Days 21, 22 - Rest Days on Kentucky Lake, Hardin, KY

Kentucky Lake must be one of the best kept secrets in the US. Two large elongated lakes surround a vast tract of preserved wildness. Small coves and bays specal the vast shoreline. Ryan's friend David has a family home on Johnathan Creek, a large inlet from Kentucky lake. We drove up Saturday and spent two wonderful nights in this oasis.




Our first evening was spent BBQing at the house and fishing and swimming off of their dock. The water was as warm as a bathtub. As the day waned we caught the most spectacular sunset over the creek. The blue sky began emitting mellow pink tones which reflected off the ripples of the lake. The sun, easy to see now with the naked eye, gently set below the treeline across the water.

In the morning we cooked up a monster breakfast at the house and then set out to the marina to rent a boat for the day. The thought did occurred to me that this could be a challenge during the holiday weekend. When we got there all the boats had been taken except the smaller ones which could only go a mile from the marina.


Dave quickly started talking about, Ed and Cindy, some family friends who might be around for the weekend. We took a walk along the dock and ran into them and after some small talk were invited aboard for a spin on their beautiful and quite large boat named Harmony after the town in which they were married.

We cruised along the lake for several hours, dropping anchor in one bay to go swimming in the perfect temprature water. Cindy mixed some vodka tonics for everyone, and I more than happily floated along wondering at the imposibillity of ever having such an experience if it were not for bicycling a thousand miles to get there.

Once ashore we stopped by a local and beloved restaurant called the dinner bell which serves all you can eat country home cooking. I had a taste of some real Kentucky fried chicken, grilled catfish, greens, stuffing and peaches. Delicious.

We were all wiped out from a lazy day in the sun and turned in by midnight.






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Day 20 - Nashville, TN

We changed course today to head 70 miles south straight to Nashville, Tennesse our 7th state of the trip. Ryan has a good friend right outside the city. Our original plan was to meet him in Hardin, KY for the holiday weekend, but we figured we could see another city and drive back up with him the next day.

We took lots of local routes for most of the day, getting lost here and there. It didn't matter. 70 miles feels like a joy ride when you know you are heading toward fun, a good night sleep and a rest day.

Along one small road we turned a bend and met an overwhelmingly sweet smell in the air. By the side was an entrance to a large strawberry farm. It was like riding through a wall of delicious aroma.


Further down the road I spotted two guys drinking beers in front of a large BBQ smoker. I stopped and asked if I could take a picture. James T. Groves, the grill master (right in picture) warmly invited me up for a look at the slabs of ribs he had foiled up and been cooking all day. A smokey sweet smell filled the air. On a chopping block next to the smoker lay one slab he had taken off and unwrapped, juices seeping from the corners of the foil. "Go ahead, get a little piece there to see what it tastes like." I picked up a piece of meat as soft as butter and tossed it in my mouth. He asked me about my bike and I told him I was headed across country. "Go ahead, get another little piece."

We were 5 miles from our destination and big drops of rain began to fall. The sun was still bright in most of the sky. The big isolated drops quickly turned into a down pour. In a minute I was drenched, in a few minutes my tires where rolling threw an inch or two of water. As the rain got harder I noticed white pellets bouncing of my red handlebar bag. Hail! I kept my head down as i got pelted with pea sized projectiles. We pushed up over a hill and onto Johnny Cash Highway. 200 yards ahead the sun was shining and the road was dry. We rode right out of the storm and back into a beautiful day.

When we reached Dave and Nicole's we jumped in their pool to cool off and then got ready for a Friday night on the town in Nashville.




Our first destination was to get some BBQ. We stopped at Hog Heaven, a roadside hole in the wall that looked really promising but was already closed for the night. The counter clerk directed us to Jack's BBQ right in downtown on music row.

After a little wait on a line we sat down to two slabs of st loius ribs, a pound of Tennessee pork shoulder and various sides. We were all starving and inhaled the table full of food in no time, drizzing different Tennesee and Texas BBQ sauces on each fork full of heaven.

After dinner we strolled along music row heading in and out of different bars to get an earful of the country bands playing. None of the bars charge covers letting you hop in and out freely. If you could carry a drink with you, you'd think it was New Orleans.




The crowd was young and dressed to the nines. Tall men in wrangler shirts and Stetsons, southern bells with straight blond hair in gingham dresses. Everyone sang along to each tune. Every so often a girl would make her way up to dance on the bar for a fee moments of fredom before a skinny bouncer would coax her back down to the floor.

Second Fiddle and Tootsies had bands playing country or country-fried covers of rock songs. Robert's had traditonal country and the best sound to my ears. The bouncer promised me I wouldn't hear "the devil went to Georgia" in there.

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Location:Applewood Valley Dr,Hendersonville,United States

Day 19 - Bowling Green, KY

I woke up early at the "my old Kentucky home" campground not sleeping well the night before. It was 8 am and I could already feel the strength of the sun against my tent.

The heat pushed up 90 degrees today and it took everything out of me. I struggled to keep a 9 mph pace for most of the morning and just didn't feel like being on the bike for most of the day. My strategy was just to continue to take it slow, making stops along the way untill I hit our destination of Mammoth Cave State Park 66 miles down the road.




Along the way i passed by the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln. It was indeed a log cabin, only slightly bigger than my apartment in NYC.




The last 15 miles of the route took my over several hills along a country road and inside the park itself. Along the way i passed into the Central time zone, which gave me a boost of energy knowing I gained an extra hour.

When I reached the campgrounds I was a little dissapointed. For 18 bucks there where no power outlets at all and you had to pay 2 bucks for a ten minute shower. Not being able to charge my phone would be a set back for tomorow's ride as it's my primary means of navigation.

When Ryan arrived (he had detoured through cave city) we began looking at an atlas in the commisary and decided to push on another 32 miles to Bowling Green.

We were racing against the sun with only an hour and a half left of good light. After struggling all day I was finally able to muster a quick pace in the cooler evening air and the under the urgency of being potentially stranded on an unlight country road.

The scenery that I could care less about in the oppressive heat -- cows garzzing in the rolling pasteures, horses prancing around their pens -- turned beautiful under a setting sun.

I reached the outskirts of town by nightfall and after a short detour found the hotel we would check into for the night. 110 miles total on a day.

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Location:Willamette Ln,Bowling Green,United States

Day 18 - Bardstown, KY

I spent 76 miles along the rolling hills of horse farms and burbon country in the glorious state of Kentucky. Our destination of Bardstown was only 66 miles away, but I decided to take a ten mile detour in Lawrenceburg to visit the Four Roses distillery on the advice of my Lexington friends.

I spent a hour walking around the grounds listening to a slight woman with a buttery southern drawl explain the proccess of making the only US certifed spirit. At the end of course we had a taste of their offerings. I found the low grade stuff petty mellow and smooth and the expensive single barrel a bit harsh. This may have had something to do with being on a bike for thirty miles before having my midday libations.




Kentucky has another deicious beverage aside from burbon, it's Ale 81. It somewhere between a gingerale and a 7up and it absolutely hits the spot on a hot day. I knocked back two of them at a Marathon Gas station on my way to Lexington and have been hooked since.

Somewhere along the line someone had the masterstroke idea of combining the two. The drink is called a jeeter speedball or Winchester doublewide. A jeeter is a youngin' who is trying to high step past his upbringing -- this usually means going to college. As I can only imagine the is a university of Kentucky favorite.

At the end the ride I pulled into the "My Old Kentucky Home" State park to camp for the night. Upon entering I realized another landmark: we had officially hit the trans America bike trail. There were two other bikers camping for the night. We are sharing a space with nick a 20 year old college student, bringing our fee down to 4 bucks a head.





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Location:W Flaget St,Bardstown,United States

Day 16,17 - Lexington Kentucky

We capped off our first century (100 mile day) in a scortching Kentuky sun and it felt like the best day of the trip. After leaving Carter Cave state park I continued on route 60 the whole way into Lexington. Kentucky is absolutely gorgeous and perhaps my favorite state so far. Long rolling hills, tall grass along the roadside and green pastures for most of the day.

I got my rhythym early on and kept it for the rest of the ride, taking short breaks every two hours to eat a pb&j sandwich. I flew at an 18 mph pace over the last 20 miles from Winchester into Lexington, exhilarated from the day. My arms from my sleeves down where fire truck red by he end.

A gory note about Road kill. I've seen a lot. When you have an uncomfortable amount of time to inspect the animal. You see the expression of death on it's face. The mouth, if it's still discernable, is almost always wide open with horror. I've seen deer hide torn off the carcas, it's golden hair dusting the side of the road. I've seen turtles, snakes, possom, raccoons, skunk, birds as small as a finch and as large as a turkey all in repose. And today in kentukey I saw cats and dogs. It was horrible. Judging from the amount of unchained dogs that chased me this kind of thing happens a lot. The last fatality I witnessed was on foot in the city A woman on knelt over a still cat, stroking it's fur, a small pool of blood trickling from it's nose. I asked to help. She replied "it's gone"




Back to the good stuff ... We decided to treat ourselves to a comfy hotel and a rest day in town to recover from a week on the road. I went out to DeSha's for a plate of scallops over cheese grits and a Kentucky burbon ale. Delicious!

In the morning my first order of business was to head to Pedal Power, a local bike shop open since 73. The experience was 5 star. Alan, one of the mechanics, dismanteld my right shifter and discoverd a spring had split. He offered to get a replacement part under warranty but
I didn't have enough time in town to wait so Im using it as a friction shifter now. He also replaced my chain. which had prematurely worn out due to the climbing with heavy load and rail trail riding. My bike is riding like a dream again.




After all the work was done on my bike Alan called a friend to squeeze us into a progressive dinner ride tonight sponsored by Bike Lexington an organization which hosts bike events through out the month of may. Tonight we started with beer and appetizers in a local park and then road critical mass style over to a evening of bluegrass music on a lawn next to a bowling lane. Nothing could beat this ending to the day, sitting in the grass, drinking a beer and listening to the sounds of the band play.

Everyone we met was excited for our trip and happy to talk about good safe routes, which just so happened to run along the Burbon trail. Special thanks to Tim and Shane, two of the organizers who let us roll with the group.


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Location:Nelms Ave,Lexington,United States

Day 15 - Carter Cave

An epic day on the bicycle! We pulled down a good 85 miles on mostly flat roads in the bright sunshine. We Continued along route 2 which winds it's way along the Ohio river through Huntington, a petty large industrial town.




Along the way I treated myself to a Hill Billy hot dog, a locally famous outpost on route 2, with junk strewn across the yard and on the side of the trailer where they make the food. I had the junk yard dog pictures above which has just about eveything.

After Huntington we crossed the state line into Kentucky, our 6th state of the trip. I was tempted to cross a bridge into Ohio just for the he'll of I but never got around to it.

My experiences so far with kentukians has been great. In the middle of one steep climb a guy with no shirt on slowed down his pickup truck so he could lean out and offer me a cold beer.

We pushed on down route 60 with the intention of stopping in the town of Olive Hill but along route noticed signs for the Carter Cave State park and headed there to pitch our tents for the night. Of course the park camgrounds are 5 miles of steep climbs from the entrance. A tough way to end a long day.

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Location:Camper Ground Dr,Olive Hill,United States

Day 14 - Point Pleasant, WV

We got a late start out of Parkersburg, around 11am. I got breakfast at Sonics, a moden day drive in. A 17 year old came stumbling out on rollerblades with my sandwich and hot coffee. It made me nervous just watching her.

We followed route 68 out of town heading south west for 30 miles to Ravenswood. The roads, or at least these roads flattened out and it was a nice relief from the hills and trails of previous days. I was able to keep up a comfortable 15 mph pace, following the road as it hugged the Ohio river.

Ravenswood didn't have much in it other than a quick stop for lunch and 20 miniutes on an internet terminal at the local library.

We jumped back on the road for another 30 miles to Point pleasant.

Point Pleasant is the town of the Mothman. It's a local myth that now seems to help hold the econmy together. Most every shop has a mothman effigy or poster up on the wall. There is a statue of the creature right in town square. There is a mothman museum on main street and an annual mothman festival in September which attracts paranormal enthusiast far and wide.

The storie goes that a couple spotted the half man half moth back in the woods not to far from town in the 60s. Since then it has become local myth and the inspiration for a major motion picture.




We stayed at the Lowe Inn which looks like a hold over from the boom times. The inn is full of antiques in it's various rooms and parlors, including the original telephone switchboard on display in the lobby. It was in use through the 90s. An elder staff memeber would continue to patch the cables to direct calls and listen in to stay awake at night, so the owner told me. The long hallways have old dark wooden doors with transoms above and skeleton key locks.




I'd say our highlight came sitting at the local diner eating breakfast sandwiches at 11pm on a Saturday night. Ryan played John Denver's Country Road on the juke box and we signed their guest book and and a town poll of the states visitors our from. Both were recorded in beat up spiral notebooks with coffee stains on them.

In the morning we walked along the flood wall that protects the town from the Ohio river. It had been painted with these beautiful murals depicting Native American and early Settler scenes.


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Day 13 - Parkersburg, WV

I awoke to the sounds of sniffing. I heard a creature liking its lips. I jostled. Then came a growling sound. I turned on my headlamp to see the outline along the tent wall of what must have been a raccoon. I got up, made some prefunctory loud noises and hoisted the few paltry snacks I had with me from a tree. The geese along the riverside hissed and squealed, attempting to stake their claim against other scavengers.

I fished out the pair of ear plugs I bought in Rockwood, put them in and fell back to sleep. Between freight trains and wildlife, I've have yet to find a peaceful night in the outdoors.

In the morning we continued west on the North Bend rail trail. Along the path are old train tunnels which are pitch black and 20 degrees cooler inside. I've learned to keep my headlamp near by so I can get i can fire it up a few feet from the entrance and continue riding without breaking pace. Inside you see nothing but a two foot shard of light in front of you and, if the tunnel is straight a light at the end. My arms instinctively tighten up when I'm passing through. They are the only things keeping me from going over the handlebars.

Our plan was to follow the trail for 17 miles to Walker and then ride south another 40 miles into Ripley, WV. Neiher of us had much energy in reserve from the night before and the tough trail riding made the thought of another 40 miles on the road unappealing.

Rain srarted coming down while we were on the trail and we quickly decided to make it a short day by riding another 20 miles to Parkersburg, WV.



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Location:W Virginia 618,Parkersburg,United States

Day 12 - North Bend State Park, WV

We left Clarksburg in the morning and rode about ten miles to wolf summit where we picked up the North Bend rail trail. Like the other rail trails the path maintains a 2 percent downhill grade. However this trail was overgrown in several spots and bogged down from yesterday's rain, making for more difficult riding. I nearly bottomed out my front tire a few times in the large muddy puddles we had to trudge through. Every once in a while I would take a break to ride along an adjacent road for a bit.

Along the way to the trail and on the trail itself are several poor backwoods towns. Folks living in prefabs and trailers, livestock roaming their front lawns and auto graveyards along their driveways. We met one old timer in front of a gas station who remembers when the rail was in service and the area was a little more prosperous. He told us the recession didn't matter much around here because unemployment is always high.

We rode the trail for about 40 miles until we reached North Bend State Park where we pitched our tents for the night.


At the camp ground I ran into Ted and Coleen, a couple who have put in over 8500 miles bicycle touring across the US and post to the website foolsonamission.com These days they roll in a camper van with the bikes on the back, driving only 30 miles each day. Ryan met them the night before and it was a coincidence we landed in the same spot. We joined them for dinner and some great travel. Thanks guys!

I made my first rookie camping mistake tonight. Ryan kindly gave me a pb&j sandwich to eat but I was already full from dinner so I left it in my tent. We left the site for a little while and when I returned I found a golf ball size hole in my net and the sandwich gone. Live and learn I told myself as I cleaned up the mess.

I'm lieing in my tent now and hear a growling noise outside. No doubt its the same creature coming back for seconds.

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Day 11 - Clarksburg, WV

We entered West Virginia today, our 5th state of the trip. We rode a good 70 miles over hilly terrain down through the South West corner of PA and into northern WV.


There was no official indication of the state line, but I did noticed Steeler bumper stickers changing to Mountainers logos. I also noticed today that the hills are starting to mellow, a hopeful indication that we are mostly past the Appalachian range.




I saw a number of different a animals along the route. In the morning, along another short rail trial, I spotted several cardinals fluttering in and out of the trees and shrubs. Coming out of one descent two horses caught site of my approach and ran along side me for the stretch of their pen. Cows were grazing along the rolling pastures, stopping their endless meals for a moment to stare blankly at me as I passed them by. They are the only ones willing to pose for a portrait.

At the top of one particularly long climb i was lucky to find a small bar on the side of the road. I was tired and thirsty more than i realized. I grabed a 7up and a Gatorade and downded them quickly as i cooled off inside. Two old timers, looking as old as the hills were trading travel stories. "Always throw a few fresh handy wipes out the window so the 'lot lizards' know to leave you alone" one crowed at the other.

We are now at the Greenbreir Motel in Clarksburg, WV sitting down to some homemade pasta. The proprietor told us to make sure we included her establishment in our blogs, "tell 'em some old bitch told ya to write it in."






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Location:Thomas Ave,Nutter Fort,United States

Day 10 - Uniontown, PA

I packed down my gear and tent under a light drizzle at the campsite. We were off to our earliest start of the trip, awaking at 7:30. Back in town we ate breakfast at Poor Man's plate. A women sitting next to us began talking to the waitress about her various relatives who been there since the rails where built. She's the kind of person who will keep talking whether someone is listening or not. She began talking to us as soon as the waitress disappeared to the kitchen. She told us she had been a state trooper for 14 years until she was shot. She gently lifted the hem of her pants to show an exit wound on her calf.




We continue along the Allegheny Passage trail for most of the day. A quick note of praise to the state of Pennsylvania for maintaining such a gorgeous rail trial. The path snakes along the cassleman and youghgeny rivers, taking you through lush greenery and past many small waterfalls running off rock ridges. At many passes, sapplings are planted along both sides of the path creating shade and the feeling you are passing through a natural corridor.




These are the same natural surroundings which inspired one of the greatest architectual landmarks in America, Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright. After reaching Ohiopyle for lunch we broke off the trail to go visit this masterpiece. The house is an homage to the nature which surrounds it. At each transition the outdoors are brought inside. In the livingroom is a large stair case which leads right down to the river and water fall on which the house is built. Large terraces cantilever over the water fall echoing the cascading rocks found below. Harmonic is the best word I can think of to describe the house.




We got back on the trail for another tewnty miles of enjoyable riding before breaking off in Connelsvile. From there we pushed on for another 12 road miles to Uniontown, PA where we called it a night after a good 65 miles. I wish the transition from the path to the local roads where as graceful as those at Fallingwater. I was rudely awoken to honking horns from drivers not too keen on giving up a shred of the road as I pedalled on along route 119.


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Location:Old New Salem Rd,Uniontown,United States

Day 9 - Rest day in Rockwood, PA

I heard rain splash against my tent roof early in the morning and I fell back asleep. The weather was bound to turn for the worse and we needed a rest day at some point. I woke again to feel the moisture of rain coming in at the foot of my tent. I begrudgingly exited my warm sleeping bag, put my shoes on and jumped outside to refasten my rainfly. I ran to the bag of food i had hung from a near by tree the night before. I was preparing to hunker down for the day.

I wish I could accurately portray what a freight train sounds like passing through an old rail town, which is normal as quiet as the crickets keep it. You first hear a dull ruckus from the tons of steel carrying more tons of coal rambling along the tracks. Just as the noise sharpens into a discernable rhythym of locomotion the roar of the horn blares across all that was quiet and serene, firing in slow succession as it approches the crossing. It's an alarm only the dead would fail to hear. It is louder than any ambulance stuck in traffic, the squeel of the uptown 4/5 train bending into 42nd or the 5 am garbage trucks sweeping up the lower east side.

In town is an old grain house turned into an opry upstairs and eatery downstairs. The building is full of artifacts from the boom times, a cabled switchboard and telegraph, a saloon cash register. A burger at the local restaurant cost $1.75. A glass of wild turkey at the tavern, $2.50.

Day 8 - Rockwood, PA

Though my sleeping bag and tent are pretty comfy I didn't get a lot of sleep my first night camping due to the thunderous crashes from freight trains pulling through a rail yard nearby. They were louder than thunder. I can't believe a piece of machinery can produce such a noise and survive.

I got up at about 8 to the sounds of Tom and Meg packing down their gear and heading off on the trail. I wanted to lie still a little more before getting up so I didnt get to see them off. They left a kind note behind with their email address.

After getting dressed and organizing gear inside my tent I stepped out into a cold fresh air. Clouds were over head. I took down my tent and packed the rest of my bags for the day. Ryan was late waking up. He too had trouble sleeping in addition to feeling a little off from his evening swim in the Potomac.

We followed the last 5 miles of the C&O tow path into Cumberland for breakfast at the City Queen Creamery. It's an old time soda shop, booths filled mostly with seniors, a vintage Rock-Ola juke box not too far from a soda fountain behind a wood paneled bar.

We had a good conversation with two guys next to us about possible routes for the day. One of them, a local police officer who just suffered a heart attack a week ago, described how tough the hills on route 40 would be making special note of Big Savage Mountain which begins in Frostburg, MD. We stopped by the local bike shop, where we were also told about the terrible climbs. While there we were offered hot coffee, use of there a shower and a laptop with internet!

So far getting information from locals far outstrips what you can attain from a gps or google maps. Folks who have spent there whole lives in a town can tell you about evey bump in the road.

Our alternative was to take the Allegheny Highland Trail which starts where the tow path ends and continues north west all the way to Pittsburg, PA. Although we would be losing some of our longitude by heading back into PA, the opportunity to be on a scenic, car free path with plenty of camping options was too good to pass up.

The path is a well maintained rail trail made of smooth packed dirt, which keeps an even 2 percent uphill grade for about 20 miles, the most steam engines could do at the time of it's construction. This feels like riding up a long handicap ramp. You realize you are on an incline, but it only knocks a couple miles off your speed. At the easten continental divide, not too far past the PA border, you summit the climb at 2392 feet and begin riding downhill. This was a welcomed change of pace, letting me ride comfortably at 15 mph.


Along the path are beautiful sweeping vistas of the valleys below. Every so often the trail takes you through a tunnel or up along a high overpass. I stopped frequently to snap photos. At other points I spotted a steam engine passing along another set of tracks. The sun was out all day.

We took a quick lunch break in Meyersdale, PA, a sleepy town with most stores closed on Sunday. I ate a sandwich at subway where a pre-pubescent kid, uniform hanging off his thin frame, took orders from customers acting grown up and looking freightened at the same time.




We followed the trail for another 15 miles to Husky Haven camp site, which is in Rockwood, PA. There are separate small clearings with fire pits and picnic tables nestled between the trees. Barry, the operator, killed the engine on his tractor to show me around. We choose a spacious clearing right by the water to set up camp. The grounds are idyllic and I'm looking forward to getting some sleep.


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Location:Rockwood, PA

Day 7 on the C&O trail outside of Cumberland, MD

After getting some local information from Dave and Donna at the town hill inn we decided to take a 40 mile route along the scenic C&O tow path to Cumberland instead of 20 more greuling miles on route 40.

What a great decision! The tow path is a shady dirt road which winds it's way along the Potomac river. A canal runs along the otherside with a series of locks which have long fallen into disrepair. Along the way we travelled through the Paw Paw tunnel, a long and dark old canal tunnel with a cramped walkway to one side. Ryan played his harmonica in the middle off it, the sound reverberating off the walls as he immitated train passing through.

Along the path we stopped in Old Town, where there is a defunct high school which continues to serve food out of the cafeteria. Pictures of each graduating from 1932 to 2000 class hung along the walls. There were never more the 20 kids in a class, some had as few as ten. I Kept imagining what life is like to grow up in such a small town.

On the other side of the canal in Old Town is the last privately owned toll bridge in America. A lady in a booth sticks out a tin cup attached to a poll to collect fairs from cars passing by. I didn't see the price, but I got the sense it was 50 cents or so.

We were thinking this would be our off day but we really had no where to be off. Riding along the path was easy work compared to the hills from yesterday but a bit rough on the backside being on a bumpy dirt road all day.

The best part of the path is that there are plenty of free campsites right along the trail. We de ided to finally use our gear we have been lugging all around and pitch our tents at the last site before Cumberland, Md. The site is a little small and noisy from a nearby highway and rail yard, but pretty suitable nonetheless. We met a cool couple also stopping there for the night, who are on route to DC. The husband Tom is thin, has a prodigious moustache and a speaking voice remenicent of a young bob dyaln. His wife, who is a nice as can be, is a director at Meals on Wheels. They offered up some of their Yeungling beer, always a tasty treat at the end of the day. If you are reading this, thanks guys!

I'm sitting in my little one person tent now finishing up this blog post. I've aleady misplaced stuff inside which I will have to find when it's light again. Looks like I have a little more to learn. Things to ponder as I get some rest.

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Day 6 little Orleans, MD

I trained for the Olympics today. The sun broke out for the first time on our trip and the temprature sored to 85 degrees. Dropping south into Maryland foiled our plans of trying to avoid the Appalachian mountains and now we are in the thick of them. I rode only 50 miles today, but it took every shred of strength I had to get through them.

My day started with one snafu after another. I lost yesterday's blog post and had to retype it again in the morning. Then I followed the wrong route by accidently leaving the "by car" choice selected on google maps. I payed for that mistake in spades.

Instead of taking a beautiful flat rail trial I went along local route 40 for 10 miles which has some pretty tough climbs. The route eventually dumped me on highway 70, which i had no choice but to ride along in the breakdown lane for two miles until the next exit. Though I didn't want to be on the highway, the flat road and intense draft from the highspeed traffic let me comfortably keep up a 22 mph pace. Once I exited I realized how bad a mistake I made.

I needed to head to the town of Haddock only a mile away but on the other side of the highway. I had no choice but to ride 10 miles out of the way, back into PA and back again into MD to reach the first underpass. Along the way I had to summit two steep ridges and for the first time began cursing the road in front of me.

Once in town I took a short rest at a roadside dinner over a tall glass of lemonade. I didn't want to stop too long as Ryan started the day before me and with my detour was probably far ahead.

I connected onto route 144 and then started the hardest climb of the trip so far. The road stretched upward for a mile at a very steep grade. I dropped into my lowest gear and began slowly spinning up the hill at 4.5 miles an hour, sweat pouring off my body. It seemed to take forever to make it to the bend in the road ahead and once I did I was greeted with another mile stretch of the same steep grade. The road continued in this fashion for another 5 miles with each bend in the road a mirage of the final apex. It took me an hour and 15 minutes straight to get to the top, my body on the verge of overheating most of the way.

How hard was this climb? Here are some indicators: 1) Ryan told me he stopped midway to ask a couple in their driveway if he could refill his water bottles. He told them we were heading to Cumberland along this route. The husband and wife matter of factly replied "oh you'll never make that." 2). Cyclist on the Ride across America, which passes through here have told our host that these hills are far worse than the Rockies due to their unrelenting inclines. 3). To my caskill friends, it was like riding over hunter mountain starting at the entrance to katterskill falls.

I flew down the back side of the mountain approaching 40 mph at one point but mostly riding my brakes as I navigated sharp switchbacks. The road flattened out and lead by a gas station that I almost passed in my delerious state. I realized I was down to half a bottle of water and pedalled in to find Ryan's bike parked outside. It's always a morale boost to catch up.

Ryan had been resting there for 45 minutes and was ready to go. I was envious of his downtime and knew I needed at least 20 minutes to regain some strength. Ryan took off. It was 5pm and we were both still under the delusion that we would reach Cumberland by nightfall.

After my break I got back on my bike and realized I had nothing left. Even the most mild incline or headwind had me dropping into my lowest gear. I could keep pedalling but get no faster than 4 or 5 mph. I managed to get another mile up the road and ran right into another monster climb.

At this point mild panic set in with the realization that I would make my destination. I immediately started looking for any viable camping spots but the steep hill offered none. Half way up the hill I broke down and started walking my bike, which was only 1 mph slower than riding it. My new plan was to reach the top and hope to find a flat and inconspicuos spot of to pitch my tent for the night.

At the top I saw a lookout on the side of the road with sweeping views of the valley. Ryans bike was resting against the elevation sign. On the otherside of the street was a bed and breakfast. What luck!


We stayed the night in Town Hill bed and breakfast which is large, beautiful old place. It reminds me of the hotel in the shining a bit, as we were the only occupants in the 25 room establishment. However, the owners are as nice as can be and in the morning we were treated to what I am sure will be the finest breakfst of our trip.



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Location:Little Orleans,United States

Day 5 Hagerstown, MD

What I thought would be a lazy day turned into a monster ride. We slept in until 10 am, slowly getting our stuff together and heading out on the road by 11:30 or so. We get to sleep early, but so far we have been averaging 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night. I sleep like I'm dead, drifting off moments after my head hits the pillow


The weather was cool and cloudy again, with a forecast of a thunderstorm to happen at some point during the day. Our plan was to head to Gettysburg, roguhly 30 miles west and figure out the rest of the day from there. The wind was fairly clam and it was a pleasure to ride along the rolling hills of farm country again once out of York. The miles went faster than I expected.




Gettysburg is a quaint if touristy colonial town with lots of historic buildings. The coolest part is there are plenty of folks walking around the streets dressed in civil war costumes (I have a soft spot for costumes) happy to speak in character about the toils of nineteenth century life like how dark the weekend wil be because they only have half a candle to burn. Robert E. Lee was especially nice to us, stopping in the middle of he street to entertain a photo op. I suppose there there is a year round livivng to be made here reenacting the past.

When I joined up with Ryan who was shortly behind we had a quick lunch and started to plan the rest of the day. Looking at the map we saw a coulpe of small towns further wast in PA but we quickly ditched that idea and the idea of sticking in PA for a 35 mile trip to Hagerstown MD. We have been on the road for 5 days and have been in 4 states.

I was sluggish leaving Gettysburg, suffering a sugar crash from a delicious cup of mint chip ice cream i downed earlier. I managed to shake it off after a mile or two. I love stopping to check out the different towns we pass through but at the same time hate to break the rhythym I work up on the bike.

We headed west along 16 which is a sketchy road with no shoulder and 18 wheelers whizzing past. If they are going fast enough and drive right by you can feel their wake of air pull you into the road. On this road we encountered two massive climbs, one after the other, spanning 6 miles in all. I had to take a break along the way but not before acheiveng a tingly medetative state while listening to a Jimmy Page guitar solo that reminded me of Segovia.




Ryan and I split up after missing a turn. I doubled back and began riding solo along rolling pasteurs as I came across a stone pilar marking the Mason Dixon line. A car gave a friendly honk as it passed, no doubt recognizing that I was touring.

Like magic my road merged into another and I was right behind Ryan again. We were laughing as we saw each other and the boost from the coincidence powered us the rest of the way into town.




I'm wiped out. I just inhaled a chicken pasta entree with two sides at a roadside honky tonk next to our hotel. I'm tired all right, but might have just enough energy left to try out some of the line dancing they have going on next door. Yeehaw.

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Location:Dual Hwy,Hagerstown,United States

Day 4 York, PA

After 10 and a half hours of sleep I awoke full of energy and ready to start the day. Beaming might be a way to describe my disposition. The weather report called for a cloudy and cold day, but little if any rainfall. This was an improvement since checking the night before so we decided to put in a full day of riding.

In the morning, I went through my gear up ritual: dress, repack the close handwashed the night before, fill water bottles, stretch out. When I reach our stop for the night I follow this more or less in reverse: shower, wash that day's riding clothes, dress in my one set of "casual" close, stretch, pull out my fresh gear for tomorrow's ride.

We started our day at Claires family restaurant in Morgantown, which is set up like an old time diner with with a mix of locals at the counter and in the booths. We got a few inquisitive glances, which I'm beginning to get used to. I had a lumberjack breakfast and loved every second of it. Breakfast is my favorite meal.

Once on the road we continued for 50 miles west on route 23 passing through Lancaster and on route 462 into York, PA, our destination for the day. The begining of the ride was utterly fantastic.

The road turned Into a large cascading descent, then another one, perhaps a mile in all. I thrilled at the ability to breeze through the stretch, my head up able to take in all the countryside, but in the back of my mind worried every so slightly about having to regain the altitude. The road flattened and then dropped into another downhill! I was amazed. There was little to do but watch the scenerey and pedal along the occasional flat all the way into Lancaster and much of the ride for the rest of the day.

Our route took us through amish country past beautiful farmland and pasteures which i could see stretch past a cloudy mist. Every so often i would spot a horse and buggy with a man at the reigns and a woman in a bonnet in the passenger seat. Alnong the way i stopped at a roadside stand with an honor box to buy fresh strawberries. An amish woman was happy to sell me half a basket, all I wanted to carry. Her 5 year old son, eyes as blue as the sky shyly hid behind her long skirt, stealing gazes at me.

With a broad shoulder and no turns to worry about i was able to let go and fully enjoy the moment. It has been a long time since I've felt as good as i did this morning. It's the kind of feeling that makes me realize I can die happy.

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Location:N Beaver St,York,United States

Day 3. Morgantown, PA

I awoke from a brazillian BBQ food coma and we were off to downtown Philly first thing in the morning to get some breakfast and make stops at a bike shop and EMS for some final gear purchases. I got some shoe covers which I tried out later in the day as a cold drizzle started. My feet tend to get cold and numb easily so I was psyched to find a pair after having no luck in NYC.

Starting out in the morning is the hardest part of the day. You don't really think you have it I you. My left achilles was still pretty sore and tender in the morning. I pedalled through it and thankfully it loosened up later in the day.

Our route took us west out of Philly to catch some local routes, which continued north and west for 47 mile to land us In Morgantown, PA, just shy of Amish country. As we were leaving the city on route 3 we passed by, in what appeared to be a black neighborhood,a hell's angels club house with KKK painted in large white letters on the door. An elderly black man in a black leather jacket with a red kangol and red butterfly collars was strolling passed at the time.

Out of the city the area turned lush and fancy. Mail boxes and gates bore the names of estates like "duck walk" and "spruce hollow". The lands were beautiful and with large houses sprinkled every 100 yards or so. The area reminded me of parts of Greenwich, CT with perhaps less ostentation.

We had our first encounter with hills today as the road undulated with climbs and decents for most of the afternoon. I was daunted at first to see the steep inclines but managed to find a rhythym on the way up. Climbing, especially with a bunch of weight on your bike, is all about patience. You are going to be in a low gear, going very slow (sometimes 1-2mph) and be on the climb for a while. It's best to settle in and hope you have a good song playing to distract you from the fact that the peak never seems to get closer if you keep looking. I had to take a break on one incline, which took me about 10 minutes in all to get over. By the end of the day I was more comfortable with the hills. It's amazing how each day brings new mental and physical adjustments.

Ryan had a tougher time today with the hills, no doubt due to the extra gear and body weight he was moving. At about 10 miles off our detination he hit the wall and wanted to stop. Unfortunately, there was no nearby hotel option, the light rain was starting to pick up and the temprature had dropped to low 50s. We pushed on and managed to reach our destination, lucilky taking the last halfmile on a downhill.

Observations:
* As with fixed gear bikes, stopping is the enemy with long distance touring. Your legs get cold and hurt like hell when you get back on the bike.
* Rumble strips in the middle of the road are great -- you can hear traffic approaching behind you well in advance.
* What you eat is important. I had lots of small snacks all day and had plenty of energy. Bananas! Ryan stopped for a big plate of food at Boston market, which he needed all in all, but made him feel sluggish afterwards.



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Location:Lexington Way,Morgantown,United States

Day 2 philly

I'm tired! Carrying 40 pounds of grear on a 35 pound bike is a lot harder than cruising around on a road bike. We faced a strong headwind at times and the bags hanging off the bike felt like two umbrellas opened up behind me. We are still upbeat, but i am starting to realize how physically strenuous the trip will be. My left Achilles started to ache by the end of the day.

We followed country(ish) roads from east brunswick, nj to philly, even passing a few farms along the way. It was a nice break from the sketchy roads we took out of NYC. In all we did about 55 miles.


Once we crossed the tacony bridge and made iinto PA we cruised along local roads and got a brake from the headwind as we entered the city.

We stayed with a friend of ryan's in port Richmond, who mixed it up in us and instead of taking us out for cheese steaks brought us to this insanse brazIlian bbq spot. We OD'd on all you can eat and then crashes for a good 8 hours -- could have slept for 12





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Location:Edgemont St,Philadelphia,United States

Day 1

Day one is complete and was awesome. A number of folks came out to the MUD to see us off in the morning with a few riding with us up to the bridge. I loved being around everyone, but at the same time was eager to get the trip started. It was the first time ridin my bike fully loaded. It handled really well despite the firece winds we rode into at times.

Our initial route came from goolge maps "by bicycle". Let's just say that the may want to move back to "alpha". After winding through crowded roads of union and Bergen we were routed on newark turnpike, which is high speed road often without a shoulder. After 15 or so sketchy miles we were back on safe roads and moving through Newark.

Then the awesomeness occured! We had strayed a little from our route and just as we were going to get reoriented we saw hundreds of bicyclist cruising along an adjacent road. Ryan and I immediately peddaled off to catch up to them. The cyclist were all cops on the annual Police Unity Tour, a 4 day ride to DC. Better yet they were being escorted by motor cycles and passing thru every intersection unobstructed! We decided to stay on the ride and chatted with a number of friendly folks, many of whom were blown away when the heard we we heading cross country. One of them gave me a flag from the ride, which i know have on my nike. We rode a good 25 traffic free miles with them to Edison NJ. After parting ways Ryan and I were on cloud nine, beaming from the incredible good luck on our first day of the trip.

We found a roadside Greek dinner where we made our first and only stop of the day. Jersey dinners are GREASY. The chicken wrap almost slipped out of my hand. Over lunch we decided to shoot for Princeton but ended up making it to New Bruinswick. We found a cheap hotel 6 in east bruinswick and after a couple of miscues probably from being tired an still getting used to our combo of iPhones and a dedicated gps we found a comfy bed and a hot shower.

We put in about 65 miles and I'm feeling good, but tired. My right knee, which I had ACL surgery on a few years ago gets tired and sore, but doest bother me at all on the bike. Curious to see how my body holds up after riding day after day. Heading to Philly tomorrow.






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Location:Serviss Ave,East Brunswick,United States

Gear

I have a pretty steep learning curve when it comes to gear for this trip. I've hardly ever been camping and i've only ridden road bicycles and a fixed gear bike around new york city.

After reading many good reviews, I decided on the Surly Long Haul Trucker for my bicycle. I've known a lot of happy surly owners in the past and the price of $1100 for the configuration seemed liked a great deal. The name says it all. This bike is built like a truck. The steel frame has a low bottom bracket and long chainstay for extra stability while carrying lots of extra weight. The bar end shifters add to the big-rig feel, making you get your whole arm involved in shifting action (reminds me of the stories my dad told me about driving split shift semis). I added the front and back Cro-Moly Surly racks to the bike, along with three bottle cages, some fenders and a set of Schwalbe Marathon XR tires (700 x 35). These tires are supposed to be bullet proof. We got this recommendation from the ginger ninjas, a group of musicians bicycling around the world.

One of the most important gear decisions is the saddle. The majority of tourist choose a brooks saddle, which is what i went with. I chose the pre-aged Flyer, which is a sprung version of the b17. The pre-aged version comes partially broken in and noticeably more flexible out of the box compared to the standard models. I had immediate misgivings about it, but have slowly gotten adjusted to its feel. A trick it seems is to set the correct tension. Too loose and you are feeling the metal anchor on the back of the saddle, too tight and your sit bones ride high off the leather. It should continue to get more comfortable as time goes on.

I bought a set of Ortleib panniers to store all of my gear. Bike-Packer Plus bags for the back and Sport-Packer plus for the front. I also have an Ortleib Handlebar bag, but may leave it behind. I bought the bags as a set from Wayne at http://www.thetouringstore.com/, a really helpful will steer you in the right direction. Like my tires, the bags are from Germany and heavy duty. They are fully waterproof and have lots of pockets. After using panniers for the past week I can't see myself going back carrying a backpack.

What's in the bags:

Clothes:
2 wool t-shirts (wool is the miracle material, naturally anti-microbrial, wicks well, and doesn't trap odor like synthetic alternatives)
1 wool long sleeve shirt
3 Pairs of wool socks (two short, one long)
2 pairs of high end pearl izumi bike short (i almost skimped on these! get the best you can get!)
1 pair nylon shorts (I plan to use these for riding/swimming/casual settings)
1 pair of hiking pants with zip off legs
1 Marmot rain/wind jacket
1 pair Marmot rain pants
1 pair biking gloves
2 pairs of boxers
2 pairs of cheapo sunglasses (hey, i live 2 blocks off st. marks)
1 Sea to summit micro fiber towel
1 Brooks saddle cover
1 pair of Specialized Tahoe MTB shoes
1 pair of Merrel water shoes (for off the bike)

Camping:
Mountain Hardware Ultralamina 32 sleeping bag (I went expensive here to carry less weight and bulk. Many nights i won't even need to be in it i hope)
Thermarest inflatable sleeping pad (go with the cheaper/better Big Agnes model if you can deal with the smaller dimensions)


Tools:
Park bike pump
Alien multi tool
Small Crescent wrench
Small 10 wrench
Combination lock
Brooks tension spanner
3 Spare 700x35 tubes

Tech:
Iphone 3G
Powermonkey eXplorer Solar charger + battery
Nokia MD-6 portable speaker (this thing rawks for its size)
Canon S90 point and shoot camera, charger, extra battery, extra SD card, SD card reader
Head lamp (i'll use this for a front bike light as well)
Bike Planet Cycle computer (the odometer only goes up to 999 miles. I'll flip it 4 times!)
Adventure Cycling Trans-America & Western Express map sets

Toiletries:
Dr Bronner's Magic Soap
Sun screen
Advil and Aleve
Toothbrush
Floss
Lotrimin
Neosporin

Misc:
Spindle of thin nylon rope (for hanging clothes / food)
3 small stuff sacks for organizing gear
10 Liter dry bag
1 disc craft frisbee (plenty of time to practice my forehand)

Weight:
I took all of my packed bags to my local laundromat to use their scale.
Grand total 32.5 Lbs


This seems light to me, which may mean I'm missing stuff. I will be adding a cable to lock my bike which should add another 2 lbs or so and will have varying levels of food and liquids as well while I'm traveling.

T-minus 1 day

So excited to start this blog and my bicycle tour across the US. I'll be leaving with my friend Ryan tomorrow, May 9th from our local coffee shop MUD in the east village, NYC. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. I've left my job, learned all about bicycle touring, geared up for the trip and squeezed in as much time for friends and family as possible. Yesterday Ryan and I took a spin out to Coney Island to dip our back tires in the Atlantic Ocean. In 4500 miles or so will have the honor of dipping our front tires in the Pacific.

We will be riding the trans-America trail for most of our trip, a route created for the bikentennial ride in '76 by George Sipel. The official course starts in the West and ends in the East, taking advantage of the prevailing westerly winds. This won't be the case for us as we leave New York and end in Oregon. To me, there is something a little more magical about stepping out of your apartment and just pedaling off.

We will be heading over the GWB bridge into New Jersey and then heading south to Philly PA. I am hoping to ride along part of the Peter Odell Memorial route, a bicycle ride my girlfriend's father created, which is still held annually in his honor. In PA we'll follow the southern boundary of the state taking advantage of the Bicycle Tour Route S the state has listed on their website. About three quarters the length of the state just past the shared border with Maryland we'll turn south into West VA heading into Monongahla National Forest for some good camping I hope. Our strategy is to avoid the Appalachian mountains as we haven't trained and we will still be early in our tour. Depending on difficulty we may continue south back into VA to pass through the Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Just south of the Jefferson National Forest is Christiansburg VA, where we can pick up the official Trans-America trail. If this proves too difficult will stay in West VA, continuing west of the Monongahla National Forest range and enter VA and the western tip to connect onto the trail. From here the trail continues west through VA, KY, IL, MO, KS and CO. In Colorado the trail turns north west up through the state into Wyoming and Montana, passing through Yellowstone National Park, west into Idaho and into Oregon. By many accounts this is the prettiest part of the trail. We'll also have the option of skipping this part and saving 1000 miles by continuing due west in Colorado and summitting the Rockies by gaining 11,000 ft of altitude and continuing through Utah, Nevada and into California.

That is the theroy at least. Now back to the "by bicycle" option in google maps.