I'm sorry for the long hiatus... With the lack of internet connection its hard to keep you all posted, even Jerry called me cause he was worried I hadn't updated anything in a while. Alas we are alive! Little foot began a post but cut it short due to the time so I'm going to continue on. The guys we met in Hindman ended up being our lodging buddies for two nights!
The first night was in the Knotts Historic Center, which was definitely a night to remember. We arrived just in time to put our stuff away in our "room", one part of a three room tent that had a queen air mattress in it and smelled like wet cat, then the flood gates of Hell opened up and poured down for the better part of the evening causing the electric to cut out. All of the cyclists (6 including lil foot and myself, the two Brits and a couple brothers) and Dave gathered in Dave's house and sat in the dark. Dave is the grounds keeper and has been hosting cyclists for 15 or so years, which is amazing. Everyone got to know one another and we began to meet the many many cats which Dave has. I would say 30 or so cats and a bunch of kittens as well. Now we know why everything smelled like wet cats, even the tops of our beers made us a little nervous before drinking them, but who are we kidding, let the beer flow! After the storm cleared and we all ate, Dave made us possibly the largest sundae I have ever attempted to consume! It was delicious but I failed in completing mine, as did everyone else. Then it was time for bed as lil foot and I hoped to get an early start and reach our first 100 mile day.
Although 8am is petty early it wasn't the start we originally wanted, but our hopes were still high. As the day went on we encountered a few dogs which we did not hesitate to spray, I think some of them use the scary as mouth wash and just keep coming for you. We survived our second day of dogs but did not make it to Berea, instead we bunker up with Chris and Gary, the Brits, in Bonesville Kentucky at Linda's B&B. What a character Linda is! First the voice you hear on the phone does not match the woman you meet. She was nice enough to pick us up at a local grocery store, then take us the mile and a half to our house for the night. In the process of getting out of the truck we noticed the 38 sitting in the side pocket of the driver's door. This did not make us feel so safe in western Kentucky, first the dogs now we may need a gun? Oh man! Linda reassured us she hasn't had to use the gun, but keeps it close ever since her husband passes away, now the four of us could relax a bit for the night. Lil foot and I cooked dinner while the guys took showers and relaxed, they of course did the dishes while we took showers and relaxed! Then we woke up to the smell or Bacon, eggs and toasted bagels! I could get used to this, but that would be the last of lodging with the Brits at unless they go camping! Haha
It was time to start our trip from bonesville to Hardin Springs, KY. A nice 86 mile day was in store for us, and the sun also decided to join us for the whole day. With the mountains finally behind us and the hills a Kentucky ahead we were positive we wouldn't have a problem reaching our goal. As the day went on the sun was brutal, and along our path we met another cyclists! Nina, a Pennsylvania native, but living in Norway for the last 20 something years, came along and joined us for the last 30 miles of our day! We joined up and camped out at Chimney Rock RV Park for the night. This place was great, only $10 per tent and a nice grassy patch next to the office only for cross country cyclists! Lil foot and I got some laundry done, but yet again went to sleep much too late. We chatted with our new friend only for a short time in the morning, then agreed to join up again for another night of camping. We wanted to get more than 50 something miles in but with lack or resources we didn't have much choice. Our destination for Thursday night would be My Old Kentucky Home State Park, where we meet yet another cyclist. Nina did her own thing for the day and stopped off at a couple touristy things while we just took our time and got to the park nice and early! While waiting for Nina to arrive the new guy came over and chatted a bit. His name is Mike, going from NY to to San Fran. He began his trip a day before us and is averaging 40 to 50 miles a day, so this would be the only time we'll be seeing him. Mike good luck with the rest of your trip. Also Nina made it to camp a couple hours after us, we talked about our plans to comes and realized this would most likely be our last night together as well.
Back to biking... From Old Kentucky we had 72 miles til our next interesting place to sleep. More dogs and smells all day during our ride. We are hoping to pass somewhere to pick up more pepper spray, well at least I am, because the dogs are out of control. In some ways lil foot is lucking out because I tend to ride a little ahead and hit the dogs first, if I spray them then they don't bother her. But sometimes it seems like I wake up the dogs and then she has to deal with them. I tried to kick a little one in the afternoon but missed and scared him off! What ever works, I'll take it. Like I said before, if it comes down to me being bit or someone's dog getting sprayed/kicked then peace out dog. As the day went on I think the sun was at its strongest so far, and it would only get stronger and hotter during our adventure. With the sun comes some strong smells, the smells of nasty road kill. We've seen tons of different animals on the side of the road, wish I could see a lot less. You don't notice this type of thing when you're driving by, trust me this is the worst part of the cycling. The last couple hours of the ride were still extremely hot, (not to worry mom Brittany has made sure I block it up just about every time we stop) but the end was in site! Double L grocery store here we come. Boy oh boy we had no idea what to expect. We pull into what looks like an abandoned gas station where a hoarder lives and decided to have a yard sale. Well this is the kind of place that McDaniels KY calls a grocery store. Can't complain too much, we had a free spot to camp, a hot shower (picture a dirty, dirty hostel) and a free bowl of cereal the next morning! I think if you're a fan of Mullets, people with no teeth and hillbilly accents then this would be your heaven, but for us it was just a free place to crash for the night.
Now that we are up to date I'll let you know how today was!
We crossed over our first time zone this morning, that's right we are now living in the past! Western Kentucky seems to be a lot nicer than eastern. Farms all over with beautiful scenery and a lot less dogs! Although while getting loose this morning only three miles in I was ran off the road twice by a dog a sprayed twice and kicked twice. Lucky me, the bastard kept coming but I finally out ran him and I guess he was out of juice because he didn't go for lil foot at all. Now my body was literally shaking from my closest encounter yet. Not a dog fan at all these days, but I miss my "niece and nephew" and appreciate them so much more! Another hot one today as well. High of 96 and felt like 100 at some parts of the day... Woohooooooo. We got most of our ride done early and took a two hour break from the sun from 1-3 before finishing up another 72 miles.
Tonight we are in Utica KY, staying in a volunteer firehouse which I probably the best place to stay so far. (Obviously not counting friends and family that put up with us! It would be nice if we had more of you spread out throughout the middle of America, haha.) Here they leave the door unlocked for passing cyclists even if none is on duty. Another cyclist is also staying the night, he's going East and ending in North Carolina. His name is Spencer and is lucky enough to be credit card touring. He's traveling light and never camps, but was full of great information for a bunch of locations in our future! We decided since we had the luxury of a refrigerator tonight to attempt eating a box of cereal each and we both failed. We fail a bunch, I think from now on if we lower our expectations then we'll succeed a lot more! Tomorrow we will go for 20 miles! Hahaha I wish, but actually tomorrow is still up in the air. Once we find a place to buy beer by somewhere that we can camp and swim, then our final destination will be decided!
Tomorrow we will cross the border into Illinois and then hopefully be in the perfect place to have a hillbilly 4th of July! Beers, burgers, hot dogs and sun.... As long as we have those four things I will be such a happy camper, literally!
Now my thumbs are cramping up and I can't afford to lose more feeling in more fingers, so I am going to end this long ass post here.
Good night to all, and I will try to update the blog much more frequently.
Just incase we are too drunk tomorrow night or don't have service, HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!
Sasq
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Wild pack of family dogs
Hi again! Little foot here. Been awhile for a blog post from me. Sasq is a blogging champ and I'm, well, lazy.
I'll try and pick it up where she left off and fill you in on the last few days. After our google maps failure and cycling an extra 10 miles on an already hilly day, we finally pulled into our campsite at Breaks Interstate Park at 10 pm. It was pitch black and the campground was packed! We ended up throwing down our tent on a lovely gravel spot and falling into bed. Exhausted & hungry we didn't waste much time unpacking. Per usual, we were hoping to get an early start but long days and late nights usually make early AM's impossible for us. When we did finally manage to get up Sunday morn, half the campground had already cleared out. Before we even had a chance to pack up the tent mother nature started spitting on us. We hustled as quickly as possible to get all our geared packed up before the rain really started in. Lugging bags loaded with wet gear is less than desirable. Sure enough, 10 mins later, the sky opened up and dumped buckets. We sought shelter in the ladies room and checked the weather report--100% chance of rain with a chance of rain… for the next 8 hours and then it would drop down to 80% for the rest of the night. We waited by the bathrooms for about an hour and a half hoping for the rain to let up a bit so we could cycle the 1.5 miles to the park lodge & book a hotel room. This was our first hotel splurge of our trip and seemed the only option. It was that or cycle for 8 hours in the pouring rain. So, we sucked it up, booked our room, swiped our cards… and then the sun came out. And it stayed out. And it didn't rain all night either. So we learned yet another (expensive) lesson. We will always lose the weather gamble. And the weather can drastically change in a matter of minutes. Needless to say, we weren't wicked happy bout taking a rest day. Or missing a great day of riding weather. Or the fact that we were staying an extra day in VA, literally 3 miles from the KY border. We ended up doing a little bit of planning, a lot of grumbling, and a bit of tv watching. We of course stayed up too late and once again didn't get out the door as early as we would have liked. But we were happy to be leaving VA… although a bit apprehensive about biking through KY. We haven't exactly heard great things, especially about eastern KY and the dogs.
Shortly after crossing the border we met another pair cycling across the country. Chris & Gary are Brits cycling from VA to SF.
They were also planning on staying in Hindman at the cyclist lodging so we played a nice game of cat and mouse with them all day--they would pass us, stop & take a break, & then pass us again. Later on in the day we met a pair of brothers who are also cycling from VA to SF. Seems to be a popular route! And what a route through eastern Kentucky it is! Apprehensively we left the hills of VA behind and traded them in for, wait for it… more hills! And dogs. With little other choice, we pedaled on, armed with nothing more than mace & pepper spray & the knowledge of fellow bicycle tourists being bitten by the wild dogs of KY (true story--2 were bit). sasq was the first to test out her new protection when she was chased after by a pack of 4 unfriendly looking dogs. Apparently her mace did the trick because moments later when I rode past they didn't even leave the driveway.
okay. Getting late. Taking time out & will finish the rest of the post tomorrow. Otherwise, it'll be another slow morning departure for us.
I'll try and pick it up where she left off and fill you in on the last few days. After our google maps failure and cycling an extra 10 miles on an already hilly day, we finally pulled into our campsite at Breaks Interstate Park at 10 pm. It was pitch black and the campground was packed! We ended up throwing down our tent on a lovely gravel spot and falling into bed. Exhausted & hungry we didn't waste much time unpacking. Per usual, we were hoping to get an early start but long days and late nights usually make early AM's impossible for us. When we did finally manage to get up Sunday morn, half the campground had already cleared out. Before we even had a chance to pack up the tent mother nature started spitting on us. We hustled as quickly as possible to get all our geared packed up before the rain really started in. Lugging bags loaded with wet gear is less than desirable. Sure enough, 10 mins later, the sky opened up and dumped buckets. We sought shelter in the ladies room and checked the weather report--100% chance of rain with a chance of rain… for the next 8 hours and then it would drop down to 80% for the rest of the night. We waited by the bathrooms for about an hour and a half hoping for the rain to let up a bit so we could cycle the 1.5 miles to the park lodge & book a hotel room. This was our first hotel splurge of our trip and seemed the only option. It was that or cycle for 8 hours in the pouring rain. So, we sucked it up, booked our room, swiped our cards… and then the sun came out. And it stayed out. And it didn't rain all night either. So we learned yet another (expensive) lesson. We will always lose the weather gamble. And the weather can drastically change in a matter of minutes. Needless to say, we weren't wicked happy bout taking a rest day. Or missing a great day of riding weather. Or the fact that we were staying an extra day in VA, literally 3 miles from the KY border. We ended up doing a little bit of planning, a lot of grumbling, and a bit of tv watching. We of course stayed up too late and once again didn't get out the door as early as we would have liked. But we were happy to be leaving VA… although a bit apprehensive about biking through KY. We haven't exactly heard great things, especially about eastern KY and the dogs.
Shortly after crossing the border we met another pair cycling across the country. Chris & Gary are Brits cycling from VA to SF.
They were also planning on staying in Hindman at the cyclist lodging so we played a nice game of cat and mouse with them all day--they would pass us, stop & take a break, & then pass us again. Later on in the day we met a pair of brothers who are also cycling from VA to SF. Seems to be a popular route! And what a route through eastern Kentucky it is! Apprehensively we left the hills of VA behind and traded them in for, wait for it… more hills! And dogs. With little other choice, we pedaled on, armed with nothing more than mace & pepper spray & the knowledge of fellow bicycle tourists being bitten by the wild dogs of KY (true story--2 were bit). sasq was the first to test out her new protection when she was chased after by a pack of 4 unfriendly looking dogs. Apparently her mace did the trick because moments later when I rode past they didn't even leave the driveway.
okay. Getting late. Taking time out & will finish the rest of the post tomorrow. Otherwise, it'll be another slow morning departure for us.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Peace out Virginia, you won't be missed.
The last couple of days have been a bit crazy. Between backwoods locals, weather, mountains and Google maps playing a bad joke on us, we've had some rough times but we did enjoy last night in Damascus, Va.
To catch you all up I'll pick up from when we finished doing laundry on Thursday. Not starting our day until 4 pm was probably not a great idea so while we began to fight the 25-30 mph winds goof against us, we decided a rest day was needed and we only covered 15 miles to the next town. Little did we know, but every year this town has a week long festival in the park we planned on camping in. After getting the go ahead from police we Hung out, listened to a first terrible band then a pretty good older band, had festival food and watched the locals do their thing. Needless to say there was entertainment at every angle! The party was supposed to end around 9 but with our luck it went on til 11. Finally we were able to set up camp once everyone left our bedroom and it was time for much needed sleep. As we were dozing off the head of the fire department informs us we can't camp there, but was then told but the police station that it was ok. Pew! The deal was to be out of there by 7am and we were!
Friday morning started off great and just continued to get better. It was our first night in a week without rain and though the sun wasn't shining our spirits were up. We did a ton of climbing during our 60 mile ride, more than our first day of mountains, but when we reached our destination it didn't matter anymore. Damascus is like a little hikers/cyclists town, every business revolves around the people passing through. After hearing so much about the dogs of.Kentucky and crazy mean people, little foot decided to get some dog spray to protect herself, I already have mace and will not hesitate to spray any animal that comes within two feet of me. Haha. We also stocked up on a couple other things. That night we found a cheap hostel to stay at and it was easy to see why it was so cheap. He "beds" were pretty much picnic tables with a yoga mat on top - yay! After getting cleaned up we went over to the Old Mill for dinner and a couple beers. The waiter invited us to continue drinking at his, but that never happened, so we called it a might after 4 hours at the Old Mill.
Attempting to get another early start this morning, we didn't actually get on he road til 9 and had about 70 miles in our future. Or so we thought. The first 22 miles weren't bad, a nice long climb then a pretty sweet downhill. We stopped for a snack before the next big climbs and after that point this became my least favorite day yet. Every uphill I got nauseous for no reason, causing me to walk up a few climbs along the way. Lil foot took the lead today and crushed me! The end was in site, Haysi Va was just around the corner. We arrive at 7 looking for the campsite which I was told would be there. This was the big joke Google maps planned for us. The closest campground wasn't for another 10 miles. Maybe this was a good time to try rogue camping? The search began for a good spot to set up camp, the longer we looked the closer we got to the Breaks International Park, and that is where we ended up. It's was already pitch black out when we arrived and all the tent sites were taken, so now we get to sleep on lovely gravel. What a great night of sleep I'm going to get!
Oh man, I can't believe I almost forgot this part which added to my hell of a day... I got my second flat. :-(
Right before stopping for lunch my tire got popped from a staple, of all things a damn staple, like one used to hold a few pieces of paper together. Ugh. The repair didn't take too long. As I pumped the tire up and pulled the pump off, I snapped a piece of the nasal on the tire and bam, my third flat. Now I was in no mood to go on but obviously had to laugh it off and suck it up. That was when the Google map joke kicked in.
The only good thing I can say about today was the weather was AMAZING. Oh and we climbed about 8000 feet so that's something to be proud of!
Little foot and I will begin our 11 th state in the morning, and are not looking forward to the damn dogs, but we're ready for them!
I believe that covers it for now. Good night and good bye Virginia!
Sasq
Ps I can see my breathe right now.... Brrrrr
To catch you all up I'll pick up from when we finished doing laundry on Thursday. Not starting our day until 4 pm was probably not a great idea so while we began to fight the 25-30 mph winds goof against us, we decided a rest day was needed and we only covered 15 miles to the next town. Little did we know, but every year this town has a week long festival in the park we planned on camping in. After getting the go ahead from police we Hung out, listened to a first terrible band then a pretty good older band, had festival food and watched the locals do their thing. Needless to say there was entertainment at every angle! The party was supposed to end around 9 but with our luck it went on til 11. Finally we were able to set up camp once everyone left our bedroom and it was time for much needed sleep. As we were dozing off the head of the fire department informs us we can't camp there, but was then told but the police station that it was ok. Pew! The deal was to be out of there by 7am and we were!
Friday morning started off great and just continued to get better. It was our first night in a week without rain and though the sun wasn't shining our spirits were up. We did a ton of climbing during our 60 mile ride, more than our first day of mountains, but when we reached our destination it didn't matter anymore. Damascus is like a little hikers/cyclists town, every business revolves around the people passing through. After hearing so much about the dogs of.Kentucky and crazy mean people, little foot decided to get some dog spray to protect herself, I already have mace and will not hesitate to spray any animal that comes within two feet of me. Haha. We also stocked up on a couple other things. That night we found a cheap hostel to stay at and it was easy to see why it was so cheap. He "beds" were pretty much picnic tables with a yoga mat on top - yay! After getting cleaned up we went over to the Old Mill for dinner and a couple beers. The waiter invited us to continue drinking at his, but that never happened, so we called it a might after 4 hours at the Old Mill.
Attempting to get another early start this morning, we didn't actually get on he road til 9 and had about 70 miles in our future. Or so we thought. The first 22 miles weren't bad, a nice long climb then a pretty sweet downhill. We stopped for a snack before the next big climbs and after that point this became my least favorite day yet. Every uphill I got nauseous for no reason, causing me to walk up a few climbs along the way. Lil foot took the lead today and crushed me! The end was in site, Haysi Va was just around the corner. We arrive at 7 looking for the campsite which I was told would be there. This was the big joke Google maps planned for us. The closest campground wasn't for another 10 miles. Maybe this was a good time to try rogue camping? The search began for a good spot to set up camp, the longer we looked the closer we got to the Breaks International Park, and that is where we ended up. It's was already pitch black out when we arrived and all the tent sites were taken, so now we get to sleep on lovely gravel. What a great night of sleep I'm going to get!
Oh man, I can't believe I almost forgot this part which added to my hell of a day... I got my second flat. :-(
Right before stopping for lunch my tire got popped from a staple, of all things a damn staple, like one used to hold a few pieces of paper together. Ugh. The repair didn't take too long. As I pumped the tire up and pulled the pump off, I snapped a piece of the nasal on the tire and bam, my third flat. Now I was in no mood to go on but obviously had to laugh it off and suck it up. That was when the Google map joke kicked in.
The only good thing I can say about today was the weather was AMAZING. Oh and we climbed about 8000 feet so that's something to be proud of!
Little foot and I will begin our 11 th state in the morning, and are not looking forward to the damn dogs, but we're ready for them!
I believe that covers it for now. Good night and good bye Virginia!
Sasq
Ps I can see my breathe right now.... Brrrrr
Thursday, June 23, 2011
First 90 mile day!
For those of you that don't already know, the state of Virginia can be a bitch. People have continued to be super friendly and amazingly accommodating! The bad parts are the elevation climbs, weather and lack of beer selling stores. The last being the most important of course! Yesterday lil foot and I got an early start and the rain held up for maybe twenty minutes before coming down on us for a good hour, but we pushed through. Along our morning journey we came across two fellow cyclists going in the opposite direction. They started in Oregon and were only a couple days from ending their trip. Lucky for them they had a third person following behind with a trailer, that made it a bit easier to bike more miles in less time. They gave us a few heads up of what was to come and then we parted ways.
After about 50 miles before lunch we stopped at a Target where I bought new sneakers and threw out the smelly things I had been using. The sun was actually out and strong at this point but we were warned it wouldn't be for long. That was a lie! The rest of our day was rain free and sunny! But also extremely hilly and pretty rough. We stopped on the side of the road for a little trail mix break when yet another cyclist came along, also close to finishing his trip and had a support vehicle following him. He warned us about the dogs in Kentucky, and told us about getting bit by one, that was enough to convince us to hold pepper spray close while riding through our next state. Shortly after our break was over we got chased by a mean dog for at least half a mile. I came soo close to trying to kick him just to get him to stop, but luckily the two of us and the dog made it unharmed. Just a warning to Kentucky dogs, I will probably be trigger happy with my pepper spray so back off.
As the sun was setting lil foot and I thought we were half a mile from camp, turns out we had another four miles to go, damn Google maps. In those four miles we found a subway for dinner and a store that had BEER! It was like a little Christmas morning joy when we finally found that store! I swear we don't have a drinking probably, but for about five days we searched for a place to get just one beer each and none were found. After making our dinner purchases it was off to find the Pioneer Village RV Campgrounds. It was pitch black out when we turned into the camp site and of course another half mile hill to climb before we could finally relax. The camp host, Roy, was beyond amazing, he had met us by the entrance because he was on his way out to search for us, they were worried :-) Roy then built us a fire since he figured we would be exhausted, and boy was he right. The tent was pitched in no time and then it was time for a few beers and a foot long. Yummy.
This morning we decided to sleep in and take a half day so we can get some laundry done, which I am currently sitting outside of a Comfort Inn while waiting on our clothes to dry! The goal for today is anywhere between 30-40 miles. Then we have a packed week and a half ahead of us so we can make it to Illinois by the forth of July!
Later for now, I'll post again tonight if I have service!
Sasq
After about 50 miles before lunch we stopped at a Target where I bought new sneakers and threw out the smelly things I had been using. The sun was actually out and strong at this point but we were warned it wouldn't be for long. That was a lie! The rest of our day was rain free and sunny! But also extremely hilly and pretty rough. We stopped on the side of the road for a little trail mix break when yet another cyclist came along, also close to finishing his trip and had a support vehicle following him. He warned us about the dogs in Kentucky, and told us about getting bit by one, that was enough to convince us to hold pepper spray close while riding through our next state. Shortly after our break was over we got chased by a mean dog for at least half a mile. I came soo close to trying to kick him just to get him to stop, but luckily the two of us and the dog made it unharmed. Just a warning to Kentucky dogs, I will probably be trigger happy with my pepper spray so back off.
As the sun was setting lil foot and I thought we were half a mile from camp, turns out we had another four miles to go, damn Google maps. In those four miles we found a subway for dinner and a store that had BEER! It was like a little Christmas morning joy when we finally found that store! I swear we don't have a drinking probably, but for about five days we searched for a place to get just one beer each and none were found. After making our dinner purchases it was off to find the Pioneer Village RV Campgrounds. It was pitch black out when we turned into the camp site and of course another half mile hill to climb before we could finally relax. The camp host, Roy, was beyond amazing, he had met us by the entrance because he was on his way out to search for us, they were worried :-) Roy then built us a fire since he figured we would be exhausted, and boy was he right. The tent was pitched in no time and then it was time for a few beers and a foot long. Yummy.
This morning we decided to sleep in and take a half day so we can get some laundry done, which I am currently sitting outside of a Comfort Inn while waiting on our clothes to dry! The goal for today is anywhere between 30-40 miles. Then we have a packed week and a half ahead of us so we can make it to Illinois by the forth of July!
Later for now, I'll post again tonight if I have service!
Sasq
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
If its not raining then its 100 degrees...
Monster apology to Terry Dorn for not including him in my last post, I'm a jerk. To fill you all in on who Terry is, lil foot and I like to call him our Va tour guide! We met him along our ride on Sunday on our way to Greenwood to camp out at Misty Mountain Camp Resort. Terry along with twenty other cyclists began to pass us when he decided to hang back and chat for about fifteen miles, and thank god for that time. He was great on informing us all about the rest of our journey through Virginia, where to sleep, hills/mountains to come, places to eat and so on. At the end of our ride together we parted ways and exchanged info, which for the last two days has been the smartest thing we've done! BIG THANKS TO TERRY AND HIS FELLOW RIDING BUDDIES FOR ALL THEIR HELP!
Yesterday was a huge day in many ways for lil foot and I... We reached multiple goals, 1000 miles, 40,000 feet of.elevation, first mountain range conquered and fifth day in a row without bathing! (Just kidding about the bathing part, we've been lucky and have had showers everywhere we go - so far.)
When we started off the day we were a bit nervous of the climbing to come, but as the day went on our energy grew and we made it to the top! The weather was supposed to on and off rain all morning with sum in the afternoon then rain at night, but we definitely lucked out because it was slightly cloudy and cool during the uphill, then sunny for the cruising downhill. We camped at Mallard Duck Camp Grounds about eight miles west of Vesuvius. It rained a little after we made it to the campgrounds but quickly let up and stayed dry all night! Our first night in four nights of a rain/thunderstorm free sleep!!
Today we wanted to do about 73 miles but do to lack of a place to sleep, the heat and the rain, we stopped in Troutsville for the night. (55 miles today.). The ride today started off great, we went 11 miles to do some food shopping then another 27 before stopping for lunch. By lunch the clouds were nowhere to be found and the heat was draining us, we needed to hide for an hour from the sun. When our energy was back we hopped on our bikes to ride another 17 miles to our final destination. The sun continued to kill us for about half an hour before the clouds were back and ready to make the misery continue. It rained on us for our final 6 miles making this officially the worst day weather wise. Now that we're covered and sheltered from the rain of course the sun came back out. Ugh. Tomorrow we are crossing our fingers that we actually get up when we plan and get a super early start so we can make it to our next destination before the blazing heat can hit us again. Our accommodations for the night is a city park, cover by a pavilion in Troutsville, Va... Population 400 and change. People in Va have been great, but the weather is not our friend. Haha. Looking forward to the next state for sure.
On a sad note, our fellow cyclist buddy, Max, has called it quits today, he is roughly two days behind us and faced equipment issues which were a bit pricey to repair to back to Utah for him. Goodluck Max!
I believe that is enough for now, feel free to comment on posts if there is anything more specific you'd like to know.
Sasq
Don't forget to visit the fundraising page and help save the boobies of the world!
Yesterday was a huge day in many ways for lil foot and I... We reached multiple goals, 1000 miles, 40,000 feet of.elevation, first mountain range conquered and fifth day in a row without bathing! (Just kidding about the bathing part, we've been lucky and have had showers everywhere we go - so far.)
When we started off the day we were a bit nervous of the climbing to come, but as the day went on our energy grew and we made it to the top! The weather was supposed to on and off rain all morning with sum in the afternoon then rain at night, but we definitely lucked out because it was slightly cloudy and cool during the uphill, then sunny for the cruising downhill. We camped at Mallard Duck Camp Grounds about eight miles west of Vesuvius. It rained a little after we made it to the campgrounds but quickly let up and stayed dry all night! Our first night in four nights of a rain/thunderstorm free sleep!!
Today we wanted to do about 73 miles but do to lack of a place to sleep, the heat and the rain, we stopped in Troutsville for the night. (55 miles today.). The ride today started off great, we went 11 miles to do some food shopping then another 27 before stopping for lunch. By lunch the clouds were nowhere to be found and the heat was draining us, we needed to hide for an hour from the sun. When our energy was back we hopped on our bikes to ride another 17 miles to our final destination. The sun continued to kill us for about half an hour before the clouds were back and ready to make the misery continue. It rained on us for our final 6 miles making this officially the worst day weather wise. Now that we're covered and sheltered from the rain of course the sun came back out. Ugh. Tomorrow we are crossing our fingers that we actually get up when we plan and get a super early start so we can make it to our next destination before the blazing heat can hit us again. Our accommodations for the night is a city park, cover by a pavilion in Troutsville, Va... Population 400 and change. People in Va have been great, but the weather is not our friend. Haha. Looking forward to the next state for sure.
On a sad note, our fellow cyclist buddy, Max, has called it quits today, he is roughly two days behind us and faced equipment issues which were a bit pricey to repair to back to Utah for him. Goodluck Max!
I believe that is enough for now, feel free to comment on posts if there is anything more specific you'd like to know.
Sasq
Don't forget to visit the fundraising page and help save the boobies of the world!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Its raining dogs....
As some of you know already, its been raining on and off for days now and is meant to continue on for another day or two. Yesterday was our longest day yet, we hit 88 miles and started our day nice and early at 7am. Before I continue on about yesterday, let me tell you about another fellow rider we met on Friday. His name is Max and he's from Utah. Lil foot and I thought we had tough days here and there but clearly Max had us beat. He's riding a recumbent from Manchester, NH to St. Louis, MI. For those of you who need a visual it looks like a low to the ground wheelchair/tricycle. Max ended up camping with us for the night and then tried to meet us in Mineral, Va but being so low to the ground, the hills tend to not be your friend. He didn't make it last night but it was still interesting to have him around for one night! Back to the riding of yesterday... We had a great start and made it about 55 miles before lunch where we ate at Patrick Henry's Home (he was Virginia's first senator or congressman or something, history is not my thing so to me it was just a place to get out of the sun and eat!). Luckily we didn't hit any rain all day, but the night wasn't't looking too good. We arranged to camp out on the backyard of a volunteer firehouse, but with storms coming we were able to sleep inside instead! Due to being indoors we weren't able to make our yummy pasta so we went across the street and had some delicious BBQ! Then it was time for bed so we would be able to get another early start.
Today seemed like it was going to be a bit rough, but now looking back it wasn't nearly.as bad as we expected We wanted to start riding at 7 but our bodies said NO... So we didn't end up leaving the fire house until 9:30. At this point it had already down poured and was still drizzling, but we couldn't wait any longer. For a good hour to two hours we pushed ourselves through all sorts of level of rain. It actually felt pretty good to be soaking wet and it not be from sweat! Also with the rain came lower temperatures which was absolutely a great feeling. Overall today was a good day and now we need as much rest as possible because tomorrow we conquer our first mountain range and we're looking forward to it for sure. We've set up camp at Misty Mountain Camp Resort and our neighbor is a Bub Light truck, so I'll be having great dreams tonight! (Don't worry mom we aren't actually drinking, cause I wasn't able to brake into the truck.).
Well I guess that is all for now. Good night and Happy Father's Day to my dad and lil foots dad... Also first father's day to Jerry! (Miss my lil nugget.)
Oh and one last thing... You may be wondering about the post name so I'll explain. Here's a note to all dog owners in Virginia, either get a fence that keeps your dog off the road or chain your dog to a tree. I'm sick of having to possibly kick your dog to keep him from chasing me and trying to attack me. Trust me, if it comes down to me getting bit by a dog in the leg or me having to kick it, just guess which one will happen. Today alone lil foot and I had to out ride five different dogs for about half a mile each time... It's not fun, but it is a little funny after we've officially escaped.
Now that is all!
Sasq
PS. Lil Foot busted her ass at the end of the day after we entered the campsite... shoot her some texts to ask her what happened. hahahaha
Today seemed like it was going to be a bit rough, but now looking back it wasn't nearly.as bad as we expected We wanted to start riding at 7 but our bodies said NO... So we didn't end up leaving the fire house until 9:30. At this point it had already down poured and was still drizzling, but we couldn't wait any longer. For a good hour to two hours we pushed ourselves through all sorts of level of rain. It actually felt pretty good to be soaking wet and it not be from sweat! Also with the rain came lower temperatures which was absolutely a great feeling. Overall today was a good day and now we need as much rest as possible because tomorrow we conquer our first mountain range and we're looking forward to it for sure. We've set up camp at Misty Mountain Camp Resort and our neighbor is a Bub Light truck, so I'll be having great dreams tonight! (Don't worry mom we aren't actually drinking, cause I wasn't able to brake into the truck.).
Well I guess that is all for now. Good night and Happy Father's Day to my dad and lil foots dad... Also first father's day to Jerry! (Miss my lil nugget.)
Oh and one last thing... You may be wondering about the post name so I'll explain. Here's a note to all dog owners in Virginia, either get a fence that keeps your dog off the road or chain your dog to a tree. I'm sick of having to possibly kick your dog to keep him from chasing me and trying to attack me. Trust me, if it comes down to me getting bit by a dog in the leg or me having to kick it, just guess which one will happen. Today alone lil foot and I had to out ride five different dogs for about half a mile each time... It's not fun, but it is a little funny after we've officially escaped.
Now that is all!
Sasq
PS. Lil Foot busted her ass at the end of the day after we entered the campsite... shoot her some texts to ask her what happened. hahahaha
Friday, June 17, 2011
Goodbye Atlantic Coast, hello TransAmerica Trail!
Well, as Sasq mentioned, I'm over due for a long blog post. I would have posted sooner, but we stayed with friends of family on Wed & then had zero battery life last night. But, now my phone is fully charged and my fingers are ready for some smart phone typing!
The past few days have been pretty wet & just in time to start camping again too. Before I get into the details, we have some big thank you's to send out to all our friends & family who have fed us, housed us, & entertained us!
- Denise & Steve Brown (ME)
- Bill Tynion (NH)
- Sarah Arnold (ice cream!)
- Brian Keefe (CT)
- Craig & Karen Carita (LI)
- Julie Carita (lunch)
- Eileen Tynion (NY)
- Jocelyn Rothstein (ride to NJ)
- Jenna E. & Jordan S. (PA)
- Brett Guralnick (DE)
- Lindsay J. & Andrew T. (MD)
- Missy & John (VA)
Thanks again for helping to make our first few weeks of the journey a little easier & memorable! Also thanks to everyone else who has been supporting & following us along the way. It is definitely appreciated :)
So to fill you all in on the past couple days… after spending an extra day in NY due to rain, we hit the road & biked to Philly. From Philly, we went to Delaware, and then on to Maryland. For everything that DE was not, MD certainly made up for. To quote sasq, several minutes after crossing the DE/MD line, she states, "finally a nice part of DE. Oh wait, we're in MD now." haha. So big thumbs up for beautiful MD & we can say very little about DE… except visit Brett. So biking through the beautiful country side of MD was a welcomed respite & we enjoyed lovely weather as well. It was a fairly short riding day & we made in to Baltimore around 4. We stayed with Lindsay & Andrew, who showed us a little of what Baltimore has to offer (I will be back to see more). Thanks again guys! If you've never been, I highly recommend you check it out.
On Wed morning, we headed out expecting to make our way into DC & find a hostel to hunker down in for the eve & hopefully catch the Stanley Cup game. But as luck would have it, we were helped out again by Missy & John (friends of Sasq's brother Jerry) who offered up a place to crash with them in Falls Church, VA. So we detoured around DC & rode up… scratch that, walked up, the steepest hill. It was a long, hot day of riding & and we didn't arrive until after 8. But we were greeted with a smile & a beer & were able to catch most of the game!
Thursday morning was gloomy. Rain is not the best way to start the day, especially with a forecast of rain, rain, & more rain. It's hard to get excited about cycling in the rain, followed up by camping in, you guessed it, more rain. So given the uncertainty of the weather, we said our goodbyes & set off into the rain. It only sprinkled a bit & eventually cleared up for awhile, but with impending thunderstorms we decided to make it a shorter day & hopefully set up camp before any major storms. It had been awhile since we had a proper meal, so we stopped in the largest town to get a pizza & stock up on supplies. The pizza was terrible! It was more like pizza soup, but being the calorie burning machines that we are, we ate it not too grudgingly. As if one cue, the moment we got back on our bicycles it started to rain. With only about 8 miles left, we booked it towards the campground. The rain let up for about half an hour, which was just enough time for little foot to get a flat tire (her first of the trip) & change it. And then it poured! What luck haha. In the pouring rain we biked the last mile to the campground & waited for the rain to pass before pitching our tent. We were able to set up camp, shower, do laundry (ie wash our clothes in the shower & attempt to dry them under the hand dryer), and do some planning. We went to bed early, hoping for an early AM departure, but it was a LONG night. In case you've never had the luxury of sleeping outside during a thunderstorm--they're loud. Very, very loud. And wet of course. We didn't get any sleep at all, and when the alarm went off, it was still pouring. So much for the early start. When the rain finally subsided, we made a break for it & packed up camp & headed out. And we headed straight for the nearest electrical outlet we could find. So it was good morning dunkin donuts! We sure do like our phones! And you should to because w/o them we wouldn't be able to keep you updated on all the deets of our trip! Of course they're very useful tools, and with them we are able to keep track of all our riding stats & routes and more or less turn-by-turn navigation.
With our fully charged phones at the ready, we finally set off again. The clouds broke and we had another beautiful day of biking. But with impending thunderstorms in the forecast and bags full of dirty clothes, we decided to make another short day of it and camped out in Fredericksburg, VA.
Tomorrow were hoping to actually get an early start, so fingers crossed for quiet thunder! It'll be a long day of potentially 80+ miles and also marks the end of one route & the start of another. We'll be finishing up our last leg on ACA's Atlantic Coast Route & starting the TransAmerica Trail. Finally we start heading across the country!
We should have more coming your way soon, including a gear update, so stay tuned!
g'night.
litte foot.
The past few days have been pretty wet & just in time to start camping again too. Before I get into the details, we have some big thank you's to send out to all our friends & family who have fed us, housed us, & entertained us!
- Denise & Steve Brown (ME)
- Bill Tynion (NH)
- Sarah Arnold (ice cream!)
- Brian Keefe (CT)
- Craig & Karen Carita (LI)
- Julie Carita (lunch)
- Eileen Tynion (NY)
- Jocelyn Rothstein (ride to NJ)
- Jenna E. & Jordan S. (PA)
- Brett Guralnick (DE)
- Lindsay J. & Andrew T. (MD)
- Missy & John (VA)
Thanks again for helping to make our first few weeks of the journey a little easier & memorable! Also thanks to everyone else who has been supporting & following us along the way. It is definitely appreciated :)
So to fill you all in on the past couple days… after spending an extra day in NY due to rain, we hit the road & biked to Philly. From Philly, we went to Delaware, and then on to Maryland. For everything that DE was not, MD certainly made up for. To quote sasq, several minutes after crossing the DE/MD line, she states, "finally a nice part of DE. Oh wait, we're in MD now." haha. So big thumbs up for beautiful MD & we can say very little about DE… except visit Brett. So biking through the beautiful country side of MD was a welcomed respite & we enjoyed lovely weather as well. It was a fairly short riding day & we made in to Baltimore around 4. We stayed with Lindsay & Andrew, who showed us a little of what Baltimore has to offer (I will be back to see more). Thanks again guys! If you've never been, I highly recommend you check it out.
On Wed morning, we headed out expecting to make our way into DC & find a hostel to hunker down in for the eve & hopefully catch the Stanley Cup game. But as luck would have it, we were helped out again by Missy & John (friends of Sasq's brother Jerry) who offered up a place to crash with them in Falls Church, VA. So we detoured around DC & rode up… scratch that, walked up, the steepest hill. It was a long, hot day of riding & and we didn't arrive until after 8. But we were greeted with a smile & a beer & were able to catch most of the game!
Thursday morning was gloomy. Rain is not the best way to start the day, especially with a forecast of rain, rain, & more rain. It's hard to get excited about cycling in the rain, followed up by camping in, you guessed it, more rain. So given the uncertainty of the weather, we said our goodbyes & set off into the rain. It only sprinkled a bit & eventually cleared up for awhile, but with impending thunderstorms we decided to make it a shorter day & hopefully set up camp before any major storms. It had been awhile since we had a proper meal, so we stopped in the largest town to get a pizza & stock up on supplies. The pizza was terrible! It was more like pizza soup, but being the calorie burning machines that we are, we ate it not too grudgingly. As if one cue, the moment we got back on our bicycles it started to rain. With only about 8 miles left, we booked it towards the campground. The rain let up for about half an hour, which was just enough time for little foot to get a flat tire (her first of the trip) & change it. And then it poured! What luck haha. In the pouring rain we biked the last mile to the campground & waited for the rain to pass before pitching our tent. We were able to set up camp, shower, do laundry (ie wash our clothes in the shower & attempt to dry them under the hand dryer), and do some planning. We went to bed early, hoping for an early AM departure, but it was a LONG night. In case you've never had the luxury of sleeping outside during a thunderstorm--they're loud. Very, very loud. And wet of course. We didn't get any sleep at all, and when the alarm went off, it was still pouring. So much for the early start. When the rain finally subsided, we made a break for it & packed up camp & headed out. And we headed straight for the nearest electrical outlet we could find. So it was good morning dunkin donuts! We sure do like our phones! And you should to because w/o them we wouldn't be able to keep you updated on all the deets of our trip! Of course they're very useful tools, and with them we are able to keep track of all our riding stats & routes and more or less turn-by-turn navigation.
With our fully charged phones at the ready, we finally set off again. The clouds broke and we had another beautiful day of biking. But with impending thunderstorms in the forecast and bags full of dirty clothes, we decided to make another short day of it and camped out in Fredericksburg, VA.
Tomorrow were hoping to actually get an early start, so fingers crossed for quiet thunder! It'll be a long day of potentially 80+ miles and also marks the end of one route & the start of another. We'll be finishing up our last leg on ACA's Atlantic Coast Route & starting the TransAmerica Trail. Finally we start heading across the country!
We should have more coming your way soon, including a gear update, so stay tuned!
g'night.
litte foot.
Hello Virginia... no, Mr. Raccoon you can not join us for dinner
Lil foot will be adding a long blog tonight, I figured I would just let you know how rough today was....
We've had on and off rain for two days now so we haven't done a ton of miles. Today we went from Prince William National Forest to Fredricksburg, VA. We arrived at the campsite by 3 PM and the sun was still shining so we got to go for a dip in the river, which was our shower for the day! (Mom, it was like being in the catskills and going to the creek!) After that we hit the laundromat, very necessary indeed. Then it was time for some famous Carl's ice cream, I know rough life. HAHA
Lil foot can get more into detail about the last couple days... Oh and before I forget, a little raccoon attempted to join us for dinner tonight, but I kindly asked him to leave us alone by charging at him like a crazy lady!
That is all from me for tonight!
SASQ
We've had on and off rain for two days now so we haven't done a ton of miles. Today we went from Prince William National Forest to Fredricksburg, VA. We arrived at the campsite by 3 PM and the sun was still shining so we got to go for a dip in the river, which was our shower for the day! (Mom, it was like being in the catskills and going to the creek!) After that we hit the laundromat, very necessary indeed. Then it was time for some famous Carl's ice cream, I know rough life. HAHA
Lil foot can get more into detail about the last couple days... Oh and before I forget, a little raccoon attempted to join us for dinner tonight, but I kindly asked him to leave us alone by charging at him like a crazy lady!
That is all from me for tonight!
SASQ
Monday, June 13, 2011
Philly fun to Delaware ghettos
Lil foot is my new hero, she figured out how to make it possible for me to post from my cell... this means a ton of posts coming your way from ME (Sasq)!
Here goes my first phone post. Keep in mind there's the stupid auto correct on my phone so try to ignore a random weird word here and there. Haha
Yesterday we got back on our bikes after having Jocelyn drop us in New Jersey. Again it is not cheating when you make the rules and routes day to day. The ride in Jersey was pretty smooth and the weather was ideal. It was cloudy with a nice breezy to keep us refreshed! We'll take every breeze we can get especially since we know they'll become more and more rare. :-( The last 11 miles while in Pennsylvania started off amazingly on a beautiful bike path but.gradually became a rough ride when the nice pavement turned into gravel and cobble stone. Between the weight of my bags and my goddess like body I was having mini panic attacks after every rock I hit. Thankfully we made it to Jenna and Jordan's (Lil foot's college friend and boyfriend). Jordan cooked us a delightful dinner as Jenna and Lil foot caught up on. Needless to say we are very thankful for the WARM DINNER, SHOWER, AND PLACE TO SLEEP!
Today, Monday, we decided to visit another friend in Delaware so once again we went off our original route. We learned the hard way why ACA does not have you ride through Delaware, it's a DUMP. (Normally I would use bad language but I was told to keep it PC for the family and kiddies) Our journey today started off along the water in Philly, but soon became factory and crappy neighborhood one after the next. Finally entering Newark, DE and closing in Brett's (the friend we are staying with) house the area began to feel a little safer! Lil foot and I cleaned up and the three of us were off to get some yummy burgers... they definitely hit the spot!
We that is just about every detail possible for the last two days but I after answering all of Jenna and Jordan's questions Sunday night I'm guessing many of you would like to know other details of our trip. I hope this helps or at least entertains... We shower every chance we get, but at.some camps it just doesn't happen, but we don't tend.to smell too bad since we're sweating out mostly water... Laundry isn't a priority every night because we have three days worth of biking clothes and a couple regular outfits... Our meals are just about the same when we camp, oatmeal, cliff bar, split a sandwich, $1 just add water pasta (yum)... And finally I best the question you are all looking for an answer about - how are our tushies feeling haha. I will only speak for myself, the last two days I didn't wear underwent under my bike shorts which I should have done from the beginning, so for all those who may pick up biking and looking to wear bike shorts - GO COMMANDO!
Now I have been made fun of for typing such a long time... I will end it there, but please feel free to ask us anything and I'll answer it as best as possible!
Sasq
Here goes my first phone post. Keep in mind there's the stupid auto correct on my phone so try to ignore a random weird word here and there. Haha
Yesterday we got back on our bikes after having Jocelyn drop us in New Jersey. Again it is not cheating when you make the rules and routes day to day. The ride in Jersey was pretty smooth and the weather was ideal. It was cloudy with a nice breezy to keep us refreshed! We'll take every breeze we can get especially since we know they'll become more and more rare. :-( The last 11 miles while in Pennsylvania started off amazingly on a beautiful bike path but.gradually became a rough ride when the nice pavement turned into gravel and cobble stone. Between the weight of my bags and my goddess like body I was having mini panic attacks after every rock I hit. Thankfully we made it to Jenna and Jordan's (Lil foot's college friend and boyfriend). Jordan cooked us a delightful dinner as Jenna and Lil foot caught up on. Needless to say we are very thankful for the WARM DINNER, SHOWER, AND PLACE TO SLEEP!
Today, Monday, we decided to visit another friend in Delaware so once again we went off our original route. We learned the hard way why ACA does not have you ride through Delaware, it's a DUMP. (Normally I would use bad language but I was told to keep it PC for the family and kiddies) Our journey today started off along the water in Philly, but soon became factory and crappy neighborhood one after the next. Finally entering Newark, DE and closing in Brett's (the friend we are staying with) house the area began to feel a little safer! Lil foot and I cleaned up and the three of us were off to get some yummy burgers... they definitely hit the spot!
We that is just about every detail possible for the last two days but I after answering all of Jenna and Jordan's questions Sunday night I'm guessing many of you would like to know other details of our trip. I hope this helps or at least entertains... We shower every chance we get, but at.some camps it just doesn't happen, but we don't tend.to smell too bad since we're sweating out mostly water... Laundry isn't a priority every night because we have three days worth of biking clothes and a couple regular outfits... Our meals are just about the same when we camp, oatmeal, cliff bar, split a sandwich, $1 just add water pasta (yum)... And finally I best the question you are all looking for an answer about - how are our tushies feeling haha. I will only speak for myself, the last two days I didn't wear underwent under my bike shorts which I should have done from the beginning, so for all those who may pick up biking and looking to wear bike shorts - GO COMMANDO!
Now I have been made fun of for typing such a long time... I will end it there, but please feel free to ask us anything and I'll answer it as best as possible!
Sasq
Sunday, June 12, 2011
On the road again...
Due to rain delays and partial laziness we had a slightly longer stay in NY and are finally hitting the bikes again! Between running errands and tweaking out some odds and ends we are ready to leave our families and begin the next 11 weeks of long days and high mileage.
Stay tuned to hear how today goes, with the chances of thunderstorms everywhere we go it should be interesting to say the least.
Sasq
Stay tuned to hear how today goes, with the chances of thunderstorms everywhere we go it should be interesting to say the least.
Sasq
Thursday, June 9, 2011
WOOO HOOO NY!!
Lil Foot and I have made it to NY! We stayed with my Uncle Craig and Aunt Karen last night in Long Island, thanks again for housing us last minute and then for the yummy pizza and chicken roll. After a delightful night's sleep we dragged our butts through the 96 degree and made it to Brooklyn.... WOOOHOOO!!!! Before making it to my house, we stopped off to see Julie Carita (my step mom) for lunch, or should I say for an insane amount of food. Julie must of thought we could eat an entire watermelon ourselves but we failed. Either way lunch was great and we stuck around to say hi to my little brothers which was great since I hadn't seen them in almost a month.
Finally after all the great treatment from the Long Island Caritas, it was time to see my mommy (Eileen Tynion) and some visiting relatives! The heat was soooo gross today, Lil Foot and I definitely produced more sweat today then any other day so far, which led us to hop on the LIRR for a piece of the trip to cool off. NO THIS IS NOT CHEATING. hahaha We make up the rules and the rules are there are no rules, we plan everyday as they come. The LIRR brought us into Brooklyn but not to my house, so it was time to get back on the saddle and finish off the day with a bit over 40 miles total. Once again covered in sweat we made it to my house!
Lil Foot got the chance to meet my Great Aunt Margret and Uncle Eddie (in from Texas), Great Aunt Juliann (Bill Tynion's Step Mom - he was mentioned in an earlier post for hosting us in NH), cousin Katie Walsh (my favorite theater going buddy) and my Grandma (need I say more)! Lil Foot had no idea this part of the trip would include soo many of my relatives, but neither did I, it was absolutely a GREAT surprise. Eileen had the fridge stocked for us but of course the first thing we grabbed was an ice cold beer to start us off while getting cleaned up! THANK YOU MOMMY!!!
When our little visit with my extended family was over it was time to stuff our faces, and what better way than some take out from Skinflints. My sister Katie Carita joing us for dinner. Lil Foot had chix scampi while I had chix marsala and we brought our dinner over to my brother, Jerry, and sis in law, Steph's house where I got to see my LITTLE NUGGET NEPHEW, GERARD!!!!! LOVE THAT LITTLE NUGGET!!!!!!!!!!! He's gotten soo big in the last 2 and a half weeks since I last saw him. As long as he's not walking by the time I get back then I think I'll be able to live off of the daily pictures I get.
The plan now is to take two days off from riding and tweek out a few odds and ends with our equipment and anything else we can think of. Also spending a couple days with friends and family before leaving for about 10-11 weeks will get me in the right mind set for the rest of the summer. After all, a couple of days with the people I call friends is more than enough.... KIDDING. I love you guys.
I think I've talked enough for tonight. Lil Foot even fell asleep after I began this blog entry, so I'll take that as a sign to go to bed, MY BED!!!!!
NIGHTY NIGHT.
Laterz,
SASQ
Finally after all the great treatment from the Long Island Caritas, it was time to see my mommy (Eileen Tynion) and some visiting relatives! The heat was soooo gross today, Lil Foot and I definitely produced more sweat today then any other day so far, which led us to hop on the LIRR for a piece of the trip to cool off. NO THIS IS NOT CHEATING. hahaha We make up the rules and the rules are there are no rules, we plan everyday as they come. The LIRR brought us into Brooklyn but not to my house, so it was time to get back on the saddle and finish off the day with a bit over 40 miles total. Once again covered in sweat we made it to my house!
Lil Foot got the chance to meet my Great Aunt Margret and Uncle Eddie (in from Texas), Great Aunt Juliann (Bill Tynion's Step Mom - he was mentioned in an earlier post for hosting us in NH), cousin Katie Walsh (my favorite theater going buddy) and my Grandma (need I say more)! Lil Foot had no idea this part of the trip would include soo many of my relatives, but neither did I, it was absolutely a GREAT surprise. Eileen had the fridge stocked for us but of course the first thing we grabbed was an ice cold beer to start us off while getting cleaned up! THANK YOU MOMMY!!!
When our little visit with my extended family was over it was time to stuff our faces, and what better way than some take out from Skinflints. My sister Katie Carita joing us for dinner. Lil Foot had chix scampi while I had chix marsala and we brought our dinner over to my brother, Jerry, and sis in law, Steph's house where I got to see my LITTLE NUGGET NEPHEW, GERARD!!!!! LOVE THAT LITTLE NUGGET!!!!!!!!!!! He's gotten soo big in the last 2 and a half weeks since I last saw him. As long as he's not walking by the time I get back then I think I'll be able to live off of the daily pictures I get.
The plan now is to take two days off from riding and tweek out a few odds and ends with our equipment and anything else we can think of. Also spending a couple days with friends and family before leaving for about 10-11 weeks will get me in the right mind set for the rest of the summer. After all, a couple of days with the people I call friends is more than enough.... KIDDING. I love you guys.
I think I've talked enough for tonight. Lil Foot even fell asleep after I began this blog entry, so I'll take that as a sign to go to bed, MY BED!!!!!
NIGHTY NIGHT.
Laterz,
SASQ
Monday, June 6, 2011
One week in, one ACA map complete!
As it's been a couple days since our last post, we'll fill you in on the deets. Friday was a pretty epic day. We completed our first 70 miler (wicked stoked to hit our target range only 4 days in!) and crossed our first state line! We hit some pretty big hills at the end of the day, but lucky us, sasq's cousin Bill Tynion met us in East Derry & carted us away to an amazing steam shower, dinner, drinks, & a comfy bed! It was soooo much fun, we stayed another day haha. We also met up w/ little foot's BFF, Sarah, who hooked us up w/ some yummy ice cream (thanks again). Bill took great care of us all weekend and shipped us on our way Sunday morning. 5 minutes into our Sunday ride, we realized drinking & eating like it's going out of style is not the best way to spend a rest day. Nonetheless, we cycled another 74 miles, almost making it clear through MA in one day! Lorraine's mom would be proud of her for making it to Mass on a Sunday! Sunday night we camped in MA, about 10 miles from the CT border. After an exhausting day, we pitched our tent at a camp ground, at which point it started raining, and were angrily yelled at for pitching our tent at a campground (weird huh?) and pitched it in a $37 RV spot. We did manage to make amends & haggle our way down to $20, but went to bed w/o showers and were pretty annoyed by the situation. The rain didn't help.
Today was a new day & new week & we were able to wash away the sunday night shenanigans with some incredible luck. In Stafford Springs we met some kind & generous folks to eat lunch with, but still unsure about where we would stay tonight, we were contemplating a hotel as there is no camping in the area. As luck would have it, we met a fellow ACA coast-to-coast rider. Brian is biking from Boston to Oregon and lives in Simsbury, CT--only a few miles from our ending point today. He graciously invited us to camp in his back yard and his family welcomed us into their home, offering both showers and dinner. Many, many thanks to these kind folks!
Tomorrow the real adventure starts! We've decided to ditch the ACA maps in lieu of a more direct route to NYC. We're hoping to utilize the CT Greenways, which are a series of bike paths built on old rail road tracks. If all goes as planned, we'll be spending one more night in CT and then biking directly into NYC!
And lastly, our apologies due to our minimal posting. We're still tweaking a few things as we figure out the best way to post to the blog from our phones. And pictures are coming soon! We've taken loads, but aren't currently able to upload them yet, but we are hoping to get some up once we get to Brooklyn. We have been able to update some of the stats & riding routes (2 per day) with maps so you can check out exactly where we cycled. Stayed tuned to FB & twitter for more updates & photo's!
Today was a new day & new week & we were able to wash away the sunday night shenanigans with some incredible luck. In Stafford Springs we met some kind & generous folks to eat lunch with, but still unsure about where we would stay tonight, we were contemplating a hotel as there is no camping in the area. As luck would have it, we met a fellow ACA coast-to-coast rider. Brian is biking from Boston to Oregon and lives in Simsbury, CT--only a few miles from our ending point today. He graciously invited us to camp in his back yard and his family welcomed us into their home, offering both showers and dinner. Many, many thanks to these kind folks!
Tomorrow the real adventure starts! We've decided to ditch the ACA maps in lieu of a more direct route to NYC. We're hoping to utilize the CT Greenways, which are a series of bike paths built on old rail road tracks. If all goes as planned, we'll be spending one more night in CT and then biking directly into NYC!
And lastly, our apologies due to our minimal posting. We're still tweaking a few things as we figure out the best way to post to the blog from our phones. And pictures are coming soon! We've taken loads, but aren't currently able to upload them yet, but we are hoping to get some up once we get to Brooklyn. We have been able to update some of the stats & riding routes (2 per day) with maps so you can check out exactly where we cycled. Stayed tuned to FB & twitter for more updates & photo's!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
First post from the road!
You've asked for it, and here it finally is--first blog post from the road!
We've been pretty busy these past few days, spending our time cycling (I know, who would have guessed!). Actually, it's been exciting & exhausting finding a new rhythm--cycle, camp, sleep, clean up camp & repeat. We're working out the kinks now & hope to smooth out a few of the camping & packing up bits... and free up some time to keep this blog updated!
On our first day we got a bit of a late start and didn't set off until about 10 am. But, we did have some amazing weather & were able to pedal about 60 miles. Overall, it was pretty uneventful. We were happy to be on the road and slept well. And ended the eve with some much deserved pbr's of course :)
Our second day was far more exciting! We have quickly learned that mother nature is queen. After about an hour of riding we sought shelter from the rain in an abandoned gas station only to learn that there were severe thunderstorm warnings due large hail. Later in the day, we kept getting yelled at by passerby's because there was a tornado warning for central-southern Maine. Jackpot! All that excitement for one day! But, alas, we didn't get hit by any hail or a tornado, just had to battle a strong headwind and some steep hills. We capped wed night off with some pbr's too--perhaps we should start keeping a tally of all the pbr's we've drank? Thoughts?
Today started pretty smooth, although very hilly. It seems there are many more hills to climb up & far fewer to coast down. And the wind, is of course, always in your face. After a passing rain cloud, which forced us to take an early lunch, we enjoyed an awesome afternoon of riding through ME's backroads. Finally the roads flattened out and we were able to enjoy the scenery--a few lakes & tree tunnels! Shortly before calling it quits for the day (while on the quest to find beers… catching the theme here? haha), we got our first flat of the trip. Sasq managed to blow out her back wheel riding on some poorly cleaned roads (boo to Wells… clean up your shoulders!). She's a pro though and swapped out that tube in no time. And since we couldn't find beers, took us out to our first prepared dinner at The Maine Diner. Bugers all around. Yum!
Tomorrow we're looking forward to crossing our first state line--goodbye ME, hello NH!
Make sure you check out the other updates to the tour tracking page and the map (you might need to zoom out a bit). We're currently experimenting with a few apps to track & map our actual cycled route, so stayed tuned while we sort out the best way to incorporate it. Check out FB & twitter for other updates as well!
g'night all :)
We've been pretty busy these past few days, spending our time cycling (I know, who would have guessed!). Actually, it's been exciting & exhausting finding a new rhythm--cycle, camp, sleep, clean up camp & repeat. We're working out the kinks now & hope to smooth out a few of the camping & packing up bits... and free up some time to keep this blog updated!
 |
| fully loaded bikes! |
On our first day we got a bit of a late start and didn't set off until about 10 am. But, we did have some amazing weather & were able to pedal about 60 miles. Overall, it was pretty uneventful. We were happy to be on the road and slept well. And ended the eve with some much deserved pbr's of course :)
Our second day was far more exciting! We have quickly learned that mother nature is queen. After about an hour of riding we sought shelter from the rain in an abandoned gas station only to learn that there were severe thunderstorm warnings due large hail. Later in the day, we kept getting yelled at by passerby's because there was a tornado warning for central-southern Maine. Jackpot! All that excitement for one day! But, alas, we didn't get hit by any hail or a tornado, just had to battle a strong headwind and some steep hills. We capped wed night off with some pbr's too--perhaps we should start keeping a tally of all the pbr's we've drank? Thoughts?
 |
| sasq all suited up to take on the rain |
Today started pretty smooth, although very hilly. It seems there are many more hills to climb up & far fewer to coast down. And the wind, is of course, always in your face. After a passing rain cloud, which forced us to take an early lunch, we enjoyed an awesome afternoon of riding through ME's backroads. Finally the roads flattened out and we were able to enjoy the scenery--a few lakes & tree tunnels! Shortly before calling it quits for the day (while on the quest to find beers… catching the theme here? haha), we got our first flat of the trip. Sasq managed to blow out her back wheel riding on some poorly cleaned roads (boo to Wells… clean up your shoulders!). She's a pro though and swapped out that tube in no time. And since we couldn't find beers, took us out to our first prepared dinner at The Maine Diner. Bugers all around. Yum!
Tomorrow we're looking forward to crossing our first state line--goodbye ME, hello NH!
Make sure you check out the other updates to the tour tracking page and the map (you might need to zoom out a bit). We're currently experimenting with a few apps to track & map our actual cycled route, so stayed tuned while we sort out the best way to incorporate it. Check out FB & twitter for other updates as well!
g'night all :)
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