Low Flying Chair's West to East Adventure

End of Trip

2007-11-20T20:32:00.000-05:00

Tuesday October 30th

I departed the motel at 10am and rode downtown to the Post Office to send the laptop to Bar Harbor and some more unwanted equipment home. Today was the day I had to make my own route to Middlebury, VT because the ferry service had closed a few days earlier for the season. As I headed out of town I stopped at a natural foods store and purchased some organic raisins and cashew butter. The lady at the store generously accepted the cash I had in my wallet (less than the price of the items) as she had no facility to process credit cards. The hills to the west were just beyond their peak colors and I took a few photos.

I was soon at Crown Point and then crossed the bridge over Lake Champlain into Vermont. Traffic was light as I followed route 125 to Middlebury. I ate lunch outside a gas station and talked to many people about my trip as they entered the convenience store.

I reached Middlebury just before 3pm. It was a busy little town with many students walking around the town. It was here that I again followed the Adventure Cycling maps. The route took me through Ripton and at 6:20pm I arrived at Bread Loaf, a summer school for writers. I studied the map of trails at a rest area and decided to stay along a cross-country skiing trail not far from where I was. I had a very nice a peaceful sleep.

Wednesday October 31st

I packed up the bike then filtered some water from a stream before departing at 10:40am. Just after I reached the top of Bread Loaf mountain I was cruising down the hill into Hancock beside Robbins Brook. On the other side of Hancock I met Robert who was riding back home on a day trip. We had a nice conversation about bike touring as we rode towards Rochester. We stopped at the bicycle store and talked to the owner. I excused myself and went to the bank and the supermarket. Then I returned to the bike store with some money to pay for the puncture repair kit. I then went to the laundromat and was able to launder some clothes, change in to the clean clothes then launder the ones I was wearing. This took some time and after another conversation with Robert and eating lunch, I departed at 3:21pm.

As I was riding through Sharon just before it was dark, some kids were walking along the street with their parents going from house to house doing “trick-or-treat”. One kid asked me what I was supposed to be doing. I didn't answer as I didn't have time to explain. Instead one of the parents said hello and I said hello back. I hope the parent explained to the young child later what I was doing. Or maybe the child forgot about me! I was hoping to get further than Sharon but it was hilly and I decided to find a spot to camp nearby. After a number of cars passed me and it was silent again, I could hear a stream nearby. I pulled off the road and walked down an embankment to a stream. It was a perfect spot to put up the tent and not be seen from the road. Again I was soothed to sleep by the sound of water flowing over rocks.

Thursday November 1st

All Saints Day!

I departed at 9am and passed through South Strafford and stopped at East Thetford for a hot chocolate drink. I crossed over the Connecticut River into New Hampshire near Lyme. As I was passing through Orford it started to rain. It only lasted 30 minutes. I had lunch in Piermont and after I resumed riding the sun came out. I rode through North Haverhill and reached Lincoln at 7pm. I inquired at few motels and found the going rate to be $110 for a room. That was beyond my budget limit so I decided to continue. Just out of Lincoln the State Forest begins. It was not long before I found a nice tent site by the Hancock River. I was in bear country again so I decided to cook away from the tent. I was not disturbed during the night.

Friday November 2nd

Since I wasn't in a designated camping site, I packed up the bike before daylight and cooked my breakfast at a rest area beside the river. A guy in a green forestry truck passed by me but didn't stop. I had been thinking of not taking a day off the next day to make up time as I'm due back at work on November 6th.

I departed at 9:46am on the Kancamagus highway towards the pass. The road was nicely graded and I steadily pedaled towards the pass. I reached the pass at 12:30pm and stopped at a few rest areas to look at the information boards and the views. By 2:13pm I reached Conway. I decided to stay the night in Conway and I spent some time at the library catching up on emails and searching for accommodation in Conway. I called the youth hostel at 5pm to see if a room was available. The lady suggested I come and check the place out. I found it to be very nice with a kitchen and laundry very close to my room. I couldn't bring the bike inside so it sat in the drive outside my room. It was bit noisy with people arriving late at night so I slept with earplugs.

Saturday November 3rd

After departing at 8:30am I reached Maine at 9:15am. Now I was in the final state of the trip and I felt I was getting close to finishing.

It was a cold day. I rode through Lovell, Sweden, and South Waterford. At 12:30pm in Waterford I stopped at Springers General Store for 2 grilled cheese sandwiches and a cup of hot chocolate. The store had fired up their stove for the first time that day and the store was toasty warm. I was able to get my feet warm again and that felt good. After 45 minutes lingering in the warm environment, I departed.

I passed through East Waterford and Norway. I stopped in Paris to buy supplies from a food co-op store. At 2:30pm it started to rain. It was still raining when I reached Turner at 6:30pm. My waterproof shell gloves were leaking even after I sprayed them with a coat of proofing. They were probably leaking from the stitching seams. I turned on to route 4 as I saw a gas station. When I was out of the rain in the convenience store I looked at the Adventure Cycling map for somewhere to stay. I called Nezinscot Farm and the lady offered me a comfortable couch to sleep on. I was very happy to arrive at the farm and find such nice welcoming people. I quickly felt at home there. I was able to put all of my wet gear in the drying room, have a shower, and cook a meal. I was offered a piece of apple pie and I didn't have to think twice before saying yes! The area where I was staying was the farm store and family living area. Everything seemed integrated and well thought out. The couch was comfortable and I slept well. I got an extra hour of sleep as daylight saving was due to “fall back” that evening.

60 miles traveled today.

Sunday November 4th

I didn't want to leave the farm but the end of the ride was near so I departed at 8am. Weather was fine and cool. I passed through Litchfield Corner and Richmond. At Dresden I stopped for 2 grilled cheese sandwiches and resumed at 1pm. My journey took me through Newcastle, Waldoboro and West Rockport. I stopped at a gas station for a hot chocolate and called a motel in Rockport for a room. I arrived there at 6:16pm.

82 miles traveled today.

Monday November 5th

My final day on the road had arrived. I estimated it to be 90 miles to Bar Harbor taking the quiet roads on the Adventure Cycling map. I decided to take the busy route 1 and departed at 6:40am. Just out of Rockport I got my first glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean. At 8:30am in Northport I stopped at Moran's Hideaway Diner eating pancakes and tea for breakfast. I reached Bucksport at 11:30am. I bought a new set of earphones for my MP3 player and checked emails at the library. I ate lunch outside the library then departed at 12:18pm. In Ellsworth I stopped at a natural foods store for a hot chocolate and cookie. I reached Bar Harbor at 5pm. The Post Office closed at 4:30pm so I couldn't pick up the laptop computer. I ate dinner at the Thirsty Whale and called many motels to find most of them had closed. After 8 calls I found a room at Atlantic Oakes motel by the ferry terminal. It was dark and I wanted a photo dipping the wheels in the Atlantic Ocean. That would have to wait until the next morning.

Tuesday November 6th

After breakfast I packed the bike in the room once the laundry was done and departed for the pier in the rain at 10am. I dipped the wheels in the ocean which signified the end of the trip.

I rode to the Post Office, picked up the laptop computer and rode to the bike store. I stripped the bike of everything I was going to take with me in the car then called a taxi to take me to the airport. I had been thinking of how I was going to get back home from Bar Harbor for half of the trip. I decided that it was too much work to box up the bike and take a bus and a train back home.

A pickup truck rented from Enterprise was my next idea. After trying to contact the agency at Bar Harbor airport in Trenton I found out that the only company renting cars this late in the season was Hertz. Hertz didn't rent pickup trucks.

Okay, what about a U-Haul truck? Too expensive!

Okay, the last idea was to get the local bike store to box up and send the bike back home. That freed me from having to rent a large vehicle to hold the bike. I was able to pick up a Mazda 6 for the price of a Ford Focus. Just after midday I packed the car and started on the trip home. Ever since high school days I was intrigued with a song we used to sing called “Riding Down from Bangor”. Since I was so close to Bangor I decided to drive there before heading south. It looked just like any other city – maybe there were woods to do hunting in somewhere nearby. The song goes “Riding down from Bangor on an eastern train after weeks of hunting in the woods of Maine....”

I stopped at a supermarket and bought enough food for 2 meals. I ate lunch in the car then followed I95 south with a small detour on I125 to Freeport to visit the LL Bean Bike, Boat, and Ski store for a hour. Then it was back on I125 to I95 and south through the outskirts of Boston in Massachusetts, then on I90 to I84. I then followed I84 all the way through Connecticut to Middletown in New York. From there it was 40 minutes on route 17 to where I live in Hurleyville. I arrived at 10:45pm. Thoughts about the trip The trip was a complete success. I traveled across the US within 3 months being in nature for most of the time and thinking about what I was about to do for the rest of my life. I now realize that the “world is my oyster” and I can do anything I want to. Now that I'm back at work I've decided to stay for a while until I get clear about the next step in my life.

And I have a wee scar above my right eye as a memento of the trip!

After a little trim...

Food

Being a vegetarian did not create a problem for me. I could find enough food to eat along the way. In the US there are plenty of places to buy a good variety of food. My favorite places were the food co-ops and natural food stores I found along the way. Next time when traveling in the US I'll compile a list of these stores making it easier to find them. I'll also spend more time dehydrating food at home before a trip.

Equipment

One thing kept resounding in my head – on my next trip (wherever that is) I need to think about backup systems for my bike and camping equipment in case it fails. Possibly I will have spares boxed up at home ready to be sent to wherever I am at a moment's notice. Or if it is light enough, carry a spare with me.

The Marmot Firstlight 2 tent performed well and kept me dry on the wet days.

My Big Agnes insulated mattress worked well but required 40 lung-fulls of air to inflate. And during the trip it started to leak and was half-inflated by the time I woke up. I found it difficult to find the leak even after dipping it in water and looking for the bubbles. I'm certain I'll buy a new self-inflating Thermarest mattress for my next trip.

Some nights my 20 degree MEC sleeping bag was not warm enough. After buying a 6' by 6' piece of fleece for a blanket I was able to cope with the frosty nights okay. The fleece blanket was bulky. A warmer sleeping bag could be purchased for my next fall trip.

I bought a Thermarest pillow for the trip and I'm glad I did! It rolled up to a small size and was light.

My Peak1 Apex II multi-fuel stove failed during the trip. Three of the five legs broke off making it difficult to support a pot of water. This was the 3rd trip I had used this stove. It performed well for me. I was able to make a tripod out of tree branches and rope until I could buy a replacement. I really liked its ability to simmer.

The MSR Whisperlite Internationale multi-fuel stove performed well for the rest of my trip. I wished I had brought along my flame spreader – this would have helped prevent food burning in my cookware. This stove is difficult to simmer.

Even though a bike mechanic checked the bike before I departed, the rim on the rear wheel failed (possibly from brake wear.) I was lucky to be in a city with a bike store when the wheel failed. The new wheel worked well and even though 2 spokes broke I was still able to keep the wheel aligned until the spokes were replaced. I think a few spare spokes and the rear cassette removal tools will be in my tool kit for the next big trip.

I replaced the chain and rear cassette before the trip and they performed well. The 4th cog was slipping a bit towards the end of the trip.

The Kool-Stop brake pads worked well.

I broke 2 rear derailleur cables. A spare cable could have shortened the delays I experienced. I'll definitely carry a set of spare cables with me for the next trip.

The Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur failed twice during the trip. It is nice and light for people that want to ride fast. On a touring recumbent bike something more durable is needed. The heavier (and cheaper) steel Shimano Acera derailleur performed well for the rest of the trip.

I wore multiple layered clothing for the trip. On cold days my merino wool sleeveless Ibex under shirt worked well. I had a few pairs of spandex cycling shorts with leg warmers, arm warmers, campmor travel cargo pants, campmor travel shirts, wicking underwear, and my 66 Degrees North Iceland fleece jacket.

On warm days I wore my Exxus sandals and Crank Brothers Egg Beater clipless pedals.

For wet days I had a Marmot Preclip jacket, We Got Gear pants, 3 layers of gloves, wool socks, waterproof boots, nashbar platform pedals, headsweats helmet liner, and an Illuminite helmet cover.

My Giro Mojave helmet has seen better days and is due for retirement. I hesitate to guess what injury I would have had if I wasn't wearing the helmet during my accident. A small scar is a good reminder to me to keep wearing a helmet when riding.

The Take A Look mirror performed well and I;d never ride on busy roads without a mirror.

My Support Team

Any trip is easier with a support team. Since I was riding by myself self-contained and with no support vehicle, many people offered me help out of the generosity of their hearts.

I want to acknowledge the following people who through offering a bed, food, or a few kind words helped me on my way:

Guys on Phred Touring list for suggesting route from Seattle to Anacortes.

Jim in Seattle – picking me up from the airport, accommodations for a few days, driving a friends truck to pick up the boxed bike, some sightseeing, and for sending some of my gear home and for disposing the bike boxes.

Chet in Port Townsend, WA – for the encouraging talk about bike touring.

Jesse in Anacortes, WA - letting me look around Anacortes Telescope store and the chocolate.

My friend back home who wants to remain anonymous for sending the energy bars to Post Offices along the way.

Friends Ken, Mary, and David for encouraging words.

Ruchir, Bindu, and Krishna who stood in for me while I was away from where I do my voluntary work.

Ken from Arizona – stopped me on road to Rainy Pass, WA for a talk on bike touring and recumbents.

Janice & Gary on bike trip – nice talk about bike touring, and riding together for a few miles.

Chris on bike trip east to west – nice talk about bike touring.

Cyclists at Libby Dam - taking interest in my bike ride.

Mike, Chuck and Jamie near Eureka, MT – nice talk about bike touring.

Scott in Grand Rapids, MN - taking interest in my bike ride.

Floyd outside Columbia Falls, MT – nice talk about bike touring.

Ralph and Pat on bike trip to South America near Glacier – nice talk about bike touring.

Supervisor at Cambridge Fairgrounds Campground - waiving the tent fee.

Ken and Sue on bike ride to Florida – nice talks about bike touring, riding together for a few days, and sharing a few meals.

Mick in Williston, ND – accommodations for a night, use of kitchen and laundry, ride to Roosevelt National Park, treating me to meals.

Steve in Minot, ND – treating me to a meal, ride to bike store, nice conversation.

Matt on bike trip east to west - nice talk about bike touring.

James and Susan in Fargo, ND – accommodations for a night, use of kitchen, shower, and laundry.

Sam at Lake Itasca Bike Rental, MN – replacing my bike spoke for a minimal fee.

Phil in Wabasha, MN – warm showers accommodations for a night, use of kitchen and laundry.

Bob & Larisa in Winona, MN - suggesting bike routes in Wisconsin.

Lea in Winona, MN - accommodations for a few days, food, and the good discussions and suggestions.

Staff at Bluff County Coop Natural Foods in Winona, MN – allowing me to fill my herb capsules in a warm place.

Dennis in Guttenberg, IA – stopping to talk about bike touring.

Lady in Luxemburg, IA – giving me directions to the city park.

Sherriff in Orion, IL – suggesting a more secluded city park to camp.

Rusty, truck driver near Henry, IL – bringing First Aid materials to clean up face after accident.

Dr Faber in Henry, IL – stitching the cut above my right eye.

Jack, Mayor in Iroquois, IL – accommodations in park office for the night.

Warren, Community Council in Monroeville, IN - accommodations in community hall for 2 nights, use of shower, laundry, and kitchen.

Dr Giant in Monroeville, IN – taking out the stitches.

Bike mechanic in Bowling Green, OH – repairing the broken spoke, great talk about bike touring and recumbent bikes.

Mike near Avery, OH – recommending detour around road with bridge under repair.

Guy at camping ground in Fort Erie, ON, Canada – letting me stay in closed camp ground, giving me some water.

Richard in Niagara Falls, ON, Canada – showing me the way to Whirlpool Bridge, nice fast ride on the way there.

Ed, cyclist on Erie Canal near Macedon, NY – suggesting I eat at Muddy Waters cafe in Palmyra.

Two guys that stopped to help me in the dark on my way to Fair Haven State Campground, NY.

Families in cafe at Osceola, NY – words of encouragement on a cold and wet day.

Lady at natural foods store in Ticonderoga, NY – accepting the money I had for some supplies.

Robert, cyclist near Rochester, VT – riding with me and nice discussion about bike touring.

Family at Nezinscot Farm, ME – making me feel part of their family during my overnight stay.

All the librarians at libraries across the country that allowed me access to the internet.

Thank you everyone!

Ticonderoga, NY

2007-10-30T01:42:00.001-04:00

Wednesday October 24th

I spent a few hours in the Medina library updating the blog and I departed Medina at 1:30pm following the Erie canal path, passed through Albion, and reached Rochester at 6:50pm.

It felt great to be riding on the canal path again after my ride on it in October 2001.

I followed the canal path through Rochester and reached a road under construction. I had to retrace my steps back to the other side of the canal then lost my way.

I decided to head north on route 15 until I reached route 31. Then I headed east and reached Pittsford at 9:30pm. I followed the canal path and again reached a bridge under construction and had to detour to route 31.

At Fairport I followed the canal path again and reached a suitable tent site near Macedon at 11:45pm!

78 miles traveled today.

Thursday October 25th

I let the tent dry and departed at 11:37am following the canal path.

I met a few bicyclists and pedestrians on the path. One cyclist, Ed, recommended that I stop in Palmyra at the Muddy Waters cafe. I stopped there at 12:30pm.

In Pultneyville I stopped for lunch at a nice park which is right on Lake Ontario.

I reached Sodus Point at 5pm and at 8:10pm the gears were not changing and I found that one of the two arms on the rear derailleur had broken. A guy stopped in his car to help. I was able to get the derailleur working again and the guy suggested I stay in Fair Haven which was about 7 miles away.

On the way to Fair Haven I discovered that the rear tire was losing air. I pumped up the tire and it held enough air to get me to Fair Haven State Park by 10pm. As I rode around the park I discovered that the camping site was closed. I discovered that there was room beside the bathrooms to put up the tent.

61 miles traveled today.

Friday October 26th

During the night I was woken by a raccoon getting into my left pannier where the food was located. I discovered that the varmint got my nice 6 slices of swiss cheese I bought the previous day for lunch. It also helped itself to 2 of the 6 raisin boxes and left the empty boxes for me to see. Still, it was a cheap nights accommodation!

The rear tire was flat and I repaired it.

As I woke up duck hunters guns started to pop nearby. I departed at 10:15am and reached Fulton at 12:30pm. I found the bike shop and the guys there had a derailleur to replace my faulty one. It was cheaper because it was made of steel and heavier than aluminum which would be more durable.

An hour later I departed and it started to rain. It rained all afternoon and I arrived in Richland after dark at 7pm.

I didn't feel like taking any photos in the steady rain.

I decided the best place to stay would be the cemetary since all private campgrounds were now closed.

54 miles traveled today.

Saturday October 27th

I had a nice peaceful stay at the cemetary and departed at 9:30am. It was still raining and there were lots of rolling hills to pass through.

In Osceola I stopped at a cafe for a snack. The folks there were very friendly and were interested in my bike trip.

As the afternoon progressed the rain dried out and the sun came out. I got interested in taking photos again.

At 5pm I saw a sign welcoming me to Adirondack Park.

I passed through Boonville, McKeever, Thendara, and arrived in Old Forge at 7:30pm.

I was wet and wanted to dry the camping gear out so I decided to stay in a motel.

The soak in the bath was very much appreciated!

73 miles traveled today.

Sunday October 28th

After the laundry was done and the pancakes demolished at a local diner, I departed at midday.

It was a cold day. At Blue Mountain Lake I stopped at 4pm for a hot chocolate at a gas station.

I reached Newcomb at 8:45pm and couldn't find or call the B&Bs listed on my map. I found a city park but the sign stated no camping. I continued on a side road and reached a golf course where I decided to camp the night.

I cooked dinner and got into the sleeping bag as soon as I could because it was so cold.

65 miles traveled today.

Monday October 29th

I woke up at 7am and decided to stay in bed until 8am because it was so cold.

After cooking breakfast and packing up the gear I couldn't keep my feet warm. I stayed in my long underwear and departed at 9:30am, replenished my water supply at the city park, and passed through North Hudson and Severance.

I'm thinking of buying some warmer boots in Ticonderoga.

The temperature was warming up and at 2:15pm I stopped at Paradox for lunch. My feet were toasty warm again! The store was closed so I sat on one of the nice chairs and ate my lunch.

There were some nice lakes that I passed on the way.

I arrived in Ticonderoga at 5pm and decided to find a motel with internet access.

The motel owner let me know the ferry to Vermont was closed for the season. I searched on the internet for a bridge to cross and found one that takes me about 8 extra miles further than taking the ferry.

I had a few exhilarating downhill rides today. The maximum speed for the day was 48mph!

I've also decided that this will be the last post before I reach Bar Harbor around November 5th.

I'm going to send the laptop computer forward in order to keep the bike weight down while climbing hills and mountains in the next few days.

52 miles traveled today.

Medina, NY

2007-10-24T11:32:00.000-04:00

Tuesday October 16th

It had rained overnight and it was still raining in the morning. I departed for the library at 8:48am and spent the next few hours updating the blog pages. I finished them at 2:30pm and departed at 2:41pm.

At 3:30pm I entered Ohio and arrived in Defiance at 7pm. I had dinner at a Subway restaurant then continued in the dark to Independence Dam State Park. I arrived there at 8:30pm and found a nice campsite by the Maumee River.

Wednesday October 17th

After departing at 9:25am and riding back to the dam for breakfast, I rode along the canal tow path to Florida and arrived in Napoleon at 11am. A nice lady originally from Holland stopped and asked if I needed help. I asked for directions to the bike shop and she offered to drive ahead of me and show me the way.

When I arrived at the bike store she gave me a bottle of water.

The bike store owner could not change my broken spoke and suggested I stop in Bowling Green at the bike store there.

I arrived in Grand Rapids at 12:58pm and had lunch by the river. At the junction of Tontogany Rd and Poe Rd I took some photos of some wind generators.

At Pemberville I stopped at the library to have a snack and check my email using their wireless internet connection.

At 8:51pm I arrived in Fremont (after dark) and found the start of the North Coast Inland Trail. It is a very nice paved bike path. I found a suitable place to camp for the night at 9:50pm.

I don't know how I did it but I was able to put my tent right next to a very busy railway line. There were goods trains hourly during the night! And it rained during the night.

Thursday October 18th

I woke at 7am, meditated, and departed at 9:51am. It was raining lightly as I departed. There were many cyclists using the trail. I passed a huge Whirlpool (home appliances) factory.

I ate breakfast at a cafe in Clyde a few miles away.

Around 11:26am I saw a bridge out sign on the road I was about to ride. I was stopped at an intersection working out how to detour around the bridge when a guy called Mike stopped and helped me with the navigation. He owned a Rans recumbent bicycle and would have invited me to his home for lunch except that he had a commitment to teach chess to some children.

I managed to get around the bridge and arrived in Avery for lunch at 1:38pm. I saw another road closed sign and followed the detour. I arrived in Huron at 3:06pm and was able to pick up the 3 packages at the post office. I sent my ayurvedic herbs here from Winona, MN and my Nashbar and Campmor orders had arrived.

I passed a harvester similar to the one that caused my accident in Illinois.

I had a nice meal in Vermilion at a restaurant around 5pm and arrived in Lakewood (just west of Cleveland) at 8pm. I decided to stay in a motel that evening. I spread out the tent to dry in the room.

Friday October 19th

I had breakfast in the motel and when I was reading the weather forecast in the US Today newspaper I saw that one can send a text message to 4INFO (44636) with W and the zip code to get a weather forecast. Neato!

I stayed in the motel putting my herbs into capsules for the next 2 weeks. I departed around 11:30am and went directly to the post office to send the herbs back to the ashram.

At 12:30pm I arrived in Cleveland and followed the bicycle path to Mentor. I decided to ride to Madison on busy highways rather than find the many turns that were on the Adventure Cycling map. I stopped at a Quiznos Sub restaurant for dinner and arrived at Geneva State Park at 8:15pm.

Saturday October 20th

I departed at 10:30am, visited the nearby beach, and arrived in Conneaut at 1:19pm. As I was coming into the city I broke the rear derailleur cable. This means no gears at the back end. I didn't have a spare cable with me so I adjusted the derailleur to be in 3rd gear which is like riding a single speed bike. I was able to continue on with a strong tail wind assisting me.
I decided to defer having lunch until I bought the replacement cable in Erie as the store was closing at 4pm.

At 1:30pm I entered Pennsylvania and arrived at the bike store in Erie at 3:45pm. I bought 2 cables and installed one of them outside the bike store.

I stopped at Panera Bread for some soup and to access my email using their wireless internet. Alas, I couldn't get a connection but the soup was good!

Around 5pm I was stopped by a guy who was looking to buy a recumbent bike. We talked for a while and I gave him some web site links to visit for more information.

At 7:32pm I entered New York state and arrived in Barcelona at 8:5pm. I stopped at a restaurant to ask for directions to their city park. Barcelona didn't have one but Westfield did and it was only a mile away. One person in the restaurant suggested camping down by the beach if I couldn't stay at the park. I got to Moore Park in Westfield and called the police for permission to camp in their park. The policeman arrived 15 minutes later and said the town officials didn't want anyone camping in their park. I suggested the beach in Barcelona. He said it was okay to camp there as long as I stayed away from the pier. So I rode back to the beach and found a nice tent site. I was soothed to sleep by the waves on the beach.

Sunday October 21st

I departed at 8:50am and arrived in Dunkirk at 11am. I bought some groceries from a supermarket. It seemed like the supermarket was the only place in town that was open. A lot of the people I saw in town looked as if they were of European descent. I tried getting onto the internet outside the Dunkirk library but couldn't find an unsecured link.

I tried at the Silver Creek library as well but didn't find a good link.

I passed through wine-growing country with grape vines everywhere.

As I got closer to Lackawanna I passed by giga-dollar mansions. I arrived at Lackawanna at 5:11pm and followed the route to the Peace Bridge over to Canada. Along the way I stopped for dinner at a park on the bike path. After departing I was stopped by a lady asking for information about recumbent bikes. I gave her some internet links too.

The entry into Canada was simple and after getting to Fort Erie I got lost. I stopped at a gas station for directions. The guy gave me a simple "down the hill to the water then turn left" direction. I was soon following the Niagara Recreation Trail alongside the Niagara River.

After a few miles I arrived at a campground. After asking a few questions I found that the campground was closed but since I was on a bike and it was after dark the guy said I could stay. I just had to depart before the owner returned the next morning. The guy gave me 2 bottles of water when I asked if I could fill my camelbak water bladder.

I put up the tent and walked around the campground. I found a cabin that was open so I filled up the camelbak bladder then returned to the tent and had a nice sleep.

Monday October 22nd

I got up early, had a shower in the cabin, packed up the tent and departed by 7:30am. I walked across the road to a picnic table where I ate breakfast.

I continued riding along the Niagara Recreation Trail and reached the falls around 10am. I realized that my front bike light had fallen off. I had fixed the bracket that held the light after the accident in Henry, IL and finally it had failed. I was not going to go back and find it. So I decided to continue and buy a new light later in the day.

At 10:40am I had my tourist trip on the "Maid of the Mist" boat which I thoroughly enjoyed. I took lots of photos and video on my camera. I still don't know how the videos turned out as I don't have Apple Quicktime installed on my laptop.

Shortly after departing I was stopped by 2 cyclists. Richard Robinson and his friend were out for a ride towards where I was heading so I followed them as best I could. Richard was riding a Bachetta Aero recumbent and his friend an upright Trek bike. There was a bit of a hill where I was a bit slow but I kept up with them on the flat and downhill.

We eventually arrived at the Whirlpool Bridge and we said our goodbyes. I was able to find my way onto the bridge and rode with the vehicle traffic to the US side. Again the entry into the US was a simple procedure and the customs officer wished me well for the rest of the trip.

At 2pm I had lunch along route 104 at a cemetary. One of the headstones was made into a bench seat and it was very nice to sit there eating lunch.

I arrived in Lockport at 4:30pm. After finding that I had to ride 5 miles to get to the bike store I decided not to buy the bike light that day. I spent a few minutes at the Lockport library transferring some money in my bank account so that I could get some cash from an ATM machine.

I bought a few grocery items then rode along the canal path. I passed a lot of pedestrians and arrived in Gasport just before dark. I wanted to replenish my water supply before going to find a tent site. I found a laundromat with a tub and taps and filled up the camelbak bladder and an empty chocolate milk container I had purchased earlier.

I rode past a pub and a couple of Harley Davidson bike riders stopped to talk to me about my trip. They wished me a safe and successful rest of the trip.

I found a nice camp site about a mile out of town on the canal path. I put up the tent and cooked a meal. Shortly after getting into the sleeping bag it started to rain. It rained consistently all night.

Tuesday October 23rd

Today was going to be my rest day. I decided to meditate and rested until 11am. The tent was wet and it was still raining. I decided to have a snack instead of a regular breakfast and would find a restaurant to have a nice meal in later.

I departed at 11:59am and at 1:13pm I arrived in Medina. I found a nice bistro with some vegetarian dishes on their menu so I stopped there to eat brunch.

Around 2pm I departed and found my way to the motel. I spread everything out to dry in the room and went to the Weather Channel on the TV to find the local weather forecast. Cloudy tomorrow and fine the next day. Yes!

I spent a few hours cropping photos for the blog site, bought some food for dinner, and cooked it in my room using the multi-fuel stove (I kept the door open for a while.)

Only 11 days to go! Some of those days will be riding up and down hills and mountains.

Bye for now.

Monroeville, IN

2007-10-16T13:31:00.001-04:00

Friday October 12th

After a few miles after departing at 8:53am I entered Indiana. No welcome sign.

I've started to collect names of corn seed manufacturers to see if any of them are not GM (genetically modified.) Becks, AgVenture, Crows, Pioneer, Dairyland, Frontiers, Hritage, AgriGold, BrodBeck, and Garst.

I went off route into Monon to the library to update my blog. I was in there for quite a while then the librarian said they were closing in 15 minutes. I was able to load lots of photos but no text - so the blog is not posted yet.

After looking at my Adventure Cycling map I now realize that I'm in the Eastern time zone!

As it was 6pm when I left the library I quickly purchased some food for dinner then headed back to the cycling route.

I rode through Buffalo at dusk not finding a city park to stay in so I headed out of town. Within a short ride of Buffalo is the Camp Buffalo Boy Scouts Camp. I rode in and was allowed to camp in exchange for a donation. I had to be out of the camp before 9am as many cub scouts were arriving for their first camping experience.

52 miles ridden today.

Sorry about the drab looking photos. Maybe someone can make some suggestions about how I can improve them. I don't have photoshop. I could download JASC Photopaint. What do you think?

Saturday October 13th

The rear wheel had a thorn puncture which delayed my departure until 10am.

On the outskirts of Royal Center I called the library but they did not have internet access.

I collected more corn seed manufacturer names. Corn Genetics, ChemGro, Pfister, Great Lakes, and Dekalb.

Today for most of the day I rode away from big towns. I needed to get some groceries so headed off route into Wabash.

I reached Lagro at 6.15pm and had a milk drink at the gas station.

I reached my destination of Salmonie River State Forest at 6:58pm and selected a nice tent site in the trees. Being the weekend lots of people were in the camp and were palying their radios and music until 11pm. I put my earplugs on and went to sleep at 10:30pm.

Sunday October 14th

I awoke at 7am and meditated before breakfast. Everyone else in camp was still asleep. I let the tent dry for a short time before departing at 10:45am.

I thought I had to get back on route 524 but I realized once I was there I had to ride back bast where I stayed the night. The serendipity of riding back to 524 was that I disturbed 5 golden eagles feasting on something on the side of the entrance road. I rode along 524 and noticed 15 golden eagles hovering ahead on the air currents. I took a photo then headed back to the forest rode.

I passed over the Salmonie River Dam and stopped in Zanesville for lunch at the cemetary. Heading out of town I couldn't find the County Border Rd so I turned around to find it and was stopped by a local couple who wanted to feed me and offer me a shower. Such generosity from total strangers! I love it when that happens. They gave me directions to Yoder Rd. I passed through Yoder (sounds like something from Star Wars!), Poe, and Hoagland. I bought a drink in Hoagland at the gas station and signed their visitor book.

I reached Monroeville at 5:20pm and met Warren who showed me to the community park building where I would be staying for 2 nights. This accommodation is listed as bicyclist only. It has a kitchen, shower, bathroom, and laundry all for cross-country bicyclists. I'm feeling quite at home here.

Monday October 15th

Today is a day off for me in Monroeville.

Monon, IN

2007-10-12T16:12:00.000-04:00

Hi Folks

The issue with the laptop computer is over. It looks like the battery was somehow drained. After calling Everex the technician suggested plugging it into another power socket and it worked!

I'm going to publish what I typed into the computer before the problem with the battery. At least you'll see photos with the text this time....

Wednesday September 12th

Day off in Minot

Thursday September 13th

A cold and windy day. I put on the new tire I purchased from the bike store. The rear wheel rim began to buckle out when I pumped up the tube. This would make it impossible to use the rear brakes. I deflated and removed the tire, straightened the rim, put on the tire and inflated the tire to 65 psi. The rim did not buckle at this pressure. I completed packing the bike and rode to the bike store to see if I could get a new rim. The bike mechanic was really busy and would not have enough time to put on a new rim. He suggested purchasing a new wheel. I really wanted to get to Towner that evening so I bought the new wheel and asked the mechanic to swap over the rear cassette. It would take a few hours to have this done. I took all the stuff I needed to send back home and to a post office further ahead.

I also took the laptop computer with me to the post office to work out where I'd be in a few weeks time. I selected Winona. While I was there I met Steve. We had a great conversation. Steve offered to take me to lunch and to drop me off at the bike shop afterwards.

We returned to the bike shop, I paid for the wheel, put the wheel on the bike and I was off heading towards Towner. Steve led the way to route 2. The wind was gusting from 10-25 mph and it was a tail wind! I zoomed all the way to Towner. Because it was so cold I needed frequent bathroom breaks! The road shoulder between Minot and Granville varies from 12 inches to none and I was alongside cars traveling 70mph! Scary stuff....After Granville the shoulder widened to 2 feet then a few miles from Towner there was new seal with a 5-6 foot shoulder. Luxury...

At the end of the ride I saw this sign. It made my day!

A photo of where I stayed the night. Note placement of tent behind building to get out of the westerly wind.

Friday September 14th

I heard from a local resident that the temperature during the night dropped to 29F. Brrr... There was frost on the ground when I woke up.

I departed around 11:30am. Around 12:15pm I met Matt Purdy who was riding the Northern Tier from East to West. I stopped in Rugby (geographical center of the US) to visit the library to check email and for lunch. While I was at the park for lunch I picked up an MP3 player. I wasn't sure who owned it so I kept it until I could place an ad in a local newspaper in the lost and found section.

I arrived in Minnewaukan at 10:30pm. I really enjoyed riding in the dark with no front light. There was no traffic and there was enough light from the moon to light my way. I did leave on my tail light for traffic behind me. After asking twice for directions to the city park, I eventually found it. No toilets but it did have water and picnic tables. I had a nice meal and a peaceful sleep.

Saturday September 15th

I bought a few groceries at the local store. Some guys there were interested in the bike and we talked for a while. I had a mixture of side and tail winds. There were plenty of fields with sunflowers and corn. I passed though Fort Totten which is an Indian reservation. I bought some more groceries at two supermarkets. Near a resort I picked up 6 soda bottle tops off the side of the road for a project. The road sides were full of trash. I also noticed some roads were closed due to flooding. On route 20 around 5:30pm I stopped for a late lunch alongside a lake. A couple of weekend army guys stopped for a chat. One of the guys, James, had a Volae high racer. He invited me to stay at his house in Fargo.

I arrived in Pekin around 9:30pm and got directions to the city park from a guy at the local pub.

Sunday September 16th

I was aiming to reach Hope today but due to 26 miles of headwind heading towards route 200 I only made it to Cooperstown. The city park had showers and nice water for $7 a night. The mosquitos were hungry too!

Monday September 17th

Today was going to be a long one to Fargo. 91 miles. I departed at 5:48am for breakfast at Hope.
I took some sunrise photos on the way. When I arrived there around 8:30am I saw Ken and Sue in the local diner. We ate breakfast together then departed for Fargo. We had lunch at Arthur and reached Fargo at 5pm. I followed Ken and Sue to the bike store and then waited while they registered at a hotel. We had a meal together at Juano's restaurant. We parted after the meal not knowing when we would meet again. I found my way to James's house where I had a shower, did some laundry, and slept in my tent in their back yard.

Tuesday September 18th

I departed after catching up on some emails. I needed to get a prescription filled from a pharmacy before I departed. I have another tooth abscess near where I had some recent surgery done on a tooth. I departed at 12pm and crossed a toll bridge (free to bicyclists) into Moorehead, Minnesota (no welcome sign to Minnesota.)

Around 2:15pm the road I was following had a sign saying it was closed 5 miles ahead. So I followed the detour signs and had to ride an extra 20 miles! I stopped at the city park in Hitterdal for the night. Rain was forecast so I erected the tent inside the covered pavilion.

Wednesday September 19th

Today I was going to ride 81 miles to Lake Itasca. I departed at 10am. About 30 minutes later I wondered why the rear brake was rubbing. I discovered a broken spoke on my new rear wheel! I tightened the 2 spokes on either side of the broken one and was able to get the wheel straightened. I had lunch outside the Richwood country store, and rode through the Tamarac Wildlife Refuge. There were lots of deciduous trees in their fall colors. Route 143 had new seal - a very nice smooth ride.

I arrived at Lake Itasca State Park around 8pm. While I was cooking my dinner a raccoon visited me and attempted to take off with my burrito wraps. I intercepted it and it raced up a tree and stared at me. I talked to it about 1 yard away face to face and said that there will be no food in my tent tonight. It would be in the mens bathroom. I was not disturbed during the night.

Thursday September 20th

It was going to be a wet day today. I rode the bicycle path down to the Itasca Lake boat tour wharf then up to the bicycle store. Sam measured, cut, and rethreaded a new spoke for $2. He asked me if I had the cassette removal tools as I would need them to insert the new spoke. I replied that I didn't have them. Sam then offered to insert the new spoke for me. We talked as he worked on the wheel. He had been in Australia after he left the military. He bought the bicycle and boat rental from his dad a number of years ago. After the new spoke was inserted and Sam trued up the wheel, I offered to pay the extra charge. Sam declined and said that I had picked the right day to visit him. I told him that he had made my day.

I had a late breakfast, packed up the bike and wet tent, and rode to the Mississippi headwaters for a photo.

I ended up staying in a RV Park at Bemidji. It rained during the night.

Friday September 21st

I left at midday after drying the tent and doing my laundry.

On the way out of town I stopped at a health food store for some lunch food and a wool shop for some socks. The woollen clothing store owner was keen to get my photo and for me to sign the visitor's book.

When I got to route 12 there was another detour sign saying local traffic only - no through traffic. Since the detour was on a gravel road I decided to keep going on route 12. The road had transformed overnight into an ankle deep mud bath. I pushed the bike through the mud and after a few miles the mud was firmer to ride on. I spent an hour cleaning the mud off the bike - maybe I should have taken the detour?

I was going to buy something from the Becida Bar and Grill but the cigarette smoke and country music drove me out of the place - yuck!

I reached Bena at dusk. I really wanted to keep going so I did some maintenance on the tail light and when it was working to my satisfaction I continued.

I found a perfect tent site next to a bridge over the Mississippi River. Some deer were not happy with me being there as I heard some hissing and stomping of their hooves. I had a nice uninterrupted sleep.

Saturday September 22nd

I had to get to Grand Rapids Post Office for a pickup before noon so I departed at 8am, filled my camelback bladder at a store in Ball Club, and arrived in Grand Rapids at 11:20am.

I felt the pressure was off so I had a relaxed ride to the County Fairgrounds Campground. I spread everything in the panniers out on the ground to dry.

I was going to take one full day off from Saturday noon to Sunday noon.

Some time later I put up the tent, put everything inside the tent, and rode to the supermarket for food. I also was looking for a new notebook which I found at a drug store. I walked through a beautiful scandinavian store in the local mall. To me it was the kind of store you go to once you have everything you ever needed. Everything seemed to be made of top quality materials. I'd go back if I had the chance (and the money!)

On the way back to the tent I was stopped by a local guy called Scott who talked with me about bikes, my ride, and what was going on with our lives. He invited me to his parents house which was nearby. I arrived there around 8pm and gave a slide show of photos from my trip.

Sunday September 23rd

After a nice sleep in I had breakfast then typed up the blog notes and got some photos ready as well.

Scott returned when I was about to start packing up. He was amazed how everything fit into the bags.

I departed just before 2pm. It was another beautiful day with a westerly tail wind.

Just before dusk as I was taking some photos of the Mississippi River, I was stopped by a guy in a truck offering me to stay in his vacation home beside a lake only 1 mile from where we were.
He had ridden the Adventure Cycling route across the rockies with a friend and he said it was the most challenging thing he had done in his life. I declined the offer and continued riding.

My destination was Pallisade and I arrived there at 8:30pm in time to buy a chocolate milk from the local gas station before they closed. I got directions to the city park. There was a RV at the park but it felt like I had the park to myself.

Monday September 24th

Since there was an electrical outlet near my tent I worked on the blog again for a few hours then departed at 1:40pm. Just before 5pm I felt a few drops of rain and the sky darkened. Before I had time to put on my wet weather gear the sky opened up and I was drenched in no time at all. There was lightning all around me and I thought "okay, if I'm meant to go then I'm ready..." I survived the storm okay and rode into Aitkin for a snack. I rode through Glen and Malmo just before dusk and arrived at the Public Water Access area just on dark. There was a boat launch area and an enormous gravel car park with a few islands of grass. I put the tent on one of the islands and cooked dinner. Someone in a car stopped for a while then drove off. After I went to sleep around 11pm another car stopped, the driver got out and asked if anyone was in the tent. I said yes and thanked him for waking me up. He departed.

Tuesday September 25th

By the time I packed up and departed it was just after 11am. I stopped in Isle at a supermarket for groceries. A few people talked to me about my trip. It was a cooler day today. I searched for my warm helmet liner and it was missing. I was able to fold up my polypropylene balaclava into a hat to keep my head warm.

The lunch stop was at Ann Lake around 2:35pm. I decided I wanted to check my emails so I veered off the suggested route, visited the Cambridge library, and stayed at the Cambridge Fairgrounds Campground.

Wednesday September 26th

Before departing I did some more work on the blog text and photos. I was going to upload them at the Cambridge library before leaving town. Something happened when the laptop was plugged into the power outlet in the mens bathroom. I thought the laptop had died as I couldn't get it to start. What actually happened was that the battery somehow got completely discharged. I wasn't going to touch the computer again until I called Everex at Winona. I was prepared to send the laptop to them.

I went to the library and updated the blog with what I remembered typing in over the past few days.

I received an email from Lea saying that she was dating again. For some reason I held on to the idea that everything was on hold until we got back together again. This time I was open to the idea that the relationship was not going anywhere. That was one of my issues resolved. Now I have to think and contemplate what I'm going to be doing for the next few years.

Around 2:30pm I departed and within a few miles out of town saw another detour sign for route 10 which I was going to travel on. This detour added 10 miles to my trip. I rode through Stark, Harris, and Sunrise. At sunset I decided to take route 14 to Hillcrest RV Park. I only had $7 cash with me. The lady at the park normally charged $15 for a tent site but she accepted my $7 because it was the end of the season. They were going to close within a week.

I had time to put up the tent before it rained. I cooked dinner in my wet weather gear and ate the meal in the tent. I felt it was safe to do this as I was no longer in bear country.

Thursday September 27th

Today I departed at 9am, crossed over the St Croix river, and arrived in Stillwater just before 3pm. Wisconsin had a welcome sign for me! I found the library which had just been renovated. It was very nice. I checked my emails. I had booked to stay with a lady on the WarmShowers list in St Paul but I didn't have time to ride the extra 30 miles each way so I let her know I wouldn't be coming. I also had arranged to stay with a WarmShowers guy in Wabasha. He was going to be away and had organized someone at his workplace to host me. I emailed him to say I'd be a day late.

In the afternoon the clouds got darker and I felt a few drops of rain. I quickly got into my wet weather gear and continued riding. I could see the rain coming down ahead of me and I was ready to get wet. I kept riding. No rain. As I crossed the interstate highway I noticed the road was wet. It looked like the rain was going to bypass me!

I arrived at Afton State Park at dusk and spent some time finding my way down to the hiker/biker tent sites by the St Croix river. I cooked my meal once I discovered the water pump was located at the day picnic site. I placed my food pannier into the men's bathroom as I did not know what wildlife was present in the park, then rode to the nearby tent site to sleep. I had the place all to myself.

Friday September 28th

I returned to the picnic site to cook breakfast. The park ranger arrived and we had a nice discussion about my trip and the park wildlife. Apparently there was a black bear in the park this summer but it was more interested in the berries than the food at the tent site. There were also raccoons in the park but I didn't see any. I noticed that a sailboat had pulled up during the night next to the picnic site.

Tonight I was going to stay at Phil Schwend's place. I was looking forward to having a shower and to having laundered clothes again. The route chosen by Adventure Cycling took me through the driftless area. This means hills! The last glacier in this area didn't carve out deep valleys like in other areas I had visited. So there were plenty of short steep hills to climb. I rode through Diamond Bluff and crossed the Mississippi River just before Red Wing. I had lunch at a boat launch area and dried the tent.

From Red Wing I detoured away from the Adventure Cycling maps and I was riding along route 61 which is quite a busy road. I decided that I had enough of the hills for one day. The road was pretty flat rolling beside the Mississippi River. I passed through Frontenac Station and Lake City (birthplace of waterskiing) and arrived in Wabasha just before 7pm.

Phil was out with his children so he left the house unlocked for me. I had my shower, cooked dinner, did my laundry, and checked my email on his computer. Phil and family arrived home around 10pm and we had a nice chat about my trip before I went to sleep.

Saturday September 29th

I departed at 8:30am. Rain was predicted. It didn't take long for the prediction to become true. Parts of the Mississippi River were open for duck shooting and I heard lots of guns popping around me.

I was hoping to get to the post office in Winona to pick up my ayurvedic herbs I had sent there but I didn't make it in time so I'd have to come back after visiting Lea.

In Winona I stopped at a supermarket for some lunch then continued on to Homer where I was going to meet Lea. We met as I was climbing up a hill on route 15. Lea took my panniers, tent, sleeping bag, and mattress in her car. I continued on route 15 then route 17 through Witoka until Lea met me on her bike close to where she lives. We arrived there about 3pm. I finally got to see her house which is nearly completed. Lea has to put some trim around the inside windows and put up some shelving and it will be complete inside. The greenhouse will not be installed until Lea finds some land to lease.

The house seemed very roomy to me even though it is on a 12x20 trailer. The wood stove kept the house nice and cosy.

As the house has no plumbing, I went to the bathroom out in the woods. I peed on the ground
amongst the trees and sat on a 5 gallon bucket in true humanure style for number 2's. Lea has a bucket of sawdust handy to cover what I deposited in the bucket.

Sunday September 30th

I had a day off today. Lea and I walked up to Bob & Larisa's homestead for a visit. I had an enjoyable visit there and I saw photos of the July floods that caused lots of damage in the neighbourhood. Lea departed for a house warming party in town. Bob showed me his electrified Catrike tricycle. Bob and I walked with Cosmo the dog back to Lea's house to look at my bike. After Bob departed, I ate a light dinner and read UK Permaculture magazines until Lea returned later in the evening.

Monday October 1st

I departed at 8:40am and arrived in downtown Winona at 11am. I retrieved my package of herbs from the post office then rode to Bluff County Natural Foods where I bought some supplies and put some herbs into capsules. Some of the staff there came and talked to me. Once I had enough capsules I called Everex to find out what I need to do to get my laptop fixed. The technician suggested plugging the power supply in to another outlet. It worked! I then rode to the library to check my email and after that I departed Winona crossing the Mississippi River into Wisconsin. I rode part of the Nature Trail and ended up at Perrot State Park for the evening. I saw plenty of birds on the Nature Trail. I had my first shower in 3 days! Such simple pleasures are truly treasured once you go without them for a while.

Tuesday October 2nd

After paying for the tent site I rode to Trempeauleau and ate lunch watching a tug and barge go through the lock. Later in the afternoon it rained continuously. I stopped at a supermarket in Holmen to get some food then continued. Riding through La Crosse during rush hour was a busy job keeping away from the endless stream of vehicles. I was told to look out for drunken people participating in the Oktoberfest celebration but I didn't see any inebriated people around. Maybe the rain kept them indoors! At 5pm in Stoddard I stopped for a meal at a diner. I was soaking wet! At least I wasn't cold. I found a river overlook at 7:30pm. It was a steep piece of road and I had to push the bike up the hill. There were a number of walks at the top. I chose the short path to a covered picnic table. There was enough flat grass for my tent. After I put up the tent the rain stopped but the strong SW wind continued blowing. Another simple pleasure is getting out of wet gear, drying off and putting on clean dry clothes. Ah....

Wednesday October 3rd

I spent the morning drying out all the stuff that was wet. Remarkably nobody came up the hill to the picnic spot. I noticed that most of the people drove up in their cars to the top, got out for the view, got into their cars and drove off.

After lunch I departed a 1:39pm and reached Genoa in a few miles. There is a lock and dam here too.

The old puncture that I fixed in Williston decided to leak and deflate the tire. I put in a new patch and found that I also had a pinch flat in the tube which I also patched. As I was connecting the pump to the tube the top of the presta valve broke off. At least the tire stayed inflated so I didn't replace the tube. That took me an hour to fix. I crossed the river from Wisconsin into Iowa at Lansing. The bridge was very steep. I passed several coal fired power stations that day.
Just after dark I arrived at Harper's Ferry. I stopped at the general store for some milk and asked if the campground was still open. The lady said to use the city park instead and gave me directions. There was a covered pavilion and plenty of room to assemble my tent under the roof. Many of the city parks have a power outlet and this one did too. I charged up the camera battery and the cell phone. Then I made some some adjustments to my trip spreadsheet.

Thursday October 4th

I was aiming to get to Luxemburg and visit the Effigy Mounds National Monument today. I departed at 9am and arrived at the Effigy Mounds at 10:20am. I hiked 3 miles in nice woods past the mounds to a lookout over the Mississippi River. Then I hiked 3 miles back. It was hot and I didn't take any water with me. I survived okay and drank a lot of water when I returned.
I departed from the Adventure Cycling maps once I got to Marquette, following route 18 then route 52 to Gutenberg. I stopped for a drink at a gas station. A guy called Dennis stopped to talk. He has a Tour Easy and had ridden the 1900 mile Adventure Cycling Underground Railway route from Florida to Canada. I arrived in Luxemburg after dark. The town was dead. No stores or gas stations were open. Luckily I spotted a lady and I asked her for directions to the city park. I found the park at 8:30pm.

Friday October 5th

Today I thought I was going to get to the Quad Cities area on the Mississippi but it was not to be. I departed at 9am, rode though New Vienna, Worthington, Dyersville, and stopped at the Cascade city park for lunch. It was a hot day! I asked a lady at a bank in Onslow to fill my camelbak bladder with water and she was happy to do this for me. In Wyoming I stopped for some groceries and at 7:40pm I arrived in Lowden. Some young people gave me directions to the city park. There were lots of trains passing during the night. Each train had to toot 21 times at crossings! All the bathrooms were locked!

Saturday October 6th

In the morning the park attendant came to mow the lawns and opened a bathroom for me. I departed at 10:49am to De Witt and arrived there at 12:45pm. I was hoping to ride along the old route 61 to the Quad Cities but due to resurfacing of the road a bridge was not crossable 5 miles down the road. So I rode along the busy route 61 for 10 miles then I was able to ride on the quieter road. I saw many day trip cyclists on this road. I lost count of the number of times I bought cold drinks that day as it was very hot. I crossed over the Mississippi for the last time in Davenport and arrived in Rock Island, IL. I stopped at the Quad Cities airport for dinner at the Runway Cafe. Shortly later I found route 150 and followed it to Orion (pronounced or-ee-on). I arrived at the city park at 9pm. Next door to the park was the police station. I went in and asked if it was safe to stay in the park. The officer suggested going to another park which would be more secluded as it was homecoming night.
Later that evening I heard some young people at the park. They kept me awake for a while until they departed.

Sunday October 7th

Again I used the laptop plugged into a power outlet. I picked up someone's wifi router and I was able to surf the internet for a while. I caught up on my personal email, checked email at my workplace, and ordered some gear from Nashbar and Campmor to be delivered to Huron, OH. I'm starting to realize that I don't have enough cold weather gear with me so hopefully it won't get too cold until later in the month.

The rear tube presta valve finally popped out and the tube deflated for the final time. I replaced the tube and departed at 2:41pm. Man, that doesn't give me much time to get some miles behind me, does it? I arrived at Kewanee at 6:45pm and decided to stay at Baker Park on the golf course. There were no facilities at all to use so I didn't cook dinner - I just ate a second lunch in the dark (guerilla camping - you don't get caught if you can do everything without a flashlight.) The only apprehension about camping on a golf course is that the grass is treated with a lot of chemicals and I didn't want any contact with them. I just hoped that the chemicals had been washed away in the rain. I put the tent up after dark.

As you can see from the photos below, the camera is starting to put a line at the top of each photo. I don't know why it is doing it as I have reset the settings many times.

Monday October 8th (Columbus Day)
Today I had to get up before sunrise to pull down the tent before I was spotted. I was all packed by 7:21am and departed for the Red Apple restaurant for breakfast consisting of three malted pancakes and 2 slices of toasted rye bread with syrup and jam. Mmmm.....washed down with 2 cups of tea. Now I'm ready to roll!

I found a deviation on the Adventure Cycling map and I found a way of getting around the non-existent road! I rode through Osceola and Bradford. I've never seen so many wind generators in one place before. Amazing!

I had 4 miles to go along Western Rd to get to Henry. I rode down a hill and around a bend at 20mph to see a harvester coming toward me taking most of the road. I moved the bike as far to the right as I could and when I passed the harvester the front wheel caught in the gravel and down I went. I lay on the road for a few seconds before I realized I was bleeding from a cut on my head. I put my hand over the wound to stop it bleeding. Then Rusty stopped his semi truck and came to me with his first aid kit. He couldn't believe that the harvester guy didn't stop to help me. I washed the blood off the wound with water from the camelback bladder and Rusty said the cut was deep. I applied some anti-biotic cream to some gauze and stuck it over the wound. I also had some serious road rash on my right hand and arm. My ribs hurt a bit as well.

After a few minutes the adrenaline eased off and I stopped shaking. Rusty left when I said I was going to be okay riding into Henry. I straightened the handlebars, reattached the fairing, picked up everything that had fallen off the bike, and rode slowly into Henry. One of the first places I saw was Doc's Pharmacy. I went in and asked for some doctors addresses. Once I got these I filled up the camelbak bladder with water and rode to the doctors office. The first doctor was not in the office so I rode to the other one. I had to wait for about 20 minutes then the nurse cleaned up the rashes and cut. The doctor had to use 7 stitches to close the wound. Phew! I decided I was going to treat myself to a bed in a motel that evening so I bought some groceries from the supermarket and found the motel.

Not one of my better days of riding but I'm lucky I didn't damage my legs. That could have ended my trip there and then.

I had a nice soak in the bath and slept intermittently as I tossed and turned until I found a comfortable sleeping position that didn't involve lying on my sore ribs, head, or arm.

Tuesday October 9th

Check out time was 11am and I stayed in the room until the last minute before departing. I rode to a laundrette and started to wash my clothes. Then I rode back to the pharmacy with a prescription for more antibiotics. I also stocked up on gauze pads and tape to hold them in place while I rode.

I decided to take another day off today until the swelling in my right hand diminished a bit more. I did some sewing repairs to the clothes that got ripped in the accident, had lunch at the Waterworks Park I was going to stay at that evening, and updated the blog text. There was a power outlet in the pavilion here too. Several tugs pushing barges floated by on the Illinois River.

I called the local police and got the okay to stay in the park that night.

I rode around town until I found the library and the post office. I'll visit both of these in the morning.

Wednesday October 10th

I had another restless sleep tossing and turning.

It got cold during the night and I slept warm with the fleece blanket. After I meditated I got up and put on lots of layers of clothes to keep warm in the cold wind.

I departed at 11:19am after visiting the library and saw that it was open from 1-5pm that day and the post office for the pickup of energy bars that got sent from Williston after I missed picking them up there.

The day was cold, windy (from NW), and grey. I had a side/tail wind all day. I passed through the outskirts of Wenona and had lunch next to the railway line in Ancona. Thank you BNSF railway for providing a signal box I could lean on out of the wind! Parts of the route involved riding north which was into a head wind. Luckily these sections were short (otherwise I'd break away from the Adventure Cycling route).

When a semi truck passed on the opposite side of the road it would stir up the side wind and send a belt of wind my way. I got used to bracing the bike when they passed.

I stopped in Cornell at 4:30pm to check ot their city park. It was pretty basic and there were dogs barking all the time so I continued to Odell.

I arrived there at 5:45pm and asked people at the supermarket for directions to the park. One guy showed me the way in his car and I followed. I called the local sherrif and he said to wait until he got approval by the mayor.

I walked to the local BP gas station as the park bathrooms were locked. I stocked up on water for cooking and drinking.

I cooked and ate my meal. Still no call. At 8:30pm I put up the tent away from the wind, turned off the cell phone and went to sleep.

Thursday October 11th

Sleeping seems to be less restless as I get used to the aches and pains as I turn in my sleep. I woke at 7am, cooked breakfast, and departed at 9:19am.

Again it was a cold, windy (from NW), and grey day. Most of my riding today was to the east so I had a side/tail wind most of the day. There were a few miles where I had to go south and enjoyed a tail wind on those sections.

I arrived in Iroquois at 5:42pm and discovered they had a nice city park. I asked the lady at the general store if someone could unlock one of the bathrooms. She gave me the mayor's phone number. When I called the mayor he said he'd send someone down immediately. It was the mayor himself that came. He motioned me to the building next to the bathrooms and said I could use this facility to stay in for the night. The mayor's office room was heated and toasty warm. Off the garage was a bathroom with a shower! I haven't had one of those for a few nights now. Thank you Jack for your kind offer!

I had a yearning for brussels sprouts today so I bought a frozen packet of them in Ashkum along with a few other grociery items.

Soon I'll go and eat my dinner, have a shower, and have a nice sleep. Tomorrow I'll be leaving Illinois and entering Indiana.

67 miles ridden today.

Stillwater, MN

2007-09-27T16:32:00.000-04:00

Friday September 21st

It rained during the night so I waited until the tent was dry and did some laundry before departing around midday.

I stopped in Bemidji at a health food store for food and a wool clothing store for a pair of socks.

Around 3pm I survived riding and pushing my bike though a mud bath of a road. The rain the previous night must have softened up the road which was being maintained! Okay, I ignored the no through traffic sign and I decided not to take the detour. (New acronym YAD yet another detour.....YADDA YADDA.....)

I stopped at the convenience store in Bena for some refreshments and I did some maintenance on my tail light. Once it was working properly I departed not knowing where I would stay the night.

I arrived at a bridge over the Mississippi River at 8:23pm and I decided to stay there the night. People in cars can't see you if you camp just below the road. I felt safe. Some deer were not happy I was there as I heard them making warning noises in the dark. The meal was good and I had another good sleep.

Saturday September 22nd

There was a heavy dew but I decided to pack up the wet tent and continue. I had a general delivery package to pick up in Grand Rapids.

There was a convenience store in Ball Club and I stopped to get enough water for the ride to Grand Rapids.

There were nice pleasant and quiet roads all the way to Grand Rapids. A farmer stopped to talk while I was munching on some chocolate at a rest stop. He offered some nice water from his well (just a mile up the road.) I decided to continue.

I arrived in Grand Rapids at 11:20am and the package was there! I called and left a message with my friend to confirm my pickup.

I noticed a supermarket on the way into Grand Rapids. I headed to the County Fairgrounds and found the campground. $5 for a tent plus use of the shower. A great price! I spread everything that was wet out on the ground to dry and relaxed in the sunshine. Ahhh...I was happy just to sit and do nothing.

Some time later I put up the tent, packed everything inside headed to the supermarket. On my return to the tent a I guy called Scott rode up on his bike and said he was interested in my bike and my trip. He invited me to come to his parent's house. I agreed to come after I had eaten dinner and I'd bring my computer for a slide show.

The visit to Scott's house was pleasant and I rode back to the tent in the dark to sleep.

Sunday September 23rd

I spent some time writing up the blog on the computer and organizing the photos. Scott visited me again as I was packing everything up. It must be quite mind boggling for Scott to watch as everything packed down and fit in 2 bags plus the tent, mattress, and sleeping bag on the rear carrier. We said our goodbyes and I headed towards Pallisade.

I arrived there at 8:30pm and found the city park after asking for directions at the local gas station. It was $11 a night.

Monday September 24th

I worked on the computer again getting the blog updated and photos reduced.

I departed around 1:40pm and just before 4:30pm I got drenched in a thunderstorm near Aikin.

Tuesday September 25th

Wednesday September 26th

Cambridge, MN

2007-09-26T13:58:00.000-04:00

Hi Folks,

I'm now getting used to equipment failures. I now have a new rear derailleur (replaced in Washington), a new rear wheel (replaced in Minot, ND), a new stove (replaced in Whitefish, MT). Yesterday my camelback water bladder started leaking. Luckily I have a spare with me.

Now this morning my laptop has died. It looks like the power supply is a goner. Most of my photos from Minot to here are on the hard drive. I have a dilemma: put the hard drive into an enclosure and forfeit the warranty or just give you text for now and the photos later once the laptop is fixed. I'm leaning towards sending the laptop in for repairs.

Thursday September 13th

It was a cold, gray, and windy day with a forecast high of 49F.

I replaced the old tire with the new one and inflated the tube. The rim started to flare out. This means I would not be able to use rear brake. Bad news. I deflated the tire and bent the rim back to how it should be then inflated the tube again to 65psi. The rim did not flare out at this pressure. I packed up everything and rode back to the bike shop. I asked if the rim could be replaced but the bike mechanic was very busy and would not have enough time to respoke the new rim. Instead he offered a new wheel which I decided to buy. The mechanic said the wheel would be ready in 2 hours as he would have to transfer the rear gear cassette over to the new wheel.

I grabbed the stuff out of my bags to send home and to forward on to a post office ahead of me. I took the laptop with me to work out where I'd be in a few weeks time. I decided to send the ayurvedic herbs to Winona, MN. I met Steve at the post office. He offered to take me to lunch and to drop me back at the bike shop after lunch.

When I returned to the bike store I paid for the wheel, and put it back on the bike. Steve led the way in his truck to show me where to go to get to route 2.

The shoulder between Minot and Granville was between 1 foot and nothing. And I was riding alongside cars traveling 70mph! Scary stuff...

Luckily the wind was at my back and was blustering between 10-25 mph. I glided along to Towner and reached there at 7:15pm.

I had a hot chocolate at the gas station and rode to the city park. I cooked a nice meal and had an uncomfortable sleep as my feet got cold during the night.

Friday September 14th

There was a frost on the ground when I woke up. I met a local guy who said the temperature dipped to 29F. Brrr...

After breakfast I rode into town and bought some groceries. I departed for Minnewaukan at 11:30am.

I reached Rugby (geographical center of the US) around 2pm. I checked emails at the library then had lunch at a park nearby. As I was taking my trash to the rubbish bin I noticed an MP3 player lying on the ground. Since I had no idea who owned it I decided to carry it with me until I could place an ad in the lost & found section of a local newspaper.

I bought some fleece fabric from a store to ensure I would be warm at night.

It was a long days ride and I arrived at Minnewaukan at 10:30pm. I enjoyed leaving on my read tail light and riding with no headlight along the low traffic roads. There was enough light from the moon to see where I was going. If a car came by I'd turn on the headlight to let the driver know I was there.

After a few times asking for directions to the city park I eventually found it. It was not signposted. There was picnic tables and water but no toilets.

I made a quick meal then had a pleasant sleep under my new fleece blanket.

Saturday September 15th

I departed at 11:20am, bought some groceries from the local supermarket. Some guys were interested in the bike so I talked to them for a while. I was heading to Pekin.

It was sunny with a head / side wind which slowed me down a bit.

By 1:18pm the road turned to the east and I had a tail wind again.

There were many sunflower and corn fields along the way. I had lots of views of a lake as well.

I stopped at Fort Totten, part of an Indian reservation, for lunch.

There were a lot of closed roads. Possibly from flooding.

I collected 6 soda bottle tops from discarded bottles alongside the road for a project. There was a lot of trash alongside the road.

I stopped for a quick snack next to a lake at 5:30pm. A couple of weekend army guys stopped for a talk. One of the guys, James, owned a Volae recumbent high racer bicycle and offered for me to stay at his house in Fargo.

I arrived at Pekin at 9:45pm. I got directions to city park from the bartender at the local pub.

I had another nice sleep under my fleece blanket.

Sunday September 16th

Today I was planning on reaching Hope.

I departed around 12 noon after everything dried out from the heavy dew overnight.

I had 26 miles of riding into a headwind. It really slowed me down and I got tired. The only thing keeping me going was my MP3 player playing my favorite music.

After I reached highway 200 at 5pm the road turned to the east and I had a side / tail wind.

I decided to stay at Cooperstown as I was too tired to continue. The city park had a nice shower and good tasting water. However the mosquitos were very hungry and I had to put on my wet weather clothing and my bug headshield to avoid being bitten.

Monday September 17th

I wanted to reach Fargo today which would be 91 miles. I departed at 5:48am for breakfast at Hope. I arrived there at 8:30am and saw Ken and Sue eating in the diner. I joined them for breakfast.

For the rest of the day we rode togetherhaviong lunch in Arthur and reaching Fargo at 5pm. I followed Ken and Sue first to the bike store to fix Sue's front derailleur then to a hotel while Ken and Sue registered. Then we rode to Juano's restaurant for a nice meal. This would possibly be the last time we would ride together as Ken and Sue would be riding staight across Minnesota to visit friends.

After the meal we parted and I rode to James's house to stay the night. I pitched the tent of their rear lawn and was able to take a shower and get some laundry done. James was unfortunately driving a BNSF train and would not be able to meet me. Sue, his wife was a very nice host.

Tuesday September 18th

After cooking breakfast on their kitchen stove and checking my emails I departed around 11am. I rode back to the bike store and asked if they would dispose of my old tire. Then I went to find a pharmacy to get my prescription filled. I have another abscess above a tooth that had recent surgery. Mick prescribed some antibiotics while I was in Williston.

After getting the prescription I rode over a toll bridge into Moorehead, MN. No welcome to Minnesota sign here.

It was a cool and windy day.

On route 26 that I was riding on, I reached a junction that had a sign saying the road was closed 5 miles ahead. I took the detour and had to ride an extra 20 miles! I reached Hitterdal at 6:15pm and decided to stay in the city park that night. It was forecast to rain that night so I put up the tent under the enclosed pavilion.

Wednesday September 19th

I was going to ride 81 miles to Lake Itasca today.

Shortly after departing at 10am I noticed the rear brake was rubbing. I discovered a broken spoke in my new rear wheel. After tightening up the spokes on either side of the broken one, I was able to get the wheel straightened.

I stopped for lunch outside the country store in Richwood, rode through the Tamarac Wildlife Refuge, and I was amazed by the fall colors of the deciduous trees along the way. They seem to be at peak color. I also had a nice ride on a recently sealed route 143.

I reached Lake Itasca State Park at 8:30pm. I found a nice tent site and started to make a meal. I caught a raccoon trying to make off with my burrito wrap bread. I intercepted the robbery and the 'coon scampered up a tree. I walked over to the tree and we were face-to-face about 1 yard away from each other. I told the 'coon that all my food would be locked away in the men's bathroom that night and that I wanted an uninterrupted sleep in my tent. The 'coon obliged.

Thursday September 20th

It was a wet day today.

I rode the bike path at the park down to where the guide boat wharf then back up to the bike shop. Sam at the bike shop made a replacement spoke for me. He asked if I had a cassette removal tool as I would need it to install the spoke. I didn't have the tool. Sam offered to do it for me. As he was working we talked. Sam had been to Australia after he left the military then he purchased the bike and boat rental business form his father a few years before. I offered to pay for Sam's work but he would only accept $2 for the spoke. He said that I had picked the right day to come to get the spoke repaired.

I rode back to the tent, cooked breakfast and packed everything up. Then I headed to the Mississippi headwaters for a photo.

The rest of the day I kept crossing bridges over the Mississippi River.

By dusk I was at Bena and I arrived in Bemidji just before 7pm. I took a photo of Paul Bunyan and the Bull then went looking for a supermarket for food. Found some food at a drug store then rode out of town to an RV Park.

I cooked a nice meal and slept well.

Please see blog from Stillwater, MN for September 21st through September 26th.

Minot, ND

2007-09-12T20:37:00.000-04:00

Sunday September 9th

I departed Williston about 2pm after fixing a blowout on my rear tire. I made a tire boot out of duct tape and I was able to ride. I ate some lunch on the east of Williston then continued. The road is very hilly with short steep hills. I reached Lake Sakakawea of Lewis and Clark fame.
I rode past cornfields, hayfields, sunflower fields, oil derricks, and natural gas pipes. In a few places the gas was burning and made quite a scene at dusk. I was wondering where I was going to sleep as I couldn't find any trees to hide my tent in. All the fields were fenced and had posted signs.

I looked at the map and saw that a river was near. I reached the White Earth River and sure enough there was a 'nice' bank beneath the bridge. I left the bike up beside the bridge under my camouflage fabric. I took the panniers, tent, sleeping bag, and mattress down to the bank. There was a lot of grass growing there and when I placed the tent on the bank it seemed flat. I cooked my meal and got ready for bed. When I got onto my mattress it kind of slid towards the river. I found a nice bit of ground where I was stable and went to sleep.

In the morning I opened my eyes and discovered I had a blue roof on my tent. The roof should have been orange! When I got out of the tent I discovered that the tent had rolled down from where it was originally to a place 6 feet below and I was sleeping on the top of the tent and the floor was now the roof. I had no recollection of ever sliding down the hill.

Monday September 10th

The next morning I was cold! I put on my warmest gear and eventually the shivering stopped. In order to have breakfast I had to filter water from the river. The water was murky and I had to clean the filter often. The water tasted strongly of something. At least there were no giardia in the water! I thought 'well I won't die from the bugs but maybe from the minerals in the water'. My rolled oats and hot chocolate tasted okay.

I noticed the rear tire was bulging again. I found a discarded soda bottle and made another tire boot from the plastic. The edges were sharp so I lined the edges with duct tape. The tire now looked okay when pumped up.

The wind was strong and I had a side wind. It was slow going. I stopped for lunch when I detected a few drops of rain. I got into my rain gear and ate some lunch. I had just completed lunch when Ken & Sue ride up.

We rode to New Town and stopped at the supermarket for food. Ken went to a liquor store for a few beer cans. We rode to a restaurant near the turnoff to Van Hook Campground. We ate some food at the restaurant and rode to the campground. It seemed nice. The water in the bathroom smelled bad. I had enough water from the river to cook dinner and breakfast. It was very cold that night and my feet were frozen!

Tuesday September 11th

I woke up at 4:30am when some dogs and cats started screaming. I heard later that a skunk was nearby. I put on my warm gear and slid back into the sleeping bag. I got up at 7:15am, packed the tent, mattress, and sleeping bag, ate breakfast and paid for my tent site at the camp office. I had to borrow $3 from Sue as they didn't accept credit cards. We departed at 9am. It was ccold! We aimed to be in Minot that evening. It was a 70 miles ride. The wind was North Westerly and was a side wind. It slowed us down quite a bit. The hills weren't as steep as the previous day but still required effort to climb. The scenery was interesting with hay fields, sunflower fields (look like they are genetically modified), lakes, and wind generators.

We reached Minot by 5pm and went to Pat's Motel and Campground. It was a bit run down so we went to Swenson's RV Park and asked for a tent site. The host pointed to a vacant RV site with some grass and said it was ours. When we asked for a price he said we could stay for free. We couldn't resist such an offer. The facilities were very nice with bathrooms, showers, dining room with microwave, fridge, and oven, and a laundry.

Sue saw some wild turkeys in the bush behind the RV Park.

We rode back to route 86 to a supermarket and bought some nice food for dinner. I had grapes, vegeburgers, cucumber relish, soft tortilla shells, and chocolate milk. Mmmmmm....great!

I slept better as it was warmer here.

Wednesday September 12th

Today was a day off. I meditated, bought a new tire, thermal underwear, more food, caught up on emails, charged up the batteries for my camera and the cell phone.

Tomorrow we ride to Towner, ND and stay at the city park.

Williston, ND

2007-09-09T11:42:00.000-04:00

Monday September 3rd

Here are some photos from my ride from Chester to Chinook.

Tuesday September 4th

And some photos from my ride from Chinook to Malta.

Wednesday September 5th

I spent the morning at the campground repacking the bags and doing some laundry. The library opened at 1pm and I spent a few hours there catching up on emails. Sue came and talked to me while I was in the library. She and Ken were staying in Malta that evening. Around 5pm I departed after having a late lunch and arrived at the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge just before 6pm. I really enjoyed my 30 minute stay there. It was very peaceful. I saw a cottontail rabbit, a hawk, many birds, and some pronghorn antelope. The road to Saco was very rough and by the time I reached highway 2 again it was almost dusk. I felt a little hesitation about riding to Saco because of the rumors I'd heard the Saco is the mosquito capital of Montana! As I began to ride I saw signs to Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs. Yes! That was where I'd head for the night. I paid for the tent site and a soak in the hot springs. The pool I liked the most was 11o degrees. I felt very relaxed after the soak and quickly made my way to the tent to avoid being eaten by the mosquitos.

Mileage today was 21 miles.

Thursday September 6th

I stopped in Saco at the supermarket and discovered Ken and Sue's bikes parked outside a cafe. I joined them at a table and we talked for a while. I then rode with Ken and Sue until we reached Glasgow where they would be staying the night.

On the outskirts of Glasgow were these sculptures. Kind of interesting to look at but maybe too big for a front yard.

I rode on towards Nashua.

59 miles today.

Friday September 7th

Now I remembered that I had a pickup at the Williston post office and I had to get there by Saturday at noon.

I would need to get to Culbertson tonight. I left just before 9am and rode past Frazer, Oswego, Wolf Point, Poplar, and Brockton. I met Fred, an Indian outside a store in Poplar and Jeff Stump, another Indian, outside his reservation in Brockton. They were both very down-to-earth guys and very friendly. I reached Culbertson at 7:30pm. There was a high school football match going on and it was noisy! I ate dinner at a pizza restaurant. My legs were sore so I drank 2 cups full of electrolyte recovery drink I was carrying with me.

96.9 miles today.

Saturday September 8th

It was cold! I saw the temperature flashing somewhere 49 degrees! My legs felt good! I departed Culbertson at 6:15am and had breakfast at Bainville 15 miles away. I didn't realize that there were so many rolling hills to Williston and I arrived a little late at the post office at 12:15pm. I The official hours ended at noon but I heard voices behind the door that was closed and I kept on knocking. Eventually a lady opened the door and I explained I had ridden 40 miles to pick up a general delivery package. She took a look but my package as not there. She gave me a phone number to call the next day. I checked with my friend back home and the package was sent August 31st. She mentioned that there was some delay in mail going out after Labor day.

So I rode around town, visited the railway station and saw an old train, figured out what the SF in BNSF railroad meant, visited JC Penney looking for warm wool socks (couldn't find any), and started to ride to find a laundromat and the library. As I was riding along a road a guy stopped and got out of his pickup truck. He wanted to talk. His name was Mick O'Brien and he had ridden a similar route across the US on his recumbent bike in 2000. I explained what I was searching for and he suggested I come back to his place. He gave me directions and I followed his truck. I parked the bike in his garage and we went out for lunch which he paid for. We returned to his house and he suggested we go for a visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park which was a mere hour and a quarter drive away (more like a day's bike ride for me!)

We saw amazing badland scenery along the Little Missouri River which Teddy Roosevelt ranched here. We also saw Prickly Pear Cactus, Buffalo, Mule and Whitetail deer, Prairie Dogs (about an hours walk to the Prairie Dog City), a Cottontail Rabbit, Quails, and Ring Necked Pheasants.

Williston is sitting on an active oil field. I learned on the drive back that landowners own the mineral rights so it is up to the farmers to remove the disused oil rigs.

Back in Williston Mick treated me to some burritos from Taco Johns and we watched some university football. I laundered my clothes, dried my tent, showed Mick my photos on the laptop and he showed me his trip photos. I read his log of the trip which he incorporated into a book about his life. Very interesting reading...thank you Mick for your generous hospitality!

I couldn't get to sleep probably because of the one hour difference between Mountain time and Central Time which I was now on since crossing the border into North Dakota.

Sunday September 9th

Now that I'm fully refreshed I've decided to camp along Lake Sakakawea on the western side of New Town tonight and ride to Minot on Monday.

Harlem, MT

2007-09-04T17:08:00.000-04:00

Thursday August 23rd

I visited the park in Sandpoint next to the campground and the "beach". It looks like the white sand is imported from somewhere else.

My next camping equipment failure was my plastic spork (spoon and fork combined). I purchased a new titanium one (http://www.vargooutdoors.com/) from the Army Surplus store.

My ride out of Sandpoint followed Lake Pend Oreille. The scenery was beautiful and very soothing to the eyes.

The route then took me through the Cabinet Gorge.

I visited the Cabinet Gorge dam

And I eventually entered Montana

This is a photo of the Cabinet Gorge reservoir

Friday August 24th

Then I rode through the Cabinet Mountains

My first encounter with a black bear

Then I followed the Kootenai River - here is a photo of the Kootenai Falls

and the Kootenai River. Lots of people were fishing on the river. One guy would paddle a boat and two people, one at each end would fish.

Saturday August 25th

I rode past the Libby Dam. It was quite a climb to the dam.

Lake Kookcanusa is the reservoir supplying water to the Libby Dam.

Some photos along Route 228 which is high above Lake Kookcanusa.

Once I came upon this sign near dusk, every black tree stump I rode past looked like a black bear!

Just before I got to the Kootenai Bridge, I must have startled a black bear on the side of the road where I was riding, The bear made a quick exit into the trees and the noise so close to me almost made me jump out of my skin!

Sunday August 26th

I passed through Eureka and was amazed my the "Big Sky"

Inside Kootenai House is a full sized preserved Grizzly Bear.

I rode along Tobacco Rd. It reminded me of a Dire Straits song with the same name....Tobacco is the name of the nearby river.

I had been following the east to west Northern Tier these 3 guys (Michael, Chuck and Jamie) were taking and we finally bumped into each other.

Michael gave me his receipt for Glacier National Park. It costs $12 for a car or bicyclist. We both agreed the price is a bit steep for bicyclists.

I had been seeing "no fires" signs along the way at campgrounds...

Monday August 27th

I found a nice tent site by the Stillwater River

Another casualty of my camping equipment was my Peak1 Apex II multi-fuel stove. 3 of the 5 supports for my pot broke away and I eventually tried to replace the supports with some aluminum cans I found discarded alongside the road. The thin aluminum didn't last more than one cooking session so I had to try something different. I eventually experienced a retro-moment where I could support the pot using a tripod made out of fallen tree branches I found near the tent site. I bound the branches with some nylon rope I was carrying with me.

I was able to purchase a MSR Whisperlite International multi-fuel stove in Whitefish at the White Room outdoors store. I also replaced my pack towel which I think I left behind at Sandpoint. And I bought some extra UCO candles for my candle light.

I also picked up another box of Luna Bars at the Post Office that a friend had sent to me via General Delivery.

Outside Columbia Falls I took a photo of the sunset

Tuesday August 28th

I was getting close to Glacier National Park and I followed a road with 2.6 miles of gravel. There was a guy operating a digger along the road. He stopped me to say that his wife rides a recumbent bike (an early version of a Vision short wheelbase recumbent)

Riding down the hill were Ralph and Pat who were doing an Alaska to Chile bike trip.

Who said I was in Bear Country?

I eventually reached West Glacier

I was able to use Michael's pass to get into Glacier National Park. I rode along the Going-to-the-Sun road and reached Lake McDonald

Some more scenery along the On Going-to-the-Sun Road

McDonald Falls

Some more scenery along the On Going-to-the-Sun Road

I stayed that evening at Avalanche camping ground. I was able to put my food and smelly objects into a bear-proof container provided by the National Park for hiker-bikers.

Wednesday August 29th

I left at 8am to ride up to Logan Pass. I'll let you enjoy the scenery in the photos.

Bicyclists are restricted from riding the road between 11am and 4pm. I rode to a nice shady spot somewhere about halfway up and stopped around 10:45am. I did some sewing to repair my camelbak water bladder holder, my camera bag, and shortening the legs on a pair of campmor nylon cargo pants that unzip to a pair of shorts. I also hiked down to a clearing where I could take some photos of a waterfall and the mountain vista. I also had time to walk along the road to filter some water at the waterfall I took a photo of.

I departed at 4pm and reached Logan Pass around 6pm. There were some mountain goats at the pass

and a horned sheep...

Logan Pass

Some scenery along the On Going-to-the-Sun Road on the way down the other side...

Jackson Glacier

Saint Mary Lake

I decided to camp at Saint Mary Lake.

Thursday August 30th

The next morning I was presented with this scenery at Saint Mary Lake. Are these photos worth $125? More about this below.

As I was bringing my bike and bags back to the road a park ranger stopped me and said I was camping illegally. I should have camped at the camping ground a mile back. I was given a park violation ticket which cost me $125! Grrr....I eventually decided not to dwell on what had happened and moved on to enjoying my ride again.

The scenery changed dramatically outside the park. Here is a photo I took on the road from Saint Mary to Babb. Babb is part of an Indian Reservation. How come the Indians always get unhospitable land to settle on? A bit unfair, I think.

This part of the trip took me to the US Canada Border. I was going to to be riding in Alberta for a few days.

Here is a photo of the Rockies on the Canadian side

Waterton Lakes

Prairies on PR6

The prairies were beautiful but there was nowhere to put my tent for the night without being detected. So I decided to stay the night at Crooked Creek Campground. I was still in bear country. The camp manager allowed me to store my food in the "cooking shack."
I met the Cook family from Dixmont, ME, which is about an hour from Bar Harbor, my destination.

Friday August 31st

Riding through the prairies was very easy going with the westerly wind at my back. Occasionally I'd look back at the rockies.

I passed a natural gas plant and at Belly River I saw some wind generators.

Another look back at Rockies

Some photos on the road heading towards Del Bonita

My Shadow late in the afternoon

I reached the US Border at Del Bonita

The westerly wind was strong and I kept on riding trying to find somewhere to sleep where I wouldn't be seen. After dark I eventually found a bank alongside the road behind which I slept.

I rode 80 miles that day.

Saturday September 1st

The next morning I had to reach Cut Bank to pick up 2 packages I had sent myself from Sandpoint containing my ayurvedic herbs and my laptop computer.

Here is a photo pre-dawn heading towards Mile post 10

Cut Bank produces some oil and natural gas. I saw active oil wells and some abandoned ones. It made me think about the environmental awareness of these oil companies just leaving the abandoned oil wells on the land. Why don't they clean up after themselves once the oil runs out? Or does it just come down to plain economics of making a profit and to hell with the environment?

I reached the Cut Bank post office in time and made my way to the campground. I met Ken and Sue who where about to depart. They were following the Northern Tier as far as Cleveland, OH before heading south to Tampa, FL. We may meet again before reaching Cleveland.
I spent most of the day relaxing at the campground. I sorted out which photos to include in the blog and laundered most of my clothes. The campground had a shower and a TV all for $10 a night!

Sunday September 2nd (Labor Day weekend)

The landscape continued to be open grassland prairies and the weather was hot and dry with a westerly tail wind. I rode along Route 2 though Ethridge and Shelby. At Shelby I bought lunch at Albertson's supermarket and drank a quart of chocolate milk! Mmmmm....Leaving Shelby I broke a link in the bike chain and I spent 30 minutes fixing it. I rode through Dunkirk, Devon, and stopped at Galata for some water. No stores were open and I eventually filtered water from a tap on the lawn of the Galata Motel. Two guys on bicycles rode past. I eventually caught up with them while they were taking a rest stop. We talked for a while. They were from Michigan and were riding from Glacier National Park back home. One of the guys names was Shaun, Shaun was riding a 2006 Trek 520 upright touring bike like I used to own. My bike was a 1979 model. I decided to ride with the guys to Chester where we departed. The guys were going to stay in a motel and I stayed in the city park for free. It was very pleasant there.

Monday September 3rd (Labor Day)

I decided to ride to Chinook to another free city park campsite. Again the landscape was open grassland prairies and the weather was hot and dry with a westerly tail wind. I rode through Joplin, Inverness, Rudyard. The Amtrak train to Chicago whizzed past. I also saw many Burlington Northern BNSR railroad freight trains. I waved to one of the engines and got a load horn toot in reply. At Hingham I stopped for lunch and the gas station / convenience store was closed. I ate a bagel and cheese then filtered some water before continuing. A guy on a BMW 1100 motorbike stopped and we talked for a few minutes. He was riding back from Seattle to Northern Virginia. His bike was getting 50.8 mpg. I rode through Gildford, Kremlin, and reached Havre just before 5pm. An IGA supermarket was open, I ate 2 donuts and drank a pint of chocolate milk before continuing. I reached Chinook at 7:15pm and stopped at an icecream parlor for a large Mountain Dew drink. I got directions to the Waterworks Park. People were walking their dogs at the park. Eventally they all left and I put up the tent and cooked dinner. An added bonus to this park was a shower! I did some laundering of some clothes and slept around 11pm. I was awoken by a feral cat jumping on a trash can around 12:30am. I got up and chased the cat away. It came back! I eventually fixed the problem by moving the trash can off the concrete floor of the pavilion to the grass. Now I got some uninterupted sleep!

Tuesday September 4th

After a nice ride to Harlem, I'm at the library posting this blog. Today is cloudy and hazy and a lot cooler.

I hope to make it to Malta this evening.

Sandpoint, ID

2007-08-22T21:46:00.000-04:00

Thursday August 16th - Winthrop continued....

A few photos of the wildlife in the field next to the camping ground. A coyote and some deer.

Some photos of Winthrop:

After climbing Loup Loup pass I cruised down to Okanagan, a small town with lots of apple, peach, cherry, pear, and nectarine orchards.

The land looks so dry in this area. I had a nice huckleberry icecream at a restaurant called On The Avenue. It seemed like everyone owned a truck in this town!

I continued riding through Omak and an Indian reservation. As the sun was setting I was able to get a nice photo.

I ended up in Riverside camping for free by the boat launch.

Friday August 17th

I had my first tire puncture. At first, I could pump it up and ride a few miles before having to do it again. After the second time it became clear the distance was getting shorter between inflations. So I stopped, fixed the tire, and had lunch under the shade of a tree.

The water filter is becoming very handy and as yet I have not had to buy any bottled water. There are many accessible streams and rivers where I ride.

I stopped in Tonasket at the Okanogan River Coop for a nice cold root beer and some Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. I used to like this icecream a lot but now after demolishing a pint of the stuff, I feel I don't have to buy any more for a long time!

As I was climbing Wauconda Pass I was getting sick of hearing the rear brake pad making a squealing noise so I disabled the rear brakes. I suspect that the right hand pannier is putting pressure on the brake and making it engage with the rim. I may have to adjust the under seat rack to hold the bag out further.

When I reached Wauconda just after dark there only seemed to be a gas station / diner there and it was closed. So I rode a little further up to the pass and decided to put the tent on a terrace above the road. It was the first time I put up the tent in a place that was visible from the road. I had a peaceful night.

Saturday August 18th

I decided to get up early and have breakfast on the road somewhere as I had to post be in Republic before lunchtime. My friend Jyotsna had mailed some energy bars to me at the Post Office. I departed at 8am, reached Wauconda Pass after riding a few miles, and I arrived in Republic just before 10am. The package was waiting for me!

I stocked up on food supplies at the supermarket then headed on to Sherman Pass. It took 6.5 hours of steady riding to get to the top. I ate some macaroni and bean salad at the top.

At 7pm I arrived at Camp Growden CCC. This was a camp set up in the depression (1930's) by President Roosevelt for young single people to work on planting trees and creating roads. The young people earned some money and had to send part of their earnings home to their families.
There was a lot of bear fur on the ground so after cooking my meal I put all the food into a bag and hauled it up between 2 trees. No bears disturbed my sleep.

Sunday August 19th

The next day was wet! Although the rain was light, it did not stop all day.

Nice pine trees alongside Columbia River.

I stopped in Kettle Falls to stock up on food and to dry some clothes that got wet. I checked the cell phone and I had a few voice messages and a text message. I called Krishna at the office and I was able to help him with a SQL Server tip.

The route out of Colville was steep and it took me a while to get over the hills. I stopped at Crystal Falls near dusk time. I would have loved to camp there that night but the route down to the water looked too steep. I continued on and found a nice pine forest near a stream. I think it was called Camp Creek. Another peaceful night!

Monday August 20th

The rain had stopped during the evening and the tent just needed a little drying in the sun before departing. I had lunch in Ione, a quiet little town with a nice park on the Pend Oreille river.

The route from Ione to Newport followed a quieter road on the opposite side of the river from route 20. It was relatively flat and I made good time. I rode through Kalispel Indian reservations.

I crossed the river at Usk to get food for the evening meal. The convenience store was close to a wood chip plant. I decided to stay at Skookum Creek campground. I made a wrong turn and ended up at a RV resort. I didn't feel comfortable staying there and there didn't seem to be any tent sites.

I filtered some water at a nearby wetland marsh and found another tent site in a pine tree
forest. I had to use the piece of camoflage material I brought with me to hide the tent from the road. Not long after I put up the tent a car pulled up at a gate near where the tent was located. The driver unlocked the gate, drove in, and locked the gate again. The camouflage worked!

Tuesday August 21st

I knew that the tent would be seen the next morning so I packed up early and departed. I found the Skookum Creek campground and I had breakfast there.

It was my last day in Washington state. My legs were feeling like blocks of lead! I needed to put a lot of my focus on keeping the pedals turning.

The scenery along the Pend Oreille river was stunningly beautiful.

I arrived in Newport, ID at 11:30am. I had to follow route 2 for a mile or two and I couldn't wait to get off it. The shoulders were small and the traffic was busy with many logging trucks. I finally found Old Priest River Rd and it was peaceful riding again.

I met Janice and Gary McFarland who were completing a 4 day credit card touring trip that day. We rode for a few miles together and Gary took a photo for me.

I spotted some Osprey nests on poles alongside the road. When I approached them the birds started squealing. I talked to one and it flew off. The next one I didn't talk to and it stayed on the nest. I reached Sagle at 4:15pm and celebrated by drinking a quart of Nesquick chocolate milk. Mmmm...

From Sable to Sandpoint was along a bike path.

Lots of people were riding, roller blading, or walking on the path. I arrived in Sandpoint around 5pm. The only campground in town was attached to the Best Western motel. I booked 2 nights. The main reason I stayed there is that they have a jacuzzi! I must have spent an hour in there soaking my legs.

After putting up the tent I found out another unexpected feature of camping here. It is adjacent to a very busy railroad! I must have counted a dozen trains that passed during the night. After midnight I was kind of getting used to them.

Wednesday August 22nd

I'm having a day off.

Over the last few days my camp stove has been slowly dismantling itself. The little arms that
support the pot I boil the water in have broken off and where there were 5 arms there are now only 2! I visited 4 stores in Sandpoint today and none stock multi-fuel stoves. The Army Surplus store had a LPG cannister stove but I felt strongly against buying a stove that uses disposable cannisters. So I'm going to dive into a dumpster soon for some empty soda cans and I'll construct some replacement arms until I can find a new stove. One lady in a store said that there are a few stores in Whitefish, MT that sell multi-fuel stoves. So I'll hold off until then. Another possibility is to order the stove from Campmor and get it delivered to a Post Office along the way. That may cost a bit more.

I'm sitting in the lobby of the Best Western motel typing this up. Unfortunately I can't connect to their wifi for some reason. So I'll head off downtown soon to post this to the blog site. I visited the cyber cafe but they were closed when I arrived. I'm now posting this outside Mick Duff's Brewing Company on 1st Ave.

I think I'll use earplugs tonight. I'll still feel the vibrations of the trains passing and I hope they won't wake me up!

I'm not sure where I'll post the next blog. Possibly it will be from Chester, MT on September 2nd after I've been over the Rockies. I'll be sending the laptop on ahead of me. Nope, I'm not going to lug it over Logan Pass with me!

Cheers!

Winthrop, WA

2007-08-15T17:08:00.000-04:00

Saturday August 11th continued....

I thought I was going to be able to get a campsite at the Howard Miller Steelhead Park but it was not to be. The 80 cyclists had filled up every available tent site. So I departed just on darkness looking for a suitable tent site. After crossing the Skagit River a mile or so out of town, I turned left into Martin Rd and shortly afterwards I found a suitable site in an abandoned orchard.

I was able to check the cell phone for voice messages.

Sunday August 12th

It took me 2 hours to ride to Marblemount and another 2.45 hours to ride to Newhalem. I bought a few frozen burritos. I microwaved one for lunch and saved the other for breakfast the next morning. I left just after 3pm and 30 minutes later while climbing a steep hill, the rear derailleur cable broke. I was able to shorten the cable guide. I noticed that the inner wheel on the rear derailleur was stiff so I loosened the retaining nut a little. The gears seemed to be working okay again. I passed through two tunnels. The first one had a button the bicyclist pushes to warn motorists there is a bike in the tunnel.

I arrived at Diablo Dam at 5pm. I noticed a few twisted chain links and I straightened them as well as I could with limited tools. I arrived at Diablo at 6pm. Then I started hearing more noises from the rear derailleur. A screw that holds the derailleur away from the rear cassette and the little flange that it screws into had snapped off. I jury rigged a fix using some nylon rope to pull the derailleur out far enough for it not to run on the cassette. The gears seemed to be working again but are now limited to the lower 4 gears on the rear cassette only. This is fine with me as I'm climbing hills most of the way.

Cell phone could not find a network here.

I found an ideal tent site above a gate to the Ross Dam that was closed for the evening. Someone had obviously camped there before.

After dinner I walked up the hill which had a lovely view of the dam site.

I watched the Perseid Meteors for a few hours. I was so tired that while I was laying on the soft mossy bank I would see a meteor or two, doze off, and wake again to see some more meteors.

Monday August 13th

Another day of climbing. A few cyclists heading for Chicago passed me. They seemed to be carrying much less gear than me! I started thinking of all the heavy things I was carrying in my bag. I used the binoculars once to gaze at some stars and besides that I hadn't used them. Then my mind started to get into gear - replace the stainless steel cooking set with a titanium set saving precious pounds! I could see myself at a library on the internet going to the Campmor website! In almost all the bicycle touring newsletters and websites I have frequented over the years, the most efficient and less costly thing I can can do is to lose a few of my own pounds first before thinking of my camping gear! Okay, it was a nice thought about the titanium cookwear!

Later in the day I was stopped by Ken from Arizona who had been with his wife to the San Juan Islands riding their Tour Easys (similar bikes to mine.) Ken said he would look out for me in Winthrop the next day.

I had the best intention of reaching Rainy Pass that evening but as I reached Swamp Creek daylight was fading fast. I found another nice tent site just off the road and I gathered some water from Swamp Creek for my meal. As I was inflating my mattress I watched a few more Perseid Meteors cross the evening sky.

Cell phone could not find a network here.

Tuesday August 14th

Here it is, the day I would get to ride up and over Rainy and Washington Passes. I departed at 11am and reached Rainy Pass just after midday.

I reached Washington Pass just before 2 pm.

The bicyclists I met in Rockport strongly suggested I go to the pass overlook and I'm glad I took their advice. I left there at 2:35pm and I was down in Mazama at 4:19pm.

The 7 miles of 5.5% grade was exhilarating on the way down and it was over far too quickly!

I had a nice icecream and drink at the Mazama Store and departed 20 minutes later. Mazama seems to be popular place for outdoor activities in summer and winter.

I arrived in Winthrop at 5:41pm and quickly discovered where the bike shop was located. They were still open! They had a new Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur in stock ($109). The mechanic mentioned that my bike's dropout was bent and he thought he had a tandem derailleur cable in stock as well. I arranged to drop the bike off at the store the next morning.

I rode out of town to nearby Perrygin State Park and after a nice shower (the first in 7 days!) and most of my clothes washed and hanging to dry, I'm writing up my log next to my tent.

I'm taking Wednesday as my first day off since I started riding from Seattle.

I'm also seriously thinking of sending the laptop computer (almost 6 pounds!) and a few other pieces of camping gear and spare parts onto a Post Office where the land flattens out a bit beyond the rest of the Northern Cascade mountains! Probably Sandpoint in Idaho.

Winthrop is a cute town (population 349) with most shops in the main street of the town having a wild west facade.

Well, its time for me to go pick up the bike and get some food for dinner and breakfast.

Rockport, WA

2007-08-11T20:10:00.000-04:00

August 9th continued....

While I was at Port Townsend I tried to contact Bob Bryant, the publisher of Recumbent Cyclist News (RCN) that I subscribe to. Unfortunately the number I found with a google search was his fax number. I was lucky to bump into Chet Rideout, a guy whose stories I have enjoyed reading in RCN over the years.

The ferry trip was 30 minutes and I just had enough time to have lunch before arriving on Whidbey Island.

On Whidbey Island the local deer don't seem to be afraid of bicyclists!

I've been riding past beautiful trees with red bark and large leaves. I found out these are called Pacific Madrone trees.

The ride through Deception Pass was spectacular and finding a Bald Eagle was the highlight. During my trip up to Port Townsend I was going back and forth about whether I should have taken a shuttle van or bus up to Anacortes. I now have no regrets about deciding to ride up to Anacortes!

Getting close to Anacortes I rode past some sort of refinery. Probably oil.

I arrived in Anacortes around 9pm. I was so hungry I ordered a small 12" mushroom pizza just for me! As I was eating the pizza I watched a Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles baseball match. I still don't understand all the rules and I've been living in the US for 11 years!

After the pizza was demolished, I rode to Washington Park near the San Juan ferry terminal. I put up my tent, paid for the tent site at the vending machine, and had my first shower in a few days!

August 10th

I awoke to some young Christian children having a religious lesson near my tent at 7am. Luckily the lesson didn't last long and I was able to go back to sleep until 10am. It rained during the night and I spent some time drying the tent and eating breakfast.

I departed at 1:30pm to the ferry terminal for the traditional dipping of the bike tires in the Pacific Ocean. The beach next to the ferry terminal was too steep to negotiate with the panniers attached. So off they came and I carried the bike to the shore.

The Northern Tier ride has begun! I had a nice time riding along 2 bike paths and along the Skagit River.

After it got dark I found a nice forest to park my tent for the night (guerilla style.)

August 11th

I awoke to the delightful view of trees towering above me.

I ran out of water the previous evening after dark. As I was riding along I was looking for a nice stream to try out my new Katadyn Hiker water filter. It worked like a charm. The water was sweet!

Over the past few days the wind gods have been very kind to me and given me gentle westerly tail winds.

I crossed over the Skagit River before entering Concrete. You'll never guess how this town got it's name!

Between Concrete and Rockport I had a nice view of a snowy Northern Cascade peak.

I arrived in Rockport at 3:45pm and I found free wifi at the local pub. I've been transferring photos of the trip into the laptop, installing Google Picasa, and creating this blog. It is time consuming!

What an interesting coincidence. I bump into 2 kiwis (I'm one too!) in the pub. It really is a small world! Some cyclists came into the pub. They are part of a group of 80 cyclists crossing the country from east to west. Their destination is Seattle.

Over the next few days I'll be going over some passes in the Northern Cascades. I hope to post some photos in the next few days.

Cheers!

Port Townsend

2007-08-08T23:40:00.001-04:00

August 5th

I arrived in Seattle at 10:45pm (2:45am Eastern Standard Time) with just my carry-on backpack. Because I checked in just before my flight was about to board, my bike boxes did not accompany me on the flight. I was told that the boxes would arrive at the airport the next day.
Nala met me at the airport and soon afterwards I was asleep in a bed in west Seattle.

August 6th

I retrieved the bike boxes from JetBlue today and had another chill out day. Nala took me to the fish ladder at the locks and we watched my spiritual cinema circle DVD.

August 7th

The day was overcast and rainy. I assembled my bike, packed the panniers, made enough herb capsules for 2 weeks and I departed around 1pm. I went back to the locks, took photos then followed the bike path above the lock and arrived at 6pm to catch the Bainbridge Island ferry. I picked up some supplies at a supermarket and 76 convenience store. Arrived at Fay-Bainbridge State Park at 9pm.

August 8th

I spent some time this morning drying out the tent after a rainy night. Departed at 11am. arrived in Port Townsend at 8:44pm.

I stayed near Fort Worden State Park last night guerilla camping in some trees.

August 9th

I ate breakfast down by the shore at the RV park. I talked with Patty, a local resident. Then Tom, a guy riding with some over 50's, gave me his Whidbey Island map. Then Jim offered for me to use his outside toilet at the B&B he runs. Some very nice people! I helped an elderly lady connect her sewer hose to her RV. With any luck I'll catch the Whidby Island ferry today and be in Anacortes by tonight.

Why do this ride?

2007-08-02T13:41:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone

I showed the initial post to some friends and they suggested I post a photo of myself and give you my intention. I'll first show you a photo of my bike when I was touring in Iceland from June 8th to July 2nd, 2005. The bike is an Easy Racers Tour Easy which I bought in August, 2001.

It is still stable, responsive, and comfortable for long days in the saddle as it was back then. The only thing I'd love to have is a set of S&S couplers installed so I could at least break the bike down into half of its length. I'd possibly then not get charged the oversize bag size when flying somewhere with the bike.

I had a pedal car and rode a tricycle when I was a youngster then a 3-speed bicycle when I went to school in Christchurch, New Zealand. I'd love to own a velomobile (if I could afford one!)

For a number of years in my early thirties I commuted to work on a Healing 12-speed bike.

In 1991 I discovered my spiritual path and in 1994 I came to live in upstate NY in the foothills of the Catskill mountains to do voluntary work for my spiritual organization. I was back in a rural setting and there were plenty of quiet roads on which to go bicycling.

I bought an old Univega 10-speed and later found an old Trek 400 12-speed that I repaired. And during my rides I was again experiencing the feeling of freedom and traveling slow enough to pay attention to what was going on around me in nature and feeling connected to my environment.

During a week of bicycling with a friend in Vermont in the late 1990's we stopped at an outdoors store for some camping supplies. The store happened to be displaying a BikeE recumbent bicycle (no longer in production :( ) - so I rode it inside the store and I immediately found that I liked riding in this position.

In the late 1990's I bought a 1979 Trek 520 touring bike on the internet and I enjoyed several years of bicycling bliss touring from Wilmington, NC to South Fallsburg, NY, Auckland to Invercargill (New Zealand), the Big Island of Hawaii, climbing Haleakala on Maui, the island of Oahu, and in the Catskills, NY. There were a few nagging complaints I had on a conventional touring bike. My butt, shoulders, and my neck hurt a lot after 50 miles in the saddle.

After I purchased the recumbent bike in 2000 the pain went away! I've toured on the recumbent from Buffalo to South Fallsburg, NY along the Erie Canal and the Ring Road around Iceland.

My intention for the ride

Ride for 3 months in nature, live simply, contemplate my life up until now, and get clear about what I want to do in the foreseeable future. Right now I have many conflicting ideas floating around in my head. I get very tired with the computer work I do and so getting away from all that for 3 months will give me the opportunity to see everything in the "big picture". Being detached from it all will allow me to start to make some life decisions.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. My next instalment will be either from Seattle or Anacortes, WA in a few days time.

The Big Trip across the US

2007-07-31T23:46:00.000-04:00

Hi Folks

Everything is coming to fruition...I have 3 months leave, I sold my telescope, my bike is tuned, my body is fit, my itinerary is at the draft stage, and I'm feeling that it is really going to happen!

I'll be using the Adventure Cycling Association Northern Tier bicycling route maps.

I still have to decide what I'm going to do when I reach Seattle late Sunday evening. Do I get a ride to Anacortes with Airporter which would mean I'd arrive around 1:30am or do I go to the local KOA camping ground and get some sleep?

If I camp at KOA the next day I have the option of taking the Airporter ride, or assemble the bike and ride through Seattle, catch some ferries, ride some more and end up in Anacortes a few days later. The other option is to transport the bike into Seattle and catch a bus.

Hopefully all will become clear soon.