Shut Up and Pedal!

Around Lower 48 in One Year

2010-05-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day Weekend:

We were delighted to host a Warm Showers guest: Josh Cunningham from Beatrice, Nebraska who is on state 21 of 48 and month 9 of 12! Josh's mom, Naomi and her students at Paddock Lane Elementary have been following him on their Wall of Fame. We fed Josh well, let him get some rest and even went to see the Walla Walla High School performance of the Wizard of Oz, complete with flying witches and monkeys! We never tire of meeting amazing people who are seeing the world one two-wheeled mile at a time. Now it's the four us who have "the look"--that longing for the freedom to pick up and go exploring. May all the long-distance bicyclists be safe and dry tonight.

~Alison and family

What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been

2009-06-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

The Trip that Keeps on Going!

Sonia and Gus get ready for their interview

A year ago today we left on our journey across the United States, picking up the Northern Tier route in Newport, Washington. We once again got to re-live the trip as we were interviewed for the public broadcasting show In Steppe on KWSU (the Washington State University affiliate). If you would like to see the show go to the In Steppe website by clicking here.

We also got to make a deposit in the "Bank of Karma" (as was so eloquently put by a bike shop mechanic in Ontario who charged us only $5 for an hour repair on the bikes last summer!) in the
last couple of weeks by hosting two couples traveling through Walla Walla.

The first couple, Pam and Brian Pangburn are making an Oregon to Virginia trek this summer. They surprised us with a DVD they made of their work with the national skydiving team and last year's world record 100 person skydiving formation. You can follow them at their website by clicking here.

Andrew, Gus, and Friedel

The second couple, Andrew and Friedel Grant, are traveling around the world. Yes, you read that correctly -- around the world. They left from Montreal in 2006 and have been going ever since. You can keep up with their fascinating adventure on their website by clicking here. We enjoyed swapping stories over burritos and the best milkshakes in town from the Iceburg Drive In. Their story about traveling through Syria was amazing. Their website is a definite must-read!

Hosting Riders

So, how did these riders find us? Well, as I was doing some last minute research before we left last year I came across a blog of a cross-country cyclist who wrote about a group called Warm Showers. The website helps riders find people who are willing to provide a place to sleep (from yard space for a tent to a bed) and a shower. Many people will also offer either a kitchen to cook or a meal. All provide great company while taking a break from the road. We stayed with three Warm Showers hosts: in Glacier National Park, Williston North Dakota, and Port Colborne Ontario.

The flip side of using the website for finding hosts is to be willing to be a host yourself. What we have enjoyed has been the stories of the road. After Andrew and Friedel left Sonia and I were riding the tandem to school talking about how much our trip meant to us and how we wanted to get back out on the road again!

If you are interested, check out the Warm Showers organization by clicking here. You don't need to be a cyclist to host.

What's Next?

This summer we are going to do some shorter week-long trips as time permits. Gus and I are still trying to figure out the "big one", but that may have to wait a summer or two. And I am still working on the book. I hope to have it finished by the end of summer.

And yet, the trip from last year continues to resonate with people. Many people will ask us how we could have done that, with children especially. The honest truth is, it wasn't that hard. In fact, it was fantastic (even the hard days!). There is nothing special about us. We are not super-cyclists who put in hundreds of miles a week on the bike. What it really took was the realization that we could do it. I think getting beyond all the "what ifs" and just getting on the bikes is all it takes.

We finally realized that all we really needed to do was "shut up and pedal"!

The Story on NPR!

2008-12-22T11:16:00.000-08:00

The story was on the Day to Day program on NPR this morning. In case you didn't get a chance to hear it, you can go to the Day to Day website and listen on-line. Click here to go to the story.

As I listened I thought about all the people we met along the way. Maybe Curry in Rugby, North Dakota heard the story while driving in the below zero temperatures blanketing the northern tier of the country. Or maybe Carol and Charlie in Spencerport, NY were listening as they hunkered down by the wood stove. There were so many people who made this trip possible, and so many people we met along the way who helped us, took the time to talk with us, who made us laugh (and sometimes made us yell at their poor driving!).

We are buried in snow here (over two feet!), and biking seems so far away at this point. I did see one hardy soul riding this morning on the snow-packed street in front of our house. I can't wait to get back out on the tandems again. Gus and I are still contemplating riding with Phil in Australia. We are all looking forward to getting on the bikes and doing more local trips and day trips.

Thanks again to everyone we met along the way (both in person and on-line). You are all now part of the lore of the trip!

Have a great holiday season, and we will see you in 2009!

Dan

Our Story Goes National!

2008-12-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

Hello from snowy Walla Walla!

As unbelievable as it might seem, our story is about to go national. Anna King, a reporter for National Public Radio, came by our house last week and spent two hours interviewing us about the trip.

It still amazes me that people keep finding out about the story, months after it ended. It was fun to relive the trip. And as Sonia told Ms. King, one question we asked ourselves a lot while on the trip was "how long will it be until this is funny?" referring to whatever the hardship of the day was! And now, much of it is funny. We even relived the hard parts, especially Alison's battle with MS.

The story will be on the NPR show Day to Day. Click here for a link to the show's website. We don't have a date yet for the show, but it should air before Christmas. If you get a chance to listen to it we would love to hear your comments. If you don't get the show Day to Day on your local NPR station, you can stream the show from the Day to Day website.

And yes, I am still working on the book. If anyone knows of a grant that I might get so that I can take a sabbatical from work and write full time, let me know!

Happy holidays, and we hope to see you again next year on Shut Up and Pedal!

Dan

A Matter of Perspective

2008-11-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

Some events in life help us focus, help provide us perspective. Our trip provided many. Some were huge: crossing the continental divide; Alison's MS and her response to it; reaching the Atlantic. Some were more subtle: seeing the reaction of the kids as a blue heron slowly lifted from a roadside stream; listening to the wind as a storm approached; watching the road stretch to the horizon in eastern Montana, straight and flat and constant.

I think that the trip help me deal with another huge event. Last week, on October 31st, my Mom died. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer about two months ago.

About two weeks before she died I flew back to Iowa to be with her for what we both knew, but was left unspoken: this would be the last time I would see her alive. We spoke of the mundane (the weather), the profound (she insisted she would give me a sign from the "other side" -- which I haven't seen yet!), and the practical (she was worried about what would happen to her absentee ballot if she died before the election. She got quite the laugh when I told her it would only count as half a vote). She also spoke about what she wanted for her funeral service. Always a strong woman, she wanted to take as much of that burden off my Dad and the family as possible. Her strength, I think, comes in part from her Irish ancestry (100% and she was proud of it!).

My younger sister and I sat with her and took notes as she told us about everything from the clothes she wanted to be buried in to music to be played at the funeral service. The music included "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" playing in the funeral chapel just before the procession left for the cemetery and "Danny Boy" to be played on the flute by my niece at her graveside.

Before I left to return to Walla Walla my Mom could tell that I was worried about not seeing her again. She told me that she would let me know when it was really time to worry. "I don't have an expiration date stamped on me yet!" It was less than two weeks later that I got a call on my cell phone. Barely able to catch her breath and in a weak voice my Mom said "It's time to come home." A day and a half later she died.

Whatever else sets us as human beings apart, we all share this: we're born, we live, and we die. It is what we do with the "we live" part that matters.

Another Newspaper Story

2008-10-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

It seems like forever since we returned from our adventure, when truly it has only been seven weeks. Believe it or not, we just received my tandem back from Maine yesterday. Alison's arrived a couple of weeks ago. We have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to put the bikes back together. But that will happen this weekend.

For some reason, our story continues to resonate with people. I was interviewed by the TriCity Herald last week and the story appeared on Monday (Oct. 6th). To read the story click here.

As I spoke with the reporter I had a feeling of longing to get back on the bike. The sounds, sites, smells, and tastes of the road came back to me as we talked. She asked great questions and truly seemed interested in our trip. She was most impressed with the kids (as is common) and with Alison (as is also common). I guess I was just along for the ride!

I am still working on the book, although very slowly. I am still ruminating over the trip and what it all meant. The journals are sitting next to the computer as I type this. I hope to get an outline before the new year arrives.

Thanks again to all of our friends, new and old, who followed us and continue to check in to our blog. We appreciate all of you!

Dan

Rules for returning to civilized society

2008-09-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

We've been home a month now. We miss the bikes, having unstructured time, overcoming daily challenges, seeing new places, being together, doing something special. We miss the BLOG and hearing from our friends!
As we reintegrate into work and school, we've had to start following some guidelines for social acceptance which were never a problem when we lived outdoors. Here's what we came up with:

1. No spitting.
2. Daily bathing is highly recommended.
3. Wear underwear. Preferably clean.
4. No eating food off the ground.
5. No made-up songs that contain profanity.
6. No bacon double cheeseburgers with ice cream sundaes.
7. No sleeping in your sleeping bag on top of the bed.
8. Use "inside voices" when inside.
9. No belching the words on road signs.
10. No shouting "A tour bus is coming" when your mother is peeing by the side of the road.
11. No peeing by the side of the road.
12. And please, no yelling "Fire in the hole" just before loudly farting.

That oughta' do it. Thank you to everyone who followed us this summer. We felt your love and concern. America is a wonderful country. A really BIG country. There are amazing people from sea to shining sea.
--Alison, Dan, Sonia and Gus

And now, a word for our sponsors

2008-08-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

The word is THANK YOU!

St. Mary Medical Center, Walla Walla, Washington
Voler Team Apparel/Ed Fonda
Shimano American Corporation
Teva Neuroscience/Phil Hazel
VOmax/Michael Rustuccia
Biogen Idec/Dennis Pegram
REI, Kennewick, Washington/Dave King

We hope we did you proud.

--Alison, Dan, Sonia and Gus

Returning to our lives

2008-08-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

Teacher and students on the first day back to school.
This summer it was the adults who were the students, even when there were lessons we didn't want to learn.

Photos: Coming Home to Washington

2008-08-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

Nice to ride a lightweight bike. Back home in Walla Walla, Washington.

Below:

1. 80 days on the bike was easier than 8 hours on the plane!

2. Dave from Stillwater Recumbents near Old Town, ME will break down and ship the bikes for us. (Thank you!)

3. Lobstering in Narraguagus Bay.

4. + 5. America is still a land of wonder and beauty. Here, near Milbridge, Maine.

Milbridge, Maine was settled over 250 years ago!

Photos, Maine Down East

2008-08-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks for taking care of us on our last day in Maine, Lil and Ralph!

Downeast Maine. We elected to skip Bar Harbor, which one person advised us was "plastic", and explore the real Maine.

I wish they could stay this age forever. I wish this moment could last forever.

Alison at the Maine shore near Milbridge. "This accomplishment is better than med school graduation."

Sonia plays in alpine lake near Cherryfield, Maine.

2008-08-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Looking back up the jetway leaving Maine: lobstah and moose.

42 stories up at the Penobscot Narrows Observatory.

Old bridge. New bridge. Behemoth truck with bikes. Near Bucksport, Maine.

Quote of the Day: Trenton, Maine

2008-08-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

"Hard times bring families closer than happy times."

--Polish emigre Casey
(a pleasure to talk with you)

The End is Just the Beginning

2008-08-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Other things may change us, but we start and end with family.

~ Anthony Brandt

Here are the before and after pictures of the bikes in the Pacific in March (top), and the Atlantic in August.

It is still hard to believe that we made it. As I went to sleep last night in the tent at the Camden Hills State Park on the coast of Maine, I had to ask myself whether it was all a dream. To have come almost 4000 miles by bike. I know that in some sense it was just a bike ride -- a very long bike ride. But I also know that this experience has changed me in ways that I couldn't anticipate as we dipped the tires in the Pacific, and in ways that I still can't comprehend.

So, what is next? After a few days of exploring the Maine coast by car (actually, a big red truck -- a truly awful way to travel compared to what we have just done, but a compromise that needed to be made if we wanted to get to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor), we will return to Portland, Maine on Thursday. We are going to stay with our friend Thom's parents and then fly out on Friday. As Alison has told several people along the way, it took us about 80 days to bike across the US and will take us about 8 hours to fly almost as far. Amazing.

Alison's mom will pick us up at the Portland, Oregon airport on Friday night. We will then stay with Alison's parents south of Hood River (they are Warm Showers hosts, by the way, in case you are cycling near Mt. Hood, Oregon. Go to the Warm Showers website for more information). We will also be reunited with our dog, Xela (pronounced Shay-la). On Saturday we will return to Walla Walla, forever changed.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about what should come out of this trip. All of us, the kids included, don't want to just let it end (although I think we are all looking forward to our own beds and a home-cooked meal). I have already registered three website domain names, shutupandpedal.org, shut-up-and-pedal.org, and shut-up-and-pedal.com. There are no websites there yet, but I will be working on that and more related projects shortly.

We would love to hear from you, as would Shelia Hager from the Union-Bulletin newspaper in Walla Walla (see an earlier post for more information) about what our trip has meant to you.

This not the end, but just another beginning. We hope that all of you will continue to follow the exploits, adventures and mis-adventures of the shut-up-and-pedal crew!

I think one of the first blog entries at the start of the trip had a quote from John Steinbeck, from his book Travels with Charlie. It is fitting that we end with the same quote.

A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.

It surely did. And we live on to ride another day.

Photos, Maine Mid-Coast

2008-08-20T10:05:00.001-07:00

Red's Eats for lobster rolls, huge chunks of lobster in grilled bread.

Estuary at Wiscosset.

View from Red's Eats Lobster Shack in Wiscosset.

A somber evening of camping at Camden Hills State Park. We are sad that the trip is at an end, and surprisingly, we actually MISS being on the bikes.

Harbor at Camden.

Camden Hills State Park.

Lincolnville, Maine.

Waiting for the library to open.

Photos, Maine shore

2008-08-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

Lobster boat at Lincolnville, Maine.

Thank you, America's Libraries

2008-08-20T09:40:00.001-07:00

Thank you to all the libraries and librarians across America. We appreciate you. Despite living in a computer age, it is clear that the vibrancy of a community is reflected in its library.

Maritime Museum: Bath, Maine.

Getting the big picture was humbling.

The DeLorme Map Company near Yarmouth, Maine, has a three-story high globe in the entrance hall. We climbed the stairs to get a look at the whole world as it slowly turned past us.

Maine-iacs!

2008-08-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

So, I have now had my first post-trip night's sleep, after a wonderful lobster dinner (Thanks to Thom Bolduc for the Lobster Shack recommendation!).

When I was a kid my family didn't take many trips. With five children in the house we didn't have the resources to go on vacation very often. My Dad, a carpenter at a lumber mill (and later at a hospital), and my Mom, an assembly line worker at a television plant near Chicago (when they used to make TVs in the United States) worked opposite shifts so one parent was always home with the kids. Just getting through the work week must have been enough of a challenge, let alone planning a family vacation.

One time, however, I can remember going to the Wisconsin Dells for a couple of days. Just the name Wisconsin Dells conjured exotic images. Even though only a couple of hours away by car from our home in the Chicago area, it seemed a world away in my imagination. The memory of lying in the back of the station wagon on pillows and blankets (can you imagine that now?), looking out the back window listening to Three Dog Night sing On the Road to Shambala on my transistor radio seems like yesterday. I probably didn't realize it at the time but the travel bug was planted early (or maybe it is a genetic memory from my Irish and Italian ancestors who left their homelands to come to a new country). That trip to the Dells made me realize that there was a world beyond my house and neighborhood. As I grew my parents encouraged me to explore and to push myself.

Sometimes it is hard to tell if we are swimmers in the river of life, choosing the direction we go, or if we are leaves floating on the surface, going where the currents and eddies take us. I have received so many unexpected gifts from this trip, listened to and learned from so many people, and had the opportunity to share an amazing adventure with the people I love the most. Who could have expected so much when we took those first pedal strokes away from the Pacific Ocean, away from our home and friends in Walla Walla, and toward the coast of Maine? I must have had some expectations for the trip, but for the life of me I can't think of what they were.

Yesterday after we dipped our tires and were standing by the bikes a man came up to us and asked us what we were doing. After telling him he asked a question no one, and I mean NO ONE has asked in our nearly 4000 miles of biking: why? I laughed at the novelty of the question. And I couldn't answer it. Maybe some day I will be able to.

I really want to thank all of you who have followed us for the words of encouragement. There were times when those words helped us get through hard days. This was truly a team effort. Without the help from our friends and neighbors in Walla Walla (thank you Jen and Thom Bolduc and Shanna Johnson for helping with the house and all your other kindnesses, especially getting medicine shipped overnight for Alison and squirt guns for the kids!) we could not have made this trip. Thanks to our families for their support as well. We wouldn't be the people we are if it wasn't for our parents and siblings to help us along our path. And thanks to our work colleagues and employers (Walla Walla Clinic and Pioneer Middle School) for understanding when we needed extra time off to accomplish this feat.

I don't intend on letting this trip end here. We are contemplating on how to take what we have learned and make something more of it. Please check in for an update on our plans (give us a few weeks, however, as we will be jumping right into work and the "real world" as Gus called it as soon as we return to Walla Walla).

~ Dan

Shambala (Three Dog Night)

Wash away my troubles, wash away my pain
With the rain in Shambala
Wash away my sorrow, wash away my shame
With the rain in Shambala

Everyone is helpful, everyone is kind
On the road to Shambala
Everyone is lucky, everyone is so kind
On the road to Shambala

How does your light shine, in the halls of Shambala

I can tell my sister by the flowers in her eyes
On the road to Shambala
I can tell my brother by the flowers in his eyes
On the road to Shambala

How does your light shine, in the halls of Shambala

The Newspaper Needs Your Help!

2008-08-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

Sheila Hagar of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin will write an end-of-the-road story about this trip. She's requested that anyone who would like to please contact her at sheilahagar@wwub.com to share tiny morsels of what this trip has meant to all of you. Each submission will have to be very short, and she will have limited space, so there are no guarantees what she will ultimately use. Nonetheless, she would like to include that which she can from those who took this journey with us.

Also, we would love to hear any final thoughts you may have for us after you have had some time to think about it. There is no limit on what you send to us!

We have made new friends through this trip (even if just on-line!), and become reacquainted with friends from the past. Thanks again to all of you!

~ Dan

Quote of the Day, Maine shore

2008-08-19T04:21:00.000-07:00

"If you don't have to consider distances, traveling by bike sure beats traveling by car. You can hear the waterfalls and smell the wildflowers."

Photos: Last day of the tour

2008-08-19T03:34:00.001-07:00

Thank you, Thom, for the excellent recommendation for post-trip dinner!

Grocery store cheesecake after lobster shack dinner. Best meal of the trip.

Birthday-girl Sonia.

"I have been dreaming of this meal for 4000 miles."

Finishing the achievement of a lifetime. Thank you, Dan, for believing in me.

Walking the bikes away from the Maine shore, and heading for a lobster dinner.

Letting our friends and family know we reached the goal.

Quote of the Day: Portland, Maine

2008-08-19T03:25:00.001-07:00

"Any advice on how to return to our old lives when we are not the same people anymore?"
(Email to friends who completed Trans America bicycle tour two weeks ago.)

More photos: Getting it done.

2008-08-18T19:37:00.001-07:00

"We don't want to take pictures, we want to swim, Dad!"

Photos from the last day.

2008-08-18T18:58:00.001-07:00

Relaxing after the finish of the last day. This was just before a giant seagull ran away with our bag of Cheese Nips and we had to chase him.

Atlantic Ocean in the background. As William Clark said about another ocean: "O the joy! Ocean in view!"

The night before the final ride: Bridgton, Maine.

Moose: Tanks on stilts.

Gus and Alison make it to Maine just after the lightening legs of Calzaretta & Calzaretta.

Photos: Completion of the cross-continent tour.

2008-08-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

The unofficial final mileage.

The last turn of the day: Crescent Beach State Park and the ocean shore.

Gus and Sonia wasted no time wading in on this wonderful sunny last day of the journey.

Cape Elizabeth, Maine. We are overjoyed!

Quote of the day: Selkirk Shores State Park

2008-08-18T18:31:00.001-07:00

"We fear rain when we think there's the possibility of remaining dry."
--Alison

Quote of the Day: New Hampshire

2008-08-18T18:18:00.001-07:00

"The road looks like a blackboard going straight up with a yellow line down the middle."

Quote of the Day: Maine

2008-08-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

"People don't mind if you pee beside the road if you're on a bike, but they mind if you're in a truck."

2008-08-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

New Hampshire covered bridge.

Pastures Campground: 3 more days to go!

Fairlee, Vermont.

Crossed the Kancamagus Pass and into Maine on the same day.

They said, "That was easy. But we didn't want to make the other bikers feel bad."

Quote of the Day: Fryeburg, Maine

2008-08-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

"What happened to your leg?"
"The bike bit me."

Maine. The last day.

2008-08-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Bridgton to Cape Elizabeth today. As I type at a library in Windham, Dan and Sonia are sailing toward the coast. This afternoon we will dip our tires in the Atlantic Ocean after almost 11 weeks on the road. There are many mixed emotions today. Joy and satisfaction and a wonderful sense of accomplishment. And a sadness that I'm not side-by-side with my husband and daughter riding down the Maine roads. Most of all I feel profound gratitude to all the people who have helped us from home and along the journey to make it to this day.

Happy 12th Birthday to our dear Sonia. This will be a birthday to always remember.

--Alison

Quote of the Day: Adirondack Mountains

2008-08-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

"This has been a technically and emotionally difficult day."

Gus can be profound when he's not even trying.

Photos, New Hampshire

2008-08-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

Very nice Pastures Campground, Orford, NH.

Mosquito-free place to read after 65 miles in four-and-a-half hours. Without the bob trailer (aka The Anchor), they are traveling almost twice as fast.

Dan and Gus skipping rocks on the Erie Canal.

You've got to REALLY want to go. The owner refers to this as "the phone booth."

Dan and Randy discuss bike chains and karma in Dunnville, Ontario.

2008-08-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

Be grateful your computer doesn't have smellovision. Especially that third pair from the left.

Nightly journal update in the tent.

Round barn near Piedmont, New Hampshire.

Dan: "Hey Sonia! How about hiking the Appalachian Trail next summer from Georgia to Maine?" I think this was followed by a head butt to Dan's kidneys.

The Final Push, Part One

2008-08-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

Frustration. Rage. Anger. Resentment. Uncertainty. Sadness. And that was all before breakfast while in Ticonderoga waiting to see if Alison would be able to ride.

We have all had to deal with the reality of the situation in our own ways. Gus has really stepped up to the plate and agreed to help Alison sag for me and Sonia. He has really grown up this summer in so many ways, and I feel lucky to have seen it and to have been such a close part in it. Sonia has gotten on the bike for the last three days and has climbed some monster hills with me (and ALL without complaint!). She has kept her sense of humor and keeps telling me to keep my hands off the brakes on the downhill ("I've pedaled to the top and have earned the downhill!" she has told me several times). In fact, today we set our speed record of 52.75 mph! Tomorrow we have Kancamagus Pass. It may be a longer climb but I guarantee it will not be steeper than some of the hills we have already ridden, and with our gear. I hope the ice cream place rumored to be at the top is still there. I have dealt with the situation by trying to keep riding. This has been a family trip; that has been true since we started planning about two years ago. It isn't just about getting to the Atlantic. We have learned so much about each other as a family. But to be honest, it is also about getting to the end. And we will get there as a family. We will all dip our tires; we will all jump into the surf. We will all yell and scream and eat a last bowl of ice cream. We have all earned it, in spite of the MS, flat tires, wrong turns, occasional bruised egos, and a tantrum or two.

~ Dan

Quotes of the Night, Orford, NH

2008-08-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

"The moon woke me up."

"I wish I would've peed on that noisy cricket."

(Nature intrudes on our light sleepers.)

Photos, Ticonderoga, NY

2008-08-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sonia and Dan wait at the top of Blue Mountain for Alison to finish climbing. This bike and gear probably weigh 120+ pounds.

Alison and Gus enjoy the downhill AFTER Blue Mountain summit.

Pouring rain outside. Warm and dry inside. Adirondack Hotel, Long Lake, NY.

Adirondack Hotel. We were remembering an episode of Fawlty Towers where Basil puts up the moose head and then it falls on him.

Clinic in Newcomb, NY where Dan and Sonia set off alone for the first time. Thank you to the medical staff there for assistance, and thank you to Kevin for a ride to Ticonderoga!

Dan stands in the footsteps of George Washington and others at Fort Ticonderoga.

Matt, history interpreter, with new "recruits" on the parade grounds of Ft. Ticonderoga.

The final days spent on its side: the RANS recumbent tandem without Alison and Gus aboard.

Sonia before the ferry crossing into Vermont.

Vermont! Our 10th state/province.

Across Lake Champlain.

Photos, Middlebury, VT

2008-08-14T11:14:00.001-07:00

Matt, future history teacher, discusses how colonial soldiers avoided scurvey and sobriety by drinking spruce beer at Fort Ticonderoga.

Fresh from the Ticonderoga ER. Any resemblance to a prize-fighter is purely coincidental.

We found the last room for miles just before the rain (re-)started: Long Lake, NY. They have not had this much rain in the Adirondacks in over a hundred years.

Middlebury, VT

2008-08-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

The journey takes us, not the reverse. I had hoped to pedal all 3800 miles, but I'm going to be a little bit short because of the MS. My multiple sclerosis is atypical. It's in my spinal cord, so is mainly numb legs and some lower extremity weakness. I have only had one other exacerbation in eight years. I've had my IV infusion tune-up over the past two days in Ticonderoga, NY, but it's clear that I'm still not strong enough to finish the trip on a bike. Rental pickup truck to the rescue! Gus and I are going to provide sag support, and Dan and Sonia are continuing on bikes. For the past few days, they've been spending time at the top of each hill, waiting for me to slowly climb. I have to finally just swallow my pride and perseverence and admit that I am holding us back and endangering finishing the cross-continent trip as a family.

We've altered the trip plans. 8/14: Rochester, VT. 8/15: Orford, NH. 8/16: North Woodstock, NH. 8/17 Climb Kancamagus Pass on our 23rd wedding anniversary, and end in Conway, NH. 8/18 Go off route directly to Portland, Maine and dip the tires in the Atlantic Ocean for Sonia's 12th birthday. Then we have a couple days to drive up to Acadia National Park and bike around, ship the bikes out of Bangor, and return to Portland on the 21st to fly home on 8/22.

Travel across the country is teaching me about travel through life. You encounter a lot of wonderful human beings. (Thanks, Kevin, for driving me and Gus to Ticonderoga!) You find that you truly can endure unexpected turns of events with courage and grace and humor. Speaking for myself, the one who tells people, "Life is not a float trip. Paddle.", I am learning, sometimes painfully, that it's ok to let go of control and let life unfold.

Thank you to family and friends, especially Jen Bolduc, for making this eye-opening experience possible. --Alison

Quote of the Day, Middlebury, VT

2008-08-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

"Missed it by THAT much." --Don Adams on the old Get Smart TV show.

(Alison's bicycling truncated by MS exacerbation 225 miles (5 days) short of the Maine coast and the end of a 3800 mile/80 day adventure.)

Quote of the Day, Newcomb, NY

2008-08-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

"I am not a tool."
(Gus laughingly protests "pedaling Mom's carcass" up the hills.)

Photos, New York

2008-08-11T08:56:00.001-07:00

Donut crossing: Never met a donut we didn't like.

Even in New York, they seem to know about Gus.

Our saints of Orwell: Kellen, Kim, Carol, Megan, Charlie, little Toby, with Alison, Sonia and Gus.

Alison waiting in the ER to get treated for MS exacerbation.

The other one we like is, "If you are smoking in here, you best be on fire."

Alison in the fisherman's hostel.

We got to visit all five of the Great Lakes.

Silly and hilly in the Adirondacks.

Adirondack photos

2008-08-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

This was the day when we knew we wouldn't be able to get all the way to Bar Harbor, Maine. The disappointment shows on our faces.

Beautiful Moose River in the Adirondacks.

Inlet, New York

2008-08-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

Some days are tougher than others. My denial about MS carried me 3500 miles to Palmyra, NY. I started getting weaker and unable to climb hills. By Selkirk Shores State Park, I had about half my usual strength. We camped in a torrential storm with lightning and thunder which dampened our moods a bit. There were lakes several inches deep in most of the camp spots. People were yelling "Ahoy" to each other the next morning. The kids' tent had sprung a leak in the rain fly. Their gear and sleeping bags were pretty wet. Dan and I were very proud of the children because they problem solved by putting their books and things that had to stay dry in the legs of their rain pants, and stuffing a raincoat between the outside of the tent and the rainfly to slow down the leak. The campground had a recreation room with ping pong and board games. The kids hustled over there in the rain, and were able to dry out and have some fun while Dan and I packed up the tents.

It continued raining through the morning. We stopped for lunch in Pulaski, NY. A lady and her cousin saw the bikes in town and later saw us (me)struggling up the hills as they were driving home. Carol told her cousin Jeannie, and her husband Charlie: "If they ride past the house, I am going to ask them to come in and get dried off." That's exactly what she did, and we accepted her kind offer. Carol and Charlie were angels in human form. They fed us and took care of us. Charlie even drove me to the hospital 40 miles away and waited in his truck for five hours while I got seen in the ER for an infusion of Solumedrol to shut down the MS exacerbation. The doc wanted me to stay in the hospital for three days, but I asked him not to do that because we are getting close to the end of the trip, and I didn't want to lose three days. Meanwhile, back at Carol and Charlie's house, she fed the children and got them into bed and waited up until midnight to make sure Dan and I got dinner also. Carol and Charlie's daughter Kim was there with her children about Gus and Sonia's age, so it was nice for the kids to get a break from the stress and play for awhile.

The next day I had a return of my strength, but it only lasted 24 hours. We have been making 20-35 miles, instead of the usual 45-65 miles per day. We are trying to get to Ticonderoga, NY, two days from here, where there is another hospital, and I will have to layover there two days.

It breaks my heart that I will not be able to ride to Acadia National Park, but if we can get to Portland, ME, perhaps we can rent a van and go explore Acadia, and then ship the bikes out from Bangor, then back to Portland on Aug 21st and fly to Portland, Oregon on the 22nd as planned. Uncertainty is hard for a control freak like me, but I'm trying to make the best of what the day brings me.

Thanks for all your love and encouragement, Alison

How Things Change

2008-08-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

It is funny how situations on the road can change quickly. The weather can go from warm to rainy (and it has over the last few days). Moods can shift based on the wind and hills. And the unpredictable can happen.

Alison's MS flared up unexpectedly a couple of days ago. The kindness of strangers again saved us when we needed it most. I will write more on this later, but a family took us in out of the rain and put us up in their home for the night.

Because of the MS, we will have to modify the end point. We are still shooting for the coast of Maine, but we will most likely be dipping our tires near Portland rather than Bar Harbor.

We have had to shorten our miles each day to try to get Alison through. For those of you who know her, she is not one to give up easily!

I will post more in a couple of days when we have more time and have a better idea of how things are going.

Thanks for all of you who have been following us and writing words of encouragement. It means more to us than you can ever know.

~ Dan

So This is How a Trip Begins to Reach the End

2008-08-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."
~ Henry Miller

With still two weeks left in the trip and many adventures still ahead, I am already thinking about the end of the trip. I don't mean that I am thinking about work, or wondering about the house work that will need to be done. I picture in my mind sitting on the front porch drinking a cup of coffee on a quiet, fall Sunday morning, wondering what is happening on a road or trail that we have ridden down. I see myself having a hard day and remembering riding up a killer hill. I can picture myself going into the kids' rooms after they have fallen asleep and thinking about the big and small discoveries we made as a family on this trip. Most of all, I see myself wanting to relive the moments, good and bad, and start planning for the next adventure.

I guess this is how a trip comes to an end. Car and plane trips just end. You get to where you are going and that is it. The end of this trip, however, is a process. We are slowly but surely moving toward our destination (maybe this is what a migrating butterfly feels -- a need to get to a specific place). I am starting to think about Lake Ontario, the mountains of New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. I can almost taste the lobster dinner fresh from a fish shack on the Maine coast. And I am starting to think about how I will ever make the transition back to my regular life in Walla Walla. Gus said something quite profound the other day (yes, OUR Gus!): how are we going to go back to the real world? Indeed.

It is probably a bit presumptuous to begin the assessment of the trip before it is over. I guess it would be like predicting the outcome of a complicated surgery while the patient is still being operated on. But I have some things I can say:

We have met so many wonderful people, from all walks of life, all ethnic backgrounds, all ages. Just today, and when we most needed it, we ran into a "Night Out Against Crime" party in a park in Rochester. We were welcomed like we were neighbors. And we had free food, drinks, and music from the community band.
Most people are interested in what we are doing. Even more so, they are amazed that the kids are doing it. I am not bragging on Sonia and Gus. I think all kids have the capacity to do amazing things if we encourage and support them, and then get out of their way!
The beauty of this country is often in the subtle and sublime. Yes, Niagara Falls is amazing; it is almost too much for the senses. But just as astounding is the butterfly that crisscrosses our path as we ride; the blue heron that slowly lifts off from the bank of the Erie Canal (as one did today) and glides away; the glow of the nearly-set sun that illuminates the treeless prairie of the upper Midwest.
We get some great looks from people as we ride through towns, especially small towns. Our bikes are so big and unusual looking that people point, wave, and laugh. Most people laugh (as Alison pointed out) like they are in on the fun -- this was especially true as we rode through Ontario. Sometimes it is as though we are in a parade, and we are the only floats!
The kindness shown to us, both big and small, has made me re-think how I interact with strangers. We have been allowed to pitch our tents in a church yard when it had gotten dark and we were still miles away from a camp site. Strangers have stopped to help us when we had mechanical troubles on the side of the road. We have been given comfortable beds and warm showers. We have been treated to cold drinks at a roadside fruit stand on a hot and humid day. Just after we had crossed into Ontario we had asked a woman walking with her child and husband to take a picture of all of us with the setting sun in the background. As we got to talking about our trip we had told her about some flat tire problems we had been having. She asked us a simple question, yet one that has stuck with me: "Is there anything we can do to help you?"
I have found a joy in my children that I couldn't have anticipated. We have been with them every day, almost every minute of the day. And I have not gotten tired of their company.

Yes, the trip is nearly over. But only this part of the trip. I am sure that our experiences, the good, bad, and ugly, will stick with me for the rest of my life.

~ Dan

Quote of the Week

2008-08-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

"Dad, how are we going to go back to the real world (after this trip)?"

~Gus

Erie (Canal) Scenes

2008-08-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

We stumbled upon a free concert with free food in a park in Rochester, NY. What more could a cyclist ask for? (and it had stopped raining!).

Dan and Gus in the pouring rain on a crossing over the Erie Canal. It was still a great ride.

Sonia reads a new book outside of a bookstore in Brockport, NY.

Alison and Gus in their anti-gnat riding gear.

The geese scatter as Alison and Gus ride through.

Alison and Sonia watch a tug pulling a dredge up the canal.

Gus at the northern most point on the canal.

Pizza in Medina, NY, a small canal town.

The obligatory ice cream -- Double Dips in Medina.

A canal crossing. The bridge goes straight up when a boat comes through.

Alison and Gus on the canal trail.

Photos: Lockport, New York

2008-08-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

Good eatin' and great conversation with Tim and Chris at Lil' Robin in Lockport, NY.

Our homage to Norman Rockwell.

Back in the USA.

Fort Erie, Ontario with Steven and Janet, our fabulous hosts.

Janet and Gus.

"I said, Get off your bum and fill the water bottles!"

Hostel in Niagara, Ontario.

2008-08-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

Gus, Dan and Sonia after the Tour Behind the Falls.

The Maid of the Mist sails under a rainbow between the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side.

Ontario photos

2008-08-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Lunch at the community center in Wallaceburg. Note the seven patches on the tire.

Back in the USA: Somebody get me a CHEESEBURGER!

2008-08-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a wonderful day of tourist hedonism at Niagara Falls, Ontario. We stayed at the Niagara Falls Hostel International near the bus terminal. Friendly, tight quarters with computer, laundry, kitchen access and pungent smells galore. Today we crossed the border with relative ease thanks to an email from our bicycling friends, Barb and Bob. (Thank you! Thank you! We would have wasted an hour of frustration without you!)

On the morning ride, we ate juicy peaches at a roadside stand where the owner gives bicyclists a free drink from the cooler! Lunch was equally great at Lil'Robins in Lockport, where Tim and Chris were boisterous happy hosts and good cooks.

We are rested and happy and heading for Brockport today. Welcome to New York, our 9th state, and over the 3000 mile mark now. Seems impossible that there are only 2 weeks left in the trip. Sonia turns 12 on August 18th, somewhere in Maine.

--Alison

Photos from Ontario

2008-08-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

View over Lake Claire at Rondeau Provincial Park.

Gus gets upset about being out of clean laundry. That's his coat he's wearing for pants.

Sonia and Gus love taking the ferry!

Like the Wallace and Grommit movie, this guy was making a getaway in the window of the Chocolate Penguin ice cream shop in Wallaceburg, Ontario.

A Few Photos

2008-08-02T06:37:00.000-07:00

Angelo's, our accomodations for the evening. We were serenaded until 1 AM with karaoke! (The look on Alison's face says it all!)

Our first family photo in Canada.

Crossing the US - Canadian border.

We'll Charge the Rest to Karma

2008-08-02T05:56:00.000-07:00

Roam if you want to
Roam around the world
Roam if you want to
Without wings, without wheels
Roam if you want to
Roam around the world
Roam if you want to
Without anything but the love we feel
~ B-52s, Roam

After several days of cycling in Ontario we are now in Port Colborne staying with our wonderful Warmshowers hosts Janet and Steven Rivers. It is an amazing feeling after a long day of cycling to be welcomed into someone's house, people we have never met, like we were old friends returning after an extended absence. Janet and Steven provided us with a fantastic lasagna dinner, cold beer, good wine, and dessert. The kids had their own room (with a television to watch the Discovery Channel and no parents to nag them to turn off the TV!). Alison and I also had our own room. And what a good thing we were inside last night. Sometime in the early morning hours a huge thunder storm moved through. The lightning and thunder were intense, even indoors.

I think that sometimes in our everyday lives we forget about the kindness of others, and our potential to show kindness to strangers. For the past several days the chain on Alison's bike has been slipping off the chain ring. We were unable to adjust it adequately to fix the problem. Yesterday we stopped in a bike shop in Dunnville, Ontario. The owner, Randy, was very busy but he took time to look at the bike and adjust the chain tension (note: Alison has a recumbent tandem. The chains are at least double the length of a standard bike and adjustments are sometimes tricky). Randy took about an hour of his time to get the chain just right. As he worked we talked about our trip and some of the adventures we have had. When he finished we went back into the store so I could pay him for his time. He told me the cost was $5. I thought I misheard him. Five dollars for working on the bike for nearly an hour? "We'll charge the rest to karma," he said.

I guess I had added to my karma account earlier in the day. As we were cycling toward Dunnville I saw a man pushing his bike on the side of the road. As we slowly went by I asked him if he was OK. He said yes but that his chain came off. He was about 50 years old and it was clear that he was developmentally delayed. I stopped my bike and asked him if I could help. The chain had come off the rear cog on his single-speed bike. It was wedged between the cog and the frame. As I worked I asked him if he lived far (I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get the chain unstuck). He was about four or five miles from home. After working for about 20 minutes I was able to get the chain free and back on the cog. He thanked me and he was off. Sonia and I said goodbye to him as he pedaled back onto the road.

If I were driving in my car I might have just driven on by as he walked his wounded bike down the road. Several times when we have had problems with our bikes most drivers just went on by, either not noticing us or just too busy to stop. I am going to keep adding to the karma bank, however, and make sure to take the time to be more aware when driving by cyclists in need once we get back to our "real lives".

Speaking of that, it is hard to believe that we are nearly done with our trip. We will be in Walla Walla in just 20 days. I keep thinking about how that transition will go. I'm not so sure it will be an easy one. This trip has been intense in so many ways. The time I have spent with Sonia and Gus (all day, every day!), being able to have extended conversations with Alison and the kids with no pressure of work, school, getting the kids to some activity, the time to see people at their best, and cycling every day; those are experiences I could not have had without this adventure.

And speaking of experiences, we stayed in Port Dover two nights ago. There was no camping in the area and only a couple of options for motels. One was very expensive and probably wouldn't let us in anyway! The second was half the price and was right near the cycling route. There was one catch: it was above a bar called Angelo's. OK, still not bad. We've stayed in hostels in Ireland that were above pubs. When I checked in (at the bar of course) the bartender told me that it was karaoke night. Until 1 AM. OK, maybe the insulation was so good that we wouldn't hear it. No such luck. OK, maybe the singing would be so good that we wouldn't mind. It would be just like having the radio on in the background. Picture this: loud, mostly bad country songs sung by drunk or on their way to being drunk very bad singers. It could have been worse, I suppose. It could have rained and the roof could have leaked!

Today we are off to Niagara Falls and a well-earned rest day off the bikes tomorrow. We are getting so close to Maine now that I can almost smell and taste the lobster!

Thanks again for all the comments and words of encouragement. We do appreciate it.

~ Dan

Quote of the Day: Michigan Thumb

2008-07-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

(Running around our church yard camping spot)
"Fireflies! Fireflies! Fireflies! I just lost my flip flop somewhere!"

Quote of the Day: Michigan

2008-07-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

"Dad and me just saw a MILLION Mayflies on the walk back from the movies!" (They are so thick on the road they sound like popping bubble wrap when cars run over them. They hatch enmasse for two weeks, once a year.)

Quote of the Day: Wallaceburg, Ontario

2008-07-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

"Mom, did you notice that the only car that didn't move over today had Michigan plates?"

2008-07-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Memphis, Michigan. The guy at the bike shop 20 miles away asked us if we were calling from Memphis, Tennessee. Not the sharpest tool in the shed.

We were feeling so superior buzzing past all the cars in the traffic jam until we got the second of four flats.

Sonia's first experience using a cornfield for a porta-potty.

Northeast Michigan is referred to as "the thumb".

Pinconning, Michigan

Rattle Run describes our bikes pretty well at this point.

Brief Update: Heading for ferry to Canada

2008-07-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

Rough day yesterday: 4 flats and one today. Rode until well after dark last night. Slept in church yard. Doing ok today and heading for Wallaceburg, Ontario tonight. More from Writer Dan later... --Alison

Quote of the Day, Bay City, MI

2008-07-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

"That boat in the front yard is bigger than that guy's car!"
"It's bigger than the guy's house."

Indelible Images

2008-07-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

>Able-bodied teen female in North Dakota comes out of the Best Buy store and uses her cell phone to call her dad in a black Mercedes one hundred yards away to drive over and pick her up at the front door.

>Biking a slalom course back and forth between orange and white barrels on the shoulder of the road so Gus can reach out and smack them.

>Making up new words to old songs to make ourselves laugh after a stressful event over which we have no control: usually naughty drivers. Songs usually contain profanity.

>Gus being told he cannot approach the beach because it's private property, then the same man goes to check his truck, trailer, and Wavemaster which are parked on public property next door at the rest stop where we are drinking our warm bike water and using pit toilets. We have had many episodes like this. "You can't photograph the lighthouse from our property here, but you can go to the public area." (The one with no view.) In many societies of the world, heirarchies are not as fluid in America, but there is an invisible caste system here. I just wasn't affected by it before. I thought I had empathy for people who are struggling, but I realize I never truly understood until now. It's a gentle face-slap of reality to be a physician but to look and smell like a homeless person and be treated as such. Perhaps for the first time in my life, I understand what it is like to be cursed by motorists, shunned by barbers, and lied to about the availability of public restrooms because of how we look. --Alison

Photos: scenes from a life on the road

2008-07-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

Sonia and Gus explore at Lake Huron.

Just add "Bike" to that list.

A campfire at beautiful Hoeft State Park.

The debate: religion vs. science!

This time NOT getting mauled by plastic wildlife!

Alison poses with her yellow helmet.

Ouch! Front yard fun in Michigan.

Sunflowers and a red barn in Michigan.

What else do you need for a party but smoked fish? Let's get the party started!

Dan strikes his best bowling form in front of Big Bowlin' Jesus, near the Dinosaur Gardens.

Outside the magnificent Bay City Library.

Bay City, also known for its fabulous architecture.

Another drive-through on the bike, this time at an A & W.

It's Alison's turn to get attacked!

After Paul and Babe were banished from Minnesota they moved to Michigan, where the progressive citizens had no problem with a man and his blue ox.

So this is where all those concrete steps went to.

Gus and Dan toast with frosty mugs at A & W.

Tawas Point lighthouse.

Help! We're surrounded by RVs and can't get out. We were the ONLY tent campers in Tawas Point State Park that night.

Gus, finally home with his people.

A penguin memorial? There has got to be a story behind this one.

Alison talks with someone about the trip. Not a day goes by that someone doesn't ask us about what we are doing.

Stay away from the worms!

Sonia and Gus play in Lake Huron.

At the Dinosaur Gardens. This was an authentic tourist experience!

Need we say more?

Yes, the food of kings!

And another animal attack!

Anyone see the resemblance?

Adversity, or Hell on Wheels

2008-07-26T06:24:00.001-07:00

Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; And this our life, exempt from human
haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones,
and good in everything.

~ William Shakespeare, As You Like It

Yesterday was the toughest day of the trip for me. But let me start with the day before.

We left Alpena at 9 AM headed for Point Tawas State Park. Although the ride was to be a long one, we figured that if we left early enough we could take our time and even play in Lake Huron for awhile at some point during the day. We were also looking forward to the state park as our experience at Hoeft State Park the day before was very good.

We decided to take our long afternoon break in Harrisville, which turned out to be a very good choice. As we cycled into town and past the local ice cream shop (as you faithful readers know, we seem to find these as if by some sort of magnetic draw or by primeval instinct), we stopped to speak with a woman enjoying a cone on a bench by the street. She directed us to a very good lunch spot just down the block by the harbor. We spoke with her for awhile about our trip and off we went (but vowing to come back for ice cream after lunch).

While we were eating lunch the very same woman we had just been talking to a few minutes earlier came in. She said that she thought our trip was amazing and offered us a warm bed, a home cooked meal, and a bonfire at her house for that evening (she lived right on the lake). What an amazing offer! Here we are, total strangers (and some might say totally strange), and she invites us to stay for the evening. Unfortunately we had to decline (that would really put pressure on us to ride over 90 miles the next day and few options to make up the distance over the next few days). We did give her our blog address. If you are the woman who made this kind offer: thank you! We wished we could have taken you up on it.

After eating lunch we made our way back to the ice cream shop. The sign said "home of the big dipper" and they weren't kidding. The cones were huge. We enjoyed our afternoon ritual sitting on a bench in front of the ice cream shop, enjoying the day and the cool breeze blowing in from the lake.

Alison wisely suggested that we take time for the kids to play in Lake Huron before we left (there was a state park just a few blocks away). We rode there, the kids jumped in their swim suits and were off. Sometimes I need to be reminded that we need to find fun things to do during the day. My inclination would be to stark early, hit the road, and get to where we are going. Some days, however, there isn't much to see at the end of the day so we need to take these opportunities as they come to us.

We finally left town at about 6 PM (ok, it was a long mid-day break!) and headed out to Tawas Point (another 30 miles south). We arrived at the state park at about 9:15. When we checked in at the park office we were told that there was only one campsite left in the whole park (of 200 sites). And it was a corner site (she mentioned this to me twice as though I wouldn't want it, since apparently 199 other campers didn't want it). And it was in the RV section -- in fact, the entire park was an RV section. There was no tent-only or primitive sites. And it was $27! Alas, it was 9:30 at this point, we were all exhausted, and we just needed a spot to put our tent.

As we rode toward the camping area I was worried that we wouldn't be able to find the site because it was dark. Our way, however, was lit by the glow of multi-colored hanging lantern lights strung on nearly every RV in the park (I bet you can tell a lot about the owners of the RVs by the types of lights they string). It was like when I was a kid sneaking downstairs on Christmas morning, my way lit by the lights on the tree).

When we got to our site I saw something I have never seen before. I had to do a double-take. In the campsite next to us (hey, all the campsites were next to us; this was the pinnacle of urban camping) a kid was playing Nintendo Wii. Outside. The television was on a table next to the RV. At least he was playing baseball and getting his exercise, I guess. Now, let me say that I am not fanatically opposed to video games. I have played my share (maybe more than my share in video game parlors of my youth). Every Thanksgiving when my brother-in-law Rob visits us in Walla Walla we usually have a video game marathon of some kind or another. SOAPBOX ALERT: but while camping? One thing this trip has shown me is that kids do NOT need to be tied to electronics. They DO have imaginations. They CAN play and make up games and have fun without being connected to an electronic umbilical cord. They WILL survive being unplugged for awhile. I don't want to sound pious here. We own a TV and watch it. My kids like to play on the computer. As a society, however, I think that we have swallowed the mass-media lie that our kids will not be happy without these things.

I also noticed that there was no picnic table (which we needed to eat our dinner). When I mentioned this to Alison one of our camping neighbors sheepishly said that they were using it. She delivered it back to our site but only after saying that we really needed it.

After a quick meal of turkey and cheese sandwiches, pudding cups, Gatorade for the kids and a 24 ounce beer for me (this is the only size they sell in singles here!), we went to sleep.

Now, to the hard day. Yesterday we needed to ride from Tawas Point to near Bay City. The road had a very narrow shoulder and more traffic than we have seen anywhere else on this trip. It was, in fact, non-stop. I think Gus said that the longest time he counted between cars was 19 seconds! Our original plan was to find a small motel north of Bay City. Up to this point there were numerous options in the towns we rode through. But not yesterday. The day seemed to drag on and on, we were fighting traffic and a headwind, and the miles seemed longer than usual. When we got just north of Bay City we saw a couple of motels. The first I wouldn't have sent my dog to. The second looked better, but we decided to pass on it an ride a couple of more miles into town. At this point (about 9:00) it was starting to get dark and I was worried about our safety.

So, this is where I can either gloss over what happened, or not write about it at all. But in an effort to keep the narrative honest, and to show that there can be bad days on the trip, I will relate what happened.

As we rode into town I asked Alison to pull over so we could look at the map. She said that she would stop up the road at the McDonald's. I was in no mood for this so I stubbornly stopped my bike in a small parking lot about a block away. Now, Alison also being on the stubborn side, rode to the McDonald's. Gus and I sat there for a few minutes, me fuming that I was NOT going to ride down the road and that SHE could ride back here. Gus, after sitting with me for a few minutes, wisely said that maybe we could just go down to McDonald's and figure things out. I agreed, but I have to admit that I was fuming (you need to understand that we were 70 miles into the day and it was getting dark and we had no motel prospects at this point). When I got to the McDonald's I found Alison getting some food. I was even more unhappy (what I didn't know at this point was that she had already found out where a motel was and that it was less than 10 minutes away; on a well-lit street; with very little traffic). At this point my brain should have said "Dan, before you do anything crazy, ask Alison if she found a place yet". But, as you probably have guessed, I didn't. I went into a bit of a rant and even, if you can believe it, threw my helmet on the floor. Yes, even 47 year old men can have tantrums. I left the restaurant and waited outside. Needless to say, both Sonia and Gus were stunned (as was I, in fact). When Alison came out I apologized. We decided that if we found ourselves getting into a situation like this again we would try to calmly sit down and assess the situation together and come up with a plan. And no more helmet throwing. As I write this the next morning after getting a good night sleep, I can hardly believe it happened. Hey, maybe it was a dream. I have the feeling, however, that when the kids wake up they will remind me of the reality of the evening!

So, adversity can show the real character of a person. I'm not sure I did well on that test!

Today should be a shorter day since we rode about an extra 15 miles yesterday. The next few days as we head toward the border crossing for Ontario there may not be a lot to see. But we will make due, and the kids will find their own fun as they always do. Everything will be fine. We will, as Shakespeare said, find "good in everything". And we will live to ride another day.

~ Dan

Quote of the Day, Alpena, MI

2008-07-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

If these hills had a machine for the uphill, they'd be just like roller-coasters!

Quote of the Day

2008-07-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Mom, I don't care about fancy hotels or swimming pools. I just want a dry place to lay down and my family next to me. (Gus earns extra hug points for that one. Maybe he's just buttering me up for more ice cream.)

Quote of the Day, Epoufette, MI

2008-07-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

I saw a bear and a coyote and some wild turkeys today, and they weren't even squished! (Gus savoring wildlife that actually moves. Interestingly, roadkill changes as you cross the US, from antelope and foxes and prairie dogs to porcupines and turtles and frogs.)

Photos!

2008-07-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

When the people leave, the geese party.

Sunrise over Lake Huron.

Our bikes look longer than the boat.

A throng of tourists descend on Mackinac Island.

Pasties, as we learned, are a local delicacy.

This is a pastie, a meat and root vegetable-filled, hand-held pie.

Enjoying an empty beach on Lake Michigan.

The only mystery is why I didn't stop.

Look at the sign above us. Do you think we are the kind of bikers they meant?

Crazy hair on the ferry.

I took this picture while riding. Sonia, Alison, and Lake Michigan.

What else is there?

Good Bye UP, Hello LP?

2008-07-22T11:04:00.001-07:00

What do they call the rest of the state of Michigan? The Lower Peninsula? Which would be odd since it is not very peninsula-like.

I am having a hard time believing that we have really made it this far. When we look at the state maps we have I don't really get a sense of distance since we are looking at only a small slice of our entire route. Back in Minnesota we stayed at a motel that had a map of the US in the foyer showing locations of motels in the chain across the US. I showed Sonia where we were. We both kind of stood there in shock for a moment. Last week in the UP we saw a similar map. I was again amazed.

I thought back to when we were planning the trip. I can remember looking at maps for the route, studying the town names, looking for clues to what we might see. When planning, every day is 70 degrees, the wind is at your back, and the cars give you a wide berth on the road. And the town names can sound romantic and mysterious. At times while planning, I will admit, I was somewhat apprehensive about what we might encounter and how we would handle adversity. What if we had a mechanical issue we couldn't solve and were far from a bike shop? What if one of the kids got hurt or sick (although that one we should have covered with a pediatrician in the group!). What if we just hated every minute of it and wanted to go home? Those fears seem to fade once I was on the bike. So far we have managed to deal with issues as they have come up. We have been flexible enough to change plans when necessary. We have taken the time to wade in Lake Michigan at an empty beach even though we had miles to make that day. We have made sure to take the time to try the local restaurants, staying away from most chains when possible. And we have made sure to sample as much ice cream as possible. I keep thinking of something I read once: the worst day on the bike is better than the best day at work. I count myself very lucky to have a job I love and still be able to have an adventure like this.

The Ride

Two days ago we rode to Epoufette, Michigan and stayed in a small "motor court". These motels seem to have come about as part of the car culture in the United States in the 1950s. These small, one story motels are iconic: neon signs, vibrant colors (often pink),room doors facing the parking lot, chairs sitting under an overhang so people can sit outside and visit after a day of travel. The motor courts are mostly gone in cities (although you can sometimes find a few hanging on in between mega-hotels). They can still be found on the back highways of America, however. We have stayed in several. I find them charming. It hearkens to a time when people traveled not on super-highways (since there were none) that cut the most direct line between big cities by passing all the small towns along the way, but on the interstates of the time: two-lane black top that snaked from small town to small town, luring weary drivers with bright neon and catchy names. The interstates all but killed these motor courts. But some are still out there if you get off the main roads and look around.

Our motor court, the Wonderland Motel, had a great view of Lake Michigan. We fell asleep to the glow of the pink neon shining through the curtains. What more could a tired traveler ask for?

Yesterday we rode from Epoufette to Mackinaw City via Mackinac Island. We were all looking forward to visiting the island. We had read that it had a quaint charm to it: no cars were allowed. Bikes and horse drawn carriages ruled the road. But when we got off the ferry and rolled our bikes out to the main street we found ourselves in the middle of tourist trap hell! I'm sure that Mackinac Island has its charms, but at that moment we were in a swarm of people, all going from one store to the next, trying to fill voids in their lives by purchasing cheap t-shirts and over-priced fudge. We stood there for a few minutes and watched as the boats disgorged their tourist loads and like zombies, they made their way to the street, themselves overwhelmed with all the shops and restaurants trying to draw them in. You could almost see a hypnotic trance come over them as they went from one store to the next.

Needless to say, we did not stay long. In fact, only long enough to get the bikes from the main street back to the dock for the ferry to Mackinaw City. I'm not against tourism (we are, after all, tourists ourselves). I'm also not opposed to entrepreneurs taking cash from people who have more money then they know what to do with. What does bother me is the taking of a place and reinventing it for the sake of drawing in visitors. I don't think you can have an "authentic' experience of a place if the place is portrayed and marketed in a way that draws in tens of thousands of visitors each year. To be honest, I would rather visit the "Mystery Spot" that we passed up before getting to Mackinac Island than a Potemkin Village like Mackinac Island (unfortunately we did not stop at the Mystery Spot -- something I regret as I write this!).

After escaping Mackinac Island with our bikes, lives, and wallets intact, we found a motel in Mackinaw City and watched the day come to an end over Lake Huron from our balcony.

Quote of the Day

2008-07-22T11:03:00.001-07:00

People say you can't do this kind of trip with kids. And you guys are proving them wrong!

~Smilin' Joe, a fellow cross-country cyclist we met in the UP of Michigan

Photos: Michigan Upper Peninsula

2008-07-20T06:52:00.002-07:00

Voyageur outside Manistique.

Self-explanatory.

Bart Simpson runs for office in Michigan.

We get endless amusement out of being attacked by plastic fish.

And we thought Alison was Our Lady of the Highway.

A Star Trek fan finds a home.

Quote of the Day

2008-07-20T06:52:00.001-07:00

"The fun factor has been too low recently."

Photos: Manistique, Michigan

2008-07-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

Those iron ore miners must have had BIG appetites.

Pining for the fjords in Norway, Michigan.

Home-made Packer enthusiasm.

In case you didn't get enough of the real thing, you can buy one--a really BIG one-- for your yard.

Sonia and Alison get a formal moose welcome to Manistique.

An evening ride along Lake Michigan.

Let Bret play.

Quote of the Day: Manistique, Michigan

2008-07-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

"You're riding all this way and you're pregnant?"
"No. Just Fat."

I'm so grateful to strangers for letting me know that I'm maintaining my girlish figure, even after 2300 miles. Sigh.

Quote of the Day: Escanaba, Michigan

2008-07-19T18:42:00.001-07:00

"I need a seatbelt on this thing."
"Good idea. I always wear my seatbelt. Even on the toilet."

It's Funny How Things Happen

2008-07-18T04:16:00.000-07:00

Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.
~Ray Bradbury

Is this a risky thing we are doing? Some days I wonder!

Two days ago just near the end of the day Sonia and I were approaching a stop sign within about 1 mile of our destination. We were going to wait for Alison and Gus to catch up so we could ride into town together. As Sonia tried to unclip from her pedal she got her heel wedged between the bike frame and against the rear tire, causing the wheel to lock up. The bike skidded, I was able to keep it upright, but the rear tire wore completely through in a matter of seconds. There was a loud bang just as I brought the bike to a stop (see previous photo posts for a picture).

There we were outside of Iron River with a huge gash in the tire and no way to repair it (I didn't bring a spare tire on the trip. I've never needed one!). The incident occurred, however, in front of a house, the first one we had seen for some time. The noise was so loud it brought out Sheldon, a young man, and his young daughter, LeiLani. When he heard the sound he thought it was a gun shot (it was loud!).

Just then Alison and Gus rolled up. We all looked at the tire in amazement. We were also unsure of what to do next. Luckily, Sheldon had a bike in his yard that he didn't need and said we could take the tire. It was a bit too big, but we were able to put in on the rim anyway. This would allow us to push the bike into town without damaging the rim.

Alison and Gus went on and Sonia and I walked the bike into town -- again, lucky that it was only a little over a mile away to the motel.

When we got to the hotel I called the local bike shop in the hope that someone might answer (it was nearly 8 PM at this point). A woman did answer but said that she didn't have the size tire that I needed. The next closest bike shop was 50 miles away. Alison and I decided to walk down to Subway to pick up sandwiches and contemplate our next step.

When we got back to the motel the desk clerk told us that the woman from the bike shop called to say that she did have a tire our size and we could come by in the morning to pick it up. Our first stroke of luck!

The next morning Alison and I rode her bike to the shop to pick up the tire. On the way there I noticed a clicking noise from her bike. It was coming from the front brake (one side was rubbing the tire rim; it had been doing this for a couple of days). We thought that since we were going to a bike shop we would have the mechanic check that sound out as well.

The Bike Shop, the name of the bike shop, was in the basement of an elderly woman's house. Her husband ran the shop for thirty years before his death about 11 years ago. A local man, Paul, who was retired when the owner died, decided he would help out for a while. He has been there ever since.

He looked at the front brake and did some adjustments. I told him that it seemed like the rim had a small dent. He took the wheel off to inspect it. It was a good thing we did. As it turned out, my tire exploding would be the smallest of the problems we would face that day.

When he took the tire and tube off the wheel, we could see that the rim was cracked on the inside. The crack ran several inches in three separate places on the rim. Paul had only seen this type of rim failure on a bike that had been run hard into curbs or holes, and never in a heavy-duty double walled rim such as this. It appeared that the rim had a defect in it that just finally got bad enough for us to notice it (the bike, as you faithful readers will know, was purchased in March and only had the miles from the trip across Oregon, some training miles, and what we have done so far across the US).

So, we now had a tire for my bike but no rim for Alison's! Again, luckily, he had a rim that would fit, but not a heavy duty one. We decided to have him put it on so we could at least get on the road.

When we got back to the motel, I called Sherman at Coventry Cycles in Oregon (where we bought the bike). He agreed that the cracked rim was probably from a defect. I asked him to call the bike company, Rans, and see if he could get them to send a rim overnight to our next stop (Escanaba, Michigan). He called us back about an hour later and said the rim was on its way.

As we rode through the humid Michigan afternoon, a thunderstorm imminent and much desired, I thought about this chain of events. Here's how it could have gone:

Sonia clips out without getting her heel wedged
My tire does not blow up
We don't discover the cracked rim on Alison's front wheel
We continue on, screaming down some very steep hills today (there were some 40 mph hills today, by the way!)
Alison's rim fails, the front tire collapses, and...

Now, some people would ascribe this to luck. Others would give some divine cause or a specific alignment of planets or stars. I would be on the side of random chance and coincidence. Whatever the reason, if Sonia had not gotten her heel jammed (and at the time I was very mad at her; I had told her and Gus several times not to unclip their feet that way) we could have had a much more serious, trip ending, injury causing incident!

So, we again live to ride another day.

~ Dan

Photos: Iron Mountain, Michigan Upper Peninsula

2008-07-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Watching the lightening storm roll in.

This ice cream made in Madison, Wisconsin is fantastic as well as creatively named.

Life could be worse. You could be famous for your worms.

Skid-induced blow-out. Didn't get a photo of the six foot long skid mark on the road.

2008-07-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

This is actually the name of the Michigan town right before Iron Mountain.

What is it like to climb hills in Wisconsin? It's like having a baby in the sweltering sun while being swarmed by deerflies. Day after day. No big deal.

They like euphemisms in Wisconsin.

Scenic and hilly county roads vs the major highway which is flat but has constant semi trucks. Some days it's a tough choice.

Sheldon, our savior outside Iron River when we blew the tire. He thought it was the neighbors shooting at each other again.

Just like in college.

Quote of the Day, Iron River, WI

2008-07-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

"I finally met a hill that made me cry." --Alison

Iron River, Upper Peninsula of Michigan

2008-07-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

A tough day. Ended with Sonia getting her foot caught in the back wheel of Dan's bike on a downhill, one mile from the day's destination. Threw the bike into a hard skid with the wheel locked up, loud blow-out of the tube and destroyed the tire. Sonia ok but shaken up. Helped by a great guy, Sheldon, who had a bike in the woods behind his house and gave us a tire off of it, but a little too big and tube wouldn't stay inside the tire when inflated. Waiting to see if we can get a tire at a hardware store or a bike shop 50 miles away. More from Dan, the writer in the family, later.
Love, Alison

Quote of the Day, Minnesota

2008-07-16T19:19:00.001-07:00

"Dad, those little Stop and Caution signs in the ditch aren't for leprechauns like you told us, they're for SNOWMOBILES!"
"Yeah, but who stole me Lucky Charms?"

Quote of the Day: Phelps, Wisconsin

2008-07-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

"Did you know if you put a toothpick inside a straw and blow real hard on it you can make a blow-dart, Mom?"
(sitting across the table) "Don't. Even. Think. About. It."

If I Had a Rocket Launcher

2008-07-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

I want to raise every voice -- at least I've got to try
Every time I think about it water rises to my eyes.
Situation desperate, echoes of the victims cry
If I had a rocket launcher...Some son of a bitch would die

~ Bruce Cockburn, If I Had a Rocket Launcher

An Open Letter to Wisconsin Governor James Doyle, Jr.

Dear Governor Doyle,

Yesterday my family and I were riding our bicycles in your beautiful state on Highway 2. My wife rides one tandem with our daughter, 12, and I ride the other tandem with my son, 10. We are riding across the United States from Lincoln City, Oregon to Bar Harbor, Maine. In all the miles we have ridden so far (nearly 2000), we have encountered courteous drivers who gave us a lot of room when passing. Never did anyone try to run us off the road, yell at us while riding, or be purposefully mean. Until yesterday, that is. While riding east on Highway 2 from Ashland to the Michigan line we met with drivers who did the following:

would not move over when passing us (we were on the shoulder the entire time), even when there was no oncoming traffic
rode as close to us as possible; this had to be either through inattention or with malicious intent. Either way, these drivers put us and our children in danger.
yelled at us and gave rude hand gestures while driving by.
And the coup de grace, threw a package of lit fire crackers at us while passing.

Now, I am not naive enough to believe that you can, or are even interested, in doing something about this. And I hate to generalize about Wisconsin drivers (although all bike riders we have encountered in this part of Wisconsin have had similar experiences). I do think, however, that as the Governor you can urge local communities and counties to post "Share the Road" signs. You can also encourage efforts in driver education to include more about how to properly interact with bicyclists.

Part of our desire in taking this trip is to learn more about America. We update our blog (www.shut-up-and-pedal.blogspot.com) frequently. Unfortunately, I will not have much good to say about the drivers in Wisconsin and will urge bicyclists to find other routes.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Dan Calzaretta

_____________________________

What a day yesterday was. Without a doubt it was the worst day of bicycling I have had in years. The drivers were rude and dangerous and stupid. Even if you believe that some of the drivers who passed us just weren't paying attention (which is bad enough), it does not account for the consistent disregard for us and other cyclists on the road. One or two is an anomaly; all day (hundreds of vehicles) is a cultural attitude. And I was so looking forward to being in Wisconsin. As a kid my family rarely took vacations. The two that we did go on, however, were to the Wisconsin Dells. I remember fondly the lakes, the summer sun, the kitschy Tommy Bartlett Water Show. Now, I realize that I can't generalize this experience to the entire state, but it sure does leave a bad taste in your mouth. What I really wanted was fresh bratwurst, cold beer, and a lakeside campsite. Now I can't wait to get back into Michigan. Michigan, do us proud with better drivers please!

Speaking of that, we did cross into Michigan for a few miles yesterday. We dropped back down into Wisconsin today and will re-enter Michigan in a couple of days.

I don't consider myself a violent person. But, as Bruce Cockburn said, if I had a rocket launcher (or a slingshot, or a rock for that matter) I certainly would have used it yesterday. My mantra for today: let it go and live to ride another day.

~ Dan

Wisconsin/U. P. of Michigan

2008-07-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Just what he needs: something REALLY big to hit Sonia with.

Who knew alligators could be so delicious?

This photo is for my dear friend, Terri Bleth, who is from Wisconsin, and can sometimes be heard to say, "Good Honk!" as an exclamation of amazement.

We criss-cross paths with many other cross-country riders. Jeanne and Bruce are heading for a reunion in Ohio.

Home of cheese, brats, beer and the best football team on the planet.

Wisconsin Goodness, indeed.

2008-07-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

Gus & Sonia play on the shore of Lake Superior at Sunset.

Evening breeze cools the Sonia-girl.

Man, I wish. It gets hot climbing hills.

This sign sponsored by Mr. Obvious. The wind was howling in Northern Wisconsin.

Picnic at the marina in Ashland, Wisconsin.

Quote of the Day

2008-07-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Dad, I blew into the straw of my Green Sour Shocker Slurpee, and it slimed me!
(Gus experiments with anti-matter in Ashland, Wisconsin.)

Ashland, Wisconsin

2008-07-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

A foot-long for five dollars. As Dire Straights says, If you're gonna' run cool, you need heavy, heavy fuel.

Bucolic break in northern Wisconsin.

Gus and Dan speeding past Sonia in hilly Wisconsin.

Alison & Dan: Ashland, Wisconsin.

The Apostle Islands of northern Wisconsin were the halfway point of this 72 day trip. Are we half-done or half-started? Sleeping in a church and waking up with dawn streaming through exquisite stained glass windows made me pause for reflection. It occurs to me that this has been a voyage of triumphs. A triumph for our family over the conventional wisdom that adults and their preteen children cannot communicate. A triumph of bicycles over oil companies. A triumph of courage and perseverance over difficult days. And for me personally, a triumph of the human spirit over multiple sclerosis. If it all ends tomorrow, it has been worth it. --Alison

Quote of the Day, Ashland, WI

2008-07-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Gus: "My sleep number: the floor."
(Sleeping on aikido mats in a church.)

Photos!

2008-07-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

Sunset over Lake Superior from Ashland, WI.

Dan enjoying a fine Belgian ale at a brew pub
in Ashland.

The kids playing on the rocks near Cornucopia,
WI (Emma, Gus, Alice, and Sonia).

The outside of our home for the night in
Ashland, WI.

Sunrise over Superior before we left Duluth.

Our bedroom in a converted church in Ashland.

If We are What We Eat...

2008-07-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

An army moves on its stomach (and so do cyclists)

~ Napoleon (with an addition by Dan)

...then I would be in a world of hurt if it weren't for the bicycling. I would estimate that in the first 33 days of the trip I have consumed:

at least 20 ice cream cones
about 15 DQ Blizzards
close to 20 hamburger/cheeseburger/bacon cheeseburgers
Uncountable onion rings and fries
Bags of gummy worms and other candies for quick energy
Several pizzas
Dozens of pancake, egg, sausage, and bacon breakfasts (a real staple)

I will try to keep a more accurate list just for the sake of interest, but I think this is fairly close.

Now, if I were in Walla Walla eating like this I would be dead by the end of the year. But while biking on a trip like this I have found that I can eat anything and as much as I want and still feel good. In fact, after hours on the road a bacon cheeseburger seems like health food!

I like visiting the small, local restaurants and bakeries. In fact, it is rare to see a franchised restaurant in most of the towns we have been through, with the exception of Dairy Queen and Subway. Sometimes the food is excellent (most breakfasts), sometimes it is bland and uninteresting (some dinners we have had). Almost any meal, however, after a day in the saddle tastes good. And ice cream ALWAYS tastes good.

The Ride

Waiting out the storm in Duluth was a good idea. We got to spend some time in a bigger city, we had a great view of the lake, and we saw Superior at its finest and fiercest. The bit of the storm we saw must be nothing compared to the November gales that are so infamous. It was fun to watch, and to listen to. The sound of the wind combined with the waves crashing on the rocks and the thunder from the lightning storm that raged overhead was thrilling. It reminded me of when I was a kid growing up in the Chicago area where we had some great spring and summer storms. Steinbeck put it best: I like weather, not climate.

When we left Duluth on Saturday we had to negotiate the city streets to find our way out of the city. We were able to do this without any real problems. The fun part was climbing the Bong Bridge (yes, its real name) out of the city into Superior, Wisconsin. The bridge was about 100 feet above the bay. Luckily there was a bike lane separated from the traffic by a concrete barrier. The wind howled as we rode across. The views of Duluth and Superior were excellent, however, and made the climb worthwhile.

In Superior we stopped at a grocery store. While sitting on a bench outside enjoying an iced tea we were approached by a man who wanted to know more about our trip. Dave, as it turned out, had been thinking about a cross-country trip for several years and planned on doing one when he retires (in two years, I believe). He wanted to hear all about our trip, our planning, our equipment. We probably talked for at least half and hour. He then gave us directions to get us out of town without having to deal with the city traffic.

One of the great parts of the trip is having conversations with people that we don't even know. When traveling by car across the country we are isolated from other travelers by our steel and glass cage. There is no common bond. There is no curiosity because it is so common place. I wonder if the first people who crossed the US by car received so much attention. I would imagine that the novelty of the trip increases the chance that people will want to talk to you about what you are doing.

Oddly enough, I have the most difficulty answering the question "why are you doing this?" Partly it is the challenge. Partly it is being able to spend time (hopefully quality!) with my kids before they get too old. Partly it is just to say I have done it. The farther we get into the trip, however, the more I realize that I am learning as much about myself as I am about America.

Some people have said to me along the way that traveling by bike must be a great way to see and learn about America. I think that is partly correct. America, however, is as much a concept as it is a place. I have made some generalizations about "America" from riding (for another post). But I have also found that even in the age of instant communication and the homogenization of our culture through television and mass-advertising, there is still an America out there to be discovered. An for me this discovery has taken place not through the places we have seen, but through the people we have met.

Once we left Superior we made our way northeast up the south coast of Lake Superior toward the town of Cornucopia. As if the wind-gods were smiling on us, the tail wind seemed to shift direction in our favor the entire day. We had a beautiful ride that ended at the cabin of our friends Chas and Trisha from Walla Walla. They own some land on Roman's Point, about 4 miles from Cornucopia, Wisconsin. They took care of us with some great food and conversation. We would have stayed an extra day had we not lost the time in Duluth due to the storm.

While we were there they introduced us to their friend Tim, a professor at a small college in Ashland, WI (or next day's destination). He also runs and Aikido school in Ashland and told us that we were more than welcome to sleep there if we wanted. The studio is in an old church. We fell asleep to the fading evening light softly illuminating the stained glass windows that surrounded our "bedroom". What a great way to end the day.

Today we are off to Iron Wood, Michigan, and then into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is hard to believe that we have been on the road for about 34 days now. I actually get a sad feeling when I think about the trip being over. But we have many more miles (and adventures, I hope) ahead of us.

Thanks for all the comments. We appreciate everyone who has been following us.

~ Dan

I like weather, but this is nuts!

2008-07-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

And now, the weather...

As I was updating the blog with pictures this evening I heard a strange beeping sound from the hotel lobby. When I looked at the television there was an ominous red banner across the bottom of a radar picture of the Duluth area. A severe thunderstorm warning had just been issued. Here is the text for your reading enjoyment:

At 751 PM CDT... National Weather Service meteorologists continued to track a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing destructive winds in excess of 80 mph and nickel size hail.

This is a dangerous storm. If you are in its path... prepare immediately for damaging winds... destructive hail... and deadly cloud-to-ground lightning. People outside should move to a shelter... preferably inside a strong building but away from windows. People biking in it should have their heads checked...ok, I added this part just to see if anyone was actually reading it.

This is the radar image from the
storm. We are in the very middle
of the image.

I'm glad that we are not camping tonight. I just hope that the storm passes through quickly (it should be done by about 1 AM according to the Weather Channel).

Here are some more photos:

Alison, Sonia and Gus on the deck of a Coast Guard
Cutter after taking a tour.

This is why you should never pack a Subway sand-
wich inside a bike bag. It may look like a pita or a
taco, but it was actually a 6 inch spicy Italian
(abundanza!).

Crabby Bills. Need we say more?

Dan and Gus waiting for the drive-through ATM in

Grand Rapids. We did receive some strange looks.

The Vietnam War Memorial in Duluth on Lake

Superior. Notice the flag. That is about 30 mph

winds.

Bic (left), Kaitlyn, and Chris. We first met these intrepid riders

in Montana and stayed with them at the same house

in Williston, ND. They are riding from Burlington, WA

to Burlington, VT. Notice the ingenious buckets for

panniers. Chris constructed them.

Dan, Gus and Sonia after the boat tour.

Gus in front of the wind-blown surf this morning in

Duluth.

We're on the Road to Nowhere (kind of)

2008-07-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

Road to Nowhere by Talking Heads

We're on a road to nowhere
Come on inside
Takin' that ride
to nowhere
We'll take that ride
I'm feelin' okay this mornin'
And you know,
We're on the road to paradise
Here we go, here we go
Well, not exactly for us. We know where we are going, but yesterday we decided to change the plans a little. But let me start at the beginning (at least the the start of yesterday).

The Stardust in Floodwood.

Floodwood: Catfish Capital

Two nights ago we arrived in Floodwood, MN. Floodwood's claim to fame: the Catfish Capital of the World. Now, that seems to be a huge claim, but who am I to argue? This weekend they are having their annual catfish festival. Had we been able to stay I might be able to verify the veracity of their claim. But, we needed to hit the road to stay on schedule.

Before arriving in Floodwood we had decided to camp at the city park. About an hour into our ride, however, it started to rain and did so for most of the day. We had to don the rain gear for the first time in a couple of weeks (although we did ride in the rain earlier in the week it was warm enough to do so without any gear). Before getting to Floodwood the rain stopped, but another storm was moving in. We decided to try to fine a motel in town. Now, with Floodwood being the Catfish Capital of the World one would assume that there would be several hotels from which to choose. Such was not the case, however. The only inn was the Stardust Motel, a small (8 room) establishment located on Highway 2 near the east end of town. Luckily for us they did have a room left. I was silently questioning our decision to stay in the motel (not very adventurous, after all) when, before we had even unloaded the bikes, a huge downpour hit. There was even severe hail predicted for the night (as the woman at the desk told me later). So, it seemed to be a good decision after all.

My experience with small, independent motels has been mixed. Some are dingy, and what they lack in character they make up in odors and unidentifiable stains left by previous occupants. The Stardust, I am happy to say, was meticulously clean, well-kept, and even smelled good! The owner even insisted that we park our bikes in her garage (not so much because she was worried about theft but rather she didn't want them to get wet!).

We decided to get on the road early the next day. We were up at 6, out of the room by 7:30, and finished with breakfast and on the road by 8:30. Our original destination was to be South Superior, Wisconsin. When we planned the trip months ago we decided to skip Duluth. Mostly this was done due to the size of the city. We really didn't want to deal with city traffic. After talking it over at dinner in Floodwood, however, Alison and I decided that if we could get to Duluth early enough to do something fun with the kids we would change the schedule.

About five miles from the city center we were starting to question the wisdom of our decision. As a woman in a gas station/bar/grocery store on the way yesterday described the city to us, Duluth is in a "bowl" -- you have to climb hills to get to the outskirts of the city, and then descend to get into the city. So, I thought, "Bowl. Ok, we can do bowl." I guess I should have listened more carefully when she said "I don't even like to drive my car on those hills." Sometimes I think that we conveniently don't hear things that we don't want to hear.

The hills we encountered going up one side of the bowl were the most challenging we have had since somewhere in the Rockies in Montana...maybe even more so. They were not very long, but they were very steep. And going up was only half the challenge. Let's just say that this was the first time I have had to use my drag break since the Rockies, and I'm not sure it did much good!

Not only did we have to deal with the hills, we had to deal with city traffic, stop lights (Floodwood, for example only had one), and not knowing exactly where we were going. We make it to the lake without any problems. We also found a hotel with a lake facing room!

We had a very pleasant evening in Duluth. The Aquarium was excellent (they now have an exhibit on sea horses) and we ate at a very good Vietnamese restaurant. Sometime after we went to bed, however, a storm hit. The following two pictures show last night and this morning.

Lake Superior last night from just outside the
hotel.

This morning in a driving wind storm.

After getting up at 5 AM and looking outside it was clear that we wouldn't be riding today. Rain doesn't bother us. Even wind can be dealt with. But 50 mph gusts blowing the the wrong direction? So, we decided to spend an extra day in hopes that the weather would get better. Tomorrow, however, we need to leave regardless of the weather.

Photos

Here are some photos from the last few days:

A ship leaves Duluth behind Sonia and Gus.

Alison and Gus about to scream down a hill on the
way into Duluth

Duluth, Minnesota

2008-07-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Rode about 45 miles from Floodwood to Duluth on Thursday. In the rain. Alison and Gus got separated from Dan and Sonia as we speeded down an enormous hill heading for the downtown. Finally found each other on the waterfront of Lake Superior and got a hotel so we could visit museums downtown. Having visited Duluth 25 years ago in a car, I didn't remember that it is as hilly as San Francisco. This was the first time since the Rocky Mountains that we used the drum brakes in addition to the caliper brakes.

Today, Friday, awoke to a gale blowing off Lake Superior with gusts to 40 mph and lightening storms predicted. I think we'll just hang out at the library today and take an extra day here in Duluth. Maybe press on to the Apostle Islands tomorrow.

Sorry this is brief. Dan had written a beautiful lengthy update last night but couldn't upload it, or any photos, on the hotel computer. More later, promise.

Thanks for all your kind words. Can anyone email us the U-B article from last week? We can't access it from their website.
nx9c@yahoo.com

--Alison

Quote of the Day

2008-07-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Gus to Dad in Maritime Museum:

"I was right here, Dad. I wasn't lost."
"I was afraid somene took you."
"I would scream if someone tried to take me. Besides, who would want me?"

Quote of the Day, Duluth, MN

2008-07-11T10:16:00.002-07:00

"You know what's really great, is walking downtown with your dad with nothing to do."
--Gus and Dan go for coffee in Duluth

Quote of the Day, Grand Forks, North Dakota

2008-07-11T10:16:00.001-07:00

"The wind is our hills."
--Rick

Photos!

2008-07-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

A classic American roadside restaurant outside
of Ball Club, MN.

Gus and a big ox.

On the road from Bemidji to Deer River.

Sonia outside Grandma's restaurant.

Sonia gets attacked by a fish box!

Nothing tastes better than a mug of chocolate

milk after a long ride!

Alison and Gus arrive in Deer River.

Gus gives the double thumbs up at the Pike

Hole restaurant in Pennington, MN (our lunch

stop for the day).

Sonia on a bridge above the Mississippi River.

This is about 50 miles from the headwaters.

Bemidji -- the home of Paul Bunyan and Babe.

Paul, Babe, the bikes and us!

Dan wearing the only clean clothes

he has (and a nice fashion statement

at that) on his way to do laundry.

Gus and I after riding for hours in the rain.

We were as wet as you can get without actually

swimming!

I think this seat needs some repair. Notice the

sign on the wall. This was in the city park in

Mentor, MN.

Billed as the "world's largest shamrock" on the

ceiling of the Irishman's Shanty in Crookston, MN.

Chain of Fools

2008-07-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

One of these mornings the chain is gonna break
But up until then, yeah, I'm gonna take all I can take
Chain, chain, chain, chain, chain, chain
Chain, chain, chain, chain of fools

~ Aretha Franklin

Yesterday while in Crookston, MN we started having trouble with Alison's chain. There was a lot of slack in it and the chain would easily pop off the chain-ring when pedaling. We tried all possible adjustments with no luck. To make a long story short, we had to replace a link of chain (which we didn't have in our repair kit). A man driving by stopped to ask if we needed help. He gave me a lift to Wal-Mart (OK, for once I found shopping there a necessary experience!) and I was able to buy a chain. After cannibalizing the links I needed we were back on the road.

But before leaving Crookston, we stopped by the Irishman's Shanty pub to see the "world's largest shamrock". You will just have to wait until I can post a picture of it to see it with your own eyes.

The chain delay, however, kept us from leaving town until about 5 PM. Unfortunately, we were not able to make it to Fosston, MN where a friend in Walla Walla had arranged for a house for us to stay in. We battled headwinds the whole way and were only averaging about 9.5 MPH. We called our would-be host, Vanessa, and explained our situation. If we kept riding we wouldn't have made it until about 10:30, well after dark. We camped in the city park in Mentor, MN, about 25 short of our destination. That would make today about a 67 mile day!

Today stared off with the same strong headwind. We were out of camp by 6:30 AM hoping to beat the heat. The wind, however, was another story. Again only averaging about 9 MPH we didn't get into Fosston until about 9 AM. As we sat eating our donuts (another biker staple; no self-respecting bicyclist would go more than a day without either donuts or pancakes) outside the Fosston Dairy Queen we saw a storm approaching from the west. Just then we saw the flags across the street go slack and then shift toward the east. A tailwind! We jumped on the bikes and took off for Bemidji!

Alas, the afternoon brought pelting, cascading, water-falling rain, but we didn't care. The temperature was still relatively warm and we were cruising. Gus and I arrived at the motel first and could not have been more wet! Alison and Sonia rolled (or should I say "paddled") in about a half an hour later.

A great day of riding was rescued by a change in the wind and a change in attitude. What could have been an abysmal day turned into a sweet, if wet, ride!

~ Dan

Quote of the Day

2008-07-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

(Heard from behind me on the bike during a downpour...)
"Cough. Cough. Gag. Gag."
"What's wrong?"
"I was yawning and some big raindrops fell into my mouth and choked me."

Quote of the Day: Bemidji, Minnesota

2008-07-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

"Mom, what should I do? I slapped a mosquito on my forehead and then it fell into my fruit loops!"