Some final thoughts

Like a horse refusing to go into her stall, legs locked leaning against the halter and lead, I have stayed away from my home computer and this blog since we arrived in Flagstaff. I don't want to our trip to end, and yet it has. There needs to be some closure, but I have been trying to extend this walk from the freedom of the pasture to the 4 walls of the stall. It feels something like an identity crisis - as if, when the door closes that person who spent the last 2 months trotting across the country, will cease to exist. Not true, I know - but this is where my reluctance is rooted. On a table in the garage sits our list - the checklist of everything we needed to pack. I can't bear to move it - seeing it brings back the excitement of preparing for the trip, and makes me nostalgic at the same time. (Writing this I understand that leaving it there is a bit of self-torture.) Some days our trip feels like it transpired in a dream...did we really ride across the country? And other days, especially riding my bike to work, I can be transported instantly to a soybean field in Nebraska, or the top of a mountain pass - which feels like magic!

In an effort to keep that feeling alive, Mike and I rode our bikes up to the Grand Canyon last weekend and stayed overnight at Susan and Gary's house. It was a beautiful fall weekend - aspen and scrub oak leaves making a chromatic turn for winter.

I think it also helped me turn a corner away from, what I've been calling, my post-pedalum depression. (My PPD is somewhat annoying really - evidently all sorts of people go through this poor-me phase upon returning from their adventures.)

One way to make moving into the 4-walled stall more bearable is to bring along the blog. I enjoyed writing on the trip, so why not continue - especially since it seems that I've finally gotten over my unwillingness to close the trip blog. Time to start something new: http://bonnieodonnell.wordpress.com/

Elk at the Grand Canyon and next door to Susan's house.

Re-entry turbulence

My life feels ridiculous. Why do I live in this house? Why do I do my work? Why do I have 8 pairs of shorts? Why do I color my hair? It's as though I've woken up from a dream where you're a pirate, let's say - only to wake up in bed wearing an eye patch and puffy pants. The only thing to do is scream. Okay, so maybe it's not quite that bad, but I do think that ridiculous is the appropriate adjective.

Here's the problem. During our bike trip, each day I woke up and there was nowhere else I wanted to be, no one else I wanted to be with, nothing else I wanted to be doing. Such a rare and precious privilege! The problem is, now that I'm back, I want to be somewhere else, doing something else (thankfully, I still don't want to be with someone other than Mike!) It's rather depressing and grating - especially as it bumps up against the reality of the previous 60 days of pure contentment. The contrast is as jarring as hitting a pothole and flipping over your handlebars onto the pavement. You lay on the ground, aching, and wondering how you got there.

Wellsboro newspaper

Cyclists enjoy excellent adventure


(photo by Natalie Kennedy) Bicyclists Mike and Bonnie O'Donnell took a day to rest in Wellsboro as they neared the conclusion of their cross-country trek.

by Natalie Kennedy

It's been a long road - 3,100 miles of it - and a long time getting there - over six weeks - but it's been an excellent adventure for cyclists Mike and Bonnie O'Donnell.

The Flagstaff, Ariz. residents began their cross country trek on July 20 in San Francisco, Calif. They plan to continue biking to Norristown, possibly even New Jersey. They'll return home by air on Sept. 13.

So, why does one decide to bicycle from ocean to ocean?

"It's something I always wanted to do since I was a kid," said Mike, a psychiatric social worker.

Our 15 minutes of small town fame!

09/16/2008
Life Cycle
By: GARY PULEO , Norristown Times Herald Staff

Bonnie and Michael O’Donnell ride their bikes in East Norriton last Wednesday. The married couple rode their bikes cross-country from California to Michael O’Donnell’s mother’s residence in East Norriton.

EAST NORRITON - To a hard-core biker, pushing off from San Francisco to East Norriton, fully loaded and ready for the road, means something.
To Michael O'Donnell, the 51-day trip back to his hometown meant that in his early 40s and weighing in at 165 pounds, he was still up to the task.
It also meant that for he and his wife, Bonnie O'Donnell, a dream that's been put on hold for a couple of decades could come to fruition.
"I've been racing bikes as a hobby but in the last year it's been getting hard to do that - and I've always wanted to do this trip," O'Donnell said while visiting his mother in East Norriton.
"This winter we started talking about it because you don't know what the future holds. So we made it happen. But one of the fascinating things we found out is that there are a lot of people older than us, in their 70s, doing these bike trips.
"At that age they have the time and the money and it's something they've always wanted to do."
O'Donnell hadn't tackled any "loaded" touring for at least 20 years, he said.
As the term might suggest, "loaded" means you don't require a lot in the way of outside help, he explained.
"On our honeymoon we did a bike trip with support, which is not the same thing at all because you don't have to carry anything; you just ride during the day while a van follows you in case you break down or have problems. This was a lot different."
Self-sufficiency on two wheels depends on more than packing enough protein bars, O'Donnell said.
"Everything you need the whole time you're out is carried on your bike, down to your water filter," noted O'Donnell.
Though the couple lives in Flagstaff, Ariz., they chose to embark on their 3,500-mile journey from a more geographically compatible location.
"My wife has an aunt in California, so we rented a car one way and started there so we could go coast to coast," O'Donnell explained.
Bikers are apparently an important demographic in that state, he added.
"They have these tunnels just for bikers in California and it's just mind-boggling because it's like having your own road. There are even call boxes every mile for bikers ... it's like nothing I've ever seen."
The trip was fairly evenly divided between camping - "sleeping on the ground isn't easy when you're in your 40s," O'Donnell said, laughing - and staying over at people's homes and motels.
Between chatting with folks across the country and keeping an eye on tire tread, the O'Donnells detailed their route and some of their experiences on the Web site, www.crazyguyonabike.com.
Rabbit Ears Pass in the Rocky mountains of Colorado provided the setting for "high drama," O'Donnell remembered.
"We climbed up for maybe 13 miles when the weather changed halfway up. We heard thunder and the sky got dark - you don't want to be out in the high mountains during that because it can get pretty nasty very fast. We were able to beat that storm but it was our closest call to potential disaster."
Closer to home, when confronted with the potential horror of riding through rush hour traffic, the couple was thrilled to stumble upon an unexpected detour that saved the day.
"We were on the Perkiomen Trail, and up around Upper Perkiomen High School we found the Skippack Township Trail.
"We didn't even know about. It wasn't on any of the research I had done. So I called home and talked to my sister and they found it on the Internet and found out that it goes right to Evansburg State Park," O'Donnell said.
"This was during rush hour and we were thinking we didn't want to have to get off the trail and deal with rush hour traffic, but then we didn't have to because we hit this trail, which took us all the way to Skippack Creek in Evansburg Park."
Winding through the back roads by Methacton High School meant no brushes with impatient drivers anxious to get home after a long day at work.
"We rode through Southeastern Pennsylvania and never hit traffic because we were always on bike paths on country roads.
"It's really a viable way to get places if you live in that part of the county. Before we saw that trail, what we were thinking of doing is taking the Perkiomenville Trail to Oaks, at which point you can actually get on the Schuylkill River Trail and go all the way to Philadelphia and not have to deal with cars."
Planning for a long bike trip of this intensity involves some sort of physical training, which the couple credits to bike rides several times a week.
"We both ride three or four times during the week, and in the summer we both ride back and forth to work," O'Donnell said.
"It's about seven miles - downhill the whole way there and uphill the way back. So it's very easy to do.
"And for us, riding our bikes is also making a political statement," he added. "It's always been that way for me, long before the Iraq war. Riding bikes doesn't pollute the air."
Gary Puleo can be reached at 610-272-2500, ext. 205, or at gpuleo@timesherald.com.

Day 54: East Norriton to Philadelphia

46 miles: Wednesday was a tough day. The second day with no riding. By mid-afternoon I was going a bit stir crazy. We went to a couple of doctor appointments with Fran - Mike's mom. It's weird being in a car again...movement that is so passive. And I'm not in control of where we're going (obviously I wasn't the driver.) It was a bit frustrating.

I've been thinking about what it will be like going back to our other lives. We've had this life on the road that seems like it exists in another dimension. Riding through towns and other people's lives, we are mostly observers rather than participants. Time and space were different.

We occasionally became aware of time - the day traffic was light (is it Sunday today?) and when the gentleman in Indiana told us to hurry up because the restaurant would be closing at 2:00 PM (we thought it was just 1:00 PM...we never changed our clocks for Eastern Time in Indiana.) But really our time was dictated by when the sun came up and when the sun went down.

And space - sometimes we felt vulnerable on our bikes, exposed. But mostly it was liberating not to be confined in a car or an office or a shop or a house. Our space was the whole world. Walt Whitman wrote, "I am vast...I contain multitudes." You can't argue with vastness...for me it's emptiness and fullness at the same time. I think this is why I liked Nevada and Nebraska so much. Vast empty spaces that are so full of life if you slow down and look around.

Change of plans today. Decided we didn't want to fight traffic all day, so we took advantage of the miles and miles and MILES of bike path around Philadelphia. Rode the Schuykill Bike Trail (which runs from Valley Forge to the Philly Art Museum) downtown, and then rode back on the Wissahickon Bike Trail to the Forbidden Drive, and then back roads to get to Conshahocken and the Schuykill Bike Path. The bike trail brought us back to the Farm Park which leads right to Erin and Dennis' front door (where we're staying). How awesome is that?

Packing up Friday and flying home Saturday am. Down in Philly, when I asked Mike, "are we there yet?" He said, "It depends on your definition of 'there'." I like that answer - since we're not 'there' yet, it means our adventure isn't over.

Day 53: East Norriton, PA (rest day)

Just some random cycling quotes that I like...

"Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to work out in a gym."
~ Bill Nye

A Zen teacher saw five of his students returning from the market, riding their bicycles. When they arrived at the monastery and had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, "Why are you riding your bicycles?"
The first student replied, "The bicycle is carrying the sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!" The teacher praised the first student, "You are a smart boy! When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over like I do."
The second student replied, "I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path!" The teacher commended the second student, "Your eyes are open, and you see the world."
The third student replied, "When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant nam myoho renge kyo." The teacher gave praise to the third student, "Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel."
The fourth student replied, "Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all sentient beings." The teacher was pleased, and said to the fourth student, "You are riding on the golden path of non-harming."
The fifth student replied, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle." The teacher sat at the feet of the fifth student and said, "Ahh.... I am your student!"

Day 52: Norristown (rest day)

We slept in! What a treat. And Fran made us a wonderful breakfast. We've started to make preparations to go home: reserving airport shuttles, tracking down bike boxes to ship our bikes home, buying packing supplies.

We had a special treat after dinner. Fran (Mike's mom)is an active member of the Greater Norristown Art League, and she invited us to a special talk that the Art League hosted. Victoria Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth's granddaughter, gave a presentation on her family and Andrew Wyeths' work. She was a great speaker - giving us all sorts of intimate details about her grandfather and the making of his paintings. I was particularly surprised to learn that nearly all of his paintings have been done within a 10 mile radius of their home in Chadds Ford, PA (and their summer home in Maine). Here we rode 3500 miles across the country in search of adventure, beauty, knowledge, people - and Andrew Wyeth found all of these things and more without ever really leaving home. The art of paying attention...it's quite a remarkable gift. (FYI - Andrew Wyeth is still alive and painting at 91!)

As a last hurrah, we'll be riding down to the Delaware Bay at Wilmington tomorrow. I'm hoping that we'll have time to stop at the Brandywine River Museum at Chadds Ford to see some of the actual paintings!

Day 51: Parryville PA to East Norriton PA

76 miles: (Mike) An excellent day for riding, history and scenery. We went over the mountain to Bowmanstown. A really screaming downhill, the first of several today as we did 3600ft of vertical. This is less than the 5000 we would have done if not for some creative route making. At Bowmanstown we took the frontage to Palmerton; unfortunately that ended at a Zinc mine south of town. We tried to bushwack to the tracks but Aquashicola creek ended that. We backtracked to town and found remanents of the D&L canal on the other side of 248(248 is motorized only). This also ended at the creek. However the road was not barricaded so we used it to cross and road about 1/2 mile to where there was no shoulder and a hannging roadway. We heisted the bikes over the guard rail and bike/hiked 1/2 mile to 873. Not too bad as we were expecting this from a conversatin we had had with a state trooper. However he must have forgot about the creek.

After this we rode the applachin foothills into PA Dutch country. We knew we were there when we saw the township was giving PA Dutch lessons! No time to spracken ze duetsch. We went by the bear mtn ski area for a great twisting downhill to Hereford, In Green Lane we picked up the Perkiomen rail trail (awesome). In Rahns we got on the Skippack trail all the way to the old metal bridge near Evansburg. Five miles of back roads and we were home with no rush hour traffic to deal with. How now?

Day 50: Bloomsburg PA to Parryville PA

67 miles (10 mph average): Awoke to a cool and dry day - yea! As we pushed our bikes through the lobby of the Econolodge, an older woman stopped me because she noticed that the top tube of our bikes reads "Long Haul Trucker". She said, "My son is a long haul trucker and and I keep telling him that he needs to bring a bike along on his trips for exercise. I'm going to tell him that I found just the bike for him!"

Beautiful quaint and quiet roads this morning (we think everyone is at church.) The hills afford us fantastic panoramic views of ALL the hills in our future today. I don't know if you know this or not, but PA is hilly!

Our lunch choices in West Hazelton were Burger King, McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts. Naturally we chose DD. I had an epic dining experience - 2 breakfast sandwiches, 3 donuts, and 2 bottles of oj. We are redefining the meaning of a balanced diet.

Change of plans: we abandoned the route we initially planned that took us 20 miles out of our way (to access rail trail), and instead went directly to Jim Thorpe PA. Not that this way was any easier: 9% grade and and warnings for trucks on the down side to use low gears.

Jim Thorpe - I had no idea it was so nice here! Rafting, mountain biking, train up the Lehigh Gorge, and quaint downtown. So enticing, we stopped for a beer (or two in Mike's case).

We left town in search of the Delaware and Lehigh Canal Trail. The guy with the "Ithaca is Gorges" t-shirt on at the bike shop gave us some rough directions - back over the bridge, behind the Jim Thorpe Market, beside the wastewater treatment plant there is a sort of trail that will take you to the canal trail. Evidently he had ridden his cyclocross bike there, so Mike deemed it acceptable for the Surly Long Haul Truckers too. With beer in belly, we felt overconfident and ready for bushwacking. Happily Mike's directional dynamism was working. 100 yards of rocky trail turned into singletrack (hey, I miss mountain biking!), which became the canal trail - complete with remnants of the old locks. Very cool trail! The path is where the mules used to walk to pull boats through the canal. On the other side of the path is the Lehigh River. Really awesome when you stop to thinkg about what it took in manual labor to build these canals. (Mike tells me that there are working locks up around the Fingerlakes in NY and in New Hope PA.)

We ran out of trail when we hit Perryville PA. Staying at the Country Inn and Suites trying to figure out how we will get through the gap in the Appalachian. There are two main roads: Niether allows non-motorized vehicles.

We're not ready for our trip to end. I'm getting a bit sad anticipating the last days. Riding our bikes every day has become a great habit.

Day 49: Williamsport PA to Bloomsberg PA

46 miles: Rain! Tropical Storm Hannah spelled wet weather today. Rode for a few hours and then spent a couple hours in Muncy at the library and having lunch. Great Greek restaurant where Mike order saganaki (flaming fried cheese - very dramatic!) and dolmathes. Delicious.

Having only ridden about 20 miles, we decided that we needed to get a little bit further before calling it quits. Another couple hours in the rain and we got tired of riding in the rain. When your fingers are wrinkled like raisins, it's time to come in from the weather.

Stayed at an Econolodge with a washer and dryer. The bottom of our rear panniers were filled with about an inch of water. Everything got wet this time - even my journal is waterlogged. Good thing most of it's in the computer already.

Day 48: Wellsboro PA to Williamsport PA

76 miles (11.9 mph average) and just 6-1/2 hours on the bike today: Great day! 60 miles of flat bike path from Wellsboro to Jersey Shore on a PA rail trail. The path meandered along Pine Creek through the PA Grand Canyon. Spectacular scenery. We were surprised by the number of cyclists we ran into on a Friday morning. We probably saw over 20 riders just in the morning (and maybe 40 for the whole day.) Ran into a band of brothers from North Carolina(ages late 50's to early 70's) riding the whole length of the rail trail.

Along the bike path, we saw all kinds of wildlife - an otter, bald eagle, osprey, deer, mergansers, wood ducks, mallards and blue heron. We also surprised a red tail hawk whole flew just 6' above our heads with a small muscrat in his talons. Very dramatic!

We lunched at the Slate Run General Store which is right on the rail trail. They do a bit of everything - post office, restaurant, bike rental, fly fishing shop. Truly a "general" store.

Off the rail trail in Jersey Shore, we had an unpleasant close encounter with a Ford Escort. She honked at us and even tried to turn into us at the intersection. (We had the right of way, but evidently she didn't like waiting.)

Things got considerably better when we hit Williamsport. We ran into a group of cyclists riding from Buffalo to Gettysburg, and we rode into town with Tom - one of the members of the group. Mike showed him the way to the Hampton Inn. There, I got a funny picture of them "parking" their bikes by leaning them against the handicapped parking signs. While they were definitely members of the AARP, I think that riding 70+ miles disqualifies them from the handicapped designation.

We stayed at the historic Genetti Hotel downtown. Cheaper than the Hampton Inn and nicer! On the 8th floor we had panoramic views of town and the surrounding hills. We dined at the Bullfrom Brewing Co - great stout there. Mike ordered the "Burg" - the most bizzare salad I've ever seen. It's a variation of the famous(?) Pittsburg Salad. Here's the recipe:

mixed greens (the traditional version calls for iceberg lettuce of course)
tomatoes
pickled eggs
sliced beets
onions
garlic french fries
cheddar jack cheese
blackened shrimp

He claims that it's delicious, but I'm dubious.

Day 47: Wellsboro PA (rest day)

Ah, a rest day! We're staying with Mark and Sandy just outside of town. Sandy made us some delicious black bean/rice and cheese quesadillas for dinner last night. Today we rode into town for an interview with the Wellsboro newspaper, and lunch with Cathy and Steve. I got some yoga in this afternoon, and we've had time to catch up on bills and e-mails. Resting is good!

I saw a quote from one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver, today:

Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life? --Mary Oliver

With the death of another cyclist, we're reminded that 1)we are always vulnerable, and 2)life is short. For me, this is all the more reason not to sit at home on the couch - despite the risks. Back in Fort Collins, Dick shared his favorite life philosophy with us:

"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "holy shit-what a ride!"

I like this plan.

Day 46: Marshburg PA to Wellsboro PA

88 miles (11.5 mph): An absolutely beautiful day of riding. Today's route through Port Allegheny, Coudersport, and Denton Hill to Wellsboro was one of the best of the entire trip. Lovely forests, rivers, and big views. The downhill portion of the day from the top of Denton Hill to Wellsboro rivaled the days we had in CA (top of Carson Pass in the Sierras) and in Colorado (Cameron Pass down through Cache La Poudre canyon) - just awesome!

As we ate lunch in Coudersport, we received sad news from Cathy: yesterday a member of Wellsboro's cycling community was killed in an accident in Tioga. Tom Kauffman was riding his bicycle into town and had a fatal collision with a car. We are so sad for his family and the community. Such a great loss. Needless to say, it was a sober ride into Wellsboro.

Day 45: Meadville PA to Marshburg PA

80 miles (10.5 mph): Oh they have some crazy steep hills this part of PA! 10% grades make for some slow going. The culture is a bit different here. Many Amish and/or Mennonite farms.

According to Mike, this is also home to a good number of ultra-right wing rednecks. Lots of yard signs proclaiming, "Support the troops - let 'em win the war." (I guess this is in response to "support the troops - bring them home" signs.) We rode past one home where we spotted an older man working on his lawn in the front yard. Next to his driveway was a sign that read, "Vote Right, Vote White". Initially, I was trying to figure out which party was that color...as in Democrats are "blue" and Republicans are "red". Then I got it...horrifying. (Mike, momentarily as naive as I was, said at first that he thought that it referred to someone's last name.)

We stopped at a tiny market at a 4-way stop town a little while later. The sign on the door proclaimed that, effective September 1, smoking inside businesses was prohibited. So no smoking inside the market. When we approached the register, we noticed a petition on the counter requesting signatures to repeal the ridiculous "no smoking in businesses" law.

Camped at a nice KOA near Allegheny National Forest ($38 a night!) A beautiful area...awesome scenery. And Mike got his first Ylingling beer, which made him a happy camper. According to the owners of the campground, they have bears visit the campsite virtually every night. Made for some fitful sleep for me. I think Mike slept fine.

Day 44: Lyndhurst, OH to Meadville, PA

87 miles (11.4 mph): It was hard leaving Lyndhurst today. I got a little teary-eyed as we rode away from Nancy and Nikki's house. We had a great time hanging out with them. I wish we didn't live so far apart.

Today we enjoyed some of the prettiest scenery since we left Colorado. I forgot how nice northeast Ohio is. We rode past my high school, Gilmour, in Gates Mills; then down Cedar Road to River Road. Rivers, lakes, woods and hills - beautiful! Crossed into PA this afternoon...the homestretch is in sight! We think we'll be in Philly next Monday if all goes well.

Day 43: Chillin' in Lyndhurst

Resting in Lyndhurst. Nancy and Nikki continue to make us feel like royalty. Nikki made us more greek food: phyllo dough with feta and cheese and eggs. Some greek name that I can't pronounce (teerOpita?)...but tastes delicious.

A beautiful day in Cleveland. Brunch in Coventry. Learned how to play the very popular (who knew?) game of corn hole this afternoon. We think that we may have to bring this game to Flagstaff. Nancy swears that it's destined to become an Olympic sport. I'm not sure. Any game that you can play with a beer in one hand (aka horseshoes and corn holing) probably doesn't qualify. But then again, they have curling - so who knows.

Also tried my hand at Guitar Hero. What a fun game - it's very addictive! I've got a long way to go before I make it into the pages of Rolling Stone, but I do have the 1980's big hair (thanks to the added humidity in Cleveland) for the true rocker effect.

Getting very fat and happy on our rest day.

Day 42: Amherst OH to Lyndhurst OH

43 miles: We were able to ride just a half day to Nikki and Nancy's due to yesterday's good ride. We found a Hungarian Bakery with Kolachi's along the way in Lakewood. Mike was over the moon!

Upon arrival we ate like greek gods, thanks to the Nikki (who is Greek of course) and Nancy (who is wanna be Greek). Dinner was awesome!

AND - get this: Nancy treated the three of us to pedicures. And not just any pedicures...the royal treatment pedicures with the leg massage and fancy massaging recliner chair. Heavenly!

Day 41: Bowling Green, OH to Amherst, OH

92 miles today. We planned to go to Huron, but we were feeling so good that we decided to ride until it was 5 PM. That landed us in Lorain. Hmmm...We were going to stay in Lorain but something about the motel clerk encased in bullet proof plexiglass changed our minds. We decided to shuffle on a bit further. Got into a hotel in Amherst just before the skies opened up with a big ol' thunderstorm. We are evidently back in suburbia: Denny's (they have Boca Burgers!)and Dunkin Donuts! (Mike has been dreaming about Dunkin Donuts since California.)

Day 40: Monroeville IN to Bowling Green OH

The bike shelter and the people in Monroeville were great. We even got free Monroeville muskemelon! The wind changed so we could cover some ground which is very good as we are expecting rain in the next two days. Pretty uneventful except a bridge being out leading to some serious bushwacking. Bonnie has adjusted so well to my creative routing she said "Let's bushwack it!". Ok so that was just when we were looking for a restaraunt, but there is hope!

Day 39: Peru IN to Monroeville IN

August 27: We have escaped the maze of corn and we're following the Wabash River today. The woods down near the river provide some relief from the headwinds , and we are happy to be on winding roads (instead of the corn grid!)

Dogs have been the excitement in Indiana. We've been chased by dogs every one of the past three days. The first day it was a couple of big sheep dogs - they gave us a run for our money. I think they chased us for nearly a mile. Good lungs and legs on those critters! Yesterday a big rottweiler bolted across a yard toward us. The commotion awoke the doberman who was sleeping on the porch. In an instant, the doberman passed the rottweiler, and they were both chasing us down the road. They didn't last as long as the sheep dogs.

Today we passed a yard with a couple of dogs tied up in the back yard. Lots of barking but no chasing. A few moments later I heard an odd sound behind us...a clicking noise. I look back and there is a huge german shephard bearing down us. "Dog!" I shout to Mike, and we start pedalling like crazy. Mike shouts, "go home" and the dog slows but doesn't stop. Eventually, he poops out, stops and stares at us from the middle of the road as we ride away.

That's our dog excitement for the day.

Tonight we're staying at lodging in Monroeville IN (near the Ohio border) that is specifically for cyclists...yea!

Day 38: Rensselaer IN to Peru IN

August 26: Only averaged 10 mph today - we decided to stop fighting the wind and slow down. No computer in the library at Royal Center IN. (No hotels or grocery stores either, but they DO have a tattoo parlor - as do most towns in the midwest.)

We asked the librarian why the town is called Royal Center. She said, "you know, I've lived here my whole life and I have no idea." Really! And she works at the library. We had the same experience asking people in Iowa why Des Moines is called Des Moines. No one knew (but Leon looked it up for us.)

The weather has been awesome (if you ignore the wind) - 77-80 degrees and no humidity. Perfect biking temp.

We're getting a little tired of the corn though. They're growing all this food and there's nothing to eat! No where else in the world is more food grown for non-human consumption than in the midwest. Thousands of acres of soybeans and we can't find a bit of tofu anywhere. (Well - there was Muscatine IA where we had the terrific Boca burgers.) We ARE however getting our share of fried food. Pretty much every restaurant we go to specializes in fried food. There was even deep fried Walleye on the menu at lunch yesterday.

Day 37: Odell IL to Rensselaer IN

Indiana! 88 miles at 11 mph...a long day with a steady headwind. But we are in Indiana!

Day 36: Kewanee IL to Odell IL

95 miles.

Day 35: Muscatine IA to Kewanee IL

New state! We have a tailwind and it's unbelievably flat. Without even trying we can go 15 mph. If we pedal we're cruising at 18-20 mph. We could get used to this.

Day 34: Washington IA to Muscatine IA

August 22. An easy 46 miles to Muscatine. We actually have a tail wind which propels us at 18 mph with ease! Lunch at the Button Factory. THEY SERVE BOCA BURGERS!! We are back in civilization - or at least in an area where you won't be ostracized for serving Boca burgers.

Located on the Mississipi, Muscatine used to produce all of the world's pearl buttons. There is one button factory left - they make plastic buttons. Kind of sad really.

We run into a retired gentleman named Cork, who rides up to us and asks if we need directions. We tell him that we're looking for a bike shop (I need to replace a pair of cycling shorts that is on its last leg) and lodging. Cork points out that we can take the bike path that runs along the Mississippi all the way up to the interchange where the hotels are located. He says he's going that way - so he shows us the way and tells us a bit about the area.

While Mike is getting the hotel room, Cork and I talk a bit more. After it's clear that there is a room available at the hotel, we say goodbye to Cork and thank him for his help. In the room while Mike is taking a shower, the hotel phone rings. I think, "who could be calling us?" It's Cork. He's home now and he just had a thought. "The bike shop is all the way on the south side of town. I have some time. Would you like a lift to the bike shop so that you can buy shorts?" You betcha! Cork not only takes us to the bike shop, he also goes to the grocery store with us - AND gives us a great tour of town. He too is born and raised in Muscatine. His wife is from Washington. We note that she MUST know Babe. Everyone knows Babe! Cork drops us off at our hotel around 5:00 PM or so.

We are really overwhelmed with how hospitable and friendly the people of Iowa are.

Day 33: Oskaloosa IA to Washington IA

August 21. Here's a day in our life:
1:00 AM: Wake up to hear the pitter patter of raindrops on the tent. Jump into action. Get the rainfly on the tent, and put the raincovers on the panniers.

6:00 AM: Wake up to more rain. Make coffee and oatmeal. Try to keep the dry stuff dry as we pack up.

7:30 AM Roll out of Lake Keomah State Park onto Route 92 in the rain.

9:30 AM Doing battle with headwinds, driving rain, 18-wheelers and no shoulders.

11:00 AM Stop at the town park in Harper IA (pop. 134) to eat a snack and get out of the rain. An older man walks over to the ramada to meet us and tell us about his RAGBRAI experiences (seems most everone in IA has done RAGBRAI at least once.) He seems delighted when he learns that we are going to take the 14 mile Kewash Nature Trail into Washington.

11:40 AM Find the start of the Kewash Nature Trail in Keota IA (pop. 1,025). A man in a pickup truck stops us at the entrance to ask where we're going. He too seems delighted that we're going to take the Kewash Nature Trail. He says, "hang in there for the last 5 miles - that's the best part." Mike asks him if the overgrown trail stretching out in front of us gets any better further along. The nice man replies, "oh yes!"

12:15 PM Trail deteriorates. Bouncing along on the overgrown limestone path, we question whether we should continue on the Kewash Nature Trail or bail out at the next road crossing. Delighted that we aren't sharing the space with big trucks, we decide to stick it out. Currently "nature" consists of soybeans on one side and corn on the other.

1:20 PM Come to a 5 foot long mud bog in the trail. Take on about 8 lbs of mud crossing the bog. Shoes, wheels, spokes, panniers, brakes, pedals, gears are instantly caked in the thickest mud I've ever seen. Spend 5 minutes using sticks to try to dislodge some of the mud. Start pedaling - and mud flies all over our legs and panniers.

2:30 PM Roll into Washington IA looking like we've been mud wrestling. Ride to the car wash to hose down the bikes and ourselves in an effort to look clean enough so that some hotel will take us in. 53 miles at 9.5 mph average...we're pooped.

3:00 PM Coast into the main square of Washington - a bit dismayed that the streets are undergoing renovation and are fairly wet and muddy. So much for the car wash effort.

3:02 PM Meet Babe who will make all of our Iowa dreams come true. Babe, who is in her 70's, was born and raised in Washington, and seems to know everyone in town. (Babe has done RAGBRAI over 25 times, and just completed a bike tour in Maine.) She tells us about the B&B across the square, and gives us some dining advice (there's a 5-star Italian restaurant in town).

3:10 PM Ride over the the B&B, where Babe has already inquired as to availability (none). Next thing we know, we're following Babe to her house south of town. I take note of the sign in Cafe Dodeci ("1/2 price wine Thursday night".)

3:45 PM Freshly showered, laundry underway, and Babe has put out an awesome spread of fruit, cheese, vegetables and chips. Yum!

5:00 PM Get into Babe's minivan to go to the Thursday evening Farmers Market on the square. Babe says, "something smells funny in my car. I can't explain it. I'm sure it's not you guys." Mike and I exchange a look. Two nights ago, the stench from our shoes forced us to leave them outside the hotel room door. (No one was going to steal anything that smelled that bad!) Apologetically, we explain to Babe that it's our shoes. She laughs and is very understanding.

5:20 PM Farmers Market! Fresh cinnamon rolls for Mike and banana bread for Bonnie from the Mennonite women at the market. Babe does indeed know everyone in town.

5:40 PM Babe takes us to Kathy's new store, "The Village" where we stock up on cards for upcoming birthdays.

5:50 PM Begin worrying about 1) getting back into Babe's car with our stinking shoes, and 2)wondering if we can get into said 5-star Italian restaurant with the 1/2 price wine with our stinky shoes.

6:00 PM Enter Browns Shoe Store and purchase new Keens with anti-odor foot bed (it really says that!) and new Crocs for Mike.

6:15 PM Dinner at Cafe Dodeci. Real bread. Real butter and olive oil. Caprese salad. 6-cheese purse pasta with smoked gouda sauce. Tiramisu. We are in heaven. Meet Lorraine, the owner, who returned to Washington after living in Italy for 28 years to take care of her ailing father. Noting the dearth of good food in town, she opened the restaurant with her Italian husband. Thank you Lorraine!!

8:00 PM Babe picks us up and gives us a tour of town.

8:30 PM We stop at Babe's friend's house. Walk through her amazing gardens and brand new labrynth.

9:00 PM Back to Babe and Leon's house to watch the Olympics: track and field and BMX racing.

10:00 PM Fall asleep in enormous king-size bed. Ahhhhh.

Day 32: Osceola IA to Oskaloosa IA

Started out the day on back roads. Very hilly! We moved over to Hwy. 92 for the afternoon and made better time...but more traffic obviously. I think I had the middle of the trip blues today. My knees have been hurting, and I haven't had a good meal in days. Even though we're in farm country, it's hard to find vegetables! Lots of good country cookin' restaurants to choose from if you like chicken fried steak, potatoes and corn.

We passed the 2,000 mile mark a couple of days ago. I think I have the middle of the country duldrums...no more excitement about getting underway (or conquering mountains), and we're not close enough to the end to get excited about actually finishing. In fact, last night I was quite worried that I might not be able to continue. My right knee was so painful that it woke me up whenever I rolled over last night. (Much better today though...vitamin I (advil) helped some.)

Camping out at the state park tonight. Oskaloosa is a nice college town. Good coffee shop - I had a big ol' smoothie and chocolate cake YUM!

75 miles

Day 31: Stanton IA to Oseola IA

3,000 feet of hills. Sheesh...we're tired. And no shoulders. This is a crazy place to ride a bicycle. My theory is that Iowans only ride their bike once a year - during RAGBRAI - when they simply take over the roads. We haven't seen a cyclist or a bike shop since Steamboat CO.

75 miles. Stayed at the Evergreen Inn for $50 - very nice place at any price!

Day 30: Syracuse, NE to Stanton, IA

Woohoo! We crossed the Missouri into Iowa this morning. Hills, hills,hills. All the money that Iowa saves on not-paving their shoulders is invested in their state parks...it's beautiful here! (The gravel shoulders were a big surprise!) This is a beautiful park and lake. The showers are new and there is even a restaurant on the lake.

New rule of thumb...do not ignore "detour" signs. We ended up at a bridge that was being reconstructed. Happily, the construction workers let us walk the plank across the bridge (some plywood placed precariously over 2 x 6's.) Very scary for me. No big deal for Mike.

85 miles, 7 hours

Day 29: Sutton to Syracuse, NE

August 17: 103 miles, 13 mph...finally a tailwind! Just 18 more miles to Iowa...yea!We were going to camp in Palmyra, but the camping was less than desirable. So we pushed on for Syracuse, and treated ourselves to a night at the Sleep Inn. Laundry, ice, olympics...who could ask for anything more? : )

Day 28: Holdrege to Sutton, NE

August 16: 83 miles, averaged 12.5 mph. As we rolled into town, we were invited to a birthday party in the town park. The host had done a bike tour in Alaska and was very friendly. Beautiful little town. Great people! I now have balloons for my bike. (This guy pulled out all the stops - pony rides, train ride, pinata, etc. for his 8 and 5 year old son and daughter.)

Day 27: McCook to Holdrege, NE

73 miles. YMCA of the Prairie hot tub and showers - woohoo! Really nice people at the chamber of commerce. Camping in town park. Great dinner at the Upper Room.

Day 27: McCook to Holdrege, NE

73 miles.

Nebraska thoughts

Traveling through Nebraska is a bit like visiting a foreign country. The language is a different. As in England, the words are the same, but the definitions are different. You can't find food you recognize as food. Protein bars, clif bars, etc. are non-existent. we've been living on the breakfast special #2: two eggs, hash browns, toast.

Here's a primer on common NE words and phrases:

OUTSTATE: western Nebraska, or even any place that isn't Lincoln or Omaha

COFFEE: hot water with brown food coloring

CAFE: an establishment that is open according to the whims of the proprietor; serving breakfast all day, burgers, fries, grilled cheese, and occasionally something completely wild like a "taco" or "burrito"; and which may or may not have burned down or closed in the past 5 years.

BIKE SHOP: Wal-Mart

MACHINE: slang for bicycle - as in, when the farmer asks my husband (never me), "how many gears you got on that there machine?"

SPORTING GOODS STORE: a retail establishment selling guns, ammo, fishing gear, waders, and everything camo (to go with your ammo).

Some fast facts:
State insect - the bee
State automobile - the Buick

There is healthy competition to get souls in the seats on Sunday in Nebraska. As we approach each new town (grain elevators, conveniently spaced 8 miles apart, stand as signposts), a series of billboards appear - each promoting a different church.
"We've got the spirit"
"Jesus is waiting for you"
"Over 5 million souls saved" (okay I made that one up)

In a sign of camaraderie, some towns' preachers have embraced the farmland co-op ethic, and they use 1 billboard to promote all the churches. (Evidently, not all Baptists think that Catholics are godless tree worshipers.) A nice touch, I thought.

I say all of this with great affection, because the people in Nebraska have been some of the best that we've met. Very friendly and helpful - we've loved Nebraska!

Day 26: Rest day in McCook

The weather report said severe weather (thunderstorms & hail) which we took as a good excuse to take a day off. I've been catching up on e-mail. This one was a big disappointment:

Additional information is required to continue processing of your Initial Application / Request. Necessary information includes:

REQUESTED FROM AGENCY: 1. Please provide the required documents to the OLCR fax at 623-873-5232: Agency Signature Page, Applicant Signature Page, Criminal Record Self-Disclosures, and Physicians' Statements. 2. The home study states that the applicants' Physicians' Statements are dated 11-2-07 and 10-3-07. Please be advised that these are out of date; they most be less than Six months old, and must be updated. 3. Please enter the date of the CPSCR clearance in the applicable section of the home study. Please contact LeslieIrvine@azdes.gov with any questions; you may notify me when these items have been completed. Thank you.

Please contact your agency specialist as soon as possible regarding this email. If it will take more than 60 days to furnish the requested information, please have your agency specialist contact OLCR so that your file will not be closed.

Thank You
Leslie A Irvine,OLCR Licensing Liaison

This relates to our foster/adopt certification in Arizona. After 3 months of classes last fall, it's been 7 months of jumping through hoops, waiting, jumping through more hoops, waiting, jumping - you get the picture. Before we left on this trip we met with our social worker to make sure that she had absolutely everything she needed from us. "Yes, yes. This is it. I PROMISE. While you're gone, you'll get the certification in the mail. No problem."

And here we are again - more road blocks. Last fall we had to see a family physician to get certified that we were healthy and not crazy. Evidently, this certification has now expired. It's unbelievably frustrating. The state makes it as difficult as possible to become a foster parent (finger printing, criminal background checks, hundreds of pages of paperwork, questionaires, essays, etc.) On the one hand, they want to make sure that they only get good people to do this. This I understand. On the other hand, what sane person would continue to bang their head against the wall of the Arizona foster system? It makes me want to cry.

In Flagstaff, there are so many kids that need fostering and/or adopting that they have to farm them out to Phoenix and Tucson because there aren't enough foster families. On the bike tomorrow I think I'll draft a letter to Janet (the gov) in my head. The system is so broken.

Day 25: Enders to McCook, NE

What a night! The wind blew like a major storm was about to hit. But it never did. We saw heat lightning all around us at the lake, but we stayed dry. Unfortunately we didn't sleep very well with the rain fly on the tent flapping all night.

We had some breakfast in Wauneta NE in the only cafe in town. There we got the scoop on the weather and the terrain for the day from a very nice truck driver. We also read the McCook newspaper while we had some coffee. The headline (below the fold, mind you) read, "Miss Nebraska tires of shopping". Seriously. I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt and believe that she was being ironic, but I really don't think so. There was some real news - they have been having some terrific flooding over the last few days from the storms. While we complained about the wind, we are fortunate on two counts: 1) we haven't really gotten wet yet, and 2) it's no longer over 100 degrees in Nebraska (in fact it's a pleasant 85.)

We rode just 55 miles today, and we're getting caught up on laundry and sleep this evening in McCook. Lately it's been ride, eat, sleep, repeat. We need a bit of a break.

P.S. We were thrilled to enter the Central Time Zone...must mean we're getting central!

Day 24: Sterling to Enders State Recreation Area

Oh - this was supposed to be a nice easy day to Champion State Park. The morning started out great, but after lunch we swung out onto Rt. 6 to face a wicked headwind. Where did that come from? And when does the wind blow east to west?? 97 very long miles.

Day 23: Briggsdale to Sterling, CO

61 miles and flat - it felt like we were flying!

Day 22: Fort Collins to Briggsdale

We could barely tear ourselves away from Ft. Collins, but with many more miles to cover we headed out for an easy ride to Briggsdale - 1/2 way to Sterling. Unfortunately, our late start meant that we had some weather to contend with. Happily, Mike is not only a directional dynamo, he's also a meteorological marvel. He diverted us to Galeton to keep us out of the thunderstorm. We waited a bit and then followed just behind the storm as it moved east toward Briggsdale. A longer day than we hoped for, but we're both happy not to have gotten soaked in all the thunderstorms. 55 miles, 4-1/2 hours on the bike.

Day 21: Walden to Fort Collins

Here's the recipe for a perfect day on a bike:
1) Easy climb up to Cameron Pass - enjoy sense of accomplishment on our last pass - summit 10,246 feet!
2) Begin descent through Cache Le Poudre canyon - nearly 50 miles of continuous, twisty, downhill through a gorgeous canyon with everything from waterfalls to gently meandering water
3) Meet Dick and Mary in Fort Collins, who take us in and make us feel like royalty. They offer us cold beer, a warm shower, a beautiful bedroom overlooking the lake, a gourmet vegetarian meal whipped up by Chef Dick, and a meringue dessert with ice cream and strawberries. (We thought we died and went to heaven!)
4) Bonus doggie fix: two black labs (Moose and Lilly), and a rat terrier named Mario who captured our hearts.

Such an amazing day. (And a perfect 100 miles from Walden to Dick and Mary's house. How do you like that?)

Dick and Mary told us stories about their travels and shared photos from Dick's recent trip to India. All fascinating! And in the small world category, it turns out that Dick actually taught at Mansfield U. in PA where Mike attended for his undergraduate degree.

Day 20: Steamboat Springs to Walden, CO

A little panic and disorder Friday morning as I lost my wallet for about 40 minutes or so. We stopped at several outdoor shops looking for white gas for our camp stove. Somewhere along the way, I put down my wallet and forgot to pick it up. Retracing our steps, I found it at our first stop - the Orange Peel bike shop where I was looking at bike shorts. Once I stopped hyperventilating, we set out for Rabbit Ears Pass. Our second to last mountain pass - Bunny got her Rabbit Ears!

We had a few sprinkles as a storm was gathering over the pass but we made it to the city park in Walden before the real rain came. At the park we met Bill - a sixty-something gentleman from Scotland who is riding the TransAm from west to east. (He seemed like a tough bloke - had a smoke before heading out on Saturday am!)

Dinner in the tent - the storm finally hit. I love sleeping in a tent during the rain! (Mike, not so much.)

Day 19: Maybell to Steamboat, CO

An easy 72 miles today. A terrific breakfast in Craig, then coffee and an awesome cinnamon roll in Hayden, and now we're in Steamboat. The cloudy skies kept the heat away, and the ride into Steamboat was picturesque as we followed the Yampa River Valley into town.

We had our first experience with warmshowers.org - a website that lists people who are willing to host touring cyclists. Andrew here in Steamboat has been awesome! An experienced touring cyclist, he had many good suggestions for our trip, and told us about a free concert in town. We all went to the concert for awhile - but the sprinkles and cold sent Mike and me home early. And since Andy (Andrew's son) was away for the night, Andrew offered his bedroom to us. This was an added bonus since it's been raining off and on. As a result, we got a great night's sleep. (Thanks again for the hospitality Andrew!!)

Day 18: Jensen to Maybell, CO

It rained today! While it was nice to cool things off a bit, the last 15 miles or so to Maybell were a bit scary with lightning (in the distance) and thunder. A much bigger climbing day than we expected - 5,080 feet and 78 miles.

After Dinosaur, CO the traffic let up as most of the oil and gas trucks headed south to Rangley and Meeker. We really enjoyed the quite on the road today. And it was hard not to gloat when we came across a big white pickup truck (oil co truck) pulled over by a CO state trooper for speeding. (We saw no police in northeast UT - it really was the wild west!)

Day 17: Roosevelt to Jensen, UT

If Davis, CA is heaven on earth for cyclists, then Northeastern Utah is hell. Virtually no shoulder and non-stop traffic. Speeding 18-wheelers, oil tankers, giant diesel pickup trucks - they were all in a big hurry and apparently bad eyesight is a common disorder among these truck drivers. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Jensen UT is basically a gas station and an RV park. Too hot and tired to make it to Dinosaur, CO (another 20 miles away)we stayed at the Outlaw RV Park. It was here that we met some of the "pipeliners". I spent some time with a young woman who was tent camping there with her 7 month old son (!) as her boyfriend - one of the pipeliners - worked all day. The residents of the RV park were nearly all pipeliners - these were some tough characters. None seemed to be from the area. The young woman and her baby were from Moab, while her boyfriend was from Craig.

It was quite the night...we enjoyed our own personal taping of the Jerry Springer show - minus the host and the bodyguards. It gave us a glimpse into the personalities behind all those crazy trucks.

Day 16: Scofield, UT to Roosevelt, UT

Last night I was reading a back issue of Newsweek that I picked up at a library's free table: the theme of the issue was 50 ways to improve your life. One of the articles mentioned "Practice Random Acts of Kindness" - evidently this year is the anniversary of when a professor challenged his students to do this. After reading, I thought, "I'm going to try to do one a day for the rest of the trip. More on that later.

We left Scofield Lake at 7:00 AM when it was a chilly 42 degrees. We had most of our clothes on to stay warm, since it was downhill for most of the first hour. We had our last big Utah pass ahead of us - about 2,500 feet (8% grades) over 9 miles. It was a bit of a beast - but beautiful. And then we had a 25 mile downhill to Duchesne! On the way down, a white pickup truck passed us going the other way and then I noticed in my rear view mirror, that he turned around right after he saw us. I tend to think that this is an ominous sign, but I have been wrong every time it happens. Outside Placerville, a guy who noticed us did a u-turn and pulled up beside Mike and rolled down his window. My first thought was, "oh, don't harrass us!" But he was actually quite friendly. He drove beside Mike at 7 mph asking him questions about where we were going, how we were doing it, etc. (He was an artist - BlackRockForest.com) Anyway, the white pickup truck in Utah drives about 1 mile ahead of us and then we see him pull to the side of the road and get out. A minute later, he got back in the truck and drove away. As we approach the spot where he stopped, we see two blue things in the road - one on the white line and one about 1/2 foot into the road. As we got closer we could finally make out that he had left us two ice cold bottles of water! Talk about random acts of kindness. We were blown away. Especially since it was about 95 degrees at this point, we were still 12 miles from Duchesne, and nearly out of water. A couple of miles later, we saw a man standing next to a natural gas rig about 1/2 mile off the road. He waved, and then we waved and shouted thanks. So awesome.

The rest of the day was tough. 92 miles of riding, nearly 7 hours on the bike. Hwy. 40 was all oil and gas trucks. No shoulder to speak of. Very nerve racking. But the morning kindness made up for it all.

Day 15: Mt. Pleasant to Schofield, UT

Oh what a day! We rode 2 beautiful passes with waterfalls, cascading streams, and miles of tall aspen trees lining the route. It was like having our own symphony. The crickets open with their tiny violins, then the wind instruments start blowing, the aspen percussion section keeping time with their tiny green cymbals - and finally, the red tail hawks adding the soprano high notes on top. It was spectacular. Mike commented that he didn't know that Utah was so beautiful.

We camped at Schofield Lake State Park. Just a couple of other campers - a terrific setting.

40 miles and 4,639 feet of climbing.

Day 14: Fountain Green, UT to Mount Pleasant, UT

Okay - we're trying to do a "rest" day again. This time it seems as though we might have more success. The ride from Fountain Green to Mount Pleasant was an easy 16 miles, although we were hoping to get breakfast in Moroni (5 miles from Fountain Green.) No restaurants in Moroni! We found food and interesting people in Mount Pleasant. Mike started talking to Bryan - a local artist - after breakfast this morning. After quizzing Bryan about local accomodations (the only hotel in town is full, and the RV park is a gravel parking lot), Bryan took us over to the center of town to show us the new mural on the community center. He and some other artists in town spent the summer creating a trompe l'oeil (sp?) on the side of the building, depicting 7 soldier statues in a memorial to the veterans of wars from the Black Hawk Indian war to the current one. It was very impressive! They actually look like statues from a distance, and the lettering looks like it has been carved in stone. Bryan and Jason have been very helpful in trying to help us find a place to stay. They made some phone calls for us and even offered to let us sleep in their studio (although at this point it seems that there is going to be a town dance in their studio so that option is a bust.) We'll see what happens... The cloud cover is a welcome relief from the heat, but it also appears that we might get some thunderstorms soon.

So Jason asked us all kinds of questions on how we are doing our trip. He, like many other people we run into say things like, "I'm envious of you" or "I'd like to do a trip like that". (We also run into many who say, "better you than me". To all of them, we say that we're still pinching ourselves...it's hard for us to believe that we're doing it! The first few days of the trip I kept on waiting for something to happen that would derail us. My knee pain, or my saddle sore, or Mike's hip, or a bike getting stolen (one of the Oberlin students had his bike stolen in Roosevelt, UT!) And while we still have some of those concerns, it seems like we might actually make it. I had an inspiring piano teacher in college. Her name was Mrs. Baker (no relation) and she was always pushing me to do more. One time she said that I should prepare a particularly difficult Nocturne by Chopin for a recital. I said that it was too hard (it really was!), but she noted that I had already learned the first 5 measures. She said, "Bonnie, if you can swim in 5 feet of water, you can swim in 50 feet of water." For some reason, that really resonated for me. (Although I started to think about how sound gets distorted in water, and that was just too deep.) Anyway, I think the same concept applies here. If I can ride 1 mile, I can ride 100 miles, and if I can ride 100, I can ride thousands. So a mile at a time. 800 or so down, and maybe a couple thousand to go. This is great!

Day 13: Delta UT to Fountain Green UT

We meant to rest in Nephi today. Lunch at the chinese restaurant in town was great - the first tofu sighting since the Wok in Fallon NV. A couple of nice ladies at the restaurant asked us about our trip, and we in turn asked them for advice and directions. They told us about a nice campground up about 1/2 way up the pass called Ponderosa in the National Forest. It sounded great, it was only 5 miles up the canyon - we decided to go camp up there instead of staying in Nephi. Got up to the National Forest, only to find out that it burned down (along with the campground) a couple of years ago. These ladies don't get out much! By now we were 1/2 way up, so we decided to carry on to the next town. Our rest day turned into a 72 mile ride to Fountain Green. We talked to a couple of locals who gave us some more advice on which way to travel to Duchesne (hwy. 6 or tough mountain pass...it's a toss up), and where to camp in town.

The RV park we camped at had more tent campers than RV's. Very odd. We learned why later in the evening as a dozen rock climbers descended on camp. Evidently Maple Canyon is a famous climbing area not too far away. Nice people from all over the country and the world!

Our experience has now led us to institute a new rule. Information about camping, lodging, distance, etc. must be verified by at least 2 individuals. This isn't the first time we've been led astray by people who sound like they know what they're talking about! Oh, and another rule: we have to add about 3 miles to whatever number of miles people tell us. "The hotel is just a mile up the road" actually means, "the hotel is just 3 miles up the road."

Day 12: Border, NV to Delta UT

2 states down, and a whole bunch more to go! New time zone too! Anticipating the heat, we got up at 2:30 AM to start the long ride to Delta UT - 90 miles. It was pretty cool starting our ride at 3:30 AM in the dark. We had lights on the handlebars and blinking red lights on the back of our panniers. As we got ready to start rolling, Mike stopped to fix something on his bike. He said, "go on ahead, I'll catch up." Despite the novelty of the situation, or perhaps because of it, I said, "no way...I'm not heading out into the desert in the dark by myself!" After awhile I got used to the darkness and it was so awesome to be out there with no noise, no cars, no lights. We could see about a gazillion stars.

Mike said that, while this would be a long ride, it would be rather flat, so we could make good time. Hmm! Except for the 25 mile climb out of Border with 8% grades, it was pretty flat. Actually, the end of the ride went by fairly fast, so we finished the ride around noon. Ran into another group of students - this group of 5 are riding cross country to raise money for ACCION International, a microfinance NGO. Their website is microbikeusa.com.

I think we're off to Nephi UT tomorrow - a short day. We could use a bit of rest.

Day 11: Ely to Border, NV

64 miles, 2 mountain passes, 5 hours, 3,700 feet of climbing - HOT! We stopped for food half way up Sacramento Pass beneath a tree. I wanted to down as much food as possible. At the Big Apple restaurant in Ely, I amazed the wait staff with my eating capacity. The waitress said to me as she put down all the food I ordered for dinner, "I can't believe a tiny thing like you can eat all this food." Well, she threw down the gauntlet, eh? I ate a huge grilled cheese sandwich, fries, salad, cottage cheese, lemonade, and then for good measure, I ordered a big ol' piece of apple pie on top of it all. Actually, this might have been the most food I've ever eaten at any one sitting. I was stuffed. But a couple of hours later, I had another snack!

Border is on the border of UT and NV. It consists of a bar/restaurant, rv park and motel. The slots are on one side of the building - the NV side, and the gas pumps are on the UT side, where evidently gas is cheaper. It was quite a funny place. We had lunch there and then went to bed at 6 PM. We planned to get up at 2:30 AM to start the 90 mile ride to Delta UT. (We both woke up in the middle of the night. Mike rolled over and asked, "what time is it?" I checked: "9:00 PM". Sheesh!)

Day 10: Eureka to Ely, NV

A challenging day: 79 miles, 4 mtn. passes, 5,974 feet of climbing,and discouraging 30 mph wind gusts. We're pooped!

Day 9: Bob Scott Campground to Eureka, NV

63 miles. A mostly downhill day. Met a nice man in Eureka who gave us a 1/2 hour lesson on growing hay in central Nevada. A group of Australians on motocycles were amazed that we would ride "push bikes" instead of motoring across Nevada. They are on their way to Sturgis for the big motorcycle gathering. (We've run into loads of motorcyclists...seems like they are all heading to Sturgis. Mike and I are thinking that we might detour and rumble into Sturgis on our motorless bikes. Actually, no.)

We camped at the town park thanks to Sandy - the wife of the County commissioner. She made a few calls for us. It was like having our own private 1 acre campsite complete with private bathrooms. We need to write to the Eureka Sentinel to say thanks - the people in Eureka were terrific!

Day 8: Cold Spring Station to Bob Scott Campground

57 miles, 3,871 feet of climbing. We woke up at 4:30 AM to get rolling today before the heat. Big climb up to Austin and then to Bob Scott Campground. We've run into many people riding their bikes cross country. The second day in Nevada we ran into the rest of the Oberlin students around mid-morning. One of the students said that riding through Nevada has been his favorite part of the trip. A little surprising at first, but when I got to thinking about it, I realized that I too am enjoying the state. Wide open spaces, awesome silence, and wonderful mountains. Pedaling along Hwy. 50, we saw a handful of cars; we mostly had birds and insects as company. The views and the mountains are big. You can't help but feel the immensity of the place. I really enjoyed riding today...there was just me, Mike and the bikes. Not much else. Untethered, unfettered, and it felt very liberating.

The first lone rider we came across this morning rode ou to the middle of the highlway to meet Mike and shake hands. It was quite a picture - Hwy. 50 spreading out like a 30 mile causeway between two big mountains, and 2 guys on bicycles standing in the middle having a conversation. No traffic, no noise. And that's how it was with our other encounters with cyclists. We met a man who had been hiking from Charlotte NC and transitioned to the bicycle when he hit Utah. We met a nice couple from Lancaster PA at the shoe tree outside of Middlegate the other day. As Mike said, for the lonliest highway, it's an awfully busy place for cyclists.

Day 7: Fallon to Cold Spring Station, 62 miles

July 26. We've ridden 62 miles today and 2,293 feet of climbing at 13.5 mph. I think it's human nature to claim things. A bunch of Spaniards hit the West Indies, call it the New World and claim it or Spain. Nevermind that there wer already people there. The Brits were good at this too - arriving at some place they had never been, sticking the Union Jack in place, and claiming it for the King or Queen. ("Who ARE those people milling about watching us erect our flag?")Americans are good at claiming things too. Manifest Destiny? Here's some excellent real estate, it SHOULD be mine. Our sense of entitlement has a long history, but we limit ourselves to just one continent for the most part. No need to get greedy like some countries.

Mike and I claimed our territory at the Churchill County Fairgrounds campground Friday afternoon. We noticed the marquee listed the Nevada STate Paint Horse show scheduled for Friday and Saturday. With limited camping available, we thought it prudent to plant our flag (aka Sierra Designs Blue Clip Flashlight tent). Having staked our territory, we headed into town to take care of important explorer business like 1) eat ice cream and 2) visit the library.

Our visit to the library turned into an expedition of its own. 8 goatheads and 2 flat tires occupied us for at least an hour after we left the library. Hot and tired, we returned to the O'Donnell Territory (ideally situated between two shady cottonwood trees) to find a young couple approaching "our trees" from the south at the same time we were approaching from the east. Mike and I noted that the shade had migrated from our tent (I mean flag), requiring that we adjust the borders of our territory. I took a diversionary tactic, asking the couple about their dog (very sweet 1-year, named Gramps), while Mike took a more Conquistador approach, taking his mount (I mean his bike) and positioning it against the tree with the most shade.

All unnessary maneoveurs it turns out. The young couple and Gramps were part of a group of 8 Oberlin students who were riding their bikes from Ohio to San Francisco. These two had hitchhiked from Austin, NV, while the rest of their group rode (and 2 drove a support truck). Ben and Cathy gave us good tips for our journey eastward, since they had essentially taken the same route through Nevada, Utah and Colorado. (They stopped at the New Belgian Brewery in Fort Collins and got a private tour!) Cathy offered up tips like:
1) find a town pool and ask to shower there.
2) they had good luck asking churches to let them camp on their property.

Ben shared his beer with us - some yummy Sierra Nevada! I told him I passed a Sierra Nevada truck going the other way on 88 in CA. I waved, he honked...but no free beer. Guess I'll have to wait until Fort Collins for that.

It was a busy night at the campground. Later an older man from Laughlin, NV stopped by with his dog "Oneway" - so named because there is only one way with this dog - the dog's way.

All this campground socializing kept us up until 10 PM or so - later than we had been planning. We talked, once again, about getting up at 4:30 AM to beat the heat, but neither of us heard the watch alarm go off. We got rolling around 6:15 AM - so this is an improvement over past mornings! The first hour was chilly - about 55 degrees or so. We hit the road with almost all of our clothes on!

Today we rolled through big valleys, past Fallon Naval base, and up a couple of small passes. To Be Continued...

Day 6: Carson City to Fallon, NV

65 miles, 15 mph, and only 1211 feet of climbing! We got up at 5 AM with the intention of being on the bikes by 6. Not moving very fast at that hour, we didn't actually get rolling until 6:45. But it was still cool enough to wear a fleece, so we were happy to beat the heat. It was an easy 65 miles to Fallon (all downhill!), and we arrived in town by 11:30 or so to have lunch. (Awesome chinese food on Maine Street!) It's hot now, so we've set up camp at the fairgrounds. We're surrounded by Paint horses - evidently there is a big horse show tomorrow. Most of these horses look better than we do. I'm guessing they probably smell better too. Our tushes are still a bit in shock, so we're happy to spend the afternoon not riding.

Fallon is home to farmers, cowboys and Top Gun types. A strange sort of mix - but everyone we've met has been very friendly and helpful. We were delighted to see a cowboy in a Corolla as we rolled into town. His hat barely fit in the car.

Day 5: Rest Day in Carson City

If it's possible, I think I hear each individual cell in my legs crying out, "no mas!" Thankfully, I'm listening. We're kicking back in Carson City, visiting, not the casinos, but rather the library and the laudromat. Early morning start tomorrow.

Day 4: Bear River Reservoir (CA) to Carson City, NV

76.6 miles, 11 mph average, 6 hours-55 minutes, 5,180 feet of climbing: another big day of climbing up to Kirkwood for lunch and then the summit of Carson Pass at 8,630 feet. The descent was almost as good as the gelato in Folsom! Despite this, everything hurt - the accumulated effects of the past 3 days and limited (I mean, no)training. Mike talked me into continuing on to Carson City so that we could have a rest day, by saying that "it's all downhill from here." True - it's generally downhill but eventually it flattens out. Add 95 degrees and a strong crosswind, and it becamea very long 2 hours to Carson City! During the last 10 miles into CC, Mike looked back and said, "are you cursing the day I bought you your Bianci road bike?" And my reply was, "no, I'm just cursing you." After a big italian dinner, we felt much relieved - we were fed, watered and now have the biggest climb behind us.

Day 3: Placerville, CA to Bear River Reservoir

49.2 miles, 7.7 mph average, 7,467 feet of climbing. Mike just confessed that the real reason he bought the origami "fold-flat tableware" was, not because we really needed it, but rather because he knew it would entertain and delight me at the end of a long day. And he was right! Now that's love. And I seriously needed some delight because after all the climbing we did today, I'm tired and cranky. But the lake is cool and the view is beautiful. We made it through another day!

Day 2: Davis to Placerville

75.5 miles, avg. 11 mph, 3,586 ft. of elevation: a beautiful ride from Davis, 24 miles of bike trail next to the American River! Awesome birding. We cooled off in Folsom with lunch and real gelato - yum. Tough riding up to the Mother Lode hotel in Placerville...some steep grades, and then when you're good and tired, it's another couple of miles uphill to the hotel.

Day 1: Vallejo to Davis, 67 miles

67 miles, Vallejo to Davis, 13.5 mph avg., 55 degrees to 95 degrees! Vineyards, llamas, olive groves, walnut groves, so many bike paths in Davis that they have bike path roundabouts to handle the traffic! It was like riding in some parallel universe. Mike lost his sunglasses (already!), and we skidded into the rental car drop off place in Vallejo with about 30 seconds to spare...but other than that, it was a perfect day.

Where should we start?

Despite the heated argument we had about where to start our bike trip (you'd think we'd have that narrowed down by now), and the missed exit off 680, we arrived at my Aunt Kay and Uncle Ron's house in Pleasant Hill at about 3:30 PM on Saturday afternoon. Such a treat to see them again - they might be the coolest aunt and uncle ever! I say that even though they sided with Mike in the "where-to-start-the bike-trip" discussion. (Note that it has been downgraded to a "discussion" from the aforementioned "arguement".) After 7 hours in the car, we were ready to stretch our legs and so we took a nice walk around the block, where we learned that Kay, who is a massage therapist, used to work on Wendy "wingnut" Ingram (the triathalete). We were very impressed!

Neither Mike nor I had been to Berkeley so Kay and Ron were our most excellent tour guides and showed us the sights on the way to the city. Ron generously put aside his carniverous habits, acquiesing to dinner at Herbivore - a terrific vegetarian restaurant downtown. (Thanks for dinner Kay and Ron!)

We dropped Mike off at a bar to meet up with Marty - his friend from the old neighborhood back in PA. The bar was called the Roundup which, for these parts, is something of a dive. Marty commented that the Roundup has the most diverse white crowd you'll ever see. And Kay and Mike both said that the men's room smelled terrible. We're still not sure what Kay was doing in the men's room at the Roundup. She doesn't drink and she's not a man - it's a little puzzling. I think maybe she was lost. Kay, Ron and I left Mike and Marty at the Roundup to talk about the old days. This took about 4 Guinesses - which is good news to me. I'm thinking it might slow Mike down on Day 1 of the Big Ridge.

 
 
 
 

July 19

- overnight in Barstow, on the way to SF

Countdown to departure

We're nearly ready to go. We're renting a car this afternoon, and driving half way to San Francisco tonight. Mike has the day off, so he's doing some last minute packing and errands.

I had to say good-bye to Cinder - our labrador-able - this morning. I cried. It's not really practical to pull an 85 lb. lab behind your bike, but I really wish she was coming with us. The one consolation is that she will be with Scott and Sugar. Scott, we don't know how to thank you. We wouldn't be able to do this trip without you - your kindness and generosity is humbling - THANK YOU!

Last night, we had dinner with Chris, Margaret, Scott and Liz - a last supper of sorts. The Groves fueled us up with some awesome spinach lasagna - thanks guys! Again, we feel so fortunate to have such terrific friends.

Today I'm feeling a bit out of sorts - a little lost. Our neighbor Rita told Mike last week that he didn't need to walk Annie because, in preparation for our departure, she had found someone else to walk her. Completely reasonable, and yet I was surprised that we were so easily replaced! Life goes on without us.

And so I feel like I've been cut loose - as though I'm in a dingy that's been pulled behind a big ship and suddenly I'm adrift in this huge ocean without oars. I think I'll feel better once we start pedaling, but for now it's a strange sensation not to be tied down to anything. "Freedom lies in being bold" (Robert Frost) - an inspiring sentiment and yet I didn't anticipate the fear that buzzes around this idea.

Test Drive

Rain, rain, rain. Really, WHEN does it rain all day in Flagstaff. Hardly ever! Mike and pulled out the rain coats, put the matching yellow raincoats on the panniers and headed out, determined to make a go of it regardless. "This is a good test," I said. "We can simulate real East Coast conditions." And we hit the road.

Descending the gentle 3 miles into town, I resembled a drunk on a bicycle. Whoa - that front wheel has a mind of its own, and the road is very wet. Downtown, things deteriorated. No, I didn't get pulled over for drunk driving, instead Mike's front brake fell off. Evidently he forgot to put one of the bolts back in after he made some changes to the brake. Sort of embarrassing for a former bike mechanic, but we won't go there.

Now it's raining AND thundering, so we decide to go to Absolute Bikes to get a bolt and get out of the rain. Riding through town, stopping at the ATM, we have to endure embarrassing questions like:
"Hey where are you from?" Answer: "here"
"Where are you going?" Answer: "here"
People are befuddled (which goes nicely with my erratic, drunk-riding behavior.)

We start to question the whole concept of "dry run". Here it's wet, and we ask ourselves the very important question: "if we were ACTUALLY on the trip, what would we do?" The correct answer from any cyclist worth his or her beans is: "GO DRINK COFFEE." Which is what we do. Briefly, I feel bad and suggest that we should soldier on and go camping anyway - to see what else might go awry. Mike wisely points out, again, that, "if we were ACTUALLY on the trip, we would get a hotel on a day like this." Happily, we have a free hotel in town - our house! And so we head home, take showers, and go out for Thai food.

The good news - aside from great coffee and Thai food - is that the panniers and their raincoats held up very well. Despite the deluge, most everything was dry. I need to get a couple of covers for my front panniers - they were the only ones that didn't come with built in covers.

A brief confession. I don't know about you, but I find it irritating when couples wear similar clothing. Today, I looked over and there was Mike looking just like me - in a yellow rain jacket, with matching panniers, black rain pants, and the same blue Surly Long Haul Trucker (is that the best name ever, or what?) Ack! How did this happen? Mike offered the following consolation, "well your rain jacket has duct tape all over the sleeves, so we're not EXACTLY alike. And besides, with all that duct tape holding your jacket together, no one will think that you have anything worth stealing on the ride." Always seeing the bright side, isn't he? I'm thinking that with the erratic steering and the duct tape, I'm looking more like someone who should be picked up for disorderly conduct.

But actually, I got the steering thing down so things are looking up. Tonight we sleep in our comfy beds, and tomorrow we go for a really long ride.

Test Ride Eve

As I mentioned, this is all a bit last-minute, so planning has been minimal. (I rather prefer it this way...I'm not good at waiting.) We decided a couple of weeks ago that we should take a test drive - say, a weekend overnight to the Grand Canyon - sometime before we leave. But when? I was in Scottsdale with my parents a couple of weekends ago, and I was in Wisconsin for the Fourth of July holiday (and Sara's 40th birthday!), and so here we are just 7 days before lift-off and we are just now going on the test drive. Someone said, "nothing is more productive than the last minute", so we're gettin' busy tonight.

The Map

View Larger Map

The Route

This is a work in progress...don't want to be too tied down to an exact route/calendar!

CALIFORNIA
Day 1: SF to Davis, 52 miles (Lake Solona Cty park 800-939-7275)

Day 2: Davis to Placerville, 85 miles (Placerville Motherlode 622-0825)

Day 3: Placerville to Kirkwood, 58 miles (Silver Lake Campground)

Day 4: Kirkwood to Dayton NV, 89 miles (Dayton State Park)


NEVADA
Day 5: Dayton to Middlegate, 100 miles (hotel or camping) ALT – Dayton to Fallon, 50 miles

Day 6: Middlegate to Austin, 66 miles
(Bob Scott campground (+7 miles) or hotel); OR Fallon to Austin, 100 miles

Day 7: Austin to Eureka, 60 miles
(Eureka 2 hotels, 1 B&B 1 rv park; ALT – 88mi Illpah res campground. No water.)

Day 8: Eureka to Ely, 80 miles (or 37 miles from Illpah)

Day 9: Ely to Baker, 62 miles (or 99 from Illpah)

UTAH
Day 10: Baker, NV to Delta, 95 miles NO WATER, NO SERVICES
(Best Western, 435-864-3882)‎

Day 11: Delta to Mt. Pleasant, 80 miles
(Mt Pleasant Country Motel, 30 W Main 435-577-2893; ALT - 92 to Natl Forest)

Day 12: Mt. Pleasant to Helper, 70 miles (Price Canyon Recreation Area; ALT - 107 miles Starvation State Park, 435-738-2326; ALT – 36 miles, Scofield State Park)

Day 13: Helper to Vernal, 100 miles (78 miles from Starvation S.P., 78 miles from Scofield)

Day 14: Vernal to Maybell, CO, 102 miles (Maybell Bridge campsites) Most of day is through BLM;
ALT – 130 miles to Craig, Loudy Simpson Park or South Beach)

COLORADO
Day 15: Maybell to Steamboat Springs, 72 miles
(campsites in National Forest; ALT - 55-65 miles to Craig)

Day 16: Steamboat Springs to Gould, 80 miles (Aspen Campground, National Forest)

Day 17: Gould to Fort Collins, 77 miles (Hotel)

Day 18: Fort Collins to Sterling, 85 miles (North Sterling State Park, 10 miles north of Sterling)

Day 19: Sterling to Champion NE, 82 miles (Champion Lake 8 sites w/ Water 308-394-5118; N.B. Champion Lake State Historic Site, working water powered mill 308-394-5118)

NEBRASKA
Day 20: Champion to Cambridge, 105 miles (Medicine Creek State Recreation Area)
ALT - Champion to Trenton, NE…Swanson State Recreation Area, 56 miles)

Day 21: Cambridge area (Harry Strunk Lake) to Ayr, 108 miles (Crystal Lake State Recreation Area)
OR Trenton, NE to Ayr, 148 miles

Day 22: Ayr to ~Kramer, 98 miles (Olive Creek State Recreation Area)

Day 23: Kramer to ~Riverton IA, 74 miles (Waubonsie State Park)

IOWA
Day 24: Riverton to ~Villisca, 54 miles (Viking Lake State Park)
ALT – Riverton to Spaulding…Green Valley State Park, 93 miles)

Day 25: Villisca to Chariton, 94 miles (Red Haw State Park) OR Spaulding to Chariton, 64 miles

Day 26: Chariton to Rubio, 85 miles (Lake Darling State Park)

Day 27: Rubio to Muscatine, 59 miles (Great River Days Parade, concert, food and art fair: 3rd week of Aug.)

ILLINOIS
Day 28: Muscatine to Kewanee, IL, 74 miles

Day 29: Kewanee to Odell, 94 miles (Camping in city park)

Day 30: Odell to Kankakee, 40 miles (Kankakee State Park)

Day 31: Kankakee to Fletcher, IN, 96 miles (Fletcher Lake, in town)

INDIANA
Day 32: Fletcher to Monroeville, 95 miles

Day 33: Monroeville to Grand Rapids, OH, 76 miles (Mary Jane Thurston State Park)

OHIO
Day 33: Grand Rapids to Huron, 82 miles

Day 34: Huron to Lyndhurst, 70 miles (Nancy & Niki?)

Day 35:

Day 36: Lyndhurst to Conneaut Lake, PA, 75 miles

PENNSLYVANIA
Day 37:

Pedal Power

Mike and I have been thinking about the possibility of riding our bikes across the country for about a year now. Actually, Mike's been thinking about it ever since he rode his bicycle across Pennsylvania as a 16-year old. Me - I just like the idea of it: the open road, getting "unplugged", and the challenge - will we make it?, what does 8 weeks of non-stop togetherness do to a relationship?, etc.

I started a bike journal on crazyguyonabike.com. Sadly, it seems like his server crashed. Evidently, everyone and his brother is touring by bike this summer! Or perhaps just everyone and his brother is reading about people bike touring. Anyway, I'm starting over here.

The Where, What and Why

"The trouble with life in the fast lane is that you get to the other end in an awful hurry." -John Jensen

Ride a bike coast to coast. Why not? This was a dream of Mike's since he rode across Pennsylvania as a 16 year old sometime in the early 80's (I think it was 1980).

Me - I just like the idea of it. Slow down, unplug, see America. And I like the challenge: will I make it? will we be married at the end? 8 weeks of just the two of us? Sheesh - that's a lot of togetherness!

The fact that we can go on vacation and spend very little money on gas is a bonus. We do have to get to San Francisco from Flagstaff at the start, and there's the flight home from Philly at the end - but other than that the only gas on the trip will be exuded from Mike after his favorite black bean burritos.

It's all a bit spontaneous since we didn't really think we could actually go until just a few weeks ago. Up until then, it was a "wouldn't it be nice if we could someday ride cross-country" type of thing. But opportunity and very VERY generous bosses (thank you Betsy, Mason, Barry!) made it possible. Now it's a mad dash to get gear, deal with bills, work etc. We'll do a test ride/overnight this weekend. More later.