Yorktown!

I made it to Yorktown! I rode the 80 miles from Mechanicsville, super casual, and here I am, chilling by the York river. I biked across the United states! I'll be writing more on the last two days soon. Thank you to the people who have helped make this trip possible. Without my sponsors, and the goodwill of strangers, from members of church communities to people offering me food on the side of the road, I wouldn't have made it this far. Thanks to my dad for driving all over the US to be my support team. 

Out of the mountains!

Wytheville to Catawba, Catawba to mallard duck campground 

No matter how I try to convince myself otherwise, I feel like these rides were kind of intermediate rides, just trying to get from one set of mountains to another. The landscape was very hilly, and covered with farms. For a good chunk of these two days, I had mountains on both sides. Pretty, but I was itching for some big climbs. A few things are notable. The city park in Catawba was gorgeous. There wasn't any running water, but they had a port o potty and a fantastic view of the Catawba mountains. The mallard duck campground was also beautiful. The tent sites are tucked away by a little river, and the evening light made the scene very romantic. Some nice folks from an rv site offered to feed me! Oh, man, that food was good!

Mallard duck campground to Charlottesville 

This is the ride I'd been looking forward to since I left Damascus. From the campground, I snaked along the river for awhile before ascending about 2000ft in roughly 3 miles. That climb was insane. Steep, long, unforgiving. It scratched my itch for climbing, and then some.  After the big climb, I rode along the blue Ridge Parkway for 27 miles. This was full of beautiful vistas and long ascents and descents. I even ran into some other riders! I decided not to take pictures because of the haze. The haze made it so the colors felt flat, and it smudged out the contours of nearby mountains. I just hope it wasn't related to air pollution. After the Parkway, I made a quick descent down to sea level where I encountered even more hills. For some reason I had it in my mind that once I got out of the mountains I'd be done climbing. This is not true. I hit more steep rollers, all the way to Charlottesville. In all, a good ride, but very hard.  

Damascus to Wytheville

Today I'm riding about 60 miles from Damascus to Wytheville. I've got about 12 miles left in my trip, but I've done almost all of the elevation change. I was disappointed. I expected some brutal climbs out of Damascus, the kind where you swear and sweat and almost fall over from going so slow. Instead, I rode basically a railroad grade for the majority of the climbs. I think my max elevation was about 2000 ft higher than where I started in Damascus. The reason I feel disappointed is because this is the second to last big climb of this entire trip. I wanted it to be epic. Instead, it was a long, easy spin. On the plus side, I got to ride a rail trail for the first 12 miles of my ride. The Virginia Creeper trail is only about 35 miles long and it happens to run parallel to the TransAm for a little bit. As always, it was nice to get out of traffic, and to indulge in a different tire sound (that of crunching gravel). I'm now entering the region in between the two ranges in the Appalachian mountains. In about two days time, I'll be doing the climb out of Vesuvius, VA, which promises to be awesome.

Last night I stayed at Crazy Larry's hostel in Damascus. I originally intended on staying at "The Place" but after I biked around town looking for a laundromat, I discovered that Crazy Larry's is about the only place in town that does laundry. I walked in, took one look at the bed in the front room, and decided I was going to stay there. It was a little bit more than I wanted to spend -- $27.50 for a bed and laundry, but I think it was worth it. Larry fed me dinner and breakfast (dinner was pork and beans and cooked spinach, and breakfast was chocolate chip pancakes) and chatted me up all afternoon. It was great to sit and listen to someone talk about some of their adventures. I learned a little bit about the Appalachian Trail in the process. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the people who hike the AT and the people who tour on bikes is the way they sign guest books. Bikers usually say something along to lines of "Thanks for letting me stay here. [Optional: Insert something about being good Christians] It was rainy outside and it was nice to not be wet. -- [name, starting point, ending point]". Hikers sometimes write page long messages, explaining their rationale for doing the trip, the thing they've learned about themselves, and some other information about themselves and their life story. Other times they draw pictures, or write poems. Some don't even address the host. I like the hiker approach a little bit better. Maybe I'll try to employ it for the remainder of my trip. At the end of the day, I have no desire to hike the Appalachian Trail. Hiking seems too slow. A long day for a hiker is 35 miles. A long day for me is 120 miles. In other words, it takes forever to go from point A to point B.

Tomorrow I start the last of my maps. Exciting times in Virginia.

Short day to Damascus

Today I rode about 35 miles. This is the shortest ride I've done on this entire trip. I'm treating today as a rest day. I plan to do laundry, walk around, and maybe take a nap. It's crazy to think that I've only got about a week left of riding. Yesterday I planned on staying in the city park in Council, VA, but I got bored. I ran out of books to read, so I found myself just sitting around. By 5 o'clock I was itching for some more hills. I got on my bike, and rode to the next spot on the map that provided free lodging -- a methodist church outside of Rosedale, VA. Up until Council, it was clear that the landscape had not changed much from Eastern Kentucky. As soon as I got up and over big A mountain (no joke) I felt like I had really entered a new state. Riding in Eastern Kentucky (and western Virginia) as I've noted before consisted of following creeks and rivers, occasionally riding over big hills. Once I got over big A mountain, I found myself gazing upon a vast, hilly meadow. In the far distance I could see a ridge of mountains. I've started to climb that ridge today, and I'll get over it tomorrow on my way to Wytheville. You can see the route I took to area by the church below.

Damascus is notable as it is the only place where the Appalachian trail and the TransAmerica trail intersect. It's home to a number of hiker/cyclist hostels. I'm staying in one called "The Place." Two days from now, I start on the last of my maps. I think I've gone through about nine of them up until now.

Eastern Kentucky and Virginia

21/07/2015

I made it Virginia! I'm currently sitting at a picnic bench in breaks interstate Park, about 4 miles into Virginia. I've still got some hard riding to do, but I'm pretty excited to be out of Kentucky. My experience in Kentucky was far different from what I expected. I've run into a number of folks who tell me that Kentucky is full of rabid dogs, and is terribly ugly east of Berea. While I encountered a few dogs, I didn't feel that I was in any danger of being eaten alive. The landscapes were fantastic. Most of my time was spent riding along creeks and rivers that run in between the hills. Every 20 to 30 miles I would climb up one of said hills. The climbs have been short but brutal. Most of them have been less than a mile and a half, but I often find myself in the easiest gear on my bike, crunching along at 3.5 mph. The descents are fun; steep with lots of turns.

Yesterday my plans to stay in Hindman, KY fell through, as I hadn't given the host enough lead time. The next free place to stay was another 50 miles down the line, so I ended up riding about 120 miles. 9 and a half hours on the bike. Luckily the place I stayed had a bed, so I slept like a baby. Thanks to Greg and Alice for providing a comfortable and welcoming place to stay.

Two days from now I go over the first of two big climbs in the Appalachian mountains. Everything I've been doing up until now will pale in comparison to these climbs. They say cyclists sometimes just keel over from exertion on these climbs. They say Vesuvius, the second one, is five miles long at a 22% grade. 

Two short days

18/07/2015

After I got to bardstown, I was feeling pretty beat. Normally I get up naturally at around 5:30, but I got up at 9! Even with the time change, that's pretty incredible. That  might be the latest I've gotten up on this trip. Usually I feel a little sluggish in the morning, but it wears off after a few minutes of being up. In bardstown, however, I just couldn't beat the fatigue. I went to McDonald's, had a huge breakfast, but I still couldn't motivate myself to get on the bike. I resolved to take a tour of the local bourbon distillery and then head out, but only to Harrodsburg, a town about 45 miles down the line. The tour was way cool! I got to try some good bourbon, and I finally understand the distinction between bourbon and whiskey. I thought about getting some for some friends who appreciate it, but ultimately decided it wouldn't fit. Setting out at noon was a mistake, however. I hate riding in the middle of the day. It was incredibly hot, and the sun was brutal. I was admittedly pretty miserable. I thought that I could bike through the day without eating, which was dumb. It's hard to go more than about 30 miles without eating something. I pushed on, ignoring the gurgling in my belly. It's like I subconsciously wanted to feel shitty. The landscape was beautiful, of course. I rode along a little creak in between two sets of hills. It was shady, relatively flat, and kind of cool. The hills getting out of the valley were super steep. I would have loved them any other day. I decided that my bad day was due to too much caffeine and subsequently a lack of sleep. I hadn't  slept for more than 5 or 6 hours in over two weeks. I resolved to get a motel and sleep. And I did. 

I woke up today after sleeping 9 hours, and my ride into Berea was great! Another much needed 45 mile day. Berea seems pretty cool. One of the few places I've encountered on this trip that have vegetarian and vegan food. I think I'm ready to put on some better mileage to get out of Kentucky. Apparently I start going into the Appalachian mountains tomorrow! I think it might rain tomorrow, which could be a nice break from the heat and sun. The next place I'm looking forward to hitting is Damascus, VA. This is the only place where the TransAmerica trail interests the Appalachian trail, and I'm excited to stay at the hostel there. I think it might be my first night in Virginia as well. 

Me, Robyn, and rollers

I've been riding all day and resting in my spare time. I've had a hard time writing anything for some reason, so my post is a little disjointed. I know I'm close to the end of the trip, but I feel really apprehensive about dogs, and I know the next week and a half or so is going to be hard. 

07/15/2015

I stayed in a Baptist Church last night, after riding 115 miles. That's the longest bike ride I've ever done. Surprisingly, I wasn't even in super bad shape at the end of it. My ass hurt, and my back was a little sore, but other than that, I was doing okay. The countryside, as promised, is gorgeous. Rolling hills (my favorite ), forests, farmland (they grow tobacco here, by the looks of it!), and minimal traffic. A cycling paradise. 

07/16/2015

I'm at a convenience store this morning feeling like complete shit, drinking a cup of coffee, contemplating my demise. This convenience store is like a new York deli that didn't quite make it, so it got transplanted to Western Kentucky, where it seems to be doing alright. It has that vibe like it's never been cleaned, or is constitutionally impossible to clean; the summer heat and humidity makes it feel like everything has a thin layer of greeeeze  on it. To top it off, two Indian dudes run the place. My own little slice of Nyc. 

Pepper sprayed a dog yesterday. This big fucker came rocketing toward me so fast I thought I heard a sonic boom in his wake. Its mouth was rhythmically opening and closing to the beat of its barks, revealing saliva covered teeth. What it didn't contend with was the fact that I came prepared. I nailed it right in the face. After hearing one too many stories about cyclists getting rabies shots after getting bitten by dogs, I'm not taking any chances. I'm just freaked out, that's all. What happens if I miss, and some dog bites me, or worse, gets caught up in my wheels? Constant vigilance is the name of the game, I guess. Only another 500 miles in Kentucky! 

I made it 80 miles today, all the way to a town called Bardstown. Apparently this is the bourbon capital of the world! I might stay a day and explore a little. I also might bike to Berea. I met a guy named Greg today on the road. He treated me to lunch at a little hole in the wall joint in some little town. It was delicious. Greg was really cool, and it felt really good to bike with another human being. I don't think I've biked with someone else since Colorado. Having someone to talk to really make the time fly by. Greg offered an interesting perspective on touring. Instead of trying to make it to the end as fast as possible, he decided that he needed to savor these last 1000 miles. For him that meant taking lots of detour and doing 40 mile days.  I think I'm going to take sort of a middle road; maybe not riding 100 miles a day, but also not riding 40. 

Two days, one post

07/12/2015

Today I ended up in Chester , IL. I'm staying at the local Eagles place. They have a bunk room for cyclists,plus showers and discounted food during the week. Like most of rural America, the beer is cheap and plentiful-- $2.50 for 22oz of crap, or a little more for a craft beer. Today was a good ride. For the first 60 miles I had cliffs on one side, and farmland on the other as I followed the path of the meandering Mississippi. I encountered a strange phenomenon as I passed by some of the bluffs. The bluffs, probably about 200ft high, had numerous caves along side the road. All of the caves that I saw were blocked off, with no trespassing signs. I think they were being used for some sort of mining, as I saw many truck roll through on laden with rock. Anyways, the strange part about these caves was that they were emanating cold air -- easily 30 degrees cooler than the air I was riding through. I stopped for a brief moment hoping to cool off in these naturally air conditioned zones, but as soon as I stopped I realized that the cold air smelled funny. It was noxious, with a deeply unpleasant flavor. What was going on there? What substance were they digging for?

07/13/2015

Despite getting up at 5:30 this morning, I didn't beat the heat. By 10, it was so hot that I had totally soaked my shirt in sweat. Out west, I could have laid my shirt out in the sun for ten minutes and it would have dried, but here in southern Illinois the humidity is such that everything is always a little damp. I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Carbondale waiting for the sun to get lower in the sky so I can keep riding. It likely won't get any cooler until much later, but at least I won't have the sun roasting me. I plan on riding another 55 miles or so today. Tomorrow I'm going to Kentucky, land of beautiful country roads and stray dogs. I took a detour to Carbondale to get some dog repellent. The roads here in southern Illinois have been amazing. Lots of little County roads,lots of tarmac, and even more hills. Coming out of Chester this morning I went up some hills where I had to use the lowest gear on my bike (with a triple!) and I was still pedaling at low rpm. At the top of these climbs, the views are amazing. Woods and farmland cover the rolling hills. Visibility is very high due to recent rains, so it feels like you can see forever. This roller-coaster landscape is some of the best I've encountered so far (I feel like I say that about every place I go!)

I should mention that I got to spend a day with my parents outside of St. Louis. While I was really sad to leave them yesterday, it was fantastic to be able to see them. They've been such a help, in every regard. 

A thank you to Bryce in Kansas city is long overdue. I underestimated how big the metro area is, and without his help, in giving me directions and rides, I would have been screwed. Plus, Bryce is an awesome guy. I knew I was in for a good time when we he handed me a cold beer after he rode out to meet me when I was coming in from Ottawa. I'm happy and grateful that I had the 

opportunity to stay with him. 

07/08/2015

I went into today thinking it was going to be the most miserable ride I'd ever do. It started off pretty shitty. My knee was clicking again, and it was raining pretty hard. I was cold, wet, and looking at doing 90 miles of riding on a wet gravel trail. Pretty soon, the Walmart poncho paid off, as it kept me well insulated. I was warm and wet, and the trail wasn't as hard to ride at I expected. My new bike sails over the crushed limestone of the Katy trail, what with its 40c tires. I'm still not sure about the flared handlebars, but I'm sure another 170 miles will tell if they're going to stay with me across the rest of the country.

The trail itself is crushed limestone, like the best parts of the flint hills trail. I'd say it averages about 10 feet across, making it such that you and a friend could comfortably ride abreast and still have room to let oncoming traffic by. Most of the trail I rode today was wooded, with trees leaning in towards the middle on both sides, making it seem like you're riding through a wooded tunnel. Rain always makes the green of tree leaves appear more saturated, so the effect was even more mesmerizing today. The trail crosses many creeks and rivers, all of which were swollen and raging today. If I were to try and ride through in a few days, I might not be able to cross some of the bridges, as they would be flooded! Overall, the trail has been a welcome and long awaited treat.

Kamal, if you're reading this, you'll be happy to know that I'm growing out my beard. I'm going full Amish, albeit with a twist -- some guys gave me a faux hawk the other day in Kansas on the side of the road.

Below are some pictures from the last few days. I'm having trouble adding captions with my phone, so I'll do it here instead. The first is a shot of the Katy trail. The second shows all my gear, minus my tent, after sending my stuff to Clinton. I was traveling light! The third and fourth show the holes left in the seat stays on my bike after the rack ripped off. The same people who gave me my haircut also took the last picture. They were doing the same route as me, but in reverse.

Rain ride!

Today I set out in the pouring rain. The Katy trail begins. The new bike is sweet, and I'm pumped to get dirty today. I even got my stuff from the post office! I sent home another 7 pounds, and I took some weight out of my bags, so hopefully I won't be breaking anymore bikes.

Shout out to REI for hooking me up, and to everyone who has helped get me this far. I couldn't have done this with out the monumental support from friends, my family, and strangers.

A long term review of my old bike is in the works! Stay tuned!

Kansas part two

I'm doing another post via my phone, so be patient with any glaring mistakes. 

Since my bike broke, I've had to follow a different route through Kansas. Instead of going to through the southeastern part as adventure cycling would have me go, I'm going up to Kansas City, so I can visit the REI there and hopefully get my bike replaced. From Larned, the most direct route is to go along US highway 56. For the first day and a quarter out of Larned, I did just that. For the first 25 miles of the second day, I kept seeing all these crosses on the side of the road. It's likely that most of them are not from cyclists, but I had this feeling that if I kept riding on 56, I was gonna be one of those crosses. I resolved to get off the federal highway and take county roads. 

Once off the main highway, I found that things became quieter, and the scenery became more interesting. Rolling pastures and golden wheat fields extended to the horizon on both sides, and layers of hills were shrouded in purplish haze as they became more distant. The road itself scrunched up accordion style; I found myself going up and down many steep, short hills. I stopped in a little town called Tampa, where a woman opened her shop after hours for me, and later made me a sandwich. She even offered to let me use her pool! I declined the dip in the pool, citing my need to get to Herington before sundown. Such generosity and hospitality continues to blow me away. 

Today, after riding some unpaved county roads to council grove, I got on the flint hills nature trail, and rode it for almost 70 miles! Man, what a treat! No cars, no steep hills, and it wasn't even super hot! The trail is unpaved, and the surfaces ranges from gorgeous limestone pea gravel to dirt/mud to the gravel you see along railroads (the latter is almost impossible to ride with my bike, so I was lucky that I only encountered it for a few hundred yards). Sometimes the trail would get pretty covered in vegetation. Overall, for a trail that's technically still under construction, it was really nice. The grasshoppers got a little obnoxious sometimes. As you pass by, they throw themselves at you, and seem to cling to your leg hairs for a split second before disembarking. This is an unpleasant sensation, especially when tens, or even hundreds are doing it in the space of a few hundred yards! Even though I went a little slower than usual today, I had such a good time getting tired and dirty. Unpaved trails like that are too much fun. In Missouri, in hoping to ride a similar trail, the Katy trail, for most of the way across the state. 

Tomorrow I go to Kansas city to resolve my bike issues. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly. 

I'm writing on my phone, so I'll keep this short. My rack broke off my bike outside of Larned, Kansas. I was able to make it into town before the whole thing collapsed on me. The rack itself is intact; there mounts on my bike broke off the seat stays, leaving behind some holes in the aluminum. Good news, REI says they're willing to get me a refund, and I can ride the bike. Bad news is that I can't haul anything.

I shipped my stuff to a little town in Missouri. I'm biking to Kansas City with a backpack and a tent. Pictures to come. In spite of everything, I'm having a blast. 

Western Kansas

I made it to Kansas! Its crazy to think that I've biked across California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. As Tom says, this is a good tour in itself. Other than the day from Pueblo to Ordway, I've been putting on some crazy mileage so far. I went from Ordway to Sheridan Lake, from Sheridan Lake to Dighton, and today I'm going as far as Larned. I'll put on about ~290 miles in three days. Kansas has been phenomenally flat, and I've had a tail wind since I left Ordway, so I've been hauling ass. Yesterday I averaged something like 19 mph. It was also crazy hot yesterday. It got up to about 85 by 10, and be the time I rolled into Dighton, around 4, it was 100 degrees. I didn't really sleep much last night; as I was going to sleep in the city park in Dighton, the sprinklers started up! I moved my tent around a few times, but the sprinklers kept following me. Eventually, around midnight, the sprinklers stopped, and I found a relatively dry spot to camp. If I had a camp pad, I would have just set up my sleeping bag on a picnic table. The wind was strong enough last night that I probably wouldn't have been bothered by bugs. I've been lucky to get a shower ever two days or so, but my grime level is still fantastic. I apply sunscreen probably four times a day, and I put on bug spray once or twice in the evening. Combined with the prodigious amount of sweat I generate during the day, I get a nice layer of scum covering my whole body.

So far, I really enjoy biking in Kansas. It reminds me of Minnesota and Iowa, and I feel comfortable here. The mountains are beautiful, but they feel strange and disconcerting. Seeing rolling farmland makes me breathe a sigh of relief.

Last night I decided to go to a bar in Dighton, and they were selling $1 beers! It was trashy Tuesdays all over again. Apparently beers aren't usually that cheap, but harvest time necessitates large quantities of drink, according to the bartender.

In Sheridan Lake, I stayed at a church. It's amazing how smells are capable of bringing back sharp and powerful memories. They let me use the kitchen and the bathroom, and everything smelled like Olivet! They used the same (bad) coffee, and even the same hand soap. I felt like it was a Wednesday evening, or a Sunday in the middle of the summer. I continue to be astounded by the generosity of the people that I encounter on this trip. This church leaves its doors unlocked all summer so that touring cyclists might have a place to stay. I've seen that same sort of generosity and hospitality in the church community in which I grew up. It's comforting to know that kind people exist everywhere.