Intermission (Monday, August 9, 2010)
Time’s up! I’m out of days. Gotta get back to work and have a flight to Shanghai this Friday. Gonna store my bike here in Montrose and let it hibernate for the winter. I’ll come back next summer and finish ride to San Fransisco.
Here’s a quick summary:
64 days
3,017 miles (4,860 km)
10 States (+ Wash, DC)
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Maryland
- Washington, DC
- Virginia
- Kentucky
- Illinois
- Missouri
- Kansas
- Colorado
Climbed over Continental Divide
- Monarch Pass, CO
- 11,312 feet (3,450 meters)
Monarch Pass, Rocky Mountains, CO (11,312 feet)
Appalachians
Ozarks
It was a great trip. Some days were tough and the last thing I wanted to do was get on my bike and pedal! But, all in all, it was great. I don’t really remember much about the miserable days with heat and headwinds and think more about the journey in its entirety thus far.
For today: Gonna do some laundry, put on some different cloths (suitcases from NYC arrived here), get some good grub, and just chill. Tomorrow maybe get a car and go to Telluride or Black Canyon or both!
Be in Shanghai in just a few days . . .
Monday, August 9: Cimmaron to Montrose, CO (23 miles)
Pretty chilly this morning and I knew it would definitely rain. Had a 5 mile; 1,000 foot climb so I knew I’d warm up pretty quick. Not a tough climb but like all these climbs so far in the Rockies — long! The good news is that there are long down hills too! Climbed from about 7,000 feet to 8,000 feet and then had an amazing 15 mile downhill into Montrose! At one point I was giddily laughing like a crazy person! It did rain though so I took it pretty easy on the downhill — no 35 + mph. Roads were slick and so were my brakes. Still a great ride!
Got into Montrose pretty early and hotel had to scramble to get me a room. I’m here . . . time for a time out!
Sunday, August 8: Gunnison to Cimmaron, CO (43 miles)
Got a late start (10:30am) but knew I didn’t have that far to go.
Beautiful ride along river, through some very pretty canyons and then a good long climb. Headwinds were a bitch, the worst so far of the trip.
Up until now most of what I’ve seen of the Rockies has been more of a barren rocky moonscape. Mostly brown and not very lush. Until today, that is. Much greener and more forests.
Staying at the Pleasant Valley Campsite. Nice little cabins along creek. Lot of people fishing and dad with his kid said they caught a 6 pound rainbow! This place is pie central and the lady who runs the place bakes 12 different types of pies a day. I went for the chocolate cream a la mode!
Tomorrow, Montrose.
Saturday, August 7: Parlin, CO to Gunnison, CO (12 miles)
Decided to take a short day. Catch up on some work/email. Gunnison is a “real” town. Restaurants, shops, blah blah blah. Got into town pretty early so had a nice breakfast then chilled a bit and waited for a room to be vacated and cleaned.
Tomorrow I may try to get to Montrose but it looks like there are some nice campgrounds along the way so I might just break up the 66 miles into two days. See how I feel tomorrow.
The Rockies really have been the high point of my trip (both in elevation and enjoyment). Colorado is awesome! Lot of local yokels but all in all there is a level of sophistication here that I have not seen since . . . Charlottesville, VA! And, of course, the scenery here is awesome.
Friday, August 6: Salida, CO to Parlin, CO (55 miles)
Wow! Monarch Pass . . . the Continental Divide . . .11,312 feet. Wow! This is the highest elevation point on the TransAm so I can feel pretty good about getting up and over.
I didn’t sleep so well the night before and was even entertaining the idea of hanging an extra day in Salida. Not a bad little town. Lot’s of little restaurants, cafes, and pubs. Big rafting scene here. Stayed at a very cool little hostel — the Simple Hostel. One of those places that just “get’s it”. Young couple own and operate it and it attracts a progressive conscientiuos crowd.
I was pretty aprehensive about the ascent so I just got up and packed up my bike at 4:30 am had some coffee, chilled a bit and then left at about 6 when the sun was just up. Morning was pretty chilly and I had to wear my rain gear to keep warm for a bit. Salida was a little bit above 7,000 feet so it was gonna be a 4,000 vertical foot climb over 24 miles. Never very steep (nothing like the Appalachians or those fucking Ozarks!). But, it was long. I made pretty good time the first 18 miles to a little lodge in Garfield about 6 miles below the summit and about 9800 feet I think. I thought I’d be huffing and puffing and needing a lot more breaks because of the altitude but other than a little bit of light-headedness at about 10,000 feet I never really felt that winded. Of course, I was creeping along pretty slowly in my lowest “granny gear” but still. When I finally reached the top there was another guy going east who was reaching the top at the same time as I was! Very convenient as we both had someone to share what we had just been through and more important someone to take a photo in front of the sign that had the elevation! We ate and rested for about an hour before heading down in our opposite directions.
The ride down was fast and squirrely due to my speed (35+ mph), headwinds and the general unstable handing of my overloaded bike.
I thought I’d make it to Gunnison but I was pretty beat. Brutal headwinds down on the flats (still at over 8,ooo feet) helped me decide to call it a day at Parlin. Home for the night were some little roadside cabins there owned/operated by former insurance guy from New Jersey, Jack!
I’m feeling pretty good now that that is behind me! While there are still some pretty good passes ahead, none are as high as what I just went over, and besides, they won’t be until next year. There is a morale boost knowing that I have gotten over the highest passes in the Rockies and some of the steepest grades in the Appalachians and Ozarks. Plenty of “life” metaphors too but I’ll spare the cliches!
Friday, July 30: Ness City, KS to Leoti, KS (82 miles)
Man, it seems like forever since I’ve updated this.
I was pretty poopy towards the end of Missouri and happy to finally be in Kansas. Those incessant hills in the Ozarks and surrounding areas were getting to me. Not sure what I was expecting . . . I AM on a bicycle for christ sakes! Hills are just a part of the deal! Misoouri was different though than the Virginia/Kentucky Appalachians. There, the mountains were steep but had some reasonable changes in elevation so you feel you accomplished something. Real memorable climbs that you could prepare mentally for — set your bike in the Granny Gear — and know that for the next mile or two or more that you were going to be working slowly bit steadily and then you were done! And, you would be rewarded with an equally steep and long descent where you could get some speed and recover from the climb.
Missouri and the Ozarks on the other hand are just exhausting. No memorable climbs just lots of annoying little ones. Up down up down incessant hills. And steep fuckers too! You try to shotgun the downs and use the momentum to get up the next up . . . like a roller coaster. No chance to recover and catch your breath and after a few of these in a row you’re too tired to pedal as fast as you can on the downs so you just end up in your Granny Gear at the bottom huffing up some other nameless little hill. Six days of this!
So, it was nice to finally be in Kansas where its flat. Or, that’s what I thought anyway. WIND. It never stops. And it never seems to be going in the right direction either!
Eastern Kansas was actually pretty nice. Green and lots of agriculture (mostly corn). I thought I’d see more wheat than I have though I have seen quite a bit. But corn rules! Everywhere corn!
Western Kansas is much bleaker. Less verdant; dryer dustier. Not much farming; mostly cattle grazing, and oil. I didn’t realize Kansas had so much oil.
I’ll be in Colorado tomorrow. Have another 80+ miles planned so I better git . . .
Thursday, July 22: Marshfield, MO to Everton, MO (62 miles)
Friday, July 23: Everton, MO to Pittsburg, KS (68 miles)
I’ll try to catch up on the last two days tomorrow night.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010: Houston, MO to Marshfield, MO (66 miles)
Today was brutal! Got up and out nice and early and was expecting a meandering leisurely ride now that I’m “officially” out of the Ozarks. Brutal! Up and down all day and not so meandering either. Some real steep fuckers. I can always tell how steep the hills are by my counting. Usually, I’ll start off very metronome-like and just count my way up: one two three four one two three four. As the hill gets steeper it becomes ONE . . . TWO . . .THREE . . .FOUR . . .ONE . . .TWO . . .THREE . . .FOUR. And when they get real steep: MUH . . .THER . . .FUK. . . ER . . .MUH . . .THER . . .FUK. . . ER! Some of today’s hills called for the latter method of counting.
And just to kvetch as much as possible . . . non-stop headwinds and a blazing hot sun made today more fun! I finally got into Marshfield exhausted and dehydrated and jumped into the pool at the motel and got out before the thunder and lightning rolled in. What a day . I did have a nice little breakfast in Hartsville, though. I think I’m becoming quite the connoisseur of biscuits and gravy!
I forgot to mention the other day about getting yelled at by some bitch in a pick-up truck. Missouri has a bad reputation among cyclists as being hostile. I read in one guy’s blog that he had a bottle thrown at him from an oncoming car. And, in some others I’ve read of being hollered at or run off the road by truckers. So, when this chick yelled some incomprehensible drivel before I could open my Big New York City Mouth (with something witty like “fuck you white trash whore”) my survival instinct kicked-in and I saw a flash back of Dennis Hopper getting blown away in Easy Rider for flipping off some local yokels after they were taunting him . . . I kept my mouth shut!
All in all though I have found the Missourians to be very friendly and with the exception of one asshole trucker who came a bit too close for comfort (so close that I actually had to get off my bike and “take a minute” and reflect on what had just happened)everyone else has been very patient and nice.
Found a note a wrote in Eminence: On the menu at one of the local diners was Hillbilly Bacon. They bread and then deep fry the bacon! As the waitress said,” It’s a heart attack!”
Tuesday, July 20th: Eminence, MO to Houston, MO (45 miles)
Out of the Ozarks! Yeahhhh . . . Wasn’t really that bad. Some steep hills but pretty short. Had to stand in my lowest “granny gear” a few times but all in all not so bad.
Alley Springs was really pretty. I was there early and there was a mist coming off the water as the day was starting to heat up.
Monday, July 19: Ellington, MO to Eminence, MO (28 miles)
Must have really rained last night. Some of the chairs outside my motel room had been knocked over and the ground was wet. But what a beautiful morning! Almost cold . . . but not. No humidity and I’m off pretty early. I take back anything I said about the Ozarks and the hyperbole about how bad they are. They’re rough! Up down up down and steep! Appalachians were harder I think in that some of the climbs were just so much longer but there are some really steep grades. The first 6 miles of tomorrow’s ride is supposed to be the worst of it and then it should ease up.
Made a little friend on today’s ride . . . a little beagle. Very cute and very lost. I never even saw him but heard hid pitter pattering paw steps behind me and he was whimpering. Poor little guy. I got off my bike to see if he was hurt but he was just hungry and thirsty. I gave him some water and some of my snacks. He was pretty freaked out and scared. Then, I tried to leave. He wouldn’t go. I had a nice downhill so I thought for sure I’d lose him and I did until the next uphill that is. Then, I heard him whimpering behind me again! He must have been exhausted. I got off my bike again and tried to figure out what to do with him. (He had a leather collar and a flea collar but no name tag.) I was rescued by a lady who drove up in her SUV and said that she had seen that same dog a few days earlier when he showed up at her house. She started to drive away slowly so that the dog would follow her and I could get away. I felt awful and hope he’s okay and that that lady will just adopt him and take care of him.
Eminence is okay. Small town with some okay local diners. Staying at a little B & B. Went down to the river but didn’t go swimming.
Will try to make Houston tomorrow.
<!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:SimSun; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-alt:宋体; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 680460288 22 0 262145 0;} @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:”\@SimSun”; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 680460288 22 0 262145 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} –>
Monday, July 19: Ellington, MO to Eminence, MO (28 miles)
Must have reallyrained last night.Some of the chairs outside my motel room had been knocked over and the ground was wet.But what a beautiful morning!Almost cold . . . but not.No humidity and I’m off pretty early.I take back anything I said about the Ozarks and the hyperbole about how bad they are. They’re rough!Up down up down and steep!Appalachians were harder I think in that some of the climbs were just so much longer but there are some really steep grades. The first 6 miles of tomorrow’s ride is supposed to be the worst of it and then it should ease up.
Made a little friend on today’s ride . . . a little beagle.Very cute and verylost.I never even saw him but heard hid pitter pattering paw steps behind me and he was whimpering.Poor little guy.I got off my bike to see if he was hurt but he was just hungry and thirsty.I gave him some water and some of my snacks.He was pretty freaked out and scared.Then, I tried to leave.He wouldn’t go.I had a nice downhill so I thought for sure I’d lose him and I did until the next uphill that is.Then, I heard him whimpering behind me again!He must have been exhausted.I got off my bike again and tried to figure out what to do with him. (He had a leather collar and a flea collar but no name tag.)I was rescued by a lady who drove up in her SUV and said that she had seen that same dog a few days earlier when he showed up at her house.She started to drive away slowly so that the dog would follow her and I could get away.I felt awful and hope he’s okay and that that lady will just adopt him and take care of him.
Eminence is okay.Small town with some okay local diners.Staying at a little B & B.Went down to the river but didn’t go swimming.
Will try to make Houston tomorrow.
Sunday, July 18: Pilot Knob, MO to Ellington, MO (42 miles)
Got up and out nice and early @ 5:30 am. It was already pretty humid and it looked like it was gonna be a steamy one. Had a nice little breakfast in Centerville and was feeling pretty good and was thinking I’d make it to Eminence, another 25 miles or so past Ellington.
Then, in my mirror I could see this very ominous dark menacing cloud catching up to me. Well, it didn’t just catch up with me, it hung right over me for the next 10 miles. Needless to say I was completely drenched! Ellington was as far as I was going!
So far though the Ozarks don’t seem so bad. Definitely not as exhausting as some of the Appalachian climbs. But, I don’t want to speak too soon; tomorrow’s another day!
Cleaned and lubed my bike. Gonna try to get to bed early so I can get early start.
Saturday, July 17: Farmington, MO to Pilot Knob, MO (28 miles)
I was expecting much more difficult terrain today. Ride wasn’t bad at all. Got off to a late start — up early (5 am) but couldn’t get it together to leave until almost 7! Oh well. Not much in Pilot Knob. Gotta get up early tomorrow and get to Ellington which I think is about 40 miles.
Friday, July 16, 2010: Ozaro, MO to Farmington, MO (28 miles)
Wasn’t too bad a ride this morning. Lot of up and down but some level stretches also.
Had a few “firsts” today. My first flat! Pretty amazing that I haven’t gotten a flat since I started. I was lucky that I got out early and got the flat early in the AM before it started to simmer out there. Found a relatively even place off to the side of the road with nice trees so got it done with relative comfort and ease. (Good thing I had that bike maintenance class in Brooklyn before I left or I would have been pretty clueless how to change an inner tube!)
The other “first” was what many of us cyclists fear the most: “the call of nature” at an inopportune time! Well, it came while I was changing the flat tire and it certainly could have been worse. I was in front of someone’s house but had enough tree cover to get the job done incognito! Of course, I had a roll of TP with me . . . I guess that is what you would call a “transferable skill” from my years in Asia!
Finally, the last “first” was in the road-kill category. Saw an armadillo . . . way dead but an armadillo nevertheless.
Farmington is not a bad place. Found a nice café, Bahaus Kafe and was able to get a quad espresso (oh yeah!) and scone. Chatted with a very cool guy there, Scott. He’s a bluegrass fiddler and banjo player and a school librarian in North Carolina here visiting folks for the summer. I checked into Super 8 Motel which isn’t as bad as it sounds and has an outdoor pool! There is a cyclists hostel here in town apparently at a converted jail but the outdoor pool at the Super 8 trumped the “trans am” scene.
Found this on my “desktop”: Damascus, VA; June 30- ish I guess (don’t even remember writing it!)
Stayed in great little b &b apple inn. Debbie and les run a pretty tight ship. Fluffy towels and bathrobes with logo, soap/shampoo dispenser in shower, wifi, blah blah blah. Killer breakfast 3 egg cheese omelet, bowl of fruit, blueberry pancakes with maple/honey/butter syrup! And a strong pot o coffee . . . oh yeah!
Hayters Gap ahead today. Gonna be one of the toughest climbs on the trip. 1500 feet in a few miles of switchbacks.
Yesterday was great day! Beautiful country thru Mt Rogers National Forest. Climbed to the highest elevation I’ll hit east of the Rockies . . . about 3800 feet which is a bit higher than what I hit on the Blue Ridge.
Feeling pretty good. Hand numbness seems a bit better now that I’ve extra padded my handlebars and gloves and have switched hands on mousepad. Glad its not neck/vertebrae related. Saw chiro in Wytheville. Wendy Willis, also a cyclist, and she didn’t charge me!
Bike troubles: Noticed some gear slippage last few days. Stopped in bike shop in Dmascus. Really nice guy running DCWorks. Zach. Looks like defective part I Shimono gears is causing problem. Need to get new one sent to me somewhere down the road. Not critical as I can still shift.
I know I need to write daily cuz I’m forgetting so much . . .
Had dinner last night at Scott Phelp’s parents house in Doe Run (near Farmington). Killer home cooked meal! Ashley was on it with the biscuits and gravy and Scott nailed the okra! His mom’s fried chicken was great and his dad’s green beans are well deserving of the blue ribbon he got!
Gonna be long rough day tomorrow. Will try to get to Centerville but have options if it gets too hot or if my knees crap out!
Friday, July 15, 2010
Okay, I admit it! I AM the worst blogger ever!
After riding all day who the hell wants to sit down and write? But, I’ve been reading others’ blogs and have really been quite impressed. I promise, I WILL write something everyday even if its only the miles done and the weather!
I’ll try to highlight the past month . . . but I can barely remember what I had for breakfast let alone try to remember all the events of the last 6 weeks!
So, today I crossed the Missisippi River into Missouri. Pretty big milestone; like crossing a time zone a few days back in Kentucky. Spent last night in Chester, IL – the home of Popeye (who knew?). It was another scorcher so was happy to be in early and crash at a place with an outdoor pool!
Was going to try to get to Farmington, MO today (about 45 miles from Chester) but it was brutally hot and humid and no service stops for over 20 miles which would mean carrying a few extra liters of water. Terrain here is getting tougher. Lots of ups and downs – steep ones. Gonna get even tougher the next few days in the Ozarks so I plan to keep days short and mileage low to spare my knees and avoid heat stroke.
It’s been over a month of riding. Hadn’t had a day off in a while so it was nice to hole up in Carbondale, IL for a day. Took bike into the Bike Surgeon and it got a clean bill of health. Not much going on in Carbondale but hit a great little diner, Mary Lou’s, that had without a doubt the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever had! Bought a Blues Harp at music store next door while waiting for my bike. Found a little Taiwanese bubble-tea spot so got to speak a bit of Mandarin and cool off with icy cold bubble tea fruit slushy thing.
It’s great to be out of Kentucky! It wasn’t really that bad, but when you enter from the east through Appalachia you just get bad vibes! Economically depressed, ignorant, fat, ugly white trashy people! (Heard one woman calling to her white dog,” White Trash, come here White Trash” . . . so I guess a sense of humor exists.)
Got some topics below that I’ll try to come back too as I remember more details:
- Knees, numb hands
- Dogs
- Hostels
- Nice Folks
- Road People
- Road Kill & Wildlife
- Food
- Songs in my head
- Pumping myself up
- Best dumb-ass questions/comments
Sometime in late-June, 2010 in Charlottesville, VA
I’ll update this now and then with highlights, anecdotes, and various mind wanderings and deep philosophic ponderings . . .