South Bend, Indiana, Tuesday, September 5

I have uploaded my photos from Michigan to Maine, and added a link to them.

I expect this to be my final post on this blog.

I have been home for a week catching up on things. I have driven a car, attended a Purdue football game, cleaned and repaired my bike/camping gear, mowed the lawn, cooked on a real stove, slept in a soft bed, and done all the things a normal retired man of leisure might expect to do.

I frequently count my blessings, especially when it rains and I realize that I don’t have to break camp in a wet tent today; I throw my dirty dishes in the dish washer; I close the bedroom window when it gets cold at night; I sit in a soft leather easy-chair and read the news paper; I log on to the internet without worry that I only have 30 minutes before being asked to relinquish my seat; I simply open the refrigerator door to grab a cold one. I could go on, but you get the idea.

I re-read my postings today, and there are a few things I would like to add in summary.

I didn’t mention Pablocito (Spanish for cute little Paul), although I have a couple of photos of him. He is a teddy bear with a story behind him; a gift from my fellow travelers. I will treasure him always.

If you look closely at the photos of my bike, you will note that there was an American flag attached. I am proud that I have an American flag that has gone from one American coast to the other on a bicycle.

Three months ago I was thrown in with 5 strangers. We had nothing in common, except that we liked to travel by bicycle. I lived with those 5 people for 3 months, through some very difficult, and some very wonderful times. We formed relationships which we will never forget. The trip was deeply rewarding. I would recommend it to anyone with a sense of adventure.

Bar Harbor, ME - Saturday, August 26

The bike riding has come to an end. I am posting this from the Bar Harbor Library. I expect to make one or two more posts after I get home next week.

East Orland, ME - Thursday, August 24
Bill (Linda's boyfriend) arrived yesterday, and he hauled all of our group gear and some of our personal gear today. What a pleasure to ride without a cooking pot, stove, bunch of condiments and spices, my tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. The weather has been fine, but chilly at night with lows in the 40's.

Andy & I cooked and invented a new 'one-pot-glop'. Most of our meals are one-pot-glops of one fashion or another. It was a traditional stir fry, but since we only had about half as much sweet-sour sauce as needed, we added a can of beef gravy. Mmmmm - not bad after we added a bunch of other spices. We served it over rice.

Cal had another flat. Yuk.

I got bad news from Karen. My sister Patty, who lives in Indianapolis, IN passed away unexpectedly. God rest her soul.

Bar Harbor, ME - Friday, August 25
Bill carried gear for us today, but he has no group gear to haul. As we broke camp in the morning, we made two piles of group gear: things that Andy is sending back to Adventure Cycling headquarters, and things that were being thrown away. He stopped along the route today, and sent it back UPS.

Cal had to switch tires this morning before he left camp. He had a defective Specialized Armadillo (which only had about 1,000 miles on it), and he had to replace it with a temporary spare - a folding tire. After about 10 miles, the folding tire blew a sidewall, and he had no choice other than to push the bike to a place where he could buy a new one, or stick out his thumb. Wisely, he used his thumb and was picked up within 10 minutes. The driver hauled him and his bike all the way to the hostel in Bar Harbor - some 20 miles or so.

The ride was short but hilly. We bordered on Arcadia National Park, but never entered it. Bar Harbor is a really neat tourist town, and the locals tell us the tourist season is winding down quickly. Cal and I arrived at the hostel in time to dry out our tents in the sun. With all our gear laying on the front lawn of the hostel, a local pulled up thinking we were having a yard sale. It took us a while to figure out why he was asking such strange questions about our gear.

I started breaking down my bike for shipment back: I wanted to get the chain off and get the right crank arm loose before Andy departed Saturday morning, since he had a more complete toolkit than I. My tools proved adequate to the task.

The hostel has a room with 5 sets of bunk beds. It is apparently one of the nicer hostels in the US. It was clean, comfortable, and there were a lot of nice people there, but it is not the kind of accommodations I would pick for myself.

Friday night, we had a good meal with 'Steamers' as an appetizer. I had never had them before. They are a form of clams steamed in the shell, and eaten after being dipped in butter. This morning I said my goodbyes to Cal and Andy. That was kind of tough. Anne and Hans are staying at the same hotel I am staying at until Monday.

Karen was able to change my Monday flight: I am now flying to Indianapolis, rather than South Bend.

Camden, ME - Wednesday, August 23

Conway, NH - Saturday, August 18
On our route to Conway, we went through Lincoln, which was a very neat New England tourist town. In addition to the natural beauty, white water sports and skiing are the draw.

We had our last big climb of the trip today, about 1,800 feet. It was not a particularly hard climb though, because it was not especially steep. We said goodbye to the White Mountains.

In Conway, traffic was backed up for a mile or so: we sailed right through on our bikes.

In the campground, we camped on dirt and sand. It sprinkled a bit at supper time, then rained hard all night; we broke camp in the rain and had breakfast at a restaurant.

Turner, ME - Sunday, August 19
It continued raining all day, and the temperature dropped from 68 degrees to 59; had it gotten much colder, some of us would have been in trouble. Andy worked his cell phone and pay phones throughout the day to find us a warm dry place to stay. He managed to get us a hostel: a new experience for me.

The hostel was a family-run old working farm where they raised organic foods, goat milk, and llamas. They also made their own goat cheese, jams and jellies, bread, etc., which they served in a store/restaurant. Everyone was friendly, and the kids were especially outgoing. They introduced themselves, and I told them my name was Paul, but they could call me Grandpa. One of them, 7 year old Mackinsey was especially friendly, and wanted 'Grandpa' to tell her a bedtime story. She saw through my two versions of Little Red Riding Hood, and I had to give up. The guys slept in one spare bedroom with 4 beds and the gals slept in a living room. The guys flipped coins (odd-man-out) to see who got the smallest bed. Hans lost. Lodging and supper cost $25 each, and we bought our own breakfast the next morning. It continued raining all night, and was still raining when we got up.

Damariscotta, ME - Monday, August 20
We started riding in a light rain, but it stopped in the mid morning. All our gear was still wet from the rain of the past two days. We had some sun in the afternoon: Andy, Hans and Ann stopped and dried out their tents about half way through the ride. Cal and I dried out our tents in Damariscotta, and used the laundromat to wash or dry out some clothing. I started drying my tent in a restaurant parking lot, and was politely asked to leave. I moved to a bank lot that had lots of empty spaces. We had supper in a nice restaurant again. Since we will be finishing the trip two days early, we have some extra money which we are spending on restaurants. Anne and I had Maine lobster!


Camden, ME - Tuesday & Wednesday, August 21 & 22
WE MEET THE ATLANTIC OCEAN! Coast-to-coast is complete! What a great feeling to see the ocean.

We met at a small marina in Rockport, where we did the traditional 'wheel dip', by dipping our front wheels in salt water. We were all congratulating each other and exchanging High Fives. A local, observing our celebrations invited us to be his guests for supper and a nights rest. After deliberation, we declined. As we were taking pictures of our wheel dip, others were taking photos of us, as the word quickly spread around the marina.

Today's ride was short, only 33 miles, and we had a light tail wind. All three remaining days will be short, as we wind down. We are camped at a nice campground at a state park on the ocean. We had supper at Bippies, a roadside stand, where we all had seafood: Anne & I had lobster again. After supper, some of us rode into town and picked up beer and Jim Beam. We had quite a salt-water celebration that night. During the celebration, Andy and I called our wives, where we had a round robin conversation with them. Cell phone coverage was not good, and my call to Karen got dropped while Hans was talking to her. I could not get service again, so she kind of got left out in right field.

On the layover day Cal and I went for an ocean sail on a two masted schooner. Very nice. I got to catch up on this blog, and we had supper again at Bippies.

North Woodstock, VT - Thursday, August 17

Middlebury, VT - Monday, August 14

We camped at a pretty nice campground, but the manager was a pain in the you-know-what. As is the norm, Andy was the last person to arrive at camp. Normally we just explain to the office that Andy (the money man) will arrive later, and ask the office where we should pitch our tents. The office manager would have no part of this. He would not let us on the property until we had registered and paid. He claimed that it was due to insurance regulations. After I negotiated with him for a few minutes, he agreed to let me register in my name, and let him run my credit card through the machine. He would not actually charge my card, but would keep the paperwork and charge it if Andy did not show up. Okay. When Andy showed up a while later, the manager was good to his word. There was a nice covered pavilion right next to our campsite. The manager would not let us use it because of insurance regulations since we had not paid extra for it. Jeeze. It rained at night, but stopped before we got up.

Middlebury is a very nice New England town and is the home of Middlebury College.

Today's ride was a departure from the state forest roads we have been using the last couple of days in New York. I saw a McDonald's for the first time since we left Niagara Falls...of course I had to stop. We passed by Fort Ticonderoga, and I stopped in to sight see a bit. The border between New York and Vermont is Lake Champlain. We took a cable ferry across the lake. Cal had a flat today - a big piece of glass.

Most of us are still making travel arrangements for returning home. I had a chance to stop at a library and print out my Delta confirmation paperwork. Cal's wife is driving in on Saturday to meet him. I'm looking forward to meeting her. Andy is catching an early plane home on Saturday. Hans and I are catching planes home on Monday. Ann is riding her bike from Bar Harbor toward her parent's home in New Jersey. I'm not sure if she is riding all the way, or if she will ride to an Amtrak station.

Gaysville, VT - Tuesday, August 15
We are finding that Vermont has virtually no shoulders on their roads. We rode through the Green Mountain National Forrest much of the day. I had to walk two short stretches of very steep hill. We are seeing more of the classic New England architecture. I stopped at an old inn and had a smoked salmon sandwich on rye. There was a lot of confusion at the campsite again. We had been assigned two campsites in the woods with no grass. We tried to get the office to switch us to sites with grass. No deal. After Cal negotiated with the office, the manager switched us to a single site with grass. I could understand the problem if we had RV's.

Andy had a big day. He got a new bottom bracket bearing and got the bearings on both wheels lubed. He also found out for sure that he will be leading the "Southern Tier Plus Expedition" this fall.

Orford, NH - Wednesday, August 16
We had a nice short day and stayed at a nice campground. I got into camp by 3:30 pm. The hills continue to be steep but short. I have found that a tail wind is not important in these mountains.

North Woodstock, NH - Thursday August 17
Today we had perfect weather, with a high of about 82 degrees. We rode through the White Mountains National Forest, where there was one long steep climb. I had to stop 3 times to catch my breath, but I did not need to walk. At the top of the climb was the Appalachian Trail. As you might guess, the downhill was equally steep and long. I hit 52.4 mph on the descent...the fastest I have ever gone on a bike I think.

The campground is ok. The best thing about it is that we have a shelter where we can get out of the sun and rain if we want. The most unusual thing about it is that the showers are outdoors; that is to say, there is no roof on the shower building.

For supper, we ate out at a nice restaurant.

Blue Ridge, NY - Sunday, August 13

I see Karen has posted my latest batch of pictures, and created a link to them.


Texas, NY - Thursday, August 10
The terrain is getting hilly; not big hills, but it is beginning to look like Southern Indiana.

Andy almost had a disaster. He left his wallet at a fruit stand where he was taking a break. He noticed it when we stopped at a Dairy Queen a little later. He got a ride back to the stand where they had his wallet, then the stand owner drove him back to the Dairy Queen where he continued on his way. This was an example of how friendly locals are - they are always friendly and happy to help. But this assistance stands out because it was well over and above what others have done for us.

We had a storm in the afternoon. I missed most of it, but everyone else was hit hard. Fortunately, it did not last long. We camped at a very nice campground on Lake Ontario: for free! The manager, Bob, said they have not charged bicyclist for years. We sent him an Adventure Cycling thank you card.

Boonville, NY - Friday, August 11

We're in the hills! On the edge of the Adirondacks. Short but steep ups and downs. We are also seeing some logging, which we have not seen since Minnesota/Wisconsin.

The weather has turned cool - I think the today high was 72 degrees. I wore a long sleeve jersey all day.

I lost a $5.00 bet to Anne. I'm embarrassed to say what the bet was, but now I've got to figure out some way to win it back. That will be tough - she's a pretty clever cookie.

Raquette Lake, NY - Saturday, August 12

I guess we can tell we are getting weary. Two days ago, Andy lost a wallet, yesterday I lost a bet, and today, Cal lost his map. When we get to Vermont, he will start using a new map, but until then he will be blind. I came to his rescue: since I am using a GPS, I can get by without a map, so I loaned him mine.

It was 41 degrees this morning, and we rode with a crossing headwind all day. We are definitely in the mountains...the ups and downs are getting longer. This was my hardest day since we left the Cascades. I had to walk one hill near the end of the day. It was a long steep climb, and I was so tired that I couldn't keep my bike in a straight line at 3.3 mph, so I got off and pushed.

The campground was in a very nice setting, but was quite run-down. Cal & I had cold showers, but Hans was able to figure out how to get hot water. We are still seeing some logging.

Blue Ridge, NY - Sunday, August 13

We are in the heart of the Adirondacks. We are constantly climbing or coasting, with no flats. The longest grades are about 3 miles, but most of them are 1/2 mile or less.

It was 36 degrees this morning: the locals tell us this is unusual. Today was a short day, only 42 miles, and we enjoyed a sunny tail wind. The route was nearly all in state forest land. We are seeing a lot of Maple trees, but there are still a lot of White Pine too.

The campground was nice, and we had a great spot overlooking a big waterfall area. We all had time to do some laundry. Unfortunately, on Monday morning the water was down to a trickle and the main toilets were not working...an unfortunate end to an otherwise pleasant stay.

Karen has finalized my flight back home.
. Friday 8/25 we ride into Bar Harbor and spend the night in a Hostel
. Saturday 8/26 I (and Hans, Anne, and Cal I think) move into motels. I pack up my bike and arrange for UPS shipment home.
. Sunday 8/27 I sight see Bar Harbor.
. Monday 8/28 I take a shuttle to Bangor, and Fly Delta (via Boston and Cincinnati)home.

Pultneyville, NY - Wednesday, August 9

Bad news. I lost my little notebook where I have been keeping my diary. I left it in a restaurant in Ontario, but I don't remember the name of the restaurant, so I can't get it back. I bought a new notebook in Fort Erie, so I'll pick up from there.

Some of the things that stand out in my mind:
. After taking a ferry from Michigan to Ontario, we hugged Lake Erie all the way to Niagara Falls.
. The windmills (hundreds of them in east central Ontario).
. Hugh power plant in eastern Ontario.
. Lots of tobacco being grown in central Ontario, and lots of tobacco kilns for drying it. Not like in the US.
. We had supper in the rain - our most difficult meal of the trip.
. It had been hot for a couple of weeks, and we really enjoyed the cool breeze off of Lake Erie
. We spent one night in a motel, because there were no campgrounds around.


Fort Erie, ON - Saturday, August 5
Camped at a nice KOA. I received a 'gift' of a big white rabbit/teddy bear named fluffy. We seem to have started a game of trying to give fluffy to someone who is not looking: the person holding it has to haul it to the next campsite.

We followed a bike/ped trail for many miles today.

Niagara Falls, ON - Sunday and Monday, August 6 & 7
Camped at a noisy campground, after riding only about 15 miles from our last campground. We had thought we were going to be in the US today, and were surprised that the campground was actually in Canada. It is a national holiday in Canada, and the campground is crowded.

We had lots of time for sight seeing, so we found a good Indian restaurant and ate lunch there both days. We also took a tour in the Maid Of The Mist: these are the boats that take people right up to the base of the falls. I was surprised at how windy and choppy the water was. I would recommend this tour to any one visiting Niagara Falls.

Now that we are about 2/3 finished with the trip, we have new cooking partners. Andy & I, Cal & Hans, and Linda & Anne.

Holly, NY - Tuesday, August 8
Back in the US today; 71 miles. It was a really pretty ride up the Niagara Parkway to the bridge into New York. We rode nearly all the way on the Erie Canal towpath. The towpath is a screened limestone path, of course with no traffic.

On the way here, I stopped at a library and was able to find specifics on shuttles from Bar Harbor to Bangor, and flights from Bangor to South Bend. We are 99.44% certain that we will be arriving at Bar Harbor one day early.

It got very cool in the evening, and I put a long sleeved shirt on for the first time in weeks. Beautiful weather! Full moon that rose just as we were finishing supper. We can tell the days are getting shorter, as we are usually finishing up supper just before dark.

The campground is at a marina of sorts. There is a place for pleasure boats to dock as people go up and down the canal. Very nice facilities for camping.

Pultneyville, NY - Wednesday, August 9

We camped at Hughes Marina & Campground: this was the worst evening of our trip. Hughes was a run down marina/campground on Lake Ontario. We camped in goose poop. The water faucet was far away, we had no picnic table, we washed dishes and I pitched my tent in the dark (on goose you-know-what). Oh well - that's the adventure in Adventure Cycling.

Other than the camping, it was a glorious day.

North Branch, MI - Sunday, July 30

Interlochen, MI - Tuesday, July 25

There was a nice Bike/Ped trail through Traverse City, and there was a very nice library right on the trail.

I got stung by a bee. I was on a fast descent on a back road with a rather poor surface, so I had to watch to avoid bumps. I was going perhaps 30 mph when I felt this sting on my arm. I looked down and saw a bee inserting his stinger (or what ever it is they do) and had a dilemma trying to decide whether to concentrate on the road or the bee. I smashed the bee and brushed him off, but his stinger and part of his body was still attached. At this point, I decided to return my concentration to the road. Soon I was at the bottom of the hill and looked in my rear view mirror only to find a car tailgating me: obviously he had slowed down as he saw me weaving all over the road. So I quickly pulled over off the road, let the car go by, and pulled the stinger out of my arm. I think this is the first time I have ever been stung while riding, and hope it is my last.

Andy bought a wok today at a second hand shop. It has replaced the skillet we had, and I think it will make cooking on our small stoves easier. Ann and Andy are both buying fresh produce at local farm stands, as a lot of veggies and cherries are locally grown and are in season.

We camped at the Interlochen State Park. This is part of the Interlochen Music complex, and there was a jazz concert that night. The campground was on Duck Lake and was a nice place to stay.

Luther, MI - Wednesday, July 26

Rain. It started about 1:00 am and stopped about 2:00 pm. We camped at a State Forrest I have used before on one of my solo tours through Michigan. Linda & I cooked, and we had bought a pound of butter for the pasta. As is frequently the case, we gave the left-over butter (2 sticks) to a friendly neighbor, since we can't carry it with us.


Clare, MI - Thursday, July 27

There is an excellent rail-trail from Clare to Midland. We rode through Clare and took the trail to a county park just off the trail. All of us except Ann and Hans got lost trying to find the park. Andy will update the 'leader notes' so that next year's group will be able to find it. It's a nice campground, but was very expensive.

When we awoke this morning (at Clare) there was heavy fog. Really heavy, and it didn't burn off until about 11:00 am. I notice we are seeing fewer White Birch trees; I guess we are pretty much out of what I call 'the northwoods'.

Bay City, MI - Friday & Saturday, July 28 & 29

These were two wonderful days. Saturday was a lay-over day. Karen drove up from South Bend - about a 5 hour drive, and we spent two days together. Andy's wife, Linda, also drove up from Kentucky, and they were happy to get together again too. Karen brought a new Schwalbe tire for me, which I mounted on the rear. The old rear one had about 4,000 miles on it; although I had never had a flat on it, it was worn bald. Andy also replaced his rear tire. I am surprised at how quickly my rear tire wore, compared with the front, which shows very little wear.

Karen and I stayed at the Residence Inn in nearby Saginaw. We just kind of hung out. Karen brought our laptop and I was able to download the remainder of my trip to my GPS, and upload my pictures to the laptop. Karen will be posting them in a few days.

We did some shopping, and I bought a new pair of shoes. There was a thunderstorm Saturday, but we were in the mall when it hit. The campground group was able to stay dry when it hit too. The temperature hit 94 degrees. We joined the group at the campground that evening, where we had KFC chicken and wine. They were staying at the state park on Saginaw Bay.

The land has gotten really flat. On of the major crops is sugar beets. Another is navy beans; they look like soy beans, but the plants are not as big. Of course, there is still lots of corn, soy beans, and wheat. Farmers are now starting to harvest their wheat.

North Branch, MI - Sunday, July 30

We are in the midst of a heat wave. Hot, with a thunderstorm in the afternoon, and high humidity at all times. The land continues to be flat, which I expect will continue until we get to Niagara Falls.

We camped at a pleasant private campground.

Alden, MI - Monday, July 24

Petoskey, MI - Sunday, July 23

Today's ride brings back a lot of memories of earlier rides I have done with Karen in the Mackinac area.

Today, we started as a group because of the complexities of crossing the Mackinaw bridge. We had to take a back route to the bridge toll entrance because bikes are not allowed on the regular roadway. I suspect we did not take the best back route, because we had to ride our bikes across a big lawn for about 100 yards; we should have been able to find the route the toll bridge employees take to work, but we just winged it. For those of you not familiar with the bridge, it is the worlds longest (maybe 2nd longest) suspension bridge. It is 4 lane toll bridge built in the 1950's, which connects Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas.

When we arrived at the entrance, we had to put our bikes in the back of two pick-up trucks, where they were hauled across. We rode as passengers in a car or in one of the trucks. There were only 5 of us, since Ann had crossed yesterday to meet her husband John, in Petosky. We met up with Ann that night in camp. Going through Mackinaw City, we found a Church, where Andy and I attended Mass.

One of the highlights of the bike ride was the "tunnel of trees": this is a section where we ride a narrow road through an old forrest, with trees that cover the road densely. Very pretty. We got lots of glimpses of Lake Michigan as we biked along expensive real estate.

We camped at the city park, which was right on the shore of Lake Michigan.

Alden, MI - Monday, July 24

We broke camp in the rain, had breakfast in the rain, and started riding in the rain. But the sky cleared about mid-morning and it was a nice day. The temperature got up into the 80's after we had enjoyed several days in the 70's.

Cherries are in season, and we are in the middle of Michigan's cherry growing region. I stopped and feasted on a hugh cherry tort at a road-side stand. Yum!

The ride was short, but we had a strong headwind, so it was an average day. We camped at a campground on Torch Lake. Ann and Hans cooked, and made corn on the cob. Yum. This was not local corn, but the first corn of the season always tastes great.

St. Ignace, MI - July 21

I have completed the post I started entering in Hayward. I notice Karen and Allie have uploaded my second batch of photos to the web, and completed a link to them.

Glidden, WI - Saturday, July 15

We got up 1/2 hour before sunrise today, wanting to get an early start. We were on the road 1/2 hour after sunrise. The temperature has been in the 90's, with some people saying the 100's. We had a light tail wind, which is a double edge sword. If you pedal at the same speed as the tailwind, you got no cooling breeze.

We stayed at Marion Park. This is a town park with no showers. There is a really neat and large pavilion where a wedding reception is taking place. I took some interesting photos of the pavilion. We had music entertainment until 1:00 am.

Karen and my niece Peg have been trying to arrange a way for me to visit Peg and Mark as we ride through northern Wisconsin. The have a cabin close to our route. I got Peg's phone numbers from Karen, and will call her.

Bolder Junction, WI - Sunday, July 16

There is some uncertainty on whether I will stay at Bolder Junction tonight, or Star Lake. If we all stay at Bolder Junction, it will be at one of Cal's future relatives, Donna: (Cal's son is marrying Donna's daughter this fall). If we stay at Star Lake, it will be per our itinerary.

I called both of Peg's phone numbers, leaving messages to that effect, but by the time Peg got my messages, she was back home. I later learned that Peg and Mark's place is just a couple of miles northwest of Bolder Junction.

We made ourselves at home at Donna's, had great showers, and all the comforts of home. Four of us slept inside, while Andy and I slept outside. The temperature was in the high 90's again.

Crystal Falls, MI - Monday, July 17

This was a long day: 89 miles. There was a sprinkle of rain in the morning, but not enough to settle the dust. It seems though, that it ushered in a cool front, and the temperature dropped down into the low 90's.

Linda and I met at the IGA west of town to buy groceries: we only had to get breakfast and lunch for the next day, since we planned to order in pizza for supper.

The campground was fine, but our pizza plans didn't pan out. Turns out the pizza place did not deliver, so we got on our bikes and rode back into town for dine-in service; worked fine, since we could have cold drinks with our dinner.

Escanaba, MI - Tuesday, July 18

Lake Michigan kicked in: the temperature is in the 70's! I stopped at a Walgreen and did some shopping. We camped at a county park and had take-out pasties for supper - only Andy and I had ever had them before. For those who haven't been to the Michigan U.P., they can be described as pocket sandwiches, with a meat and vegetable filling, baked in a pie crust. They are a traditional meal that men-folk used to take to the mines for their lunches.

Ann had an adventurous day. She has been having trouble with her rear wheel for a few days, and has been having to true it almost daily. She had the bike shop in Hayward look at it, and they found nothing wrong. Today it got really bad, but she was able to limp into a bike shop in Escanaba. She was having to true it every few miles. The bike shop pulled off the tire and found cracks inside the rim. Fortunately, they had a replacement in stock, and were able to do the needed replacement.

Manistique, MI - Wednesday, July 19

We entered the Eastern Time Zone today. It was a nice short day of only 47 miles, and I enjoyed a Pastie for lunch. We stayed at a great campground and pitched our tents on a bluff overlooking Indian Lake. It had perfect lake swimming with clear water and a sandy bottom.

Andy and Cal made too much Italian Spaghetti for supper, and gave the left overs to four RV'ers. Later they came over to visit and learn about our bikes. Turns out two of them had just bought $500 mountain bikes and wanted to compare our bikes with theirs.

Naubinway, MI - Thursday, July 20

A pleasant ride today. Stayed at a Michigan Forest Service campground, which was primitive. We didn't really need a shower since the campground is on Lake Michigan and there was a nice beach about 200 yards from our campsite.

While I was waiting for Linda at the general store, I was able to spend some time in the hardware section. I cobbled together some hooks so that I can now attach my 'fanny pack' to my handlebar bag. I have been trying to think of some clever way of doing that for a few days, and today it all came together for me.

Hans bought some smoked fish - it is widely available in the area. Linda poached whitefish for supper. Something different for us. After supper, Andy, Cal and I rode about a mile to a bar and had a few drinks while we watched a baseball game. Cal is a baseball nut, rooting for the Yankees. It was dark when we returned to camp, so I'm glad I had a headlamp.

St. Ignace, MI - Friday & Saturday, July 21 & 22

I'm writing this at the library on Friday. It was a nice short ride of some 45 miles, and we are at a nice campground. I'm showered, shaved, and feel great. The temperature is in the 70's.

Hayward, WI - July 13 & 14

Hitterdale, MN - Tuesday, July 4th

We were scheduled to camp at Richwood, but that campground was closed, so we had an option of Callaway, but they apparently have no water at the campground, so we took our 3rd choice: Hitterdale. It is a small Lions Club municipal park in the center of town. The town consisted of one service station with a few snacks and groceries, and a bar. The bar was closed since this was a holiday. There was also a post office and some storefronts of closed shops and businesses. The park was nice: it even had running water, so we could take a sponge bath in the restroom.

The closest fireworks were about 7 miles away, so we were not able to enjoy fireworks - just fire crackers by the local kids.

With great foresight, Cal and Andy had bought groceries at a town about 20 miles before Hitterdale, so we had a good meal.

The land is getting hillier. There are a lot of small ponds (they call them lakes) ringed with cat-tails among the farm lands. The only crop we are now seeing are beans and corn.

Itaska, MN - Wednesday, July 5

We did some backtracking today. After about a mile on the road, we had to turn around due to construction...we ended up riding about 10 miles on gravel, which was the best alternate route. The day was 78 miles, but I still feel good.

We are now seeing White Birch trees, and I feel like I am in 'the northwoods'. We camped at Bear Paw campground in Itaska State Park. That park has the source of the Mississippi River, and we crossed it a lot as we and the river meandered south-east.

The nearest grocery store was about 20 miles before the campground, and Linda & I were cooks; so Andy and Cal I think, pitched in and bought and hauled about half the food...a great help. The park was pretty noisy, but still pleasant.

Pennington, MN - Thursday, July 6

We rode by the Paul Bunyan and Babe statute and took lots of photos. We had a good day due to a light quartering tail wind. We camped at the Camp Pennington Campground. This is a true 'northwoods' fishing resort...just like I remember visiting with Karen's family and friends when we were newlyweds. The camp also had a fire pit, with comfortable chairs abound a roaring fire, and lots of wood to burn.

After supper, Hans rode 1.5 miles down a gravel road for desert: ice cream!

Grand Rapids, MN - Friday, July 7

We are camping at the county fairgrounds - the best fairgrounds yet. Quiet, clean, good showers, lots of big oak trees for shade. Andy & I sneaked into the auto race track and watched the cars for a couple of minutes. Andy left just before I was discovered and asked to leave. There was a thunderstorm at daybreak - the rain ended just as we were finishing breakfast.

We met Tom, a coast to coast rider from Fairbanks, Alaska. We have met a lot of riders, but I have not mentioned them until because there were so many. Tom is the first rider we have seen since Hitterdal. Like most riders, he is young, male, and rides about 100 miles per day.

Palisade, MN - Saturday, July 8

We are at a county park on the banks of the un-mighty Mississippi. The park has about 15 camping spaces, a nice covered picnic pavilion, two out-houses, and one cold water spigot. Not even a private place for a sponge bath. There were, however nice places to pitch a tent in the shade, and a good grocery store was nearby.

I have been carrying an American flag, and the 'pole' broke. At the grocery store, they gave me a metal clothes hanger so I could make repairs: works fine now. Also at the grocery store, they told Andy where to find a seamstress to make some modifications to his tent. Andy now has a bug-free tent.

We met a local woman whose family was fishing at the park. She liked to talk and ask questions, and we had a hard time finishing our nightly 'map meeting' because of her comments and questions.

For supper we had soft shell tacos with lots of refried beans. Yum. The left over beans and taco wraps made a great lunch the next day.

Isle, MN - Sunday, July 9

Camped in the picnic grounds at the Father Hennepin State Park. Very nice! We arrived with the aid of a nice tailwind, and there is a nice cool breeze blowing in off the lake - the largest lake in Minnesota. I had a great shower, and had a nice nap, which I always enjoy.

Andy arrived with a new coffee percolator so he can enjoy 'real' coffee.

As a group, we agreed to a layover day at Bay City, Michigan on July 29 (we will spend July 28 and 29 evenings there). So Andy's wife will drive up from Kentucky, and my wife will drive up from South Bend so Andy and I can can spend a couple of days with our wives. I can hardly wait!

Cambridge, MN - Monday, July 10

Some problems with getting a campground again. Andy tried to set us up at church, but couldn't get a confirmation. The fairgrounds was 'plan B'. We met at Wal-Mart in Cambridge to see where we would be for the night. Turned out that we were forced to plan B, but it worked out ok. The Wal-Mart was only 1/2 mile from the fairgrounds so we had easy grocery shopping. Andy and Cal cooked: we had cream cheese sandwitches for a box lunch the next day. We seem to be judging campgrounds by the quality of their showers. These were ok.

I also made a 'beer run' at the Wal-Mart. In Minnesota, grocery stores can only sell 3.2% beer. The Miller High-Life packaging looked like all Miller High-Life, except 3.2% was stamped (in hard to read printing) on the outside of the carton. I also bought batteries for my camera and GPS.

We had a light side-wind most of the day.

Osceola, MN - Tuesday, July 11

We stayed at the Interstate State Park in Wisconsin. We knew ahead of time that we were staying at the Interstate Campground, but we had no idea it was a state park. It is located between Dresser and St. Croix Falls. Some teen-age boys told us about a shortcut from the campground to the highway. That shortcut saves us about 5 miles and a big climb out of the park. So we used the shortcut and walked back into Taylor Falls, Minnesota for supper. We ate at a 1950's root beer drive-in.

Haugen, WI - Wednesday, July 12

Today it was in the 90's with a light variable wind, and we had a warm muggy night. I took a 15 mile shortcut.

We stayed at the Shady Rest Campground and Bar, which was a decent campground with a nice little sand and gravel swimming beach on a lake. We had a good time at the bar, where we had Pizza for supper and struck up a conversation with Rod, who camps there frequently. The next morning he gave us some venison summer sausage which was excellent. Cal whipped me bad in a game of pool.

Hayward, WI - Thursday & Friday, July 13 & 14

We had a nice 5 - 10 mph tailwind, but the temperature hit 97. We stayed at a nice KOA north of town, where I took advantage of their nice swimming pool and even shot some basketball. I find myself using sunscreen daily.

I made great use of the day off. I was unable to get enough computer time at the library, so I could only complete part of this post. (I am finishing up in St. Ignace, MI) At the Blue Moon Bike Shop, I bought a new helmet because my old one was cracked. I noticed the crack a few days ago, and it is gradually getting larger. I also bought a suspension seat post, hoping that it will ease my saddle sores, and a new Phillips screwdriver. I looked carefully at kickstands, like Hans has, but their stands will not fit my bike because my aluminum tubes are too large. Kickstands are really convenient though. I also made a post-office run, and sent some more stuff home. The biggest thing I sent home were my fleece pants. I haven't used them since we got out of the mountains.

In town, Andy, Cal & I were at a bar where Cal offered to play a game of pool with a local. To make a long story short, the local guy declined and indicated he did not like tourists.

Moorhead, MN - Monday, July 3

Minnewaukan, ND - Thursday, June 29
This will be one of the more memorable days of the trip I think. We had a pleasant 59 mile day with a mild quartering tail wind, 92 degrees, and lots of sun. We arrived at the town park. Like most small towns, the municipal park either had no fee, suggested a donation, or had a small fee. The amenities vary from no water, to a covered shelter and swimming pool. Minnewaukan's park had a covered shelter and a shower. If you look on a map, you will see that the town borders a large lake. The lake is popular with fishermen.

There were three RV trailers set up when we arrived, and the 3 couples were cleaning fish. They offered us some fish, which we quickly accepted. Linda & I were cooking that night. They also gave us some breading for the fish, and allowed us to use one of their propane burners when they saw that we were having trouble frying fish on just our two gas stoves. We had a lot of pleasant conversation, and then one of them gave us some home-made venison jerky. Yummy. A very memorable evening with 3 pleasant couples from Fargo, ND. We got their names and addresses and Ann will send them Adventure Cycling thank-you notes.

Then we went to the bar across the highway and enjoyed the company of another group of fishermen. We will long remember how the big guy wanted Cal's new Tillie hat, and how he bought us all a drink of Peppermint Shnapps and Brandy. We had a light rain during the night, but it was not a problem.

Tolna, ND - Friday, June 30
We had a choice between the Tolna town park and a resort 19 miles further on. Tolna had no showers, and we had a mild tailwind, so we opted for the Red Willow Lake Campground & resort. So we had an 80 mile day with an 87 degree high. During the ride, I saw my first fields of Soy Beans and Corn. Until now, we have seen only grains - mostly wheat I suspect. We had also seen a few fields of blue; we learned that these were Flax.

Cal had 3 flats, and Ann, Hans, and Andy worked on his tubes that evening. The resort was built in 1926, and is a popular place in the region. It has a pavilion with a large roller-rink & dance floor. There is a list of the musicians who have played there, and it reads like a who's-who of music.

Hope, ND - Saturday, July 1
This was a perfect riding day. It was short because we had pushed on beyond the schedule the prior day, had a mild tailwind, and the temperature was only 82 degrees. On the way, I came upon a farmer working on his tractor in a field next to the road. I stopped to ask about some earlier fields of a beautiful yellow crop: what was it? He confirmed my suspicion that it was Canola. Then he asked me if I could help him. Turns out he was having trouble hitching a mower to his tractor because he had forgotten to bring along chocks. That made the hitching process a two man job. I was adequate to the task, and we exchanged high fives before I left.

We stayed at the town park: it had a pool (which we enjoyed), and cold showers (which are better than no showers). I made a 'beer run'; I bought beer and ice to keep it cold. The beer and ice fit in my front pannier perfectly, and the ice lasted long enough to keep the beer cold til the very end.

Moorhead, MN - Sunday and Monday July 2 and 3.
The terrain is beginning to look more like Northern Indiana, Ohio or Illinois. Nearly all the fields are corn, beans, wheat or hay. Hills are few and far between. Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN are sister cities, separated by the Red River. We are staying at a nice KOA campground just south of Moorhead. This is the biggest city we have been in since we left the Seattle airport over a month ago.

Nearly all the cities and towns in the flatlands number their streets and give them a 'St' or 'Ave' designation. Thus you have a 28th St. and a 28th Ave. One runs north-south and one runs east-west. I used my GPS to go to 4396 28th St. SE. I should have gone to the campground at 4396 28th Ave. S. Luckily, I only went about a mile out of my way.

Linda & I were cooks, but the nearest grocery store was about 4 miles away, down a gravel road, so we ordered 3 pizzas delivered. Mmmmmmm good.

Rugby, ND - Wednesday, June 28

Photos

I sent several photos home to Karen a few days ago - Washington and Idaho. She has posted some of them on the web, and has created a link to them.

Click 'Paul's Photos' at the right; then click the 'Slideshow' button. Thanks Karen!

Rugby, ND
Seventy-one sunny miles today, with a crossing head wind. Eastern Montana and North Dakota don't have a lot to see. Increasingly, the terraine is getting flatter, and we are beginning to see more trees. Just like home, I saw a soy bean field today - the first one I have seen on this trip...no corn yet. The most interesting thing about Rugby is that it is the geographic center of North America.

Ann and Hans went to the Rugby Ice Cream Social after supper. They were too late to see the entertainment, but they got some free ice cream.

As he had said at the begining of the trip, Andy has set up new cook teams. We are at about the 1/3 mark, and he will probably change the teams once agin. The new teams are Linda & me, Cal and Andy, Hans and Ann.

Minot, ND - Sunday June 25

Williston, ND - June 23
As I mentioned in my last post, we were going to the county fair. We had the usual foods, except that they had 'fry bread' in place of 'elephant ears'... Fry bread is an American Indian sweet, and elephant ears are apparently not known nation wide like they are in the Midwest. Cal played a game of some sort which required throwing skills; he won a naked chicken! Now this naked chicken is following him all across the country. This fair was actually a regional fair: bigger than a county fair. They had a lot of entertainment including a jalopy race of some sort. It would have been a typical Midwest 4-H fair, except there were fewer animals, and nearly all the animals were beef cattle. As is the norm, the locals spotted us as bikers right off the bat. I had a pleasant conversation with a guy running for some elected office. Rain just before sun-up, as is becoming common also. I was really tired at the end of this day.

When I get home I will need to publish a correction to the ACA address for the Davidson City Park. The ACA address is not wrong, but it is hard to find Davidson Drive since it is only a block long.

Newtown, ND - June 24
This was a difficult day for me. Seventy-four miles with no nice places to stop and rest. It seems to me that the daily exertion is taking it's toll. I lost my appetite, felt nauseous, weak and dizzy: I bonked when I got to camp. It was my turn to cook with Hans, but Ann filled in for me; I was very grateful. Andy offered to get me a 7-up, which is what his mother would have advised, but then he brought me a Sprite instead. Oh well - Sprite was the best he could do, and the sugar helped a lot. Ann and Hans made a good supper, but I could only manage a few bites, then had indigestion all night.

Minot, ND - June 25
For those of us who are linguistically deprived, it is pronounced 'my-knot'. I have been corrected several times.

Another very difficult 70+ mile day for me; I had not fully recovered from the prior day. I forced down some oatmeal and raisins for breakfast, half a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, and 4 bottles of water. I was determined to ride slow and easy. At about 50 miles, I started lying down by the side of the road for short rests. Once a car stopped to ask if I was ok: I said 'yes, thanks'. At about 60 miles, a pick up truck stopped with the same question. After a very brief conversation, I put my bike in the back of the truck and the husband and wife drove me 15 miles to the outskirts of Minot - about 4 miles from camp. Minot was a scheduled rest day, but I started having thoughts of resting a couple of days and renting a car to catch up with the group. That evening, Andy decided that we would take 2 rest days in Minot; we are at a nice campground and I think that will provide the recovery time my body needs. Andy thinks I just need to ride slow and easy and drink more water now that we are in 70 - 80 degree temperatures. We are still ahead of schedule and have some rest days in the bank.

Today, I am at the library catching up on things. Libraries are wonderful places. My bike is at the bike shop getting some work done on the drive train. I went to the post office and mailed some cold weather stuff home since we are out of the mountains. And I plan to have a big juicy fat-filled hamburger for lunch.

I am finding the weather interesting. Since we crossed the divide, the pattern has been fairly consistent: clear sky at sun-up, clouds building during the day, often with a storm someplace on the horizon, a short rain shower or two sometime during the afternoon or night, and then clear again the next morning. The storms on the horizon, with rain falling out of the clouds, sometimes with visible lightning, are especially visible because there are virtually no trees, and you can see forever.

Williston, ND - Friday, June 23

Glasgow, MT - June 20.
Nice day - High temp of 70. West wind of 15 - 30 mph: mostly a tail wind. Seeing less wheat, more cattle, and fewer prairie Dogs. Stopped at the Sleeping Buffalo. This is a sacred place for the Indians, and was kind of special.

Wolf Point, MT - June 21
We have been mostly in Indian Reservations for the past two days, but they are behind us now. Linda and I arrived at the rather dumpy Rancho campground first, and set up our tents. Then Andy arrived and found that the price had increased to $12 per tent ($72 for 6 people): he tried to negotiate a deal and the manager was very rude, so we packed up our tents and moved on the the municipal park and swimming pool. The park was pretty nice, but it was late when we arrived, so we had Subway sandwiches and watched a Little League baseball game. There were a lot of kids in the park. The Indian kids were very outgoing and asked all sorts of questions. Twice they asked us for money, but when we said no, they did not pester us about it. The park was about a mile from the railroad - we heard the whistles, but not the train wheels. Again, we had a 15 - 20 mph tailwind. We also went through about 5 miles of road construction, where we rode on gravel. The mountains are completely gone. Until now, there has always been a small range either to the north or south.

Culbertson, MT - June 22.
We saw a new kind of rock formation today. Sandstone worn into interesting shapes and colors. Got some nice pictures. We got off of US-2 for most of the day, and had very little traffic. We had to wait about 20 minutes for a train which had stopped. According to the locals, this is common. Had a light tailwind. Stayed at the municipal park, and showered at the municipal pool which was located about 7 blocks away. The park had a shelter, which is good because it rained in the evening and at night.

Williston, ND - June 23.
Had a headwind today. Camping at the municipal park which is really nice; it has a recreation building with nice showers, hot tub, and sauna. We are going to the county fair tonight to have supper.

Malta, MT - June 18 & 19

Enjoying a layover day today; our schedule is quite changed from the original itinerary due to Logan Pass being closed, and doing an extra long day on June 18. We combined two scheduled days into one day to take advantage of the 10 - 15 mph wind. It was a 90 mile day, but the tail wind made it bearable. We have now had 3 straight riding days of favorable winds; they were really strong the first couple of days, but I think they are coming to an end. Today is a sunny 80 degrees.

Bicyclists always want to know what is the 'best' tire. So far, Linda has had 2 flats. The same shard of metal caused both, she just couldn't find the shard until after she flatted the second time. Ann flatted once, from a large piece of glass. Cal has had a lot of flats, but just one since he got new tires and liners in Whitefish. It was a pinch flat.

In Montana, we have been basically following US-2. It has been a smooth 2-lane road with light traffic and usually a healthy shoulder. The towns are spaced about 10 - 40 miles apart, and have populations of 200 - 3,000 or so. Clearly, the railroad was built before US-2. The towns are built around the railroad, and US-2 is often about 1/2 - 1/4 mile away, with one street going into town. In the larger towns, there is usually some new development along US-2. One map of Montana I looked at showed the railroad, and labeled it the Amtrak Route. We do see Amtrak stations and trains, but they are far outnumbered by freight trains. We have been waving at the train engineers, hoping to get a whistle: sometimes it works. (Yes - we are all kids at heart). Of course, the campgrounds we stay at are near the railroad: that would make it a little difficult to sleep if I wasn't so tired at the end of the day.

This transportation corridor always follows some kind of river; right now it is the Milk River. Except for the mountains, we have seen a lot of Cottonwood trees. When we were at Sandpoint, ID, the Cottonwoods were at their peak of flowering. They still are flowering, but not so profusely as earlier.

Surprisingly, we saw quite a few Seal Gulls for a while. I was told there was a large lake nearby that attracted them, but I didn't find the lake on my map. And starting yesterday, we saw Prairie Dogs. They are about the size of a small squirrel, have a rat-like tail with a little hair on it, and act as confused as a squirrel when crossing the road. They frequently run along the edge of the road, in front of my bicycle, then scamper into a hole in the ground. As you might expect - they are common road-kill.

We are beginning to see some tumble weeds. Not many, but a few.

Two days ago, in Chester, MT we attended a 50's Sock Hop. Within 15 minutes, everyone there knew who we were, where we came from, and where we were going. The Lions' Club and the art society combined to have hamburgers, hot dogs and root beer floats. They closed off the main street and had a DJ who played 'oldies'. The little kids danced a bit, had a limbo contest, and a hula hoop contest. There was also had a parade of old cars (there is a club that seems to be touring US-2 towns right now). I never saw any adults dancing: maybe because I left early.

Havre, MT - June 17

Nice tail wind again. . . 62 easy miles. Wind should continue another day so we are shooting for 90 miles tomorrow followed by a rest day. Staying at the county fair grounds tonight.

Cal's Journal

Cal is also keeping a Journal of the trip. I have added a link to his journal.

Chester, MT - Friday, June 16

Good news. I found the shirt I thought I lost. Cal and I seem to be making a habit of doing that sort of thing. We have a place for everything, and keep everything in it's place. But when we put something away in the wrong place (for example when we are in a hurry in the rain), we get totally confused. Oh well - we are the seniors of the group, so we are entitled.

It continued raining in Cut Bank until about day break. The wind also died down. Linda and I moved our tents to an area protected by the wind, which helped a lot last night. Ann started moving her tent, and accidentally tore a hole in the fabric, so she just took her tent down and laid out her sleeping bag in the campground's recreation room. Andy set up his sleeping bag in the recreation room right from the get-go. He was a happy camper until a kid came in and turned on the TV at 6:00 AM. Cal, Andy & I sampled the spirits at Cut Bank, and we all had supper at Pizza Hut. Of course we had cold pizza for breakfast this morning. Yummy yummy - just like home! Hans is happy because he managed to catch some of the World Cup soccer on TV.

I thought the ride from East Glacier to Cut Bank was great, but today's ride to Chester was just as good. I have come to love 50 - 60 mile rides with a 20-25 mph tailwind. I hope they continue. There has been no rain for about 18 hours. The sun even came out for a bit today. We are camped in the town park. We have cold water and port-a-potties. I was able to do a sponge bath at the restroom at the town office. The park is pleasant, has a nice sheltered picnic area, and should work well for us.

Cut Bank MT. June 14 - 15.

It started raining just after we got our tents set up, and it has been raining ever since, and the temperature is in the 40's and low 50's. Very windy. There has been a constant 15 - 30 mph wind, and our campground is high on the edge of a bluff. We are currently ahead of schedule since we had to take an alternate around Logan Pass due to snow. We are taking a much needed rest day today, and will push on eastward tomorrow, probably with a strong tail wind. Cut Bank is on the edge of the Blackfoot Indian reservation. Montana has small casinos all over the place. Wisconsin has a bar on every corner: Montana has a Bar/Casino on every corner (I exaggerate of course, but all bars are also a casino).

I lost my favorite shirt at the last campground...It will be hard to replace until we get to a big town. We are definitely out of the mountains...It is 'all' down hill to the Mississippi. We are expecting dry hot weather as we ride through the northern plains of Montana and North Dakota.

Cut Bank, MT. June 15

June 11. Columbia Falls, MT. A very nice campground. We made the Whitefish bike shop rich. I got new brake pads, Cal got new tires and tubes, Hans got a new saddle, Andy got a new head stem. The owners (May and Ron) then hosted us to a chicken bar-b-que at the campground. May is on the board of Adventure Cycling, and they run a great shop.

June 12. West Glacier, MT. What should have been an easy 20 mile day turned into a difficult 38 miler for me. I got lost and rode about 15 miles on gravel. Yuk. Changing our plans, hoping the highway opens.

June 13. East Glacier, MT. The 'Going To The Sun" road was closed due to snow, so we skipped St. Mary, Waterton, and a third place I don't remember. We went directly from West Glacier to East glacier. This took us over the continental divide. We had terrific head winds - 30 - 40 miles per hour. This was one of our most difficult days. Big thunderstorm at night, but not a problem.

June 14. Cut Bank, MT. The best ride I have ever had in my life. All down hill for 50 miles, with a 20-25 mph tailwind. It was sunny but started raining again just after we set up camp. Extremely windy. I am getting booted, by the library. I will get back on later.

West Glacier, MT ~ June 12

Going to The Sun highway is closed due to snow. We may need to take an alternate.

Libby, MT

Stopped raining yesterday just before we set up camp. Nice today. Scenery is great again.

Colville, WA - June 4: Raining again today. I'm staying in a motel tonight, mainly to dry out and wash some clothes. The others are camped at the state fair grounds. Another long, tiring day. I think we are out of the Cascades, but certainly not out of the mountains.
Cal had 4 flat tires today and is having problems with his bike. I'm not sure what he will do with it.
(Posted by Karen from a phone conversation.)

Republic, WA - June 3: Just completed 2 very long and tiring days. We get up about 7:30, on the road by 8:30 and get into the next camp between 6 and 8 pm. The good news is that I haven't had to walk up any more passes - probably a combination of being stronger and changing my technique. The big climb today was Loup Loup pass at 4,020 feet.

We had rain all day yesterday and packed up in the rain this morning, but it cleared up in the afternoon.

The interesting thing I noticed was that the climate changed dramatically today. Before this it was all rain forest, but at the bottom of the pass today I suddenly was seeing sage brush. I didn't even realize they had sage brush in Washington.

I'm certainly having quite an adventure.

(This post is transcribed from a phone conversation by Karen. Paul was to tired to type.)

Winthrop, WA

Arrived at a great KOA yesterday, Wednesday, after a rough day of riding. Today is a rest day for laundry and sightseeing. Winthrop is a nice little town with a Western Frontier motif.

Started at about 700 Ft, did Rainy Pass at 4,850 feet, then Washington Pass at 5,477 feet. I started feeling the rare air at Washington Pass. Now we are at about 1,900 feet. I had to walk up a lot of hills - but made it ok.

Had BBQ Hamburgers for supper last night. Sunny and nice day.

Wintrop, WA

Tuesday we rode to Colonial Campground in North Cascades National Park...a nice ride since the sun had finally come out.

Concrete, WA

Monday, May 29: Beautiful rain forest with ferns and trees with moss hanging like wool from a shaggy sheep. Rain stopped about noon and sun came out for first time since I got here. Andy and Ann made beans and rice for supper.

Anacortes

Sunday, May 28: Had a 20 mile shake down ride today. Fully loaded to Bowman Bay where we dipped our rear wheels in the Pacific. I had to push my bike up two hills. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, spaghetti for supper. Hans and I cooked. Weather was in fourties with scattered showers.

Anacortes

Everyone is here. Will learn how to grocery shop today. Will pack our bikes and ride 10 miles to the Pacific Ocean to dip our rear tires. It's only raining intermittently, and tomorrow we start our first 60 mi. leg.

My bike is on its way

My bike started its journey on Friday, May 19. It should arrive in Anacortes, WA the following Thursday. This photo shows my bike case all packed up and ready to take to the UPS!

All of our travel arrangements are complete. Arriving Anacortes 5/24 to 5/27. I'm arriving 5/26.

About the tour

Some of my friends are asking similar questions about the tour. This is an Adventure Cycling Association Expedition. By definition, an Expedition is a self contained tour of more than 30 days; it represents the epitome of pure cycle-touring.

Packing everything we need onto our bikes and hitting the road under our own power can be a deeply rewarding experience. This type of touring requires group cooperation and the spirit of adventure. Hopefully, we all have some moxie and are looking for a challenge: the rewards can be significant. I have yet to meet any of the other riders, but we’ll go home with a strong sense of accomplishment, heartfelt camaraderie, and a lifetime of memories.

We’ll carry camping gear, personal gear, clothing, and food in panniers (cowboys would call them saddle bags) or on trailers. A leader will ride along with our small group of participants. No motor vehicles accompany self-contained tours. All group members contribute to a cooking rotation. The tour itinerary is listed in an earlier post, but has some flexibility.

I have already paid the tour fee, which covers a beginning and ending motel/hostel, group cooking equipment, a tool kit, first-aid supplies, food, overnight camping fees, leader expenses, maps, a safety triangle, and a few additional necessities.

A Training Ride at Shenandoah National Park

This is modest when compared to the mountains in Washington, Idaho and Montana, yet quite challenging for someone more accustomed to Michiana hills.

The Adventurers

Anne
· Lives in Los Altos, California, right in Silicon Valley, the San Francisco Bay area.
· She asked Shaun Radley to tell us who all was involved in the tour.
· Doing the trip to celebrate her 50th birthday
· Has a teen age son.
· She’s slow, but she’ll manage the distance.
· For her usual riding, she likes to go up very steep hills (2100 of elevation). [wow]
· Has her dream bike. It's an Atlantis by Rivendell.

Cal
. Married 33 years to Kathy with three grown children, one engaged living in Denver. September '06 to be the big date. A daughter graduating from Northeastern, Boston with her masters in speech pathology... and middle son working in the mortgage business living at home.
. Lives in North Jersey close to Greenwood Lake, NY: about 50 miles from Manhattan. Will miss his home away from home this summer, boating in Barnegat Bay NJ. From the cycling hills of the Lakelands to the Pine Barren "flats" of NJ .
. Has ridden weekly supported tours for the past 5 years with a grassroots conglomeration of "buds" known as Nova Scotia Plus. Rides included RAGBRAI (The Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), Erie Canal, Nova Scotia, and Shoreline (along Michigan's sunset coast). Giving up the annual hiatus this year in Idaho for the dream cross country tour, soon to become a reality.
. A recent retiree from UPS management where he worked in numerous operations and staff positions.

Conrad
. A scientist who was recruited away by a lucrative job offer and dropped out of the tour before it started.

Hans
. An IT professional who lives in Zeist, Netherlands
. Cycled the USA in 1993 for 6 months by doing the TransAm (Williamsburg VA to Portland OR) in a group; they started with 9, finished with 8.
. Did a solo tour from Portland to San Francisco, mostly riding the Pacific Crest Bicycling Trail (PCBC) till Yosemite and then rode around the Grand Canyon.
. Yearly vacations have mostly consisted of cycling Scotland (UK) for 3 to 4 weeks.
. Has to apply for a visa on May 3 and is hoping to get it two or three days later. No visa....no tour!

Robert
· Before the tour, he was finishing his last semester in Seminary to become a Presbyterian Minister.
. He had problems with his ordination exam in biblical languages, and since none of us were able to tutor him, he dropped out of the tour before it started to concentrate on his studies.

Linda
· This year is her 25th anniversary from doing the US East tour back in 1981 from Williamsburg, Virginia to Pueblo, Colorado. The organization was called"Bikecentennial" then.
· Her group back in 1981 had only 6 including the leader. Before the end of the trip however, two quit and one went on ahead...she was a New York City Marathoner and was always at least 2-4 hours ahead of everyone. They finished the trip in Pueblo, Colorado with only 3.

Paul
· A 65 year old who lives in South Bend, Indiana 574-272-9513. Has lived in Indiana, Michigan and Illinois.
· Married, father of 3 (one deceased). Grandfather of 4.
· A Purdue Boilermaker!!!
· Retiring May 19. Position he is retiring from is Senior Systems Analyst (a business/computer guru).
· First self contained bike trip was about 1980, from South Bend, IN to Columbus, IN. 180 mi. (He remembers that he was sore). The most recent was the outer banks of North Carolina; 550 miles (He enjoyed the fried oysters).

Tour Itinerary

Seattle-Tacoma Int'l Arpt 5/26/2006
San Juan Motel, Anacortes, WA 5/27/2006
Concrete, WA 5/29/2006
Winthrop, WA 5/31/2006
Tonasket, WA 6/2/2006
Republic, WA 6/3/2006
Colville, WA 6/4/2006
Usk, WA 6/5/2006
Sandpoint, ID 6/6/2006
Hwy 56 & Hwy 20, MT 6/8/2006
Libby, MT 6/9/2006
Eureka, MT 6/10/2006
Whitefish, MT 6/11/2006
Lake McDonald, MT 6/12/2006
Glacier summit 6/12/2006
St Mary, MT 6/13/2006
Waterton Park, Alberta 6/14/2006
Cardston, Alberta 6/17/2006
CutBank, MT 6/18/2006
Chester, MT 6/19/2006
Havre, MT 6/20/2006
Harlem, MT 6/21/2006
Malta, MT 6/22/2006
Glasgow, MT 6/23/2006
Wolf Point, MT 6/24/2006
Culbertson, MT 6/25/2006
Williston, ND 6/26/2006
New Town, ND 6/27/2006
Minot, ND 6/28/2006
Rugby, ND 6/30/2006
Minnewaukan, ND 7/1/2006
Tolna, ND 7/2/2006
Hope, ND 7/3/2006
Moorhead, MN 7/4/2006
Richwood, MN 7/6/2006
Itasca State Park, MN 7/7/2006
Pennington, MN 7/8/2006
Grand Rapids, MN 7/9/2006
Palisade, MN 7/10/2006
Isle, MN 7/11/2006
Cambridge, MN 7/12/2006
Osceola,WI 7/13/2006
Cumberland,WI 7/14/2006
Hayward,WI 7/15/2006
Gliddena,WI 7/17/2006
Star Lake,WI 7/18/2006
Crystal Falls, MI 7/19/2006
Escanaba, MI 7/20/2006
Manistique, MI 7/21/2006
Naubinway, MI 7/22/2006
St Ignace, MI 7/23/2006
Petoskey, MI 7/25/2006
Alden, MI 7/26/2006
Interlochen, MI 7/27/2006
Luther, MI 7/28/2006
Clare, MI 7/29/2006
Bay City, MI 7/30/2006
North Branch, MI 7/31/2006
Capac, MI 8/2/2006
Wallaceburg, Ontario 8/3/2006
Port Burwell, Ontario 8/5/2006
Selkirk, Ontario 8/6/2006
Crystal Beach, Ontario 8/7/2006
Ridgeway, Ontario 8/7/2006
Niagara Falls, Ontario 8/8/2006
Holley, NY 8/10/2006
Pultneyville, NY 8/11/2006
Texas, NY 8/12/2006
Boonville, NY 8/13/2006
Raquette Lake, NY 8/14/2006
Blue Ridge, NY 8/15/2006
Middlebury, VT 8/16/2006
Gaysville, VT 8/17/2006
Orford, NH 8/18/2006
Lincoln, NH 8/20/2006
North Woodstock, NH 8/20/2006
Conway, NH 8/21/2006
Turner, ME 8/22/2006
Damariscotta, ME 8/23/2006
Newcastle, ME 8/23/2006
Camden, ME 8/25/2006
East Orland, ME 8/26/2006
Mt Desert Isl Hostel, Bar Harbor, ME 8/27/2006
Bangor Int'l Airport 8/28/2008

Introduction

I intend to use this blog to report on the progress of my coast-to-cost bicycle ride.