Solo Woman Cyclist=My Trips, part 2

So as I mentioned in my last post in 2013 a friend moved away and I was left trying to figure out if I would continue long-distance cycle touring. Pursuing it alone.

A test trip was a ride I planned from Grand Rapids to Chicago the third week in April 2014. It didn’t start very auspiciously. I forgot to pack my front wheel in the box, so that when unpacking at the Grand Rapids bus station I got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. A phone call to emergency UPS the forgotten wheel, costing as much as the gas saved if I’d just driven there and back. Then the day I was to leave there was a lot of rain. I really wanted to postpone. I did delay until noon. That night I stealth camped by Lake Michigan and the wind was ferocious. The next day on the Blue Star Highway working my way down the coast it was cold. I remember trying to swing my leg over the top bar and being unable to straddle it. I simply had too many layers on. I was off itinerary and stayed that second night in a woods outside of New Buffalo. I went to sleep and woke up to stillness the next morning. I poked my head out of my cozy, warm sleeping bag and unzipped the tent fly. There were several inches of new snow on the ground. I got a phone call asking if I was still alive—it was 23 degrees! Yes, but come pick me up! I made it as far as Michigan City.

Göta Canal and Gotland (Sweden): in September 2014 I decided to solo vacation and flew to Sweden to visit friends. Before leaving Chicago I downloaded Top 10 Things to Do in Sweden and one of them was to rent a bike and cycle the Göta Canal. Problems ensued. One of which was pronouncing the town I was trying to get to in order to rent/hire a bike. It took a combination of trains and buses and each time I could not say where it was I was trying to go. Sjötorp. Plus my credit card did not work.

From my blog post: It was mid-afternoon as I alighted from my last bus in a puddle-filled street. It had been raining off and on all day. That was not part of the picture I had imagined. I tromped down to the metropolis city center, an ice cream shop where there was virtually no one. The waitress/cashier/cook asked me who/what I was looking for. I told her I was there in shn—nops—to hire a bike and ride the famous canal. Her response was that it was past the season and there were no bikes.

I refused to take no for an answer. You see, I had it all planned out in my mind. I’d ride and it would be beautiful and sunny. She said to try the shop down the street and over the bridge.

Gracias. Not really, but I knew they must have a word for thank you. Not one I could pronounce, mind you, but a word that related how I felt at the time.

I walked over and indeed saw what looked to be one bike at a little convenience shop. A man, probably originally from India but who spoke perfect English told me he could rent me a bike. I told him I wanted to ride the entire canal and leave the bike at the end. I informed him that the tourist bureau had told me it was possible to do this. I might have read it at the Göta Canal website. Yes, he said, but it was past season. That pesky sentence.

Indeed it was really quiet where I was in the unpronounceable town. Most of the shops were locked and bolted, the shades pulled down. I was beginning to understand.

The kind man told me I would need so many kroner for the bike and then so much for the room because if I biked until 8 pm I would need to stay the night. The rate he quoted me sounded like college tuition. I burst into tears. It had already been a long day.

Suddenly his wife was there beside me telling me to take a deep breath.

Together they operated the Sjötorps Vandrarhem och Rum which I assumed was a bar. Come to find out that a vandrarhem is like a nicer hostel. The rate they quoted equaled about $36 US dollars. Okay. Gulp. Breathe. Drying tears. Yes. YES.

Within 30 minutes I was on the bike and pedaling beside the canal. Living the dream.

I watched the long slow Swedish sun dip and hang above the horizon for about as long as it took to ride 30 miles that evening. I slept in a nice soft, clean bed and when I woke up the owner told me which bus to take. I was ashamed to tell him my other problem.

The Euro credit card has a security chip in it while the American ones, the ones always getting hacked, do not. I couldn’t use my credit card on the bus to buy my ticket and the driver did not take cash. No problem. And, somehow he fixed it with the driver. I was able to board and go on to the next town I couldn’t pronounce where I met up with Lotta.

Because of this man and his wife I was able to hold together for a little longer a picture in my head. Really without a number of people like them my trip would have been over before it even began. Everyday there were small miracles that allowed me to travel. Not always did the picture in my head line up with the current situation, but I was getting better at navigating the margin of difference.

I also hired a bike on the island of Gotland and because it was “out-of-season” the rate was super cheap, plus they held my extra baggage for the 3 days so I only had to take with me what I needed. The weather was beautiful and the ride was actually relaxing. I stayed the first night at a hostel in Fårösund and the second night at a farmhouse in the middle of the island south of Roma. Actually the whole trip was a lesson in how to do it by myself.

Jacksonville-Key West: Thus, in 2015 January 31 – February 9, I rode from Jacksonville to Key West. 550 miles in ten days. My longest trip yet. I did a combination of Warmshowers and campgrounds.

Minneapolis – Chicago: 2015 July I left on Greyhound for Minneapolis in what was going to be a week-long heat wave with temps in the upper 90s. About 500 miles in 6 days, 5 nights. I suffered from dehydration and hills. Mosquitos didn’t help.

Pittsburg, Pa – Washington DC via GAP and C&O Towpath. I did this the fall of 2015 and it was an excellent ride. I was starting to feel confident. I can do this! Over 300 miles in 5 days, 4 nights. I used FREE trailside hiker/biker shelters. I bused to Pittsburgh via Greyhound and put my bike together at the station and Amtraked home without having to box the bike, just roll it on for $15.

Then, I bought a new bike.