Atlantic Dreams

They made it to Portland, Maine yesterday in a nasty driving rain and stayed the night in a motel. Nora parted ways and boarded a train back to New Hampshire. They awoke early this AM. The weather had changed and it was a beautiful cloudless day. They rode the five miles to Higgins beach where they dipped their bikes into the Atlantic. Then, they ate some buffalo jerky that they had purchased from a guy in Oregon.

Oh frabjous day! Callooh Callay!  

Back at the motel they packed up their stuff and headed to the UPS store to shell out $200 each to pack and ship their bikes.  In another auspicious ceremony, Chuck threw his leaky tent that he has had since 1976 into a dumpster. 

Today they completed their transcontinental journey which began on July 15th in Florence, Oregon in three months and two days. During their trip they passed through fifteen states and one other country and covered a distance of 4400 miles (and some change). They met dozens of fabulous, hospitable  folks who opened their homes or assisted them on the rode and they made lots of new friends. This adventure required physical stamina, mental discipline and perseverance  and was not without it's share of hardships. But for the vast majority of the trip they encountered the most positive aspects of human nature, great weather and ideal rode conditions. We are all very proud of their accomplishment. 

SR 

Of Wolves and Whales

They spent Sunday the 12th in an ATV park in Cannan, New Hampshire and then rode to Lebanon where they hooked up with Nora and stayed at a ATV park and had Chinese food at a local wokaria. They are in the most glorious part of New England at the peak of Autumn. Leah describes the autumn colors as "neon".

Today, Wednesday, they rode to Meredith, NH and cruised  to the local campsite only to find that it was closed. What to do? Ride another forty miles late in the day? Once again the great bicycle god, El Cycib, (pronounced El-Ki-sib) was watching and sent as an emissary the angel, Paul who offered his back yard on the banks of the great Lake Winnipesaukee. It was four miles from the closed campsite, and when they arrived, Paul, and his wife Kathy had built a beautiful fire and brought out the holy sacrament of  cold beer. 

They sat around the fire and exchanged stories and Paul and Kathy described an epiphany they had while kayaking off the coast of New Foundland. They encountered a couple of whales who leaped out of the water in their presence, an amazing enough sight to behold. But wait! There's more! The great leviathans  swam about a mile out to sea then one turned around and swam back to the kayak, lifted its great head out of the ocean and looked at them with its giant eye. Then leaped one more time and swam away. They said this was a prime experience and for days afterward they felt connected to the universe and all of its inhabitants. 

When I talked to Leah, she and Nora were snug in their sleeping bags and it was in the low forties. Paul and Kathy's neighbors raise hybrid wolves and they can hear them howling  and it sounds like curse of the vampire. It is a full moon after all.  As the fire dies out, they slumber on the shores of Winnipesaukee, the guests of two very fine and interesting folks. Tomorrow they will cross into Maine, their ultimate goal being the shores of Portland, and then in 7 days they'll fly to Denver. Leah will join her mom, Rebecca, and they'll drive back to Tucson together.

Stevie Roman

Cathy's on the road

Saturday they spent the day in Rutland, Vermont getting tires for Leah's bike and running errands and assembling Cathy's bike. She will be riding to the finish with them. They stayed  at Jen's Motel, and Leah said that Jen is a really nice person who took good care of them. This morning they hit the grocery store and and bought some goodies for the road. They headed for Woodstock, Vermont and put in 7 miles up hill and Cathy was a trooper. When they arrived, there was no place to stay. So they asked directions and unfortunately the directions were inaccurate and they put in about an hour and a half on the road in the dark. They rode a total of 47.5 miles. Finally they ended up in Queshee State park. Fortunately they had food so Leah ate a roast beef wrap, some sushi, a really delicious apple and a Reeses  peanut butter cup. C and C ate a sandwich each and a sweet roll.

Tomorrow they'll cross over into New Hampshire and hook up with Leah's college buddy and brilliant photographer Nora who will also ride to Portland (I think). The sailing looks smoooth and they will be wrapping up this trip in less than a week so stay tuned.

SR

Hi Autumn

They tooled Rt. 28 between Old Forge and Ticonderoga through the glorious foliage of the Adirondacks, passing lakes and forests. Leah said the biking was beautiful, the weather perfect though a little chilly. Last night they had a beer in a bar where there was a bar fight between two inebriated patrons. Harsh words and then fisticuffs were exchanged - very exciting! Last night too, it rained and CR got a little wet and soggy but the weather was perfect again this morning and so they peddled on past Fort Ticonderoga  which they visited, the place of the great Revolutionary and French and Indian War encampment. 

They took a short ferry ride across Lake George and hit Orwell today where they are spending the night. Leah said Orwell is a "perfect very clean and pristine little town". Chuck is feeling nostalgic , I'm sure because we spent a lot of time in the Adirondacks as kids, on hikes and canoe trips. They are camped in the old churchyard.

In other parts of the world and as an earmark of the time,  the McCain campaign is getting ugly and desperate and telling horrible lies to the ignorant masses, some of who are stupid enough to believe their drool about Barrack Obama. And that dummy Sarah Palin - George Bush in Lipstick is babbling her stupid drivel. Still Obama has an 11 point lead indicating that the stupid, lying carnivorous Republicans are on the way out (for joy for joy). Also the economy is falling hard and fast and we may be heading into a depression.

But hey, I'm not depressesd nor are our two traveleers who are hitting the home stretch. They'll ride only 20 miles tomorrow to Rutland and meet Kathy there on Saturday. Then it's just a few more days across New Hampshire to Maine. So the trip's in it's last weeks and there can be no better place to be. Soon their toes will be touching the great North Atlantic and their dream will be realized.

Adirondack fall

It's high autumn and the traveleers are in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. I can't think of a better place to be. Yesterday they rode from Fulton (I think ) and landed in Old Forge which is a quiet hamlet.  Leah sent me a picture of a farm and a milk cow which is all I've received over the past few days because I don't think they have much phone service. Last night when I spoke to her it was cold and she was snuggled in her sleeping bag at KOA campground.  

They are pretty close to the Vermont border as the crow flies but the terrain is hilly.  I think they will be hanging out in Ticonderoga for a few days to enjoy the glorious autumn while they wait for Cathy to show up.

SR

Erie Canal and Lake Ontario

From Lakawanna they peddled as far as Spencerport and camped in the park there. A  hard driving  rained pummeled them all night long which either lulled them to sleep or kept them awake,  I'm not sure which, but I can say that they emerged from their tents bone dry. The next day (Friday) was clear and beautiful. They met a guy, (Herbert) about Leah's age who was bicycling East to meet some friends and they chatted it up to discover that he was from the Old Pueblo, Tucson AZ, Leah's home town. They knew a lot of the same people, in fact Herbert saw Sam Fuller just the other day in Vermont. Herbert is going to ride from NY to Tucson this fall with a group of friends.

They rode along the Erie Canal and watched as huge boats were floated uphill by the giant locks and landed in Palmyra around midday and were "power eating" a huge lunch at a local  bar when I spoke to them. They were planning to head north another 20 miles to camp on the banks of Lake Ontario.

Stevie Roman

Rain and road dirt

It's been raining hard and they had to stay in a hotel last night in a town whose name escapes me at this moment but I will no doubt remember later. It get's pricey at 80 bucks a pop and so they are hoping the the weather clears so they can head to Rochester (of Kodak fame), about 50 miles away, but they're getting a late start and it looks like they might make it only thirty miles which is good because there are no campsites in Rochester and they'll have to shell out for another hotel. It's getting cold too, as summer has past and the wind chill factor on a bike going 20 mph is considerable. 

They were in a laundromat when Leah called this AM washing the road dirt from their clothing. Matt headed off ahead a few days ago due to time constraints and an excess of  testosterone, so it's conceivable that the could put in 100 or more miles per day (oy vey!) and may already be in Maine. Anyway, that's about all she said but more tomorrow no doubt.

SR