorting out food and lodging arrangements. While we were standing in front of the market Ian walked up to us with his mother (and savior) Lisa. “Hi Guys!” chimed Ian. “Would you care to join us for dinner, I just ordered a pizza,” followed Lisa. Hardly in a position to refuse, we graciously accepted and soon found ourselves inhaling some fabulous pizza pie. Despite our poor manners and the fact that we hadn’t showered in days, Ian and Lisa put up with us astoundingly well. We were thrilled to have the company and were sad when it came time to say our farewells. They even offered to have us crash at their place but they lived a full 40 miles away. We probably should have taken them up on their offer though; we ended up spending the night in an exceptionally sketchy picnic shelter. Numerous cars pulled up throughout the night, likely surprised to find us in “their spot.”

A couple days later down the line in the little town of Ash Grove we had much better luck finding shelter - this time at an Orthodox church appropriately named “Unexpected Joy Chapel.” Father Moses was happy to have us in the recently constructed sanctuary. We soon found out that he wasn’t your average Father of the faith. Moses had lived on a commune, had a son working in Antarctica, and was related to Daniel Boone. He extended an invite to the local Afro American Heritage Museum for the following morning and left us to our dinner plans. We promptly loaded up at the grocery store and returned to start cooking a feast of monumental proportions. There were chicken breasts, mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, vegetables, and a beautiful salad prepared by Joe. Clancy made sure we didn’t go hungry for dessert by whipping up some brownies. It was the most proper family dinner that the three of us had created together. The next morning after some omelets we made our way down to the Afro American Heritage Museum. What Father Moses failed to mention was that he is the establishment’s curator and sole proprietor. He had set aside his morning just to give us a tour of the museum, and boy howdy did we get a tour. The downtown building was brimming with slavery artifacts, underground railroad memorabilia, and books containing family history that really belonged in the Smithsonian. You see, Father Moses is a direct descendant of slaves and his passion is sharing with others the lives of those that were held in captivity and some of their ironic freedoms. It would be easy for someone in his position to perhaps be angry, accusatory, and resentful but Moses didn’t come off like this in the slightest. His presence was something to behold - I suppose that’s why National Geographic had done a special on his museum and a biographical documentary narrated by James Earl Jones is in the works.

Kentucky Supplemental

2009-11-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

Clancy did such a terrific job chronicling our Kentucky adventures that I hardly want to touch this entry. There were a few things I didn’t want us to forget though, so here goes:

In Berea, just after Craig and Ronda’s, we were put into contact with Jessica and Charlie, students at Berea College. Our new found friend Enchanta from DC had made the arrangement actually - we heard from about five of her friends in town, all of them excited to visit and put us up for the night. We owe you big Enchanta! We had a great time socializing with Jessica and Charlie that evening and the next morning they wished us a fine farewell before our departure with hugs for all. On campus we had the opportunity to visit with Ben, a fellow that had ridden to Alaska where he worked for a summer. He was part of the bike co-op on campus and made sure our steeds were all set before we departed. There were some cool bikes being built at the co-op, we wished we could have rode away on a couple of them.

In Springfield, KY we visited the Lincoln homestead where Thomas and Nancy Lincoln (parents of Abraham Lincoln) were married and first settled. Later down the line in Hodgenville we scoped out Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Park, the location of the family Sinking Spring Farm. Both sites offered fascinating historical nuggets but the spring and the memorial at the birthplace site were the real highlights in my opinion. Gaining insight into the life of one of our most beloved presidents was certainly a delicious sample of culture.

In Bardstown we were in for quite the treat. The town is regarded as the bourbon capital of the world. Several top distilleries can be found here including Makers Mark, Jim Beam, and Heaven Hill. We visited Heaven Hill, maker of over 200 varieties of whiskey and winner of the 2009 International Whiskey Visitor Center award. We watched an informational film and took a tour of the rick-houses where they age the bourbon. Then came the fun part; we shuffled into the tasting room and were each seated in front of two small glasses of gorgeous amber liquid. Our tour guide explained the characteristics of the flowing gold that we were about to partake of. He then covered the procedure of adding just a few drops of water to the bourbon (they call the water “branch” in this case - probably because “bourbon and branch” sounds cool like “water and whiskey“). Turns out that adding a touch of agua is the preferred way to enjoy bourbon, as a small amount helps to enhance the aroma and flavor of the beverage. First up was the Evan Williams (aged 12 years), which can be enjoyed as a mixer or sipping bourbon. The flavor was bold with substantial bite. Next up was the Elijah Craig (aged 18 years - the oldest single barrel bourbon in the world). The Elijah is regarded as a sipping bourbon and we soon found out why. The extra aging had not only increased the alcoholic content but also mellowed out the finish substantially. The distinct vanilla flavor contributed by the white oak barrel helped to make the drink smoother than Clancy in a room full of NFL cheerleaders. We ended up enjoying the Elijah Craig so much that we felt compelled to buy a bottle. Here you can see us pictured with our prize outside the Bourbon Heritage Center. Another round anyone?

West of Bardstown we soaked in the beauty of more fantastic Amish farmland. We had the (mis)fortune of getting stuck behind an Amish carriage which actually turned out to be quite comical. The horse was clipping along at the same pace that we typically run at so we were hesitant to pass, fearing that we might be tailgated by a 19th century buggy. Instead we decided to be the tailgaters. We rode behind the Amish family for a good six miles. Once in a while we would spot the little boy’s head peeking out the side of the carriage, just to make sure we were still there.

In the middle of (somewhere) we happened across a go-cart track that was closed down. Testosterone was involved, some mild trash talking ensued, and a good old fashion tire-squealing race took place as a result. We must have looked like a few middle school hooligans skipping out of class. A great time was had by all. Joe was crowned the ultimate victor but there was some debate as to the legitimacy of his course cutting, er… route selection. Clancy won the award for dirtiest racer, nearly putting me into the wall in turn three. Seriously though, we hadn’t had this much fun since our shenanigans at the Troutville city park.

Prior to entering the Shawnee National Forest we dropped by Cave in Rock State Park. Though by no means a Mammoth Cave, the cavern was quite large and unique. The main chamber looked like it would make one heck of an amphitheatre; party anyone? Judging by some of the litter it looked like someone beat me to the idea. Another cool thing about the park was that we had to take a ferry to get to it - we never say no to a boat ride!

On some random farmland we saw the biggest horns I have ever laid eyes on. They happened to be attached to a rather large bull, one that I was not in a hurry to jump in a pasture with . Though impressive, I didn’t envy his masculinity ornaments - can you imagine the weight involved and the resulting neck-aches? I hope he has a good chiropractor.

Kentucky

2009-11-06T18:48:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Kentucky: it was like an old truck loaded with rabid dogs and piles of trash hit us in the face. For the first hundred miles or so nothing but solid trash and very aggressive dogs prevailed. The dogs were so bad that I had to keep my bike pump handy for self defense (think billy-club). Joe was not so lucky. He was riding ahead of me and got attacked by three dogs at one time, one of which actually bit him - an eye opening experience. Here you can see a picture of the aftermath, several days post-bite. Joe now carries a large stick. But as quick as the rolling disaster started, it packed up and left.

As the rain started to fall in the Wal-Mart parking lot our savior came and rescued us from it all. Her name was Ronda, and with her husband’s (Craig) permission they invited us to their empty nest for the night. Because that bad storm lasted multiple days we were able join them for several great home cooked meals and a coal production tour. Between being spoiled with wonderful food and an in-depth hands on experience in the coal field, we were both spoiled rotten. Home cooking is hard to come by on the road so we had to stock up. Ronda prepared something called drunken chicken which is cooked vertically in a contraption that holds a can of beer. Boy did that taste great with all the fixings, it was quite the treat! The next morning she proceeded to outdo herself again with savory omelets that were to die for. These were only a couple of the great meals that stuck out. Craig shared with as a great song by Andrew Kerr (album: Rock Start) which depicted his life and the life in the HR department of Consol Energy. The song is about Andrew (former investment advisor) going with Craig to the coal mines to talk about the investment opportunities and the funny stories that followed involving gun collections (Craig showed us about ten of his thirty guns - I liked his Colt 1911 best), speeding, and of course hunting for Mr. Big. You can listen to a clip of the song here - I would encourage you to purchase it, it's only a buck on Amazon! *Author's note: You might notice that Joe is not pictured with Ronda and Craig because he had to ride ahead to pick up a package. Poor, poor Joe (we met back up with him for the next section).

Mammoth Cave National Park detour was really worth the extra effort and time. On the 85 mile spur route there were a lot of interesting sideshow attractions, all of them trying to extract the money from your back pocket before you got to the caves. There must have been a hundred billboards - ranging from dinosaur parks, rocks for sale, and all sorts of other cave tours and the like. Once in the park we made our way to the ticket booth and purchased a lantern tour which turned out to be really amazing. The tour was actually not even a part of Mammoth Cave, but a separate cave system called the Great Onyx. It had a wide range of features from dry and sparkly to wet with a lot of formations. The second tour was of the New Entrance to Mammoth Cave (largest cave system in the world!). It also had diverse wet and dry areas but what was most spectacular was the last room, Frozen Niagara. This room was filled with all sorts of formations like draperies, stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and flowstone. It was absolutely stunning.

The last great meal of Kentucky should have been called Thanksgiving dinner. There was a complete Thanksgiving feast in the oven staying warm for us when we rolled up. What a treat! Bob and Violet have been cooking for bikers and letting them stay in the First Baptist Church of the Sebree youth center for a very long time. They were recently recipients of the June Curry trail angel award. This honorable form of recognition is given to one host annually, reserved for people that go above and beyond the call of duty and really make bikers feel at home.

The last night in Kentucky was spent on the rim of the “Grand Canyon of the South” in Breaks Interstate Park. This park was absolutely grand, not only in sheer size but in absolute beauty. Definitely a great way to end the state of Kentucky, being that the start was not too positive.

Clancy's B-Day

2009-11-06T17:46:00.000-08:00

Being that we were away from home for Clancy’s birthday we felt compelled to make him feel at home on the road. We started by purchasing a half-rack of Pabst in the morning. It’s fortunate that we didn’t have to ride on this particular day, we would hardly condone drinking and riding, that would be illegal! We stopped, er… stepped into a diner for a healthy lunch of chili fries and onion rings. Delicious and nutritious! Low on liquid refreshments at this point, we grabbed another half-rack of beer at the connected store (this time it was Natie Ice). This lasted us nearly till supper, before which we grabbed some more Natie Ice. The pizza dinner that evening was quite tasty to say the least, though our waiter seemed like he had been sampling something not listed on the menu. That night we stayed at an Appalachian Trail hostel with a hiker nicknamed Chipmunk. The hostel had accommodations for close to 80 people; I can only imagine what the joint might have looked like during peak season. ‘Twas a fun day indeed - I would write more about it but I can’t seem to remember much else…

On a completely unrelated note, it was recently brought to my attention that our charity donations were temporarily closed. The issue has since been resolved and donations will be processed all the way up through Christmas day. Thanks to everyone that's contributed!

Fun (and Games) in Blacksburg

2009-11-03T22:53:00.000-08:00

Determined not to let the Virginia festivities slow down we hit up Blacksburg, college town home to Virginia Tech. First things first, we dropped by a local bike shop to have Joe’s wheel bearing worked on. Though quite humorous, the popcorn kettle sound emanating from his front hub required serious attention. In the bike shop a fellow by the name of Bret approached us, excited to hear we were traveling cross country. He had made a similar trip earlier in the year on the Transamerica route with some local folks. Turns out these same people were getting together for a little gathering that very evening. We grabbed Bret’s contact info and wandered over to the VTech campus to check things out while Joe’s bike was being worked on. The campus was quite the treat; unfortunately most people only know VTech from the disastrous shooting that occurred here two years ago in which 32 students lost their lives. Directly in front of the administration building pictured here we observed the memorial that recognizes those that died in this tragic event. Afterward, we scoped out the nearby duck pond (very peaceful) and one of the delicious dining halls among other highlights on campus.

Upon returning to the bike shop we picked up Joe’s now healthy steed and headed over to Perrin JR’s place, the reason we came to Blacksburg in the first place (Perrin is the Daughter of the Thompson‘s, the Montana Family that adopted us). Her and her three delightful roommates are VTech students that just happen to have a stripper pole in their front room. When we showed up they were working out (not on the pole - don’t worry, this isn’t going where you think it is). We got a tour of their place and I got to play Perrin in a game of tennis. She beat me without much trouble but my ego escaped relatively intact (unfortunately). Perrin was a great host, offering us all sorts of refreshments before giving us all a hug and sending us on our way to the bicyclist get-together we got word of earlier.

We arrived at Don’s house after checking in with Bret, excited to visit with a group of fellow cross country cyclists. The function that night was a housewarming party of sorts. A gentleman by the name of Mason was temporarily moving into the sag wagon (support trailer) that the group had used to transport gear during the latest cross country voyage. For this reason the shindig was coined the .5 party (.5 referring to the address of the trailer currently parked behind Don’s house). Don’s story is an incredibly inspiring one. His mother has been living with MS and he found a way to turn his passion for bicycle touring into a fund-raising effort aimed at battling the disease. His first tour was an unsupported one across the Northern Tier and since then he has coordinated two crossings with the mentioned support trailer and a larger group of people. Don tells me that he already has five people signed up for the next tour set for this spring - more info here. Anyhoo, we had an incredible time helping empty the keg of Pabst that night and visiting with all the awesome folks in attendance. We talked to Don’s boss who showed up, a hippie turned manager. He was quoted as saying “I grew up hating ‘the man,’ now I am the man.” I suppose you would have to see his driver’s license with his shaggy long hair to get the full dosage of irony associated with this statement. Kristen, one of Don’s terrific roommates, had a number of pets including a tortoise and a couple of foster dogs. Don also had an awesome salt water fish tank (pictured) complete with tropical fish, shrimp, and an abundance of beautiful coral. The .5 party is also where I met Sara, one of the most awesome gals you’ll ever have the pleasure of getting to know.

In the morning we awoke late (and quite slowly if I might add) to have Don prepare us a fantastic blueberry pancake breakfast. What a way to start the new day! The Nebraska Corn Huskers were in town for a football match up so we figured we might blunder down to the stadium and check out the tailgating scene. Fans were out in full force, not a single one of them sober. We didn’t walk 50 feet before being offered a beer, then another, then another. Needing to get some more food in our bellies by this time we stumbled into some gentlemen that had barbequed two whole pigs overnight. There were also beans galore, chips, and dessert to be had. These fellows had already fed close to 75 people I would guess. In the process of gorging, our festivities were interrupted when a few police officers ventured up with some questions. “We got a report that three bicycles matching this description were recently involved in a purse snatching,” said one of the officers. Another larger (read: porky) officer on bicycle eyed us simultaneously - it didn’t look like he had on bicycle patrol very long if you catch my drift. I nearly broke out laughing, thinking to myself how many bicycles on campus might actually resemble ours (loaded down with pounds of gear) and what terrific get away vehicles they would make at 12 mph. They ran all of our information and we came out clean (except for one hiccup with Joe’s record - did I mention he was running from something? Joking of course!). Having done their job for the day, the cops helped themselves to some food as well - seems like they could have saved themselves (and us!) a lot of trouble by just asking to dine in the first place. In the end we can’t complain, Blacksburg treated us ridiculously well.

Great People, Good Food

2009-10-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

After enjoying our rather rapid descent from the Blue Ridge Mountains we found ourselves at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. The campus was gorgeous; there seemed to be quite the amount of money floating around at this private school judging by the stunning architecture all around us. Here you can see a snapshot of the Greek housing, right next door to the amazing athletic complex. Also worth mentioning, the students seemed hyper-friendly (something in the dormitory water supply perhaps?). Between the fantastic people and the delicious food we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

We also stopped at the public library in Lexington to harness some internet power. It was here that Rebecca approached us and offered us a place to stay. We happily accepted the kind offer of hospitality and made our way down to the family-owned Grey Fox Farm. Here we met the rest of the crew: husband Lee, daughter Leila, and family friend Darcy. In no time at all we were feasting on burgers with homemade buns and homemade ice cream for dessert. Yum-eee! All the while we conversed about travel. Turns out Rebecca and family are quite the adventurous bunch - the whole gang embarked on a year long road trip around the US prior to settling down in Virginia. Rebecca had compiled a collection of stories about the journey which she has considered publishing (we wholeheartedly seconded the motion after reading some entries that night). The next morning Lee showed us around his kiln before breakfast; law is his vocation but pottery is his passion. Soon after, Rebecca whipped up a lip-smacking creation that I have never heard of before called eggs goldenrod. The dish passed our tastebud-test with flying colors - yet another recipe to add to the egg arsenal! With full bellies we hopped on our steel steeds and wobbled down the county road.

A little further down the road in Troutville we stopped for a lunch break and some R&R in the city park. Chef Joseph prepares some tuna fish sandwiches featuring Sriracha brand chili sauce, the most delicious hot sauce under the sun. I know nothing brightens my day like a helping of Sriracha. *Note: we are not affiliated with Sriracha and commentary on this website should not be considered opinions of Huy Fong Foods, inc. (though we would be open to a Sriracha sponsorship). Following lunch we broke for recess on the playground. There was something magical about setting three near-grown men without responsibilities free in a children’s wonderland. Most importantly, the bonding experience served to fully incorporate Joe into the circle. A lot of variables come into play when considering riding companions and Joe had shaped up to be a marvelous fit, creating a trifecta of sorts. To give you a little background on Joe, he’s recently finished his schooling and residency to become a dentist (DDS) and is using this trip to figure out the next chapter of his life. He plans to ride with us clear to San Francisco so you can assume he’s along unless noted otherwise ;)

That night we made the pedal to Catawba, home of the “Home Place.” The reputation of this buffet style eatery preceded itself. Folks from miles around talked up the generous portions and down-home flavor. Motivated to investigate for ourselves, we popped in to glance at the menu. Seconds later we reached a unanimous verdict to dine in. Our waitress seated us and offered us sweet tea, coffee, and lemonade. From the kitchen came pouring a seemingly endless stream of plates piled with fresh, hot, scrumptious looking food. Fried chicken, roast beef, pulled pork, mashed taters and gravy, green beans, corn, pork and beans, biscuits, and spiced apples littered the table, nearly concealing the tablecloth leaving nary a place to rest one’s elbows. To think I almost forgot to mention the apple butter and relish for the biscuits! With the eating event well underway, Joe made the wise decision to quit while ahead and sat somewhat slack-jawed at Clancy and myself and our display of gluttony. Determined to drive down our cost-per-bite, we kept the mountains of food coming until we neared paralysis. We didn’t save room for dessert but when the pie and ice cream presented itself we devoured it anyway. Oy Vey! Perhaps I should review my health coverage for a “binge eating” or “obesity” clause that might interfere with a claim filed later down the line...

And Then There Were Three

2009-10-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

Having found our way to Virginia we now realized that we were in the south - something about all the Confederate flags hung from front porches tipped us off. In Fredericksburg we visited Spotsylvania National Military Park, an educational center designed to inform folks about the four battles fought on these grounds back in the Civil War. A couple hours in the small museum taught us more about the Civil War than we had learned in all of our years of formal education. Fascinating were the Union and Confederate uniforms and firearms, the tidbits about life as a soldier, the use of drums for battlefield signaling, etc. In all of the chaos we found ourselves sympathizing with the Confederate faction - I had to remind myself that the proper side won! After a fascinating ride around the park (essentially a battlefield tour) and snapping a bunch of pictures, we headed on towards Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s Estate. Note: make sure to head over to the photos page for pics relating to items described throughout this post.

Shortly after arriving at the Mt. Vernon visitor center, we were safely escorted back out to the entrance gates with the helpful staff explaining that bicycles are not allowed on the premises. Furthermore, they explained, purchase of a $20 ticket is required to set foot on any of the grounds. What excellent service - so much so that I felt no desire to part with my money or return to the site again. Not far down the road the same held true for Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s abode. To rewind momentarily, between Mt. Vernon and Monticello we had the pleasure of meeting a delightful cyclist named Joe. He happened to be on the exact same route as us, headed toward San Francisco. We welcomed his company that afternoon and rode with him up until Charlottesville the following day. Here we continued on toward Afton while Joe stayed in town to have some bike maintenance performed on account of his rear wheel acting up.

In Afton we had quite the treat awaiting us. This was the beginning of the Blue Ridge mountains and more importantly where we planned to meet up with Dave and Maggie, family of the Thompsons, the kind folks that practically adopted us in Whitefish, Montana. We marveled at the mountains on both sides of us, thinking to ourselves how indistinguishable the landscape appeared from terrain at home. As we rolled up to Dave and Maggie’s house we were greeted warmly by the couple and their two adorable children. Little did we know, Maggie had prepare a feast in anticipation of our arrival. For an appetizer we were served homemade salsa and chips. The main course included homemade soup (made from vegetables out of their very own garden), and dessert was a marvelous peach cobbler. We ate until our stomachs nearly burst, saving just enough room to sample some delicious beer produced at a nearby brewery. Conversation went late into the night - we so enjoyed hearing about Dave and Maggie‘s work and life experiences. Both of them were fascinating, incredibly down to earth people (literally), with trade skills in stone masonry and sustainable agriculture respectively. In the morning Maggie made us some tasty breakfast burritos and Clancy lent a hand by fixing Dave’s Volkswagen door handle. We eventually hit the road once again (reluctantly), this time to begin the real ascent up the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Nearing midday we met up with Joe once again at a very important landmark on the Transamerica route. Nicknamed “The Cookie Lady,” June Curry has been providing assistance to cross country cyclists since bikecentennial in 1976. The route map boasted that June’s free bike hostel contained a single room of bicycle memorabilia (pictured: Joe, Clancy, and myself outside of said hostel). To our surprise, there were four rooms jam packed with items left by bicyclists over the course of 30+ years. We left some items to add to the collection and walked around the corner to speak with June herself. Though she has been healthier in years past, June was full of fascinating and inspiring stories and positive energy. She told us how she considers cyclists her family and how they had come to her aid in hard times. A remarkable lady with a motivating presence, we were certainly glad that we stopped to visit with June.

Our climb up the Blue Ridge Mountains rewarded us with panoramic views of Virginia’s most gorgeous vistas. Unlike other roads designed to provide a means to get from point A to point B, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile road with no other purpose than recreational touring. Featuring an abundance of turnouts and magnificent overlooks, the byway certainly delivers. Our first stop on the parkway was the pioneer farm museum, also home to the Humpback rock hiking trail. At the pioneer museum we were afforded a glance back in time - a time when manual labor and protecting livestock from natural predators were survival norms. After checking out the exhibits we started trekking up the hill to catch the sunset from Humpback Rock. From the craggy precipice on top we were gifted with one of the most beautiful sunsets that I can recall. The following day we journeyed to Crabtree Falls, the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi. Though the water flow was relatively low, the impressive overlook at the top was worth every step.

The Cradle of Democracy

2009-10-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

Of all the east coast cities we planned to visit we were possibly most excited for Washington DC. Not only had we heard of all of the free attractions (i.e. museums, monuments, government buildings) but we also had friends from back home to catch up with. As soon as we arrived in town we headed to Staci’s house; though we wondered if we would actually make it there - the neighborhood seemed a little rough. Much to our chagrin, when we knocked on the door Staci answered with a big smile. We wanted to give her a hug but having not showered for several days, thought it might be best if the gesture was withheld. We stepped into the beautifully decorated house that felt like an Oasis in a desert. In minutes we had met Staci’s delightful roommates, Enchanta and JJ. With some fabulous conversation under our belts, Staci offered to take us on a night tour of the “the Mall” (the lawn near the Capitol Building where many of the monuments are located). We happily obliged and soon found ourselves strolling by the Washington Monument, Lincoln, and WWII memorials.

The following morning Clancy and I set out to see the Library of Congress, Capitol Building, and Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Contradicting world maps dating back to 1507 and 1516 grabbed our attention at the Library of Congress as well as the massive and gorgeous “reading room.” Our fabulous tour of the inside of the Capitol revealed such sights as the “rotunda” (the breathtaking underside of the dome that the aliens blew to pieces in Independence Day the movie), and statues galore depicting famous historical figures ranging from George Washington to Ronald Reagan. The real pleasure of the day however, came in the form of the Air and Space museum. Featuring world renown aeronautical exhibits such as the original (restored) 1903 Wright Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's spirit of St. Louis, Apollo command center, lunar landers, and Chuck Yeager’s X-11, the museum captivated our attention for hours on end. It turned out to be an educational but exhausting day!

In the AM we launched back into the city, this time with our tour guides Staci and JJ. We hit up the White House first thing (no, we weren’t able to spot Obama or pet the first dog) and proceeded directly onward to the nearby Vietnam Memorial. The wall is a memorial that most all Americans have heard about and for good reason - seeing the sheer number of names in person is a moving experience. Afterward, we switched back into museum mode and checked out the Museum of American History. The Smithsonians in DC are spectacular; not only are they free, they feature exhibits of the highest caliber! Wanting to treat our eyeballs to yet more candy, we meandered through the sculpture garden and walked by Ford Theater where president Lincoln was shot. Again spent for the day, we headed home to relax. That’s where the Twister mat came into play. Some alcohol might have been consumed and several games later there may have been some hysterical laughter - let’s just say that we can’t post all of the pictures on the blog.

The following day we awoke (this time not so early) with the intent to meet up with our friend Perry and his new family at the Museum of Natural History. Clancy, Staci and myself hopped on the bus and headed for the museum. When we did meet up with Perry and the clan we were thrilled - his wife Megan and son Parker were absolutely delightful. There was something really magical about witnessing grown up Perry turned dad. We oogled the Hope Diamond (a whopping 45 carats), the world’s largest crystal ball, dinosaur bones, and a fascinating exhibit on ants. The picture here is a mold of an actual ant colony - the casting substance is simply poured into the earth then excavated. Incredible. By this time Parker was due for a nap so we said our goodbyes to Perry and fam and continued on to scope out some final monuments. We got a second (daytime) view of the Lincoln Memorial, checked out the Korean War Memorial, walked through the FDR Memorial, and marveled at the Jefferson Monument. Pictures of all these sights can be found in our DC photo gallery - probably worth a look. Frankly, the amount of things to do and see in Washington were completely overwhelming, seemingly more so than any previous city. You could spend a full year here and still feel like there were things to explore. We joked that we had been struck with a mild case of post traumatic stress disorder from museum fatigue. Unfortunately, the real misfortune would come the next morning. It was then that we bid farewell to Staci, JJ, and Enchanta. Saying goodbye to our new DC family was sad indeed - we were soon to find ourselves home-away-from-home sick.

On the way out of town we scoped out Arlington Cemetery just across the Potomac River in Virginia. The JFK grave site and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were sights to behold. An armed guard patrols the soldier’s tomb 24 hours a day, rain or shine. We stayed put to witness a changing of the guard ceremony (occurs every half hour). The whole procession was an incredible way to honor our fallen service men and women. Sadly, over twenty soldiers are buried in the cemetery every day. Before our departure we walked over to the famous Iwo Jima statue, erected in honor of fallen Marines. Goodbye DC - we’ll miss you.

Two Huge Thank Yous

2009-10-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

We were recently the receivers of yet more good fortune. Teresa Thomas of the Mail Tribune was gracious enough to write up an article about our trip! You might have seen the column in the paper - if not you can check it out here. Well written indeed (in case you are wondering I am in fact riding with Mr. Finchum, not Sinchum - easy mix up). We were curious to see how media involvement might boost traffic to the website (both in comments and more importantly fund-raising dollars). Unfortunately we didn’t see much of an impact but we are still optimistic. I just changed the website as to allow anyone to comment (no user ID required), so if you have been lurking in the shadows now would be a great time to drop us a line or even make a donation =)

Another incredible gift came in the form of an internet retailer: www.thetouringstore.com. Clancy and I had both bought our panniers (packs) from the gentleman that runs this fine operation before our trip. We appreciated Wayne’s customer service even back then. Unfortunately, our packs weren’t quite working out the way we had planned (specifically with regard to waterproofing). We called up Wayne and explained the scenario. He went out of his way to make the situation right. If you noticed that our bags look a little different these days then you would be correct. A million thanks to Wayne and the touring store.com! If you are in the market for touring gear (racks, bags, etc.) we strongly encourage you to look him up.

Onwards, Towards Baltimore

2009-10-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

After leaving Philadelphia we were in for some real visual treats. Making our way first towards Lancaster we ran straight into the middle of Amish country. Never before on this voyage have we seen farms so beautiful, land so pristine. The rolling terrain served to conceal the next gorgeous field, one after the next. Each time we crested a hill we were afforded a different view of serenity. Horse drawn carriages were the norm and life clipped along at a slower pace, a pace suited for bicycle travel. Hard work and large families are the formula for productivity and success in this neck of the woods. We witnessed labor intensive tobacco harvest, processing, and drying. I’ve never seen so much tobacco before - I guess it’s not just for Virginia! I found it very impressive how much these people were able to accomplish without electricity, cars, tractors, etc.; they manage somehow to turn the saying “work smarter not harder” upside down with seemingly spectacular results. While I can’t say that I agree with many of their practices (i.e. removal of children from school following the eight grade, no indoor plumbing, shunning of those who break the rules, and so forth), I can say that I have an incredible amount of respect for the simple lives that these people lead. If you are interested in reading more about the Amish and what makes them different from others (like Mennonites) then you can read more here. One last thing about the Amish - they make wicked baked goods in addition to items like furniture. Clancy picked up some delicious cream pies from a road-side stand. He also spied something called shoofly pie, a marvelous confection that we have not had the pleasure of running across since - if you happen to have one on hand we would be happy to sample it for quality assurance purposes.

Another point of interest worth mentioning in Pennsylvania is Valley Forge National Historic Park. This site is where General George Washington’s men hunkered down for the winter of 1777 during the Revolutionary War. Though long gone are the exhausted, hungry and freezing soldiers, the park’s landmarks are a testament to these valiant men in uniform. Perhaps the most impressive monument in Valley Forge is the National Memorial Arch; standing three stories high the inscription in the top reads “Naked and starving as they are we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery” -General George Washington. On the border of the park rests Washington Memorial Chapel . Though by no means the largest church nor the most architecturally impressive, the chapel stood out as one of my favorites. The stained glass windows were among the most detailed I have ever seen - depicting colonial persons in various poses, the hundreds of panes lined all four walls of the sanctuary. Truly spectacular. The church also housed the Justice Bell, a duplicate of the Liberty Bell that tolled for the first time only after the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote.

In only a short while we found ourselves in Maryland, exploring the nooks and crannies of Baltimore. Let me tell you - some of these nooks looked a little sketchy. Once we arrived in the downtown the cityscape cleaned up and became more touristy (though we heard the docks could get mighty rowdy on a Saturday night). It was here that we laid eyes on the Chesapeake Bay. The waterfront is home to one of the finest aquariums the world round (the National Aquarium - note the terrarium in the picture) and also Fort McHenry, the fortification that was heavily shelled overnight in the war of 1812. The battle inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem that when sung to the tune of a popular British drinking song, came to be know as the Star Spangled Banner. We also took time to gander at the Washington Monument (of Baltimore) and snapped some photos as darkness closed in just prior to our departure.

Always Sunny in Philadelphia

2009-10-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

Just a short jog down the road from NYC is Philadelphia, our nation’s once capital and financial center. Having thoroughly enjoyed the rich history of both Boston and New York, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to explore another place that the founding fathers held so dearly. With cheesesteaks and preconceived images of the Liberty Bell in mind we dove right in.

As you enter the city the first thing you notice is the enormous Philadelphia Museum of Art. Here, at the base of the steps, you can find the infamous Rocky statue; having been a boxer, I encouraged Clancy to pose with Balboa. Funny thing, I think Clancy is actually taller than Sylvester Stallone but the picture didn’t turn out that way… From here it was just a hop and a skip down to City Hall and Love Park. You will instantly recognize Love Fountain when you think about postage stamps - its likeness was featured for some time. We hadn’t spent 30 minutes in Philly and we had already been immersed in local culture! Not wanting to slow down the pace, we headed promptly to Independence National Historic Park.

Upon our arrival, the Liberty Bell Center reminded us the history behind the American icon that we had learned about in high school. We read about how the bell had cracked after being tested for the first time and how it had been recast only to render an unsatisfactory tone. It was recast a second time only to crack some 80 years later. This time the bell was repaired by drilling (an acceptable method to stop the crack from spreading) and lasted eleven more years until the crack spread to the crown of the bell, rendering it unusable. If you ask me, this seems like quite the amount of tribulation for a symbol that epitomizes liberty; I’m thankful that our actual freedoms have outlasted the use of this extraordinary icon.

Just steps away from the Liberty Bell sits Independence Hall, resting place of a copy of the Declaration of Independence and working copies of the US Constitution. There was something very special about laying eyes on these documents - it’s quite surreal, nearly being able to touch the very words that helped make our homeland what she is today.

As our brains grew more full and our stomachs more empty we made the transition to cuisine. I know ’yall are probably sick of hearing about food, but hey, food is culture too! Because we were in Philly we sought out cheesesteaks (what else of course!?). Not surprisingly, around these parts they don’t call the sandwich a “Philly cheesesteak.” They don’t even call it a “cheesesteak.” In Philadelphia you just order a “steak.” Don’t ask me how you are supposed to order an actual steak in town - I was not able to deduce this from our visit. We opted to get our steaks at an establishment called “Jim’s Steaks,” one of the cities most famous joints. An interesting fact: most people don’t realize that the original cheesesteak was made with thin steak slices (of course) and cheese whiz. Yeah you heard me, whiz - the stuff that comes out of the can! Clancy sprang for the original steak, complete with whiz, and I sampled a steak with provolone and bell peppers. Both sandwiches were sinfully delicious despite their less than glamorous appearance. My steak reminded me exactly how Janette makes hers’ back home. So Janette, if you are reading this, know that you could compete with the big boys in Philly!

Next, we took a stroll down South Street, the hip, new age section of Philly. It was here that Clancy spotted some incredible art that he had previously viewed on the travel channel. Called the “Magic Gardens,” the sprawling alleyways are the life work of Isaiah Zagar. Through the use of mirrors, bottles, bicycles wheels, etc., Zagar has created quite the sanctuary. To be fully appreciated the work needs to be viewed in person but this snapshot gives you an idea of the artist’s intentions.

After some more city wandering and some bicycle maintenance we started heading to our host’s house (I snapped this picture of City Hall along the way). This fellow, named Bradley, had picked up on us earlier in the day, his curiosity having been peaked by our loaded bicycles. Turns out he was returning a favor since he himself had gone cross country by bike back in the ‘70s. We so enjoyed trading stories - he still has the Peugeot bicycle that he rode on his expedition (complete with cracked frame which happened on the trip). We were thankful for the fine company as well as the shelter; it ended up thunder storming something fierce that night with thunderclaps directly above our heads and flash flooding in the streets.

In and out of New York City

2009-10-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

It started out as a cruddy day. We asked five people for directions to a local grocery store; we got five different but equally unhelpful responses. Don’t get me wrong - I don’t always give the best directions at home, but not being able to find someone that can point you toward a supermarket that ends up being just a mile away is a most frustrating experience. To top things off, after stocking up on food I was the recipient of a most unwelcome gift. After running over a stick in the road I felt something smack solidly against my helmet. Wow, what bad luck - that stick flipped up and landed right on my head, and it felt kind of muddy and gross too! If only I was that lucky. The impact was actually a large chunk of birdy-doo. As you can tell from the picture, there was significant collateral damage. This bird should be overseas fighting terrorism for goodness sake. I’m positive that leading a moving target at that kind of elevation with such a crude weapons system would warrant some type of marksmanship award from the Marines.

Thankfully our luck was about to change. That same day later down the road we struck up conversation with a fellow named Wayne. He was inspired enough by our story to hand us a $100 bill. “Use half of that for your trip expenses and give the rest to charity.” Yes sir! This was our second donation of this kind; can you believe the generosity of some people!? As if our day hadn’t been made already, we stumbled across more good fortune after dinner. It was late and we had just finished our mac-and-cheese feast when a fellow outside of a restaurant asked us where we planned to stay that night. We filled him in on our plan to pitch a tent behind a nearby church. “I’ve got a place for you guys,” he chimed. Turns out this gentleman named Frank was the owner of the establishment were standing in front of: the historic Stockton Inn, a classy restaurant and motel dating back to 1710. He handed each of us our own room key. We would later find the accommodations to be not only representative of the period but also quite lavish. I don’t even want to know what a room like this would cost. Before it was time to hit the hay, Frank insisted we come in for a drink. The bar was beautiful, the drinks cold, and before we knew it the clock struck three AM. We said our goodnights and Frank told us that we should keep one of the rooms all week as to avoid carrying excess weight into New York City. I mentioned this was all free of charge, yes? The Stockton Inn: definitely worth a look.

The next day we woke up and made the journey into the big city. We arrived in Jersey City (right across the water from Manhattan) just in time to witness the shot you see here. What a magnificent backdrop. We quickly met up with our most gracious host, Meg, a manager at Goldman Sachs. She opened her beautiful home to us and took time to map out our first sight-seeing day in NYC. The next morning we woke early, hardly having slept due to the anticipation of exploring our biggest city yet. The NY Waterway ferry took us from Jersey and dropped us off at Seaport on Manhattan Island, resting place of several historic sailing vessels. The ride across the channel was an indicator of things to come - the ferry driver piloted the boat as if he was late for a rescue mission that started an hour before we boarded. Once on land, a few short footsteps had us walking down Wall Street past the New York Stock Exchange. We took a moment to photograph the famous bull statue before continuing on to Battery Park, one of New York‘s gorgeous green spaces. After stopping for a mandatory Bagel sampling we gazed into the void that is “ground zero,” the former site of the World Trade Center. The sight, though cleaned up and under reconstruction, still evokes powerful emotions. From here it was on to the “circle line,” a ferry tour that takes passengers round the perimeter of Manhattan Island. Truly a spectacular way to get a grip on NYC and its surrounding boroughs, the cruise afforded us spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Ellis Island, and so much more. Once back on land we made a beeline for the Empire State Building to witness its towering brilliance; like a needle infusing the heavens, she was a sight to behold. We wrapped up our day by meeting Meg for dinner at a superb Thai restaurant. I ordered the lamb vindaloo, possibly the only thing hotter on earth than liquid magma. What I tasted of the meal was delicious. Check please - and perhaps a borax bomber if you have one available?

The following day we began by exploring Central Park. We had been informed that we would likely get lost just wandering the grounds - yeah right I’m thinking. Just in case, we grabbed a map. After an hour and a decent amount of riding I felt like we had a decent handle on the landscape. That’s when I figured out that the map we possessed was that of only half the park! From castles, to turtle ponds, to countless statues, the space is a testament to New York’s fabulous park land, land that occupies a full quarter of Manhattan! Directly on the border of Central Park resided the Met(ropolitan) Museum of Art. One of the world’s most prolific galleries, I had the chance to lay eyes on Michelangelo’s first painting. So full of wonder was the museum that I created a separate image gallery on our photos page to showcase some of the work. Proceeding onward, we took time to check out the brilliant lights of Times Square en route to Grand Central Station. An architectural marvel in itself, I can’t imagine a more impressive way to start one’s day with public transportation. It was near Grand Central that we had some of the most scrumptious street food imaginable. Five bucks netted you nearly five pounds of heavenly Jewish cuisine - New York knows how to eat, the culinary culture proved that much. Strolling further down 5th avenue, we basked in the limelight of capitalism as we passed by hundreds of luxury shops that make this place the Mecca of retail. I dare say we didn’t fit in with all the pretty people in their Gucci sunglasses and designer jeans. If only they knew what they really needed… I digress. Returning to the topic of food, we found our way over the bridge to Brooklyn where we heard of the legend of Grimaldi’s, the city’s premier purveyor of New York style pizza. We devoured what could be argued the world’s finest pie and made two new delightful new friends in the process, Drew and Alicia. When all was said and done, people told us we had seen more of New York than most residents do in a full year.

In the morning we started our voyage back to Stockton and the Historic Inn. We arrived in time to catch a most exquisite dinner and some of the finest live music we have experienced all trip. The burger I inhaled was possibly the best I have had in my lifetime (but then again that could have been the beer talking). The one man band however, did have the most impressive vocal range I have heard in ages. He played Folsom Prison, American Pie, and a myriad of other songs with the full splendor and passion of the original artists. What memories.

Along the Way

2009-09-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

Passing the country by at 12 mph has its advantages. For instance, you probably won’t miss that gorgeous meadow of sunflowers - nor will the chance to savor the pungent aroma of skunk escape you. I’ve described it as the perfect balance of speed between walking and driving. Recently, while sight seeing, we paused to marvel at the largest dog I’ve ever seen. A Newfoundland, the beast weighed in at nearly 200 pounds and was considerably larger than the woman walking him. Affectionately called “Bear,” he fit his name perfectly.

At the end of one such picturesque riding day we found ourselves in Norfolk, Connecticut. As we sat ready to prepare a PB and J dinner just before nightfall, a group ride of road cyclists stopped to talk to us. We were pleasantly surprised since it is no easy chore to bring that many riders to a halt on a whim. A gentleman by the name of Mark introduced himself and inquired about our lodging arrangements. After we explained that we were looking for an out-of-the-way camp spot and had rolled into town in hopes of finding an open grocery store (no such luck) he was quick to explain that his son was at home preparing pasta for all the bikers. “Just head on up to this address and we’ll see you there in about an hour,” chimed Mark. Did we ever light up. Upon arrival we met Dawson, master pasta maker, who promptly offered us a Guinness which we could not refuse - after all, we didn’t want to offend our new hosts! In no time at all we found ourselves visiting with the whole gang over a delicious meal. They enjoyed hearing about our trip but I think we got even more enjoyment hearing about some of their group rides. Most recently they had all cycled up Mt. Washington in Vermont, a grueling seven mile ascent with an average gradient of 12% and a maximum of 22%. Just to give you an idea, when we start up a 12% grade we travel at less than 5 mph and are standing up, attempting to smash the pedals with the bikes and our bodies groaning all the while. Mark had finished with the top time, under 1.25 hours. Truly impressive. The group was also in the process of putting on a benefit ride for a fellow cyclist that had been struck by a drunk driver - compassionate to boot! Also worth mentioning: Mark and his wife Leeann had gorgeous bicycles in every room of the house. Many were made by a custom builder in Rhode Island by the name of Circle A Cycles. They looked liked the most fun you could have with clothes on.

In the morning we embarked to Hyde Park, home of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library (the first presidential library) as well as historic mansions for people that possessed more money than they could spend. One such mansion (pictured) owned by Ruth Livingston Mills was upgraded from an inadequate 25 rooms to a much more suitable 79 suites after it became “…neither sufficiently commodious nor impressive enough for her society visitors.” Talk about a party; I’d hate to get the housekeeping bill.

That evening we sat in a country store watching the wind blow the pouring rain sideways during a tornado warning. Late that night we were awakened by the sound of a torrential downpour. I kept checking the weather forecast on my phone, half expecting to be caught in a storm of epic proportions. Luckily, flash flood warnings were only issued from two to four AM with severe thunderstorm warnings forecasted for the following day. I suppose the news should have helped us sleep better but it didn’t do much to muffle the sound of the monsoon-like rain. Thank goodness for shelter, dryness, and warmth!

The following day we found ourselves in the Delaware Water Gap. What a gorgeous area (pictured). The peaceful Delaware River wandered so calmly through the lush countryside that you wondered if it would ever reach the ocean. It was here that our path crossed the Appalachian Trail once again. Let me tell you -just when you think you are doing something over-the-top someone comes along and one-ups you. How does hiking 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia sound? That’s 100+ days of lugging a backpack with all your food, clothing, and camp items nearly 20 miles a day. We had the pleasure of meeting and staying with three such hikers at a mountain hostel in town. Steve, Jessica, and Tyler were all exceptional folks with amazing stories to tell. Jessica had bicycled cross country twice already and had plans for a third go-round! A fun quirk: each of them had earned trail names (it’s a hiker thing) like Jelly Bean, Six String, and Ram Rod. Clancy cleverly signed the hostel guest book as “Rubber Foot.” I wasn’t feeling as creative - I’m still looking for my bicyclist name. I’ve pondered over "Crash" and “Sir Flats-a-Lot” but nothing has stuck so far.

Boston

2009-09-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

This is the biggest little city we have peddled into for a long time. The route that we took was a combination of super highways and four lane streets which made entering very challenging. It was definitely worth all the trouble because Boston was the top city so far in my opinion.

There is so much history in this town that it is quite overwhelming without some structure. We saw a tour that had just started and joined up. This was the freedom trail tour that covered everything from the North Church (think Paul Revere, “One if by land, two if by sea”) to the floating legion - the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) to Old Mother Goose’s grave. It was truly amazing and I would strongly recommend you read about it. A couple of things that stuck out were Bunker Hill Monument (pictured) that we climbed and also seeing where the Constitution was first read in front of the old capitol building (also site of the “Boston Massacre“). Talk about history.

A place that stood out was Faneuil Hall/Quincy market - all the presidents of the United States of America have spoken here at some point in time. It was quite breathtaking. Outside of the building was a street performer that really earned his money by putting on a great show. He had an act with a ladder that was really cool. He would block unknowing passersby with this prop, all the while the whole audience laughed wildly. It was great.

Academia is quite prevalent in Boston; from what I’ve been told over 120 institutes of higher education reside in the greater Boston area (20 mile radius). We decided to visit the most popular one of all and quite possibly the prettiest campus I’ve seen yet, Harvard. It also is one of the oldest colleges in the USA, making it a great place to visit. The famous law school building was very impressive with all the pillars and statues.

Having been in the sun all day sightseeing, we rode down from Harvard Square to the community pool to cool off and boy did it feel good. We felt much better getting cleaned up prior to meeting up with our newly found friends Elliott and Erin for dinner. After they spoiled us with food and drink we went back to their house and played ladder ball, a new game to us but very fun nonetheless. In the morning we helped them move out of their house which was good because we like to pull our weight but it never happens.

Over all I think Boston is one of the best cities that we have traveled through in a long time. Second only to Gold Hill perhaps?

More Maine!

2009-09-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

Done with our fun in Acadia, we began backtracking down the beautiful coastline. Along the way we couldn’t help but notice how incredibly uncreative Maine business owners tend to be. The first sign I saw for “Maine-ly Meat BBQ” made me smile. The second sign for “Maine-ly Realty” was cute. The third sign, “Maine-ly Gifts” was getting obnoxious. The 500th Maine-ly sign I saw made me want to burn it to the ground. Luckily, the other scenery proved more diverse.

Our route took us back through Fort Knox, a historic Civil War reinforcement that we had visited previously. This time around we were able to tour the fort in the dark, an element that changed the atmosphere entirely. Something about wandering around in cold, unlit stone corridors with nothing but the sound of your heartbeat makes ghost hunting believable. Nonetheless, in the sunlight or under the blanket of night, Fort Knox is a magnificent sight to behold. Make sure to check the photos page for more Fort Knox images.

It didn’t take us much longer to reach Camden, Maine. It was here that we had previously met Jack, a motorcycle enthusiast that I began chatting with after seeing his bike parked on the street. His trick looking Hawk GT had so many aftermarket goodies that I simply had to inquire. Not only was Jack happy to talk bikes, he said he had 17 of them in his stable at home! He had given us his number for when we came back through town and we gave him a call upon our return. In no time at all we were getting the full tour of his beautiful house and his exquisite bike fleet. True to his word, nearly 20 bikes were parked here and there - in the garage, in the workshop, and even in the house. I was envious! Highlights of the collection included an MV Augusta, a BMW, a Triumph Bonneville, and two 2-stroke 250cc race bikes - one of which was an Aprillia cup bike (pictured here with Jack). He fired this little screamer up and it sounded like a dirt bike straight out of hell. What a cool toy. The next day Jack even let me take his Honda Hawk GT out for a spin. What a treat it was to be back on two wheels (with a motor that is!). He also shared with us two films: Faster, a documentary on Moto GP racing and Children of Men, a Clive Owen flick. Both were terrific movies and welcome additions to our otherwise lacking pop-culture portfolios. Jack was a filmmaker before retirement so he was able to give us a ton of insight into both of these fantastic pieces. Staying with Jack was a true joy. He is an awesome, friendly character with a fabulous life philosophy - cheers Jack!

It was also in Camden that we had the pleasure of meeting a fellow named Rick. “You guys gunna be around tomorrow?” he asked over dinner, “I’ll take you out for a sail if you’d like.” Lifting my chin from the table I managed to reply “Y…Yea…Yeah, really? Are you serious? That would be great!” You see, I’ve had this incredible inclination to take a spin on sailboat for the past couple months - seeing yacht clubs as we travel has only fueled the desire. The next morning we met up with Rick and his friend Dee and motored out to the marina where a gorgeous 43 foot yacht awaited us. Once we got out into the harbor Rick showed us how to ready the sails - we killed the diesel motor and harnessed the power of the wind. Clipping along at five knots with nothing but the sound of waves against the side of the boat proved to be a most serene and therapeutic experience. In the couple of hours spent in the harbor both Clancy and I had the chance to take the wheel of the ship. Sailing was everything we hoped it might be and so much more. As if our day hadn’t been made already, Dee took us over to check out the Mary Day once we were dockside. The Mary Day was once a working schooner that has since been semi-retired in that the only cargo it hauls these days are people. The boat gives paying passengers multi-day retreats in which they learn about the art of sailing on a historic vessel. Dee knew the owners of the ship and kindly introduced us. She might have helped us express interest in working on such a boat. Hmm…Let me just check my day planner for next summer… Rick and Dee - two fantastically awesome people without a doubt.

After leaving Camden we gobbled up more Maine coastline and eventually hit Portland. The weather turned south in a hurry and we found ourselves getting rained on with booming thunderclaps just overhead. Almost instantaneously, a car pulled over and the woman inside asked “Do you guys need a place to stay?” Louise was her name and she turned out to be quite an adventurer herself. In addition to bicycle touring, she had traveled and sailed to many parts of the world - the Mediterranean most extensively. She showed us around her oh so quaint cabin where she was in the process of moving out. “The place is yours for tonight and tomorrow, you can stay as long as you want.” Then she left us with a bottle of wine and a fantastic CD collection to enjoy the night. The experience reminded us of Steve, a gentleman that had let us stay alone in his house for sale earlier on the trip. He brought us a cooler of ice, some movies to watch, and some magazines to read. I’m really not sure why people are so good to us - I just hope our luck doesn’t run out any time soon.

Maine

2009-08-05T04:38:00.000-07:00

On our way to the eastern seaboard we stopped to refuel our internal tanks at a small, recently opened organic market. The store was beautiful, with pictures of farmers that had grown the produce on the walls. This is the kind of place that white folks go crazy for - it just gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling inside that can only come from buying a free-trade $50 bottle of wine (even if it is made from endangered Kenyan grapes). Clancy picked up some tasty steel cut oats and struck up conversation with one of the owners. After hearing about our trip she gave us a DELICIOUS block of sharp cheddar weighing in at over a pound - a ten dollar value! We had already bought a smaller block of cheese that day in anticipation of making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. Nevertheless, determined not to let any food go to waste, we each consumed over ¾ lbs of cheese that night, an act that our digestive systems did not forgive us for.

Further down the road in Rockport, a woman approached us out front of the public library. She stopped herself mid-sentence, “Oh, you’re not who I thought you were - but would you be interested in doing some yard work around my house?” We thought about it for a just a second and later that evening found ourselves raking leaves and moving branches out front of Joy’s house. A little hard work helped remind us of what it’s like to earn a living. OK, maybe not, but it did allow us enough funds to enjoy a lobster lunch. Lobster was great (neither of us had tasted it before!) but I think I could have eaten about ten of the suckers. Nonetheless, we felt it was a fitting reward for having bicycled across the country.

The following night we found ourselves in a town called Bucksport, unsure of where we would spend the night. Thankfully, a helpful young lady pointed us in the direction of a church. As we sat out front the chapel she approached us again, “Are you guys looking for a place to stay for the night? I talked to my parents and we have plenty of room and spare beds if you are interested.“ Our spirits soared like hang gliders in a hurricane. Turns out that Meg, her father John Paul, and mother Melissa had just returned from a two week trip to Colorado and Utah to visit family. Not even settled back in themselves, they invited us into their home and treated us to ginger ale/sorbet floats (yum!). Delightful company and truly caring people, Melissa sent us out on the road the next day with four sandwiches for lunch and a giant jar of homemade strawberry jam. PB and Js made with this stuff tasted like heaven between two slices of bread.

The next day we reached Bar Harbor, the most northeast point of our journey and true ending point of our first coast-to-coast crossing! We dipped our tires in the Atlantic Ocean in ritualistic celebration and I took a moment to showcase my physique on the shoreline - or rather lack thereof (right). People often ask us if we feel stronger, having come over 4,500 miles thus far. We respond by mentioning that we feel kind of tired. In all seriousness, we are terribly excited that the expedition is not yet nearing its end; it would be far too early for the fun to come to a halt. At this point we are brainstorming scenarios that would allow us to continuing touring for the remainder of our lives. Anyone have the winning power ball numbers for next week?

Bar Harbor is a bustling retail center for tourists, but more importantly is home to Acadia National Park. At night, while checking out the downtown we experienced a most fortunate chain of events. We started talking to a group of gentleman that were super excited about our trip. One of the fellows by the name of George asked us if we were doing any fundraising and I filled him in on our two charity beneficiaries, Breast Cancer Research and Habitat. He promptly whipped out his wallet and handed us a $100 bill. Awestruck, I just kind of stood there with my mouth hanging agape. “You can put that toward whichever cause you‘d like, I respect what you guys are doing” said George. Yes sir, George’s generosity renewed our fundraising faith. Just about 30 seconds after this happened we found ourselves in a conversation with Hanah, a middle school science teacher that was taking a summer course at the College of the Atlantic. She had cycled cross country before and the college was one of her stopping points. As if to pass on the torch of tradition, she gave us a tour of the campus and some recommendations on where to stay. Hanah was an awesome adventurer and free spirit. She even had some suggestions concerning what to explore in Acadia Park.

The next morning we awoke anticipating a full day of fun in the park. Acadia is a gorgeous 55 square mile preserve featuring a plethora of mountains, lakes, woodlands and ocean shoreline. We started the day by riding the park loop, a scenic road that winds around the rocky coastline of the peninsula. Panoramic ocean views were the norm on this breathtaking ride, but the best view was still to come. We hopped off the bikes and onto a hiking path that headed up Beehive Mountain. The short but very steep climb afforded us a 360 degree vantage point from which to survey our surroundings. Especially notable was the view of Sand Beach (right). Some pictures of Acadia seem to depict another planet; the abundance of rock mixed with the alpine atmosphere all perched on the coastline certainly made for a distinct viewing experience (check out the photos page). After our eyeballs were full, we set about filling our bellies with copious amounts of wild blueberries found all over the mountain top. To reward ourselves for the hot, steep climb we also jumped into a mountain pond to cool off. The tadpoles didn’t seem to mind.

To round out our Acadia experience we headed over to Jordan Pond. Jordan Pond features a restaurant famous for its popovers - a hollow, muffin like creation served right out of the oven with butter and jam. Popovers lived up to the hype, though I probably could have eaten about 30 of the things. Before we left the park we checked out some carriage roads. These were paths built by Rockefeller so that he could enjoy his super sized back yard of yesteryear; there are over 40 miles of such scenic carriage roads that crisscross Acadia. Just before our departure we had the pleasure of speaking with an awesome and fascinating couple. They had hopped trains clear from San Diego, CA to the east coast with their adorable dog named “Cush.” This journey had taken them six months and they had accumulated many terrific stories and experiences along the way. The two reminded me of characters straight out of the book Harris and Me.

Mountains of White and Green

2009-08-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

As we pedaled through the remainder of Vermont we basked in the beauty of the Green Mountains. The land is similar to the mountainous terrain of Oregon, only with smaller hills and more of them. The hillsides were as lush and as green as could be, in part due to the uncharacteristically wet summer that New England has experienced this year. During the fall we were told that the landscape ignites into a fiery sea of oranges, yellows, and browns as the deciduous trees begin to change colors and loose their leaves. This prompts an influx of what locals call “leaf peepers,” retirees that come from hundreds of miles away to pile into vans and tour the countryside at speeds nearing 5 mph.

At the end of our riding day we were lucky enough to ask the right people where to camp and were directed to a farmhouse across the road from a café. Turns out that a delightful gal named Sheila, a triathalete and bicycle tourist, owned the café and welcomed us to camp nearby! She insisted that we drop in the next morning for a homemade breakfast at her establishment free of charge. We graciously accepted and found ourselves eating some of the most delicious fresh baked bread and apple cider donuts ever created. We truly enjoyed Shiela’s company and her stories from her latest tour in New Zealand.

Once we crossed over into New Hampshire we were greeted by the White Mountains. Larger in size than their neighbors, the Green mountains, the White Mountain range contained Kancamagus pass, the last real mountain standing between us and the east coast. Affectionately called “the Kanc” by the locals, the pass reaches into the sky 2,855 feet. I suspect the name was abbreviated due to pronunciation problems for all parties involved, but it sounds a little too much like some kind of VD. “Don’t mess around with the Kanc man, you better get that checked out.” Unfortunately, the riding day was dominated by heavy, unrelenting showers. One nearby area put out flood warnings in anticipation of the four inches of forecasted rain. Nonetheless, we were determined to make the best of the day despite the conditions. Here you can see the only picture I took all day for fear that the rain might ruin my camera. It‘s a shame too - the terrain was stunning. The landscape reminded me of Hawaiian mountains found on Maui that shot directly up into the ceiling of the sky, penetrating the mist only to be lost in the clouds. In one particularly pristine place there sat a peaceful, high mountain lake with boulders jutting up like icebergs from the water’s surface. Straight out of one of these colossal stones grew a tall pine, like an object you would expect to read about in a fairy tale. Beaver dams held back placid pools of water that acted as reflecting ponds, and rivers so ran so red they look like blood. This is wilderness my friends. In one memorable instance I was pedaling into the rain with my head down when I heard a splashing calamity nearby. I quickly glanced up to see a moose trotting gracefully towards the woods. The huge beast had not been 20 feet to my right, wading in a roadside pool when I had startled her. Once each party realized the other meant no harm, we each calmly headed our separate ways, though I did so with a slightly elevated heart rate. Moose can be aggressive at times and I was thankful that I had not been perceived a threat.

As the day came to a close we rolled into the town of Conway, NH. We took time to check out Eastern Mountain Supply (EMS), a store similar to REI. Though we didn’t find the store overly impressive, we did strike up conversation with Paul and Dave, two fellows from Massachusetts that were doing some hiking in the area. Paul shared with us pieces of a cross country bicycle tour that he had taken when he was younger. After some good conversation we said our farewells and headed deeper into town to find a place to camp. We were striking out everywhere - no one was even manning the city fire station where we hoped we might find some guidance or a place to stay. We did find some people outside the station though - Paul and Dave had taken pity and came to offer us a place to stay! That night we had a terrific time staying up, talking about all sorts of adventurous activities. I was especially fascinated by Paul’s background, having owned an operated an advertising agency, he is now retired and is motorcycle safety instructor. He had a gorgeous Ducati 1198S in his stable (right) along with other awesome toys like a Porsche 911 and an Austin Healy. Paul and Dave were super nice, down to earth guys. They actually live in Massachusetts, so maybe we will meet again…

Middlebury Blast

2009-07-30T13:02:00.001-07:00

Entering Vermont we thought that maple syrup would have to be tried since they are known for their great liquid sugar. We stopped at the first road-side stand we saw and bought some maple candy. It was great. After talking to the owner for a while he offered to give us a tour of the maple syrup production process. It was very interesting and sweet. I love real maple syrup.

Riding along one afternoon we stumbled upon historic Fort Ticonderoga . Its was a very interesting to say the least, with great tour guides and lots of cool artifacts. A couple things that stood out were chewed up bullets and candles made of reeds. The bullets that were on display have a very painful history. They were used for a pain coping mechanism as solders’ limbs were removed in battle, hence the term “bite the bullet.” The oil soaked reed contraption was a device used when there were no more candles. From this, the saying don’t burn the candle from both ends was derived. It would last half as long with only slightly more light . The fort was very interesting and well worth the free admission and our time. Many pictures from the visit can be found on our photos page in the Fort Ticonderoga album.

After using the ferry to cross into Vermont from New York we found ourselves talking to a couple of Middlebury locals as we were checking out the gorgeous Middlebury College campus. They thought we looked hungry so they invited us to eat at the college cafeteria as guests. It was great food (and free!). We ate so much that we almost could not walk. This happened throughout our two day stay in the oh so gracious town. Middlebury spoiled us! Bente, the young lady we met earlier rejoined us along with her friend, Colby, and a full growler of IPA from which we learned the traditional way to drink . Great fun! Next we went to Colby’s work and his coworkers made a pizza that was wonderfully delicious. He helps run American Flatbread, a gourmet frozen pizza company. With pizza and beer in our bellies we decided to go swimming. The stars were out and the water was calm so off went the clothes and we jumped in to the slightly cold water. Being that we usually only wear shorts when ridding, we have a very white middle section. That sparked one of the gals to ask why we were wearing white spandex. I laughed and said its just white skin. I then looked down to see for myself, and boy was I as white as my underwear.

The next day was quite full with bike repairs, beer tasting and a tour at the Otter Creek Brewery, and making great cookies at Bente’s house. All and all, Middlebury was great to us.

The Adirondack Mountains

2009-07-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

Everyone we spoke to about New York told us we should check out the Adirondacks, now we know why. A series of real mountains - like we have on the west coast - the range is encapsulated in the largest park in the US, taking up all of six million acres. If you can imagine Oregon mountains, expect more round from glacial activity, then you should have a good mental picture. These hills are no joke - over 46 of them are considered “high peaks,” reaching over 4,000 feet.

Having had a short riding day, we decided to hike the largest peak on our route, Blue Mountain. This modest mountain featured a vertical climb of 1500+ vertical feet and would only take a few hours to hike round trip. Once on top, we marveled at the view from the fire lookout perched atop the rocky clearing at the summit. From here we had a 360 degree view of the surrounding beauty, including Blue Mountain Lake pictured here. Upon returning to the base of the trailhead we wandered over to the Adirondack Museum, a must see local attraction that features local history and culture ranging from furniture, to lean-tos, to chainsaws, to canoes. Speaking of canoes, I’ve never seen so many boats lashed atop vehicles before. It seemed like every other car in the park had either a canoe or kayak (or both!) secured to their racks. With so many gorgeous lakes nearby I can understand why.

The following day we rolled into a small town just a few miles down the road from Blue Mountain. It was here that seaplane tours of the area were offered. Given the reasonable price, I found the deal too tempting to refuse and before you know it I had crawled into the passenger seat of a small Cessna aircraft. I introduced myself to the pilot and asked him how long he had been flying. “Counting today?” was Tom’s response. Very funny Mr. Tom the pilot. We accelerated quickly with the floats skimming the water of the lake and *whoosh* into the air we climbed as Tom pulled back on the controls. We buzzed around for nearly half an hour while our pilot/tour guide pointed out some local geography. Of particular interest were Blue mountain, Buttermilk Falls, Long Lake, and another fire lookout. Make sure to check out the photo page for pictures of the plane ride as well as a load of other new pics. As we came back down for our landing (right) Tom held up his hand in the center of the cockpit and prominently displayed a pair of crossed fingers. Again, very funny Tom. As we skimmed the water and eventually came to rest on the lake I could only think about taking another ride. “You made that landing look easy,” I said to Tom. ‘It’s not hard,” he replied. “Maybe next time I could give it a shot?” I asked. “By the third ride you’re pretty much good to pilot the plane,” was his response. Ahh Tom, what a joker.

That night we met up with Patrick, a competitive bicycle rider and mechanic. He approached us on the street and was quick to invite us to stay at his place. We gladly accepted and ended up crashing on his couch, watching Planet Earth videos (amazing stuff if you haven’t seen them) until the wee hours of the morn with him and his laid back roommate, Paul. Good times.

The Erie Canal and Rochester

2009-07-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Upon our return from Canada we descended once again into New York, this time to meet the Erie Canal. The 363 mile channel connects Lake Erie with the Hudson River and in its hay day saw untold amounts of freight. Now, with trucking dominating transport of goods, the waterway is a serene, scenic treat for recreational boaters and bicyclists alike. In Knownsville we had the pleasure of meeting Mike, a lift-bridge operator who was kind enough to give us a lesson in the workings of his outpost - only later did we find out that he had cycled cross country, neat guy. The following day we were fortunate enough to meet up with two Canadians, Keith and Jeff, who were cycling around lake Ontario. These two fellows were the first folks we had met traveling the same direction, so we were thrilled to have the company and enjoyed it clear up to Rochester where we headed our separate ways. Turned out that Jeff, who works in the automotive performance industry, had instructed Jeff Gordon when he was a young racer coming up through the ranks.

Once in Rochester we began exploring the downtown. Our first stop was Nick Tahou Hots, home of the world famous garbage plate, a concoction formulated from macaroni salad, cheeseburger, fried taters, and onions, topped with hot sauce and mustard. Garbage never tasted so good! With full bellies, we coasted the sidewalks of downtown only to find an abundance of vacated buildings all boarded up with murals covering the outsides. We would later find out that Rochester, much like Cleveland and Buffalo, was once a boom town that now suffers from population decline as a result of dying industry. The result is a city shell with excess infrastructure and too few tax payers to support it. But alas, I suppose I am getting ahead of myself - allow me to explain how we came by this knowledge…

As we walked our bikes down a quaint street off the main drag we passed a coffee shop. A young man sitting with a woman gestured to us as we walked by, “and that’s what touring bikes look like.” We struck up conversation with the two, named Garrett and Jan respectively, who were planning a cross country bicycle trip focused on sustainable, organic farming. Too cool! (and coincidental!?) We eagerly lent some knowledge from our experiences as Garrett proceeded to get us some drinks. As we quickly ran out of wisdom to share, Garrett invited us to come stay at his place on the University of Rochester campus. We were in no position to refuse such hospitality. We were delighted to have such a willing host and soon discovered that the young fellow is going to school to be a musician and is currently enrolled in a summer urban studies course.

Luckily, we had some time before nightfall and Garrett offered to show us around the city - what a treat! He first showed us through the U of R campus, and from there to Mt. Hope, the most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen. We caught a magnificent sunset before heading back to the downtown area to explore an area with an inspirational story behind it, the South Wedge. The wedge, like many other areas of Rochester, was once a dilapidated section of the city. However, in a dazzling example of urban renewal, the locals showed faith in the strip and began breathing life into the street by opening beautiful, new businesses. There was some doubt that the area would succeed but because locals had vested interest and resulting ownership, the street became a viable spot for commerce (as opposed to the city constructing a new façade, which people would likely have not respected in the same way). From there, we headed to the ritzy east end of town to oogle some incredible homes and architecture. It was there that we sampled our first bite of custard - the fact that we don’t have it on the west coast is a crying shame, the stuff was heaven in a cone. We finished off the night by climbing to the top of the library for one last view of the city after dark (pictured). We were exceedingly grateful to experience Garrett’s company; he was the best tour guide and ambassador that a city could have. Had we not met him, we would have walked away with a much different (and negative) picture of Rochester.

The following day our good fortune continued. A delightful Navy veteran, Chip, rode with us out of Rochester and bought us coffee and a snack at Starbucks. That evening, Clancy happened to pause to take a picture of a crazy Neon monster truck (right), and we began conversing with a couple named Bob and Dawn whose yard the creation was perched in. It started raining and they invited us in. Before you know it they were asking if we had ever had New York pizza and/or hot wings. People with hearts of gold I tell you. We ended up talking cars all night (Bob was somewhat of a master fabricator who had also built a trike with a 350 motor) and crashing on their couches. I can’t help but wonder, will our luck ever run out? I believe someone is looking out for us…

New York!?

2009-07-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

It hit us both at the same time upon spotting the "Welcome to New York" sign. We have come quite the distance in two and a half months, 4000 miles to be exact. It’s hard to get further east than New York without hopping a boat to Europe (the thought has entered our minds). Northwest New York looks and feels a lot like Oregon. Shortly after crossing the state line we visited our first winery of the trip, which prompted us to visit the next one just a mile down the road. After that, we pedaled down the street with a new found sense of confidence and a slightly altered equilibrium. The experience got us excited for San Francisco and the Napa valley; we probably won’t make it half the day without finding the ditch.

We continue to be spoiled by the people we meet. A lovely couple by the names of Brette and Matt invited us over to their campsite for a friendly game of Scrabble over a few drinks. It was great to socialize with people so close to our age, though it felt a little odd being older with fewer responsibilities. Great people I tell you! Upon arriving in Buffalo, we were greeted by a torrential downpour and some of the least friendly drivers all trip. Car horns and squealing tires were the norm. Luckily, once we met up with our hosts, Robert and Samantha, they took us in and pampered us. We must have looked like a couple of wet cats someone drug out of the lake. Last summer, Rob and Sam had taken an awesome road trip around the US, and that night we had a terrific time browsing through their photo album and listening to stories of their travels. The next morning they escorted us to the local farmer’s market and showed us more fabulous architecture in their neighborhood. Fantastic hosts and tour guides to boot! The mood of the city seemed to have transformed overnight and we had clear skies and courteous drivers for our journey to Niagara Falls.

The falls were spectacular. One of the seven wonders of the world, the display of hydraulics did not disappoint. I rode the Maid of the Mist, a tour boat that takes passengers to the base of the falls. The included rain ponchos were not optional as the mist generated from the 180 ft drop of the Horseshoe Falls was enough to soak you to the bone. Such a sight cannot be done justice by pictures, but I still tried (more pics on our photos page). It’s sights like these that remind us of our place in the universe and how small we are. After viewing the falls, we met up with Brenda and Richard, a delightful Canadian couple that invited us to camp in their yard. The following morning they treated us to some tea and some terrific conversation before sending us on our way that day. *Authors note: I accidentally deleted this entire post before publishing and had to re-write – silly web browser*

A Tidbit of Ohio

2009-07-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

After pedaling through many days of corn, we found ourselves on Lake Erie in the town of Huron, Ohio. To our delight, the community was celebrating its annual “Summerfest,” an event where music, food, and beer prevail for a full weekend of fun. We arrived in time to catch the band’s first set. Their song selection was solid and diverse, ranging from Big and Rich to Bon Jovi. After having an elephant ear, enjoying some tunes, and socializing for a while, we got word of Cedar Point, an amusement park on lake Erie that we just had to check out. We had planned to stay in Cleveland the following day, but plans had fallen through. Visiting the park seemed like a great way to spend a non-pedaling day of R&R.

The next morning we awoke and made the short trip to Cedar Point. We were excited to visit the attraction having not been to a theme park since our high school graduation trip to Six Flags. Our curiosity was also peaked after reading up on the park. Its 364 acre facility boasted more roller coasters than any other amusement park in the world. After a minor hiccup concerning secure bike storage, we were off to the races. We kicked off the day by riding a couple wicked modern coasters that felt as fast as bullet trains and turned tighter than candy canes. From there we demoed some awesome wood coasters like the one pictured here. They were just as thrilling as the modern coasters in a different way. The surprisingly steep drops and the ability to rattle your brain like a maraca made for a potent combination. By this time our appetites had gotten the best of us and we went into hunting/gathering mode. It wasn’t long before we found our prize: giant barbecued turkey legs (pictured). This thing was nearly as large as my head and was formidable enough to feed a Japanese family of six (if such a family existed). Having nearly been sent into a tryptophan coma, we set out in search of a ride capable of snapping us back awake. We met our match on the Top Thrill Dragster, a ride that accelerated occupants from 0 to 120 mph in just seconds. From there it was up a 420 foot climb (2nd tallest in the world), through a corkscrew, and back to ground level straight down. We should have guessed by the you know what eating grins on the returning riders’ faces that this attraction was the real deal. As we launched from the starting point it felt like our faces were being peeled from the bone; then we hit the corkscrew. My stomach felt like it had been relocated somewhere next to my left ear. What a blast! For a cool down lap we rode the Ferris wheel - one of the largest in the US. The scale of the park did not disappoint.

The following day we pedaled into Cleveland where a bike shop by the name of Century Cycles took great care of us. They ended up servicing Clancy’s front hub for nearly nothing and they even put us in contact with Lois, the owner’s ex-wife, who was eager to host us after hearing of our trip. On the way to Lois’ house we dropped by the Great Lakes Brewing Company where couple of good fellas (also cyclists) bought us a couple delicious pints. Once at Lois’ house, we enjoyed a fantastic dinner and listened to tales of her amazing European travels. Turns out Lois, like Sandie and Harlem in Sparta, is a giant bicycle advocate. We helped her make up some signs for the next “Walk and Roll” event she was putting together.

On the way out of town the next day we swung by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There was so much interesting memorabilia that we could have spent the better part of the day there. This next picture is for all you Harley fans - this is the bike that was featured in many Bon Jovi promotions. In the end we saw a ton of cool Cleveland stuff. Unfortunately, as with other places, we felt like we could have spent a full month exploring the area. Another time perhaps?

High Eggspectations

2009-07-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

It had been a long day of travel and we were ready for a break. To our delight, we happened across a township sign for Mentone, Indiana. The sign did not feature a typical welcome message: it boasted that this municipality was indeed the egg basket of the Midwest! If you know us, you know that we love eggs. As a matter of fact, we add eggs to most anything to enhance flavor (just give it a shot on your next burger, pasta dish, salad, etc.). We normally get some skeptical comments when people spot the unrefrigerated egg carton secured to my cargo net, but in this place we fit right it.

On the way into town we stopped at a Bell Aircraft museum where a curator by the name of Gerald took time to show us around the exhibits. At the end of the tour he also gave us a breakfast recommendation. The restaurant he spoke of (called Teel’s) served the “He-Man Breakfast” which allegedly consisted of four pancakes, one pound of bacon, four eggs, a plate of hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and some sausage links. We took notes.

After departing from the museum, we headed to the grocery store where the two nice ladies working gave us some delicious chicken noodle casserole. They also filled us in on the “Egg Festival” that we read about on the town sign. Turns out we hadn’t missed much - the celebration was little more than a carnival on the tiny main street that essentially had nothing to do with eggs. We had delusions of egg grandeur. Directly in front of the grocery sat an egg monument that I just had to get a picture with (right). About this time a semi-truck full of tightly caged chickens pulled up and parked on the road right next to us. The birds were in rugged shape - movement was barely discernable, feathers were entirely missing from large sections of skin, and the birds’ combs were as pale as notebook paper. I am no animal activist, but the mere sight of such an inhume chicken-train gave validity to the argument against factory farming - sad stuff.

In the morning we headed straight for Teel’s (despite our sighting the night previously). I was expecting some exotic egg concoctions to be featured on the menu - it is the egg capitol of the Midwest, is it not? To our dismay, there were no out-of-the-ordinary egg selections. Furthermore, it turned out that there was no such thing as the “He-Man” breakfast that our friend Gerald had told us about. We each ordered a special instead. Though it wasn’t the “He-Man,” the portions were extremely large (the pound of cooked bacon was not an exaggeration). Unfortunately, despite the quantity, the food was quite mediocre. For the rest of the day we lamented over our over-consumption. It felt like we had each ingested a lead anvil - not the feeling you want when you need to pedal 60 miles. In the end, Mentone was a bit of a downer. Let‘s just say that we‘ll keep searching for other, more eggstraordinary egg capitols

The Road to Chicago

2009-07-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Having already sampled some of Wisconsin’s finest beer and cheese we reasoned that it was time to get moving on to Chicago where we intended to spend the 4th of July. On our way southeast, we dropped by the University campus in Madison. In addition to some excellent lakefront views, we took time to marvel at the capitol building - both inside and out. After perusing the grounds I had a much better understanding of where tax dollars go! I’ve been told that Madison has the tallest capitol; the attention to detail was apparent, even down to the drinking fountains. I’ve never felt so privileged to use a restroom - I half expected the toilet paper to be composed of freshly minted bills.

Closer to Chicago, we stopped at a farmer’s market in the town of Burlington where we were given a tasty loaf of fresh baked bread and offered a place to stay. We were in no position to refuse such hospitality and before you could say “home-made pizza and warm apple pie” we were having dinner with some of the most friendly folks we have met all trip. Our hosts, Lori and Gary, made us feel like sons. You couldn’t buy better accommodations at a bed and breakfast. Having our fill of food and fabulous conversation (Gary is an avid cyclist), they sent us to bed only to have us wake up to a delicious pancake breakfast! Life is rough I tell you. Before we hit the road Lori made sure we had everything we needed including Gatorade, toothbrushes and toothpaste (she manages dental practices), a loaf of banana bread cooked especially for us, and a bag of roasted almonds. Gary even rode with us on the way out of town, giving us a delightful tour of the rural surroundings. Did I mention that these are some of the most exceptionally kind and loving people ever?

Thus began the ride into Chicago. When we asked people the best way to get into the city they typically scratched their heads and offered a potential route, followed by a disclaimer. We soon found out why: there isn’t an easy or safe route into the city coming from the western shore of Lake Michigan. Before you know it, we found ourselves pedaling for our lives (literally) alongside speeding multi-lane traffic, dodging potholes all the while. While we were successful in our plight to avoid being squished by autobuses, we were not lucky enough to escape untouched. Both Clancy and myself bent wheels on the rough road (mine had to be replaced) and had personal items shake off of our bikes only to be lost somewhere along the street. I can say this however, if you have been praying for our safety, your prayers were answered that day. Luckily, we didn’t pedal faster than our guardian angels could fly.

Once in the city, we took a full day to explore the many treasures of the metro area. Grant Park, next to our hostel and directly on the lake, was filled with hundreds of thousands of people for the Taste of Chicago festival. We took in a free concert, walked all around Wrigley Field, checked out the zoo, ate at the notorious “Wiener’s Circle” (purveyor of authentic Chicago dogs) and caught fantastic fireworks two nights in a row. We must have walked more than 20 miles on our day off to places like the Sears Tower and the “Magnificent Mile.” Wander over to our photos page to see some of the sights.

Thankfully, the road south out of Chicago wasn’t half as bad as the road in. Despite many the many warnings we received and being nearly the only white kids around, everyone was very polite and things never got sketchy. We did talk to a really chill police officer (mountain biker) once we got south of Gary, Indiana and he told us we were lucky to have come through the area in the daylight, mentioning that we “wouldn’t have stood a chance during the nighttime hours.” Perhaps we were fortunate, or maybe we just look rough and tough after two months on the road (I wouldn’t bet on the latter).

Sparta and the Razor

2009-07-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

It all started when we decided to take a change of pace and ride the rails-to-trails. The abandoned train rail bed made a perfect trail for bikes due to the fact that they are relatively flat and the lack of cars. The surface is crushed limestone that is packed very well, creating a great ride for our thin tires. About twenty three miles in on the trail we made the decision to make a detour from our planned route and continue on toward the great city of Chicago. Along the way we realized that this was the trail with the tunnels that Andy (a pastor we had met in Minot, ND) said we should check out. He had given us his parents’ contact information and mentioned that they would love to host us. We called them and they came and got us from the next town due to time restraints. They live in Sparta, Wisconsin which is the self-proclaimed bicycle capitol of the US. Harlem and Sandie are bicycle ambassadors for Sparta focused on promoting the town and the Sparta trail. Harlem rides his big wheel bicycle in parades and such to promote the cause - he let us ride the bike which was quite the change of pace from our normal steeds.

That night was the end of the beard contest and I, Clancy Finchum, don’t know if I won or lost. I still had my beard and Chase didn’t, but I had to wait in a one-bath house several hours for chase to use the restroom. It literally took Chase over an hour to shave his white-trash mustache off. Our contest was beard growing and the person that shaved first lost and had to carve an awesomely bad mustache. You have to see the pics to really fully understand how bad we looked. Feel free to comment on who you think the victor was or just tell us how horrid our facial hair was. It sure feels good to have a clean face again.

The next morning after a great breakfast that Sandie made us, we checked out the biggest bicycle museum in the USA. It was very complete and really opened my eyes to the whole world of bikes.

Website Stuff

2009-07-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are alive and well! Just a little delayed on the blog. Ironically, despite being on vacation, we tend to keep busy either pedaling, eating, making/breaking camp, exploring, or socializing. We need a vacation from our vacation! Joking aside, you’ll be happy to discover many new photos posted. If it’s been a while since you glanced at the photo page we encourage you to check it out (link on right side). New pictures were added to the existing albums and we’ve also created secondary albums to keep things organized. *Photo Tip* Pictures are best viewed by clicking "Slideshow" in the upper left hand corner after selecting the album. Lastly, if you’re wondering where the older posts have gone (or you want to catch up from the beginning of our journey), simply scroll down to the “blog archive” section on the right hand side of the page beneath our fundraising section. The drop down arrows will give you access to our buried treasures =)

Minnesota

2009-06-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

Having been impressed by North Dakota’s beauty, which to our relief was nothing like the plains of eastern Montana, we had high expectations for Minnesota. On many fronts the state has delivered. Lake Itasca was quite the treat where we had the chance to walk across the headwaters of the Mississippi River (inset). We witnessed the small stream grow into a wide, meandering river as we followed it south towards Minneapolis. You might think the water and warm weather as a recipe for enjoyment. This would be partially true. However, I have affectionately renamed the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” the “Land of Humidity, Mosquitoes, and Ticks.” The name doesn’t roll off the tongue like “The Beaver State,” but I think most would find it fitting. On one particularly miserable day, we cycled all morning through the pouring rain, thankful that the mosquitoes could not brave the elements - that is until we came to a stop. Apparently, Minnesota mosquitoes are even heartier than Montana mosquitoes (which are capable of navigating 20+ mph cross winds and performing aerial maneuvers that would make a WWII fighter ace turn white, all just to suck your blood). The Minnesota insects have been blessed with the ability to fly through tropical downpours featuring solid sheets of water. I suppose things could have been worse - a tornado was reported in the southern region of the state.

But alas, I complain too much. We have been spoiled by the people we have met after all. A fellow cross-country cyclist by the name of Dan bought us each a Snickers bar when he spotted us outside of a grocery store. It was a blast to have an exchange with someone that had been bitten by the touring bug, especially since we have not had the pleasure of meeting many other folks doing the same thing. We had a most enjoyable visit with Lance, a fascinating contractor that had been to the Antarctic a dozen times to construct remote field laboratories. He entertained us with stories of survival methods (a topic he teaches) over a couple beers that he so graciously shared.

Once in Minneapolis, the royal treatment didn’t stop. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a wedding party in a city park that insisted on including us in their delicious picnic buffet (we were of course unable to refuse). We also ran into a fellow by the name of Ross while checking out the University campus. Because we didn’t have a place lined up to stay on our first night in town, he offered to put us up for an evening. Not only did he treat us to an awesome pizza restaurant, he also cooked us one of the most delicious traditional breakfasts that I have ever tasted. Turns out that Ross is an incredibly chill and exceptional individual that is a chef, teacher, father, musician, mechanic, cyclecross racer, scientist and a multitude of other things. I was truly envious of his skill set.

The following day we met up with Sue, family friend of the Bettenburgs. Sue was an incredibly gracious and social host. Her and her friends showed us a terrific time on lake Minnetonka, where we drank and ate to our heart’s content as we floated around the lake in a party barge. We soaked up the sun and enjoyed our first swim of the trip. Over the course of three restful days spent at Sue’s house, we were able to check out Minneapolis in some detail. We visited Mall of America, the largest shopping center in the US. The four-level complex is so big that it features a full blown amusement park in the middle (see picture). We also took time to explore downtown and uptown where we got a taste of some excellent local bars and even found a Whitecastle. The burgers, while tiny, numerous, and tasty, were no match for the Juicy Lucy (a notoriously delicious burger served at the 5-8 club located near lake Nokomis).

Looking back, we had a whole ton of fun in Minneapolis. We plan to leave in the morning, but we will wait to see how that goes… Cheers!

The Bicycle Effect

2009-06-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

When you stop to notice the little things in life, you wonder how much they really affect you. Are the little things in life really small at all? I call this the Bicycle Effect. For instance, in Whitefish, Montana when we asked a lady where a grocery store was, she said in a not-so-nice way that they were all closed. Then after a bit of thinking, she mentioned a local place called Marcus’s, a small but good market. And that’s where we met Perrin and her family. As we stood outside the store looking at the map, she walked up and started talking with us. Long story short, we spent two wonderful days there because some unfriendly person helped us.

The second Bicycle Effect was that if we had not wasted time counting the train cars (112 cars) outside of Hope, Idaho we would not have crossed paths with the great people at the Hope store. At the Hope store and restaurant, a guy named Erik yelled for us to come over and have some beers. Without hesitation, we took him up on the offer and in seconds had cold brews in our hands. Soon after we were heading to Erik and Jen’s house to have some more fun. In this case I thank the train for letting us have a wonderful time meeting new and great people. I know how they build wooden canoes.

The third Bicycle Effect happened on the road from Rugby to Esmond. Peddling in the rain, an older gentleman passed us and felt sorry for the two fools that were all wet. He offered to let us stay in his spare bedrooms. There was no choice but to take him up on the offer. It was so endearing how he offered us everything followed sincerely by, “That’ll be just fine.” Sylvester was such a wonderful host that after dinner and breakfast, we didn’t leave till two o’clock in the afternoon.

I think that what Chase and I are experiencing is kindheartedness brought on by our good looks. Just kidding! It’s our steel horses that bring us all these great adventures. People see them and think automatically that we are nice folks. It is the case, but it’s great that people assume that. This is something that I have never experienced before, and from now on I will try to be like one of the great people that we have met.

Fun in Fargo

2009-06-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

Six-o-clock on Thursday we rolled into the booming metropolis of Fargo Moorhead, perched directly on the border of North Dakota and Minnesota. We had done some networking prior to our arrival and already had a place lined up to crash for a couple of nights. Tired from a long day of riding (we took an accidental 20 mile detour), we gladly parked the bikes. Our hosts, Tyler and Greg, both architecture students at ND State, welcomed us in with open arms and open containers. While we quenched our thirst, our hosts entertained us with some excellent live music. Greg could pluck a banjo like nobody’s business and Tyler played the guitar exceptionally well, especially for someone who had picked it up recently. Soon after, they whipped up some killer burgers and hobo potatoes that made our tummies oh so delighted. Later that night, I went out to make some calls and do something that I would later regret. You see, ever since leaving home I have had this insatiable urge to partake of fourthmeal, or Taco Bell if you will. Since TB was just two blocks away, I sauntered down the street and ordered myself a double decker taco and a grilled stuffed burrito. What happened next was almost too graphic to describe. I finished eating my food and a feeling of dread swept over me. It took a moment for my mind to process what had happened – my TB experience had left me feeling dirty and completely unfulfilled. So there I was, alone in an unfamiliar place, having just lost my fast food virginity for the trip. It was a horrid experience, but not bad enough to stop us from eating at the first Whitecastle we see.

The following day, Clancy and I walked down to the post office to claim a package that our friend Ashlee had sent to us. At the pick-up counter, a clerk retrieved a healthy sized box from the back room. We were expecting a small parcel, not a ten pound crate. Certain that there had been a mix up, I took a moment to inspect the box. Not only was it large-and-in-charge, it was also beautifully decorated with our names and a map of North Dakota! (see picture). I could not help but wonder how many postal employees had taken the parcel off of the belt just to oogle at its beauty along the way. Not surprisingly, the best was still to come. Once we got back home, we dissected the package to discover a bounty of goodies that included coconut marshmallows, cake, and home made energy cookies, all of which were exceptionally delicious. If you want to send us something I hope you are taking notes!

Later that evening, Greg schooled us in a very enjoyable round of frisbee-golf (referred to as Frolf in these parts). Afterward, upon Tyler’s return home from work, we headed out to an Irish pub called Dempsey’s. The music was good and the beer was even better. We had a chance to meet some more super-chill architecture students from the program and proceeded to have a terrific time socializing with our newfound friends. We closed the bar, capped the night off with an Irish car bomb, and stumbled home together. The next morning, Tyler graciously treated us to a buffet breakfast where we over indulged as per usual. Eventually, we gathered up the gumption to load the bikes and head out of town – it wasn’t easy I tell you. Goodbye Fargo, Greg, and Tyler, we’re gunna’ miss you!

The Buffet: Episode I and II

2009-06-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

We had been talking about it for a long time, and eventually our thoughts came to fruition at Spirit Lake Casino on Devil’s Lake in North Dakota. The price: six dollars. The experience: worth every penny (and then some). The two competitors had an unspoken but well understood wager - whoever walked away with the most food in their belly without upchucking would be crowned the king of the cafeteria.

For my first plate I loaded up two pounds of steak and shrimp (the specialties for the night) along with some token greenery on the side. Clancy stocked up on a more dainty portion of fried foods and steak for his first helping. As I loaded my second plate, filled with primarily with meatballs and breads, I took note of our differing strategies. Clancy preferred to dish up modest portions while I tended to hamster-pile a great deal of food onto one dish - a survival instinct perhaps? For his second plate, Clancy selected a vegetable assortment featuring a salad - a rookie mistake (though I didn‘t mention this during the competition). By the time I was working on my sixth plate, Clancy was on his fourth. While I sat with a hefty pile of shrimp and my fourth desert in front of me, Clancy looked longingly at his lonely plate that consisted solely of one egg roll and seven grapes. Knowing the victor had already been decided, I stared him down, like a Bengal Tiger eyeing his prey. I could have stopped the massacre at that moment, but I wasn’t playing simply to win, I had to beat the spread; like running up the score in a rival college football game - glory was at stake here. By the time that the crumbs had settled, we both walked away losers. With extreme discomfort and indigestion on the horizon, we had just enough mobility to waddle out to the casino floor where I spent half an hour on the blackjack table and lost eight dollars - a personal best for me given that my only other casino experience resulted in me parting with 14 dollars.

In the morning, we woke up late, hungover from the previous night’s food binge. Much to our dismay, we arrived just ten minutes before the waffle buffet closed. In a mad dash, we filled multiple plates with Belgian waffles, fruit, French toast, and shortbreads. The scene must have looked something like a $5,000 shopping spree at the Eagle Point Wally-world. We were so focused on snapping up food before the wait staff did that we hardly took note who was devouring greater portions. In the end it hardly mattered - we both ate enough to put off our next meal until 4:30 PM.

Before leaving the Casino, we decided to take a glance at the pool. It just happened to feature a waterslide that we felt compelled to test drive (see picture). Afterwards, we were still too stuffed to start pedaling so we lingered in the hot tub until nearly 2 PM. I’m certain I’ve had this much fun before, but I sure can’t remember when.

One Month on the Road

2009-06-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it!? We've been missing one month as of today. In ways it seems like our journey started just last week, but for the most part it feels like we have been traveling for many months (in a very good way). Pace of life on a bicycle fits us just fine - this last month has been one of the most enjoyable in memory. Thus far we have traveled over 1,700 miles through Washington, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota. Just yesterday we passed through the geographical center of North America - Rugby, ND. By Thursday we will have reached Fargo and the Minnesota border. The last few days, rain and headwinds galore have tried their best to put a damper on our progress, but the generous people we have encountered (Vince, Kirsten, Father Katanga, and Sylvester) have spoiled us and brightened our days tremendously.

If you haven't checked out our pictures page lately, take a peek, as we were finally able to get current. We send our best to friends and family at home! Time to get back on the road...

Costco Shopping List

2009-06-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

As you have probably read, food is a constantly on our minds. Unfortunately, some of the tastiest morsels are not available at your average road-side convenience store. For this reason we are planning a Costco pilgrimage (think Amazing Race but instead of a checkpoint, the final destination is a Costco). The following items made the grade:

1. Nutella: A delicious chocolate hazelnut spread that Clancy brought back from Switzerland, where they put it on everything. I believe the retailer sells them in 32oz two packs in true Costco fashion.
2. Rotisserie Chicken: Moist, delicious, fresh from the oven - need I say more?
3. Large Combo Pizza: Costco makes some darn good pizza pie, give it a shot if you haven’t lately.
4. Almond Butter: Like peanut butter but even more delicious and nutritious!
5. Flat of Muffins (12): Most likely in the chocolate/blueberry/poppy seed combination. However, we might consider coffee cake as a worthy substitution in place of poppy seed.

That seems like a lot of food you might say, to which I would respond , well we are shopping at Costco - no? In the event that we are unable to dispose of enough food in a timely fashion (i.e. the bikes are overloaded), we are considering taking a rest day just to enjoy these finer things of life. Surely, there is no greater joy to be had as an American than over-consumption.

Having Fun?

2009-05-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

Since we left the Rockies about a week ago, things have been, uhh, flat. Days on the plains have been long in an effort to stack on some millage ; we recently had our longest day yet at 112 miles. We miss the mountains. After many big travel days we decided to take a rest day, and boy are we glad that we did.

The city of Glasgow, Montana had some Saturday events which we gladly took part in. First it was off to the mud bogs, which drew quite an interesting crowd. Between shocking (and questionable) wardrobe observations, we caught plenty of testosterone-charged mud slinging. The highlight of the show was an '84 Camaro monster truck that most rednecks would kill for.

The after party was a Blues and Brews festival. For the price of admission it was all you could eat and all you could drink. We might have over-indulged. The music was also fantastic - the night culminated with a jam session involving performers from all of the bands in what can only be described as a country/rap mixture with a kickin' bassline (very cool).

After being awakened the next morning by the sprinklers in the city park (did I mention we just zonked out in our sleeping bags without pitching tents?), we joined up with some delightful folks that we met at the festival. Steve and Ginger took us for an awesome tour of nearby Fort Peck and treated us to a delicious hamburger luncheon. I managed to drop my wallet along the way (doofus), but an awesome soul turned it in and I was ecstatic to retrieve it. Who says you can't have a ball on the plains?

Glacier National Park

2009-05-24T16:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had the opportunity to ride around Glacier Park. Our original route had us crossing over the continental divide at Logan Pass (here in the park), but because it is so early in the season and snow remains abundant, the Going-to-the-Sun road was closed two miles short of the summit. The real bonus was the fact that the road was only open to bicycles and pedestrians for roughly 12 miles before the closure point. This afforded us a traffic-free experience of what could be considered the most beautiful time of year to experience Glacier. Instead of trying to describe the vistas, I’m going to direct you to our photos page. After taking a day to explore the park, we headed south and crossed the divide at Marias Pass, the lowest passage point through the Rocky Mountains.

Meeting People

2009-05-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

The easiest thing about a bicycle tour is meeting people. Folks are instantly curious about where you are going, where you are coming from, and how long you plan to be on the road. You could take the most boring, introverted person, put them on a bicycle with some luggage, and in a week they would get more social hits than Paris Hilton‘s facebook page. There’s something innocent about a bicycle traveler that induces trust - after all, are you really going to run away with the farmer’s daughter? (It would be a tight fit with her riding on the handlebars). The real joy is that this kind of openness leads to a crazy amount of terrific conversation with fantastic people, many of which have traveled a great deal themselves. Before you know it, you’ve shared a thousand personal experiences and made a lifelong friend.

The hardest thing about a bicycle tour is meeting people. After you have bonded with these exceptional individuals, you eventually have to move down the road. For instance: we just met a family in Whitefish, Montana that hosted us for two glorious days. When it came time to leave, we felt like we had known them for two full years. Then you are expected to just walk away from these folks, which turns out to be difficult and ridiculously painful. Of course you can stay in contact via email and phone, but it is poor substitute for their incredible company. So here’s to our new family in Man-tana - Perrin, Chris, Tommy, Emily, and Elizabeth - love you and miss you guys. Traveling shouldn’t be this hard.

Long Road...

2009-05-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

We started on one of the longest days yet at 2:00pm after finally finishing a great French toast and bacon lunch. From Libby, Montana we traveled northeast on a road for seventy plus miles with no services. This road was nice for the fact that there was no traffic but was very long and monotonous. With no waypoints to judge distance it really drug out. The road surface seemed like a treadmill - a treadmill with a flypaper belt. Nine hours later, we finally made it to the end of that road and found ourselves on a beautiful, long bridge over Koocanusa Lake when the rain started. We were so worn out and still had eight miles to go. In the town of Rexford we got a free camp site with a hot shower and boy did we sleep good. So despite the long, rough, hard rolling road it was a successful day of fun.

The Visitor

2009-05-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

Last night we rolled into the town of Hope, Idaho where a kind fellow by the name of Erik invited us to crash at his house for the night. We gladly accepted and had a marvelous time swapping travel stories with Erik and his wife, Jen, over food and drink. In the morning, I walked to the enclosed carport to grab some stuff off my bike. I was a little disappointed to find my bike tipped over in the dirt since Clancy’s bike (which was leaned on mine) had been carelessly moved elsewhere. Dammit Clanc - I thought to myself - have a little more consideration. It was then that I noticed Clancy’s bike about 40 feet away, laying in the driveway on its side with one pannier (pack) missing. Oh crap, time to start talking to the neighbors about potential vandal/thief activity. I run to wake Clanc and we come back to inspect the scene more closely. His bike looked a little roughed up after seemingly having been drug to its resting place. “My cooking pack is missing,” he exclaimed, “the one with my stove and food.” We looked at each other in disbelief and it hit us at the same time - a bear. We let Jen know what had transpired and began searching for remnants of the shredded pack. Jen found the pannier up the hill - the top had been opened carefully in order to remove the dry bag inside which contained food. The dry bag had not been opened with as much care, as it laid shredded on the ground among many wrappers.

We got lucky, real lucky. I suppose we should have taken more warning from the black bear sighting on the road yesterday. You can bet that we will be hanging our food from here out - even if the terrain is less than rugged.

As we made the long pedal through the morning wind and rain, and eventually into Montana, our spirits were not dashed. Funny how a close encounter can give you a renewed thankfulness for your state of well being. Touché Mr. Bear, touché.

Foooood..........

2009-05-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Food is one thing on this trip that my mind always seems to ponder. What to eat? How much? When? Are all the questions that I go through. Not to mention that all food tastes great and there is never enough. Better yet, lately we have been getting a lot of great tasting handouts from family and friends. Thank you guys. One meal stood out to us several mornings ago when we fried up some eggs and ham and added cheese and then placed it between toasted bagels. It definitely was heaven on earth if there were such a thing. So in closing, I’m going to say that food is one of the most rewarding treats on our trip so far. Peace.

In Your Head

2009-05-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

You might wonder what we have been doing to occupy our minds on this trip while our bodies remain busy propelling us forward to the next mile marker. Well lucky you, I am going to give you a sneak-peek into the minds of two bicycle travelers (scary I know). Turns out that Clancy mentally disassembles and reassembles Volkswagen motors, while I sell vacuum cleaners door-to-door. So while Clancy is wondering if he put that imaginary bolt in the coffee can or on the imaginary work bench , I am busy overcoming objections and trying to close the sale of a Kerby with someone that doesn‘t actually exist.

All joking aside, we often find our thoughts centered around food and the concept of eating. We can finally justify eating every hour (though I never had much of a problem doing this prior to the trip). Songs also tend to get stuck in your head while pedaling. Lately for me it seems to be Johnny Cash, “Get Rhythm”, which seems quite fitting. Just yesterday, Clancy’s cousin - a girl that can sing and play the guitar like a dream - reminded us of how music deprived we have been by giving us a mini concert of sorts. She performed Jason Mraz, John Mayer, and some music that she wrote herself - all very beautifully. Jon would have been in heaven.

The Car Ride

2009-05-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

So we are in Wauconda spending a rest day at Clancy’s Aunt and Uncle’s beautiful log home. All of his family (Grandmother, and both Aunts and Uncles) have done a terrific job spoiling us rotten with delicious food and great conversation on three different occasions now. Did I mention that we are thankful to have such hospitality on our route? Anyhoo, we needed to make a trip to the town of Republic just 15 miles down the way since the “town” of Wauconda consists solely of a restaurant and mini-mart. We jump into the car with Clancy’s Aunt behind the wheel and start buzzing down the road.

Almost instantly we both become very uncomfortable - road signs seem to fly by like jet aircraft, deer on the side of the road morph into streaks of brown light as we work our way closer to the sound barrier. *Whoosh Whoosh* what the hell was that on the side of the road? Did we already miss our turn off? Are we driving to a fire? In retrospect, the whole event left us with a mild case of post traumatic stress disorder. OK, so perhaps I exaggerate slightly (our driver was cruising only moderately fast given the conditions), but the real shocker is how acclimated we have become to the speed of bicycle travel in such a short period of time. Returning to “normal” life might be a harsher adjustment than expected.

At a Glance: Day Four

2009-05-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Having been on the road a handful of days we have been fortunate enough to meet some amazing people (Phylis, Andy, Tammy, George, and others - if you are reading this) and see some spectacular sights. We have traveled about 200 miles thus far, with our most significant accomplishment being the trip over Washington Pass (right). Folks that we meet on the road are super curious when they spot our bikes - we have outlined our trip countless times already, which is just fine given that I like to hear myself talk. All is well, we send our best to the folks at home!

Want to Buy: Chair

2009-05-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

If you have seen a chair matching this description please email or call us. In case you can't tell from the picture, it is a normal chair with the profile of a bicycle seat cut from the base. You can probably imagine why we need this item, given that we have been spending about 5 hours in the saddle on a daily basis. We would gladly pay a very high price for such a gem (especially if it packed well).

Much Thanks!

2009-05-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

We owe many folks a big hand for helping make this tour a reality. Rick and Jan at Fidelity Print Quick made us some fabulous business cards; Scott and Rob at Paul's Bicycle shop (6th street) have outfitted our bikes (and us!) fabulously for the trip; Marty's bike shop in Medford has also taken care of us well; Wayne at thetouringstore.com for providing us with packs/racks/advice. Of course our biggest supporters have been our friends and family (that means you!). Also, to anyone we might have left out - a million thanks!

Ready, Set, GO.

2009-05-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

After the long trip north to Anacortes (by car) we made our way to the ferry docks landing. This was our starting point so we packed up the bikes and said goodbye. Chase, my mother and I walked down to the water to do the ceremonial dipping of the front tires to start the coast to coast trip. The feeling was great to be on our way and over the long trip up. The over-packed bikes rolled smooth as we rolled down the road. I just want to thank all the great people that made this trip possible. Peace.

The Route

2009-04-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Our proposed route skirts along the northern US border, venturing into Canada and hugging the great lakes before entering New England and dropping down the eastern seaboard. After leaving the bustling cities of the east coast, the route returns to more rural territory, cutting almost due west through the middle of the country. The final leg finds us meandering up California coastline before returning home on bicycle.Of course this is only a tentative route that will be supplemented by many detours and layovers. We expect the trip to cover 9654+ miles and last approximately six months.

The two most frequent comments we receive when we share our trip plans with folks are “that sounds like fun!” followed closely by “that sounds like a lot of work.” Indeed the first few weeks will be filled with an abundance of both joy and aching soreness. Some people report training for the tour on the tour, resulting in nearly a month of misery. We have been riding a fair share as of late (albeit probably not enough) in an effort to spread out this initial misery.

Welcome

2009-04-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Greetings and welcome to our blog! Here you can catch up with the latest trip developments, post comments, and discover a thing or two about bicycle touring. Our aim is to make this website as fun to read as it is to produce, so if you have suggestions please leave feedback or shoot us an email – the more involvement the better! This journey is both an adventure and an awareness booster. We have two charity beneficiaries that do some amazing work; Habitat for Humanity International and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation are top ranked organizations that apply a high percentage of donations directly to relief/research efforts. We encourage everyone to participate in the fundraising – many of us have been blessed beyond measure and can part with a little dough for the less fortunate (if you are reading this, you know who you are =). Stay tuned for updates and more details regarding our voyage!