Six weeks ago we downsized our lives. We went from a 1700 square foot, three bedroom home to 4Runner and a queen size bed on wheels. On Tuesday when Rob dropped us at an airport hotel we downsized again. From that point on we would be traveling on two wheels with four waterproof bags each (with a minor jet assist).
The jet assist portion to Prudhoe requires the tedious but necessary step of boxing the bikes for flight. After enjoying a clear view of Rainier ( and reminiscing), I got to work. By Tuesday afternoon, the bikes were ready to travel. By Wednesday evening we had our gear ready, had made phone calls, sent texts and emails, and basically taken care of all the last minute details.
Thursday: June 3: The Big Day. Alaska Airlines did not help our nerves today. They made multiple, last minutes changes. The end result was that we arrived in Prudhoe at 7:30pm instead of 1:00pm. It looked very much like I remember…cold, grey, windy, overcast, industrial. It also was very foreign arriving as a tourist. Everyone else had a purpose for being there. Because of the late arrival we also decided to bite the bullet and stay at one of the local hotels. These are not hotels in the typical sense. Several companies use them to house short term workers. Our room had all the belongings of such a worker who was “off shift”. Odd. By days end, the bikes were back together, we were well fed, and gear was stowed.
Friday June 4: Took advantage of the buffet breakfast, made a trip to the general store for fuel and bear spray, and pedaled away from civilization. It was 29 degrees, foggy, misty, with a brisk NE wind. Perfect. We were shocked to find the first 18 miles of the highway paved. Very quickly the nerves and anticipation were replaced with the realization that we were up for the challenge. By days end we had traveled far enough inland to find clear skies. We dismissed one likely campsite because it was already occupied by mom and two grizzly cubs. Several miles down the road we found another spot, got everything all set up, when two different people stopped to tell us there was another mom with two more grizzly cubs nearby. Seriously? We broke camp just as Marshall, the other biker out this early happened by. We went a few more miles down the road and found another likely spot…and saw another grizzly. Hmmmmm. This one turned and sprinted away as soon as he caught wind of us. Fair enough. This was home for the night.
This is what arctic biking looks likeFirst griz of the trip…taking our first campOur second attempted siteMarshall…our new friend and temporary biking partner
Saturday, June 6: Cold and damp morning did not encourage lounging. Quickly on the road and quickly found more blue skies. The Brooks range that came into view yesterday has been looming larger ahead of us. As did the hills. Large, long, steep hills came in waves as we climbed away from the Sagavanirtok River, and the back down. All day long until we called it quits 42 miles after we started. Super pleasant day getting to know Marshall. At the tender age of 31, he has lived and worked all over the world. His ultimate goal is to bike all the way to the southern tip of Argentina.
Sunday, June 7: Unbelievably we had yet another good weather day…starting at 35 degrees before skyrocketing to 50. It was also equal parts brutally difficult biking (4,400 vertical)…and majestic wilderness in every direction. After staring at the Brooks range for over 100 miles, we finally arrive at its feet by days end. Tomorrow we will attempt to make our way through. Buts that’s tomorrow after a good long rest.
Lunch with a viewCamp night 2Camp at the door step of the Brooks range.
I know this was a concern for many…so far we’ve seen nine grizzlies…none have eaten us yet. Actually none have shown the slightest interest in eating us. We’ve seen caribou, fox, musk oxen, and untold numbers of birds. As advertised…lots of trucks, almost all have been super thoughtful. That’s all for now until Fairbanks.
One year ago Sharon and I bought one way tickets to a far northern town in Norway. We had planned to spend four-ish months bicycle touring throughout Norway, the UK and Europe. It was an exciting few months of planning. However, as happened to so many plans last year, Covid intervened and the trip never happened. Insert your favorite frowny face emoji here. C’est la Vie! Fast forward one year. In a fever of irrational optimism, Sharon and I once again bought one-way tickets to the far north! This time to Alaska. That’s right. Hope springs eternal in the face of experience which proves otherwise. Some of you may have seen Sharon’s post on Facebook. Since we’ve gotten quite a few questions, I thought I’d provide a little background to our decision, and some insight into our plans.
A while back I spent some time wandering down a rabbit hole. I tried to imagine what life would look like if we sold everything! Sell the house, get rid of all the furniture and furnishings, extra vehicles – basically everything. What would life look like free from all the ties that bind, with extra cash in the bank? It was fun to imagine. What would you do? Well, it was an interesting thought, but really nothing more than a fanciful exercise in “what if?” I filed the thoughts away. Some time later I mentioned the idea to Sharon. She found the idea…intriguing. That led to countless hours playing the “could we/should we/would we/what if?” game. It was fun. It was scary. It was exciting! Eventually we decided that getting rid of everything was too great a leap – and ultimately unnecessary. Instead, we came up with an intermediate step – and our current plan. A wonderful young couple, Jack and Abby, has agreed live in our house for a year (+), look after things and manage our Airbnb. Freed from the responsibility of managing hearth and home, we will use the time to indulge our wanderlust.
Which leads back to one-way tickets to Alaska. Sometime mid-April of this year (2021), we will hand over the keys to Jack and Abby and leave Flagstaff with trailer and toys in tow. We will gradually make our way to the Seattle area by the end of May, and then fly to Anchorage with our bicycles and camping gear. With a population density of 1.2 people per square mile, Alaska seems like the perfect place to practice anti-social distancing. Having lived in AK for a time, I know that there are several lifetimes of exploring possible there. If the Canadian border opens this summer, our plan is to bicycle back to Washington. Worst case scenario is that the border remains closed and we will just spend a few months biking and hiking around my old stomping grounds before flying or ferrying back to Washington.
We hope the Alaska to Washington bike ride comes to pass. After that, plans are a bit vague. Before the arrival of winter, we’d like to spend some time back in the Wisconsin homeland. There are quite a few places we’d like to bicycle, kayak, hike and camp around the country. We’d like to visit family and friends. Once winter hits, we’ve talked about spending the long northern winter bicycle touring in southern hemisphere countries or tropical regions. This far out, those are all just fun ideas to kick around. Given all the uncertainty in the world, and just life in general, it seems foolish to spend too much planning at this point.
So there it is is. That’s our “no plan – plan”. We’re currently trying to have fun and stay in shape. We are also working hard at finishing home projects (mostly me) and steadily packing and clearing space for our caretakers (mostly Sharon). Turns out there is a long “to do” list when you’re going to be away for an extended period of time. Fortunately there are plenty of adventurous folks who have travelled this path before us and have left excellent “roadmaps” for us to follow. Also we live in a digital age and managing life from a distance is vastly easier than in years past. That’s all for now! We’re looking forward to getting on the road. We’re looking forward to you taking the journey with us (virtually). And, depending on where you are, hopefully our paths will cross!
Sharon and I have been enjoying different outdoor activities almost from the day we met. We’ve spent enough time camping using different human powered modes of travel, that we don’t think much about it. It is just what we do for fun. These are “normal” activities. On our recent bike trip, I was reminded that not everyone has the same perspective. When folks saw us in cycling clothes, riding with oddly shaped bags hanging from our bikes – I’m really not sure what they thought. I do know that from the odd looks and many questions – touring by bicycle was a completely foreign concept. It occurred to me that the nuts and bolts of bicycle touring might be a foreign concept to others as well. I thought I’d do a quick info piece on how one goes about touring our country – or the world – by bicycle.
Why?
Why ride a bicycle when getting from point A to point B is easier, faster and more comfortable in a car? Maybe that’s the point. To me it seems that a car is about the destination, while a bike is much more about the journey. You could travel 700 miles in a long day of driving…and at the end you’d be tired, cranky, and most of those miles would be a forgotten blur. We spent 3 1/2 weeks covering that distance, and I can remember something about almost every one of those 700 miles. A bicycle travels slowly enough (some of us more slowly than others) to allow you to really see and experience the landscape. The pace of travel also lends itself to meeting and interacting the curious, the colorful, and the kindred spirits.
Gear
There are endless debates in the cycling world about the best bike, the best gear, the best way to transport that gear…blah, blah, blah, blah. You could have a great time riding a basic Walmart bike with some gear thrown in a backpack. Of course, depending on the bike and conditions, that could also invite a special level of misery. Obviously a purpose built modern touring bike will be more comfortable and efficient. Lightweight camping gear carried in waterproof bags securely attached to one’s bike also makes life more comfortable and efficient. The sophisticated graph below conveys an important lesson about gear. You need enough gear to be safe and comfortable in the conditions in which you will be traveling. Beyond that, I refer to the graph below as I ponder whether additional pieces of gear are necessary or not. All that being said, here is a general gear list.
Maybe a bit much…?
Dave’s Sciency Gear Chart
Packing done right!
Bikes: Kona Sutra. Sharon’s has been heavily modified for fit and comfort.
Racks. Kona supplied rear. Tubus Tara low riders in front.
Bags: Ortlieb all around. Basically dry bags with clever mounting apparatus. German engineering. Water proof. Functional. They just work!
Front Left Pannier: Medium weight down jacket, hat, gloves. KB rain pants and rain jacket.
Front Right Pannier: Civilized pants and button shirt. Two short sleeve T’s with arm warmer arm sleeves. Long sleeve heavy shirt. Medium weight tights. Two pairs lycra bike shorts. Regular shorts. Socks and underwear. Windshirt.
Left Rear Pannier: This was my junk drawer. A bag with charging cables, battery bank, headlight, and portable keyboard. Stove (MSR Windburner – by far best I’ve ever had). A book. A bag with contacts, solution, rechargeable hair trimmer. A bag with some bike tools and parts. Two quart collapsible water container. Deck of cards and travel backgammon. Extra food as necessary.
Right Rear Pannier: Sleeping Pad (Big Agnes Q-Core insulated) Down Quilt (Enlightened Equipment – Revelation 10 degree) Lightweight camp chair (luxury).
When we’re touring, our intent is always to camp – preferably in some beautiful, remote (free) location. To us, that kind of seems to be the point of traveling…and we’re cheap. Next choice is camping for free in some unusual places. We’ve camped on porches (warmshowers.com), behind church offices (with permission), and in spooky Alabama backwoods. At one point we contemplated camping on the edge of a country cemetery…on Friday the 13th no less. Many years ago we slept under an Interstate highway bridge. Wild camping in the south and east is definitely more challenging without the easy access to public lands that we enjoy in the west.
Back in the day…
If free options aren’t available, we are not averse to staying in campgrounds. It is nice to occasionally have access to luxuries like running water, toilets, picnic tables, and showers. It pains us mightily, however, to pay the $20-30 that many places now charge. We also found that many “campgrounds” in the east were more like permanent mobile home parks. (no thanks) Normally our last choice is to look for a hotel. On this trip we used that option more than we’d planned. There were a number of reasons. We spent three days touring Charleston. We got caught in the cross hairs of two hurricanes (can you say massive quantities of rain?). Since it was late fall, it was getting dark and cold at 5:30pm and not getting light until 7:00am. That makes for long nights. Near the end we tossed in the towel and just planned for hotels the last few nights. On this trip, we camped 13 nights (9 free, 4 paid), and spent 11 nights in hotels. Ultimately there is no right or wrong. We liked our choices. On a different trip, in a different location, we may have different options and make different choices.
Food
Aaaah. Food! One of the joys of bicycle touring is guilt free eating! And unlike backpacking, you don’t have to carry it all with you. We almost always carry with us some bagels, a small jar of peanut butter, some tea and hot chocolate mix, as well as some snack food – Payday bars and such. That way we always have something and can camp without worrying about having to get food. Generally though, we would stop by a grocery at least once a day and pick up food for dinner and breakfast, as well as some snack for the day. We carry the stove mentioned above, a small pot, frying pan, as well as a variety of seasonings. With some creativity, just about any kind of meal is possible. Our favorite dinner was probably chicken burritos. Sharon makes some pretty amazing oatmeal creations for breakfast and carries the makings for that. Sadly, I can’t stand oatmeal. I’m actually kind of a lazy eater and am happy with a bagel. Of course there is always the option of getting some takeout from local restaurants. This time around we were struck by the lack of food options though. Many of the small towns we passed through had no grocery stores at all. Several times our food choices were limited to whatever we could buy at a Dollar General store!
Chicken burrito fixin’s
Lunch break in the countryside
A Typical Day
I’ll start by saying there really is no typical day on the road. Some days we had a specific destination in mind, other days we basically flipped a coin at every crossroads and went in whatever direction struck our fancy. Some days we felt strong and just enjoyed biking all day long. Other times we called it quits after a few hours. Some days were low gear grunts up burly mountains, others were rolling, flat rides through forests and farm fields. Our longest day was 63 miles, our shortest was a 13 rugged traverse over steep gravel roads. We had days of T-Shirt warmth, brilliant sunshine, tailwinds and downhills. We had 20 degree mornings and icicles, torrential rain and brutal headwinds. That’s the beauty of biking…no two days are alike. I will try to describe a somewhat typical day. Generally we would get up and break camp at first light. Either eat breakfast, or ride into town and stop after it had warmed a bit. Throughout the day we would ride, stopping every couple of hours to eat, drink, and consult with “Miss Bossy Pants” Google Maps. Whenever possible we opted for small country roads. This led through beautiful landscapes, past rural mansions and dilapidated shacks. We passed through quaint towns where we had lovely chats with the locals. We passed through ugly towns where miserable looking folks either ignored us or “politely” suggested we get off the F-ing road. There would be endless conversations about food, and the obligatory food stops. At some point during the day we would start thinking about where we were going to spend the night. This involved consulting with locals, looking at Google Maps, or just looking for likely places to camp. Assuming we found a place, first order of business was always to get the tent and sleeping arrangements set. Then it was dinner time. Then it was usually cold and dark, so into the tent we went. We played cards, journaled, read books, watched some downloaded show, or just chatted about the day or made plans for tomorrow. It is a very simple lifestyle where you are very much just in the moment. It also ends up being a very appealing lifestyle.
People and Places…It’s what life on the road is all about!
I hope this behind the scenes look at bike touring (the way we do it anyway) offers some insight into not only why, but how we do it. One thing is certain. Our recent experience, hardships and all, has only sparked a greater determination to see more of the world on two wheels. Plans are already afoot… Enjoy! Seize the Carp!
“That’s all I got to say about that…” Forrest Gump
Days 22-24: Monday – Wednesday (11/16-11/18) After Chattanooga, the riding seemed a bit – anticlimatic. Other than some busy roads in and around cities, and especially riding into Knoxville, we rode through more beautiful countryside in the Tennessee River valley. Up and over countless ridges, through some lovely valleys, along rivers, creeks and lakes. It made us want to keep on riding forever. Then the reality of short, cool days, long colder nights led us to realize we were ready to be done. We decided to forego camping the last two nights and just enjoy the ride. And so we did…
Routefinding via Google Maps. We nicknamed the voice “Miss Bossy Pants”. An invaluable tool…mostly.
Interesting views along the road.
Sharon stopped to pick up a quarter…we are on a fixed income.
Sunny lunch spot out of the wind.
Tennessee River.
Typical, lovely back road.
Spooky Old Tree
And so it was, that after 24 days on the road, we closed the circle and arrived back at Knoxville. Along the way we’d spent time spent in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee again. Along the way we covered just under 700 human powered miles. It was almost everything we’d hoped it would.
Some Observations about life on the road (again)….
1. Bicycle touring is awesome! We loved it back then, and after a long hiatus, turns out we love it still. We will ride again….
2. In the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration, we are both extremely grateful to be physically able to handle the demands of biking with loaded bicycles over some fairly difficult terrain – day after day. As the years have piled up, and body parts start to wear out, this is not something we take for granted.
3. Many people have commented on this, and we both heartily agree. We are so unbelievably blessed that we both share a passion for adventure.
4. The timing of this trip was somewhat dictated by other events. Somehow, we hadn’t really considered the reality of touring in late October-November. Most days it was dark and cold by 6pm. It was dark and cold until 7am. Even with good books, cards, and downloaded movies, that’s a long time to be tent bound. We could easily have continued on the road but for the long nights.
5. We both LOVED biking in the south and east. The secondary roads are amazing. The terrain is challenging and rewarding. The vast majority of drivers were beyond considerate. Ideal biking.
6. We anticipated some difficulty in finding camping spots. Turned to be more difficult than we imagined. Lots of private property with some ominous warning signs. Still, with some creativity and some generous folks, it is possible.
7. I’m way too judgmental. We had a few negative experiences with aggressively unpleasant folks, which in turn can lead to generalizing and stupid assumptions. On more than one occasion, someone I had prejudged to be a dumb, inbred hillbilly hick turned out to be a kind, thoughtful, enouraging individual. Lesson learned (again).
8. Let go of guilt. For us bike touring means camping. And because we are uber cheap, our default is to free camp. It just about killed us to spend $20 or $30 to stay in a campground. We both felt like we were betraying our cheap, hardcore bicycling ethic by staying in hotels as often as we did (11 nights) Granted, we hadn’t anticipated the bad weather from TWO hurricanes…and we had planned to spend three nights in Charelston, but still… In the end, we were at peace with our decisions. The goal, after all, was to enjoy ourselves. That meant letting go of the self-imposed guilt.
9. With the exception of bringing along a solar charger, we had the gear dialed in. Other than some minor tweaks, it was gratifying to have the bikes and gear figured out so we could just enjoy the biking.
10. We really enjoy meeting people. It is part of what makes bicycle touring such a great way to travel. Loaded bikes are a natural conversation starter, and lead to some amazing connections.
Local biker in Townsend, TN
Rachel had done a major solo bike ride and was super excited to meet us and help any way she could.
This couple saved us from deadly traffic and ferried us to the top of tha Smokie mts.
Warm shower Jaime let us camp on his deck…and take a shower…and gave us excellent back roads suggestions.
Pastor at Crossroads Baptist church let us camp behind their offices.
Luke and Katie from Chattanooga. Super cool couple
Warmshower Susie and husband Glen let us park at their house for 3 1/2 weeks
11. What’s next? We’re always looking for the next adventure. Given the Covid landscape, it still seems highly unlikely that our great Arctic bike adventure will be possible next summer. Our experience with this trip has led us to consider biking around the western U.S. for three, or four, or five months?? And if the border to Canada were to re-open??? Who knows. We do know that as long as we’re able, we’ll be doing much of our traveling via two wheels.
For now, its back to Flagstaff, get some things situated around the house, and get ready for whatever is next. Thanks for joining us virtually on this journey. I’m curious to hear what you think of this slightly different “diary” updates. Until next time…seize the carp!
Day 12: Friday (11/6) (Laurens to Newberry) Long day yesterday. Legs were a bit tired starting out. Our hope was that today would be an easier day. Turned out to be sort of true. We traded some of the larger, steeper hills for rolling terrain and a headwind….and hot weather. It felt nice to be in shorts and a T again, but by the end of the day it was starting to wear on us. Actually, by the end of the day quite a bit was starting to wear on us. Mentally we were both ready for a break from biking every day. When we arrived at Newberry, we’d planned to take a break and continue heading south for several more hours. I made a command decision and booked a nice hotel, right across the street from the city park where we were resting. There was a quaint downtown district that needed exploring. There were no obvious places to camp on our route south. And finally, we were both done. With lodging taken care of, we had a lovely evening chatting with a wonderful lady/owner of a local bike shop. We sat outside, had a local beer, and listened to some local live music. It was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Newberry
Day 13: Saturday (11/7) On the road again heading south. We felt both mentally and physically refreshed. Sharon found a free campsite on the shores of Lake Murray, a large reservoir just west of Columbia, SC. The biking was pleasant and we arrived after a short 22 mile ride. Apart from a drunk and/or stoned/strung out guy invading our personal space, we had a quiet evening reading and relaxing and plotting our next moves. We’ve wrestled with the miles yet to go to Charleston and the unwelcome arrival of some hurricane inspired bad weather. Our eventual plan – ride 30-ish miles to the Columbia airport and rent a one way car into Charleston. That gets us there ahead of the bad weather and – big plus – we don’t have to spend hours trying to avoid getting run down by big city drivers who so far seem aggressively offended having to share the road with non-motorized vehicles.
Relaxing at Lake MurrayAlways welcome free camping site.
Day 14: Sunday (11/8) We so seldom have a plan, its kind of fun when a plan actually comes together. We had a fast ride into Columbia – 30-ish miles before noon. The super nice rental guy upgraded us to a mini van, so transporting the bikes was a breeze. We found a drop off place less than a mile from our hotel. I guess because we’d rented a car, the hotel gave us a screaming deal. And because we were on bikes, they upgraded us to a wonderful first floor room. And best of all, we’re right in the midst of historic downtown Charleston. We enjoyed the Indigo Inn’s complementary glass of wine and plotted our next day’s adventures.
Charleston
Day 15: Monday (11/9) Sharon found a highly recommended tour guide for a walking history lesson. He was a fire hose of information. I’m not going to attempt to share even a portion of all that we learned. The history goes back to the late 1600’s and encompasses the Revolutionary war, the Constitution, massive involvement in the slave trade, the Civil War and so on. Just one small story I think offers a glimpse of what is on offer here. We stood on the sea wall, looking at Fort Sumpter three miles away. Across the street stands the house (and third story porch) where General Beauregard gave the signal to begin shelling Fort Sumpter. From that same porch, an elderly man whose family has owned that house since before the civil war, stood and waved good morning to us. We walked and biked some 15 miles around the historic district. Just so much to take in. One observation. Our tour guide was a life long resident of Charleston. He was very proud of the massive wealth on display in the historic district. He seemed somewhat unwilling to outright condemn the slavery that made such wealth possible. At worst it was an “unfortunate” part of the history. And yes, it “existed” but wasn’t that big a part of the city. In fact, Charleston at one point had over 40 slave markets, as the city served as a hub for the entire south for the domestic slave trade. A bit troubling.
Death’s head depicts the head of the deceased attached to wings, depicting their journey heavenward. This style of “sideways” home was a common design in early Charleston.
Day 16: Tuesday (11/10) Today was supposed to be a rainy day, so we planned some indoor activities…museums and such. All informative, some more interesting than others. The Slave Mart museum offered some chilling insights into the local slave trade. Definitely more than “unfortunate”! Enjoyed lunch on the patio at a local BBQ place – so tasty! Walked through the city market – far and away the least interesting thing to see in Charleston. By the time we’d made the rounds, the rain finally arrived. We spent a chill afternoon planning the next phase of our trip. With 5+ days of extremely heavy hurricane rain in the forecast, we once again opted for a vehicle assist. One way rental from Charleston to the north of Atlanta for only $60 should bring us far enough inland to avoid the rain. Its a plan!
Day 17: Wednesday (11/11) After breakfast, and with some time to kill before picking up our car, we took advantage of a break in the weather for one last spin around town. Huge thumbs up to Charleston. It truly lived up to the hype. Also, thumbs up to the Indigo Inn. All the folks there were super friendly, and super helpful. We really enjoyed chatting with all the staff. The drive to Atlanta took a bit longer than planned. We trusted Google Map’s routefinding when we shouldn’t have. We choose poorly on two occasions trying to get around some accident in Atlanta. By the time we arrived near our destination, it was late and heavy rain was forecast. One more hotel night. We’d both be feeling pretty decadent if our lodging wasn’t “skanky” as Sharon described it. Ultimately, it was dry and close to our car drop off location.
Day 18: Thursday (11/12) Cloudy, but dry. Sharon came across a rails to trails route called the Silver Comet. We jumped on after a quick 5 miles. It is amazing. Beautifuly paved bike/hike trail that runs 98 miles into Alabama. It was beautiful. Rolling through the outskirts of Atlanta into the countryside, and through small towns. Just fantastic biking. After 45 miles, we arrived at Camp Comet, a small, free campsite for travelers on the trail. After we cleared out some garbage left by previous visitors, we had a nice afternoon/evening relaxing. Dinner was an amazing chicken/onion/pepper burrito. While we’ve mostly enjoyed simple fare, we do have the option from time to time to pick up the makings for something a little more extravagant. Tasty.
Scenes from the Silver Comet trail. Great biking!!!
Day 19: Friday (11/13) Strange happenings over night. Some large creature nearby was huffing and puffing rather loudly. I have no idea what it was, but it didn’t seem happy that we were camped nearby. There was some yelling and flashlight waving before we were left in peace. Of course I fell right back asleep after the excitement (yeah right!). Hit the trail early and rolled into Cedarton for a massive cinnamon roll/apple fritter sugar hit. We said good-bye to the Silver Comet and started heading north. Once again, more beautiful countryside – perfect for biking. At some point we entered the “great state of Alabama”! Sorry Forrest, but our impressions of Alabama were not all that great. Massive (and of course VERY loud) pick up trucks driven by stereotypical Rednecks made life on the road unpleasant. Towns were dirty, and run down. Generally we were made to feel very unwelcome. We wasted no time getting back into the countryside. Just as night fell, we managed to find a secluded clearing in the woods to pitch the tent. We had a few misgivings, but it ended up being an uneventful evening.
Alabama camping. We found a remote cemetery that looked promising…on Friday the 13th. We opted for a clearing in the woods instead.
Day 20: Saturday (11/14) Very cold and damp over night. Tent fly was saturated both inside and out from dew and condensation from our breath. Once again, beautiful countryside and truly disgusting little towns. We try not to be judgmental, and we recognize the impact of poverty in rural America, but neither of us wanted to spend any more time in town than was necessary. We picked up a few food items at a Dollar General and beat feet. We survived almost getting run off the road by several pick ups who also decided it would be fun to “roll coal” as they passed these stupid cyclists. The day was saved when we met Luke and Katie. They had driven south from their home in Chattanooga for a bike ride in the country. We spent a fair amount of very pleasant time chatting – and making possible plans to meet up in a day or two. After parting ways, we traveled to our 3rd free campsite in a row. It ended up being a good day, and our 3rd or 4th 50+ mile day.
No lack of hills in the southeast. Luke and Katie from Chattanooga. A chance meeting led to great conversation and some new friends. More free camping in northern Georgia.
Day 21: Sunday (11/15) Today marks three weeks on the road. It ended up being a great night. Warmer and drier than its been. Once again felt compelled to chase off some night time critters. We got a super early (for us) start and made great time. We had a slight tailwind, and over all, slight downhill into Chattanooga. Traffic was light, and biking was scenic as we paralleled Lookout Mountain. We only had to endure two bouts of heavy rain. By noon we had arrived at our hotel on the north side of Chattanooga. The gracious people at La Quinta allowed us a super early check-in. We both took the most luxurious shower ever, and headed off to enjoy the Packer game from the patio of a local Packer restuarant. We’re looking forward to a bit of a lie in tomorrow. From here, we expect about three more days of cycling before we close the loop and arrive back at our car. I think it is safe to say the thought is a little bittersweet. It was been such a joy being on the road again. We have met some wonderful, interesting people. The scenery has been spectacular at times, always interesting. Having said that, conditions have been a bit challenging at times. We especially hadn’t fully considered the really short days. Tomorrow we continue our march to Knoxville. 560 miles down…another 110 to go. Our goal for tomorrow is some land owned by Luke. He graciously gave us directions and offered us the option of camping there. We had hoped to be able to ride there with him, but plans changed. As always with these passing friendships, we never know when we might meet again. That’s all for now.
Day 5-11 aka “life is a highway, I’m gonna ride it. Every day’s a winding road‘
Day 5: Friday (10/30) Now that the hurricane has passed, our plan was to head to Asheville for a look-see. First six miles out of Maggie Valley were almost all downhill…glorious! We were not liking the busy highways, so we desperately went looking for back roads. We found some, but at one point Sharon commented, “pedal faster – I hear banjos!” Over all, it was pleasant biking through pleasant country side. Things got a bit tense the closer we got to Asheville. Eventually we took hiking paths, a semi-flooded greenway along the French Broad River to our campsite for two nights…the Wilson Riverfront RV park. Looked nice enough… At any rate, we did a quick set up, rode up an insanely steep hill away from the river to a second hand gear store. Sharon needed a windshirt, and we added a Z-Rest knock off as added insulation because of the cold. Found a microbrew (not very difficult, given that there are 26-ish in Asheville.) Had a pleasant meal and made our way back to camp – and sleep.
Jaluska Lake on the way to AshevilleLots of new water flowing in the French Broad riverThe RV campsite “looked” nice. Full moon over the French BroadDowntown Asheville from across the river.
Day 6: Saturday (10/31) Looks aside, this was perhaps one of the worst campgrounds ever. Proximity to two highways made it seem we were sleeping in the median strip of an interstate. It was so loud, we could barely hear the loud crowd having a good ol’ time right next to us. “We gone!” We kissed $20 good bye rather than spend another night there. We packed up and spent the day roaming Asheville, trying to get a feel for the place. There is a Riverfront Arts district – very cool. We wandered through some of the galleries and met the artists. Good stuff. We took a bit of a tour through the historic Montford area. It is an area just north of downtown with winding streets and an eclectic mix of wonderful old homes. I could see living there – unfortunately our bank account doesn’t hold the same view. Its a pretty pricey area. We intended to stop at one of the famous microbrews that some people had suggested, but the Halloween crowds were out in full force on this nice Saturday afternoon. Reluctantly we headed south in search of an alternative (and quieter) place to camp. We chanced upon a likely spot in the wood just off the Blue Ridge parkway. Secluded and peaceful – just the way we like it.
Day 7: Sunday (11/1) So – the rain overnight was neither expected or welcome. Nothing more enjoyable than putting away cold, saturated nylon. Oh well. We stopped for a worship service at Living Savior south of Asheville. Youngish pastor – Caleb Kurbis – did an excellent job. Enjoyed chatting with folks afterwards. Then it was off to REI. Sharon finally traded in her 35 year old biking rainpants for some that were actually – waterproof! We suffered through a Packers loss, then hit the road again. South and west of the city was beautiful. We had miscalculated the effect of daylights saving time. In our defense we haven’t to deal with it for the last 20 years. Turns out that instead of an extra hour of sunshine, we were going to have to deal with an hour less. It would have been nice to loaf a bit more, but darkness waits for no man. We arrived at a a campground in the Pisgah National recreation area right as night fell. Once again $22 price tag seemed rather steep and a bit unnecessary. It was a very nice campground though.
Day 8: Monday 11/2 Wow! Crazy night on several fronts. Gale force winds sounded like jet engines or freight trains roaring through the trees. However, because of our location at the base of a steep hill, the tent didn’t even stir all night! Wild. We talked to the campground host as we were leaving. The low overnight was 26 degrees. Not really what we were expecting here in the “south”. Rather than backtracking today, we opted for a forest service road (found out later it was Yellow Gap road) 12-14 miles across to Hwy 276. It was a billy goat, rough gravel road. What it lacked in modern amenities, it made up in scenery. There were endless rushing creeks and rivers, beautiful, expansive mountain views. At about 3pm we pulled into a large picnic area that offered some secluded areas for undeveloped camping. We enjoyed a few hours of sunshine and semi warmth before setting up and settling in for the night. This was our first 0/0 day. Zero dollars spent on either camping or food.
Day 9: Tuesday (11/3) We had found the perfect spot to spend the night. It was peaceful in the extreme. HOWEVER…we were above 3,000′ which meant that it was much colder than last night. We guessed low 20’s overnight. That made for a loooong night….and while pleasant…also a long descent into Brevard. Never have I ridden while wearing all my clothes, big down jacket, two stocking caps and all my raingear. We had to stop several times to attempt to restore feeling to our fingers and toes. In spite of all that, it was still glorious. There was water in all its forms – rivers, streams, waterfalls, water trickles – and icicles! In other words, spectacular riding. By the time we had arrived in Brevard, refueled, replenished our groceries and plotted our path out of town, it was already mid afternoon. Looking ahead, it appeared that we had another small mountain range to cross before leaving the mountains behind. After some false starts and stops, we ended up at the doorstep of Jamie Patterson – gracious warm shower host. Fascinating young man. He’d worked in the aerospace industry. Quit and with his girlfriend had ridden across most of the country and backpacked around Mexico. He spent a few years flipping houses and is now (possibly) on the verge of re-entering the engineering world. In all his spare time he also road raced as a Cat 1 rider (that means he’s really good), and has now embraced all the hiking and mountain biking that the Brevard area has to offer. We learned this while sharing some of the local beer. It felt great to get a shower, wash clothes and not have to worry about where we would stay. We ended up spending the night on his deck. Perfect end to a lovely day.
Day 10: Wednesday (11/4) Jaime had to run to the hardware store for supplies (he’s rehabbing/flipping his current home). We took the opportunity to enjoy a meal cooked in a real kitchen, and get packed in the warmth of his living room. By the time he got back, we were ready to hit the road. He’d given us a .gpx file of his favorite back road route across the mountains. This would allow us to bypass the uber busy main road. It worked beautifully. Along the way we hooked up with local rider Jim who kept us company up some of the long climbs. It was fun getting his take on the local scene. And the riding was AMAZING!!! It was more fun than humans should be allowed. It was perhaps…some of the best biking either of us has ever enjoyed. Long climbs sure – but the downhill portions were long, smooth, winding roads. We were both laughing out loud as we came screaming down out of the mountains.
Rachel and friend
We stopped at a crossroads for a fuel break and met Rachel. Several years ago she spent three months on the road, bicycling up the east coast – performing with her guitar as she went. Apparently touring cyclists are quite rare in these parts and she was quite excited to meet us. Like many travelers, she’d been the recipient of much generosity on the road and was very eager to pay that forward with us. She was so pleasant, we so much wanted to spend time with her. Unfortunately we have many miles to go to reach Charleston, and some ominous weather is in the forecast. In the end, we took Rachel’s advice on routes and ended up just north of Easely. The pastor at Crossroads Baptist church graciously allowed us to camp behind their church office. That was a real life saver. We’ve been told by many locals that stealth camping on private property would not be looked upon favorably. There were no private or public campgrounds along the entire route, nor were than any hotels. That creates a bit of a dilemma for cycling travelers.
Day 11: Thursday (11/5) Up early and on the road. We were both eager to get a hot breakfast in Easely. Our plan for the day was an ambitious one. Sixty some miles to Laurens and a hotel. We’ve camped quite a few nights in a row in some fairly challenging conditions. We wanted to make some bigger miles towards Charleston, and finally wanted to be able to watch the Packer game. All of that equals a hotel for tonight. Today ended up being another absolutely beautiful and challenging day. We weren’t sure what we’d find in South Carolina, but the back roads have offered up some amazing riding. After 63 miles, we finally arrived at the Rodeway Inn. Nothing special – but it offered everything we wanted…plus the chance to bring our blog up to date. So that’s it for now. Just a few random thoughts. Some great road names: Sugar Likker Road. Thissa Way. Possum Holler Rd. Shout out to all the nice folks with encouraging words. Looking forward to seeing what comes next on the road to Charleston.
Many, many years ago we set out on a bicycle tour from Richmond, Virginia and headed north on what was to become a defining experience of our lives together. Thirty three years on, we mounted our fully loaded bikes on the outskirts of Knoxville, TN and set out on another journey of discovery. As we wait out the gale force winds and torrential rains from hurricane Zeta in the safety of a Quality Inn, I thought I would share bits and pieces of our journey. Following the lead of uber bicycle tourists/friends Rob and Ruth, I’m just going to give brief day by day updates on our progress.
Day 1: We were twelve days driving across the country, visiting kids and grandkids before arriving in Knoxville. A kind and generous “Warmshowers” couple (Glenn and Suzi) allowed us to park our vehicle for the 3+ weeks we would be biking. Along with some local history and color, they provided detailed route information that allowed us to negotiate our way safely through the outskirts of the city, across the Tennessee River and south toward the Great Smoky Mountains.
SuziReady to hit the road. Nice greenway through Knoxville.Our first taste of the “hills” of eastern TennesseeThat’s a satisfied grinCamp in Townsend, TN along the Little River
Thanks to excellent instructions and Google maps, we wound our way south through beautiful countryside to Townsend. $34 to camp was a shock to the system, but late in the day we didn’t feel like spending the time finding an…”undeveloped” campsite. The shower was nice! An excellent first day.
Day 2: Our “no plan” plan means endlessly changing our “plans”. After exploring lots of options, we decided for a long day pedaling through and over the Great Smoky Mountains. The first 20+ miles were stunning as we climbed up along the Little River as it made its way out of the mountains.
Alan and Sharon – first “trail angels”
Things changed when we arrived at the visitor center. Did you know that the Great Smoky Mountains NP is the most visited National Park in the country? And apparently we arrived on what most agreed was the busiest day they’d ever seen. We started riding the 13 miles and 4500′ vertical feet to the top. Three miles on and we were ready to throw in the towel. No shoulder, an insane amount of traffic, car mirrors whizzing by inches from our heads. We were definitely at risk and were clearly posing a hazard as some cars made ill-advised and poorly executed passing attempts. Out went the thumbs and in less than ten minutes Alan and Sharon ferried us to the top of Newfound Gap. The views were amazing, and all things considered, quite nice from the back of a plush pickup truck. We also clearly made the right call. Hundreds and hundreds of cars were parked along the road….often sticking out onto the road. Traffic was a nightmare as people walked on the road, cars pulled out or slowed to find places to park. Once at the top, we enjoyed the views and chatted with a few other folks. Then came the glorious downhill ride. Always the highlight of any uphill effort.
Days end found us in Cherokee looking for a place to camp. The one campground we visited was disgusting, so we decided to find our own. A few miles up the road we came across a likely spot. While we were having dinner, we got chatting with a young couple from Asheville. After getting some local suggestions for places to visit there, they left us with samples of the local beer. Trail magic #2.
Chicken burrito fixin’s
Day 3: Hurricane Zeta was forecast to make its arrival, bringing torrential rain and wind for several days. In true hardcore camper fashion, we made reservations at a Quality Inn a few miles down the road. Brilliant. We just had to get there. As promised the rain started at 7am. Even though it was still dark, we quickly broke camp, affixed lights, and pedaled off into the dark and stormy morning. As promised, the rain was pretty intense. In what was clearly a design flaw, the road climbed many thousand feet up to Soco gap before dropping back into Maggie Valley. It was a pretty brutal day of riding, made better by the knowledge that we had a warm, dry room waiting for us. Again, we chose wisely. Even with the poor conditions, it really was beautiful country to ride through.
Those are the same rain pants Sharon wore on our east coast trip 30+ years ago. They still fit…unfortunately they are no longer rain proof. Soco Falls
Day 4: Rest day while rain does what rain does and local rivers rage. Laundry. Visit to “Wheels through Time” vintage motorcycle museum. So far we’ve covered 107 miles and climbed 8,300′ feet. Lots of poring over maps deciding on the next phase of our journey. Given that we’ll probably change our mind a dozen times before heading on to who knows where, I’m not even going to speculate on where we’ll end up. Thanks for coming along on the journey so far. Every few days as we have opportunity, I’ll add a few more photos and left you know where we’ve been. Sign up below to get email updates.
Back in the day, the British sketch comedy show “Monty Python” would transition from one sketch to another with a ridiculous image and the words “And now for something completely different.” That seemed appropriate as Dan and I strapped on panniers and prepared to tackle the gravel roads and two tracks of the Superior National Forest in far northern Minnesota.
This was going to be something completely different. In recent years a whole movement known as “bikepacking” has become popular. Typically a mountain bike is fitted with camping gear strapped on and around the frame to enable self-sufficient off road capability. You may notice that the picture below does not look like the picture to the left. That’s because I do not have bikepacking gear, yet we were going to follow a bikepacking route Thus, this trip was going to be a completely different beast. I do have a very capable road bike, set up for road touring with racks, panniers, etc. I do have some offroad capable tires though, so Dan’s idea seemed perfect. What could possibly go wrong?
My faithful steed ready to take on the northwoods
Dan had uncovered an adventurous bikepack route over many of the Forest Service roads near the Boundary Waters Canoe area. Given our home base in Flagstaff, normally I wouldn’t have considered jetting off to do a trip near the Canadian border. Because of a few other things going on, the timing worked out well to join him. I had about four days to book a cheap flight, box up the bike, sort and pack gear/food, and make my way to Minneapolis, and then with Dan to a motel a short distance from the trailhead.
The suggested route with camping and resource information as found on a bikepacking web site.
Almost immediately it appeared as though we were going to have a challenging day. While the overnight rain had ended, and the forecast was for clear skies, 20-30mph winds remained. Then the climbing started. Then the rain returned. The wind, hills (2,000′ worth) and rain would stay with us the entire day. That in itself would have been enough fun, but then miles of road ‘improvements’ left a nice, soft layer of dirt and gravel for us to slog through. One might think that when faced with this level of ‘stupid fun’, the prudent course of action would be to retreat to the nearest brew pub. Of course we’ve seldom been accused of being prudent.
Overnight rain had ended and we awoke with the sun…it didn’t last.
When you come to the fork in the road…take it!
Still smiling in spite of rain, wind, mud and flat tires.
All’s well that ends well. Our windy, rainy, muddy day ended with a welcome bit of sun.
Never mind the wind. Never mind the rain. Never mind the muddy roads. Never mind the flat tire just as another torrent of rain arrived. We were there to have fun!! And we were going to have FUN whether we liked it or not. Actually we did have fun. We had the right gear. We were warm enough. We had chosen to be there. At some point in those situations, you have to just laugh at the ridiculous nature of the whole thing. Granted, that moment came almost immediately, but by days end, the rain had stopped. The sun made a brief appearance. We found a lovely, isolated place to camp next to a lake. It was all good! Plus, our patience and suffering was duly rewarded over the next three days as we enjoyed tailwinds, sunshine, perfect fall weather and mostly good roads. The only real challenge came on day two where the suggested routed took us down a remote two track. The recent rains left behind miles mud puddles interspersed with rocky two track that made us question our choice of routes.
Loving me some sunny scenery
No shortage of water to filter
Speaking of filtered water…
The beauty of bike touring…home is wherever you are!
39 degree morning wardrobe change. Some things you just can’t unsee….
Grand Marais…cool little town
In the end, the north country treated us well. It had been a long spell since either of us had done any bike touring. This trip provided an opportunity to refresh some rusty bike touring skills, and reminded us why we originally fell in love with bike touring. We were able to put some new gear through a shakedown cruise. It was satisfying to learn that the bikes and gear performed flawlessly. It was comforting to know that we could easily handle some pretty rugged terrain should it become necessary. The scenery, the company, the joy of being able to cover significant distance each day at a reasonable pace had us both desiring and planning for bigger and better things.
69.6 degrees north latitude. That number likely means very little. Some context would probably be useful. The Arctic Circle is a line of latitude at 66.5 degrees north. During the summer months above the Arctic Circle, the sun never dips below the horizon. Many years ago I spent a fascinating summer working in Prudhoe Bay on the northern coast of Alaska. When I first arrived, the polar ice pack extending all the way to the North Pole, was still visible from shore. The latitude there was 70.2 degrees north.
Why does this matter, you may ask? And what’s the deal with 69.6 degrees north? If you were to enter those coordinates into Google Earth, you would be taken to a town called Tromsø. It is a town, about the size of Flagstaff, located in far northern Norway. It has the distinction of being the 3rd largest city north of the Arctic circle anywhere in the world (following Murmansk and Norilsk – because I’m sure you were wondering). While fascinating I’m sure, what really makes Tromsø stand out is that Sharon and I are now the proud owners of two – one way tickets to that fair city. Lord willing, on the evening of June 15th, Norwegian air will drop off two tired Americans, two bicycles and assorted camping gear at Langnes International Airport at 69.6 degrees north latitude. And thus will begin our Great Arctic Bike Adventure.
Our starting point.
Our faithful steeds waiting patiently to go out to play.
Getting to this point has been an interesting adventure. We’ve been talking about this trip for quite a while now. Initially we thought of starting in southern Europe in early April and following summer north. Then because of obligations here at home and some ultra cheap fares, we considered a June flight into London and spending some time wandering the UK before branching out. Ultimately, the desire to revisit Norway, especially this part of the country, the ease of camping, a good ticket price, and trip flow led us to choose our June visit to Tromsø . Our “no plan plan” is to spend a two weeks pedaling south, hopefully meeting up with some friends near Trondheim for a week -ish of exploration. Then we’ll wander south into Europe/UK and wherever the spirit leads. Fortunately we have old classmates, co-workers and friends we’ve made who live in Norway, the Netherlands, the UK, the Czech Republic and Germany. We’d love to see them, as well as get some local beta. The internet has offered up enough beautiful and interesting places to occupy several years of touring. Since we likely will spend around four months on the road, it will be interesting to see how the trip unfolds.
We have quite a bit to do before departure. There are several other adventures to enjoy first. The KB Gear sweatshop will be cranking out some new gear…which means the lone elf will be quite busy. Being gone for an extended period of time means lots of decisions and life details to sort out. Needless to say we’re quite excited and looking forward to the big adventure – and sharing it with you. Exactly how we’re going to do that is just one more detail to work out. All part of the fun.
Yeah…this is on our route south from Tromso. Jeg elsker Norge!
Update
Sharon and I know this look well. This was Oliver learning it was time to leave Florida. Sharon and I had pretty much the same look when this thing called COVID shut down our plans to bike tour Norway and Europe. We’re still hoping that our planning wasn’t in vain, and that we’ll be able to carry out this plan at some point in the future.
It was like a bizarre episode of the Twilight Zone – “The Train Ride from Hell“. We lumbered along at 5 mph, then slowly shuffled off onto a siding. Hours later we’d begin to lumber along again, until we shuffled off onto another siding. Repeat endlessly! Eventually we were running more than 24 HOURS behind schedule. This was no small feat, given the whole trip was supposed to take that long. Sleep deprived and trapped in the madness, we laughed hysterically at the thought that we’d make it to our destination faster if we unpacked our bikes and rode the rest of the way. We passed the time making up verses to the Grateful Dead song “Truckin.” Amtrak staff seemed not to care. On the rare occasion when an Amtrak employee came through our car, they seemed genuinely surprised, and somewhat annoyed to find the train full of people. One sensed they wished we would just go away. Things came to a head when Milo, a very large and intimidating man picked up the conductor and pinned him to the wall of our coach. I have this vivid memory of the conductor’s feet dangling a foot off the ground as Milo stood nose to nose and yelled, “You WILL get me and my family to Miami to meet our cruise ship! We are NOT going to miss our boat!” Staring death in the face apparently jolted some brain neurons into action, and sparked the novel thought that perhaps all these people hanging about were actually meant to be taken someplace. This led to a flurry of activity, and before long we were all herded off the train and placed on…buses…to take us to our destinations. You can’t make this stuff up. Strong work Amtrak! “What a long, strange trip its been!”
Free from the nightmare…and a happy conductor bidding us all “good riddance!”
Readying the bikes for travel
In spite of Amtrak’s best efforts, we did arrive in Richmond, Virginia. Bikes came out of the shipping boxes, were re-assembled and loaded with camping gear. And just like that, our great adventure began. We had biked and toured before, so in general we knew what to expect. We’d never had the opportunity to travel in this part of the country for such an extended length of time. Looking back now, the objective facts of the trip are easy to recount. Trip length…49 days. Miles traveled…2,600. Total cost for two months of travel – $962. Route…Virginia along the Skyline drive portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway. To Berryville to visit old family friends the McCuans. Washington D.C. to visit the capitol and a distant relative of Sharon’s. From there it was north through Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. We turned right and wandered through, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. We hopped a ferry from Bah Hahbah to Yarmouth, Novia Scotia. North through the land of Evangeline, around the land of Anne of Green Gables (Prince Edward Island), New Brunswick, and down the St. Lawrence Seaway in Quebec to Quebec City.
People
Bicycle travel is special, in that it makes you uniquely accessible to people. I can’t begin to count all the conversations we had with complete strangers. People would just begin talking to us. Most had questions. Many of the questions were similar “No – we’re not teachers” and “Tires actually last quite a long time – although we do bring a patch kit for blowouts.” Many of those interactions blend together, some were more memorable.
“The road ahead is so crooked and rough you’ll be shakin’ before you know yer shakin‘” Local sitting on his rocking chair, when asked about the route ahead.
“Where y’all from?” “Wisconsin.” “Is that over by Rochester?” Conversation with geographically challenged folks in upstate New York.
“If the fire’s hot enough – anything will burn” (fellow bike tourer Tom on his love for massive quantities of gummy bears, gummy worms, and all manner of penny candies).
Arthur in Novia Scotia. He had traveled by bicycle for five months, biking in cut off jeans and a flannel shirt, and living on $4.83 per day. He refused to leave us alone while at the same time extolling the virtues of traveling alone.
The McCuan’s. Neighbors from when I was a wee lad. We visited them in Berryville, VA. where they lived on a 162 year old farm. I had always thought Winnie and John were the coolest people – ever! Teachers who had traveled the world, they were the consummate hosts. They gave us a tour of the area and welcomed us to be part of daughter Laurie’s graduation from high school. (I was in 3rd grade when Winnie brought Laurie home for the first time).
The Mc Cuans – Winnie, Elizabeth, and John
Laurie – Graduation is a big deal in Virginia
“Do you have problems with sheet?” When we failed to comprehend the question, “You know – #2!) French-Canadian cyclists Suzie and Sophie quizzing Sharon on whether biking had given her “problems with sheet” as well. This was their first ever bike trip. While they didn’t mind camping, they had a unique method for securing lodging for the night. They would wait until early evening before stopping at small town convents. “Oh seester…we ‘ave been cycling all day and are hungry and tired. Would you have room for us???” Apparently this never failed. I recently connected with Suzie via Facebook. She currently runs what looks like a lively B & B/Cafe. http://gitechambrechaletstmathieuduparc.com/en/photo/
We met Tom and Ruth Stuwe at church in Barre, Vermont. They invited us to their home, fed us pizza, gave us a tour of the town, engaged us in fascinating conversation, and as we continued our journey, gave us some excellent route suggestions and told us where to buy the best apple fritter ever.
Canadians Sophie and Suzie
The Stuwes – Barre, VT
Places
While not quite as slow as Amtrak, cycling hits the sweet spot. It allows you to cover significant distances while also immersing you in your surroundings. There is no way to share everything we saw over the course of two months. So, perhaps, just a few highlights will suffice.
The Skyline drive portion of the Blue Ridge parkway is meant to be biked, with beautiful views of “blue” ridges stretching off into the distance. Several times we crossed the Appalachian trail, and one night camped next to a through hiker. Good times!
We’re not big city/museum kind of people. Yet we found Washington D.C. to be a fascinating place. In person, the monuments were quite powerful.
Gastric trainwreck.
Preparing for rain…riding in the rain…fixing flats…doing maintenance… …eating insane amounts, and questionable food choices. All regular features of bike touring.
Some camp spots were more picturesque than others. Maryland was not very welcoming, so we ended up camping under a highway overpass. Hmmm...where have I heard of that before?
“Did you know PA was so hilly?” “Nope!”
Mt Jo in the Adirondacks
Refreshing dip on a hot day
Mad River, Vermont
Various images from upstate Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Belfast, Maine – founded 1770
Panmure Lighthouse – Prince Edward Island
All these pictures were scanned from slides. The Canadian slides, sadly, remain unscanned…and thus unavailable.
A few more notable memories…
Prince Edward Island: A bluebird day biking along the deep blue Atlantic, with colorful fields of lupine in the foreground.
Adirondacks: Biking late into a warm evening and finding not only a perfect wild camp next to a lovely stream…but also a polaroid picture of some guy’s…”manhood”. He was obviously proud of it – Sharon thought it was no big thing!
Hantsport, Novia Scotia: Celebrating Canada Day in Hantsport with an awesome parade. Everyone in town was either in the parade, or sitting along the road cheering.
Panmure Campground, Prince Edward Island: Celebrating the 4th of July grilling burgers with fellow cyclist Kevin from Delaware.
Novia Scotia: Days of huge tailwinds and cruising easily at 20+ mph.
Quebec: Days of brutal headwinds and barely moving at 3 mph.
Spending the most romantic, memorable day ever in Vieux-Quebec (old Quebec) on Sharon’s Birthday. It was a magical day wandering the streets, sitting at sidewalk cafes, watching street performers. It was a magical day, right up to the point late at night when we realized someone had stolen our bikes…in spite of locking them for the first time on the trip.
Getting home several days later to have Sharon get horribly sick and bedridden…only to find out it was morning sickness. Hello Aaron…we’re your parents!
The objective facts of the trip are easy to recount and document with pictures and stats. The subjective effects are much more difficult – perhaps impossible – to convey. Safe to say that the experience had a profound and lasting impact on us. Only two years into our marriage, we learned that we could work and play together, all day, every day, for two months, often in difficult circumstances. We experienced the joys of seeing new places and meeting new people. This trip reinforced our wanderlust and desire for human powered travel. Over the years, we’ve often joked that this was just our first “trip of a lifetime!” It is also a big reason why we’ve continued to seize the carp so vigorously in the years since, and why we’re excited to dive back into the bike touring scene.
Sharon and I have talked about this often. Whenever we look back on all adventures, our fondest memories are of our first really big trip…a two month long bicycle tour back in the summer of 1987. For years I had known that if I pursued a career as a pastor, I would spend one year as an “intern” or “vicar” serving in a large congregation. As there was a stipend involved with that position, for one glorious summer I could entertain the possibility of traveling instead of taking a job to pay for school. Oh – the possibilities! For years I traveled the world in my mind. I pondered paddling the 2,600 mile length of the Mackenzie River all the way to the Arctic Ocean. I dreamed of getting a small sailboat and sailing around Lake Superior. I considered through hiking the Appalachian Trail…well, at least part of the AT! Prior to the internet (yes children – there was a time when information was only available in books!) I read countless books and dreamed endless dreams.
Then Sharon and I met, married and started dreaming together. Since we both loved biking, eventually we settled on a plan to travel by bicycle for an entire summer. After lots of discussion a trip along the east coast of the US and Canada seemed to be a practical and affordable destination. That decision, the planning that followed, and the trip itself set a pattern that would form the foundation of a life time of travel and adventure.
Once we’d settled on the destination, maps quickly covered the walls of our tiny apartment. Newly discovered information led to endless discussions on the pros and cons of various routes, places we’d like to visit, and time tables. We considered gear choices and decided what we wanted, what we really needed, and what we could safely leave at home. We looked at what gear we could afford, what gear we could make ourselves, and what we would have to buy. Over the course of many months, we prepared our bikes, gear, and bodies. During the preparation and the trip itself, we learned some valuable lessons.
Prepping for rain…
It’s not necessary to have every last detail nailed down ahead of time! We had a general route with a few specific destinations in mind. Once on the road however, we needed to be flexible with our route and time table to account for our health, the weather, the people we met, new information, etc. It worked beautifully. To this day we still prefer to follow what we call the “no plan” plan! This pretty much guarantees that whatever happens, we know everything will go according to “plan”. Much less stress!
Preparation is part of the fun…not just a necessary evil. For close to two years prior to departure, we had fun planning and daydreaming about our trip. It gave purpose to our daily riding routine and gave us a goal to work towards. Imagining the trip ahead of time allowed us to enjoy the trip twice…the one we dreamed about and then the journey itself.
It really is about the journey, not just the destination. This particular journey started the moment we decided to take a bike trip. The joy this trip brought us came not just from having “done it” but all the memories we have of “doing” it. Every day was an adventure in itself.
I’ve been thinking about this a great deal recently because we are currently in the planning phase of a new trip. Some time back Sharon casually dropped one of her bombshells. “We should take a bike trip in Europe!” Never mind that we hadn’t bike toured in forever. (For all that we love about northern AZ – road biking is nowhere on the list). Never mind all the reasons why it would be difficult or impractical. It took me about five seconds to consider and agree “Let’s do it!” At first, the plan was vague. “Let’s go to Europe, ride our bikes and camp along the way.” After nine months of dreaming, talking, and researching, our no plan “plan” has assumed only a slightly more defined amoebic form. One way tickets. Probably 3-4 months. Probably leaving in May…or June…or July. Probably starting someplace in the UK. Definitely revisiting Norway. Definitely (well, probably) crossing into the EU proper at some point. So, really, just a few tiny details left to sort and we’re ready to go!
It’s been an exciting process. Over the years we’ve met and made friends from all over the world. They’ve offered some great insights and perspectives. After doing tons of research (thank you internet) turns out 3-4 months isn’t going to be nearly long enough to come close to seeing all that there is to see. Decisions, decisions!
Kona Sutra
3 lb Black Diamond
I finally upgraded my 32 year old road bike. It is still in perfect working order – but spare parts are no longer available. That can be a problem one the road. We now have a matching set of Kona Sutra touring bikes – AMAZING! I’m still planning on using some of our original panniers, complemented by some new Ortliebs. I’m excited to ditch the 8 lb mountaineering tent that served as our home first time around. Instead, we’re using the same ultralightweight tent that served us so well on our JMT hike. Air mattresses instead of “barely there” foam pads will be luxury. This time we’ll have all the information in the universe at our fingertips as we travel.We have the time (and wisdom) to embrace a more relaxed mileage schedule to take into account our status as “mature” adults. I like how our “no plan” is shaping up.
Now that the family fun and busy-ness surrounding the holidays is behind us, I think I’ll probably dredge up some old photos and share details of our first bike tour. It will be fun to take a tour down that particular memory lane. And as the no plan for this summer comes together, I’ll share that as well.
Hope you’ve had a great 2019 and have big plans to seize the carp this coming year.
