Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Almost There
I have two very beautiful cats. I used to wonder if I the reason I thought they were so attractive was because they were mine and I was used to looking at them everyday. I arrived at my old apartment tonight, where my cats have been residing in my absence. I was taken away by Bonanza’s playful face. Nickel has a more serious and mature look, but just like Bonanza he is breath taking.
It is hard to believe that I am in Vermont right now. It feels like I have only been gone a few weeks. I plan on taking a day off, and working tomorrow, and then riding again on Saturday. Unfortunately I am going to miss the Charlotte tractor parade again this year. If my calculations are correct I should be in Maine on Monday or Tuesday.
Since I last blogged I have found a new pair of parents, Dale and Linda. They live in Ohio. I met Dale on a bike path and he led me to bike shop. As usual I was in desperate need of spoke repair. Once my repairs for that day were complete we rode together for a while, and he invited me to his house for lunch.
When we arrived at his house Linda, his wife, was waiting and lunch was ready. They rode cross country in 2001 on the Southern Tier trail with a bike touring company so they understood my huge appetite. In fact when it was time to leave Linda packed bags of food for me to take along. They were great hosts- unfortunately my own parents feel they have too much invested to hand me over to another couple.
The night before I met Dale and Linda I was invited into another Ohio house where I was also treated very well. Before I got to Ohio I had mentally prepared myself for a blah state, but the people in Ohio proved to be wonderful, and the riding in Ohio was also much nicer than I had anticipated. Once I got to the great lakes I almost felt like I was in a real coastal town, by real coastal town I mean a New England coastal town. Since then I have been surrounded by great landscapes. It is grape harvest season in Pennsylvania which was amazing to see, and smell. From there I transitioned into autumn in upstate New York. Riding through the Adirondacks today was incredible. I am curious to see what Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine look like from the seat of my bike.
I have spent a lot of time at bike shops this past week, which really means I have spent a lot of money at bike shops this week. Spokes break far too often. I also had to have a new chain put on my bike. There were a times this week when I felt like things were such a mess that it would be best to take a bus to Vermont and finish on my back up bike. Hopefully that is all behind me now. Even if I have to walk to Maine carrying my handle bars and front tire I am going to finish. After all my real parents are waiting for me in Maine with cold glass beer in hand.
It is hard to believe that I am in Vermont right now. It feels like I have only been gone a few weeks. I plan on taking a day off, and working tomorrow, and then riding again on Saturday. Unfortunately I am going to miss the Charlotte tractor parade again this year. If my calculations are correct I should be in Maine on Monday or Tuesday.
Since I last blogged I have found a new pair of parents, Dale and Linda. They live in Ohio. I met Dale on a bike path and he led me to bike shop. As usual I was in desperate need of spoke repair. Once my repairs for that day were complete we rode together for a while, and he invited me to his house for lunch.
When we arrived at his house Linda, his wife, was waiting and lunch was ready. They rode cross country in 2001 on the Southern Tier trail with a bike touring company so they understood my huge appetite. In fact when it was time to leave Linda packed bags of food for me to take along. They were great hosts- unfortunately my own parents feel they have too much invested to hand me over to another couple.
The night before I met Dale and Linda I was invited into another Ohio house where I was also treated very well. Before I got to Ohio I had mentally prepared myself for a blah state, but the people in Ohio proved to be wonderful, and the riding in Ohio was also much nicer than I had anticipated. Once I got to the great lakes I almost felt like I was in a real coastal town, by real coastal town I mean a New England coastal town. Since then I have been surrounded by great landscapes. It is grape harvest season in Pennsylvania which was amazing to see, and smell. From there I transitioned into autumn in upstate New York. Riding through the Adirondacks today was incredible. I am curious to see what Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine look like from the seat of my bike.
I have spent a lot of time at bike shops this past week, which really means I have spent a lot of money at bike shops this week. Spokes break far too often. I also had to have a new chain put on my bike. There were a times this week when I felt like things were such a mess that it would be best to take a bus to Vermont and finish on my back up bike. Hopefully that is all behind me now. Even if I have to walk to Maine carrying my handle bars and front tire I am going to finish. After all my real parents are waiting for me in Maine with cold glass beer in hand.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
ouch!
All I wanted to do today was make it out of Iowa. I encountered a few nay-sayers this morning- just locals who don't know me and what I am capable of, they didn't think I could make it to the state line. I meet people like this everyday, men between 50 and 70 who have a negative attitude. This morning I was able to shut one of them up. There was a man who thought he could keep up with me since he did some touring 20 years ago.
He had heard there was a woman on a bike in town and looked all over town trying to find me this morning. He asked a few questions about what I was doing, but he was much more interested in telling me everything he had done. It didn't look like he was in top riding condition- but who am I to judge? He bought me breakfast and continued to tell me all about he adventures of yesteryear. He asked if he could ride with me for the first 16 miles of the day. I was a little hesitant, but agreed to let him join me. I tried to ride behind him, but he was cramping my style so I passed him. He was able to keep up, but not for long. After 9 miles I heard him yell for me to have a good day. I was a little confused, after all we had not been 16 miles. I stopped to find out what was going on. He caught up to me and admitted that I was in much better shape than him. It looked like he had taken a trip through the sprinklers, he was soaked, and could hardly breath.
I should not have gotten pleasure from this, but I did. I have encountered men like this everyday for the past week and a half. They all seem to think that I will not make it very far. The only thing that separated this one for the others is that he had a bike, and I had something to prove.
It was a good riding day. Right now I don't have official bike maps, just a gas station map of Iowa. Once I had been about 32 to miles today the directions seemed a little fuzzy. I stopped at a post office to find the best way to get through this little, little town. I was sent down a 6 mile gravel road. The only problem is that I did not make it all 6 miles. I think I only made it 1 mile before 2 dogs started to chase me. When I am on a paved road I can either go faster when I see dogs, or stop. Today stopping seemed like the best option- I thought the dogs would see me as less of a threat if I stopped.
One of the dogs bit me and ran away. Lucky for me a big pick up truck was coming down the road. I wasn't going to risk letting this truck pass me by. I stood right in the middle of road and waved it down. They stopped, and gave me a ride to the center of town. Once I got to the town center everybody decided I needed to go to the emergency room. The same truck that picked me up gave me a ride the nearest hospital- 25 miles away. I spent most of the day sitting in an exam room waiting for somebody to scrub my broken skin and give me a band-aid. There are some puncture marks in my leg and there is going to be a lot of bruising. I am on antibiotics to prevent infection and pain killer that are likely to make me loopy. I also have a really bloody sock to deal with. I guess the people were right today- I didn't make it out of Iowa.
My new plan is to make it out of Iowa tomorrow, but don't worry I will not try to bike while I am taking pain killers. Tuesdays are never a good day for me.
He had heard there was a woman on a bike in town and looked all over town trying to find me this morning. He asked a few questions about what I was doing, but he was much more interested in telling me everything he had done. It didn't look like he was in top riding condition- but who am I to judge? He bought me breakfast and continued to tell me all about he adventures of yesteryear. He asked if he could ride with me for the first 16 miles of the day. I was a little hesitant, but agreed to let him join me. I tried to ride behind him, but he was cramping my style so I passed him. He was able to keep up, but not for long. After 9 miles I heard him yell for me to have a good day. I was a little confused, after all we had not been 16 miles. I stopped to find out what was going on. He caught up to me and admitted that I was in much better shape than him. It looked like he had taken a trip through the sprinklers, he was soaked, and could hardly breath.
I should not have gotten pleasure from this, but I did. I have encountered men like this everyday for the past week and a half. They all seem to think that I will not make it very far. The only thing that separated this one for the others is that he had a bike, and I had something to prove.
It was a good riding day. Right now I don't have official bike maps, just a gas station map of Iowa. Once I had been about 32 to miles today the directions seemed a little fuzzy. I stopped at a post office to find the best way to get through this little, little town. I was sent down a 6 mile gravel road. The only problem is that I did not make it all 6 miles. I think I only made it 1 mile before 2 dogs started to chase me. When I am on a paved road I can either go faster when I see dogs, or stop. Today stopping seemed like the best option- I thought the dogs would see me as less of a threat if I stopped.
One of the dogs bit me and ran away. Lucky for me a big pick up truck was coming down the road. I wasn't going to risk letting this truck pass me by. I stood right in the middle of road and waved it down. They stopped, and gave me a ride to the center of town. Once I got to the town center everybody decided I needed to go to the emergency room. The same truck that picked me up gave me a ride the nearest hospital- 25 miles away. I spent most of the day sitting in an exam room waiting for somebody to scrub my broken skin and give me a band-aid. There are some puncture marks in my leg and there is going to be a lot of bruising. I am on antibiotics to prevent infection and pain killer that are likely to make me loopy. I also have a really bloody sock to deal with. I guess the people were right today- I didn't make it out of Iowa.
My new plan is to make it out of Iowa tomorrow, but don't worry I will not try to bike while I am taking pain killers. Tuesdays are never a good day for me.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Hello from Missouri Valley, Iowa. It feels like I have not been on the road for very long time, but today was day 27. It occurred to me tonight how the road has changed me. I am staying with Sarah tonight, in a motel. This motel is so different than the places I have stayed. The carpet matches the bed spread. In this motel there are not random pieces of furniture, like formica tables. I think what I miss most is the little dirty, but laundered, towel for removing make up or cleaning your rifle.
Last weekend I stayed with my friend Tara’s family and had a great time. Kameran, Tara’s brother, showed me residential Bismarck from the back of a scooter. While I was there I ate really well, and lately I love to eat all the time.
From Bismarck I headed south. I ended up in Pollock, SD, where the people are very kind. I stayed in an empty house while I was there- the owners were away on vacation. It was ok- they knew I was staying at their house. Their neighbor brought over pumpkin bread, and zucchini bread as well as a few other treats for me to eat while I was there. I got breakfast before I left town, and everybody in the café was so thrilled to see, and talk to me. I had never even met these people before and now I have a few new pen pals.
Tuesday was a low day for me. Before I even got my bike loaded I started struggling with flat tries. I didn’t leave my campsite until almost 11:30, after 2 miles I was hungry, but I didn’t know what kind of meal to eat at 11:30. I opted for breakfast. While I was eating breakfast the air leaked out of the tire I had been struggling with all morning. I had to get serious, and take this repair to an operating room. I moved into the backroom of a hardware store to do the ultimate patch job. It was nearly one by the time I got back on the road.
I spent 35 miles worrying that my front tire was going to go flat, when all of the sudden my rear tire went flat. It was an easy patch. Unfortunately I only made it another 5 miles before the rear went flat again. I started to dig through my tube reserve. All of my tubes look far beyond repair. I had been fooling myself by holding onto all these tubes. I was stranded on the side of the road. The only productive thing I could think to do was sit on the side of the road and sob.
Sobbing didn’t get me far so I made a tidy pile of all of my belongings in the ditch, and started walking. When I reached a house a woman with hair rollers, and kelly green polyester pants answered the door. As soon as she opened the door I start to cry again. I tried to start speaking by telling her I was having a terrible day. Before could even finish she started firing questions at me-
“Why are you driving out here alone?”
I tried to answer, but could not before she started asking more questions.
“Are you running from something?”
“Is someone chasing you?”
“Are you hiding something?”
She slowed down a little bit, but then she got all worked up again. She started by telling me, “I can’t help you. I don’t know what to do. I can’t leave here. I just don’t know how to help.”
Finally she decided to be productive and drove the truck out to the field to find her husband. While she was out looking for Marvin I was instructed to sit at the picnic table. I was afraid to move. I was afraid of her. While she was gone I thought about running away, being around her was making me feel worse about my situation.
She returned with her husband. He was all smiles when he saw me. He offered to take me wherever I needed to go. I asked for a ride to the nearest campground. I just needed to get away so I could gather my thoughts. When we got to the campground we could not find anyone there, of course there was a self check in area, but Marvin was not going to leave me there without a plan. After driving all around the area we found the camp managers house. The manager sent us to the office, and followed us there. He made a few calls and found a bike shop 80 miles away, in Mitchell, where his maintenance director lives.
I was able to pay for the tubes over the phone, and the next morning the maintenance director brought the tubes to me. Hopefully I don’t find myself in that situation again.
It warmed my heart that strangers would go out of their way to help me.
Last weekend I stayed with my friend Tara’s family and had a great time. Kameran, Tara’s brother, showed me residential Bismarck from the back of a scooter. While I was there I ate really well, and lately I love to eat all the time.
From Bismarck I headed south. I ended up in Pollock, SD, where the people are very kind. I stayed in an empty house while I was there- the owners were away on vacation. It was ok- they knew I was staying at their house. Their neighbor brought over pumpkin bread, and zucchini bread as well as a few other treats for me to eat while I was there. I got breakfast before I left town, and everybody in the café was so thrilled to see, and talk to me. I had never even met these people before and now I have a few new pen pals.
Tuesday was a low day for me. Before I even got my bike loaded I started struggling with flat tries. I didn’t leave my campsite until almost 11:30, after 2 miles I was hungry, but I didn’t know what kind of meal to eat at 11:30. I opted for breakfast. While I was eating breakfast the air leaked out of the tire I had been struggling with all morning. I had to get serious, and take this repair to an operating room. I moved into the backroom of a hardware store to do the ultimate patch job. It was nearly one by the time I got back on the road.
I spent 35 miles worrying that my front tire was going to go flat, when all of the sudden my rear tire went flat. It was an easy patch. Unfortunately I only made it another 5 miles before the rear went flat again. I started to dig through my tube reserve. All of my tubes look far beyond repair. I had been fooling myself by holding onto all these tubes. I was stranded on the side of the road. The only productive thing I could think to do was sit on the side of the road and sob.
Sobbing didn’t get me far so I made a tidy pile of all of my belongings in the ditch, and started walking. When I reached a house a woman with hair rollers, and kelly green polyester pants answered the door. As soon as she opened the door I start to cry again. I tried to start speaking by telling her I was having a terrible day. Before could even finish she started firing questions at me-
“Why are you driving out here alone?”
I tried to answer, but could not before she started asking more questions.
“Are you running from something?”
“Is someone chasing you?”
“Are you hiding something?”
She slowed down a little bit, but then she got all worked up again. She started by telling me, “I can’t help you. I don’t know what to do. I can’t leave here. I just don’t know how to help.”
Finally she decided to be productive and drove the truck out to the field to find her husband. While she was out looking for Marvin I was instructed to sit at the picnic table. I was afraid to move. I was afraid of her. While she was gone I thought about running away, being around her was making me feel worse about my situation.
She returned with her husband. He was all smiles when he saw me. He offered to take me wherever I needed to go. I asked for a ride to the nearest campground. I just needed to get away so I could gather my thoughts. When we got to the campground we could not find anyone there, of course there was a self check in area, but Marvin was not going to leave me there without a plan. After driving all around the area we found the camp managers house. The manager sent us to the office, and followed us there. He made a few calls and found a bike shop 80 miles away, in Mitchell, where his maintenance director lives.
I was able to pay for the tubes over the phone, and the next morning the maintenance director brought the tubes to me. Hopefully I don’t find myself in that situation again.
It warmed my heart that strangers would go out of their way to help me.
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