Mud, Sweat, and Gears

And just because I still have the digital camera....

2006-11-27T14:33:00.000-06:00

I can post pictures from DC!

My two beautiful nephews - Samuel and Jonathan

Heather (my big sister) and I on the George Washington Parkway bicycle trail outside Mt Vernon

More from Yorktown

2006-11-27T13:49:00.000-06:00

Another photo of the sunrise the morning after we arrived

The house Grace Episcopal opens to cyclists

The Yorktown Victory Monument from far away (we never bothered to find it)

Sunrise our last morning in Yorktown

A sweet boat in the harbor

Sarah (Liz's big sister) and Liz on the beach in Yorktown

Pictures from Yorktown and beyond

2006-11-27T13:39:00.000-06:00

Eating a celebratory dinner at Outback Steakhouse with Bill and Joyce in Newport News

Watching the sunrise the morning after we arrived

The view from the house of the sunrise

Grace Episcopal Church

The pictures you've all been waiting for

2006-11-16T22:39:00.000-06:00

Full of mixed emotions, we dipped our front wheels in the York River/Chesapeake Bay at Yorktown, marking the end of our journey.

Liz and Lou

heidi and Betse

The tracks in the sand from our bikes

Final day - Colonial Parkway

2006-11-16T22:17:00.000-06:00

Liz riding Colonial Parkway

York River shrouded in fog

Colonial Parkway

We made it!

2006-11-15T21:54:00.000-06:00

Posing before our final day

Historic Williamsburg

Camping on the Chickahominy River

2006-11-15T21:35:00.000-06:00

We made a cake to celebrate our final night on the road

Eating cheesecake...

Camping under the pavilion - the ground was far too wet and the rain never stopped!

2006-11-15T21:34:00.000-06:00

Willis United Methodist Church

The battlefield Liz alluded to - Willis Church was the field hospital for Confederate soldiers after this battle.

Getting closer... Liz rides ahead.

Shirley Plantation, est 1613

A not-terribly-appetizing sign outside of Charles City

Historical markers almost lined the road.

Ashland to Willis Church

2006-11-15T14:23:00.000-06:00

"Scotchtown," Patrick Henry's home

The sign marking where Stonewall Jackson was given a drink of water.

A really old church near Kathleen and Dave's house

Kathleen, Dave and the cat, Sophie

Our bike inside the Willis Church on our second to last morning

Photos: Mineral to Ashland

2006-11-15T13:20:00.000-06:00

Another amusing highway name - this road only lasts for a quarter mile or so outside Louisa, Virginia.

We got an awesome pizza here!

Outside Verbeeck's Country Store in Bumpass, Virginia, where they keep a cyclist log book and lots of yummy natural snacks.

Also outside Verbeeck's Store

Sunset outside Ashland

Beautiful fall foilage!

More from Waynesboro to Charlottesville to Little Flower

2006-11-14T22:58:00.000-06:00

Jesse O, this one's for you

Another TransAm'er: Gary, aka "Bear Bag," who we met a few miles outside Charlottesville

Lewis and Clark sculpture in Charlottesville, inscription reads: "Bold and Farseeing Pathfinders who carried the Flag of the Young Republic to the Western Ocean and Revealed an Unknown Empire to the Uses of Mankind." Sacagawea is kneeling at their feet on the other side. For all that we've said about how impressive the Lewis and Clark journey was, this statue ruined it.

Little Flower Catholic Worker farm

Gabby doing a cartwheel during a skit for the Day of the Dead celebration at Little Flower

Photos: The Cookie Lady's house and Waynesboro to Charlottesville

2006-11-14T22:43:00.000-06:00

The Cookie Lady's bike museum

June Curry on left with friend on right, posing with this year's Christmas display, a cowboy and Indian themed frontier village.

Postcards and memorabilia dot every available space in the bike museum

We left my cape with a note explaining its role!

More Halloween photos

2006-11-14T22:10:00.000-06:00

There was a great hostel as well as camping.

Liz in costume (note the little Toto on the front!)

Showing off my cape and hat

Our last stop in Vesuvius before the climb to the parkway (supposedly the steepest on the TransAm!)

View from the climb

Several times on the trip some angel had marked the distance to the top in spray paint on the road. I was overjoyed to see there was only 1 mile left.

Halloween pictures! Cedar Lake Campground/hostel to Blue Ridge Parkway to Waynesboro

2006-11-14T21:48:00.000-06:00

Posing in costume at the top of the climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway

Our last real "summit" sign

The views and weather were perfect

Lexington, Virginia

2006-11-14T21:30:00.000-06:00

My (heidi's) dad, Bob, in Lexington, Virginia

An interesting gravestone of a Confederate soldier in the cemetery where Stonewall Jackson was buried

Jackson's grave

Downtown Lexington

Photos: Roanoke to Lexington

2006-11-14T21:06:00.000-06:00

We thought our Bethel friends might appreciate this one!

We rounded a corner, I looked up, and we saw this. "What in the world?" we asked... until we saw the Foamhenge sign. I still don't understand it's purpose, but it was worth a photo!

An idyllic Virginia day

We made it!

2006-11-14T10:31:00.000-06:00

We reached the East Coast! Thirty-five hundred miles traveled across the U.S. of A.!

This update is a little overdue...imagine that. Heidi and I arrived in Yorktown last Wednesday; however, we were without internet access for a few days, and now we're separated from each other, and so it took us a few days to consult about how to update the blog. After looking at the blog, I see we haven't posted since the day we biked to Willis United Methodist Church near Glendale.

The most interesting thing about the church, which hosts bicyclists on the TransAmerica route, is that the sanctuary was a field hospital during the Civil War. I believe during the Seven Days Battles, which was a week of fighting around Richmond. If I understand correctly, in the battle nearest the church (the Battle of Malvern Hill) over 5,000 Confederate soldiers died. Three-thousand Union soldiers also died. Actually, I was just reading about the Battle of Malvern Hill on wikipedia.com (an online encyclopedia) to check my facts, and, in fact, Willis Church where we stayed is mentioned in the write-up about the battle. One Confederate commander commented, "It wasn't war. It was murder." Considering the historical information, it was a little unnerving to sleep there.

For an entire day prior to reaching the church, we had passed sign after sign discussing various skirmishes in the seven days of fighting around Richmond. Heidi and I aren't too keen on the technical maneuverings of battles, so we didn't stop to read most of them. I find the human stories of war more interesting. For example, General Robert E. Lee did not support the secession of the southern states and would have supported the Union, except that he was so loyal to his native state of Virginia that when it seceded from the Union, he became the commander of its troops. Interesting, huh?

The day we left Willis Church we biked to a campground along the Chickahominy River. It wasn't a long day of biking--perhaps 35-40 miles on relatively FLAT ground. In the afternoon it started to drizzle, which was turning into rain by the time we biked across the River and arrived at the campground. It cost $23 to pitch a tent, and, to add insult to injury, they informed us that their water potentially was not safe for human consumption..."And would we be interested in buying some water?" No!

We were thankful, though, that the deserted campground had a big picnic shelter with lighting, and so we were able to survive the rainy, blustery evening and night in style. As for the water...we boiled and iodized our own.

Wednesday we awoke for our last day on the road! We were filled with complicated emotions: excitement, sadness, anticipation. We took photos of ourselves with our bikes before we set off for the day. The rain had dissipated by morning, and so although it was overcast, the weather was good for riding: the humidity took the chill off the air and we could ride in shorts and t-shirts.

The route took us along the James River, and past a long line of old plantations lining the river. Perhaps twenty in all. Every few miles we would pass another sign, and sometimes we passed multiple places within the same mile. It was interesting to see what is, to the modern eye, such close proximity between the plantations. I'd always imagined them being 10-20 miles from the nearest neighbor...not so!

We stopped in at the Shirley Plantation, which has been in the same family since the 1600s. It is also the home where Robert E. Lee's mother grew up. The stop-in took longer than we expected, because the home was several miles off-route, including a mile or so on a rough gravel road. The jarring of the road made me feel almost as if I were arriving in a carriage. A huge power plant across the river from the home spewed a cloud of smoke into the sky, detracting from the idyllic scene.

We soon arrived in Williamsburg, which has a large colonial reenactment village, based in the 1700s. Heidi and I couldn't really afford the tour. But we could ride our bikes on the streets and check out the various houses and governmental buildings that date back to that time period, while dodging horse-drawn carriages, the subsequent piles of droppings, and other tourists.

From Williamsburg we took the Colonial Parkway (a road connecting Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown) to Yorktown. As we passed under towering trees and beside marshlands, it became easier to imagine the life of the colonists who had arrived hundreds of years earlier. So many of them, and probably many of the tribes as well, had no idea of the scope of the continent they were living on. Most of them probably never saw beyond the swampy land along the Chesapeake.

And, at long last, we arrived in Yorktown, the final stop on our map! We dipped our front wheels in the York River as soon as we arrived in town, officially completing our long journey from coast to coast. (The stickler in me has to include the fact that I was disappointed to discover, a few days from the end, that the TransAm maps don't actually desposit one at the Atlantic. The York River opens into the Chesapeake Bay, which then opens onto the Atlantic.)

With sandy bikes, we went back up the hill to the Grace Episcopal Church bike hostel, a house overlooking the wide mouth of the York River and, in the distance, the Chesapeake Bay. Soon after we settled in at the lovely house (nicer than any hotel or hostel we've seen), our friends Bill and Joyce from Newport News, Virginia, arrived to take us out to dinner. We'd met them at an R.V. park in Baker City, Oregon, while they were on vacation, and they'd told us to call them when we got to the East Coast. It was really great celebrate with friends!

And thus ends our cross-country journey! Heidi is now staying with her sister, bro-in-law, and nephews near Washington, D.C., and I am staying with my sister and my bro-in-law in Baltimore. We'll probably be posting more photos and a few more reflections on the journey. Thanks for reading!

More of (early) Virginia

2006-11-14T00:03:00.000-06:00

Pastor Les from the Christiansburg Mennonite Church in his home

Old Crow Medicine Show concert

Old signs in Roanoke thru blurred car window

Driving back to Jen and Peer's house with Dad

Baby Abigail (dressed as bumblebee) with parents Peer and Jen in Roanoke

Virginia is for lovers

2006-11-13T23:39:00.000-06:00

All these photos are from the Breaks Interstate Park between Kentucky and Virginia

(well, except this one.)

Photos from Eastern Kentucky

2006-11-13T23:38:00.000-06:00

Outside Berea: the gateway to the Appalachians

Kudzu and the fall foilage

Sign for the original Bikecentennial route

Hazard, Kentucky

Coal mining in Kentucky

2006-11-13T22:53:00.000-06:00

Thermometer at a gas station six miles outside of Berea - brrr!

Stream on nearly deserted road in Kentucky

Getting into more hills...

Berea College

My Old Kentucky Home

2006-11-13T22:43:00.000-06:00

My Old Kentucky Home state park

Our all-you-can-eat dinner in Bardstown

Our bathroom camping situation in Springfield, Kentucky

Tobacco barns dotted the landscape

Kentucky landscapes and road-scapes

2006-11-13T22:29:00.000-06:00

Liz climbing a Kentucky "knob"

Flat valley surrounded by knobs

Photos!!! (still from Kentucky)

2006-11-13T20:52:00.000-06:00

Buggy sign outside Sonora, Kentucky

Our bikes outside the boys dorm at White Mills Christian Camp

The camp dorm (warm and dry!)

A rare flat road in Kentucky

Abe Lincoln's birthplace

Inside the Abe Lincoln museum

The spring Lincoln drank from as a child

More Evansville photos...

2006-11-06T11:03:00.000-06:00

Liz and I with the Jessup kids (friends of John and Leah)

John and Leah

That's all for now, but I hope to put up more from Yorktown, if not before!

Finally - some pictures!

2006-11-06T10:37:00.000-06:00

Liz with Clarence the cat in Evansville, Indiana

River City co-op in the Mennonite Voluntary Service house

The chicken coop outside the MVS house.

A community gardening project in Evansville, Leah and Liz on left, neighbor on right.

Can you believe it...Another post so soon.

2006-11-06T10:36:00.000-06:00

After Heidi and I posted in Louisa, Virginia, we rode on towards our final stop of the day in Daslow. I had a really good time riding. We both felt very relaxed and were taking our time. The terrain became much more flat, too, which was a blessed relief! Biking is so much fun when the roads are flat and the wind doesn't blow!

My favorite part of the day was riding in the late afternoon/early evening. The air was crisp and we were riding on rolling land. A big moon rose in the sky. The woods caught the light of the setting sun, which deepened the color of the leaves. It felt peaceful.

Just as it got too dark to be out on the roads, we arrived at the home of Kathleen and Dave in Daslow. The folks from Little Flower had called them and asked if we could stay there, since camping options weren't great and it was supposed to be in the 20s that night.

Kathleen and Dave had prepared potato soup and fresh cornbread, and we had a really nice time eating and visiting together. They have lots of art and books and interesting life experiences...so we had plenty to talk about! They are also cyclists and have toyed with idea of doing some longer bicycle tours.

The next morning Heidi and I had planned to keep biking, but it was seemed like a day for relaxing and enjoying our surroundings. After a pancake breakfast, Heidi and I took a walk on the trails in the woods around their home. The ground was thickly covered in leaves, and more were falling. We sat for quite a while in the woods near a stream, talking about life and enjoying the beauty of the day. Our walk also took us to the house were Stonewall Jackson got water for his horse during the Civil War...Funny the things that are commemorated on plaques!

Later in the afternoon, Heidi, Kathleen, and I biked to the Patrick Henry home, where we received a tour of the property and house. One main point of interest to me was that he kept his wife locked in the basement for a few years while she had a bout with mental illness. Perhaps it was the best solution at the time, and yet it made me very grateful for the advances in mental health care.

Yesterday evening we baked some bread together, then enjoyed another leisurely, delicious meal. I think Heidi and I both felt completely relaxed!

Now we're on the road again...Tonight we'll be staying at a church hostel in Glendale, which is about 40 miles from here. Our plan is to finish biking on Wednesday.

Roanoke to Louisa, Virginia

2006-11-04T11:44:00.000-06:00

Things just seem to work themselves out on this trip, and while we were staying nice and warm with Peer and Jen in Roanoke (we contacted them through couchsurfing.net), we got word that my dad was headed home from DC where he had been visiting my big sister and her family and would be able to visit us on his way back! So he flew to Lynchburg, Virginia and met us in Roanoke. We spent the day exploring the town with him in the classy '91 Oldsmobile (is that right, Dad?) that was the airport courtesy car. We ate amazing Indian food, the first since Missoula, and went to the Old Crow Medicine Show concert that night. It was really different to hear Old Crow in their part of the country; their first song brought cheers from the audience everytime they sang something about being from "Dixie," and during Wagon Wheel the crowd went crazy as Roanoke was mentioned. Dad dropped us off at Jen and Peer's house and then met us the next morning there again to sag our bags all the way to Lexington!

The ride to Lexington was beautiful - the leaves were changing colors and the miles flew by on our unloaded bicycles. If there was ever any doubt that we are stronger riders now, our average speed for the day erased it. Dad met us in Lexington and we looked around town a little and ate far too much for dinner. Dad left early the next morning and Liz and I spent the morning finding our Halloween costumes at the Goodwill. We biked to a bike hostel outside of town and worked on our costumes, getting plenty of rest before our huge climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway the next day.

Halloween dawned clear and warm, and Liz as Dorothy (complete with a long wig in pigtails, blue and white dress, Toto, and ruby red slippers) and I as the Wicked Witch of the West (black dress and cape with "Wicked Witch" written on the back, blue and white striped tights, and witch's hat attached to my helmet) were ready to ride. We had an easy ride to Vesuvius, at the base of the Blue Ridge, and spent some time at the gas station/cafe there before starting the four mile climb to the top. Adventure Cycling had warned us that the climb was long and steep, and it was. Strangely, it felt like an almost welcome climb after all the short ones we had done, but the grade was far steeper than any out west, so we never could quite get into climbing mode. We were quite proud when we made it to the Parkway, and stopped for a snack at an overlook before continuing.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is not flat. Contrary to what we had heard, we spent the whole day in rolling hills, and climbed several thousand more feet before descending into Waynesboro, where we stayed at the Church of the Brethren. But the Parkway was beautiful, and riding it in costume was a blast.

From Waynesboro we climbed back up to the Parkway, and met back up with the route in time to go to the Cookie Lady's house. She has been hosting cyclists since 1976, and the house next to hers was full of TransAm memorabilia that folks have left or sent over the years; in many ways the official TransAm museum. It was great to get to visit her and see the house. We left my Wicked Witch cape with a note as our contribution to the house (I hope to post photos soon.)

The ride to Charlottesville from there was rolling hills, but thankfully mostly smaller roads, and we met two cyclists along the way! One was just out for a day ride, and the other, "Bear Bag," as he is known on the Appalachian Trail, was heading west on the TransAm route for a few days, having already ridden from the West Coast to Yellowstone and from Yorktown to where we met him. It was great to see other cyclists again!

In Charlottesville, we caught a ride to Little Flower Catholic Worker, where I lived a few summers ago, so that we could go to their Day of the Dead fundraiser that night. Little Flower is a small farming community outside of Louisa, Virginia, and we spent two days there catching up with old friends, relaxing, and warming up by the wood stove! We also visited Twin Oaks, an intentional community nearby, and got the official tour of the place. It was good to see familiar faces again.

And now... We left Little Flower this morning, and are headed for somewhere outside Ashland, Virginia tonight. It's very strange to be less than 200 miles from the Atlantic Ocean; with the end in sight, I keep wanting to prolong the journey. It's beautiful and brisk today, and good weather is predicted for the next several days, but we plan on taking our time and visiting historic sights along the way. We don't have an exact arrival date for Yorktown, but we can almost smell the ocean now. How is it possible we've come this far???

We're not here to make money...We're just here to sell guns!

2006-11-04T10:53:00.000-06:00

Yes. We're still here. Still posting...occasionally...despite our best intentions to update everyone frequently. Heidi's going to write about the most recent events, and I'm going to go way back in time and cover things from Berea. By the by, the subject line is from a jingle that Heidi and I caught on the radio as we flew our magic carpet from Berea to Christiansburg, Virginia. We thought it was a very fitting tune for Appalachia.

I guess we could hem and haw about it, but the truth is it was COLD in Kentucky ("December temperatures in October," according to the Weather Channel), the forecast held rainy days, and we were done with dog chases... so, as I mentioned above, we took a non-biking road trip into Virginia.

We decided to follow the Adventure Cycling route, which was both very cool and also maddeningly curvy and hilly. Heidi and I both felt car(pet)sick--especially as I watched the map for the frequent turns we had to make to stay on route. Appalachia was beautiful...and we laughed joyously as we passed unchained dogs and long stretches with no water or rest stops. We caught some bluegrass tunes on the radio, drank way too much Pepsi Jazz soda, and took a side trip to Hazard, Kentucky, coal mining central.

In Richlands, Virginia we called it quits for the night. The next day we were supposed to return Aladdin's property; however, it worked out that we took a trip down to Bristol, Tennessee to see the Birth of Country Music Museum...It was a fun trip, but the museum was pretty down-home: it was housed in the local shopping mall, had very little organization, and the informational signs were printed off on computer paper. However, we got to learn more about the Carter Family, John and June Carter Cash, and so forth.

We had called a Mennonite church in Christiansburg about staying there, and the pastor kindly invited us over to his house. So, after our country music education, we headed north to their home in Christiansburg. (Thanks, Les and Crystal!) We spent a cozy night with their family.

Christiansburg was the first city on our final Adventure Cycling map; however, we had to return our ride to Roanoke, Virginia. So, early the next morning, we got up and headed into Roanoke. We had a place to stay lined up through a wonderful website called couchsurfing.net or .com (I'm not sure which one), which someone had mentioned to us along the way. People who have space to host travelers and have at least a couch for them to sleep on sign up, and then travelers can contact hosts as they pass through.

Jen and Peer of Roanoke said we were welcome to stay with them, and they helped transport us from the car(pet) rental agency back to their home, which was extremely helpful. We also got a tour of downtown Roanoke, and spent time with their sweet 11-month-old, Abigail. (Thanks, Jen and Peer!)

Now Heidi will fill you in on the rest...

By the way, we're almost finished! We continue to have a great time! And kind people continue to take us in and keep us from the COLD weather (Virginia weather has actually been pretty beautiful...it's just a little nippy outside today). It's hard to believe that this long journey is only about 100 miles from done. Whew.

Bardstown to Berea

2006-10-25T12:33:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what Liz is writing about our trip into Bardstown, but we hit 3,000 miles on the way there! Exactly 1,000 miles since riding down to Winfield for the bluegrass festival. We camped at My Old Kentucky Home State Park on the outskirts of town and were given a ride into town by a couple at the campsite so we could go to our first all you can eat buffet to celebrate.

We spent some time exploring historic Bardstown in the morning, and biked to Springfield that afternoon. We stopped briefly at the Lincoln Homestead State Park and chatted with a retired couple taking a break from their car trip. The museum was closed and it was getting a little cold, so we continued toward Springfield. We made quesadillas for dinner and were setting up camp under the pavilion at the city park (rain was in the forecast) when we smelled a distinct skunk smell. Soon, we realized the women's bathroom had heating and... we decided to just camp in there. Seems to be a trend, but we stayed warm and dry, and best of all, our stuff didn't get sprayed!

From Springfield we biked to Harrodsburg, a shorter day because we knew we wouldn't make it all the way to Berea in one day. We arrived early Sunday afternoon and not having a camping option, looked at the churches in the yellow pages. To our surprise we saw a Mennonite church and gave them a call. David, a deacon at the church, said there wasn't an option for camping at the church, but invited us to his home for the night. We spent some time in town catching up on reading and journals before biking the eight miles to his house. We were waiting outside the church when two women drove up next to us wearing white bonnets and plain clothing, and directed us to their house next door. David and his wife Miriam had seven children, ranging in age from 2 to 16, and had invited over several young women in the congregation so we wouldn't feel out of place. We felt a little awkward in our biking clothes when all the other women were wearing head coverings and simple dresses, but those feelings soon passed. We took showers and changed clothes before joining them upstairs for a terrific dinner. We spent the evening chatting, getting a tour of the church and private school for the children in the colony, and playing Scrabble. They had electricity and vehicles, but in many ways seemed almost Amish, as most of them still spoke Pennsylvania Dutch and the local congregations were organized as colonies. The next morning we went with the oldest daughter to the school and sat in on devotions and the morning lessons in the two rooms, one for grades 1-4, and the other for 5-8. David and Miriam drove us back to Harrodsburg in the morning since they lived so far outside of town.

From Harrodsburg we planned on making it to Berea for our rest day. It was bitterly cold, so we ended up stopping at almost every gas station along the way just to warm up - a lot of hot cocoa and tea! At the final gas station we stopped at before town, the temperature outside was only 38 degrees. We talked with the owner and his friend for a while, and they gave us coffee for free and sang us some old bluegrass songs.

We're still in Berea now, and exploring the town. I'm out of time though, so more down the road!

Has it been a week already?

2006-10-25T11:52:00.000-05:00

How the time flies. It's hard to believe a week has passed since we posted last. Heidi and I are now in Berea, Kentucky, home of Berea College, started in 1855 to provide a free education to Appalachian students. The town has many shops selling the work of local artists, many of whom were trained at the college. I already added a $2,000 hand-crafted rocking chair to my Christmas list. Santa, are you reading?

Heidi and I are splitting up our update today. I'm going to write about the first few days of bicycling in Kentucky, and Heidi will complete the update into Berea.

Heidi and I first attempted to leave Evansville a week ago, Tuesday. John Eads loaded our bicycles in a borrowed truck and drove us out of Evansville to a nearby small town. We got on the highway from there, with the intention of navigating our way back onto the Adventure Cycling maps. We soon realized our route was a truck route, as well as shoulderless, and so we decided that we were going to have to get back to Evansville and figure out a different way. We were able to hitch a ride back into downtown Evansville, and then using our collective memories from our few days in town, we found our way back to the house where John and Leah live. Let's just say John was pretty surprised to see us standing at his door again, only a few hours after he'd dropped us off!

We decided that Leah and John would drive us the 30 miles down to Sebree, Kentucky, which is on the Adventure Cycling route. Sebree is also home to a great cyclists hostel at a local Baptist church, so we had lodging for the night. All in all, our foiled attempt to leave Evansville turned out really well, because we were able to spend more time with Leah and John, including cooking supper for them and watching a movie together on the big-screen in the church basement. We have it so rough.

Leaving Sebree we knew we had a long day ahead--about 65 miles through hilly country. A highlight of the day was meeting a man out doing a century ride (100 miles). We chatted for a few minutes and discussed an alternate route we were considering. Later in the day we met up with him again. He'd cycled around to meet us and make sure we got on the alternate. He biked with us for a few miles. It turned out he's into endurance racing, and had completed a 750 mile race in 82 hours, including 50,000 feet of climbing. Needless to say, I started to feel a little bit less sorry for myself. I attempted to pick his brain for the secrets of staying motivated when the body grows weary. His response? "I guess I'm lucky. I don't have much room in my brain for thinking about that stuff." Or something like that. It wasn't the mountaintop epiphany I was looking for. But he was a very nice man, nonetheless, and gave us a boost.

After 72 miles, we reached our camping spot for the night at Falls of Rough State Resort Park. It was built by a resevoir and had a 1960s flare. We had to laugh at ourselves--Unlike many people camping who want a quiet spot far away from other campers, lights, and foot traffic, we now try to camp as close to the bathrooms as possible.

On Thursday we planned to bike from Falls of Rough to Hodgenville, home of the Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site. The day dawned chilly, though, and a mist began to fall. By the afternoon hours, after another stop to warm up at a convenience store (Kentucky, by the way, offers a table of friendly, talkative folks at almost every gas station), it began to RAIN. We soon discovered that although rain gear does help a person stay dry from rain, one's sweat soon soaks all clothes underneath the rain gear, anyway.

At the top of a long hill, two snarling dogs ran out into the road and I, not up for a chase, stopped my bike and hoped they'd back off. No such luck. They contined snarling and circling us. Heidi and I were screaming at them and not knowing what else to do, we just kept biking by and tried to outrun them. A neighbor standing at the end of her driveway called to us, "They ain't going to bite ya." Heidi and I both wondered how a person is supposed to be able to tell that snarling, barking dogs are actually just friendly pups in it for some fun.

After the run-in with the dogs, Heidi and I soon realized that we couldn't make our hoped-for distance with the rain, reduced visibility, and reduced braking capabilities. We stopped at the gas station in White Mills and decided it was time to start calling churches at the next town. However, a friendly gent quickly suggested we call White Mills Christian Camp. We did, and they said they'd put us up for the night. It was such a RELIEF to get out of the rain and into the boys' dorm (no campers there at the time), where we had space to lay out all of our wet belongings. We were both rather giddy with joy as we looked outside and saw the cold rain continuing to fall and an icy wind blowing. We cooked dinner out under the awning on a bench--*only* one hour to make 10-minute noodles using wet twigs in our wood-burning stove.

Leaving White Mills we had another longer day into Bardstown. It was very chilly, but the rain had stopped and the roads had dried off. When we started our bike trip, even biking shorts and a short sleeve shirt felt unbearably hot. Now I wear biking shorts, biking tights, an ear warmer, a short-sleeve jersy and a long-sleeve jersey, my rain coat/windbreaker, and wool winter gloves...and it's cold!

Near Bardstown we chatted--again--with the locals smoking cigarettes at the table in the gas station, and they gave us an alternate route into town. We took it, and they met us as we came into town to make sure we'd made it and we chatted with them again. Kentucky is full of the nicest people you will ever meet! Bardstown is home to "My Old Kentucky Home," an old plantation house that Stephen Foster wrote a song about. It's a very touristy town. We camped at the state park there, and Donnie the friendly gate-keeper gave us a deal on camping. He's planning to do the Transam route in a year. Some folks gave us a ride into a buffet restaurant farther into town (since it was dark), and we guiltlessly ate southern cooking.

Although the Kentucky terrain and weather have been hard, we continue to meet great people on a daily basis, who help us out in little ways: chatting with us about our trip, offering us free hot tea and hot coffee, serenading us with mountain songs, and offering us warm places to sleep.

Illinois to Indiana

2006-10-16T18:38:00.000-05:00

On the banks of the Ohio

Crossing the Wabash River on the toll bridge into Indiana

Still a Hoosier at heart....

Loading our bikes into the trailer John and Leah borrowed to pick us up in Mt Vernon

Cave in the Rock State Park

2006-10-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

On road to Cave in the Rock

The Simpson family, who adopted us at the campground and gave us dinner and breakfast!

Our campsite at Cave in the Rock (note the light frost on the grass)

The cave

Southern Illinois

2006-10-16T18:10:00.000-05:00

We biked past an area outside Chester that had been hit by a tornado only a week or two before.

Who knew there were hills like this in Illinois?
I hit 43 mph going down this hill, and 2.7 going up.

Coal mining is still big industry in these parts.

Sign outside Goreville: mileage to Virginia not accurate.

On the road to Cave in the Rock State Park

More Illinois hills

The Todds from Columbus, Ohio: she began her TransAm ride in the summer of 1976 and was able to finish the few days in the middle that she missed this year. We met them in Tunnel Hill.

More photos from the road....

2006-10-16T15:39:00.000-05:00

Well, if blogger ever quits thinking that I am a spammer, we might get the rest of these photos up.

Chester, Illinois: home of Popeye. We actually never saw the statue or park for him because we took the back way into town from Ft. Kaskaskia, but just about every business in town had something on their sign about Popeye.

Evansville, sweet Evansville

2006-10-16T15:14:00.000-05:00

Here we are in Evansville, Indiana. For those of you who follow such things, Evansville is not part of the TransAmerica bicycle route. However, it is home to our friends John and Leah Eads, who are now in their third year of Mennonite Voluntary Service here.

From Cave-In-Rock State Park on the Illinois/Kentucky border, we forged our way to Evansville, which is practically on the Indiana/Kentucky border. It was a stressful ride, replete with dump trucks and semis flying along. After about 7 miles on our invented route towards Evansville, we hitched a ride over about 20 miles. The land changed dramatically in those 20 miles, from hills to flat farmland. It occured to me that it would be pretty easy to hitchhike around the country while posing as a cross-country cyclist. People feel sorry for and trust folks with loaded touring bicycles. Hmmmm...

We then biked about 30 miles to the town of Mount Vernon, Indiana, and John and Leah picked us up from there and brought us into Evansville, a city of about 140,000 people. Two cyclists have been killed on the roads around here recently, and there has been a furor over who owns the roads. It doesn't feel like the safest environment for bicyclists right now.

That's okay, though, because for about four days we've been hanging out here and haven't been cycling. There's lots to do and see. John and Leah have started a cooperative food market in the voluntary service house, and have expanded from one room to two rooms, and are now expanding into the entire main floor of the house, with plans for a bistro and art gallery as part of the expansion. We've also met their brood of hens and toured the neighborhood and the community gardens that they've been involved with.

The M.V.S. house is associated with Patchwork, an organization started in the 1970s as an intentional community and a response to the middle class flight from the inner city. Patchwork runs an after-school art program and a tutoring program (and probably some other stuff that I'm forgetting).

We're now looking towards the final states: Kentucky and Virginia. Amazing how far we've come. Excited about what the rest of the trip has to offer. And, for now, happily ensconced in Evansville with good friends.

Photos from Ft Kaskaskia, Illinois

2006-10-14T15:34:00.000-05:00

Another sunset photo

The three bikes hangin' out

The meal provided by our neighbors the first night! (the cookies disappeared first)

Henry with his hobo dinner

Cooking hobo dinners

Another view of the Mississippi

One of the funnier RV model names (there was also an "Intruder" at the campground, but it left before we got a photo)

Crossing the Mississippi

2006-10-14T15:16:00.000-05:00

St Genevieve flood levels

On the ferry across the Mississippi

A barge floating downstream

Sunset from Ft Kaskaskia over the Mississippi

Missouri photos

2006-10-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

Last photo from the Katy

Our campsite at Robertsville State Park

Randy and Joanie with their dog Fuzzy, our camp hosts at Robertsville

Liz relaxes on top of the US Army blanket supplied by the hotel in Crystal City/Festus, Missouri

Katy trail

2006-10-14T14:59:00.000-05:00

The hostel in Tebbets where I climbed through a window to get in

Steve, the other biker at the hostel the same night

A rock along the trail formed when the bluffs eroded - people have been marking flood levels on it since 1903.

Bluffs along the trail

More Missouri photos

2006-10-14T14:28:00.000-05:00

Bluffs along the Katy Trail

View of the Missouri River

Heidi with her great-aunt Florence and uncle John in Columbia

Our hosts in Columbia, Laura and Ethan

Some belated photos...

2006-10-14T13:42:00.000-05:00

But first, an apology! As time seems to pass much differently on the seat of a bike, I don't think either of us really realized how long it had been between posts. Also, a note on the photos - to enlarge an image, just click on it and it should open a new window with the larger image.

also from Carbondale

2006-10-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how quickly I forget what I've done in the last few days. Let's see here: After we left Robertsville State Park, Heidi and I had a stressful day of navigating Missouri backroads. This included steep up- and downhills, lots of traffic, absolutely no shoulders. It seemed like every person we talked to had a different story on what roads to take, and which roads were dangerous.

Early in our ride from the park, a kindly local decided we shouldn't be biking the 4.5 miles into the next town because of high-speed dump trucks, so he gave us a lift into Lonedell. Incidentally, Lonedell is where the stolen baby from Kansas was recently recovered. In Lonedell we also received a good luck hug from a cute old grandma.

The day continued with more unattractive highways and St. Louis traffic. The highlight of the day was meeting Kim, a woman also bicycling east and randomly on the same highway we had chosen to get away from St. Louis. She, however, was biking into the city.

That night we made it into the twin cities of Crystal City and Festus, where fate forced our hand and we ended up getting the cheapest motel room we could find. (This was after a couple conversations with locals about a possible KOA campground, which was alternately called the "A-OK" and the "Koah" campground.) Heidi and I were both pretty downtrodden after the stress of the roads.

The next morning, after the bad coffee one can expect at a motel, we set off towards Chester, Illinois, where we could meet up again with the TransAm bicycle route. We had lots of long hills all morning, with some pretty views of the changing leaves on the surrounding hillsides. At the town of Sainte Genevieve near the Mississippi, we spontaneously headed down into the old part of town.

The town of Sainte Genevieve was settled in the 1700s by the French. It was surprising to find a quaint French-looking village in Missouri, and to me it was odd to think that eastern Missouri was settled that long ago. Sainte Genevieve was a sweet surprise, and it definitely lifted my spirits.

From Sainte Genevieve we decided to take a ferry across the Mississippi, instead of taking the bridge into Chester. It was really cool to finally see the great river, and the huge, flat barges moving goods downstream. And, as a bonus, we got to bike in the FLAT floodplain on the Illinois side of the river, instead of battling Missouri hills.

We bicycled to Fort Kaskaskia National Historic Site for the night, which was a few miles outside Chester and saved us a few miles. It was situated on the top of a very steep, long hill, but the views of the Mississippi River below were worth every step I took pushing my bike up the hill. The campground had a festival feel, because many people were taking advantage of the long Columbus Day weekend.

Henry Dick, one of our friends from college, motorcycled down from his hometown of Bloomington, Illinois to meet up with us for the night. Some of our camping neighbors came by and asked if we needed firewood (which we desperately did), and then also offered us pork steaks, baked potatoes, veggies, and homemade cookies. So we had a great dinner and a great campfire and enjoyed the bright full moon.

The next day we all ended up staying at Fort Kaskaskia, and, again, when evening fell we had neighbors from both sides practically throwing firewood at us. It was truly the most generous crowd of folks we've met while camping. I think they took pity on us when they saw all three of us hauling a huge log to our campsite, and then me trodding around in the woods looking for sticks.

Yesterday we left Fort Kaskaskia and had a nice, flat day of biking in the Missippi floodplain. Last night we were in Murphysboro in the hilliest state park you'll meet. Friendly old guys fishing near our site helped us get water (which would have been a long uphill bike ride). Now we're in Carbondale in the internet time is OUT.

Thanks for reading! We'll try to be in touch regularly!

It's been awhile....

2006-10-10T13:25:00.000-05:00

We're in the public library in Carbondale, Illinois, and again splitting up the blog entry because it's been so long since we last wrote!

After leaving Columbia we continued down the Katy Trail to the Turner Katy Shelter (a hostel run by a non-profit agency for bikers/hikers) in Tebbets. We had called to let them know we were coming, but the key wouldn't work in the door so I had to climb through a side window as Liz boosted me up to get in! We had a very relaxing evening there, making dinner outside, chatting with the neighbor, and reading. Around 9 pm, a very tired bicyclist going the other direction arrived. Steve was from Iowa, and we talked for awhile about RAGBRAI and other rides before crashing for the night. We took off the next morning for Marthasville. The ride was beautiful, but the heat wave wasn't over, so we didn't enjoy it as much as we probably could have.

Camping in Marthasville was at the city park, and the softball games weren't over till nearly midnight, so we had a late night watching the games and cooking dinner. The next morning we left the Katy Trail at Dutzdow, and continued south to Washington because we realized following the trail to the end would necesitate navigating around St. Louis. After running errands and finding maps, we followed some back roads to Robertsville State Park.

I didn't realize quite how much I missed state parks until we got there. It was quiet, with hiking trails and friendly neighbors, and as an added bonus there were showers, laundry facilities and great camp hosts. The next morning we rather spontaneously decided to take a rest day. Our camp hosts offered to take us to town in the morning to get groceries, so we accompanied them back to Washington. I spent most of the day reading, and we made a campfire that night with wood the camp hosts gave us. All in all, it was a very relaxing day with no real errands to run like on most rest days.

And now, the word from Liz.... Robertsville to Carbondale.

Lawrence to Columbia

2006-10-02T08:27:00.000-05:00

We left Lawrence on Wednesday morning on beautiful county roads with sparse traffic. Since both our Kansas maps were not very detailed, we map-quested a route avoiding highways, and ended up doing a six mile tour of gravel roads before finding a paved route to Louisburg. We ate lunch at Hillsdale Lake, stopped at a fruitstand ten miles from Louisburg, and stopped in briefly at the Louisburg Cider Mill. We had hoped to camp in the city park there, but the sheriff met us at the Burger King right as we got to town and told us city ordinance wouldn't allow it. Instead, he had asked the pastor of the Louisburg Baptist Temple if we could camp on their lawn, which they graciously allowed. We set up our tent just in time, as it started to sprinkle right away.

After a night's rest there, we started out for Missouri, only a few miles away. We stopped briefly at the Harrisonville Mennonite Church to say hi, and as we did, we met Ang'e, a local bicyclist who has done the MS 150 in Kansas and Missouri for many years. She invited us to camp in her lawn, and we took her up on the offer! We biked the 15 miles to her house, and spent the afternoon chatting with her husband Jon and watching their dogs play around the backyard. Ang'e treated us to a great meal at a local restaurant and afterwards we watched part of the movie "The Day After," which Jon had a small part in.

From Ang'e and Jon's house near Latour, Missouri, we biked on small highways and county roads up to Sedalia. The hills on our route, while not impossible, made us very thankful to be on the Katy Trail through most of the state. We camped in the fairgrounds in Sedalia.

From Sedalia we caught the Katy and road about 40 miles to New Franklin, where we camped. The Katy is terrific, and we've enjoyed the beautiful views and traffic free days. We rode from New Franklin to Columbia yesterday, where we went out to eat with my great uncle John and aunt Florence, and stayed in the lovely home of another bicyclist we met on the trail going into town, Ethan. Ethan, Laura and their son Nolan have been terrific hosts, and we enjoyed a good night's rest and break from the mosquitos! I'll write more later, the computer is runnning low on batteries....

Today we'll head for the hostel in Tebbets, and soon we'll be nearing St. Charles and the end of the Katy.

ciao
heidi

The Kansas Trip

2006-10-02T07:31:00.000-05:00

Here we are, safe and sound in Columbia. The bike trip continues to be full of good surprises, and Heidi & I are both really enjoying the Katy Trail, which is an old railroad bed that has been converted into a cross-state bicycle trail. No cars! No trucks! And lots of bicyclists to chat with along the way. Not only that, but bathrooms and water conveniently located right next to the trail, as well as historical signboards at each "depot." What paradise have we found ourselves in???

Heidi and I arrived at the Katy Trail through a roundabout self-designed route, which took us from Newton, Kansas, to Lawrence, Kansas, and then over into Missouri. Our Kansas route traveled through Chase County (of Prairyerth fame), including a stop in charming Cottonwood Falls (beautiful historic courthouse). My parents surprised us there, and took us out for supper at the Emma Chase Cafe, which was also hosting its weekly bluegrass jam.

On our second day of Kansas pedaling we went to Osage City, which was not as charming as Cottonwood Falls. However, as we pulled our bikes up behind the police station shed in the late evening light, a man who lives behind the police station noticed us from his yard. He immediately came over to chat, and after a minute offered us a spot in his yard, showers, and breakfast in the morning. Lloyd said, "My Mom always said, never let anyone leave your home hungry."

The third day out we made it into Lawrence, where I lived last year. It was so cool to realize that we'd bicycled from Newton to Lawrence, a route I have driven innumerable times. Not only that, but I got a much better sense for the land and towns in between Newton and Lawrence from my bicycle seat rather than from the driver's seat in a car. I felt the Flint Hills in my legs and the wind blowing from the West, and heard the insects buzzing in the ditches.

Lawrence is a happenin' town, and so our one stopover day there turned into two. Probably a good thing, because the muscles needed some recuperation. It was also great to visit the house where I lived last year, and the dear friends I lived with, as well as other friends in the area, former coworkers, and my brother, Daniel.

Okay, I'm going to turn the keyboard over to Heidi, and she's going to update ya'll on the great state of Missouri.

First day on the Katy Trail

2006-10-01T22:16:00.000-05:00

Lovely campsite at MO State Fairgrounds.

Historic downtown Sedalia, Missouri.

Beautifully restored Katy depot in Sedalia.

On the Katy Trail!

Missouri

2006-10-01T22:07:00.000-05:00

Missouri hills

Missouri wildlife

Our hosts Ang'e and Jon in Latour, Missouri

Photos leaving Kansas into Missouri

2006-10-01T21:38:00.000-05:00

On the window at the Mennonite Church in Harrisonville

Posting from Columbia, Missouri

2006-10-01T21:22:00.000-05:00

Liz's brother Dan and Liz in Lawrence

Liz in front of the Rhode Island house

Old car in Kansas

Camped outside the Louisburg Baptist Temple

Fruitstand outside Louisburg

Kansas

2006-09-27T00:07:00.000-05:00

We stopped to eat beside the Custer Elm tree in Council Grove

Betse and I sport the new rain covers my mom created for us and leg warmers

Lou in his rain gear

We ran into Jeff Graber at the gas station in Council Grove

Cottonwood Falls to Osage City

2006-09-26T23:52:00.000-05:00

View from the scenic route, Highway 177 to Cottonwood Falls

Liz's parents surprised us in Cottonwood Falls with dinner at the Emma Chase cafe

Cottonwood Falls - we camped by the historical marker

We stopped to take in the view at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

Winfield or bust!

2006-09-26T23:20:00.000-05:00

Pulling in at Winfield

Leaving Liz's house Friday morning

Our sending party out of Newton from left to right:
Liz, her mom Amanda, me (heidi), my dad Bob and mom Ruth, and my grandpa Laverne

Hoosier Pass, Colorado

2006-09-22T00:33:00.000-05:00

We could see the leaves changing color already on the ascent!

Heidi and Betse

Liz and Lou

(from left to right) Dan (Liz's brother), heidi, Clarence (Liz's dad), & Liz before the long downhill

At the campsite at Mueller State Park with Liz's family

Walden, Colorado

2006-09-22T00:20:00.000-05:00

My helmet covered in frost

Justin, another Trans Am'er we camped with in Walden

Colorado at last!!

2006-09-22T00:03:00.000-05:00

We began our descent and before long realized that the mountains ahead were the Colorado Rockies (this photo was 10 miles from the border).

Mark and Liz cooking dinner in Walden, Colorado

Jeffrey City to Rawlins

2006-09-21T23:51:00.000-05:00

Geoff (who stayed with Liz's family in Newton) and Liz are in front, the three guys that Geoff is riding with are in back.

Rattlesnake mountains

Continental Divide crossing before Rawlins

Liz with Mike and Liz ahead as we biked to Rawlins

Conrad from London, who we met in Riverside at the campground.

Lander to Jeffrey City, Wyoming

2006-09-21T23:31:00.000-05:00

Rv park outside Lander

All but last two are from the ride to Jeffrey City from outside Lander

Heidi with bicycle

Some of the cowgirls came over and checked on us when we got a flat up the road

Jeffrey City

Lander!!!

2006-09-21T13:22:00.000-05:00

After 85 miles, the Lander sign felt good to see!

We camped behind the Holiday Lodge hotel.

Our first Alco of the trip - we were really excited until we realized the peanut butter we bought there tasted like lard.

Dubois to Lander, Wyoming

2006-09-21T13:14:00.000-05:00

These two photos were both taken in between Dubois and Ft Washakie, Wyoming.

The smoke in the distance in the last two photots is from the wildfires in the Wind River Range. Outside of Ft Washakie, we could see the plume of smoke rising from the mountain side (below).

Dubois, Wyoming

2006-09-21T12:59:00.000-05:00

Me with the giant jackalope in Dubois!

Road outside Dubois on the Wind River Reservation

Another view of road outside Dubois

Togwotee Pass to Dubois, Wyoming

2006-09-21T12:47:00.000-05:00

Starting our descent from Togwotee, we had an amazing view of the surrounding buttes and mountains.

View from the bottom of our Togwotee descent - in only ten miles, we were in a completely different biome: the temperature rose, the sagebrush returned, and the landscape chaged dramatically.

Our cabin at the bike hostel outside of Dubois, Wyoming.

View of the road going into Dubois the next morning.

Togwotee Pass

2006-09-21T12:36:00.000-05:00

(1 & 2) Views as we climbed Togwotee Pass
(3) Liz at the top
(4) Heidi at the top

More pictures from the Tetons

2006-09-21T12:25:00.000-05:00

Carlos and I switched bikes for a brief spin around the parking lot to try out eachother's set ups (we had the similar frame sizes.)

More pictures to come soon...

2006-09-21T10:37:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update...

We'll be leaving from Newton, Kansas tomorrow morning (Friday) and will continue on up toward Lawrence, Kansas, and then east to the Katy Trail, which we will follow through Missouri. We'll join back up with the route again in southern Illinois, I think. It's been good to have some time off to recuperate, see friends and family and get the bikes worked on, but I think we both are feeling the itch to get back on the road.

I'll post more pictures later today, blogger doesn't seem to want to post them now.

ciao
heidi

Colter Bay/Grand Tetons

2006-09-21T09:47:00.000-05:00

Leaving the Tetons with the two Great Divide bikers we met in the Tetons, Carlos from Baltimore (far left) and Spence (middle left) from Madison. The route goes along the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. It was Carlos' last day on the ride. Spence is somewhere on the way to Mexico now!

Yellowstone to the Tetons!

2006-09-21T00:28:00.000-05:00

Sleeping in the bathroom in Colter Bay

More from Yellowstone National Park

2006-09-21T00:11:00.000-05:00

Yellowstone National Park

2006-09-20T23:57:00.000-05:00

West Yellowstone

2006-09-20T23:37:00.000-05:00

(1) Grizzly Bear RV Park, West Yellowstone
(2) Downtown West Yellowstone
(3) We thought it was a real guy at first...
(4 &5) The Catholic Church that allowed us to sleep in its alley our second night in town

Ennis to Beaver Creek campground

2006-09-20T23:27:00.000-05:00

Scenes from the road to Beaver Creek Campground from Ennis

Our campsite in Beaver Creek, right next to Quake Lake outside Yellowstone Park

More Ennis photos

2006-09-20T23:17:00.000-05:00

Liz's top speed so far, on the way into Ennis! (I was only a little behind)

Our camp in Ennis, next to the river

Twin Bridges to Ennis, Montana

2006-09-20T23:04:00.000-05:00

(1) Our campsite at the fairgrounds in Twin Bridges, Montana
(2) Even though we were surrounded by mountains leaving Twin Bridges, we felt like we were in Kansas - the smoke was so thick you couldn't see more than a few miles in every direction
(3 &4) More views of the morning haze on the way to Ennis

Road scenes: Butte to Twin Bridges, Montana

2006-09-20T22:48:00.000-05:00

(1) View of Butte from partway up our first summit of the Continental Divide.
(2-5) Views of the Tobacco Root mountains on the way down from the summit before Twin Bridges

Philipsburg, Montana to Butte, Montana

2006-09-20T22:30:00.000-05:00

(1) Climbing up to Georgetown Lake (outside Philipsburg)
(2) Georgetown Lake
(3) The land of Opportunity
(4) Heidi posing with our hosts in Butte, Ron and Mary Lou
(5) Liz with Ron and Mary Lou

More Drummond/Philipsburg photos

2006-09-20T22:21:00.000-05:00

(1) Bluegrass concert and band in Drummond, Montana
(2) Camping in the city park in Philipsburg, Montana
(3) The cat in Philipsburg that kept us awake all night, eating his breakfast of hot chocolate and black bean soup
(4) View from our city park campsite

Drummond-Philipsburg, Montana

2006-09-20T22:00:00.000-05:00

(1) Trees outside Drummond, Montana
(2) View going into Philipsburg, Montana of the Pintler Mountains
(3) Same view and road with Liz ahead
(4 &5) Ice cream parlor in Philipsburg!

Missoula, Montana

2006-09-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

(1) Wall of pictures at Adventure Cycling of other TransAm'ers
(2) Cyclists lounge in the Adventure Cycling office
(3) Bicycle ridden across the US in 1976 by Adventure Cycling head cartographer Carla Majernick
(4) Kevin Moran, another eastbound TransAm'er that we met in Missoula who is now probably in Kentucky!

Montana pictures

2006-09-20T21:36:00.000-05:00

(1) Lolo Pass was on the border of Idaho and Montana.
(2) We never got a "Welcome to Idaho" sign, so I got a picture at the Montana border.
(3) Montana began with a great downhill all the way into Missoula.

'Cause I wanna

2006-09-11T15:14:00.001-05:00

The main highlight left to share is that Heidi and I did indeed make it to the top of Hoosier Pass (11,500ish feet) after our night in Breckenridge. We pulled out into the streets of Breckenridge a bit past 8 a.m. and my thoughts over the next mile or two were, "I...can...not...breathe...at...all," whilst inhaling exhaust from the numerous construction pick-ups tooling by and questioning why-oh-why I wanted to go up into the mountains with a fully loaded bike-cycle.

Thank goodness the body is an adaptable thing, and both Heidi and I thought the climb up the pass was, as usual, not even close to as bad as we'd imagined. Other than a noxious smell wafting off of some Colorado plant (or was it bear scat or a lagoon?), we actually enjoyed most of the climb. Rain threatened, but didn't fall, and the morning stayed cool with temps in the 50s or low 60s.

They were improving the roadway a few miles from the top, but for most of the construction zone we biked in the "dead lane"--despite its name, we thoroughly enjoyed having a smooth lane to ourselves. Towards the top of the pass the road twisted in hairpin turns and looked dauntingly steep, but I guess those other mountains we'd climbed paid off, because we were both feeling strong at the top.

Jubilantly, we took photos of ourselves with the Hoosier Pass sign, and, to the amusement of the bored construction worker across the road, we attempted to lift our loaded bikes over our heads (maybe by the Appalachians...).

Papa Rempel and Brother Dan joined us for the descent, right after another construction worker told a string of stories about biker deaths in Colorado construction zones. We got in a good 30 miles together, and what a funny crew we must have been to those passing us. Two women with touring bikes and gear, an older gent with an unloaded hybrid bike, and a bearded young man wearing overalls and a flannel shirt, crouched over his aero bars.

Look forward to having more travel tales to share soon, and hopefully this time at home will give us (well, Heidi) time to post the rest of our (her awesome) photos from the trip. Cheerio.

Breckenridge, Colorado

2006-09-05T21:46:00.000-05:00

No time to post pictures today, so I (heidi) am doing a blog update instead...

After our last post in Lander we headed out of town and made it about 15 miles before realizing that we were set to hit a thirty mile stretch of climbing (with no water or camping options) in the middle of the afternoon with fatigued muscles and minds, as well as a fierce headwind. Instead, we opted to camp at the very base of the climb at the Sleeping Bear RV Park, where we were able to journal and do some bicycle maintenance. We left early the next morning and made it through the thirty mile stretch with much better mindsets and less achy bodies. We had hoped to make it all the way past Muddy Gap, but by mid-afternoon the winds once again decided our course of action, and we ended up staying in the only motel in Jeffrey City, Wyoming, a former uranium mining town, next door to Mike and Liz. We made frozen pizzas as a group at the cafe and retired early, hoping to hit the next seventy mile stretch to Rawlins early in the morning.

We left Jeffrey City a little after 8 am and rode to Muddy Gap, where we ran into Geoff, a TransAm'er that Liz's parents had hosted in Newton earlier this summer, and three other cyclists going east to west. (Geoff, if you read this, let us know how your trip is going!) We stopped at the gas station for vittles and once again crossed the Continental Divide at Muddy Gap. Thirty miles or more later, we again climbed to and crossed the Continental Divide and had a mostly downhill ride into Rawlins, where we stayed in an RV park on the outskirts of town.

Leaving Rawlins we had to take the interstate for some miles before we could turn off to go south to Riverside, a seventy mile day. In Riverside, we camped in the Lazy Acres campground with Mike and Liz and Conrad, a London-ite headed for the west coast on the TransAm. We had a potluck dinner all together of taco soup, Kathmandu curry and chocolate and swapped stories of the road. The next day, we got off to a later start (it's so cold when we wake up anymore!) and headed south for the Colorado border and Walden.

We had a long climb out of Riverside and rolling hills most of the day. At one point we headed downhill (videotaped it this time!) and were greeted with a view of some distant mountains, which we soon realized were the Colorado Rockies. We made it to the border for lunch with Mike and Liz and continued to Walden. Almost immediately we could see a change in our surroundings - different plants on the side of the road, rock formations, and aspen trees replaced the sagebrush and prairie grasses as we climbed to a higher elevation. We made it to Walden with a terrific tailwind and set up camp in the city park. Mark Smith drove out from Fort Collins to see us, and we shared a dinner of rice and beans and oreos before he had to leave to drive back. Soon there were five cyclists camped at the park - us, Mike and Liz, and Justin from Athens, Georgia, who is biking the TransAm west and visiting farms and ranches along the way as he does research on sustainable agriculture.

Unfortunately, Liz and I left our bikes and bags in the path of the sprinkler last night, and we awoke to find our stuff covered in a thick layer of ice. Nothing was hurt, but I did have wet shoes and gloves this morning!

Several days ago, I found out my grandmother was admitted to Hospice care in Wichita. Since Liz's parents are in Colorado on vacation currently, they were able to pick us up from Walden this morning and drive us to Breckenridge today so that we are able to summit Hoosier Pass before I leave Thursday morning by bus for Wichita to be with my family. Liz will stay with her family and camp here for a few days before returning to Newton as well. We are planning to bike this part of the route again, possibly next year, but we won't be able to return to Colorado after going home because winter will be arriving in the Rockies soon. After our rest in Kansas, we will be continuing to the east coast as planned.

Idaho wilderness

2006-08-31T11:46:00.000-05:00

Our campsite the first night in the 66 miles in the wilderness area in Idaho leading up to Lolo Pass

First two are of Liz's crash on the way into Powell and her injury, and last one is of our campsite at Powell.

Time's up! more photos soon

Grangeville, Idaho

2006-08-31T11:38:00.000-05:00

Jo, her dog Gem and one of the cats outside her beautiful home

View of the Gospel Hump mountains leaving Jo's house
Ride out of Grangeville and into Kooskia

Sign at the ranger station

Grangeville, Idaho

2006-08-31T11:31:00.000-05:00

The road to Jo's house outside Grangeville, Idaho

Liz and her new friends

Jo's horses and us (sorry, Jo, my memory is lapsing and I can't remember all their names!)

Lander, Wyoming

2006-08-31T11:29:00.000-05:00

A lot has happened since the last post in Twin Bridges, Montana. Since then we've entered a new state, toured Yellowstone on bikes, been in total awe of the Grand Tetons, spent a night in a bathroom, and biked our most miles in a day, which was the 85-mile stretch yesterday. We also climbed the second-highest pass of the trip two days ago.

Despite what we'd heard about bad RV traffic and inconsiderate tourists, traveling through Yellowstone was an awesome experience. We'd spent Saturday night in the yard of the West Yellowstone Catholic Church, and got up at the crack of dawn to beat the traffic into the park. Heidi and I both felt like we were biking into Jurassic Park as we approached the imposing customs-like gates at the west entrance to the park. It was misting and foggy, and very chilly.

We had a peaceful, hushed ride into the park, traveling a tree-lined road, and about an hour into our ride the fog lifted and the sun came out. We spent the day stopping at bubbling mud pits, geysers, and hot springs, and trying to keep as many cars between us and the bison and elk as possible.

At the end of our first day in the park, we had to cross the Continental Divide two times. During the first climb we saw the clouds gathering, and during the second the sky got very dark and it began thundering. We flagged down a pick-up from Oklahoma and just as we threw all our gear in the back and got in the back ourselves, it started hailing and raining on us. We both had our helmets on, at least, so no permanent damage was inflicted.

The second day in Yellowstone we had an uneventful ride out of the park, and into Grand Teton National Park which is only 7 miles down the road. The Tetons are incredible, and I think they are the most beautiful natural thing I have seen traveling the U.S. I could go on, but Heidi will post pictures that will capture it better than any words could.

In the Tetons our campground host informed us that they'd had lots of problem bears in the campground, and that they'd shot a problem bear a few weeks back in our part of the campground. Let's just say that Heidi and I have been Extremely Nervous about bears. Because there were no other women in the hiker/biker campsites, we set up house in the bathrooms and slept very comfortably, with the door closed and barricaded by the trash can. It doesn't help that we keep picking up literature about how to survive in "Grizzly Country" and books about bear attacks.

In the Tetons we also met two guys who are biking the Great Divide trail...It requires a mountain bike. They talked about biking through fresh grizzly scat and that seeing three cars in a day is a lot. I'm glad we're not doing that one!

After the Tetons we climbed Togwatee Pass, at over 9,500 feet and around 16 miles of noticeable climbing. That was a long day. Thankfully we had a comfy cabin to sleep in that night at a biker hostel on the other side of the pass. Dave and Joann have hosted many bicyclists, and it was really nice to have a warm shower and a gigantic spaghetti dinner, although I was completely wiped out by the day's riding.

Well, time's up. Wish I could say more. Heidi's posting pictures beside me, so that will give you another window into our journey.

White Bird, Idaho photos

2006-08-31T11:24:00.000-05:00

The historical marker for the battle of White Bird, part of the Nez Perce war.
The view from the long climb up White Bird hill.
Our long, winding road... Above it is the new highway, called one of the most treacherous because of the grade.
Another view from the top

More Idaho photos

2006-08-31T11:16:00.000-05:00

Liz and Lou with a flat and chain snarl ourside White Bird, Idaho
A book I never should have picked up...
View from our campsite outside White Bird
Another view of the river from our campsite

More Idaho photos

2006-08-22T20:03:00.000-05:00

Our campsite in Riggins
Liz fixes a flat outside White Bird, before we decided just to call it a day
Our view from the RV park in White Bird
Glad we're not in cars!

Never mind - the clock on this computer is 20 minutes fast!

2006-08-22T19:54:00.000-05:00

We passed this sign on our way out of Council on the way to New Meadows.
The Salmon River
They cleaned the highway for eight miles. No one we asked knew who they were. (Oh, the things you notice while riding a bicycle.)
A waterfall on the Salmon River (these are all Idaho photos)

More Council, Idaho photos

2006-08-22T19:44:00.000-05:00

The courthouse park
The old Adams County Courthouse, made more creepy by the duststorm
This one is for Nate Mateer Rempel and the rest of the band.
The beautiful sunset after the storm.

The library is closing, so I'll post more pictures as soon as I can. At least we're only a state behind now!

ciao, heidi

Council, Idaho - cooking dinner behind the post office during a freaky dust storm

2006-08-22T19:34:00.000-05:00

Liz laboring over quinoa and veggies
The storm clouds over the haunted courthouse
Dinnertime!
The duststorm

Hells Canyon, Oregon to Hell's Canyon, IDAHO!!!!

2006-08-22T19:28:00.000-05:00

The view from our campsite in Idaho
Our little tent is on the left, near the retaining wall
Our campsite, one of the more incredible views

Scenes from the recent wildfire at Hell's Canyon, Oregon

2006-08-22T19:22:00.000-05:00

You can see how the fires jumped around, scorching one side of the river but stopping before the road
Many dead trees had curled branches such as this.

2006-08-22T19:17:00.000-05:00

Evidence of wildfires - firefighters camped out in the city park in Halfway (excuse me, half.com), Oregon

(once again, this should be at the end)
The road out of Richland was a steep climb into Halfway, with landscape scorched by recent fires

Almost out of Oregon!!!

2006-08-22T19:03:00.000-05:00

The view on the ride from Baker City to Richland.
Another view - this is actually where a landslide took place a few years back
Leslie and Josh, who we camped with (and weathered the storm with) under the shelter in the Grange park in Richland, Oregon
The shelter in the park in Richland

More Baker City photos

2006-08-22T18:55:00.000-05:00

View from the Oregon Trail Interpretative Center of Baker City
The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
More pictures from the RV Park (again, these should be at the start)
The registration area at the RV park

Baker City, Oregon rest day

2006-08-22T18:38:00.000-05:00

Downtown Baker City shop window
Our neighbors at the Holiday Trav-l Park, Bill and Joyce from Newport News, Virginia
Liz poses while unlocking the door with the code at the RV park

Baker City, Oregon rest day

2006-08-22T18:30:00.000-05:00

Downtown Baker City shop window

Liz punching in the code for the women's bathroom (yes, there was a code)

The office at the Holiday Trav-l RV Park
Our neighbors, Bill and Joyce from Newport News, Virginia in front of their Airstream
The bathroom and hot tub building

Still in Oregon: The Day of the Three 5,000+ foot Passes (Dixie, Sumpter and Tipton)

2006-08-22T18:26:00.000-05:00

Strawberry Mountain is the big one in the center there. We felt too exhausted on this day to take any

more pictures!

Twin Bridges, Montana

2006-08-22T18:07:00.000-05:00

Heidi and I are at the public library in Twin Bridges, Montana. And we're about four days past our last blog entry from Missoula. Although we really loved some things about Missoula (fantastico bread from a local bakery, the bike bridge for crossing the river, and divine truffles we found along the main drag), we are both really happy to be out on the road again.

In Montana we opted to take an alternate route (not the Adventure Cycling path), and this alternate that we're on supposedly cuts off 50 miles and some climbing, and also avoids a truck-filled highway. Now, here at Twin Bridges, we join up again with the Adventure Cycling route we've been (mostly) following across the country.

I have to say, I LOVE being off the Adventure Cycling trail. For one thing, people in towns are actually enthusiastic about meeting us, because we're not the thousandth cross-country cyclist they've seen on their town's Main Street. Also, being off-route curtails me from pouring over the elevation map and dreading each climb in the day. It's exciting to be going through new territory.

The day we left Missoula we biked about 55 miles to Drummond, Montana. Upon setting up our tent in the local park, we were invited by other campers there to a free bluegrass concert/dance and all-you-can-eat-down-home-buffet downtown. Of course we decided to attend! It was a great night of hanging out with the local crowd, stuffing our faces with deep-fat fried corn-on-the-cob and cream cheese mushrooms, and watching cute old couples two-step in front of the stage.

The next morning we both felt sluggish about continuing on our journey, because other people were still camped out in the park and it almost felt like we were at a bluegrass festival! We made pancakes over our wood-burning stove, then sloooowly packed up and pushed off at about noon. It was too hot, really, by the time we got out on the road, so we ended up biking to the next sizeable town (Philipsburg) and calling it a day.

Philipsburg just happened to be having its local art and jazz festival on Main Street, so we ate ice-cream and listened to live music and browsed around downtown. One of the restaurant/bars advertised "lousy food and warm beer" and another was called the White Front Bar, simply because the front of the building was white siding...It seemed like a town with character. Heidi and I were really debating about paying for a spot at the local R.V. park, when we met a man who told us he was sure we could stay in the town park.

The town park had a great view of mountains in the distance, *delightful* pit toilets (not so delightful, actually, as the floor near the toilet creaked dangerously when it was walked upon), a really nice shelter, and nearby water. Oh, yes...And outlets where we could charge our cell phones! (Not that Sprint has had service in the western United States).

After a very relaxing evening lounging around under the shelter, we clambered into the tent (which we'd set up under the shelter) and prepared for great night of rest. Just as I was dozing off to sleep, I heard a terrifying rustling and scratching emanating from somewhere nearby. I say "terrifying" because Heidi and I are constantly being told to watch out for wildlife, and have become slightly paranoid about when and where we're going to be mauled by a Grizzly. Anyway, Heidi also jerked awake at the sound, and we decided it was better to investigate than to freak out inside the tent. Heidi approached a trash can and out leapt a cat who had been rummaging for food. Whew! With relief we crawled back in to go to sleep...but the cat had other plans. How long can a cat spend rummaging for food? Hours, my friends, hours. All night long, we were tossing and turning as the cat yowled and meowed around our tent, and then took occasional breaks to claw around in the garbage. Heidi would bark like a dog to scare it off, and I resorted to hissing. Peace-loving Heidi even thought about spraying it with our dog mace or trapping it in the garbage can.

Come morning, we both were bleary-eyed and laughing hysterically about what a horrible night of sleep we'd had. As we ate breakfast, we heard a faint meowing coming from a nearby ditch, and when I went to get water I saw the cat running through the grass. Soon it came out of hiding and rolled cutely in the dust...In the light of day we felt some mercy for the little bugger, and so Heidi set about dumpster diving in search of cat-friendly foods, and I tried to ply its tastebuds with trail mix. Soon Heidi had it eating mayonnaise she'd found, and also drinking hot cocoa powder mixed with water.

By that time, we were also trying to figure how we could bring the cat with us on the rest of journey, but we decided to call the city offices instead, because it was obviously a tame cat who'd lost its owner. Heidi ended up calling the Chamber of Commerce, where the woman who answered promptly decided to come down to the park and check on the cat. She soon arrived bearing cat food and water, and then put the cat in her car to take him to the vet ("I can't remember his name...I just call him 'Doc'").

We left town feeling chipper about our good deed, and also, mostly, about the kindness and assistance from the woman in Philipsburg.

Well, folks, I'm burning out on writing. Heidi's loading photos at the computer beside me. Let me just briefly summarize the time since Philipsburg:

We left P-burg and biked towards Butte yesterday. It was actually a really nice ride, including seeing beautiful Georgetown Lake and having a sweet downhill for some miles, but 15 miles outside of Butte, just as we were warming up our vocal cords with some made-up lyrics to "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," I repeated my chain-snarling performance and so we had to stop and fix my bike. One man stopped and lent us the pliers we needed to finish the repair, and just as he drove away we noticed we'd missed putting the chain through one key spot. So we flagged down a couple from Steamboat Springs, Colorado (who just happened to have a mostly empty U-Haul trailer), and they were so kind as to take us directly to our hosts for the night.

Our stay in Butte was really relaxing and rejuvinating. We were hosted by a couple from one of the local Presbyterian churches (we'd called to ask if we could camp on the church lawn), and we learned a lot about the history of Butte (biggest open-pit mine in the U.S.) and also had a driving tour over the pass at night to see the lights of the town and the Virgin Mary statue up on the mountainside (I guess it's the same size/shape as the Statue of Liberty, and was built by steelworkers during a strike in the 80s). This morning we awoke to huckleberry pancakes (huckleberries are quite prized in these parts...hours of picking may yield only a cup or so of berries), and bid our kind hosts farewell.

We were on the road by 9:30 a.m., had a easier-than-expected climb over the Continental Divide, and then road through a broad valley with mountains in the distance in the afternoon. We got into town early enough to come here, to the library, and we've met up again with Mike & Liz, the couple who is biking the Adventure Cycling route on about the same time table.

Take care! We're still having a blast and I love (at least a significant part of) every day!