We are in Chanute, Kansas--city motto, "The gutter is our bike lane." It has almost 10,000 people, so it's a huge city. We'll be staying in the Santa Fe Safari Park tonight. It's not actually a safari park, unfortunately. The road it's on is Santa Fe Rd., and a couple here went to Africa on safari and made a museum. The museum is next to the library, but it's closed.
You have never known two people so happy to be in Kansas. We crossed the border this morning. The roads are less busy than they were in Missouri, and they're much flatter. We finished the hills with 11 miles left to go yesterday, and we haven't been in our granny gear since.
After we posted in Houston we continued through rolling hills to Hartville. The wind was against us and it got very hot. At one point Nick had to stop to lie down. He found a shady spot but didn't see the poison ivy. No reaction, though. We stopped in a store in Ben Davis and learned that there was another westbound couple hoping to camp in Hartville. We'd first heard about this couple in front of us in Hindman, KY--our first day in Kentucky. The chance of catching and meeting them motivated us through the last 20 hot miles. They were a nice couple from Marin, CA. She was having hip problems, so they'd slowed down a bit. We ate dinner with them and set up our tent near theirs on the courthouse lawn. They're carrying a cast iron skillet.
The next day we pushed to get out of the Ozarks and the hills of Missouri. The day started overcast, and we didn't see our shadows all day. It was nice to be cool, but in the late afternoon we had some rain showers and thunderstorms nearby. We had to stop to make sure they weren't headed our way. We ended the day with 12 flat miles to Golden City, MO, just 40 miles from Kansas. We slept in the city park there. At around 9:50 pm, just as we were headed to bed, some local kids showed up to play basketball in the same pavilion we'd set up our tent. They had very dirty mouths and were terrible shots. They left us alone and left about a half hour later.
This morning we had a big breakfast with more free pie in Golden City, then rode our way into Kansas. The riding will be very different in Kansas. Usually, we ride for about 20 miles then take a break and eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich. We've been doing that for weeks in the mountains. You can just imagine how many sandwiches that adds up to. But after our breakfast, we rode 50 miles before stopping. It was amazing. We met 3 more eastbounders as well. They'd all started solo, but met up in Kansas and are pushing each other to finish. One of them left Astoria, OR just 2 weeks before we started our trip. That made us feel like we're making some progress. We stopped riding here in Chanute, as we said above. After we post this, we'll buy groceries for dinner and breakfast, then head for the park.
Overall, we're still doing well. We're excited to be out of the hills for a bit. Missouri sounds like misery if you say it wrong, but we slowed down through it and had a good time. There were so many dead armadillos. We'd never really seen one before, but the roads in Missouri were nearly paved with them. We'll see what Kansas brings.
Tomorrow we're either stopping in Cassody or doing a very long day if the wind is right and it's not too hot.
The numbers:
HZNPBFOONECCBBVKZA--The roads we rode in Missouri. At one point we went from Z to A, which sounds thorough, but backwards.
1600--miles ridden.
42--eastbound bikers we've met to date.
8--westbounders we've passed.
431--Kristin's Yahtzee high score. Nick's highest is 223.
2--country song titles inspired by the Ozarks: "I Can Go Anywhere (In My Granny Gear)" and "My Shirt Is My Pillow (And You Can Share It With Me)"
12.7--our average speed today. Nearly 2 miles per hour faster than any day yet. We love Kansas (so far)!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Coasting in the Ozarks
We figured out how to let people leave comments on our posts. Enjoy.
We're currently in Houston, MO and spent the last few days in the Ozarks. We'd heard a lot from other cyclists about the Ozarks before we even got here. Some even bypassed them via a freeway and a gravel bike path. We're really enjoying them and have even worked in some sight-seeing along the way.
After leaving Murphysboro we rode along the Mississippi River levee. It was a flat ride for a change but very hot and humid. We ended the day in Chester, IL with Missouri over the river from us. It was our first experience staying in a city park and having free access to the city pool and showers. It was a refreshing way to end the day.
We rode into Missouri and the Ozarks. We ended our first day in Missouri in Pilot Knob and stayed in a motel because it had been a little while. We went swimming for the second day in a row and watched the last stage of the Tour de France on TV.
Yesterday morning we headed first to Elephant Rocks State Park and rode our bikes around elephant sized boulders (and bigger). The morning was cloudy with some rain, a nice break from the heat. We then headed up the road to Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. Since Kristin was last there in 2004, there was a major flood. In December 2005 the Taum Sauk Reservoir upstream of it overflowed its dam (One of the park rangers said there was a flood sensor error). It washed out much of the park structures and trees. They've put a lot of work into fixing it up and there are new paths and signs. After we left the Shut-Ins we climbed up and coasted down, many times. We finished the day in Alley Springs on the Jacks Fork River.
This morning we checked out the spring and it's a big one. There is a picture of Nick next to some of the flow. It releases about 81 million gallons of water a day. We've climbed up onto the Ozark Plateau and the riding has been a lot less like a roller coaster today.
The numbers:
1350--miles ridden
4--jars of peanut butter eaten
4--tubes of sunscreen applied
0--Flat tires
4--of the last five nights with some rain
3--Homes of note visited: Besides the Lincoln home, we've also been to Dr. Pepper's home in Rural Retreat and Popeye's home (and his illustrator's) in Chester, IL.
We're currently in Houston, MO and spent the last few days in the Ozarks. We'd heard a lot from other cyclists about the Ozarks before we even got here. Some even bypassed them via a freeway and a gravel bike path. We're really enjoying them and have even worked in some sight-seeing along the way.
After leaving Murphysboro we rode along the Mississippi River levee. It was a flat ride for a change but very hot and humid. We ended the day in Chester, IL with Missouri over the river from us. It was our first experience staying in a city park and having free access to the city pool and showers. It was a refreshing way to end the day.
We rode into Missouri and the Ozarks. We ended our first day in Missouri in Pilot Knob and stayed in a motel because it had been a little while. We went swimming for the second day in a row and watched the last stage of the Tour de France on TV.
Yesterday morning we headed first to Elephant Rocks State Park and rode our bikes around elephant sized boulders (and bigger). The morning was cloudy with some rain, a nice break from the heat. We then headed up the road to Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. Since Kristin was last there in 2004, there was a major flood. In December 2005 the Taum Sauk Reservoir upstream of it overflowed its dam (One of the park rangers said there was a flood sensor error). It washed out much of the park structures and trees. They've put a lot of work into fixing it up and there are new paths and signs. After we left the Shut-Ins we climbed up and coasted down, many times. We finished the day in Alley Springs on the Jacks Fork River.
This morning we checked out the spring and it's a big one. There is a picture of Nick next to some of the flow. It releases about 81 million gallons of water a day. We've climbed up onto the Ozark Plateau and the riding has been a lot less like a roller coaster today.
The numbers:
1350--miles ridden
4--jars of peanut butter eaten
4--tubes of sunscreen applied
0--Flat tires
4--of the last five nights with some rain
3--Homes of note visited: Besides the Lincoln home, we've also been to Dr. Pepper's home in Rural Retreat and Popeye's home (and his illustrator's) in Chester, IL.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Rolling Hills of West KY
We are currently in Murphysboro, IL and this afternoon we will bike along the Mississippi River to Chester, IL. Tomorrow we head into Missouri and the Ozarks. Carleton Geologists: Kristin is excited for this stretch because we'll visit some of the Missouri fieldtrip stops.
After we left Berea, KY we biked through rolling farmlands until we camped at Lincoln Homstead SP. We think this is maybe where Abraham Lincoln's family homesteaded, but not him because the next day we passed signs for Lincoln's birthplace and boyhood home. From the Lincoln Homestead we decided to push hard for the next three days to make it to Goreville, IL by Sat. morning at 9:00am to pick up Nick's 2nd long sleeve jersey at the post office.
Our first of the three days we passed through Buffalo, KY and picked up some molasses cookies from Kristin's mom at the post office. We also stopped at a Dollar General in Sonora. We'd passed by a lot of Dollar Generals not knowing what they were. They have a huge selection and played disco music while we shopped. We bought two dinners we were so excited. We didn't end up eating either dinner for three days. We ended our first of the three long days at 94 miles with Arnold, Lucy and Lauren at the Double L gas, grocery and service station. They've been unofficially and now officially hosting bicyclists since 1993. We joined them for dinner that included fresh vegetables from their giant garden. It was a great meal with good conversation.
The next day we passed through the Rough River Recreation Area. The police there were not very nice. We passed a lot of eastbound cyclists that day and enjoyed swapping stories. We ended the day 96 miles on in Sebree, KY. We arrived at a bicycle hostel to find mattresses to sleep on, couches and a tv to catch up on news and weather, a washing machine and best of all, our second home cooked meal in a row. It was the basement of a Baptist church in their youth center. We joined the pastor and his wife, Bob and Violet, for dinner. They feed every bicyclist who comes along. The food was fantastic and they had amazing stories of the bicyclists they had met. This included a few cyclisits going around the world. They topped off the night with vanilla ice cream and fresh peaches.
Yesterday we left Sebree, KY and took the ferry across the Ohio River to enter Illinois! We went 101 miles and passed the 1,000 mile mark for the trip so it was a big day. We started the day with three hours of rain which wasn't too bad. Except for the puddles in our shoes. We camped for the night 12 miles outside of Goreville, IL and had more rain through the night.
Today we made it to the post office and had breakfast at Delaney's in Goreville. We had a great egg, cheese and sausage biscuit and lots of sweet tea. The restaurant was very friendly to bicyclists and offered everyone that was touring free dessert. We had apple pie a la mode at 8:30 in the morning. It was delicious. They also took polaroids of all the bicyclisits that came through so now we have a picture of us under a glass tabletop in Goreville.
The count
30--number of minutes (paid!) we have to write this post
0--flats
1125--miles ridden so far
15--days we've been on the road
1--Buffalo sighting, and we're not to Yellowstone yet.
2 more turtles saved from the road. People in Kentucky seem to like to hit turtles on the road. It's sad.
But Kentuckians are also great hosts to cyclists. Off to Missouri.
After we left Berea, KY we biked through rolling farmlands until we camped at Lincoln Homstead SP. We think this is maybe where Abraham Lincoln's family homesteaded, but not him because the next day we passed signs for Lincoln's birthplace and boyhood home. From the Lincoln Homestead we decided to push hard for the next three days to make it to Goreville, IL by Sat. morning at 9:00am to pick up Nick's 2nd long sleeve jersey at the post office.
Our first of the three days we passed through Buffalo, KY and picked up some molasses cookies from Kristin's mom at the post office. We also stopped at a Dollar General in Sonora. We'd passed by a lot of Dollar Generals not knowing what they were. They have a huge selection and played disco music while we shopped. We bought two dinners we were so excited. We didn't end up eating either dinner for three days. We ended our first of the three long days at 94 miles with Arnold, Lucy and Lauren at the Double L gas, grocery and service station. They've been unofficially and now officially hosting bicyclists since 1993. We joined them for dinner that included fresh vegetables from their giant garden. It was a great meal with good conversation.
The next day we passed through the Rough River Recreation Area. The police there were not very nice. We passed a lot of eastbound cyclists that day and enjoyed swapping stories. We ended the day 96 miles on in Sebree, KY. We arrived at a bicycle hostel to find mattresses to sleep on, couches and a tv to catch up on news and weather, a washing machine and best of all, our second home cooked meal in a row. It was the basement of a Baptist church in their youth center. We joined the pastor and his wife, Bob and Violet, for dinner. They feed every bicyclist who comes along. The food was fantastic and they had amazing stories of the bicyclists they had met. This included a few cyclisits going around the world. They topped off the night with vanilla ice cream and fresh peaches.
Yesterday we left Sebree, KY and took the ferry across the Ohio River to enter Illinois! We went 101 miles and passed the 1,000 mile mark for the trip so it was a big day. We started the day with three hours of rain which wasn't too bad. Except for the puddles in our shoes. We camped for the night 12 miles outside of Goreville, IL and had more rain through the night.
Today we made it to the post office and had breakfast at Delaney's in Goreville. We had a great egg, cheese and sausage biscuit and lots of sweet tea. The restaurant was very friendly to bicyclists and offered everyone that was touring free dessert. We had apple pie a la mode at 8:30 in the morning. It was delicious. They also took polaroids of all the bicyclisits that came through so now we have a picture of us under a glass tabletop in Goreville.
The count
30--number of minutes (paid!) we have to write this post
0--flats
1125--miles ridden so far
15--days we've been on the road
1--Buffalo sighting, and we're not to Yellowstone yet.
2 more turtles saved from the road. People in Kentucky seem to like to hit turtles on the road. It's sad.
But Kentuckians are also great hosts to cyclists. Off to Missouri.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Appalachians behind us
First, we uploaded some new pictures. They're in the bike pictures slide show in the right hand margin.
We're in Berea, KY, "The Gateway to the Appalachians", I guess that means they're behind us.
We were going to try to post a couple days ago, but the library was closed on Sunday. A lot of things were closed on Sunday including the coal mines. Crossing Eastern Kentucky, we didn't see a single coal truck, which was great. I guess they drive like crazy and pass close.
So last time we posted we were in Rural Retreat, VA. The next day we made our last high climb up and over to Damascus, VA. The grades were gradual, and we were able get up pretty quick, so we stretched the day out at the end with a 1500' wall that took a solid hour to get over. It was steep and long. Kristin called it Mt. Doom. I think it's actually called Clinch Mtn near Hayter's Gap, VA if you want to look it up.
We spent that night in a church that's left open for cyclists near Rosedale, VA. No showers again, but they had a watering can and hot water from the tap, so we got creative.
The next day was a day that songs will be written about. We rode 50 miles to Breaks, VA at the border (we missed the post office, getting there after noon on Saturday. If you sent something to Breaks, it'll come back to you. We learned a lesson). Then we rode 61 more miles all the way to Hindman, KY to get over 5 big hills and a big gap in towns to stay in. We counted down the hills as we went but ended up with one last steep one up to the bed and breakfast run by the Knott County Historical Society. It was a great place to stay. The proprietor, David, met us at the top of the hill with 2 glasses of sweet tea. We drank those, and he brought out two more. It was great to sleep outside away from I-81, but we stayed up way past our bedtime talking.
Then we've had a couple shorter days to recover from the long day and to deal with the heat. Last night we stayed behind the Presbyterian church in Boonesville, KY. A big thunderstorm came through, but we'd set up our tent under a little shelter they had there. There we a couple East bound guys there who gave us some information.
The bikes continue to perform well, and we're holding up. There was a 48 mile gap in gas stations today that we had to suffer through nearly running out of water. We should have filled the extra bottles that were empty in our panniers.
Thanks for all your emails. We're having fun.
The numbers
102--Highest temperature observed on a bank thermometer (Elkhorn City, KY)
15--Dogs maced. We found Halt! Dog Repellent--The Mailman's Best Friend
1--Roadside repair. I broke my chain climbing up to Breaks, VA on the epic day. I need to downshift earlier.
0--Flats tires (we're not counting fixing Carol's tire at the Bergmann's house).
5--Turtles on the road, 2 saved by us. We couldn't stop for the others.
11--Other cross-country cyclists. 8 East bound, 3 West bound. 4 had support vehicles.
720--Miles traveled so far.
We're in Berea, KY, "The Gateway to the Appalachians", I guess that means they're behind us.
We were going to try to post a couple days ago, but the library was closed on Sunday. A lot of things were closed on Sunday including the coal mines. Crossing Eastern Kentucky, we didn't see a single coal truck, which was great. I guess they drive like crazy and pass close.
So last time we posted we were in Rural Retreat, VA. The next day we made our last high climb up and over to Damascus, VA. The grades were gradual, and we were able get up pretty quick, so we stretched the day out at the end with a 1500' wall that took a solid hour to get over. It was steep and long. Kristin called it Mt. Doom. I think it's actually called Clinch Mtn near Hayter's Gap, VA if you want to look it up.
We spent that night in a church that's left open for cyclists near Rosedale, VA. No showers again, but they had a watering can and hot water from the tap, so we got creative.
The next day was a day that songs will be written about. We rode 50 miles to Breaks, VA at the border (we missed the post office, getting there after noon on Saturday. If you sent something to Breaks, it'll come back to you. We learned a lesson). Then we rode 61 more miles all the way to Hindman, KY to get over 5 big hills and a big gap in towns to stay in. We counted down the hills as we went but ended up with one last steep one up to the bed and breakfast run by the Knott County Historical Society. It was a great place to stay. The proprietor, David, met us at the top of the hill with 2 glasses of sweet tea. We drank those, and he brought out two more. It was great to sleep outside away from I-81, but we stayed up way past our bedtime talking.
Then we've had a couple shorter days to recover from the long day and to deal with the heat. Last night we stayed behind the Presbyterian church in Boonesville, KY. A big thunderstorm came through, but we'd set up our tent under a little shelter they had there. There we a couple East bound guys there who gave us some information.
The bikes continue to perform well, and we're holding up. There was a 48 mile gap in gas stations today that we had to suffer through nearly running out of water. We should have filled the extra bottles that were empty in our panniers.
Thanks for all your emails. We're having fun.
The numbers
102--Highest temperature observed on a bank thermometer (Elkhorn City, KY)
15--Dogs maced. We found Halt! Dog Repellent--The Mailman's Best Friend
1--Roadside repair. I broke my chain climbing up to Breaks, VA on the epic day. I need to downshift earlier.
0--Flats tires (we're not counting fixing Carol's tire at the Bergmann's house).
5--Turtles on the road, 2 saved by us. We couldn't stop for the others.
11--Other cross-country cyclists. 8 East bound, 3 West bound. 4 had support vehicles.
720--Miles traveled so far.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Day 6 in Rural Retreat
After leaving Buchanan we rode up and over lots of hills. When we stopped for Gatorade in Troutville, a local newspaper woman interviewed us and put a posting in the local news --
http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/2008/07/bikers_come_through_on_the_transamerica_route_esta.html
After that we learned that even small hills can wear you out, but the afternoon flew by after subs at a shop in Catawba. We also encountered our first thru-biker there. His name was Rob and he is headed west. Here's his website: http://www.gowestusa.org/. He's riding to raise money for an organization that takes homeless kids out west in the summer. We biked together for a while and shared a campsite last night in Christiansburg. At the top of the last climb into Christiansburg a little white dog ran down his driveway and chased Nick and bit his front pannier. By the time Kristin got there he was ready to chase again, but he didn't catch her. We're trying to buy pepper spray (the suggested dog repellent).
This morning we set out for Rural Retreat (where we are now) with hope of laundry, a hostel with beds, and a public library. In the middle of the day we were climbing over hills and started to see black then white smoke on the horizon. We when crossed over Interstate 81 and looked down there was the fire, a big accident and the northbound direction was completely closed. All the traffic was diverted to our road! But only for a couple miles. The afternoon seemed particularly hot and we were glad to get in to rural retreat.
Tomorrow we're headed over another 3,000+ foot peak but it is the last in the Appalachians.
Count:
0--Flats (go tires go!)
400--Miles
3--other cross-country cyclists: Rob and two guys we met who left San Fransisco on May 31st.
2--Milkshake stops
2--encounters with unleashed dogs
Gear update:
So far our bikes are fantastic. They are very smooth and absorb the bumps of the road. The gearing has gotten us up all these steep hills and mountains with no issues. The brakes (which are original) actually feel better than our road bike brakes and saved us on some curvy descents. We're very happy with the wheels and tires and are impressed that we haven't had a flat yet (knock on wood). The panniers (thanks to the Horsleys and Ken) are also working well.
http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/2008/07/bikers_come_through_on_the_transamerica_route_esta.html
After that we learned that even small hills can wear you out, but the afternoon flew by after subs at a shop in Catawba. We also encountered our first thru-biker there. His name was Rob and he is headed west. Here's his website: http://www.gowestusa.org/. He's riding to raise money for an organization that takes homeless kids out west in the summer. We biked together for a while and shared a campsite last night in Christiansburg. At the top of the last climb into Christiansburg a little white dog ran down his driveway and chased Nick and bit his front pannier. By the time Kristin got there he was ready to chase again, but he didn't catch her. We're trying to buy pepper spray (the suggested dog repellent).
This morning we set out for Rural Retreat (where we are now) with hope of laundry, a hostel with beds, and a public library. In the middle of the day we were climbing over hills and started to see black then white smoke on the horizon. We when crossed over Interstate 81 and looked down there was the fire, a big accident and the northbound direction was completely closed. All the traffic was diverted to our road! But only for a couple miles. The afternoon seemed particularly hot and we were glad to get in to rural retreat.
Tomorrow we're headed over another 3,000+ foot peak but it is the last in the Appalachians.
Count:
0--Flats (go tires go!)
400--Miles
3--other cross-country cyclists: Rob and two guys we met who left San Fransisco on May 31st.
2--Milkshake stops
2--encounters with unleashed dogs
Gear update:
So far our bikes are fantastic. They are very smooth and absorb the bumps of the road. The gearing has gotten us up all these steep hills and mountains with no issues. The brakes (which are original) actually feel better than our road bike brakes and saved us on some curvy descents. We're very happy with the wheels and tires and are impressed that we haven't had a flat yet (knock on wood). The panniers (thanks to the Horsleys and Ken) are also working well.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Day 5 on the Tour
We've had a great four days. Some ups, some downs (especially through Shenandoah NP).
We made it to Front Royal our first day and appreciated the ride out with Kristin's mom, Carol, and Kurtis and John. It got hot and hilly after they left us, but we made it in ok.
The next day we climbed into Shenandoah up to Hogback Mountain. It took us about four hours to get to the first campground in the park (above 3,000 ft). After that we descended a little, but climbed above 3,000 feet 2 more times. We ended the day early with some thunderstorms. We set up camp after they finished but then got more rain through the night.
Day three was easy compared to the day before and we ended in Rockfish Gap. We stayed at a motel and cleaned/dried out our tent with another 3,000 ft + mountain ahead of us. We named it Mt. Vesuvius for the little town of Vesuvius on the other side.
We didn't have a lot of problems climbing up the Blue Ridge but the descent was a bit hairy. We stopped for our first BBQ of the trip at Gertie's in Vesuvius. We then rode to the KOA outside of Natural Bridge, VA. We think Jason Harding should open up a KOA Kampground in the practice fields behind his house.
Right now we're in Buchanan, VA hoping to make it to Christiansburg.
Our Count (of anything and everything):
0--Flats
248ish--Miles thus far
1--Thunderstorms/Rain
6--Bears - including 1 mom and 2 cubs that crossed in front of us on a hill (there was no one else around)
Lots--Deer with fuzzy antlers and fawns with spots
2--Near trip-ending disasters
3--Weird tourist attractions: "Foamhenge", wax museum and wax factory - to see "history in the making", and an safari park with a picture option with a baby tiger.
We will try to post pictures later this week.
We made it to Front Royal our first day and appreciated the ride out with Kristin's mom, Carol, and Kurtis and John. It got hot and hilly after they left us, but we made it in ok.
The next day we climbed into Shenandoah up to Hogback Mountain. It took us about four hours to get to the first campground in the park (above 3,000 ft). After that we descended a little, but climbed above 3,000 feet 2 more times. We ended the day early with some thunderstorms. We set up camp after they finished but then got more rain through the night.
Day three was easy compared to the day before and we ended in Rockfish Gap. We stayed at a motel and cleaned/dried out our tent with another 3,000 ft + mountain ahead of us. We named it Mt. Vesuvius for the little town of Vesuvius on the other side.
We didn't have a lot of problems climbing up the Blue Ridge but the descent was a bit hairy. We stopped for our first BBQ of the trip at Gertie's in Vesuvius. We then rode to the KOA outside of Natural Bridge, VA. We think Jason Harding should open up a KOA Kampground in the practice fields behind his house.
Right now we're in Buchanan, VA hoping to make it to Christiansburg.
Our Count (of anything and everything):
0--Flats
248ish--Miles thus far
1--Thunderstorms/Rain
6--Bears - including 1 mom and 2 cubs that crossed in front of us on a hill (there was no one else around)
Lots--Deer with fuzzy antlers and fawns with spots
2--Near trip-ending disasters
3--Weird tourist attractions: "Foamhenge", wax museum and wax factory - to see "history in the making", and an safari park with a picture option with a baby tiger.
We will try to post pictures later this week.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Day One: Pre-Ride
Kurtis Carlisle just walked in the door. All our stuff is packed. We're pushing off around 8 am. Kurtis and John Smink are riding with us to Leesburg. We're crossing at the ferry north of Leesburg, then trying to get to Front Royal near Shenandoah National Park tonight.
Yesterday we loaded the bikes and took a short trial ride. We adjusted the front derailleurs to make room for the super low gears. No flat tires, and we're not counting yesterday's miles on the total.
Hopefully Kurtis and John are ready for a slow ride. And hopefully we didn't forget anything.
We'll find out down the road.
Yesterday we loaded the bikes and took a short trial ride. We adjusted the front derailleurs to make room for the super low gears. No flat tires, and we're not counting yesterday's miles on the total.
Hopefully Kurtis and John are ready for a slow ride. And hopefully we didn't forget anything.
We'll find out down the road.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Sending Mail
Some of you have asked if you could send a letter or treat along the way. Here are some instructions:
Address your mail:
Hold for Arrival Date: (Listed below for each Post Office)
Skip a line
Kristin Bergmann/Nick Boekelheide (pick one)
General Delivery
Town, State, Zip Code
Here are the towns we'll check for mail in (the hold dates are 3-5 days after we're expecting to be there in case we are slower than we think... so plan on mailing things so that they'd arrive a week and a half before the date)
Breaks, VA 24607 July 21st
Buffalo, KY 42716 July 26th
Goreville, IL 62939 July 29th
Centerville, MO 63633 August 1st
Buhler, KS August 8th
Rand, CO 80473 August 20th
Moran, WY 83013 August 29th
Jackson, MT 59736 September 5th
White Bird, ID 83554 September 9th
Blue River, OR 97413 September 15th
Nick says, "Whenever I send an email to everyone I know, I ask them to mail me things."
Address your mail:
Hold for Arrival Date: (Listed below for each Post Office)
Skip a line
Kristin Bergmann/Nick Boekelheide (pick one)
General Delivery
Town, State, Zip Code
Here are the towns we'll check for mail in (the hold dates are 3-5 days after we're expecting to be there in case we are slower than we think... so plan on mailing things so that they'd arrive a week and a half before the date)
Breaks, VA 24607 July 21st
Buffalo, KY 42716 July 26th
Goreville, IL 62939 July 29th
Centerville, MO 63633 August 1st
Buhler, KS August 8th
Rand, CO 80473 August 20th
Moran, WY 83013 August 29th
Jackson, MT 59736 September 5th
White Bird, ID 83554 September 9th
Blue River, OR 97413 September 15th
Nick says, "Whenever I send an email to everyone I know, I ask them to mail me things."
Departure Day Minus One
We're just about to head off on our 11 state bike trip - Maryland to Oregon. We thought this blog would be a fun way to stay in touch as we ride. There are a few features - two sideshows of the bike trip as it develops and the wedding for those that haven't seen any pictures. There is also a place to leave us messages.
We picked up our two bikes from the shop yesterday and have been finishing errands, packing and working on the bikes since then. After we finished packing this morning we took them out for a spin. We're planning to head off after a breakfast of homemade pancakes tomorrow morning. We'll cross over into Virginia via White's Ferry and then head south towards Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah National Park.
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