2013 trans-american bike and rail trip

8/13/2019 2013 Trans-American Bike and Rail Trip

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The Half-Century Saga

Forward

This is a story of yin and yang, contraction and expansion and the balance of the two. It is also a story

of transition from one half of my life to the other half. When it became clear in my 49th year that life

was becoming more quiescent, more localized, and more yin!li"e#, I decided that a yang experiencewas necessary and of $alue. I had ridden the Tre" %cross &aine 'in support of The %merican (ung

%ssociation) and prepared for that *+ mile trip by riding * miles o$er the year before. What better

way to celebrate my -th than a longer bi"e ride /ut where to ride %cross two states Three Whatgoal seemed the right length, was the question. I hadn0t been to the West 1oast for ** years and it

seemed a clear goal with family to $isit on the other end.

1oincidentally, with more bi"ing was less dri$ing and my car was wasting away on the lawn and

clearly needed a better owner. 2o, long story short, I sold it and turned the remittance into a bi"e and

some tra$el gear for it. &y path was set.

Planning

3ow to get there was the first order of business. With a definite goal, the beeline was the mostefficient, yet, such routes do not exist on this earth 'except, possibly in ansas 5) ). It turned out that

intrepid cyclists ha$e been riding the roads of 6orth %merica for decades and effecti$e routes exist in

the form of &aps and 782 files. The route for me, I found out, was the 6orthern Tier /i"e route,stretching from /ar 3arbor, &aine to %nacortes, Washington. %dding the (a"e rie 1onnector, going

from :ort rie, ;ntario to < Wolf (a"e, &ichigan straightened the route somewhat. I didn0t ha$e a

782 unit so had to buy ele$en maps which co$ered the distance from Ticonderoga, 6= to &issoula,&T. The last part was co$ered by two maps for the (ewis and 1lar" >oute 'from ?ic"inson, 6? to

&issoula). The remainder would be determined from $arious maps and other sources.

6o one in my circle was in the habit of riding across the country on bicycle so research happenedmostly on line. ;ne of the most useful sites, in a general sense, was 1razy &an on a /i"e comprising

blogs by $arious cyclists on a range of topics. The most interesting topic for me became gear and

where to put it on the bi"e. Therefore, early on, I found a list describing all it and started mycollection.

Training

&y touring bi"e was built in ?ecember and I started riding it in @anuary. % 2oma 2aga with Tre""er

/ars and thumb shifters, it felt better than my pre$ious bi"e and after I started adding gear to it, I would

ride it for short rides at first and then longer ma"ing my way to o$ernighters. With only four monthsfor official training rides, and most of those in Winter, I had to ta"e ad$antage of any day o$er A-

degrees 'I am not a cold!weather bi"er by nature) and this I did. /y %pril most of my gear had arri$ed

and so had the warmer weather so full!gear rides became the norm and these extended from B miles too$er 4. I was also relying on the notion that the first few days would be training rides in themsel$es.

;riginally I had planned a 4!day training ride from (ubec, &aine to /elfast, &aine and I would do thisin the beginning of %pril with time for ma"ing adCustments. Weather required a change of plans as the

Winter refused to brea" and I was forced, or decided, to push the training schedule forward and lump

that ride into the trans!america tre" itself. % brief description follows.


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?ay *5 Transport from /elfast, & to (ubec, & and pedaling begins. The ride was only * miles but

Cust right for the beginning. I rode to 11(1 for an o$ernight stay camping!style. The only incident

was a small dog who wanted to bite my shoes off.

?ay B5 8embro"e, & to &achias, &. B miles, much of which had no shoulderD the roads there

could ha$e used more. I stayed with the /eehi$e 1ollecti$e where much exciting wor" was going on

in graphics. The place was bustling and buzzing li"e a hi$e but I managed to find a way to contributeanyway by remo$ing winter window layers.

?ay A5 &achias, & to llsworth, &. E miles total. The day started out gray and promised rain. %day to test out the rain gear for myself and the panniers. %fter * miles the rain started and at times

came down in buc"ets. There was no choice but to get wet and "eep riding. When you are riding in

the rain, and the air is so moist, you get wet. There is no choice. I found an o$erhang at one point andstarted to dry off and nutritionalize.#

%fter about BF miles, on >oute *%, with no shoulder, and enough truc"s to "eep the ride dramatic and

pic"up pulled o$er ahead of me. %s I passed by, the dri$er!side window was rolled down and a womanleaned out as"ing if I wanted a ride. I passed by and thought ?id she Cust offer me a ride &y gear

as well# %fter pedaling a few more stro"es, I turned the bi"e around and came bac" to the truc". I

was soa"ed and as the rain showed no signs of letting up, felt there was nothing to be gained bycontinuing on by pedal. I accepted the ride from the couple offering...These were the first angels I met

but not the last. Ironically, about - miles along, the shoulder appeared and the rain soon stopped. I

could ha$e bi"ed from there but we wor"ed so hard to mo$e the bi"e into the rear of the truc", it mademore sense to continue riding. 1onsequently, I arri$ed at my next destination three hours earlyG

?ay 45 llsworth, & to /elfast, &. 4 miles with rain at the end. % nice ride except for the fact

that I left my bi"e shoes inside the host house and it was loc"ed up tightG I ended up waiting untilalmost A in the afternoon to retrie$e those shoesG

Journeys

?ay - &onday, &ay *A5 /elfast, & ! Winthrop, & E- miles with headwinds and a half!Cacuzzi at

the end. This was the official beginning for the West!ward tre". The first part had easy shoulders butmany headwinds. >oller!coaster terrain made for a $ery challenging first day. 2ustenance was had at

2lates ?eli. It was a rare treat to ha$e company for most of this day. %fter this, a $ery dramatic ride

from 3allowell to >oute BB and thence to Winthrop where pizza and a hot bath were waiting.

?ay E Tuesday, &ay *45 Winthrop, & ! /ethel, & F+ miles 1onfusing directions from 7oogle

&aps made this less than ideal. The day0s challenges were made up for by a wonderful dinner, a full!

Cacuzzi, and engaging con$ersation.

?ay F Wednesday, &ay *-5 /ethel, & ! /erlin, 63 BE miles The White &ountains. The first part

was full of ups and downs. >oute Two in 6ew 3ampshire also had some challenges with areas of noshoulder and many truc"s. /erlin was hard to na$igate for the newcomer but the mountain $iews made

it worthwhile. :irst 1ouch 2urfing host found here and it turned out to be one of many such

experiences.

?ay + Thursday, &ay *E5 /erlin, 63 ! (ittleton, 63 4F miles across the White &ountains. &any

hills to wal" and many $iews to appreciate with snow in the distance. >oute AB was dramatic with


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4/21

stores, and shops. 1hurch 2treet, a pedestrian!only way, is the hub of shopping and urban outings. 6ot

far from 1hurch 2treet is the /urlington :ood 1ooperati$e where one may find a wide selection of

great food, both groceries and grab n0 go fare with indoor and outdoor seating suitable for dining. I

too" ad$antage of this aspect.

% primary reason for my stop in /urlington was to $isit a brother. I0d been thin"ing of bi"ing there for

some years but ne$er too" the opportunity. This was it and the experience was instructi$e in two ways.I disco$ered it ta"es me about six long days to bi"e there, and, at certain times of the day, /urlington is

completely na$igable using that mode of transport. The downside is that it can be somewhat confusing

to the newbie. %dditionally, after six days of riding fully loaded, riding without gear on the front wasfound to need adCustments in balance as the bi"e felt $ery wobbly. This would be a common transition

throughout the Courney.

%fter three days of $isiting, it was time to continue west. :rom here, though, finding accommodations

would pro$e to be a full!time Cob. ?epending on the weather, I had fi$e options to exploreD motel,

camping, Warm 2howers, 1ouch 2urfing, and friends of friends. I ha$e used them all but from

/urlington, my next long stop was going to be >ochester, 6= and I was ma"ing connections for thatstay. 2o far, albeit with long rides between, I had accommodations set up from /elfast but they stopped

in /urlington and it was time to play tra$el!agent. I was within tra$el distance of Ticonderoga, where I

would pic" up the 6orthern Tier /i"e >oute but connections were not coming together for that city.There were no 1ouch 2urfers and no Warm 2howers hosts that I could find nearby. What to do I then

remembered, from three years before, $isiting a permacultural practitioner in ;rwell, HT. ?id I still

ha$e her email address 3er telephone number 6o, on both counts. 3mm... 7oogle came to therescue with a few well placed word queries. &essages were exchanged and my next port!of!call came

Cust in time. @ust!in!time became a common theme for the remainder of the Courney in between planned

stops.

?ay *A Tuesday &ay B*5 /urlington, HT ! ;rwell, HT. -4 miles. :or much of the ride this day, the

terrain was easy, the roads lightly tra$eled or with adequate shoulders, and the weather largely pleasant.

Ta"ing >oute F south and then BB% to %ddington, I made good time. 1ontinuing south, the roadnarrowed and the winds pic"ed up. The miles became grueling. The winds, capricious. 2omewhere

not far from ;rwell, I had my first flat tire. The traffic was moderate and the truc"s screamed by.

There was $irtually no shoulder and I was spread out with front tire, gear strewn in the brush, and$arious tube!replacement parts surrounding me. &y mood was far from ci$il and I grimly mo$ed

through the steps of ta"ing the front wheel off, tire remo$ed, old tube off, new tube on, and the whole

assembly returned to its rightful place. %nything dropped in the brush was lost. The traffic continuedhounding me. I returned to the road as"ing myself...Why am I on this trip What am I trying to pro$e

Too stubborn, I continued on and made it to my destination, world!weary and questioning the whole

bit.

&y e$ening was pleasant enough after getting settled but tomorrow was a mystery as I did not "now

where I would be and had no plans beyond that e$ening. %ll was open until >ochester, 6=. In

addition, the weather had plans to become inclement the next day with thunderstorms and similare$ents.

?ay *4 Wednesday &ay BB5 ;rwell, HT ! Ticonderoga, 6=. &iles not logged. This was a short ride.With Thunderstorms forecast this day, and an itinerary undefined, I chose to stay in a Ticonderoga

&otel where I would wait the storms out until the next day. This would be the first of some *F nights

in motel!land.


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7oing from Hermont into 6ew =or" was a strange sensation as I passed o$er (a"e 1hamplain $ia ferry.

I was able to stare behind and watch 6ew ngland disappear into the past. It ga$e me a new idea

around transition# and what it means. 1rossing the waters of (a"e 1hamplain, floating o$er by ferry,I could feel the mo$ement beyond a boundary and loo" bac" at the past and what has been beforeD a

transition in its own right. 2pace and time became intermingled.

?ay *- &ay BA5 Ticonderoga J 6ewcomb, 6= 4F.BF miles ?isappointed that I waited through a day

of dry weather, I departed in the morning and had my first day of rain. I rode through it and up into the

%dirondac"s co$ering as many miles as I could. ;ften I would loo" for o$erhangs to step out of therain and ha$e some relief. The rain was constant yet $ariable and upon arri$ing in 6orth 3udson, I had

expected to stay the night there only to find it was largely inacti$e with no ob$ious place to sleep.

%fter a pleasant discussion with the local postmaster 'mistress) I ga$e her a pac"et a seeds anddeparted.

:inally, mo$ing deep into the mountains, and getting a sense of the terrain, I stopped in 6ewcomb,

6ew =or". I was drenched, chilled and refused to tra$el farther. /ut where to stay for the nightThere was no campground there, no motel, and I hadn0t made contact with any couch surf or warm

showers hosts. ;n intuition, I stopped at the local $ariety store, stepped inside loo"ing bedraggled, and

as"ed where a cyclist might sleep for the night. >ight next door, the cler" replied, at the rectory.

% godsend, good!send, or goddess!send was this for I was at wits end. ;$er I went and made myself

"nown to the pastor, was made as comfortable as possible with wet clothes hanging, and then we twowent touring around the area loo"ing at points of interest and afterward, a pleasant dinner at the (ong

(a"e 3otel. This was one of those random acts of "indness I would experience along the way.

?ay *E &ay B45 6ewcomb, 6= J (ong (a"e, 6= *9.9 miles %fter an e$ening spent dry, andwa"ing up to shoes still rather wet, I continued pushing through the mountains and after B miles of

continual rain, decided to call it quits. I had stopped at the cyber!cafe in (ong (a"e and upon

discussion with the owner there, decided to stay at a motel in the same town where I was promised areasonable rate. It was **5 %& and I had, there, a nice room that was soon filled with hanging

clothes and papers ha$ing been soa"ed with two days of rain. % fan at my disposal was running all day

and into the night. It was also my first experience consuming food from one of those military rationboxes. True to form, once water was added to the pouch, and pouch sealed, it started to heat up and

pro$ided a slightly palatable entrKe with side snac"s. 2uch was my sustenance for the day. 1able

tele$ision was a welcome amusement and WI:I a much needed resource.

?ay *F &ay B-5 (ong (a"e to ;ld :orge, 6= 44.+ miles 2tarting out mostly dry, and again through

the %dirondac"s, ups and downs ensued and followed each other. Through these past few days, I was

beginning to ha$e an understanding of watersheds and of mo$ing from one to another. These were notso much percei$ed $isually as muscularly while rides followed by wal"ing repeated each other. The

only $isual e$idence I had was in the direction of water flow and I found myself loo"ing forward to

changes in that direction. ;n this particular day drama ensued with the outbrea", in the middle ofwilds, and with few motorists, a pac" of coyotes. They seemed close to the road and started to bay as I

rode. %drenalin went up. 2o did my pace. The cacophony continued and paralleled my own route. To

say I was not pleased would be an understatement. $entually, howe$er, the baying was left behind.

%round about noon, a change came to my ride which was to last for se$eral days and be instructi$e

towards the remaining ride. I had stopped for lunch at the outs"irts of Inlet, 6=. pon departure, I met


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a fellow cyclist also riding west along the northern tier bi"e route. %s we were both headed to a

campground in ;ld :orge, 6=, decided to share a tent site 'sa$ing money in the process). We rode

together for the next four days sharing accommodation costs and camaraderie. %s it happened, 7reg

'his name), was a $eteran cyclist so I was able to glean much wisdom and information from his pastexperiences and his ongoing decisions. ;f largest import at that time, repac"ing my panniers to ha$e

food in the bac" was the most decisi$e change I made.

%ccording to the tre" map, our destination was a ;% campground in ;ld :orge. I had tra$eled on

ahead from Inlet and went into ;ld :orge. 6o sign of a ;%. I hadn0t thought to get 7reg0s number to

coordinate acti$ities. I called the number listed for ;% on the tre""er map. 6o connection. 2o, Ibac"trac"ed up to a campground that loo"ed li"e a ;% but didn0t ha$e that name on it0s signage. 8ay

dirt. What had originally been a ;% had gone independent. 7reg showed up a bit later.

?ay *+ &ay BE5 ;ld :orge, 6= J ;sceola, 6= -9.+ miles. %ccommodations, after a long climb,

were at a campground which doubled as a ta$ern with drin"s galore. The location was ideal but the

insects were acti$e.

?ay *9 &ay BF5 ;sceola, 6= J 6orth 3a$en, 6= AF.B miles. This was my first Warm 2howers

experience. %lthough I had tried before to use the networ", hosts were always unable to accommodate

me. In large part, I would attribute this to my lac" of "nowledge regarding pace of tra$el and thusbeing unable to inform potential hosts of when I might arri$e. This would be a cause of much duress

and wor" as I managed my own plans for accommodations.

This was a nice location o$erloo"ing the la"e ';ntario) and the hosts, one of whom was an a$id cyclist

in his own right, "new Cust the right dinner to ser$e us and soon we were eating abundantly and

chatting amicably. The o$ernight and brea"fast the following morning followed with enCoyable ease

and then we made ready to depart west with a promise of rain. The rain did not disappoint and arri$edas we departed "eeping us company through the morning.

?ay B &ay B+5 6orth 3a$en, 6= J 2odus 8oint, 6= -E miles. %rri$ing in 2odus 8oint, we werestanding on the roadside, discussing our next mo$e and where we might stay when a truc" pulled into

the dri$e next to us. % young ') fellow immediately wanted to "now our story and offered to let us

stay at his place, located upon a bluff o$erloo"ing the la"e. ;ne more night, ta"en care of along withmeals.

?ay B* &ay B9 2odus 8t, 6= J >ochester, 6= AE.- miles. (ea$ing early, we made our way to8ultney$ille, a few towns east of >ochester, 6=. There we had the customary 2econd /rea"fast and

parted ways, 7reg heading south and myself, west to >ochester where I was to spend a few days in

three different residences. ntry into the city was $ery dramatic and followed what turned into an

interstate leading into the city. :ate was with me and I made it to my destination, with gracious hostand an abundant amount of fruit salad and other comestibles.

?ay BB &ay A5 >ochester, 6= 6o riding. xplored some of >ochester. 6ot the most bi"e friendlybut trails along the 7enesee >i$er and it0s intersecting canal, rie.

?ay BA &ay A*5 >ochester, 6= &ore exploration and setting up for the next accommodations.

?ay B4 @une *5 >ochester, 6= J >ush, 6= ;$ernight 2ide Trip to a de$eloping permaculture site.

7ood pizza and watched a documentary.


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?ay B- @une B5 >ush, 6= J 3enrietta, 6= 6o mileage logged. This connection was made while

resting on the side of the road yesterday headed for >ush. It was completely >andom 'or as random as

it gets).

?ay BE @une A5 3enrietta, 6= J (oc"port, 6= +B.9 miles 'most of it along the rie 1anal). The rie

1anal trail needed careful na$igation. I remember at one point missing a cross!o$er and tra$elingalong a segment of trail becoming rougher and rougher. 1anada 7eese lo$e the rie 1anal and it0s

edges and in early @une they are crowded along the canal with young gosling0s. ;n this rough patch I

was riding through, they were crowded on the path and I had to tra$el in the middle of this floc" ofgeese. Where gosling0s are concerned, geese are $ery protecti$e and you can be sure that I was not

welcome on this scene. I rode through slowly with extreme focus. They hissed, and hon"ed getting

ready to attac" if I showed any interest in their young ones. I rode past and then, realizing I was on thewrong side of the canal, turned around and had to ride through them again.

I rode through one more, much larger, floc" of geese on this day. When I arri$ed in (oc"port it was

late and I loo"ed around for a place to eat dinner. The city got the best of me and I decided to ma"e forthe campground where I was going to stay. /ut where was it The directions on the map were at best

inadequate and I called the campground. >ide bac" se$eral miles and turn left and followed these

roads were the directions I was gi$en. With some difficulty I finally made it to the campground, muchfarther from the city than I would ha$e expected. 2et up camp and found some food. The upshot was

that I found a better way to get to (oc"port on the food!hunting expedition. 2o, bi"e maps and cycling

directions are not always the best resources to follow.

?ay BF @une 45 (oc"port, 6= J 6iagara :alls, 6= A.E miles This was a largely beautiful ride. :lat,

nice weather, moderate traffic. There was a lac" of di$ersity in the landscape but that meant I could

focus on what was there and my own interpretation of what I saw.

:inally, I arri$ed at a large par" where I decided to ha$e lunch. :or some reason, when out on the road,

spending time at places li"e this, I find it hard to lea$e. /y this time I was approaching 6iagara andneeded to find the 3ostel where I would be staying. %pproaching a stranger turned out to be part of the

right choice and he ga$e me directions but warned me against a certain section of the city for fear that I

would ha$e my bi"e ta"en from me. I followed his directions as closely as I could but still ended up ina place where I needed new directions. 1alling the 3ostel, I finally got those directions and found my

way to the 3ostel but this fellow0s warnings had done their Cob and I "ept wondering if some "ind of

misfortune would befall me. % sad belief that would stay with me during the days I was in that city.

?ay B+ @une -5 6iagara :alls, 6= 7etting ready to cross the border. I had been ad$ised in >ochester

that my :reewheel was in danger of failing and I should get it replaced %2%8. Well, I hadn0t recei$ed

any warning from the bi"e itself but decided to get a replacement part. That came into the local bi"eshop but I decided to stay with the original part and get it replaced when needed. The original part is

still operating. ;ddly enough, I had ne$er been in a casino but this was the day for it as it seems, now,

that ban"s no longer offer currency exchanges. %n odd notion howe$er I no choice but to enter thecasino ca$e. I made the exchange but couldn0t understand how people could stay hour after hour in

such a place, e$en if you0re not playing.

I also made an ad$ance trip by foot o$er the border to 1anada to find out where I would go the next day

and what might be required at customs. This trip was easier than I expected and went without a hitch.


8/21

?ay B9 @une E5 6iagara :alls, 6= to 8ort 1olborne, ;6T 4F.F miles Weather5 :air to begin.

>ainy after *5 %&. Three themes to recount hereD The /order, 6a$igation, Weather.

The border, I thought, would be simple. I0d be in 1anada for 4 days and Cust riding through. $enmore important, I would be spending money in 1anada thereby gi$ing it economic growth. 3ow could

they argue with that Well, they did argue, quite $igorously with my desire to cross o$er. There were

two phases. :irst was the /order 1ontrol5 The young lady wanted to "now how long I was going to beon this trip, where I was going, how much money I had for it, how I get this much time off from wor",

and, because I had a ;ccupy 1arbon# decal on my bi"e, whether I supported that mo$ement. I guess I

ga$e the right answers because she let me through, although, I felt afterward that she may ha$e beenCealous of me for being able to do this. If I could, I would in$ite her on such a trip in the future. The

next phase was customs. % suspicious lot, they sent out what seemed li"e too many people for

harmless me. %s"ed the same questions as border control. Went through my gear. % paranoid bunch, Iam guessing who possibly don0t "now real danger from ordinary bi"e tra$elers. This must ma"e their

Cob much harder and $ery tedious.

6a$igation. I tra$eled south until I reached the 6iagara >ecreation Trail which stretches fromLueenston, ;nt. down to :ort rie with a gap through 6iagara. The trail consists of off!road and on!

road sections paralleling the 6iagara >i$er. >eaching :ort rie the route con$erges with the :riendship

Trail, a mainly off!road trail. 3owe$er, in :ort rie, I was soa"ed and decided to ta"e a brea" at a localcafe. I entered the establishment totally soa"ed and with road grit to boot. The hostess was not pleased

to see me and made a fuss o$er where I might sit or hang my dripping, gritty clothes. >emember, no

rain Cac"et. The response in this cafe to my entry related, at least in my mind, to the fact that roadsideswere absent of trash and metal, different from 2 roads where anything might be found, including bits

of scrap metal that needed to be a$oided by bi"e tires. I found some relief there and bi"ing on the

:riendship Trail to 8ort 1olborne. &iles and miles of bi"e trail made the the rain less of an issue but

being soggy, I decided to ta"e a motel. This would be the pattern throughout the trip, i.e. rainy riding Mmotel. 3alf!way down the trail, I came to a detour which would ha$e had me riding in circles for the

duration if I had not stopped at a museum and had a nice but dripping con$ersation with the fellow

wor"ing there.

Weather5 Wet, soggy, rainy, all words that had me dripping. % new policy was formed... 7et soa"ed,

get to stay in a motel.

?ay A @une F5 8ort 1olborne, ;nt J (ong 8oint 8ro$incial 8ar", ;nt 9A.** miles ' a new distance

record) /y this time, I was following (a"e ;ntario and found out that the two trails are part of theTrans!1anada /i"e >oute. (i"ewise, the route I followed on this day is on the same route. :or most of

the day I passed agricultural fields interspersed with gro$es of trees. :lat I would characterize the route

except where the rare stream ran toward the (a"e. In those instances the road would dip slightly# and

rise again. Winds were moderate and refreshing. Temperatures manageable. nough water to "eepme going. %t $arious points, wind turbines rose abo$e and amidst the fields. I listened and watched for

any signs of annoying sounds and shadows but all I heard was a distant whup J whup J whup# from

the blades as they turned. :rom my $antage there were no shadows to see. 2o, quietly these giants onthe landscape didn0t seem to pro$ide the reasoning behind their a$oidance other than the question

begged J 1an we get by on less I wonder where all that electricity is going and doubt that the farmers

on whose land they sat were getting this electricity. Were they getting enough to ma"e their electricityfree of charge This cyclist cannot say. I did note that my cadence would follow their spinning at

around 9 &83.


9/21

(ate in the day I found myself at 8ort >owan and ready for the ride to (ong 8oint 1ampground. %fter

such a long ride, this extra bit was farther than I wanted to go but I too" it anyway. %t another time I

would ha$e deemed this a pleasant ride with wild ecosystems at hand, glimpses of la"e, and a flat

terrain. I arri$ed at the campground, found my site, and disco$ered that, whereas, in the past,pro$incial par"s had been ideal places to camp, not so now. 7ranted, it was:riday and 2ummer. /ut I

as" you, shouldn0t camping li"e that engender more sensiti$e and quiet campers 6o, party time was

the order of the e$ening and by next morning, I was glad to be gone from said campground.

?ay A* @une +5 (ong 8oint 8ro$incial 8ar", ;nt J 8ort 7lasgow, ;nt +F.-* miles This felt too long

after a restless night. &y plan had been to stop at a campground near agle, ;nt. This was madeimpossible as it was located down a rough path and if a motel it would ha$e been called a hole!in!the!

wall. I decided not to stay there and continued on to 8ort 7lasgow and the campground there. I must

point out at this time that properly outfitted establishments are most welcome by this cyclist at the endof a long ride and this is what I found at this campground, showers and sin"s, namely, and I too"

ad$antage of them. I was not able to send any tweets or ma"e phone calls due to the lac" of reception

and no Internet. :or all that, it was a nice site and sleep was better and the campground quieter.

?ay AB @une 95 8ort 7lasgow, ;nt J Wadham, &I 94.9+ miles 'another personal record). 7ood

terrain and proper headwinds made all the distance. 3ow could I tell the direction of the winds

(argely from the wind turbines, dotting the landscape here and there, they properly oriented to catchthe maximum wind shear. ;f course, I did ha$e the business of crossing the border again, this time,

into the 2 and loo"ed forward to an easy entry. It was a small crossing, from 2ombra to &arine 1ity ,

once again transitioning across water and being able to see my past drift behind as we slowly chuggedacross the ri$er. I wasn0t paying much attention to the ride though, ha$ing had to o$ercome the

millions of little moths that decided to swarm on that day.

We arri$ed at the gates to the 2 and pedestrians and one solo cyclist made their way to the gateslining up to be admitted. The young fellow strolls down the line as"ing people where they were going.

The only problems came from that solo cyclist who didn0t seem to "now where he was going. This is

where I found out that being footloose and transportationally in!determinant was frowned upon by thepeople in charge. They want to "now where you0re going and they want you to "now where you0re

going. I could ha$e pulled out the map and pointed saying here or here# but I hemmed and hawed and

made it quite clear that I did not "now where I was going. That leads to more questions. &aybe Iloo"ed suspicious although I guess they are trained to thin" that at the best of times. &aybe the young

fellow doing the questioning was merely full of bluster and actually stressing out trying to do the best

he could "eeping the bad guys off 2 soil. I don0t "now. I do "now that when he let me through, themoths were still following and "ept doing so for se$eral miles before they ga$e up.

2ome miles farther on, through a somewhat confusing collection of bi"e trails, I arri$ed at a motel

where I planned to stay the night. 1losed. I re$ersed course and made it to the ;% ha$ing seen saidfacility en route. %fter signing up for a tent site and thin"ing worse of after, upgraded to a cabin.

(uxuryG /ed, lights, wi!fi. This was a good decision for I came out in the morning, dry, e$en with

storms during the night. 6ext stop, /ay 1ity, &I.

?ay AB, @une *5 Wadham, &I J /ay 1ity, &I 94.-* miles /ay 1ity would be my third maCor stop

and from the beginning, I was catered. I didn0t explore a lot other than to prepare for the next leg of theCourney. I left Wadham with hopes to a second brea"fast B miles later. That brea"fast ended up at a

hotel upon the recommendation of local passerby. &any miles later, and with s"ies dar"ening, I ended

up in :ran"enmuth, &I and at a loss for direction. 6ot too per"y either. % call to my hosts in /ay 1ity


10/21


11/21

when a couple in a large >H said that it should be o"ay to stay there o$er night. xploring the area

found a Walmart at which I decided to shop. This was my first experience buying something from that

chain. Weird. In the morning I would e$entually locate some people li"ely in control but they said the

office was closed and therefore, no fee was due for using their facilities.

?ay A9 @une *F5 &anitowoc, WI J :ond ?u (ac, WI EB miles There was a choice to be made in

what route to ta"e. ;ne the one hand, I could choose the most direct route and arri$e easily or choosethe straightest route and ha$e to find my way along trac"less# county roads. I too" the straightest

route. :or a time, this was a pleasant ride along gentle rolling hills with good roads and moderate

traffic. Hery soon, though, my route too" me off the map. There are many roads not on my map of WIand these roads are, generally, county roads with names li"e %% or TT or HH. They tra$el in all

directions, but generally in the four cardinals, and I had no way of "nowing which of these roads to

ta"e. I had an idea of where I wanted to be and which directions to go in but it was mostly by means ofgoing south then west then south then west until I came bac" to the main route I might ha$e ta"en from

the beginning. eeping an eye out for stop signs became "ey to maintaining a sense that I was headed

in a correct direction. I grew to appreciate the sight of such signage.

%fter heading for :ond ?u (ac most definitely, and pedaling for some time, I decided it was time to

ta"e a brea". There had not been a par" or any place of public for some time so stopping on the side of

the road next to some fields, I had a snac". I was Cust about to finish up and continue mo$ing when thisgolf cart comes riding up the gra$el dri$eway. ;h, 7reat# I thought, 2ome place I shouldn0t be#. ;n

the contrary, a "ind woman in$ited me to ride bac" up the road for some water and a better place to rest

and recuperate. I followed her up there, met one of the owners, and proceeded to ha$e some water'which tasted li"e sulfur but who was I to argue). Then I went bac" down the road, and the dri$eway in

question and again had a $isit with the 7olf 1art woman and and relations, one of whom was planning

his own bi"e ride. Then I continued on.

%rri$ing in :ond ?u (ac was a bit of a downer because there were no connections on where to stay and

therefore, camping was $ery much on the radar. 2topping at a library, I disco$ered the con$ention

center where camping may be a$ailable. I made my way there and found out, indeed, that camping wasa$ailable on an informal basis. 2adly, the place was shut down and there were no facilities of which to

parta"e. 3mm... Well, I managed to get permission to stay next to the horse shoe pit and it0s pa$ilion.

That would help in case of thunderstorms because I could slip under the pa$ilion if needed. I alsofound facilities at the neighboring amusement par" and that satisfied for the e$ening.

?ay 4 @une *+5 :ond ?u (ac, WI J ?e :orest, WI +* miles 2tarting out pro$ed to be the mostdramatic part of the day. 8rior to lea$ing, I wal"ed around the par" and happened to pass by a large

indoor athletic arena and, much to my surprise, found facilities accessible directly from the outside.

Were they loc"ed ;nly one way to find out. Trying a door, found out, that, yesG they were unloc"edG

What a relief. Went inside, used facilities, and made to go bac" out. =i"esG It was loc"ed from theinsideG What a situation. (oc"ed in a la$atory. %ll my gear out in the open. 6o telling when someone

might come by to open the door. 2tress built. What to do. There was a door at the bac" of the la$. I0ll

try it. It openedG ?ar"ness. 2mall lights in the distance. % big space. 6o way to ma"e a light. /utwaitG What0s that on the left % glimmer of outdoors!loo"ing light almost within hands reach. >each

for it. eep the other door open. We don0t want to get caught in a large dar" space with no way to get

out. It opened to the outsideG 2a$edG

/y the time I was bac" to the bi"e, I noted the office was open and, being a responsible sort, went o$er

to chec" on paying. 6o charge but than"s for as"ing. 8eople are "ind to transient bi"ers. 6ext stop,


12/21

1olumbus, WI. 2tarting out on the Wild 7oose 2tate Trail, this was a pretty nice ride for B- miles.

&uch of it felt li"e a tunnel of trees down which I would loo" and see a small dot of sunshine at the

end.

% bit of bac"ground. >ail Trails in Wisconsin and &innesota are some of the oldest in the country.

arly on, cyclist associations and snowmobile associations came together and ha$e built and

maintained many miles of trails, often times, riding through community centers with pleasant touriststops. This gi$es the cyclist many miles of safe, relaxing riding conditions.

The trail ga$e out suddenly at one point '/urnett, I thin") and I could not locate the next leg of it, socontinued on roads toward /ea$er ?am and 1olumbus. /ea$er ?am was a confusing mix of streets

and set my schedule bac" for a time while I pedaled around the city. %fter shopping there and a snac",

I found the route to 1olumbus and made it there with time left in the afternoon. 2hould I continue onI wasn0t ready to enter &adison, while still ma"ing connections for that city but maybe I could ma"e it

to ?e :orest, north of the city. There was a ;% at that location and that would ser$e as a intermediate

destination. I made a run for it and arri$ed late in the day. 6o shopping nearby but there was a

2ubway. 7reat ! ?inner. %nd Tent 2ite WI:I. 8erfect.

?ay 4* @une *95 ?e :orest, WI J &adison, WI J ?e :orest, WI While ma"ing my connections in

&adison for the stay there, I decided to stay in ?e :orest but ta"e a day trip to &adison. It was close,after all so it wouldn0t hurt to chec" out the scene, right 2o, around mid!morning I departed for the

city. The plan was to ride west, then south and so come to the city from the north. I would ride into the

center, ha$e some lunch, and then ride bac". 2imple. !sigh! This was clearly not the route to ta"e.6earing the city, I found myself quite confused with how to mo$e around the la"e that was in front of

me and come to the city proper. %fter a time though, I arri$ed and, with directions, made my way to

areas with many restaurants and the energy I needed for the return trip. 6o loc" for the bi"e. ?arn.

With an idea of "eeping an eye on the bi"e while eating, I choose 7ree" and and an outdoor cafe. ;ncedone, it was time to return to ?e :orest. I became lost. Wea$ing east and west in a northward direction

I finally turned onto the main highway headed north. %bout to turn left and, what happened Tire :lat.

I had no gear with me. I should ha$e thought better and ta"en emergency gear but I really thought thiswould be a quic" down and bac". /etter and better. 1alled roadside ser$ice '% /etter World 1lub).

They sent, for me and the bi"e, a large flatbed truc". 8lenty of room for the bi"e plus any car that

might ha$e needed a tow. I was than"ful that day for signing up with the club.

?ay 4* @une B5 ?e :orest, WI ! &adison, WI *A.9- miles %fter tal"ing with my &adison 3ost, we

decided that I might was well tra$el down this day, one day early. %nother couch surfer whounderstands and has a sense of what0s important. I was determined to ma"e friends with &adison and

now I had the opportunity to do so. The ride down was much easier. I too" a better route and arri$ed

feeling good about being there. 3ello &adison. %ndrew is here. Introductions were made to a local

cafe and the Willy 2treet :ood 1o!op. &uch better now with some days to soa" in the city.

?ay 4B @une B*5 &adison, WI I don0t remember, clearly, the days that followed. I left my host on

2unday morning after some days exploring &adison, riding around, using mass transit, repeated trips tothe 1o!;p and other points of interest. /i"e riding became easier. 6a$igation, li"e second nature.

?ay 44 @une BA5 &adison, WI /runch with my next host. This host was through family connections.%ccommodations were $ery comfortable and I made tra$els to botanic gardens, along many bi"e paths,

to the 2tate 1apitol building, etc.


13/21

?ay 4- @une B45 &adison, WI I was planning on lea$ing today but thunderstorms in the morning

forced my postponement.

?ay 4F @une BE5 &adison, WI J :ennimore, WI - milesNcar O BF milesNbi"e. In the morning itloo"ed li"e I would be there another day. 2tress. I did not want to be a boring house guest but I didn0t

want to start out in a thunderstorm. % cell o$er &adison was sending thunderstorms o$er the city each

morning. This morning, after the rain ended, I rode o$er to a community center thin"ing it was too lateto get a start that day. /y this time I was thin"ing that perhaps I could find some wor" here and stay

o$er at the 3ostel for a time. I was becoming used to the city.

In the afternoon, I was able to catch a ride westward that we hoped would put me outside the cells0

influence. %fter that ride was made and pedaled another BF miles to a motel in :ennimore, WI, A4

miles from the &ississippi >i$er. &id!west 1hinese for dinner.

?ay 4F @une BF5 :ennimore, WI J 6ew %lbin, I% FE.BB miles 1oming to the &ississippi, past the

Wisconsin >i$er, was rather straightforward. %fter considering the idea of tra$eling up the eastern side

of the &ississippi, I was turned away from that when informed that the road was completely washedout from flooding and impassable for some wee"s. There was no choice but to cross the big ri$er and

start northward. Two disco$eries were made. ;ne, the ri$er at this point is confined by ridges of

limestone running roughly north!south, as one would expect. Two, at certain points, tributaries createextreme terrain, first up one hill and then down the next. Wal"ing commenced at these inclines. In

addition, washouts also occurred on the western side although the roads were passable. 2till, after

riding some distance to where camping might be had, I found out the camping was washed out andtherefore, not a$ailable. ;nward. :inally, in 6ew %lbin, Cust south of the &innesota border, I0d had

enough. There were no motels but someone suggested a city par" that should be $iable. %rri$ing there

found little to recommend it although there was a co$ered pa$ilion and a port!a!Cohn. It would ha$e to

suffice. I was asleep by F5 unaware that my food bag was sitting on a roc" some distance away. Itwas truly public and, being :riday, had it0s share of intoxicants. I was not bothered during the night

but, as my first stealth camping# it had an odd feeling about it.

?ay 4+ @une B+5 6ew %lbin, I% J Wabasha, &6 94.-F miles pon arising, found out the food bag

was still there but food was missing. 3ow upset I was and it colored my $iew of Iowa in general, and

6ew %lbin in particular. I was on the road by E5B %& and continued north. 3ead Winds pushed onme for the entire day and two watersheds made the trip less than ideal. 3owe$er, after 94 miles I felt I

deser$ed a room and a hot shower. I had been pedaling for 9 hours and 4B minutes and on the road for

*4.- hours. 2topping at the first place that I saw, an %meric Inn# and stopped there. I must ha$ebeen a sight for the des" cler" ga$e me a loo" that said we don0t want him here.# &aybe my

imagination. They suggested something across the highway and that was where I stayed. >oad rations

for dinner.

?ay 49 @une B95 Wabasha, &6 J 6orthfield, &6 EB.E+ miles This was a planned stop with hopes to

connect with Transition Town people. It was mostly an easy ride but arri$ing in >ed Wing, I felt lost.

2omewhere in that city was the beginning of the 1annon Halley /i"e Trail that would ma"e the ridemore pleasant. 6ear the ri$er I found a farmers mar"et and beyond that, a bi"e trail. I was passing the

mar"et when I heard :ree food for bi"ersG :ree :ood for bi"ersG# I turned around and met a $ery

"ind &innesotan selling bread and munching on strawberries. 3e insisted that I ta"e a pastry and eat asmany strawberries as I wanted. This was the first example I found of what is called &innesota 6ice.#

%fter an animated con$ersation, he put me on the right path, along with some loa$es of bread, and

away I went, much better for stopping in >ed Wing.


14/21

The trail was beautiful with many $istas and pleasant people to tal" with. I arri$ed at my destination in

good stead, ready to spend some restful days there.

?ay - @une A5 6orthfield, &6 Transitions /runch. % bit of exploration.

?ay -* @uly *5 ?ay of rest and planning. &inneapolis tomorrow.

?ay -B @uly B5 6orthfield, &6 J &inneapolis, &6 49 miles The distance was short but confusing.

>eliant upon second!hand directions made for a challenging ride. :inally, I arri$ed at a bi"e trail that

would lead into the city. With a par" at hand, and a time for lunch, I sat down to picnic and sort out mydirections. %bsorbed by studies, I didn0t notice a fellow cyclist until he was at my table. While pic"ing

up wind!scattered papers, I greeted him. 3e showed his &innesota!niceness by offering to ride with

me to my destination and thereby allowing me to arri$e there readily. n route, we stopped at a1hipotles# >estaurant J I had ne$er been there J and he bought me lunch. %n the way to my

accommodations, we stopped at his place for a breather and finally arri$ed where I was to stay. It

loo"ed desolate, as if no one li$ed there. 3e offered accommodations at his place if this didn0t wor"

out and departed. xploring the other side of the house found the proper entrance and someone to greetme. I stayed here until the -th of @uly. Total mileage J B miles O

?ay -B @uly A5 &inneapolis xploration. sed the public bus system.

?ay -A @uly 45 /i"ed to the beach and hung out. 2hopping at one of the Twin 1ities 1o!ops.

?ay -4 @uly -5 &inneapolis, &6 J &onticello, &6 E.- miles This was largely a bi"e trail ride with

some confusion manifested approaching the &ississippi >i$er. &inneapolis has an acti$e cyclist

community and this was e$ident in the bi"e boule$ard, which spanned a normal motorist lane. pon

reaching the ri$er, chaos ruled in the design of the trail networ" and I wor"ed hard determining thecorrect route. While this was going on, a mystery was somewhat sol$ed. ?uring this Courney, I was

surprised by the number of people who didn0t show any curiosity about what I was doing. I mean, how

often do you see a cyclist riding by bogged down by panniers and other gear 2ome people were opento finding out but largely incurious. ;n my way out of the city, a reason for this lac" presented itself. I

passed a couple twice and on the second, as"ed them how I might find my way up the ri$er. They

thought I was Cust out grocery shopping. ;ne mystery sol$ed. They did pro$ide some directional aid.

&onticello camping was hard to find but find it I did and it wore politics on its walls spea"ing ill of

democratic parties and the presidency. I didn0t really want to gi$e money to this but it was a place tosleep and plus I recei$ed a discount for coming by pedal power. 6ot many establishments offered that.

The la"e was o$er the ban"s here and sand bags were in e$idence.

?ay -- @uly E5 &onticello, &6 ! %lexandria, &6 *4.FA miles arly departure and good weathermade for a long ad$ancement toward :argo, 6?. The first part was dreadful in the sense of a long

stretch of road construction. &ile followed mile in dust and rough terrain. Then came 2t 1loud. >ear

Tire puncture from large piece of glass. Wal"ing se$eral bloc"s to the bi"e shop where tire and tubewere both replaced and plans made for ta"ing the train from :argo. 8edals would ha$e to be remo$able

and I needed a tool for that. 6ext town was 2t @oseph and the beginning of two bi"e trails spanning

*- miles, the (a"e Wobegon Trail and the 1entral (a"es Trail. In &innesota, cyclists had teamed upwith snowmobile associations and were busy creating a statewide networ" of trails and I was happy to

ta"e ad$antage of this partnership. I rode, and rode, and rode. I wanted to stop but didn0t find any

place that seemed li"ely to hold good accommodations. 2o I rode. %round 95 8& and the arri$al in


15/21

%lexandria, after * miles, my first century ride, there was no more energy to pedal and the sunlight

was fast disappearing. I deser$ed a motel room, not because it was raining 'it wasn0t) but for sheer

persistence. % couple directed me toward motels. They were closed or had no rooms. 6o choice, so

with hoards of mosquitoes as a surrounding in a dar" corner of a city par", I pitched my tent in recordtime and piled into it, ready to stealth camp for the second time. Twenty of the little pests made it in

with me. They did not ma"e it out.

?ay -E @uly F5 %lexandria, &6 J :ergus :alls, &6 4E.EF miles With an easy pace in mind, and only

pa$ed trail in the plans, I departed. ;ne mile followed another and close to :ergus :alls, I came upon

two fellows cycling in the opposite direction. ;ne li$ed near my campground destination and he as"edwhat could be done for me. I thought about it and said /rea"fast tomorrow# 3e would chec" in

with his wife but in the meantime, would I li"e to stop by this $ery afternoon. The niceness again. I

accepted and mo$ed on. The afternoon saw a ride around the la"e, WI:I at his house and a rather dis!organized campground.

?ay -F @uly +5 :ergus :alls, &6 J &oorhead, &6 FE.A miles (ong flat miles, including long tracts

of gra$el. $ery so often a monster tractor would ride by and I felt li"e it was a machine up to its ownde$ices. erie. I became lost but finally made it to &oorhead. I could not find the campground as

expected and settled for a 2uper+ motel. The price was less than I expected but did not ha$e any WI:I.

I had two days until departure on a train for 2eattle, W% from :argo, 6?.

?ay -+ @uly 95 &oorhead, &6 J :argo, 6? E.4A miles. The 1ampground found was nestled against

a loud highway and the >ed >i$er, recently flooded. 2o, noisy and where cyclists usually camped wasoff!limits. 2urrounded by large >ecreational Hehicles, I made camp. ;n two occasions, locals from

across the ri$er would come o$er on bi"e as"ing about my trip. 6iceness e$erywhere.

?ay -9 @uly *5 xploration.

?ay E @uly **5 B5A- AMdeparture from :argo, 6? %ir / and /, my first. >ail to 2eattle o$er that

day and into the next.

;bser$ations5 3ard to sleep next a stranger. 1rowded rail. 7lad to see popularity but still

impro$ements might be made. &any waits for freight trains. :ood was sub!standard.

?ay E* @uly *B5 2eattle, W% ! >enton, W% *+.B4 miles. - 3;>2. 2eattle is manic and not $ery

friendly to $isiting cyclists. This ended my westward Courney.

?ay EB @uly *A xplorations of the area. 6ice accommodations with elder brother and his wife. The

2eattle area, though is extreme. xtremely flat and extremely hilly. There does not seem to be much

terrain in between. We had good weather, good places to eat and before I "new, it was time to lea$e,board the train and head east.

?ay EA and E4 @uly *4 and *- &ore rest and exploration. astward tomorrow.

?ay E- @uly *E >enton, W% ! 2eattle, W% % better route with some bi"e trails. 2till some

confusions. I did not really ma"e friends with 2eattle on this trip. astward.

?ay EE, EF @uly *F J @uly *+ 2eattle, W% ! 1hicago, I( /eautiful sights. >ecommendations to

follow.


16/21

se two rails, one for astbound, and one for Westbound. :reight trains made us - hours late

into 1hicago.

&onitors on rear of seats with ports for 2/ stic"s and headsets.

/etter brea"fast food with local food partners

Hetting seat partners for o$ernight rides J after all, we are sleeping next to each other

?ay E+ @uly *95 2pringfield, &% J 3olyo"e, &% %rri$ing in 2pringfield at around **5A 8&, and

after many hours of delay by an ill!managed rail system, I was whis"ed away by magic carpet 'running

on 4 wheels 5) ) to 3olyo"e.

?ay E9 @uly B5 3olyo"e, &% J 2outh 3adley, &% J :lorence, &% *-.A miles. %fter a wonderful

brea"ing of fast# in 3olyo"e, $isiting with 3igh 2chool class mates, and a quic" trip to 2outh 3adleyfor lunch with friends. I was con$inced to ta"e a ride part way to :lorence, for which I agreed as far as

3adley and the bi"e trail running through it, I was again on my pedaling way. Two notable

occurrences5 new roundabouts# and a swim 'which, oddly did not ta"e place on the trip anywhereelse).

?ay F @uly B*5 :lorence, &% J 3atfield, &% J 7reenfield, &% A*.BB miles %fter a brief $isit with

family in 3atfield, it was on up to 7reenfield to $isit friends. With no urgency to return to /elfast,short hops satisfied. 2adly, no farm stands were seen on this route. I was o$erta"en by a group of

motorcycles numbering in the hundreds. I enCoy the peace of my own mode of transport.

?ay F* @uly BB5 7reenfield, &% J 6orthfield, &% *F.A+ miles (ea$ing 7reenfield, I headed east

toward the coast and made my way a short distance to 6orthfield. This meant, also, lea$ing the

1onnecticut >i$er Halley and that meant 3ills. %nd more 3ills. %nd more 3ills. In truth, there wasonly one really sizable hill and it meant a long wal" up. I surmise that I was mo$ing from the Halley

Watershed to the Luabbin Watershed. The mid!west has me spoiled for long distance riding with

barely a gasp. I made it to my destination, though, with plans to lea$e early the next morning.

?ay FB @uly BA5 6orthfield, &% 6o riding. ?ownpours. When it seemed I could go no farther that

day, I was in$ited to stay another night. We trusted the rain would end before then and to use that day, I

went bac" to 7reenfield and spent the day in the (ibrary and the :ood 1o!op there.

?ay FA @uly B45 6orthfield, &% J :itzwilliam, 63 A miles. &ore hills, clearly part of the White

&ountains bared my way so there was more wal"ing to do and it made the A miles enough of adistance. I found no Warm 2howers or 1ouch 2urf hosts in that region so settled for an %ir /6/. It

was far out of any town center and had great $iews into &assachusetts. 8olitics were "ind of thic" but

the food was good.

?ay F4 @uly B-5 :itzwilliam, 63 ! &anchester, 63 F miles The issue with using 7oogle &aps in

/i"e &ode is that you ne$er "now what you will find. The route too" me up hill and down dale and

into places I ne$er would ha$e tra$eled otherwise. I should ha$e gotten a map of 6ew 3ampshire butstubbornly "ept my faith in 7oogle. 1onsequently, many hours later, and after ha$ing to deal with

roads ha$ing no shoulders, aggressi$e motorists, and a tic" that had clamped on, I found, finally an

cono (odge and some welcome respite therein.

?ay F- @uly BE5 &anchester, 63 J ?urham, 63 44.AE miles 2hort but confusing in some places, I


17/21

made it to my destination and was immediately treated to a mar$elous buffet dinner at the ni$ersity

:ood 1ourt. :ood stations e$erywhere with so many choices, after a long ride had me going bac" for

thirds and fourths.

?ay FE @uly BF5 ?urham, 63 ! 2aco, & 49.- miles %fter a pleasant brea"fast with the hosts, and

being escorted through ?urham, I pedaled to the nearest entry with the ast 1oast /i"e Way, a route

sometimes off road and sometimes on that stretched from 1alais, & to ey West, :(. The entry forme was in /erwic", & and once there, I would stay on it, largely, to 2outh 8ortland. The off!route

portions, I found, were less than desirable, mainly due to the tunnels that went under main routes.

These tunnels were made for snowmobiles with a steep slope to the tunnel, a low tunnel where it wasdar" and my E0 J A# frame had to squeeze for passing through. Imaginings of brown recluses

abounded. In other places, where snac"s and resting would ha$e been welcome, none were in

e$idence. This contrasted with the trails in &innesota, where trails intersected with small communitiese$ery E J + miles. Than"fully, the ride was short and I made it to 2aco without incident and from here

on to /elfast, &, I would stay with people I "new or had $isited before.

?ay FF @uly B+5 2aco, & J 2carborough, & *A.- miles >ain. 2oggy at the end. indly hostedby a family friend and mostly rode on a bi"e trail to get there. (eisurely.

?ay F+ @uly B95 2carborough, & J /ath, & %pproximately -A miles 8ortland, & too" sometime to tra$erse. (i"e most %merican cities, it is not truly made for tra$ersing on bicycle. ;nce past

portland, the path was straightforward until reaching /runswic". In /runswic", the AndroscogginRiver icycle Pathis a pleasant ride for o$er B miles. %t the end, it is not clear which direction totra$el for /ath and I chose the wrong one. $entually, I noticed the road seeming familiar 'sigh) and

turned around.

?ay F9 @uly A5 /ath, & J Whitefield, & A-.9E miles % slow start and a slow ride was the orderof the day and ended with a nice Cacuzzi soa" and a $isit with good friends in a location ne$er $isited

before. ;ne more day to /elfast.

?ay + @uly A*5 Whitefield, & J /elfast, & 4F.*F miles 2ome confusion between Whitefield and

>oute Three and then a straight shot to home... aaaaahhhhh

>eflections

This was my first long bi"e ride and I ha$e more to learn if I want to repeat such performances. It was

also a solo ride, for the most part and e$en though such a ride is instructi$e, I do not see myself doing

such a ride again. %t least, I would hope, if I e$er ha$e the chance to do riding li"e this in the future,

that it be done with others. 2ome bullet points are in order.

782 J Too much time was spent na$igating.

2%7 support J allowing a longer ride in the same time frame and no worries on ha$ing to set upaccommodations.

&y biggest Cob was playing tra$el!agent...is there a Cob in this wor"

It0s made 6ew ngland much smaller and it would be nice to tra$el li"e this around the regionand re$isit past haunts in a new way.

?istance bi"ing is only as en$ironmental as the places you stay in.


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%mtra" needs a better way to store bicycles for cross!country trips.

It would be nice to ha$e less expensi$e accommodations and more hostels.

%d$enture 1yclist &aps

seful up to a certain point and good to ha$e step by step directions.

It would be useful to ha$e better directions to some accommodations than were found in themaps.

There could be two maps J ;ne for express tra$el using a more direct route, and one for peoplewho li"e a more picturesque route.

/etter accommodations for those on a budget.

%n alliance between %d$enture 1ycling and /etter World 1lub.

%spirations

6ow that I "now I can do something li"e this, and gi$en that I ha$e learned some lessons on this

Courney, I am as"ing myself where I can put my energy into next that incorporates cycling.

&illenial >eports

Andrew!s "#$% &estward Tre' ( Millenium )*date +$

It0s been ** miles since starting this Tre" of Transition. %n update of broad brush stro"es is called

for to bring you all up to date. :irst, a couple of o$er!arching themes. There are ha$e been many

transitions on this Courney. &ost in$ol$e landscapes and the mo$ement o$er them. 1adence hasshifted, slowed and quic"ened as the terrain has changed. Watersheds ha$e been crossed and

surpassed. &ountains ha$e been approached and climbed o$er. 3eadwinds bra$ed and mo$ed beyond.

&any meetings, some planned and some spontaneous. 6ew sights, new sounds, and new thoughtsha$e come and gone.

Transitions

Two ta"e note particularlyD crossing waters, first (a"e 1hamplain, and then >i$er 2t 1laire. These

were floated o$er by ferry and one could feel the mo$ement beyond a boundary and loo" bac" at thepast and what has been before. ;thers in$ol$e water as well in the form of watersheds. I ha$e

experienced two "indsD deep and steep, and shallow J merely a dimple in the land. It was riding

through the %dirondac"s that my legs disco$ered a curious thing. Three watersheds are defined by

these mountainsD (a"e 1hamplain, The 3udson >i$er, and the 2aint (awrence Watershed. >ises

followed by descents came in slow succession with high relief and leg!burning ascents. There wastime enough to contemplate their meaning.

:i$e political boundaries ha$e been crossed thus far yet they ha$e had less impact on an emotional

le$el sa$e the tedium of passing through 1anadian and 2 customs where resistance was felt for

ha$ing a lac" of clear plan or definite destination. The physical boundaries were more real.

1oming to ;ntario, 1anada brought a different "ind of watershed. 2hallow in many cases, they would

fall slightly and rise the same with flat terrain between them. 2uch has continued in &ichigan.


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1adence

There is a pace to life, culture, the up and down stro"es of the legs as they rotate in motion with thepedals. 2ometimes slower, other time faster they respond to the mo$ement of the landscape. 2lower

cadences come with a resistant terrain. With good winds and flat terrain, an easy pace can be

maintained through time and across the space tra$ersed. 1hange in culture could ha$e an analogue.&o$ement through the cultural landscape will ha$e falls and heights, times of ease and forward

momentum followed by times of resistance and slow in motion. %t times a watershed can be crossed

through quic" motion on the downslope and use of inertia on the upslope. % change in gearing can alsoaid the mo$ement through the space of culture, quic"ening on the flats and descents or easing the strain

against resistance.

2ustainable (i$ingN2ustainable motion

;ne would thin" cycling across the landscape would be an ecological and sustainable way of mo$ing

through space and indeed there is an efficiency of motion nowhere paralleled. (i$ing ecologicallythrough bi"ing though can only happen if the space mo$ed through is sustainably organized to allow it.

With all my thoughts going into pedaling, finding places to sleep and food to eat, thoughts of how to

sa$e on resources, recycling, eating locally and healthfully ta"es a bac" seat in lieu of merelymaintaining energy le$els and some measure of comfort.

3eadwinds

There ha$e been few. The most intense I experienced was in 6ew 3ampshire tra$eling northwest

along route AB toward (ittleton. It pushed and pushed and sometimes changed direction trying to

force me from my destination. 8erse$erance was the only solution "nowing that coming through itwould be it0s own reward. >ain, howe$er, was more in abundance gi$ing me a complete soa"ing on

more than one occasion. There has been no option but to ride through it. %t times it as a relief

pro$iding against the onslaught of blac" fly and hot sun. %t others, it was a misery and called fordrying out measures. >elief for farmers, a drenching for riders.

2eeds

2owing seeds of transition is a great way to engage in mo$ement building. I0$e offered pac"ets of

seeds to people who ha$e hosted me. :ood for the future.

EN*BNB*A

&illennial pdate P B

3a$ing tra$eled another *A miles, it is time for the second update. >ecall that we ended the first

update in &ichigan where terrain was expressed in flat and shallow watersheds. :or this update, we

ha$e tra$ersed different watersheds and the landscape changed, o$er time and a westward mo$ement.The general trend was west and north but with a southward loop. The states tra$ersed were &ichigan,

Wisconsin, Iowa, and part of &innesota.


20/21

&ichigan flew past with easy roads, and long bi"e trails. %side from the rie 1anal, &ichigan had the

longest trail of any state thus far, or ;ntario. :rom /ay 1ity, &I one ta"es roads and then a - mile

pa$ed trail. 2uch trails lead through some mar$elous ecology and would ta"e fore$er to tra$erse for

bird lo$ers. &ore on birds later. 8eriodically, one passes through towns and the goods and ser$icesfound therein. There is a gradual rise and fall from Watershed 3uron to Watershed &ichigan. The

eastern side of &ichigan is predominantly large agriculture but transitions to forest toward (a"e

&ichigan.

Wisconsin too" on rolling hills, compliments of past glaciers. The landscape tells a story of past ice as

it left large glacial la"es, "ettles, moraines, and drumlins, The legs learn of the rolling terrain, firstpumping up hills, then descending toward the next landform. ettles are harder to spot as they sit

below wandering eyes. What is e$ident are the bones of the earth, made of limestone, and as such, are

wea", yet, ma"e an ideal base for roads and bi"e trails. The bi"e trail for me ran from :ond ?u (ac,WI to 1olumbus, WI and while long, tended to end without warning. 8ools of water would appear and

pass without either entry or egressD a clear indication of "ettledom#. The path would pass through

tunnels of trees and open fields and maintain a nearly straight direction similar to most rail trails.

(imestone bass was present, sometimes o$ergrown with a layer of greenery forcing the tires to ride ahairline trac" on the trail.

%ccommodations consisted of camping at 1on$ention 1enters, ;% 1amping, "ind connections with1ouch 2urf, connections of family, and one motel. 1on$ention 1enter 1amping bordered on stealth as

there was no one in authority to say yea or nay. ;% enCoys siting its locations next to busy

highways. rgo, tent!goers need to be hea$y sleepers or loo" forward to a bed sometime in the future.

&adison was the highpoint of Wisconsin and con$ersely, a maCor stress!point. ;nce there, it was hard

to lea$e, both during my one!day expedition from ?e :orest and later, when it was time to head farther

west. The expedition was $aluable in pro$iding a reason to ma"e friends with this city. ;n the map,&adison loo"s elegant, organized between and around two large la"es, &endota, and &onona. To the

new $isiting cyclist it becomes a na$igating nightmare as roads cross at odd angles and sometimes

change name with nary a word of warning.

;nce na$igation is mastered, there is much to explore and disco$er. 4E miles of bi"e trails in the city

and community gardens dotting the landscape ma"e it e$ident this city is putting into place, systems ofresilience for future challenges. 8lus, bi"ing from place to place is fun and empowering. >estaurants

from one end of 2tate 2treet to another. 2tate 2treet connects to 1apitol /uilding to the ni$ersity and

is free of cars with only /uses and /i"es allowed on it. >iding this street is an exercise in relaxation.

It too" two days to depart. The weather had chosen to set up an eye of low pressure centered around

&adison and thunderstorms would roll across in the morning. The low was slow to depart and a -

mile car ride westward sol$ed weather issues. % -!mile bi"e path had to be s"ipped but Iowa andpoints north came within two days ride. 1oming closer to the &ississippi Waters, the landscape

changes. :lat and rolling turn into steep descents and ri$er $alleys. 8rodigious rain had turned the

Wisconsin and &ississippi >i$ers into ri$ers of mud. This is where the geology of the region becomesclear with the &ississippi being bound by strata of limestone. The road wo$e along a thin thread of

age!old scree and one could sometimes loo" abo$e the road and see the limestone looming o$erhead.

%bundant rainfall brought down many trees and landslides, co$ered some roads, and temporarily leftsome roads impassable.

&innesota had the two contiguous bi"e trails which measured a total of *4 miles. The (a"e Wobegon


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and the 1entral (a"es Trail connect :ergus :alls with 2aint @oseph and ma"es the cycling between

&inneapolis and :argo, 6? more pleasant than it might otherwise be. &innesota is wor"ing hard to

create a networ" of bi"e trails that tra$erse the entire state in a grid!li"e fashion.

>oad ill and (ocal :auna

>oad ills correlated with indigenous fauna and changed from ast to West, first of small mammalsand then increasingly small birds, and in the &ississippi Halley, enough turtle to ma"e large quantities

of turtle soup. %cross &ichigan, and especially Wisconsin and &innesota, /altimore ;riole 'from

&aryland) flew and sang in abundance. >iding along, one could loo" at the ground nearby and seeshadows flitting bac" and forth across the field of $iew. 1learly small birds were encouraged by the

passage of the cyclist, either the slipstream or the disturbance of clouds of gnats.

;ther fauna, not so welcome are the swarms of gnats and other insects pestering the passing cyclist.

&arine 1ity, &I and it0s en$irons had the most annoying display of aerial acrobatics and would swarm

o$er bi"e and rider ali"e. The timing must be perfect for this as they only come out for a few days each

year. &osquitoes are e$er persent after dar" in the warmer months but in &innesota they clearlycheated, also coming out during the day in search of the red!blooded.

2ounds of the >oad

>iding unencumbered by ear bud, headphone , or walls of steel and carbon, new sounds await and pass

by. % common one is /umpity# and this is the noise made by the passing bicycle as it hits crac"s inthe road or edges. :irst, there is the frost crac"...going bumpity..bumpity!bumpity....bumpity. Then

there is the bridge crossing.../umpity!bump... ...bumpity...bumpity...bumpity... ...bumpity!bump.

% smorgasboard of sounds await the cyclist paying attention, especially on bi"e trails where humantransit intersects with the order of nature. /irds in abundance, mainly of the small, wren!ish $ariety set

up a chorus. Those who remain silent are found on the ban"s of the &ississippi, the raptors, using the

many standing snags as perches, and peering out with the sharpest eyes for piscean meals.

&any times, the whistle of the locomoti$e, and the slide of steel on steel, as freight mo$es by can be

heard and such sounds are unwelcome as there is no respite from their $olume. The blac" of oil tan"cars are most common coming out of 6orth ?a"ota.

:lora

&o$ing westward, the bones of the earth change to moderate limestone and the $egetation supported

also changes. 8oison I$ies becomes less dominant and other, fi$e!fingered, i$ies mo$es in to ta"e their

place.

FN4NB*A

2013 trans-american bike and rail trip

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