Memoirous

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 woo...

January 2018, and I’m dreaming of my next cycle long-distance tour. I have to—it’s negative 7 below zero outside. It’s necessary to have something to look forward to. But as a way of introduction here is a list of some of my past tours. 5 years old: rode my bike with training wheels across the highway. The pedal fell off and had to walk it home. Got home after dark, but never fessed up about what I’d done. Middle school: a bunch of us took on our bikes—after a carbo-load breakfast where I ate a whole loaf of bread for French toast. After a few miles I got a stomach ache and had to turn back. Not sure where we were going actually. Still in middle school: after helping my sister deliver the Sunday newspaper (starting out in darkness) we decided to ride our bikes to Xenia (Ohio). I got as far as Spring Valley on my banana seat bike before the miles or hunger sent me back home. I remember we made it as far as a ski hill? in Spring Valley—does anyone know anything abou...

There is so much to frustrate us these days. So much anger out there. Sometimes I think it is propelling us forward—toward an abyss. When I was out cycling this fall doing the Greater Alleghany Passage and the C & O Towpath (Pittsburgh to Washington DC) I was pretty much camping by myself every night except for one. At a hiker/biker pull off approx 45 miles from DC Larry was also unloading and setting up. This was a great spot by the Potomac—except for the active rail line next to our campsite. All night long it felt like a commuter train was running through my dreams. Larry was on a vision quest. Needing more clarity in his life, he left a great job and family to clear his head. He might also have been tottering on the edge of a divorce and breakdown. For him he needed a clean break, and cycling across America was hopefully the answer. I totally get this. When on my bike and bike trips there is absolutely no parallel to my “normal” life. So much so that my thought proc...

Day 6 Bald Eagle Island hiker/biker – WS host, NW, Washington, DC 20011, approx 60 miles I was so close to my end point. I was super excited to get on the road. I tried to lighten my load by eating a hearty (for me) breakfast. I made a fire and burned paper, the maps I’d downloaded. The Potomac was definitely getting wider and wilder. I had lunch at a lockhouse and Larry caught up. Afterwards I did a power hour where I cycled as hard as I could for 1 hour. I got to Great Falls Tavern visitor park about 1:30. My info said there is a snack bar there, but it is very basic. Not really anything worth buying. At this point I was only 15 miles from DC. After leaving the park the river splits and there is a slip of an inlet between the canal and river. This is VERY scenic. It has for the feel for quite a few miles of a Japanese garden, very serene. Also there are very many more people on the path. Any second I expected to turn a corner and see the Was...

Day 5 North Mountain hiker/biker – Bald Eagle Island hiker/biker, 60 miles  Today was amazing. Again. I think because I'm so close and I know I'll make it. Stayed last night at hiker/biker North Mountain. Next to the Potomac. Remote. It doesn’t really get light until 7 a.m. I made tea right out side my tent door and drank it in my sleeping bag. Luxury. Ten miles down the road was Williamsport where I passed a group of school children having a tour of the canal and locks. They waved at me and encouraged by their guide asked me questions about the towpath. I had a bowl of soup and crackers at the Desert Rose cafe . A GREAT stop. The bathroom was fully equipped. Not that I needed a tampon, but a nice trackside courtesy. The Cubs are in a sudden death playoff with Pittsburgh. At the Desert Rose a Cubby fan came in flying his colors. A nice touch of home. I can’t seem to get enough of these lock houses. More like cottages, they are so cute. I didn’t stop and take...