Sorry, We've Been Done

We stopped in Casper, WY because we thought it was the best decision. When were were riding in Nebraska, I realized how late in the summer it was getting for us. In order to accomplish everything we wanted and arrive in Michigan before August 1st with cash we needed to end sometime soon. We decided to stop in Casper because my grandma lives there and my parents were planning to meet us there anyway. They drove my car to us which eliminated our need to make arrangements for our bikes and transportation to a relative's house from some unknown location down the road. We visited with my grandma and parents and then we drove through Jackson, WY to Lima, MT to visit my friend Suzie. Then we drove through Missoula, said Hi to Mom & Dad, then to Post Falls where we saw my nephew Justin be promoted to Webelos in Cub Scouts. Then we drove through Spokane where we visited a brief moment with my Aunt Margaret and Uncle Sonny and my cousin Jim. Then it was onto Kenmore, WA to visit my friend Cindy, and we took her to her first 1/2 marathon there in Seattle. Then we drove to Redding, CA to spend some time with Jim's parents. After that we drove to Ojai, and we cleaned out Jim's storage unit, visited with childhood friends, visited with his brothers, helped his mom move. Then we took a budget truck full of Jim's mom's household goods and ours to Post Falls. We unloaded half of the truck in Post falls and the rest in Missoula where we stayed a couple days to arrange an apartment, a new budget truck, and relax while my parents were at work. We finally arrived in Michigan on the 23rd of July in plenty of time to get life together before school starts.

I apologize for the lack of posts since we entered Wyoming, but nothing has happened. We rode from Lusk to Douglas. I got sick, and we stayed there for two days, and I although I was no longer rejecting my insides, I still didn't feel up to riding. My mom came to get me and our gear, and Jim rode the distance from Douglas to Mills, WY light as a feather while I rode in the car.

We both had a great time on this trip. When someone asked us if we would do it again we surprised ourselves. In unison we both said "Yes!"

Welcome to Wyoming

Crawford to Douglas

Yesterday was hard and so was today. The headwinds and crosswinds slow us down by a couple miles per hour. A couple miles out of Crawford we saw a sign "scenic overlook two miles." it was a steep hill but we've done worse. The rest of the day was hilly and windy. Even riding downhill was challenging. When we got to Harrison it was tempting to stop but the winds today weren't expected to be better so we kept going. We crossed the border and stopped in Van Tassell which has only a couple people and the first American legion post. We finally saw Lusk and it looked only a few miles away but as we got closer it seemed to get further away.
Today we left late thinking the 55 miles would be easier. The winds kept the ride from being easy but there were more towns and we sat around here and there. After a lot of breaks and only 53 miles we stopped.
Two hard days mostly due to wind. Maybe we'll make it to Casper tomorrow.

Crawford NE

In the 60 miles between here and Alliance there was one town--Hemingford. Hemingford was only 20 miles from Alliance so we didn't really need much there.
The rest of the trip went through national forests. We were forewarned about the long steep climbs there but all we had were rolling hills that gave us enough speed to get over the next. Then we came to a long six mile descent into Crawford. It was an easier sixty miles yesterday. The only challenge was the lack of resources.

Dog

Alliance NE

We woke up to rain this morning, and I thought for a moment we would be rained in again. It looked like there were blue skies way off in the distance, so we left. We were hungry again when we left the hotel, so we stopped at the gas station for more food. We met a pack of bikers going east. They were putting on their rain gear over their chaps, but it sounded like it was the last of a short tour for them. We went west toward Ashby which turned out to be another small town but this time nothing was open, and I didn't see a post office. We called a few people and rested, then moved on to Bingham which turned out to be another semi-vacant town. Then we thought, oh, Ellsworth ought to have something. As promised by the billboard, the general store was there, complete with a guard dog. As we crossed the railroad tracks (all of these towns are by the tracks) the dog came barking up to us. We yelled at him "No!" because this usually works. He stopped barking and just sat there. He watched us walk our bikes to the picnic table, and then he started moseying toward us. When he got to us, he just circled around for a moment, then plopped himself down. He was pretty friendly, but a picky eater. I offered him some of my peanut butter sandwich, and he didn't want any. Jim offered him a Frito, but no thank you. Jim started making himself a cheese sandwich, and "Dog" started sniffing and looking and foaming. So Jim gave him some cheese and started making his sandwich. Dog wanted more, so Jim told him it was his turn. Dog still wanted cheese, so Jim gave him another slice. He hung out with us for a while sitting in front of our bikes or just looking at us. We needed to get water, so we knocked on a door to the ranch house there. It turns out the ranch house is the house that built the town. In some long ago time, the Spade Ranch covered over 500,000 acres in Nebraska, and the owners built the railways and telephone lines between towns. The ranch was later reduced after one of the owners plead guilty to illegally claiming government lands. So Kelly who now lives in the ranch house that built Ellsworth let us in to get water from her kitchen.
Then we went onward to Lakeside, again fairly vacant. There was a working post office, but today is Sunday. Some motorbikers stopped there as well. They were from Alliance, and they told us about Carhenge. Apparently it looks just like it does in the post card. Since it is 12 miles out of the way, I don't think we are going. They told us that the guy who built it on the corner of his property fought with the city because the attraction caused such a traffic jam. The city made him build a driveway around it for people to look at it. The next town we went through was Antioch. On the googlemaps it looked like a fair-sized city with lots of roads, but when we got there it was again just a couple houses. I guess there was a "post office" there was a blue postal drop chained to a fence. I guess they must be in high demand to have such protection. I checked the weather report there to see if we had any thunderstorms coming because the biker couple from Lakeside said there were rain storms coming. It turns out Box Butte County, where Alliance is located, is part of a tornado watch until 9pm.
Today was pretty interesting. I sort of miss Dog.

Even if the ride is nice the clouds add an element of stress.

Entering MT Time Zone

Hyannis NE

Yesterday we passed through 3 towns before arriving in Hyannis. The first town, Seneca, was hidden from the road under a downhill. When we got there nothing but the post office was open. In fact the town had a church, park, cafe, and postoffice. I went inside the P.O. to ask for water. The postmaster said she didn't have water and the plumber is supposed to comeon Monday. She told us the park had a well so we filled up there. The next town, Mullen, was larger and we ate lunch there. After eating tater tots and grilled cheese we left only to ride on a bumpy road due to lack of maintenance. On the right the bumps jolted the whole bike and on the road the bumpswere slightly less violent but the ridges cut in the road made me carsick. We rested a couple times on the way to Whitman. Whitman was supposed to be 25 miles from Mullen but nothing was there and the postoffice was closed. Finally we were only 14 miles from Hyannis. When we got here I found out the hotel bar and cafe was low on staff and they only accept cash. The room is nice and large and the spirits downstairs were pretty delicious. I'd definitely return to Hyannis.
We woke up to rain this morning but it looks like it's all clear now.

Phone Booth

The first photo didn't post.

Sandhills in Nebraska

Tee hee. Not really, but there are these man made sand hills in Nebraska. When someone told me about the hills I imagined that the road was built around some kind of sand dunes. Apart from a few patches of sand the hills seem indistinguishable from other hills.

Phone Booth

Thedford Nebraska

We left this morning and it wasnt raining. The forecast was for another 80 percent chance and the sky was dark even though it was mid morning. We were rained in a couple times to Anselmo and again about ten miles to Thedford. Before Halsey we realized my rear tire had a slow leak so I get to work on that tonight. We also came across a small turtle. I've seen a couple fresh roadkill turtles so I insisted we move him out of the way. I don't know if it is really good for the turtle but I hope he's okay now. So crappy skies but a fine day today.

Weather

So this rain just won't stop. What to do . . . It's cold, raining, and there are three towns between here and Thedford and their estimated population is less than a hundred. It's not just drizzle and wet roads but bursts of a half hour of pouring and mere moments of pause. We are either moving to a cheaper hotel or taking a chance today. This is frustrating. After many moments riding in rain we know how it is and apparently how non visible we must be or how little caution drivers have. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same and the next day and the next . . . Almost a week of rest days have been driven by weather already.

Broken Bow NE

In spite of the breezysidewinds we sort of cruised to Broken Bow. I wondered all day if we were going to be slowed down by rain. When we left the hotel we were told some storm chasers were checking in today. We also chatted with a Navy veteran who served in Crete during Vietnam. Then we were about to pull out and get on our way to do 80 miles in threatening skies when another guy came out to tell us two grim stories. One was about a happy old lady who was riding her scooter chair when she was hit by a big truck. He said he thought everyone who rides those scooters should have a flag like the one on thebob trailer. Good for us! The other story was about how he was working on a ranch when he suddenly found himself in a hail storm. He hid under his horse until he saw a tornado coming at him. He dove into a drainage pipe and found himself face to face with a skunk. He could feel the torndos wind pulling at his legs but he couldnt go closer to the skunk. Thanks for the pep talk.
We rode hard for a while. We met a talkative lady in Ravenna. Her twin sister is working the family farm where they grow soy beans and corn. She was really nice and had a lot to talk about. In Litchfeild we met another group of veterans. In fact in Litchfeild we told one person what we were doing and who we are and it seemed that everyone in town (282 people) knew before we could introduce ourselves. They were all kind and interesting. A little while later while resting in Ansley a guy stopes his truck and we all chatted fir a while. He told us about the historic hotel in Broken Bow and this and that.
After a long day we finally arrived in Broken Bow. It was fun to meet all these people today.

Urban heiroglyph

We're not Going Anywhere

The forecast was for rain and tstorms all day. In Blair it was the same and we planned a break but the weather was nice. Now the forecast was right so it looks like we are staying in Grand Island. The Doppler also shows storms along the way to Broken Bow. Another day lost.

Grand Island NE

We arrived here a couple minutes ago. Our hotel room has an outside and an inside door. Crazy. Nothing exciting happened today. We had a bit of a sidewind that turned into a tailwind later. The weather was nice. We rode past a vouple feed lots. I am surprised that cows eat sanitary food because the feed lot stench is enough to make me gag. On our way to Broken Bow tomorrow.

Blair to Columbus

We left this morning after the rain paused. As we rode 91 west we passed through a few dark grey clouds. I thought I heard a siren but I think it was a police car or the train. A couple squirrels tried to cross the road. One of them made it and the second one paused on the center before sprinting behind me and in front of Jim. Then we stopped in Nickerson. We met a couple who was in the army and now they both go to college.
The clouds were layers of gray and white. Most of the day we rode in and out of domes of grey and super dark grey. We stopped outside of Schuyler under an overpass to break and call people. Then we rode into Columbus. Just east of the welcome sign another cyclist crept up on us and started chatting. He invited us to camp in his backyard but the weather tonight is supposed to include possible hail. Tomorrow we hope to go to H
Grand Island NE.

The Bull from Yesterday

Welcome to Nebraska

Harlan Iowa to Blair Nebraska

We left Harlan about on time but I forgot my phone. Someone at the hotel drove it out to us. Thank goodness. Iowa is indeed hilly but they aren't monsters. Only big enough to make you keep going forward not backward.
We stopped in Logan to rest and figure out the route. The thirty is really crowded so we didn't want to continue on it. We found some paved county roads, rare in Iowa, and we stopped again in Modale. At our rest in Logan we were given a free loaf if wonderbread because it was expired. In Modale a wonderbread truck driver gave us a hearty wheat whole grain loaf. Pretty nice. We chatted for a while. He was a scout leader during the tornado in Omaha last year. We talked about that a moment. He's had a couple close calls in the wonderbread truck.
When we got to our hotel in Blair we saw the Vortex project on the weather channel. They were tracking the storms in Goshen county Wyoming. I guess we're in the danger zone now until we get to Casper, so we'll be watching the storms closely now. Feel free to send us text message updates about the weather. We hope to get through Nebraska in a week but we'll stop as necessary.
Overall we are fine but tired and tired.

Harlan Iowa

We made it to Harlan today. After 12 miles this morning we found out our road was maybe closed. It was but we went anyway. They were digging out a portion of the road. The operator stopped for us. After that we finally reached Iowa 44 and we wanted some more coffee but every town was too small. In one town there were a handful of local cafes but everything even other businesses were unepectedly closed. Who knows why. We got to Harlan and we didn't see many amenities in the town ahead so we stopped. We were passed by a couple oversized loads today. We saw more baby cows. We stopped and watched a bull push around a bunch of cows and the calves ran around and played. It's fun to see the cows. They are very friendly and don't mind when we try to talk to them.

No Bicycles on Sidewalk

These are all over Illinois.

Test from phone

Does this work

Davenport, IA to Stuart, IA

Leaving Davenport after a couple days was a relief. I was getting tired of seeing the inside of our room, and the neighborhood didn't have much to do. We wanted to go to Williamsburg, IA, but I wasn't feeling well when we got to Wilton. The headwinds were strong, and during the first day back after a good rest, it was challenging to keep the faith. We rested at a town park in Wilton, and we kept going. When we got to another gravel road, I felt ready to throw in the towel. We went another 15 to Iowa City. Google maps kept giving us bad directions that day. We ran into gravel roads a lot, and when we looked up an address Google maps sent us in the opposite direction. It was frustrating, and I cite it as another reason to use an actual, tangible, paper map.
The next day we went from Iowa City to Grinnell, Iowa. Grinnell is a small town with a college and a few hotels near interstate 80. It was all right, and we were really happy to be there as well. Nothing interesting has really happened in these last two days.
From Grinnell, we headed toward Des Moines, but knowing the rain was coming we looked for a place east of Des Moines to wait out the rain and have a good time. We found the Prairie Meadows horsetrack and casino in Altoona and a cheap hotel for two days. On our ride to Altoona, we stopped in Newton, IA, to get some coffee and take a mid-ride break. A woman from the newspaper, Betty, asked us to wait and be interviewed for the local paper. She gave us directions to the building, and we met the editor, publisher, and a reporter from the Newton Daily News. The story can be found at this link: http://www.newtondailynews.com/articles/2009/06/01/r_f7h3tvousgoau66ewgcsba/index.xml

Today we left Altoona hoping to get to Anita, Iowa. A couple miles outside of Altoona, Jim's rear tire went flat. We changed that, but his brakes continued failing to release quickly. When I saw a bike shop on the west side of Des Moines, BikeWorld of Urbandale, we stopped in to get some extra assistance. We stocked up on some Cliff shot drink powder. It's as close to Gu20 we'll come for now. We still like to drink it while riding. Jim needed a new tire. The old one had a huge gash in it we didn't catch when we repaired the flat. After all this, we ran out of time. We only made it as far as Stuart, IA before deciding to quit. The next rest area is 20 more miles down the road, and we only had another hour or so before sunset.

The last couple days have been fairly uneventful. The horse races were interesting, but they only last a minute or two, and the next post isn't for a while. Today I saw a cow stop eating to watch us. It had grass hanging from its mouth. We sent home a box today with some "shrunken" jerseys and old maps.

Silver Lake, Indiana to Davenport Iowa

We're at the Econolodge in Davenport, Iowa. We crossed the Mississippi a couple of hours ago. There are a number of bridges, but google maps sent us across Rodman Avenue which runs through Rock Island Arsenal, an army base that appears to develop and collect weaponry for the Army. We saw the "no pedestrians" sign on the pre-bridgeway on the Mississippi into Rock Island, but when we saw "Army Installation" we guessed, based on experience, we wouldn't have any issues. We showed our IRR ids and cruised in relative security through base. Then we came to the big bridge into Davenport over the Mississippi. It was huge, two layers, and "bicycles had to walk." Yeah, right. We were about to walk, but we decided to just ride. The pedestrian walkway was clear, and it was mostly narrow metal grates. It was better to just get across.

Almost a week ago we left Silver Lake. We actually left on a poor day--the Friday before Memorial Day. I read somewhere on Indiana's state parks website that for that weekend, we had to make a 3-day reservation for a camp site. That's $75 for one night. Wouldn't you camp urban style? That Friday we rode 47 miles to Tippecanoe River State Park. We didn't stay at the state's campground, but we found a rather eclectic local place called Broken Arrow Campground. Everything about the campground was quite nice, except our neighbors who were up until 2:30 am. Even after I told them we were riding our bikes across the country and they woke me up. In fact, they turned the music up and told stories about harming cyclists. We won't say what they were. I bet Chicagoans. We were both pretty tired the next day, but I woke up early enough to get coffee together, and then Jim and I walked to the campgrounds cafe for an all you can eat breakfast. Delicious breakfast full of carbohydrates and sweets. I wouldn't have it any other way.

A couple miles before we arrived at Broken Arrow, google maps sent us to a dead end, and we took our chances and "went west." This was our philosophy throughout Indiana because most of the roads are numbered by the hundreds and duplicated. As long as we were headed west, we thought we'd eventually find Illinois. We found US 35, and that is where Broken Arrow Campground is located. If you are ever in Indiana and looking for a fun place to camp for a few weeks, this is the place. They have a farmer's market, Wig Wam (restaurant), live music hall, plenty of restrooms, hot and cold showers, and a camp store open until 11pm. Beer is up the street about 2 miles, and the campground lets you keep it.

The next day we did leave a little late, but we both trudged through the day with amazing endurance given the previous nights restlessness. We didn't like the water at Tippecanoe, so we left with half our reserves full. We decided about mid-day we needed to just go to a town and ask for or buy water, and we headed toward Radioville. We didn't find Radioville, but we found the town north of it that wasn't on the map, San Pierre. We stopped at the tavern for a helping of morale, and we met Bill Wild. Bill is a kind man in his 80s, and after talking to us a while, he insisted we come get water from one the three spigots on his property. Some people don't understand, but well water is indeed a treat. It tastes like water, and it is naturally cooled. Nothing better than fresh well water. We found Bill's place, and he invited us to camp on his property, but we were determined to get in more miles. We couldn't find a campground near the border of Illinois and Indiana, so we rode 12 miles north sort of out of our way to camp at the Super8 in Lowell, Indiana. This hotel is actually the only hotel located in what seems to be 25 square miles.

The next day we rode to Wilmington, Illinois. We left Lowell early enough to get a good day in, but only 5 miles from the hotel, we came across a couple of cyclists in need. They were riding from Colorado to Gary, Indiana, with barely anything on old race bikes. That's cool; I was actually envious that they had so little. After reflecting though, I was thankful for my second pair of cycling shorts (akin to underwear), my fleece jacket that keeps me warm in the evenings, the camp stove and pots that keep our food costs down, the tent that might give us shelter in the desolate areas of Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon. After we patched their last tube, we were on our way. I don't know what happened to them or their names, but their uncle was there with a van when we left.

Later, we stopped in Monteno for some coffee which led to more food and a food nap. The manager of the restaurant (I lost the card in my bag, I'll post later on the left) talked to us for a while and pointed out some inaccuracies on the Rand McNalley special map we had. By the way, based on our experiences with Rand McNalley so far, I don't recommend their maps. By the end of the day, we made it to Wilmington, where we stayed for the evening.

It was during this time we both shifted and decided that we would get hotels when we felt like it. Its turning out that camping isn't all that cheap anyway. When we can we'll post our recent pictures of "urban camping."

We left Wilmington feeling a lot better than the day before, but the skies were overcast again and the clouds weren't white. It started raining almost right away, but we made it into Morris where we stopped for coffee and fended off temptation to stay in town. While looking for a coffee shop we ran into the Memorial Day parade route, and we hopped on the sidewalk and walked our bikes just in time to see the colorguard, Boyscouts, and marching band to walk down the road. We left Morris, and by the time we got to Ottawa, we'd been rained on a couple times. We decided to stay in Ottawa. The motel clerk didn't like that I was cooking with a stove outside our room, and he made me move to the center of the parking lot. We have a picture of this to post soon. Whatever. The room cost just as much as a campground.

When we left the next day the weather was nice, but more bad weather was forecast. When we got to Streatonville, the rain begain. We waited it out for a few moments at a gas station where we met Jack Genster, a local man who retired from his own business fabricating steel products. We checked the map and decided to go town to town until we go to Geneseo. Town to town is pretty much how the rain went as well. We got to Mineral, it rained, we had a beer. We got to Annawan, it sprinkled, we kept going. 14 more miles, and we finally got to Super 8 in Geneseo.

We left Geneseo this morning knowing we wanted to stop in Davenport for two days to rest. It's been 6 days, so we're happy to spend a day tomorrow doing little. There's a bowling alley a block from here.

I don't remember when it was, but at some point early in this last week, we rode on gravel roads by some cattle. During this whole trip, the cows have been very curious about us. I imagine they are pretty bored, and we're the talk of the herd. Riding on gravel roads is pretty tough. We have smooth tires, and they don't always catch on the gravel and soft dirt. Our bikes sink or stall sometimes, and we're constantly looking for patches of "hardness." This process is very difficult without looking to the right and seeing that you are the curiosity of a couple hundred cattle, and the only barrier is a small electric fence. Thank you, farmers, for those three tiny lines of electricity. You can watch the curiosity travel through the herd too. Even cows lying down stand up and start wandering toward you, then there is a crowd, some mooing, and then they're all looking at you. I'm glad they're vegetarians.

We've also been run off the road twice in Illinois. We had a car passing us on our side, and on the other side another car (the faulty one) decided to pass cars ahead. There wasn't much time, and I was sure the cars would collide or slow down right in front of us. We both just pulled over and waited it out. A day later, we were riding in the rain in Geneseo when a mini-van came close enough to push us over with their wind. Jim said he could have hit the car himself. Another note on Illinois, there are "no bikes on the sidewalks" signs everywhere.

We only update as we find a computer, but our email comes right to the phone. We can also check blog comments on our phone. Keep in touch; we love to get messages from the world. It's much better than the news.

Leaving Silver Lake tomorrow, maybe

Jim's bike is supposed to be finished today, but the part isn't supposed to arrive before 2pm.  We hope the part arrives today.  Tomorrow rain is expected (30% chance) but we're going to do it anyway.  We have enough experience in poor weather now, so we should be tough enough.  

Before I forget for the rest of the trip--

     When we rested in Fort Loudon, the cottage we stayed at was actually on historic property.  James Chambers, the son of the founder of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.  On this property, James lived with his family and operated an iron forge using the energy from the Conococheague River.  The Martins live in the original dwelling, and Kelli can tell you more about its own history including the old Maple tree by the river.  For more information about this historic property and renting the Gatehouse at the Forge, contact Kelli Martin at kellismartin@comcast.net.  

     Chambersburg is also where we found Hari Howard, our beloved elephant.  Fort Loudon is about 7-9 miles north of Mercersberg and 9 miles east of McConnellsburg.  The hospitality and friendship we found at Fort Loudon was outstanding, and we hope if anyone travels the 30 in Pennsylvania they stop in and get to know the Martin family.

     When we camped in Ohio, we stayed at a site by Grand Lake near St. Mary's.  Grand Lake was hand built using shovels.  It measures 12 miles long and 3 miles wide, and the men who built it were paid 37 cents a day and a bottle of whiskey.  

     If you ever find yourself in Winona Lake, Indiana, check out Kelainey's Sweet Dreams Coffees & Creams.  They have reasonably priced sandwiches and salads, and they're located near the bike shop where Jim's bike is being fixed in the Village at Winona Lake.  

One more day

Jim's new parts are installed, but the bike is still wobbly and the brakes stall after squeezing them.  Jim tried to true the wheels, and he got it somewhat.  We have to go to the bike shop to get some more assistance.  I hope they aren't too busy.  We have to stay one more day because it just isn't a good idea to ride his bike in this state. 

We're also changing our route from the one posted in the picture.  It's more direct into Missoula, and we should only be about 20-25 riding days from here.  

Video 1

The sun came out when we woke up in Breezewood.  

Pictures 5

The Garage Incident.

Pictures 4

There wasn't a sign at the Ohio border on the US 40.  We started seeing Ohio plates, though.  This was taken on the US 33 across the street from the Indiana State Line sign.

The Indiana State Line.  

Jim making our fire after we couldn't figure out the stove.  

Our humble accommodations that night.  

Pictures 3

Jim at the West Virginia Border.  Remember when the hills ended? 

 The shoulder started to also.

Finally, a barn that didn't have "Mail Pouch Tobacco, 

Treat Yourself to the Best" painted on the side.

Hari Howard on the Ohio 265 near Barnesville or Quaker City, Ohio.

The gravel hills we had to walk around just outside of Morrisville, Ohio.

Nadel at the WV border.  

Pictures 2

These are also backwards

We stopped on a nice long low-grade downhill for this picture.  Everett is my brother.  Feel free to copy the picture.  

We had to fashion a raincoat for Hari Howard.  Notice all the rain spots around him, but he stays dry.

Hari Howard needs a bath.  Did you ever see Castaway?  Hari has become our Wilson.  

The Red Flippy-Floppies at Mr. Ed's Museum again.  

Hari Howard at Taco Bell.  

Pictures 1

These are backwards . . . 

The red Flippy-Floppies at Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum and Candy Store

near Chambersburg, PA.

This crazy elephant nearly bucked me off.  

Jim at the Pennsylvania Border.  It started raining shortly after this picture, and it downpoured when we got to the outlets in Gettysburg.

Nadel at the PA border.

Jon presenting the Red Flippy-Floppies to Jim at Race Pace in Columbia, MD.

Columbus, OH to Silver Lake, IN

I can't remember the day we are on without adding one to the date since we left the day before May 1st.  I think that will be complicated when the month becomes June.

We left Columbus in the aftermath of rain.  The weather was actually nice, but the time of day messed with our minds.  It took forever to get out of the city, and when we did we rode against some cross-winds.  This really wasn't so bad, but I suppose we needed a morale break.  We left Columbus too early.  So we stayed at Super 8 in Marysville, Ohio.  Hey--Super 8 Executives--if you give us free rooms the rest of the trip, we'll make you a commercial.  "Super 8 is great!"  We've stayed in a handful of Super 8's, and I could sleep inside the sheets in all of them.   We made rice, tomato soup, and black bean soup.  It was pretty delicious.  We also met another cyclist riding east across the country to Erie, PA.  If you go to www.givingfirst.com/niallsfitzduff you can learn more about his trip and philanthropy.  

The next day we made up some of our miles--82 to Grand Lake St. Mary's, Ohio.  In rural Ohio near Wapakoneta, a guy named Jim stopped his car to chat with us while we rested.  He just laughed a moment and said "That's awesome!"  He was friendly, and it is really nice to just talk to other humans along the way.  Sometimes Jim and I are good company, other times it is better to be silent company.  

On the way into Grand Lake, the sky became overcast and unpleasant.  It looked like it might sprinkle, but it didn't appear violent at all.  Jim set up our tent while I tried to figure out how to use the stove.  I probably could have figured it out, but I couldn't get our gas can open.  The empty gas can would open fine, so I'm guessing that we are carrying a pressurized can of diesel.  We should probably just drop it.  We can eat cold sandwiches and buy coffee.  After all most hotels offer free coffee.  (small dig at our current version of camping)  When Jim couldn't open the can either, he took the empty Bob trailer to get firewood.  We ate soggy pasta with tomato soup again.  It's not bad.  High in sodium, protein, and calories.  It only has to nourish you I guess, not satisfy your taste buds.  Our friend Kelvin just opened our diesel fuel bottle, but I still wonder if we should even bother.  

Solid rain came down for a crazy two minutes, and we decided to pack up our gear and put it under the vestibules, which are enormous.  We can fit it all under one and cook under the other if we must.  After we ate, we sat around just chilling.  The camp host lady came by and told us we should really secure our tent because we were under a tornado watch.  I asked "Aren't we sort of messed up anyway if there is a tornado?"  The ground was soft anyway, our only hope in high winds was genuine hope that everything was heavy enough to stay put.  

We went to bed after it got dark and our fire died out enough.  The wind didn't pick up until around 1230.  I know because I was awake.  It didn't stop either except when the birds' chirping seemed to tell it to stop around 7am.  I know because I was still awake.  I think I got a couple hours of sleep, but even after showering in a warm campground shower house, I wasn't happy or feeling well.  Jim and I thought that it was wisest to try to go on, but we stopped for breakfast and still felt exhausted.  The 7 miles from St. Mary's, Ohio to Celina, Ohio took an hour.  We decided to take a rest day.  We're not trying to kill ourselves.  We camped again at America's Best Value Inn.  We know, we have to stop this.  The rest of the day proved our decision to be a good one because there were long bursts of heavy rain, and our goal that day to go 40 miles would have taken all day anyway.  Not that we are still on some kind of schedule.  

While resting in Celina, I wondered if we were going to feel the same way the next day, and the day after that, and so on.  I woke up feeling ready to pack and start riding.  The weather was nice, I just got a day of rest and a night of easy sleep.  Jim felt a little slow, but he was in a positive mood also.  

We stopped at the Indiana State Line sign to take pictures (which are still coming some day to the blog) of the signs with the shoes and Hari Howard (our stuffed elephant pet).  Since we didn't see any Welcome to Ohio sign on the US 40 into Ohio, we crossed the street and took pictures after the fact.  I'm sure people think we're weird.  

Decatur is only about 9 miles inside Indiana off the 33.  We decided to stop at a BP to get some coffee.  The lip on the driveway into it as about 2 inches high, and I was going too fast to avoid it nicely.  My front tire tripped, and I flew over my bike a little.  I bruised up my legs, moved my handlebars, and bent my front rack.  My bike and I are fine.  It was actually a little fun.  The fun part was calling Mom and saying "I wrecked," and without hearing the whole funny story she freaked out a little.  From Decatur we kept going to Fort Wayne.  We saw two cyclists on seemingly light bikes--2 tiny rear panniers each.  They had an entourage of motorcycles and cops, and we thought they had to be escorted on the US 33.  When the cops turned around we thought they would tell us to get off the road.  No!  They asked if we needed anything, and they didn't know why they had to escort the other two cyclists!  We should have asked if we could draft off them until we get to Fort Wayne. 

We pulled into some chain restaurant with golden arches in Fort Wayne, Indiana at five pm.  We knew we wouldn't make it to Silver Lake, Indiana.  If you've been talking with us about this little stop, you know that our friend doesn't have a phone.  We needed him to call earlier than planned, or to be able to reach his parents to say that we either need a ride or we have to camp in Fort Wayne.  We didn't know what was the best choice, so we travelled closer to the campgrounds and the state route to Silver Lake so that we would be close to either choice--camping or a ride.  We were about to throw in the towel and rough it our way when Kelvin called.  He gave us some extra time because he thought we might want to chill out for a moment after being done!  We rode back toward the shopping center and drank and ate at some restaurant bar while we waited for Kelvin.  At the bar/restaurant we met Diane Rogers, who just turned 50 and retired from the local police department.  She was really exciting to talk to, and I hope she writes us!

When Kelvin got there we packed up our bikes in his Jeep Cherokee.  My bike, the Bob trailer, and all our bags fit inside.  Jim's bike had to be strapped to the top on the luggage rack in a fairly unconventional way.  It's a touring bike; it's built to get thrashed; it will be all right.  Well, it was all right until we got to Kelvin's, and he pulled into the garage.  We'll be here a tad longer than expected while we get a new wheel, brake levers, and adjust the movable pieces on Jim's bike.  That's all right, though, we're having a good time.  

Leaving Columbus

It's supposed to rain until noon today.  We're hoping to leave soon after that.  Our next stop before we go to Missoula is in Indiana.  We think it will take a few days, and our friend there hasn't called us.  His address is on the route; we'll just show up.  

May 10-11

Sunday we rode from Wheeling to Cambridge, a good 65 miles.  There were significant climbs out of Wheeling, but then the terrain evened out.  We came across a couple horse and buggies, and we had to detour because of gravel.  Shortly after arriving in Moorestown after eating at the Fastlane Pizzaria on the 40, we turned down a gravel road.  After battling the gravel downhill then uphill, we decided it was safer and more enjoyable to walk through the gravel.  Our rear wheels were catching on rocks, and we couldn't get the bikes to keeping moving without fear of tipping.  At one point, we thought we saw pavement, but it turned out to be a false alarm.  Eventually, maybe after 2 miles, the gravel was harder packed and there were more residences, so we started riding again.  Then we arrived at the 800, a more major road, and our next right turn turned out to be another gravel road.   We decided to stay on the 800 and find a way through Barnesville.  The rest of our ride in to Cambridge was paved, and we ended at the bottom of the hill where the 209 meets the 70.  It was 6:55 by the time we stopped. 

Yesterday we left Cambridge uneasy about making almost 80 miles to Columbus since on Sunday we did 65.  We got some coffee, ate Sunday's leftovers, bought more food, and left around 9:45.  We're getting closer to our goal of leaving around 9.  We flew through parts of the 40, and other parts were long false flats.  When we got to Zanesville some of the anxiety was catching up with us since it was after noon and we still had 55 more miles to go.  We stopped for coffee at the Diner on Fourth Street where we met a table of attorneys by accident.  We came inside, and right away they began asking us what we were up to and how far have we gone, etc.  They told us about "Nick Walking America" who they met last year, and one of them, Cole Gerstner, bought us some cookies.  They were interesting to talk to, and they were all full of smiles and giggles.  This definitely brought my mood up.  After they left, Jim and I had some coffee.  When we started to pay, the hostess said it was on the house and told us to be safe.  We needed this mental break from the bike, and the graciousness at this Diner was another extraordinary example of goodwill.  After we left Zanesville, we kept a steady rhythm of 10 miles then a break until we got 6 miles outside of Columbus.  Then we missed our turn to get onto the city detour of Hwy 40, Broad Street in Columbus, and we had to go North a couple miles to actually get to Columbus.  Then Joshua met us somewhere on Broad Street and led us to his home downtown.  Our total mileage was 82.  

We're working on posting pictures.  We have pictures of Hari Howard, the elephant from Mr. Ed's, the red flippy-floppies, the gravel hills we walked up, the scenery here and there, and poses by the Welcome to the State signs.  

Thanks for the posts.  We really enjoy those and short notes on our email or twitter.  We try to be accessible to everyone in their own way.  If you post on the blog, please put some identifier if you use a common name like Jim or Mom or Dad.  We don't know which is which, but we still like the comments!

Nadel and Jim

Days 8-10, I think. i lost track

Somerset to Connellsville
So if you didn't hear or guess yet, we got a ride into Somerset. It was pouring, and we couldn't see anything. I was miserable and willing to start knocking. I was lucky on my first effort to find a willing soul. I can't remember his name, but hopefully he checks this or writes to us. He has a home business, and I didn't understand completely what it was about. He hauled stuff. He was very kind, and he chatted with us.

We left Somerset with hopes of getting to Brownsville. By then we were spoiled by the hotels and rain, so we got yet another hotel. When we got to Connellsville, I wondered if we would beat the rain again. Thinking back to the day before and the ride into Gettysburg, I felt like stopping and letting the weather be what it may be. It did rain that night, but not until we were asleep. Unless that was just dew, but the clouds in the morning were still somewhat ominous. We could have made it to Brownsville, and I was pretty disappointed I didn't just take another chance on the rain. After all, we had been taking chances so far and coming out on top. Since I found a lucky penny the other day, I'm wary of running out of luck. After stopping at a dirty cheap motel (the same price as camping at the KOA in Washington, PA), we walked up the road to Duke's in Connellsville. Cindy was our server and a good conversationalist. We chatted about the odd PA beer laws (not liquor it seems, just beer) and played on the electronic game machine. The food was also great. Mashed potatoes that looked like thick clouds of deliciousness and pierogies filled with more mashed potatoes and cheese. Mmm, cheese.

The next day we went through Brownsville. When we got to Brownsville, we had hoagies at Fox's Pizza. They advertized Thursday All You Can Eat Spaghetti, so we were hoping that wasn't just a Thursday serving. They only make spaghetti on Thursdays, but the hoagies we ate put us in a good food coma.

At Brownsville, we needed to get on the Old Hwy 40, but twice we ran into construction trying to get there. First there was construction, and a car returned to tell us there wasn't any way to pass through. That might have been true, but since the look to see was at the top of a long uphill, we sat down and took a breath. I took a looong breath. Then another. We went another route, and that was closed off, but we went through anyway. We expected the construction guys to yell at us, but they didn't even glance at us. One guy saw us, and took caution not to run into us. I guess the bags make us look legitimate. Maybe its the spandex. We took a long uphill (as is most of PA) detour to the regular 40, and we made it to Washington later in the evening. This was probably our longest day since the first day.

We've driven near Washington plenty of times so we expected that the hills were soon behind us, and the next day we only planned to get as far as Wheeling, WV to recover.

This morning we left Washington in a bit of a slow fog. The clouds looked ominous but the Weather Channel again claimed no rain for a while. Finally, it was true. We went over more PA hills, but as we got into WV the hills disappeared along with the shoulder of the road. The weather forecast was for high winds, and we felt them, at least I did being in the front, in WV. Fortunately, though, the road-builders in WV thought to make the road between mountains instead of on them, and the hills seems to just disappear. Did I mention that the hills disappeared in WV? Maybe we'll stop using hotels soon. After Columbus. or whatever.

We're having a better time now, and over all the trip has been worth the pain. maybe. we'll see.

Nadel, approved by Jim

Days 4-7

We're at the Holiday Inn in Somerset, PA, and I'm using their computer. Ours is probably still broken.

A few days ago we stayed at that expensive inn in Mercersberg, and we pretty much decided to just try to get over what the locals called "the mountain" into Mcconnellsburg, PA. Well, we drove it the next day and found out bikes weren't allowed on that stretch of the 30 highway anyway. We left Mercersburg in the rain, and I wanted to stop and see if there was a hotel or something to wait out the rain in Fort Loudon, PA. That was only 7 miles. But in the rain. First, I asked the guy in the store about the road to see if it would be at all insane to try to ride it in the rain. Apparently so, and he was busy with work so he couldn't give us a ride. I saw him leave 20 minutes later. Then another woman came who offered to help, but she didn't return. I'm fairly certain she was well-intentioned and got distracted. I hope she's fine.

So we waited until we were shivering, and the rain wasn't going anywhere. Well, it was going down. I walked across the street to the church. It was Sunday, so there were lots of people. I went inside wearing my raincoat, helmet, bike cap, spandex shorts, and sandals. Not my Sunday best. I said, "I need help," then a woman introduced me to Chris and Denny (sp?) and said "This young lady needs directions to Mcconnellsburg." Fair enough, I wasn't specific. I clarified that I needed more substantial help because we'd been warned by many locals about the steep climb ahead, and we didn't want to walk our bikes up the road in the rain. By the way, walking my bike takes very little shame.

One of the gentleman said right away he'd take us up, just let him go have some lunch at the diner, and he asked us if we wanted to eat with him. I walked back to where Jim was, and then the Martins, Kelli and Jim, pulled up and offered to us their Gatehouse at Loudon Forge. Well, we were planning to go to Johnny's Motel (definitely not as nice at the Gatehouse) and stay two nights to wait out the rain because the following day was guaranteed to rain all day. We said yes, thank you, and rode our bikes the mile and a half to their place. What a nice place to rest. They apologized for not having a TV, but to us a bed, a stove, a shower, and a table were at least 4 household items more than we had 10 minutes prior.

We got to know the Martins and their family, and that was a lot of fun. They were willing to let us stay longer, but we have to at least get to the coast by the time we have to pack it all in.

Then we road to Breezewood. I cried, whined, and walked my bike a lot that day. That was just yesterday by the way. We climbed a 3.5 mile 8% grade up PA 30. When we got to the top, I saw a sign that showed trucks where to pull out and what gears to use. I also asked the forestry guys about the road ahead and if they wanted to make any money and take us to Breezewood. They said none of them were headed that way. I watched every single one go that direction. They watched me give them a greeting. It's just as well, it was all down hill. Cold and rainy again, but downhill.

Today was great until the rain came. In fact, we thought we might get sun all day. This morning Jim took a picture of the sun because it was out. We left Breezewood late as usual, and we got to Bedford. That was a really nice ride. The weather was warm, and the hills were cooperative. As soon as you went down one, you were coming up half the next with lots less effort than the 8%'s the day before. Then we got on PA 31, which is similar to PA 30, but it runs south of the 70 instead of north. Then it started sprinkling, but it was Somerset or bust because there was nothing out there. Shortly after it started sprinkling, I saw the Dew Drop Inn, and it was tempting, but we had to try.

We got to Somerset in the rain, checked into yet another hotel, ate more pizza, and I'm going to the bar where they serve things that warm your insides.

We're all right, and we're mostly having fun.

Jim and Nadel

Days 1-3

Thanks for posting that Suzie. Our computer is on its way to Columbus to get fixed. The person we sent it to doesn't know it yet.

The first day we rode through the brutal hills of Carroll County, which are fairly notorious. If any contemplates riding with an extra 50 pounds on MD 140, think again. We were pretty beat up by the time we go to WEstminster, not even out of the state, so we stayed at the Days Inn on Cranberry Road. We mailed some stuff to Montana and left some in the room. Probably about twenty pounds. Any guesses what? Batteries, jackets, those stupid throat mics that don't work, the Nintendo DS, extra bungee cords, green lentils, a coffee mug one thought was awesome to put in a water bottle cage.

Then on Day 2 we went to Gettysburg, but as we left Littlestown, PA, we felt some drops, then we rode into Gettysburg nearly blinded by rain. It was really hard, and we were pretty fortunate to arrive in the downpour. So after we ate we decided to get a hotel because the weather report said more and worse was to come. But after we were settled into the last room which happened to be the suite with a jacuzzi, we noticed the rain let up. for hours. oh well.

Now we are in Day 3. We went to Chambersburg, then expecting more rain, which I suspect is another false weather report from a famous weather reporting channel, we decided to look for a hotel. Finding that all the hotels along our chosen route were booked, we went off the beaten path to come to the Mercersburg Inn where they graciously gave us a stately room for a hefty price. The ride was pretty satisfactory, and we enjoyed that.

The rain is indeed our excuse for being slow, but we think we should be able to camp soon and save our money for more rainy days in the future.

I hope day four is better. and cheaper.

Days 1& 2

Leaving Soon

We're leaving in a few days. Anyone who knows our address or phone number is free to come by Wednesday evening after 4 or 5 until 11pm. We're ordering pizza and playing games on the floor. The house is empty.

By the way, it looks like rain on Thursday.

Equipment

Motorola Talkabout Radios
Throat Mics
Computer
Maps
2 Reflective vests
Postcards
Record Book
2 Jandd Frederick Panniers
1 Bob Trailer
Cribbage Board
Cards
Magnetic Backgammon

Star Gazer Map

Small Foldable Basin
2 Sets of Silverware
Cooking Set with 1 qt, 1.5 qt pans with lids and small cutting boards
Small water bottle for Cup of Joe Coffee Filter
2 Nalgene 96 oz Cantenes

MSR Sweetwater Pump & Filter
Iodine Tablets
2 Coffee Mugs
MSR Dragonfly Stove

2 gas bottles w/ labels

No Rinse Shampoo
2 toothbrush holders w/toothbrushes
Hand Sanitizer
Soap Box
2 Microfiber Towels
2 Microfiber Washcloths
Binoculars
Baggy of Plastic Bags
Parachute Chord
2 hard plastic wallet cases
Coleman Flashlight
Small Maglite
electrical tape

duct tape

2 Polyvinyl rain jackets
Foldable laundry bag
2 stuff sacks of clothes
2 North Face Allegheny Sleeping Bags

Derailleur Gimp
Kevlar Spokefix
Pad Thai Instant Meal (emergency food)
emergency blanket
first aid
spare tube patches
tire boots
2 Rescue Howler Whistles
spare cell phone
4 Glow Sticks

spare cables