The Blustery Day

30 June 2012                                    to view Bottle's Blog go to bottlestravels2.blogspot.com

Stats for the day:

Depart Pittsford, NY 8:35 a.m., arrive Lockport, NY 7:35 p.m.

Trip mileage – 630.8 miles

Today’s mileage – 73.92 miles

Time on bike –6:36:26

Average Speed – 11.2 mph

Max speed – 25.0 mph

Once upon a time there lived two people, a man and a woman, who set out on a cross country trek to visit family in the distant land of Indiana.  Being of unsound minds, everyone says so, they decided to make this trip on bicycle.  Silly, silly, silly.  It's not really silly to do the trip, it's silly to plan for 70+ miles per day.  We have learned our lesson!  We have also learned that as the day grows long, the wind grows strong, so we need to be done biking by four of five p.m. in order to not wear ourselves out fighting against the constant western gusts.  Head winds make for tough biking.

We had a wonderful time with our new friends, Jarrett and Barbara in Pittsford.  After a great night's sleep and hearty breakfast, we were on our way.  As you may remember from an earlier post, we have been anxious to see a lock in operation; well, we saw it today.  As we came upon Lock 32,we stopped to just check it out, when the lower gates opened and very nice sail boat, under motor power, pulled into the lock.  The gates shut, and within five minutes, they had pumped enough water into the lock to allow the boat to continue it's trip up Canal.  

All day long, we played leap frog with the boat as they made their way to Chicago, hoping to make it through all the locks before 10:00 p.m. when they are no longer manned and operated.  On at least four occasions when we caught up to them, and passed them, we had some very nice, but short, conversations about the benefits of both types of transportation.  Our similar gripe was the wind and how it was slowing us down.  Our trip took us off the Canal Trail in Gasport, so we don't know if they ever made their destination in time.  

The vast majority of our cycling time today was on the Trail, so again a very windy and dusty day.  But there were no breakdowns, difficult road crossing or trail findings, so all in all a great day.  There are a multitude of picturesque small towns scattered along the banks of the Canal, with names like Fairport, Spencerport, Brockport, and Adams Basin.  All with close ties to the workings, or at least past workings, of the Canal. 

On our journey thus far, we have had the exceptional opportunity to meet some very friendly folks along the way, and today was no exception.  While having a rest at Adam's Basin, we met two other cyclists out enjoying the day, Mitch and Laura.  We had a lovely chat about bicycling, phones, and technology, and swapped information.  Just a little while later we got a nice email from them wishing us the best and safe travels.  Another example of how many great people are in the world.  We love it!

At one point, we crossed over a river that actually ran under the Canal.  A very interesting thing to have happen when you think about the size of the Canal and the weight of the water that has to be help up by the aqua duct.  Nola got a great picture of the fall of the river.

Seeing that sailboat make its way up the Canal, made Rick wonder what it would be like to do the same, and leisurely sail the canal to check out the villages, towns, and cities along the way.  Maybe that adventure will happen some day.  But for now, we take our rest in Lockport, NY at Niagra County Camping Resort.  As planned and executed by our dear friends, we have in our possession a new/used trailer hitch and the turn by turn directions we had left behind in Rutland.  A huge thank you to Ralph for the hitch and Andrea for the directions.  We are still deciding what we will do tomorrow, Sunday, so check back in and see if we took the day off, or headed out again.  One thing we can guarantee is that it won't be a seventy mile day!

Another Day on the Journey

29 June 2012

 

Stats for the day:

Depart Weedsport, NY 8:00 a.m., arrive Pittsford, NY 5:30 p.m.

Trip mileage – 556.9 miles

Today’s mileage – 63.1 miles

Time on bike –5:30:04

Average Speed – 11.4 mph

Max speed – 27.5 mph

 

We pedaled out of Weedsport under bright blue skies, after experiencing a wonderful lightning show last night, with only limited rain.  We even managed to get up, hit the bathrooms and get back into the tent before the rain came in.  Our luck has been holding out for us.

The trip today was an interesting one as we followed the Google directions and came across a "Bridge Closed Ahead" sign.  Always an interesting turn of events when this happens, but we stopped and asked a couple of men working nearby if we could get through.  The answer was "yes" as you can't drive on it, but you can bicycle.  That would have been true had the cement barricades not been placed so as preclude any kind of traffic, at least on the end of the bridge where we were.  With some creative geometry and plenty of "umph" we managed to get the bike and trailer over the barricades without unhitching anything.  Our celebratory mood was quickly dampened when we crossed the bridge and found nothing more than an overgrown cow path; well actually it was an overgrown car path but either way, it didn't look good.  The sign we found said it was a nature preserve, one that seemed like it was barely used.

We persevered, and pushed on up over hill and dale, field and stream until we reached a paved road.  It was even numbered so we could almost figure out where we were.  Needless to say, Rick was getting a little cranky by now.  As we continued on we found more hills, as we were on some back county roads, and managed to stop and rest at the top of one of them where we were greeted with a warm smile and the offer of help, water, or whatever by the women there.  We took them up on their offer and had a wonderful conversation about biking, and the Marine Corps as these ladies had a family member serving overseas.  After filling up on water, and getting some direction on how to avoid the hill facing us, we struck out to continue our journey.  

 

Being back in civilization, that is on NY Route 31which is also NY Bike Route 5, we stopped in at the town center of Clyde, NY.  A very quaint little town common with a gazebo and plenty of benches under large shade trees. A nice rest with bagels and cheese, and bagels and Goober's (peanut butter and jelly together) gave us the energy we needed to push on.  

 

The first real highlight of the day was getting to the Payless store so Nola could replace the shoes she needed for biking.  Don't they look spiffy?  The best part is that they work for her!  After the shoe store, we moseyed over to the nearby WalMart to replenish our supply of Goober's.  There are certain necessities for biking, and that is one of them. While Rick ran to get the Goober's, Nola picked up a Subway sandwich for lunch, which we squirreled away in the pack and rode on down the road.  

Getting back on the Erie Trail was nice, because it got us away from the traffic and noise of Route 31, but after stopping to have our sandwich Rick found yet another broken spoke on the real wheel.  If anyone wants a stock tip, buy spoke stock because we are using them up as fast as they can make them.  It was just one spoke so we rode on it to get into Fairport to the bike shop, RV&E Bike Shop.  They were so efficient, that Nola didn't get a chance to finish her ice cream and Rick had to take his dark roast coffee to go.  Additionally, we picked up a gel-seat cover for Rick and a detailed map of the Erie Canal Trail in order to help get us from Rochester to Buffalo.  We figure it won't hurt to have all the help we can muster.

The last few miles to our final destination was done at a meandering pace along the canal, and then a few residential streets to Jarret and Barbara's house.  A wonderful welcome with cool water, snacks, and conversation allowed us to cool off before showering and starting a load of stinky laundry.  We were treated to a lovely dinner, resplendent with a home-grown green salad topped with the first fresh tomatoes of the season.  YUM.  To top it all off, chocolate frozen yogurt hit the spot on a warm summer evening.  We can't thank our friends enough for their hospitality and friendship as we make our way to Indiana.  

Tomorrow is another day of cycling, so check back to see what other mischief is in store for us.

Dusty Trail

28 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Verona Beach State Park, NY 8:00 a.m.  Arrive Weedsport, NY 5:00 p.m.

Trip mileage – 493.7 miles

Today’s mileage – 58.13 miles

Time on bike –5:05:01

Average Speed – 11.4 mph

Max speed – 29.5 mph

What a difference a day makes.  After yesterdays woes of finding a bike shop and then waiting to get the fix we needed, today proved productive in mileage and all without injury/breakdown.  Oops, I forgot that Nola's shoes did break, so a trip to Payless is in the cards for tomorrow.

We left Verona Beach State Park under clear skies and no wind.  A thankful respite from yesterday's gale force breezes.   A seven mile trip to McDonald's got us both breakfast and WiFi in order to post the late entries to the blogs.  Thank you for your patience, as we don't always get Internet access where we camp.


When we made it to the trail, we had twenty five glorious miles of tranquil but dusty path before we were dumped back on surface roads.  At one point, a young man passed us and literally left us in his dust.  One can now imagine how the wagons at the end of the wagon trains felt while forging west in the old days.  Eating dust is gritty, but does provide a source of very course fiber.  Tune in to later posts to see how that comes out!


As we traveled along the old Erie Canal, you could almost see the horse drawn boats, pulling passengers along the calm waters as they lounged on deck in the sun, or took to cooler spots of shade.  The laughter and merriment would ring through the woods and fields, mixing with the dull thuds of the hooves of teams of horses on shore.  What an experience that must have been.  A lazy inland cruise of sorts.

The Trail ended, for the time being, in Syracuse, NY.  With directions provided by Google Maps, we managed to navigate through city streets, construction, and traffic, all while playing leapfrog with a city bus that seemed to stop at almost every corner.  But the driver never buzzed us, so that was nice.  Our route took us by a very beautiful Cathedral in downtown Syracuse.  A very imposing structure.


Just the other side of the city line lies the town of Solvay, NY.  There we found a comfortable little gazebo nestled in a manicured park, a perfect place for lunch.  We were lucky because it had power outlets in the gazebo so we could re-charge the phone and computer before heading out again.  Just a bit down the road we stopped at the local fire station to refill water, but no one was home.  Must have been out doing tankers or something.  Anyway, a local Sheriff Deputy told us that the local youth center was just around the corner and up the hill.  We could get water there.  It's always up a hill!  This one wasn't too bad though.


Back on the road again, and we made it to our next section of Trail that lasted for fifteen miles.  During this ride we came upon a small, well kept memorial rest stop dedicated to the memory of a local man, Bryan McNeill.  He died in January 2010 of an Aortic Aneurism.  What a lovely spot to memorialize a distance runner, which he was.  We enjoyed the spot quite a bit.


We finished up the day by rolling into Riverforest Park Campground, setting up the tent and cleaning the bike from all the trail dust accumulated over the day.  Knock on wood, we enjoyed a day of carefree biking and look forward to more to come.


Now, its a few beers at the pub, a cheesecake (or two) for desert, and posting the blogs.  Tomorrow is another day of riding with a plan for 61 miles, and a stop at the shoe store so Nola can get some retreads for her feet.

The Blustery Day

27 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart St. Johnsville, NY 8:00 a.m., arrive Verona Beach State Park, NY 6:40 p.m.

Trip mileage – 435.5 miles

Today’s mileage – 68.36 miles

Time on bike –5:57:03

Average Speed – 11.4 mph

Max speed – 28.5 mph

After an enjoyable day off, we were back on the bike headed west.  Being presented with a sunny day and a blue sky peppered with cotton ball clouds, we felt confident we could make the mileage easily.  But as the day progressed, a West wind picked up and became gale force by the end of the day.  We can attest to how tiring it is to pedal into a head wind for hours on end.

There was a nice surprise awaiting us along the trail this morning, we traveled right next to Lock 17, and it had a wonderful little viewing area there.  We stopped and took some pictures, and yes, Bottle was included.  The Locks are amazing engineering feats, and we hope to get to see one operate before we leave the Canal Trail.

The trail treated us well, with good surfacing and not too much of surface roads.  Our first destination was a bike shop in Little Falls to get the rear wheel spokes repaired/replaced.  Well, imagine our chagrin when we arrived and they were closed because it was Wednesday.  Oh well, a check of the phone brought up a shop in Utica, our next town along the Trail, so off we went.

In a bit over an hour, we were at Welch’s Bike Shop in Utica, chilling outside in a chair waiting as they worked on our wheel.  They were very gracious and did a good job of it, but it took about two and a half hours to do.  Rick was feeling a bit stressed by the fact that we still had thirty or more miles to go to get to Verona Beach SP.  After a few breathing exercises and a good hug, he was back to “enjoying the journey” so we tacked off into the wind to find safe harbor down the road.

After a bit of round-about biking, we made it back to the trail and enjoyed the scenic wonderland of dappled sunlight through rustling tree branches and the pitter patter of tiny bunny paws as the scampered off the trial.  We got to see a fairly large coyote, or coydog whichever they have around these parts, sauntering down the path.  I had to yell at him to get him to run off into the brush so we could pass without spooking him too much.  It was bigger than I thought it would be.

There are fairly long stretches of the Canal Trail that are not completed yet, and as a result you end up on surface roads.  In our case today, we followed State Bicycle Route 5, and it was a divided road with a posted speed limit of 55, which actually means 65 or better.  We sure were glad to get off of that road.  The last four miles or so to the State Park were quiet County roads, and we arrived safely but tired.  The wind was blowing so hard off the lake that we had to re-orient the tent so the wind blew through it, instead of onto the side, which was collapsing the tent.

 

For both of us, the highlight of the day came when we sat down to dinner at a lakeside restaurant called Gary’s.  We had a wonderful meal and enjoyed watching the suns last flames of the day sink below the horizon, leaving the sky bathed in the last embers of a summer campfire, until even they had to give up and the night embraced everything.  We look forward to a nice quiet night of restful sleep, and dream of tomorrow without heavy winds.

Day of Repairs

26 June 2012

Stats for today: Same as yesterday

As we mentioned in yesterday's blog, that was posted this morning because of a scarcity of WiFi, today has been an "off the bike" day.  We slept in, 8:30 a.m., and wandered up to Grandma's Kitchen for breakfast.  A lone gentleman sitting at a table, got up and joined another table so we could sit down.  A very nice gesture.  We had a wonderful breakfast and plan to go back tomorrow before we hit the road again.

During breakfast, we were treated to a very lively conversation of the local politics, people, and activities.  It was a wonderful start to the day!  Afterwards, we wandered over to the local market to get bagels for our travels, and finding none continued on to the Stewart's gas station and variety to make the purchase.  No problems there, plus we can stock up on the Gatorade there tomorrow morning as well.

New/Old/Jury-rigged hitch

Getting to the repairs of the day, we started with trying to find a hardware store.  In conversation with Bernie, the owner of Marina Campsite and Redneck Boat Yard, he told us there was no hardware store nearby, but he found us two very satisfactory hose clamps to assist us in attaching the trailer to the bike.  As you can see by the picture, it works very well.  Thanks Bernie. 

Just a note on Bernie, he is a proud, former member of the Army's 101st Airborne.  He gets quite a kick out of saying that he is getting used to "saving Marines" as his good friend staying at the campsite is a former Marine, and they banter back and forth all time.

New Sneakers for the Trailer

After making sure that the trailer would attach and stay on the bike, we changed out the tires on the trailer as the old ones were getting very thin.  Trying to get ahead of our challenges, we figured "do it now rather than later."  Our test ride showed no problems, so when we head out tomorrow we will hit a bike shop about twelve miles west and see if they can fix the bent spokes and true the wheel before heading on. 

Home Sweet Traveling Home

The rest of the day has been spent relaxing, reading, and Rick getting his butt kicked in Cribbage (what's new).  We went for short walk down to the point of land and the Canal, and sat just enjoying the quiet.  The campsite we were able to choose is very nice and open, and had power available so Nola can recharge the computer and phone.

After a leisurely supper, we plan to pack up what we can and prep for the next day.  The plan is to get to Verona Beach State Park, about 65 miles.  But our plan is not always what becomes of the day, so check back again and see how things go.  Remember, "What could possibly go wrong?"

It's All Part of the Journey

25 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Clifton Park, NY 8:30 a.m., arrive St. Johnsville, NY 7:00 p.m.

Trip mileage – 367.1 miles

Today’s mileage – 70.71 miles

Time on bike –6:13:53

Average Speed – 11.3 mph

Max speed – 40.0 mph

Lock 10 on Erie Canal

It's amazing how things turn out different than what you expect to happen.  We started the day with exuberance and ready legs after a nice hot tub soak and good nights sleep thanks to Eileen, George, and family.  Our trek took us down a few city streets but then onto the Mohawk Hudson Bikeway, and eventually onto the Erie Canal Trail in Amsterdam, NY.  Shortly after getting on the Canal Trail we encountered a thunderstorm and managed to take shelter in a covered area just off the trail.  While waiting out the shower, another biker took shelter with us.  He was from North Carolina and riding the trail from Buffalo to Albany, meeting his wife at the end of each day in a different city.  He gave some great information about the trail farther west, and we might get one of the Canal Trail books like he had, which gives the layout of the trail, and the locations of bike shops, rest areas, and the like.

View from top of hill in Johnstown, NY

I emphasize the bike shop part because we keep seeming to need to find them.  After the rain stopped we were getting ready to go when Rick checked the wheels and found a broken spoke on the rear one.  A quick look on the phone for the nearest shop showed one back in Amsterdam, and one about four and half miles off the trail in Johnstown, NY.  Well, this is one time Rick's Marine Corps attitude of "no retreat" should have been overridden.  We made it to Johnstown without incident, but to get to the bike shop it was ALL UPHILL!.  Made for a rough bike/walk.

As difficult as it was to get up the hills, it was well worth the effort.  While waiting for Anthony, one of Bike Works great mechanics, to repair the wheel, we had the opportunity to talk with the shop owner's mother, who also happens to teach math at Johnstown High School.  Nola and Evette had a good conversation about school and math.  Anthony was able to get the broken spoke fixed without problem, as they cut their own to fit.  This is important as some bike shops have just specific length spokes and ours are a bit of a different length.  So we decided to purchase three spare spokes to take with us, so if something happens we will have them to us.  At the time, we didn't know how important this would be.

Geese along the trail - congestion!

With everything seeming to be fine, off we went back to the Canal Trail and our journey onto St. Johnsville, where we expected to spend the night at a campground about two miles off the trail.  As we scurried down the trail, which is a very nice, scenic, and relatively flat course, we were treated with a variety of wildlife, from geese, to woodchucks, and a whole lot of bunnies.  Riding the bike on the trail is fairly quiet, so we would get pretty close them before they would jump and scamper off into the underbrush.  It was a lot of fun to watch.

As we rode along the trail, we had the good fortune to meet up with another long range cyclist, Ian from Great Britain, riding from Seattle, WA to Plymouth, MA.  He said, "It just seemed appropriate to end in Plymouth, for a Brit."  He was a delight to talk with, and he gave us a great tip about a really nice campsite on the canal, right in St. Johnsville, and it was only $10 a night.  As you will read in a later post, what a Godsend that turned out to be. 

Cool firefighter display in Florida, NY

Well, it appears that Rick's idea of luck, that is "if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all" came home to roost for us about ten miles from St. Johnsville.  The replacement spring that was placed on the trailer hitch broke, causing the loose end to jut into the rear wheel spokes and break a piece of the plastic hitch.  It didn't break any spokes, but two of them are bent.  Now we had to stop and put another spring on the bike, which we had, wire tie the hitch to the bike, and try to get to the marina campground all before 7:00 p.m.

We managed to get into St. Johnsville, set up the tent, grab showers, and make it up to the pizza shop before it closed.  Ina's Pizza is right across the street from the fire house on the main drag of town, and has an excellent chicken and Penne with rosemary and garlic sauce. What a treat.  After dinner it was back to the camp and good night's rest.  Tomorrow, 6-26-2012 will be down day as we make repairs to the bike and trailer.  Wish us luck and check back later for an update. 

The Long Haul

24 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Proctor, VT 7:10 a.m., arrive Clifton Park, NY 5:40 p.m.

Trip mileage – 296.4 miles

Today’s mileage – 87.05 miles

Time on bike –6:54:37

Average Speed – 12.6 mph

Max speed – 38.0 mph

 

After our day off, we were raring to go this morning.  Hitting the road fairly early gave us the option to do our planned ride, or if we were feeling good to continue to Clifton Park.  As you can tell by our stats, we decided to make the run to CP.  

The day started cool as we set out, and watched as the fog raised and cloaked the hill tops in its milky gauze.  Fields of hay and new corn lay waiting for the sun to burn its way through and bathe them in golden rays.  Low rolling hills greeted us like ocean waves, a nice change from the steep hills of days earlier. 

We made great time all morning, with rested legs and bright dispositions leading the charge.  We stopped at the Castleton Corners Deli & Citgo to refill water, get Gatorade and something for lunch.  Lorraine greeted us with a warm smile and curiosity about the trip, so we chatted about where we had been and where we were going.  After getting some clarification about directions we were back on the road eating up the miles like Rick wolfing down Hershey's kisses.  

 

 

 

Our route took us down U.S. 4, following the Champlain Canal.  A lovely ride and some very interesting sites. The canal offers a waterway from Lake George down to the Erie Canal. 

 

We stopped somewhere south of Hudson Fall, NY to enjoy our fabulous sandwiches from Castleton.  The day has been going very well, so we decided to push on to Clifton Park and give ourselves an extra cushion day, just for safety's sake.

It has been fun to see the small dairy farms as they dot the rural country side, as well as the quaint villages with their stately old homes with rocking chairs on the porches and hanging flower pots.  You can almost see the ancestors sitting and rocking, watching the world go by.

 

 

 

 

 

There have been a couple of small art objects that we have passed in the last few days, but this one caught our attention because of the topic - Dragon!  For any of you who don't believe that dragons lived, and continue to live, just know that they hide in various ways, sometimes even out in the open.

Our last few miles were the toughest.  Why is it all of our friends and family live up a hill?!  We never went into the Granny gear on Rt 4 all day, but the minute we veered off Rt 4 onto the County Road that would take us to Eileen & George's, the hills got steep and the Granny gear got used.

We had a lovely, warm welcome when cycling into Eileen & George's street.  Four kids, ages 6 to 9, were cheering us on and taking photos.  We climbed up to the driveway, then pounded to get to the top of the driveway.  Rick was starting to get off and walk the bike when I yelled in his ear, "We can do this!" while also pounding hard from the rear.

Water was offered and accepted, showers were taken, supper was eaten, and then the hot tub!  That was so welcomed after our 87 mile trek today.  Now it's time for bed! 

Day Off in Proctor

23 June 2012

Stats for the day:  No changes from 22 June 2012

Last evening was spent in great company with our friends Dan and Andrea and their daughter Sarah.  We went into Rutland for dinner and the Friday Night Live street party.  We had great calzones at Ramunto's Sicilian Pizza, then wandered through the street fair.  As we were leaving, Nola got a shot of the moon rising over VT.

Today has been a laid back, take it easy kind of day.  With the bike cleaned up from all of the road and trail grit of days earlier, we took a wonderful "nickle tour" of Proctor, VT, the marble capital of the U.S.  Much of the marble used throughout the country for monuments and structures came from here.  As a result, you might expect many of the buildings in town to be of marble, and you would be correct.  Here we get to see our marvelous friends, Dan & Andrea, and some pretty decent stonework used to make the Union Church of Proctor where they worship. 

The afternoon was spent reviewing directions and maps for tomorrows adventure, and trying to decide which route to take which changes the place to stay.  You will have to check back in again to see what we decided.  Rick got his "cooking fix" in by making pizzas for everyone. 

A huge thank you to Dan, Andrea, and Sarah for their hospitality and friendship!  In the adapted words of General Douglas MacArthur, "We shall return."  We also hope to reciprocate and offer them our hospitality the next time they're in Maine.

The plan is to be off early tomorrow morning and make it into New York.  We will see how that goes. So until then, stay safe and enjoy your day!

The BIG Climb!

22 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Quechee 8:00 a.m., arrive Proctor, VT 3:50 p.m.

Trip mileage – 209.3 miles

Today’s mileage – 45.96 miles

Time on bike – 4:12:22

Average Speed – 10.9 mph

Max speed – 43.0 mph

What a day today turned out to be.  We met some great folks, saw a bunch of interesting sights, busted our seats getting up hills, and are now ready for a day off.  We started our day with a great breakfast thanks to our friend Louise who supplied us with a piece of smoked wild Alaskan salmon.  You put the salmon on an everything bagel with some cheese and Wa-La, the breakfast of champions. 

So, we left the Quechee State Park Campground under clear skies and warming temperatures.  The campsite we had was fabulous as it was large, clean, and very near the new bathrooms, as well as just a short walk to the pizza place where we had dinner.  Now that’s living!

Our first stop was at Quechee Gorge, what a magnificent site.  Even Bottle was impressed.  As you can see we took the opportunity to get a photo op, so we “got gorgeous at the Gorge.”  

As we pedaled on we took in the varying spectacles that are Vermont.  Quiet fields and pastures sprawled across the base of tree covered hills, and mountains streams meandering across the landscape.  Vermont really is a beautiful state, one with a rich history, and part of that history is beer.  We went by the Long Trail Brewery and you can’t imagine how hard it was for Rick not to stop and offer his services as taster and quality control person!

What is distressing is to see the damage caused by Hurricane Irene and the flooding that ensued.  On our way up to Killington, we passed this now defunct gas station.  

Vermont is also known for its hills, some very major hills, like the one we climbed, Killington.  There were two, one mile long seven percent grades in order to get to the top.  That was a long hard haul.  But we made it and even got some pictures.  The best part of the ride was the run down to Rutland, which gave us six miles at five percent grade down hill to enjoy. 

Just on the Rutland side of Killington is the Long Trail, which runs the length of Vermont from the Canadian border to Massachusetts.  Here, it matches with the Appalachian Trail, so we stopped and stretched our legs just to say we walked on the trails. 

Our descent into Rutland was smooth and we managed to maneuver through town without incident, then continuing on through with a relatively flat trek to Proctor and our friends, Dan, Andrea, and their daughter Sarah, where we were greeted with cold root beer floats.  Nothing ever tasted so good!  

We look forward to a day off from riding while we take in the local sights and enjoy the company of friends.  Check in later to see how we spent the day, but don’t expect it to be on the bike! 

Long HOT day!

21 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Tilton 7:30 a.m., arrive Quechee campground 7:15 p.m.

Trip mileage – 163.2 miles

Today’s mileage – 64.24

Time on bike – 6.30.25

Average speed – 9.8

Max speed – 39.5

The sun played peek-a-boo with the clouds even as we played hide-and-seek beneath the canopy of trees along the Northern Rail Trail.  Our journey today brings us from Tilton, NH to Quechee, VT.  It was a pretty good ride along the trail, off the road, quiet, sometimes seeming very rural, especially when you see a bear just off in the woods lumbering along.  We chose not to try for a picture opportunity for that, but the turtle on the trail posed nicely. 

We found that the surfacing of the trail was not always what we would have wanted.  Quite a bit had soft stone dust, making it difficult to ride in, as well as covering us in a layer of it.  By the end of the day, we were covered, head to toe, in the stuff.  Getting a shower never felt so good!

Along our travels we stopped at a hardware store and made some needed repairs to the trailer hitch.  The fix achieved the night before, with Kevin’s help, was reinforced with a spring, making it good as new.  Of course, just to be on the safe side, we purchased two extra springs; Indiana is a long ways away still.

It was a long hot ride, and Google seems to have a few flaws when it comes to their directions for biking.  The first came when we realized the road they wanted us to take was a dead end, making us retrace our steps back up the steep hill we had just come down.  Had to walk that one.  Then, instead of taking us along Route 4, it sent us up, and we mean UP, a side road requiring yet another walk.  At the top of that one, it was sending us up yet another side road, so we decided to just stay on Route 4 and get to the campground on our own.  Why does it always seem the worst hills are the ones towards the end of the day. 

So we are headed for Proctor, VT, to stay with friends and take a day off from biking. Both of us are looking forward to that, especially after going up over Killington.  Come on back to read about that one!

Day 2 - Hills & Repairs

20 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Potter's Place Campground 7:40 a.m., arrive Tilton, NH 5:45 p.m.

Trip mileage – 98.9 miles

Today’s mileage – 49.59 miles

Time on bike – 5.05.28

Average speed – 9.7

Max speed –44.0

It was a LONG HOT day, very hilly (RT 140 in NH), and two breakdowns - rear wheel had a broken spoke (fixed very efficiently by Likin Bikin in Alton, NH), and Rick & Kevin are right now trying to rig up a repair to the trailer.  The spring connection to the trailer broke today.  It looks like their repair will at least get us to the next bike shop.

Despite all that, we are enjoying some lovely hospitality in Tilton, NH.  Kevin & his family have been AWESOME!  Great dinner at a local Italian Restaurant, thanks to Becca.  Nice visit with Becca and Kevin & family.  Refreshing A/C for the night.  Couldn't ask for more!

We are well and enjoying a roof over our heads and a bed under our bodies.  :)

On The Road Again

19 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Portland 8:40 a.m., arrive Potters Place Campground, Lebanon, ME 4:00 p.m.

Trip mileage – 49.33 miles

Today’s mileage – 49.33 miles

Time on bike – 4.26.16

Average speed – 11.1

Max speed – 33.5

So the first day of our nineteen planned days of biking is in the books.  Not a bad one as the sun played hide and seek with the clouds, keeping temperatures cool for most of it. 

We started the morning by deciding to change our route and picking up the Eastern Trail in Scarborough rather than in South Portland.  Trying to make it around the construction in Portland just didn’t make sense to us.

Anyway, the trail treated us well as we made good time down to its end in Kennebunk, then hitting the roads for the rest of the day.  Traffic wasn’t too bad, and what there was of it gave us plenty of room.  As much as the trails are great for quiet riding and easy grades, the surfacing can make things challenging, thereby keeping our speeds a little lower.  But both of us will take the easier grades and rural settings over the traffic noise and congestion.

Of course, just because we are on trails doesn’t mean we have peace and quiet.  Our last minute rider, Josh’s Bottle, yammers non-stop.  And when he doesn’t get his way, he whines until we can’t stand it anymore.  So we got him back today by snapping a picture of him while he was in the Porta-john.  We thought it was pretty funny, but he sulked for over an hour.  He’s such a baby.  Oh well, at least it was quiet!

One notable stop today was at a Cumberland Farms outside of Sanford.  Nola really needed a restroom and theirs was not for public use.  A sad face and explanation about traveling by bicycle resulted in allowing Nola to use the employee restroom.  Yay!  The woman working the cash register was nice and interested in our bicycling trip.  She liked Nola’s gel seat cover.  

By early afternoon it was noticeably warmer and the hills got steeper, resulting in our going a bit slower.  The last part of the day was the hilliest, as we made our way around Sanford and down to Lebanon, ME to the campground.  But after a hot shower and good supper we are ready to go again, straight to bed! 

Weather reports we have heard say that Wednesday and Thursday will be hot and humid, so we aren’t expecting to break any land speed records with the bike and trailer.  Tune in tomorrow to see how we have fared, and until then everyone stay safe and enjoy the evening.

P.S. In case anyone is thinking it, this is not Col. Harry Potter’s, or the magician Harry Potter’s campground.  We have not seen anything military or magical since we got here.  It’s still early, so who knows.

P.P.S.  So we've confirmed it isn't the magician Harry Potter's campground...  the ice cream shop down the street wasn't open and did not magically open when we went in search of some yummy cold stuff.  Oh well.  Guess that means TWO ice cream stops tomorrow!

Final Jeopardy question

The Final Jeopardy Category is:  Bike Touring

The Answer:  Of the three days of biking listed below, which one was with a loaded trailer and panniers?

                                    Thursday, 06-14-2012            Friday, 06-15-2012     Saturday, 06-16- 2012

Time on Bike               1.55.18                                    2.24.50                        2.52.34

Avg. Speed                 14.5                                         14.4                             12.4

Max Speed                  31.5                                         35.5                             31.5

Distance                      28 miles                                   35.03 miles                  35.77

“What is Saturday, 16 June 2012 Alex.”

Correct and how much did you wager?  OOOOHHHHH not enough to take the championship, sorry.

As you can see, we have been getting ready for our trip and doing as much mileage as we can given the day.  The Saturday trip was a good one and a fortunate learning experience.  We did make a couple of small adjustments to the bike and front derailleur, so now it goes into the “granny gear” a bit easier.  It’s always the little things that make the biggest difference. 

Our plan is to leave Tuesday (06-19-2012) morning to head for Potter’s Campground in Lebanon, Maine; a day of close to 50 miles.  Today, (06-18-2012) is packing and finalization day as we make sure our laundry is done, the bike is ready, and it’s a nice day off for our bottoms.  The weather is looking good for at least the first few days of the trip so no problems there. 

We want to thank everyone for your well-wishes and prayers as we embark on our adventure.  A new touring partner has joined our excursion, Josh’s water bottle, an old friend from four years ago.  He is quite the character and you can read his story and follow his exploits at:  bottlestravels2.blogspot.com.

Our next post will be from the road, so keep tuning in to the “same bat channel” when you can.  We love you all!