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

Niagara Falls falls in the Fall

Leah told me that yesterday as they peddled through Lakawana, New York they beheld a giant tumult on Lake Erie. Truly a sight to behold! A waterspout!  A tornado over a body of water had formed sucking everything in it's path, primarily H2O and a few lampreys and sturgeon no doubt. They neglected to get a photograph so I've included an artists rendition. They crossed into Canada and spent the night at Fort Erie. For a moment they thought about staying until after the election in case McCain and Palin win, (god forbid), but after further rumination decided that it would be best to continue their journey. 

Today, the first of October, 2008, LR and CR cruised pass the great Niagara falls on the frontier of New York and Canada. Leah called me and held the phone to the falls so I could hear the the roar of the falls. It sounded like she was running a bath.  They viewed Horseshoe falls from the Canadian side and then bicycled across the U.S. border for a close-up of American Falls which actually falls up.  They were quite excited to see (and hear) so much water in one place and I'm sure they had to pee afterwards. 

They have about 400 miles to go to the NY-VT border which they will do at a leisurely pace as they are going to meet Kathy in Vermont on the 11th which gives them a lot of time to get there. Western New York is incredibly beautiful at this time of year so I think they'll be taking a few side trips, eating plenty of apples (it's harvest time) and digging the intense colors of the peak of autumn. Lucky, lucky, luck them.

SR

Another State, Another Country

I talked with Leah briefly today and she said they rode through the western edge of New York and into Canada. They seem to be making incredible time. Are we sure their bikes aren't moterized? That's about it for today except that it's raining and they are staying in a hotel to avoid getting drenched. More tomorrow.

SR

On da Lake and Into New Yawk

Publish Post







Leah, Chuck and Matt crossed into Pennsylvainia  yesterday  after a nice stay in Hudson Ohio. They rode along lake Erie for a day and camped on the beach at Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio where they met Tom and Carly Kalish (picture attached), then after crossing the PA border they peddled another 50 lake view miles  or so, and hit the outskirts of Erie PA  and once again camped on the beach. The Eastern ambience is quite obvious at this point as shown by the white clapboard houses and covered bridges. Matt decided to forge on ahead and so he did, but when Leah and Chuck arrived at the campsite near Erie who did they run into but Matt who had to take a detour into Erie to buy some tires (he got a couple of flats) so Matts back with the crew today. Leah said that they also ran into a young man who had the same problem and Chuck stayed up late helping him patch a tire so he could go into Erie and buy a couple of new ones. 

In no time they  they slipped across the New York border, still on the lake, and in  in grape country. Apparently they stopped and chatted with a guy who was harvesting grapes on a huge grape harvesting machine, and they spent over an hour riding around on the machine and stuffing themselves with fresh fruit.   That slowed em down a little as they only put in 45 miles today. Leah said they'll continue along the lake a while longer until they get to Canada and they'll cross into Canada for a short stint then back across the border into the interior of the Empire State. 

It's a great time to be touring the east what with the changing leaves and the cool days. Leah says they might check out Niagra falls. Perhaps go over in a barrel if the opportunity allows. No... enough adventure for one day!

Stevie Roman

Rest Stop in Hudson

Chuck read the blog and called me and said that I had left out  some info in the Hi ho Ohio post, so it's been added. Apparently the people of Ohio have been really fab to the Traveleers and they wanted me to acknowledge it and express their gratitude to all of the wonderful friends they have made.

Yesterday they rode from New Fairfield to Hudson, Ohio, 71 miles. They met a fellow biker who recommended that they take Granger Road which turned out to be quite a nightmare, no shoulders and a lot of traffic, and a fierce east wind. In fact they dubbed it the Road of Death. Well they made it through with out a scratch, (grazie Jesus, Maria e' tutti gli apostoli) and found there way to the Coyahoga River that  had a wonderful trail. They stayed with Sue and Ron Stroble, Kathy's cousins, (picture attached) where they are loafing for a day as I write this. 

Their hosts have taken good care of the three Travelleers with fab-u-lous meals, and  nice soft beds.

This afternoon, Chuck and Matt helped Ron with some business on the roof, while Leah wrote post cards to the folks she had met on the road, and this evening they all watched the debate. Leah observed that the Dems and Repubs are not that much different in their world view. I  beg to differ, (that's something I might have said when I was 24. ) I think my illustrious daughter has very radical ideas and I applaud her for that.

Tomorrow they head east again along Lake Erie and on to Pennsylvania (about 100 miles or so). 

Stevie Roman

Hi ho Ohio

The Traveleers left Iroquois, Illinois and peddled to Monon, Indiana, roughly 60 miles. They had dinner and then put in another 5 miles to an RV park called Trasher Woods campground. Monon must be a real party town because when they arrived at the campground,  there was a huge party happening, hosted by the owners, a wonderful couple who invited them to the festivities. Leah said they had a blast. And were well taken care of by their new friends. It is indeed extraordinary that people have been so open and hospitable through out the trip. 

Next day they put in another 70 miles, but Leah wasn't clear about where they stayed. Somewhere between Monon and Monroeville. Could be Royal Center, or perhaps Denver or any of a dozen places. In Monroeville they hooked up with Matt who had ridden West from Cleveland to meet them, so now the team consists of three. In Monroeville, they stayed at a free shelter especially for bikers doing the Trans America route. 

They are happy to have Matt on the team. Leah says he's enthusiastic and fast. In fact today they put in another 60 plus miles clear to McComb Ohio, chalking up their 9th state. They are camping at the city park at a beautiful lake tonight. When they hit these small towns, they get permission from the local police to sleep at the park. The cops were really nice about it and gave em a tour of the town and unlocked the restrooms for them. In fact. the mayor took em to the local VFW (picture attached) where they fed em dinner and then breakfast the next AM. The people of these small towns are quite wonderful and have been really hospitable to Leah and Chuck. When you've been on the road and enter a town as a stranger it is truly delightful to be made to feel welcome, and these folks have put out the welcome mat and  a fine feed bag to boot and the Traveleers really appreciate it. 

UPDATE: Road Kill Report

Bikers have a unique opportunity to witness firsthand and close-up road kill that many drivers miss and therefore bikers can make informed observations. Leah says that the road kill in the central states is quite different than that of the Western states. In Idaho and Montana the road kill consisted mainly of deer and coyotes and has a very high stink quotient possibly 7.5-8.6. Whereas in Nebraska, Iowa and Indiana, the road kill is mainly raccoons and opossum. While the smaller roadkill is far more abundant,  it has a much lower stink quotient, possibly 3 - 7.2 depending on the length of time on the road.

Leah added that road kill is really unpleasant but by far the most horrible smell of all are chicken farms topping the stink quotient scale. In fact, she passed by a chicken farm the other day and swore off eggs for life. That is, until breakfast the next morning.

Stevie Roman

Corn corn everywhere but not a niblette to nibble

Yesterday, Friday, the Traveleers put in 60 plus miles and landed in Iroquois,  Illinois lookin for a hot meal. Apparently there is not a lot of food in these parts as both Chuck and Leah complained bitterly about the lack of good eats. Small towns in the midwest; population 1000 or less, have difficulty supporting a grocery store or a decent restaurant. Hey, they ain't askin for Whole Foods or Chez Pannise (although that would be lovely) no,we're talkin just a good hardy feed of something other than  burgers and fries. Something with a little seasoning already. Chuck says he's getting scurvy from the lack of fresh fruit, and Leah laments the absence of excellent pie.  

CR also was incredulous at the fact that they are in the middle of the so called "bread basket" of America and there are no fresh fruits or vegetables and the only restaurants are franchises like Burger King and Pizza hut and the only grocery store is Cacy's, a kind of convenience store that specializes in processed hydrocarbons that vaguely resemble food. Ironically, thousands of square miles of Illinois is devoted to growing inedible corn and soybeans for ethanol (pictures attached) so we should perhaps be calling this America's "fuel pump" instead of "bread basket". Another irony is that they are only 70 miles from Chicago, where at Walinskys they could eat one of the best damn Porterhouse steaks on the continent. Perhaps they should consider a detour. 

Stevie Roman

Meatball Blues

Last night, (Wednesday), Leah and Chuck rolled into Winona Illonois. They'd heard about the spaghetti and meatball special for $5.95 at the local Italian restaurant. By the time they got there however the place had run out of meatballs. Drat! they exclaimed expressing their disappointment to the management. So they settled on some unspecified dish. When you're peddling for seven hours at a stretch eating becomes really critical Leah said. 

Anyway this AM they headed out but three and a half miles down the road they found they were heading in the wrong direction. Drat again they exclaimed as they swung their bikes around adding a total of 7 extra miles. They finally got back on track and rode another forty miles east to Odell Illinois, population, a little over 1000. They ran into Jim, Connie, and Craig Ribholz. Jim practically runs the town, and Connie works at the high school. Craig their son is going to the local community college studying agriculture. The Ribholz's were kind enough to offer our traveleers their shower when the one at the campground was closed. They all went out to dinner together at another local Italian joint although she didn't specify weather they finally got meatballs and spaghetti, Leah reports that they had a swell time. 

The roads are good and the weather has been fine. They are going to meet Matt, Chuck's nephew-in-law somewhere between the Indiana border and and Cleavland, Ohio because  he's heading west. When they hook up, he'll point his bike in East and finish the trip with them. Kathy is going to hook up with the team in Vermont. They should be crossing into Indiana if they put in a longish day tomorrow. 

The Photos of Leah, and Chuck from a birds eye view were taken in Illinois. The one of the city hall was taken in Wyoming.

Stevie Roman

Hospitality in Illinois

 It was a short ride yesterday due to the late start and Leah and Chuck crossed the mighty Mississippi into Illinois and made it as far as Reynolds. After a meal at a local bar and grill, the establishment invited our two traveleers to sleep on the floor. A fine meal, shelter and a delicious pie (what more can you ask for?) as they celebrated Chucks 63 years of  walking (or riding) on the earth. Today they put in a little more distance; 60-some miles clear to Kawanee where their luck held out and they were=again invited to stay in the home of John (picture enclosed) the triathlete guy they met. Cozy and warm in John's pad, Leah sounded pretty bushed when she called a couple of hours ago. The people in the midwest have been amazingly hospitable to our two road rats and it seems that they are open to making new friends. Enclosed are a couple of pix Leah sent and two  Google Earth maps of where they they have stayed since they left Denver and where they are now in Illinois.  The little yellow markers indicate the communities where they have spent a night. 

Stevie Roman

Happy B-Day Chuck

As I write this Leah and Chuck are in Muscatine Iowa.  They rode 76 miles from Fairfield partially because of detours and washed out bridges. Fairfield is an alternative university town (Maharishiville) with a lot of  hippies walking around in tie-died shirts. They stayed in the old hotel there, the Landmark Inn. Leah said that road conditions were very bad and it has been raining much of the time due to resididuals from hurricane Ivan. In Muscatine, they camped in the back yard of the bike shop because the next campsite was a ways from town, and had dinner at Happy Joe's restaurant where they met a nice guy there with whom they talked politics. Chuck is having a spoke replaced and Leah has a problem with her chain. The bike mechanic had just arrived at 1 pm today when I spoke to them. His name is Charlie Harper (picture enclosed). It looks like they might not put in many miles today because they are getting a late start. 

Anyway It's Chuck's birthday today (Happy B-day Chuck!) and it looks like the wheather is about to improve, an apt birthday present from God or Momma Earth, or the cosmos or whoever.  They celebrated at the Good Earth this AM and I'm sure the festivities will continue throughout the day. 

Chuck announced that he is increasing his dose of Terazaciene (reduces frequency of peeing). This may appear like too much information on this blog but I'm sure crawling out of a warm sleeping bag on a cold, damp night ain't no picnic, and therefore quite relevant to the conversation. At 63 years old one may not be over the hill but ones bladder is considering its retirement options.

Chuck and Leah are driving on with 1600 miles to go in mas o menos 32 days on their fabulous adventure. Chuck said he is elated by the serendipitous nature of the trip. All one can do is adapt to the current circumstance whether it means taking a detour around a washed out bridge or holeing up in a hotel during a fierce rain. Well, Chuck and Leah, enjoy this beautiful day as the sun breaks through the clouds, as you turn 63 years old. You're close to the Mississippi river, only a few miles from the Illinois border and the road looks sunny ahead.

BTW, check out my my political blog, Stevie Roman Rants for insights and babble about the election and other stuff.

SR