Day 33: Gore, VA to Washington, DC
Distance: 85 miles
Route: 50East to Ballston, bike trail into the city
Lodging: Friend's house, followed by my home
Sorry for the delay in this post. it's been an adjustment being back on solid ground, not biking all day, not sweating all day, not being able to eat non stop without feeling full, drinking alcohol, hanging out with people who I know, etc.
I woke up at around 5 because I wanted to get on the road early. The motel didn't have coffee, nor did I have cell service or internet. I knew my mom would be freaking out, so I wanted to get within cell phone range as soon as possible.
I started riding around 6am and hit Winchester, VA around 7am. I stopped and had coffee. I met some locals who were having their coffee, too. They told me 50 was a good route to take, but that I would have to go over Paris Mountain, which they said was pretty high. I had hit a ton of mountains the day before, and I was hoping they were done, but one wasn't horrible.
I got back on the road around 8 or so, but then got lost trying to find 50 East again, got all turned around in Winchester, which is a lovely town, filled with people who have no idea where 50 east is.
I finally found 50East and saw a sign for DC: 70 miles. God bless.
I rode a while and then stopped about 15 miles in, right before what looked like Paris Mountain. I just sat, had a muffin, and then started riding again. No second cup of coffee.
I rode and hit Paris Mountain. It was really really hot, but the mountain was pretty nominal. I wasn't really fazed by it, and then I rode back down. I took a mental note of how lovely some of the little towns were and how adorable some of the inns and restaurants were for visits later with other people.
I rode on and got more and more hot. The terrain was fine, it was just hot. I stopped in Middleburg, about 35 miles from DC and had coffee. I had visited Middleburg years ago with my ex slash friend, who has relatives who live there. I remember we went to a little country store and they sold milk in glass bottles. I found that so incredibly charming. I stopped there for coffee. Fresh cream = delicious.
I continued on and knew that soon 50 would turn into more of a highway and that drivers would start being jerks and that strip malls would soon replace the farms. It was lovely until then. Really, when you get 30 miles outside DC, it's gorgeous. I'm planning lots of fall trips to pick apples, do winery tours, and pack up my bike for some beautiful riding.
About 10 miles past Middleburg, 50 opened up. There were 4-6 BIG lanes. Drivers started honking more frequently at me. They were driving faster. There were huge developments with ostentatious fountains, stores that sold discount furniture, and lots of traffic lights.
I rode on. I forgot how hideous the suburbs of Virginia are. I'm sorry, but they are. As I approached Fairfax, I decided I would take a break there. I stopped at a McDonalds for a pop. The riding wasn't very fun in the outskirts of DC. There are tons of trails, and a friend tried to tip me off on the W&OD trail, but that one went out to Vienna, off route 7.
I rode very uncomfortably from Fairfax to where my friend works, in Ballston. We met downstairs and had a snack. It was so good to see her. A familiar face, and of someone who I know well and care about. It was lovely. We talked about my day's ride, the trail into the city and to her house, and her stocked fridge of fixings for mojitos and other various snacks unavailable to the cross country biker. I felt like a princess.
I got back on the road and to the trail. I rode into the city on the Curtis trail, then cut over the bridge to the Kennedy Center, then cut down to Rock Creek parkway. It was a gorgeous ride, minus a few times getting lost.
As I pulled over the bridge into DC, I felt a little emotional. When I pulled into my friend's building, I was even more emotional. This journey has been incredibly challenging, my life for 33 days. I was overcome with emotion - pride for finishing it, sad it was over, overwhelmed by how far I had ridden. I will post more about the 'summary' when i have a chance to digest it. For now, it was a moment.
I got off my bike, went upstairs, took a shower, and made two mojitos for when my friend came home from work. When she came home, we had our mojitos and ordered dinner. It hurts me to admit that i was pretty drunk from that one delicious mojito. So it goes. It was a great way to end the day, as my mother said, the most well-deserved mojito ever. God bless.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Biking, Day 32: August 19, 2009
Day 32: Chalk Hill, PA to Gore, VA
Distance: 115 miles
Route: National Pike/40E/Alt 40 to about 5 miles before Cumberland, right at MD Route 53, continue on 220, then to 963, then to WV 28 to Romney, WV, left at Route 50E into Virginia
Lodging: Hayworth Motel, Gore, VA, $42, no cell service, no internet, no phone, completely out of necessity – sun was setting and I was dying.
Today was probably one of my hardest days – physically, mentally, emotionally. I woke up around 6:15 and got ready to go. I went to the Lodge at the Chalk Hill resort and got online to post my blog and check my route. I also got my free coffee and enjoyed some early morning Saved By the Bell, one of my favorite shows of all time. It was a summer recap show, where Zach Morris recalls the summer working at the resort. Zach is pretty dreamy, plus, he got into Yale with his 1502 SAT score, so he's really the whole package.
I left the lodge around 8am and started on the National Pike. The girl at Subway yesterday told me that I had pretty much hit the summit the day before. As I started, I realized that there were many more mountains to go. About 10 miles in, I hit a summit where I had to push my bike. I felt totally beaten. I didn't want to bike anymore. It was humid, I was completely drenched in sweat, and with only ten gears on my bike, I couldn't pedal up these hills.
I said this yesterday – but in the West they fundamentally understand the need for switchbacks. In the east, the hills are so steep that I can't pedal up some of them. When you hit the top of a summit, there are often signs for truckers saying what percent grade the hill is. I saw 13 aand 14% grades today. In the west, I don't remember seeing any steeper than 10%.
It took me about 3 hours to get to my first break, which was about 20 miles before Frosburg. I took a break and asked the guy working at the 7-11 about the terrain. He said it was mountainous through Frostburg, but then it pretty much went down hill after Big Savage Summit. I took that to heart, I had had a rough morning, but I was ready to get through the mountains. Plus, I had crossed into Maryland. Crossing state lines is the bomb. Oh, and I saw the Mason-Dixon line, yo.
I forged on. The terrain was indeed challenging. The peaks weren't huge, but they were steep. I didn't go above 3000 Feet, which would be a joke in the west, but it wasn't up the mountain and then down. It was up then down then up then down. I stopped taking pictures of the altitude signs at the summit peaks after a while.
I rode through to Frostburg and took a break at a Sheetz. It was around 2pm and I figured I would ride until 5:30 and then figure out where I wanted to stop. My directions had me taking back roads to Winchester, VA. I thought that was a bit aggressive, so I thought I would cut down a bit further to Route 50, which I assumed would have more cities and stops.
I left Frostburg around 2:30. I went a few miles on National Pike, then cut south on Maryland 53. Then I took Route 220 to another road, which led me back into West Virginia. For some reason, West Virginia makes me nervous. It's not just the fact that the slogan is 'Wild and Wonderful' (the 'wild' being mysteriously vague and undefined), but the very evident poverty and poor roads.
I cut down WV-28 to Springfield, WV and decided to stay on WV-28 to Romney, WV, where I would get on Route 50E. On WV-28, not one, not two, not three, but five times a truck passed me and a man leaned out the passenger window to look back at me. I did not find this flattering, I found it creepy. Also, the mountains hadn't ended in Frostburg. Sure, the biggest peak was Big Savage at around 3000 Feet, but climbing 1000 feet is hard regardless of whether you start at 2000 Feet or 0 Feet.
I got to Romney and took another break at a Sheetz. It was about 5pm and I had a few more miles in me. I looked at a map and looked up motels and saw that there were a few motels along the route. I figured I would go to Augusta, ten miles away, and stay there. That would be about 105 miles from DC, which I could easily do in a day. I was able to pick up a wireless signal on my phone, but I couldn't make any calls to make reservations. I figured I would just stop at the motel.
The mountainous road continued. I made the ten miles to Augusta and the motel was out of business. There was nothing else. I forged on just assuming that I would hit a hotel. I went through some 'towns' that lookoed more significant on the map. I still had no cell service. Finally, I hit a more significant town and stopped to ask about motels. There were none in that town, but she said there was one in Gore, VA about 10 more miles.
It was 7pm. I wasn't sure how much more sun I had, but I figured I could make it to Gore. I went about 5 miles, through mountains, and hit the Virginia line. I entered Gore and saw the first sign I have seen for Washington – 85 miles. The motel that she told me about was shut down. I hit a low. It was about 14 miles to Winchester, VA, where there would undoubtedly be motels, but it was 7:45PM. I had no idea when the sun would set. I usually was at my motel by 6pm, even in the west when there were more mountains.
I just kept riding. I was going a bit slower even though I was trying to go fast. For the first time, I really was worried about getting caught in the dark. Route 50 has no lights. I have a headlamp somewhere, courtesy of my Kilimanjaro climb, and a flashing red light on the back of my bike, but I really didn't want to ride on a 55MPH road in the dark.
I went about 5 miles and then saw a motel on the left. The Hayworth motel. I pulled up. There were some gentleman sitting outside, they had a lot of tattoos and I said hello. I went to the 'office', which was someone's grandma's living room. Tragically, they didn't take credit card or checks. I only had $15 in cash. It felt dire for a moment, then I remembered that negotiating is actually something I'm quite good at.
I offered to go with the owner to an ATM or to write a check. She opted for the check. I wrote the check and she helped me into my room. I was visibly weak. It was a long day, after all. She gave me the number of a pizza place that delivered. The rooms have no phones, but she could see my cell phone.
I went in, showered, washed my clothes, and went to call for pizza, but I still had no cell service. And clearly there was no wireless. I just decided to eat my snackks for dinner. What really upset me, though, was that I couldn't email or text my parents. This has been less than fun for them and I try to call/email/text each night. There was no option to do that tonight. Not even a pay phone. It's actually a good night to be out of touch since my parents are en route to Paris, but when they land around 3am my time, they won't have a message.
I will get up super early and go to Winchester, VA for my coffee.
Tomorrow is my last day in this journey. Barring any unforseen challenges, I hope to be having a mojito during happy hour. Today was hard, but every day is hard. I'm ready to be done, mainly because I miss people, but, as a wise friend told me today, I will miss it when I'm not doing it. This is one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Distance: 115 miles
Route: National Pike/40E/Alt 40 to about 5 miles before Cumberland, right at MD Route 53, continue on 220, then to 963, then to WV 28 to Romney, WV, left at Route 50E into Virginia
Lodging: Hayworth Motel, Gore, VA, $42, no cell service, no internet, no phone, completely out of necessity – sun was setting and I was dying.
Today was probably one of my hardest days – physically, mentally, emotionally. I woke up around 6:15 and got ready to go. I went to the Lodge at the Chalk Hill resort and got online to post my blog and check my route. I also got my free coffee and enjoyed some early morning Saved By the Bell, one of my favorite shows of all time. It was a summer recap show, where Zach Morris recalls the summer working at the resort. Zach is pretty dreamy, plus, he got into Yale with his 1502 SAT score, so he's really the whole package.
I left the lodge around 8am and started on the National Pike. The girl at Subway yesterday told me that I had pretty much hit the summit the day before. As I started, I realized that there were many more mountains to go. About 10 miles in, I hit a summit where I had to push my bike. I felt totally beaten. I didn't want to bike anymore. It was humid, I was completely drenched in sweat, and with only ten gears on my bike, I couldn't pedal up these hills.
I said this yesterday – but in the West they fundamentally understand the need for switchbacks. In the east, the hills are so steep that I can't pedal up some of them. When you hit the top of a summit, there are often signs for truckers saying what percent grade the hill is. I saw 13 aand 14% grades today. In the west, I don't remember seeing any steeper than 10%.
It took me about 3 hours to get to my first break, which was about 20 miles before Frosburg. I took a break and asked the guy working at the 7-11 about the terrain. He said it was mountainous through Frostburg, but then it pretty much went down hill after Big Savage Summit. I took that to heart, I had had a rough morning, but I was ready to get through the mountains. Plus, I had crossed into Maryland. Crossing state lines is the bomb. Oh, and I saw the Mason-Dixon line, yo.
I forged on. The terrain was indeed challenging. The peaks weren't huge, but they were steep. I didn't go above 3000 Feet, which would be a joke in the west, but it wasn't up the mountain and then down. It was up then down then up then down. I stopped taking pictures of the altitude signs at the summit peaks after a while.
I rode through to Frostburg and took a break at a Sheetz. It was around 2pm and I figured I would ride until 5:30 and then figure out where I wanted to stop. My directions had me taking back roads to Winchester, VA. I thought that was a bit aggressive, so I thought I would cut down a bit further to Route 50, which I assumed would have more cities and stops.
I left Frostburg around 2:30. I went a few miles on National Pike, then cut south on Maryland 53. Then I took Route 220 to another road, which led me back into West Virginia. For some reason, West Virginia makes me nervous. It's not just the fact that the slogan is 'Wild and Wonderful' (the 'wild' being mysteriously vague and undefined), but the very evident poverty and poor roads.
I cut down WV-28 to Springfield, WV and decided to stay on WV-28 to Romney, WV, where I would get on Route 50E. On WV-28, not one, not two, not three, but five times a truck passed me and a man leaned out the passenger window to look back at me. I did not find this flattering, I found it creepy. Also, the mountains hadn't ended in Frostburg. Sure, the biggest peak was Big Savage at around 3000 Feet, but climbing 1000 feet is hard regardless of whether you start at 2000 Feet or 0 Feet.
I got to Romney and took another break at a Sheetz. It was about 5pm and I had a few more miles in me. I looked at a map and looked up motels and saw that there were a few motels along the route. I figured I would go to Augusta, ten miles away, and stay there. That would be about 105 miles from DC, which I could easily do in a day. I was able to pick up a wireless signal on my phone, but I couldn't make any calls to make reservations. I figured I would just stop at the motel.
The mountainous road continued. I made the ten miles to Augusta and the motel was out of business. There was nothing else. I forged on just assuming that I would hit a hotel. I went through some 'towns' that lookoed more significant on the map. I still had no cell service. Finally, I hit a more significant town and stopped to ask about motels. There were none in that town, but she said there was one in Gore, VA about 10 more miles.
It was 7pm. I wasn't sure how much more sun I had, but I figured I could make it to Gore. I went about 5 miles, through mountains, and hit the Virginia line. I entered Gore and saw the first sign I have seen for Washington – 85 miles. The motel that she told me about was shut down. I hit a low. It was about 14 miles to Winchester, VA, where there would undoubtedly be motels, but it was 7:45PM. I had no idea when the sun would set. I usually was at my motel by 6pm, even in the west when there were more mountains.
I just kept riding. I was going a bit slower even though I was trying to go fast. For the first time, I really was worried about getting caught in the dark. Route 50 has no lights. I have a headlamp somewhere, courtesy of my Kilimanjaro climb, and a flashing red light on the back of my bike, but I really didn't want to ride on a 55MPH road in the dark.
I went about 5 miles and then saw a motel on the left. The Hayworth motel. I pulled up. There were some gentleman sitting outside, they had a lot of tattoos and I said hello. I went to the 'office', which was someone's grandma's living room. Tragically, they didn't take credit card or checks. I only had $15 in cash. It felt dire for a moment, then I remembered that negotiating is actually something I'm quite good at.
I offered to go with the owner to an ATM or to write a check. She opted for the check. I wrote the check and she helped me into my room. I was visibly weak. It was a long day, after all. She gave me the number of a pizza place that delivered. The rooms have no phones, but she could see my cell phone.
I went in, showered, washed my clothes, and went to call for pizza, but I still had no cell service. And clearly there was no wireless. I just decided to eat my snackks for dinner. What really upset me, though, was that I couldn't email or text my parents. This has been less than fun for them and I try to call/email/text each night. There was no option to do that tonight. Not even a pay phone. It's actually a good night to be out of touch since my parents are en route to Paris, but when they land around 3am my time, they won't have a message.
I will get up super early and go to Winchester, VA for my coffee.
Tomorrow is my last day in this journey. Barring any unforseen challenges, I hope to be having a mojito during happy hour. Today was hard, but every day is hard. I'm ready to be done, mainly because I miss people, but, as a wise friend told me today, I will miss it when I'm not doing it. This is one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Biking, Day 31: August 18, 2009
Day 31: Wheeling, WV to Chalk Hill, PA
Distance: 75 miles
Route: 40E/National Road
Lodging: The Lodge at Chalk Hill, $70, very nice, no internet
I really thought I was done with big mountains after the rockies. Apparently, there's some mountains called the Appalacians. The mountains out west were rough, but at least the people who built roads understood the necessity for switchbacks. Maybe it's because I'm riding on the National Road, which was built in the 1800s. It was the hightway when there was no interstate. Point is, it's historic. And by 'historic', I mean old.
I got up today around 615 and got my 'free' breakfast at the Super 8. I really do wonder why they use such small cups for coffee. I just end up using two small cups, which I'm sure cost more than one big cup would. I mean, its not like the actual brewed coffee costs a lot. Lord knows they make it weak.
I got on the road around 7:35 and started riding down 40 East. It's a beautiful region, but poor. Very, very poor. There were a lot of trailers and rusted out cars. Even the road was poorly maintained.
It was ridiculously humid today. And the road was hilly. Like, really hilly. I was sweating more than I have ever sweat before. Ok, that's kind of a bold statement. I was sweating a lot. I continued and took my morning stop in Washington, PA. There was no sign entering PA, but I noticed pretty soon that the road got better maintained.
I had only gone like 25 miles, but the going was slow. With the humidity and the mountainous road, I wasn't making very good time. I do love the region, though. I remember driving through Washington, PA many times in my life. It's a valley and a meeting of many highways.
I took off again down 40E/National Road from Washington, PA. The hills were pretty bad, and there were menacing clouds stirring up some pretty serious winds. About 15 miles from Washington, PA I got a slow leak in my tire. I stopped and patched the tire and filled it. I got some good pressure in my tire, which is rare for me with my hand pump. I realized that I finally really learned how to use the pump. I feel sort of victorious about that.
I got back on and rode the bike until Uniontown, PA. I took another break at the Sheetz. I don't know if people are familiar with Sheetz, but it's basically the best gas station ever. I have felt this way for a long time, and openly expressed this view. My passion for Sheetz is not a secret. I first discovered Sheetz when I drove to my friend, Shannon's, summer house in Maryland back in college. I stopped at a sheetz. I didn't see Sheetz on the east coast, but when I moved to DC, Sheetz were again back in my life.
Sheetz are amazing because not only do they have good gas prices, but they have stores that have good snacks, clean bathrooms, and fresh baked goods. In any case, I took my break at Sheetz. For the first time this adventure, when I came back outside, the bike had been knocked over. I had left one of th pouches of my panniers open and a few items had fallen out., including my sports bra. Awesome to come outside with my bra on the ground.
I checked out hotels to see where I wanted to stay. I figured I could ride for another 2-3 hours so I looked out 25-35 miles. My dad had found an adorable motel in Grantsville, MD and my mom checked for availability. It would be cool to hit 3 states in one day. I got back on the bike.
The wind was pretty serious and Route 40 split going into Uniontown, PA. I wasn't sure whether to take the business route or the bypass. I took the bypass. In retrospect, this was dumb. It added on about 5 miles and it was basically an interstate. I was riding on the wake-up bumps on the side of the highway, which was really uncomfortable.
I decided to get off the highway and try to find a parallel road. I wasted about 45 minutes trying to find a parallel road and my googlemaps took me to a road that didn't exist. I backtracked and got back on 40East, the interstate version.
Soon after, it turned back into less of an interstate. Instead, it was climbing a mountain. Seriously, it was pretty intense. It took me about an hour to summit. And it also started raining. Finally, I got to the top and started the downhill. Unfortunately, the road was so poorly maintained, that I had to go very slowly in the berm. After about 3 minutes, the road started going up hill again! I was pissed. But it was a small hill, then I went down into Chalk Hill, PA. I stopped to get out of the rain.
It was after 5pm so I started looking for a place to stop and sleep. Chalk Hill, PA was a cute little town and there was a lodge that looked out of my price range, but I figured I would check prices. The lodge didnt have any single rooms, only double rooms. The price was high, but he offered me the AAA rate of $74. I managed to negotiate him down even further to $70. At that point, raining, not any other places to stay in the area, so I decided to do it.
One thing I haven't mentioned is the tingly feeling in my hands. I lean on my hands all day. My fingertips have been tingling since I started this. I wake up, they are tingling. Even when I took off 2 days at my parents, they were still tingling. I do hope that they stop once I stop biking.
I'm about 200 miles from DC.
Distance: 75 miles
Route: 40E/National Road
Lodging: The Lodge at Chalk Hill, $70, very nice, no internet
I really thought I was done with big mountains after the rockies. Apparently, there's some mountains called the Appalacians. The mountains out west were rough, but at least the people who built roads understood the necessity for switchbacks. Maybe it's because I'm riding on the National Road, which was built in the 1800s. It was the hightway when there was no interstate. Point is, it's historic. And by 'historic', I mean old.
I got up today around 615 and got my 'free' breakfast at the Super 8. I really do wonder why they use such small cups for coffee. I just end up using two small cups, which I'm sure cost more than one big cup would. I mean, its not like the actual brewed coffee costs a lot. Lord knows they make it weak.
I got on the road around 7:35 and started riding down 40 East. It's a beautiful region, but poor. Very, very poor. There were a lot of trailers and rusted out cars. Even the road was poorly maintained.
It was ridiculously humid today. And the road was hilly. Like, really hilly. I was sweating more than I have ever sweat before. Ok, that's kind of a bold statement. I was sweating a lot. I continued and took my morning stop in Washington, PA. There was no sign entering PA, but I noticed pretty soon that the road got better maintained.
I had only gone like 25 miles, but the going was slow. With the humidity and the mountainous road, I wasn't making very good time. I do love the region, though. I remember driving through Washington, PA many times in my life. It's a valley and a meeting of many highways.
I took off again down 40E/National Road from Washington, PA. The hills were pretty bad, and there were menacing clouds stirring up some pretty serious winds. About 15 miles from Washington, PA I got a slow leak in my tire. I stopped and patched the tire and filled it. I got some good pressure in my tire, which is rare for me with my hand pump. I realized that I finally really learned how to use the pump. I feel sort of victorious about that.
I got back on and rode the bike until Uniontown, PA. I took another break at the Sheetz. I don't know if people are familiar with Sheetz, but it's basically the best gas station ever. I have felt this way for a long time, and openly expressed this view. My passion for Sheetz is not a secret. I first discovered Sheetz when I drove to my friend, Shannon's, summer house in Maryland back in college. I stopped at a sheetz. I didn't see Sheetz on the east coast, but when I moved to DC, Sheetz were again back in my life.
Sheetz are amazing because not only do they have good gas prices, but they have stores that have good snacks, clean bathrooms, and fresh baked goods. In any case, I took my break at Sheetz. For the first time this adventure, when I came back outside, the bike had been knocked over. I had left one of th pouches of my panniers open and a few items had fallen out., including my sports bra. Awesome to come outside with my bra on the ground.
I checked out hotels to see where I wanted to stay. I figured I could ride for another 2-3 hours so I looked out 25-35 miles. My dad had found an adorable motel in Grantsville, MD and my mom checked for availability. It would be cool to hit 3 states in one day. I got back on the bike.
The wind was pretty serious and Route 40 split going into Uniontown, PA. I wasn't sure whether to take the business route or the bypass. I took the bypass. In retrospect, this was dumb. It added on about 5 miles and it was basically an interstate. I was riding on the wake-up bumps on the side of the highway, which was really uncomfortable.
I decided to get off the highway and try to find a parallel road. I wasted about 45 minutes trying to find a parallel road and my googlemaps took me to a road that didn't exist. I backtracked and got back on 40East, the interstate version.
Soon after, it turned back into less of an interstate. Instead, it was climbing a mountain. Seriously, it was pretty intense. It took me about an hour to summit. And it also started raining. Finally, I got to the top and started the downhill. Unfortunately, the road was so poorly maintained, that I had to go very slowly in the berm. After about 3 minutes, the road started going up hill again! I was pissed. But it was a small hill, then I went down into Chalk Hill, PA. I stopped to get out of the rain.
It was after 5pm so I started looking for a place to stop and sleep. Chalk Hill, PA was a cute little town and there was a lodge that looked out of my price range, but I figured I would check prices. The lodge didnt have any single rooms, only double rooms. The price was high, but he offered me the AAA rate of $74. I managed to negotiate him down even further to $70. At that point, raining, not any other places to stay in the area, so I decided to do it.
One thing I haven't mentioned is the tingly feeling in my hands. I lean on my hands all day. My fingertips have been tingling since I started this. I wake up, they are tingling. Even when I took off 2 days at my parents, they were still tingling. I do hope that they stop once I stop biking.
I'm about 200 miles from DC.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Biking, Day 30: August 17, 2009
Day 30: Outside Columbus, OH to Wheeling, WV
Distance: 110 miles
Route: 40 E/National Road
Lodging: Super 8, $70, smoking room, yuck
I got back on the saddle today after the weekend with my parents. I hadn't taken any days off, so having the weekend off was almost strange. I don't think my body knew what to do with the lack of sweating, gluttony, and excessive sunscreen. It was great to see my parents, and my grandparents, who came up from Tiffin, OH to Columbus.
I started my ride around 8am after my parents drove me outside Columbus to avoid the highways. Despite the 2 days off, parts of my body were still sore and tired. The one part of my body that felt very healed was the seat region.
It was a hot day. I rode about 25 miles and stopped in New Concord, OH for a break. For the first time during this trip, I went into a gas station convenience store and was told they didn't have a public restroom. I was sort of pissed. I told her it was the first time in 2,800 miles that there wasn't a public restroom. She directed me to the City Hall. City Hall! I decided to go to the next town, 8 miles away. For the record, the Circle K in New Concord, OH does NOT have a public restroom.
I went on to Cambridge, OH and stopped at a gas station. Again, no public restrooms! She directed me across the street to the Rite Aid. Since when does a rite aid have a public restroom, but a gas station doesn't. Is this some weird Ohio thing? I went to the Rite Aid, then I had a coffee at the gas station. I felt like I shouldn't give them business since they didn't give *me* a bathroom, but I wanted coffee. In retrospect,maybe it is an Ohio thing - my first bathroom stop, there was a sign on the bathroom door that said 'out of order'. When I walked in, the guy asked me what I needed and I said the restroom. he pointed at the door. I said 'isn't it out of order?' and he replied "no". So, the lack of bathroom or the out of order sign on the bathroom is the lazy man's way of running a gas station. I don't know whether to be offended or to commend the cost cutting.
I forged on. I took another break in St. Clair, OH. There, I tried to get a reservation for the night. I wanted to go a bit beyond Wheeling, so I checked a few places. Wheeling and beyond was shockingly expensive. I decided to check out a motel in Triadelphia, about 7 miles east of Wheeling.
I got on the bike and started riding. Heading into Wheeling was beautiful. It's really a gorgeous city. I've always loved the area. My parents took me and my brother to Oglbey Park one year. We also went to Salt Fork, a nearby state park. Also, when I've driven to and from Columbus from DC, I always go through Wheeling and am shocked at how beautiful it is.
I got to the motel and decided to stay. There was no internet, but I figured I could do stuff on my phone. I went to the room and realized I had no cell service in there. I told the guy that I couldn't stay because of that. He got mad at me. No, really. He was mad because he now had to 'clean the room' because I walked in there. It was ridiculous. anyway, he left me no choice but to go to another motel.
I rode over to the Super 8 and got a room. I got my dinner and went into my smoking room.
In other news, i love the TV show 'Shark Tank' and i have decided I cannot comment on the Healthcare Bill until i read it, all 1000 pages of it. I'm on page 105.
I started planning my day for tomorrow. Only like 300 miles left!
Distance: 110 miles
Route: 40 E/National Road
Lodging: Super 8, $70, smoking room, yuck
I got back on the saddle today after the weekend with my parents. I hadn't taken any days off, so having the weekend off was almost strange. I don't think my body knew what to do with the lack of sweating, gluttony, and excessive sunscreen. It was great to see my parents, and my grandparents, who came up from Tiffin, OH to Columbus.
I started my ride around 8am after my parents drove me outside Columbus to avoid the highways. Despite the 2 days off, parts of my body were still sore and tired. The one part of my body that felt very healed was the seat region.
It was a hot day. I rode about 25 miles and stopped in New Concord, OH for a break. For the first time during this trip, I went into a gas station convenience store and was told they didn't have a public restroom. I was sort of pissed. I told her it was the first time in 2,800 miles that there wasn't a public restroom. She directed me to the City Hall. City Hall! I decided to go to the next town, 8 miles away. For the record, the Circle K in New Concord, OH does NOT have a public restroom.
I went on to Cambridge, OH and stopped at a gas station. Again, no public restrooms! She directed me across the street to the Rite Aid. Since when does a rite aid have a public restroom, but a gas station doesn't. Is this some weird Ohio thing? I went to the Rite Aid, then I had a coffee at the gas station. I felt like I shouldn't give them business since they didn't give *me* a bathroom, but I wanted coffee. In retrospect,maybe it is an Ohio thing - my first bathroom stop, there was a sign on the bathroom door that said 'out of order'. When I walked in, the guy asked me what I needed and I said the restroom. he pointed at the door. I said 'isn't it out of order?' and he replied "no". So, the lack of bathroom or the out of order sign on the bathroom is the lazy man's way of running a gas station. I don't know whether to be offended or to commend the cost cutting.
I forged on. I took another break in St. Clair, OH. There, I tried to get a reservation for the night. I wanted to go a bit beyond Wheeling, so I checked a few places. Wheeling and beyond was shockingly expensive. I decided to check out a motel in Triadelphia, about 7 miles east of Wheeling.
I got on the bike and started riding. Heading into Wheeling was beautiful. It's really a gorgeous city. I've always loved the area. My parents took me and my brother to Oglbey Park one year. We also went to Salt Fork, a nearby state park. Also, when I've driven to and from Columbus from DC, I always go through Wheeling and am shocked at how beautiful it is.
I got to the motel and decided to stay. There was no internet, but I figured I could do stuff on my phone. I went to the room and realized I had no cell service in there. I told the guy that I couldn't stay because of that. He got mad at me. No, really. He was mad because he now had to 'clean the room' because I walked in there. It was ridiculous. anyway, he left me no choice but to go to another motel.
I rode over to the Super 8 and got a room. I got my dinner and went into my smoking room.
In other news, i love the TV show 'Shark Tank' and i have decided I cannot comment on the Healthcare Bill until i read it, all 1000 pages of it. I'm on page 105.
I started planning my day for tomorrow. Only like 300 miles left!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Biking, Day 29: August 14, 2009
Day 29: Rochester, IN to Columbus, OH
Distance: 115 on the bike, a few via parent's car
Route: Indiana Route 14E to 114E to IN Route 5 to IN Route 224 to Route 33 to mistakingly taking Route 27 to 124E back over to Route 33 to the parents
Lodging: 1933 Lake Shore Drive, home of Nancy and Jim Petro, price: appeasing nervousness, overeating, downloading religious podcasts.
(Note: Day 30 will start after 2 days in Ohio with family on August 17)
I woke up today in my super crappy motel in Rochester, IN. I set my clock ahead to EST because I know Ohio is EST and Indiana always confuses me with its time zone. For those who don't know this, Indiana has historically rebelled against Daylight Savings Time due to farmers and has switched between Central and Eastern Time Zone. It's actually an interesting debate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Indiana
and has remained in my arsenal of random facts since I spent my summers in Indiana and had friends who lived in the state that boasts being home to Dan Quayle.
Point is, I came into Indiana from Illinois, Central time, and I was leaving to Ohio the next day. To make it easy on myself and not start a debate with Indiana folk, I lived in Central Time yesterday, set my clock to Eastern before I went to bed, and lived via EST today.
I left around 7:30am without coffee because my motel didn't have any for me. I figured I would stop about 10 miles out for my morning coffee. Riding 10 miles without coffee is hard. It was probably the hardest 10 miles of my day.
I got to Akron, IN where I had my coffee. The ride was gorgeous - the sun rising over the farms (which made me think this part of Indiana was probably Central Time Zone) and the fog. I didn't take any pictures because I had my eyes on the prize: my coffee in Akron.
After Akron, I headed back on the road. I was tired today. 29 days without a break on the bike is hard. No weekends, no breaks, everyday the same thing - up at 6, coffee, on the road. I'm glad I did it this way because I'm alone and I have no idea what I would do in some random town by myself, but it has definitely taken its toll on my body.
I got to North Manchester, another 20 miles or so, and decided to take another break. I usually take breaks in the am about 30 miles in, so this made sense. I had more coffee. Today felt tiring. I texted a friend: "I don't feel like biking today. There. I said it." People talk to me a lot about how amazing this is, about how they are jealous, about how fun it sounds. It is fun, but it's also really, really hard. I know I've said it before, and I don't mean to over emphasize the hard or downplay the fun, it's got both. Dramatic ups and downs each day, is how I describe it. Literally, points of euphoria and points of deep, seemingly bottomless pits of despair. On a daily basis.
I talked to an amish woman for a minute as she asked about my journey, then got back on the bike. My seat area was hurting again today after almost a week of pretty minimal pain. Not sure why some days are worse than others with that. It was hot today. I rode for a while then pulled into Huntington, IN. I went a little bit out of the way for some sight-seeing. Huntington, IN is the home of Dan Quayle and the Dan Quayle Museum. That's right, Dan Quayle has a museum in his namesake. Apologies to any Dan Quayle groupies out there, but I'm curious as to what the Dan Quayle museum has to offer besides hilarious misquotes and abnormally boyish good looks. The museum was closed, but, for the record, it does exist.
I continued on through the farms of Indiana. I finally started seeing roadside vegetable stands. I love roadside vegetable stands. I also saw, in the middle of nowhere, a bilboard for a Michael Bolton concert. I knew he still had a following.
I got to the intersection of Route 224 and Route 33 in Decatur, IN, where I decided to take a break. In a few miles, I would cross over the Indiana/Ohio line and shortly thereafter, meet up with my parents. The sun was hot. I got a coke and a milkshake.
Back on the road, I took a wrong turn. Route 33 and Route 27 are one in the same, then Route 33 veers off. I accidentally stayed on Route 27, which goes due South through Indiana. Route 33 goes a bit more east heading into Ohio. When I realized my error, I cut over on Route 124 to connect with Route 33. Route 124 was full of Amish people. It was lovely.
I rode Route 33 and hit Ohio. As I left Indiana, I looked back and saw the Welcome to Indiana sign. About 200 meters later, I hit the Welcome to Ohio sign. A few observations: first, there was quite a delay between the signs. I wonder if the 200 meters in between is some safe haven between states. Second, the Indiana sign was far more robust than the Ohio sign. For a state that has a higher income tax rate, I expected a better sign. I wonder if there's someone I can call about that.
I rode on, after the requisite picture of the state sign. Finally, I met up with my parents. They wanted to drive me into Columbus, which I agreed to. They have been very helpful throughout this journey, but also very nervous. Sometimes I think I should tailor more what I tell them - ignorance is bliss, after all.
We drove into Columbus and had dinner. I was exhausted and ate way too much. I decided to stay the weekend before heading to DC. It's 400 miles from Columbus to DC, so four more days.
I can't believe the journey is almost over, and I don't really want to start processing that until it's actually over. I won't blog Saturday and Sunday, since time with my parents is not very entertaining. I expect to hit DC on Thursday, August 20. I also expect to have a cocktail waiting.
"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is." -Dan Quayle
Distance: 115 on the bike, a few via parent's car
Route: Indiana Route 14E to 114E to IN Route 5 to IN Route 224 to Route 33 to mistakingly taking Route 27 to 124E back over to Route 33 to the parents
Lodging: 1933 Lake Shore Drive, home of Nancy and Jim Petro, price: appeasing nervousness, overeating, downloading religious podcasts.
(Note: Day 30 will start after 2 days in Ohio with family on August 17)
I woke up today in my super crappy motel in Rochester, IN. I set my clock ahead to EST because I know Ohio is EST and Indiana always confuses me with its time zone. For those who don't know this, Indiana has historically rebelled against Daylight Savings Time due to farmers and has switched between Central and Eastern Time Zone. It's actually an interesting debate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Indiana
and has remained in my arsenal of random facts since I spent my summers in Indiana and had friends who lived in the state that boasts being home to Dan Quayle.
Point is, I came into Indiana from Illinois, Central time, and I was leaving to Ohio the next day. To make it easy on myself and not start a debate with Indiana folk, I lived in Central Time yesterday, set my clock to Eastern before I went to bed, and lived via EST today.
I left around 7:30am without coffee because my motel didn't have any for me. I figured I would stop about 10 miles out for my morning coffee. Riding 10 miles without coffee is hard. It was probably the hardest 10 miles of my day.
I got to Akron, IN where I had my coffee. The ride was gorgeous - the sun rising over the farms (which made me think this part of Indiana was probably Central Time Zone) and the fog. I didn't take any pictures because I had my eyes on the prize: my coffee in Akron.
After Akron, I headed back on the road. I was tired today. 29 days without a break on the bike is hard. No weekends, no breaks, everyday the same thing - up at 6, coffee, on the road. I'm glad I did it this way because I'm alone and I have no idea what I would do in some random town by myself, but it has definitely taken its toll on my body.
I got to North Manchester, another 20 miles or so, and decided to take another break. I usually take breaks in the am about 30 miles in, so this made sense. I had more coffee. Today felt tiring. I texted a friend: "I don't feel like biking today. There. I said it." People talk to me a lot about how amazing this is, about how they are jealous, about how fun it sounds. It is fun, but it's also really, really hard. I know I've said it before, and I don't mean to over emphasize the hard or downplay the fun, it's got both. Dramatic ups and downs each day, is how I describe it. Literally, points of euphoria and points of deep, seemingly bottomless pits of despair. On a daily basis.
I talked to an amish woman for a minute as she asked about my journey, then got back on the bike. My seat area was hurting again today after almost a week of pretty minimal pain. Not sure why some days are worse than others with that. It was hot today. I rode for a while then pulled into Huntington, IN. I went a little bit out of the way for some sight-seeing. Huntington, IN is the home of Dan Quayle and the Dan Quayle Museum. That's right, Dan Quayle has a museum in his namesake. Apologies to any Dan Quayle groupies out there, but I'm curious as to what the Dan Quayle museum has to offer besides hilarious misquotes and abnormally boyish good looks. The museum was closed, but, for the record, it does exist.
I continued on through the farms of Indiana. I finally started seeing roadside vegetable stands. I love roadside vegetable stands. I also saw, in the middle of nowhere, a bilboard for a Michael Bolton concert. I knew he still had a following.
I got to the intersection of Route 224 and Route 33 in Decatur, IN, where I decided to take a break. In a few miles, I would cross over the Indiana/Ohio line and shortly thereafter, meet up with my parents. The sun was hot. I got a coke and a milkshake.
Back on the road, I took a wrong turn. Route 33 and Route 27 are one in the same, then Route 33 veers off. I accidentally stayed on Route 27, which goes due South through Indiana. Route 33 goes a bit more east heading into Ohio. When I realized my error, I cut over on Route 124 to connect with Route 33. Route 124 was full of Amish people. It was lovely.
I rode Route 33 and hit Ohio. As I left Indiana, I looked back and saw the Welcome to Indiana sign. About 200 meters later, I hit the Welcome to Ohio sign. A few observations: first, there was quite a delay between the signs. I wonder if the 200 meters in between is some safe haven between states. Second, the Indiana sign was far more robust than the Ohio sign. For a state that has a higher income tax rate, I expected a better sign. I wonder if there's someone I can call about that.
I rode on, after the requisite picture of the state sign. Finally, I met up with my parents. They wanted to drive me into Columbus, which I agreed to. They have been very helpful throughout this journey, but also very nervous. Sometimes I think I should tailor more what I tell them - ignorance is bliss, after all.
We drove into Columbus and had dinner. I was exhausted and ate way too much. I decided to stay the weekend before heading to DC. It's 400 miles from Columbus to DC, so four more days.
I can't believe the journey is almost over, and I don't really want to start processing that until it's actually over. I won't blog Saturday and Sunday, since time with my parents is not very entertaining. I expect to hit DC on Thursday, August 20. I also expect to have a cocktail waiting.
"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is." -Dan Quayle
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Biking, Day 28: August 13, 2009
Day 28: Tinley Park, IL to Rochester, IN
Distance: 115 miles
Route: Through Tinley Park to link up with Route 30E. 30 E to route 17 into Culver, IN. Route 117 around Lake Maxinkukee, Route 110 E to Route 31 South to Rochester, IN
Lodging: Rochester Motel, $40, sh*tbox.
I woke up around 6am today and chatted with Melissa for a bit. She showered to head to work, and I made the most of the free breakfast provided by La Quinta. There is nothing I love more than filling three of the excessively small cups with coffee and making my own waffle to start my day with just the right amount of caffeine and sugar. I've always been a coffee person - it's what makes me a morning person. The promise of coffee literally gets me excited when I go to bed at night. Breakfast has never been a big thing for me, but a free make-my-own waffle? Sign me up.
I started riding out of the suburbs of Chicago around 7:30. About 5 miles into my route, the road was closed. The cop let me go through since I was only on a bike. I told him I was biking across the country. I feel like I'm telling everyone now - just mentioning it in passing. you know, no big thang.
I got on Route 30E, which would be the road I would be on for the vast majority of the day. The suburbs of Chicago just kept going and going. It got a little dodgy right before Indiana, bu I really expected to hit cornfields sooner. Tinley Park is not exactly downtown Chicago, either. I know I mentioned it yesterday, but the suburbs of Chicago just go and go and go.
I crossed into Indiana and rode for a bit before taking my morning break about 10 miles before Vallparaiso, IN. I got a message from a friend about some REALLY good job news, so I called her to congratulate her (yay, you know who you are!!!).
I got back on the road and hit strip mall after strip mall after strip mall. Seriously, Route 30E, you are very ugly. I hit Valparaiso, which is practically a suburb of Chicago, and the strip malls continued. Finally, about 50 miles outside Tinley Park, where I started, there started to be some farms.
It was a hot and dry day and the scenery wasn't fantastic. Neither was the road. But I had good podcasts and new music that a friend sent (thanks, you know who you are!!).
I took another break about 15 miles from Culver, IN, a sight-seeing stop and the reason for my route. I talked with a friend who's going through a rough time (you rock, you know who you are!!!).
I got back on the road and got excited to see Culver. I spent 5 summers at Culver Military Academy. Three were spent as a camper in upper camps, two as a counselor. Culver, in many ways, shaped my leadership and what athletics I chose to compete in. The experience had a profound influence on my life and who I am as a person. When i attended the summer program, the military aspect really jived with me. I had started going down the 'wrong path' (which, admittedly, in Rocky River, Ohio really isn't that bad), but Culver really made me reassess how I wanted to live my life.
Needless to say, I have many, many fond memories of Culver, both from my days as a camper and my days as a counselor. Also, it's a gorgeous campus. I fully expect to send my kids there for the summer program.
I pulled into Culver around 3:45PM. It was as beautiful as ever. Campers were, for the most part, gone, so it was a pretty quiet campus. The lake looked great, all the buildings and fields were fantastic. I rode through, took some pictures, walked around a bit, and then decided to head out. I would have loved to have seen the campers marching around, but graduation was last weekend.
Culver doesn't have an abundance of lodging (read: none), so I decided to spend the night in Rochester, IN, about 25 miles southeast of Culver.
I rode around Lake Maxinkukee and then through the cornfields to Rte 31, which led into Rochester (and eventually Indianapolis).
During this time, my phone died. I have no idea how it went through all its juice in 12 hours, but it did. My blackberry was also doing that thing where it deletes texts before you can read them. I hate that. So, my phone shut itself off and I had to go by memory into Rochester as opposed to the googlemaps on my phone. I stopped right before Rochester and got a Big Red pop, which, if you're from Indiana, you know it is totally the bomb. As I was leaving the truck stop, I found $20. Nice.
I had booked myself at the Rochester motel, which got moderately good reviews and was cheap. I got into Rochester, went to a grocery store to get some actual fresh food and then planned to go to my motel. I asked at the kroger where the Rochester Motel was and the girl knew, which was great. The checkout girl also told me that Obama was no longer going to let women induce labor. Thats right - only c-sections and regular births from now on. I have no idea what inspired her to tell me this, but she did. She also let me use her Kroger card to get the sale prices on several items. Really, she was a gem.
I came to my hotel and the parking lot was pretty much empty. I went into the office, which seemed a bit trashed. Still, I figured one night, whatever. I rang the bell and was greeted by a woman who barely spoke english. i asked about internet, she said they had it, and then she couldn't figure out the credit card so she just gave me the key and said her son would come by to charge me later.
I went to my room, and wasn't very impressed. I think they had just re-opened the room or something. Among my list of complaints: not very clean, trash behind furniture, no soap, no towels, pop machine not working, everything in the room unplugged, TV cable not working, no extra toilet paper, internet passcode not given clearly, poor color choices, credit card receipt illegible.
I know, I should have just left. But after riding 115 miles a bed and a shower are really all you can think about. I got a little bitchy with them about some of the issues, even though, as my dad said, for $40, what do you expect? Agreed, but my expectations have always been too high for my own good.
I finally settled into my room after getting a little snarky with the owners.
It was great to see friends the past 2 days. I have been doing this bike thing for the past 4 weeks. I can't believe that I only have 5 more days of biking. That's right. Five more days of biking. I expect to get to DC on Wednesday. From Ohio, where I go tomorrow, it's only 400 miles to DC. Hard to believe.
Oh, and happy birthday, you know who you are!!!
Distance: 115 miles
Route: Through Tinley Park to link up with Route 30E. 30 E to route 17 into Culver, IN. Route 117 around Lake Maxinkukee, Route 110 E to Route 31 South to Rochester, IN
Lodging: Rochester Motel, $40, sh*tbox.
I woke up around 6am today and chatted with Melissa for a bit. She showered to head to work, and I made the most of the free breakfast provided by La Quinta. There is nothing I love more than filling three of the excessively small cups with coffee and making my own waffle to start my day with just the right amount of caffeine and sugar. I've always been a coffee person - it's what makes me a morning person. The promise of coffee literally gets me excited when I go to bed at night. Breakfast has never been a big thing for me, but a free make-my-own waffle? Sign me up.
I started riding out of the suburbs of Chicago around 7:30. About 5 miles into my route, the road was closed. The cop let me go through since I was only on a bike. I told him I was biking across the country. I feel like I'm telling everyone now - just mentioning it in passing. you know, no big thang.
I got on Route 30E, which would be the road I would be on for the vast majority of the day. The suburbs of Chicago just kept going and going. It got a little dodgy right before Indiana, bu I really expected to hit cornfields sooner. Tinley Park is not exactly downtown Chicago, either. I know I mentioned it yesterday, but the suburbs of Chicago just go and go and go.
I crossed into Indiana and rode for a bit before taking my morning break about 10 miles before Vallparaiso, IN. I got a message from a friend about some REALLY good job news, so I called her to congratulate her (yay, you know who you are!!!).
I got back on the road and hit strip mall after strip mall after strip mall. Seriously, Route 30E, you are very ugly. I hit Valparaiso, which is practically a suburb of Chicago, and the strip malls continued. Finally, about 50 miles outside Tinley Park, where I started, there started to be some farms.
It was a hot and dry day and the scenery wasn't fantastic. Neither was the road. But I had good podcasts and new music that a friend sent (thanks, you know who you are!!).
I took another break about 15 miles from Culver, IN, a sight-seeing stop and the reason for my route. I talked with a friend who's going through a rough time (you rock, you know who you are!!!).
I got back on the road and got excited to see Culver. I spent 5 summers at Culver Military Academy. Three were spent as a camper in upper camps, two as a counselor. Culver, in many ways, shaped my leadership and what athletics I chose to compete in. The experience had a profound influence on my life and who I am as a person. When i attended the summer program, the military aspect really jived with me. I had started going down the 'wrong path' (which, admittedly, in Rocky River, Ohio really isn't that bad), but Culver really made me reassess how I wanted to live my life.
Needless to say, I have many, many fond memories of Culver, both from my days as a camper and my days as a counselor. Also, it's a gorgeous campus. I fully expect to send my kids there for the summer program.
I pulled into Culver around 3:45PM. It was as beautiful as ever. Campers were, for the most part, gone, so it was a pretty quiet campus. The lake looked great, all the buildings and fields were fantastic. I rode through, took some pictures, walked around a bit, and then decided to head out. I would have loved to have seen the campers marching around, but graduation was last weekend.
Culver doesn't have an abundance of lodging (read: none), so I decided to spend the night in Rochester, IN, about 25 miles southeast of Culver.
I rode around Lake Maxinkukee and then through the cornfields to Rte 31, which led into Rochester (and eventually Indianapolis).
During this time, my phone died. I have no idea how it went through all its juice in 12 hours, but it did. My blackberry was also doing that thing where it deletes texts before you can read them. I hate that. So, my phone shut itself off and I had to go by memory into Rochester as opposed to the googlemaps on my phone. I stopped right before Rochester and got a Big Red pop, which, if you're from Indiana, you know it is totally the bomb. As I was leaving the truck stop, I found $20. Nice.
I had booked myself at the Rochester motel, which got moderately good reviews and was cheap. I got into Rochester, went to a grocery store to get some actual fresh food and then planned to go to my motel. I asked at the kroger where the Rochester Motel was and the girl knew, which was great. The checkout girl also told me that Obama was no longer going to let women induce labor. Thats right - only c-sections and regular births from now on. I have no idea what inspired her to tell me this, but she did. She also let me use her Kroger card to get the sale prices on several items. Really, she was a gem.
I came to my hotel and the parking lot was pretty much empty. I went into the office, which seemed a bit trashed. Still, I figured one night, whatever. I rang the bell and was greeted by a woman who barely spoke english. i asked about internet, she said they had it, and then she couldn't figure out the credit card so she just gave me the key and said her son would come by to charge me later.
I went to my room, and wasn't very impressed. I think they had just re-opened the room or something. Among my list of complaints: not very clean, trash behind furniture, no soap, no towels, pop machine not working, everything in the room unplugged, TV cable not working, no extra toilet paper, internet passcode not given clearly, poor color choices, credit card receipt illegible.
I know, I should have just left. But after riding 115 miles a bed and a shower are really all you can think about. I got a little bitchy with them about some of the issues, even though, as my dad said, for $40, what do you expect? Agreed, but my expectations have always been too high for my own good.
I finally settled into my room after getting a little snarky with the owners.
It was great to see friends the past 2 days. I have been doing this bike thing for the past 4 weeks. I can't believe that I only have 5 more days of biking. That's right. Five more days of biking. I expect to get to DC on Wednesday. From Ohio, where I go tomorrow, it's only 400 miles to DC. Hard to believe.
Oh, and happy birthday, you know who you are!!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Biking, Day 27: August 12, 2009
Day 27: Hoffman Estates, IL to Tinley Park, IL
Distance: 30 miles
Route: One that my mother wouldn't approve of
Lodging: La Quinta, $50, Priceline
Today was scheduled to be my quick jaunt from Hoffman Estates, where I visited Shri, to Westmont, IL to visit my friend, Melissa. Shri and I said our goodbyes this morning. Staying with her was lovely. It was great to see a familiar face after being on the road for so long without seeing anyone I knew.
I left Shri's around 9AM to go first to a bicycle store. I had no more bike tubes and my patch kit is out of commission. I got there before it opened, so I went across the street and had a coffee. I met a guy there who asked me about my ride. We ended up talking about cars, like you do. I've been really into Mercedes lately, he has a thing for Corvettes. We lamented the death of manual transmission, particularly with the Mercedes SL class. So it goes.
I went to the bike store and got 2 tubes and a patch kit. I also had them fill my tire to get some pressure. They asked about my trip, we chatted, and I went on my way.
I rode through the suburbs to get to my friend's office - Hanover Park, Addison, Elmhurst. I got to the office and locked up my bike. I threw on some normal shorts over my padded biking shorts and a jacket because Melissa wanted to introduce me to her office.
Melissa works for Recycled Energy Development. RED works in energy development, particularly in developing energy solutions with industrial clients and developing biomass and other alternative energy plants. They do both operations and efficiency improvements and M and A activity.
It was an interesting office - relaxed, but with intensity. I got to meet the CEO, CFO, lobbyist, policy folks and others. Melissa explained the business to me later at dinner.
After the intros, Melissa and I decided to go spend the rest of the day catching up. We got a hotel out in the suburbs since I wanted to start my ride tomorrow from outside Chicago and because her apartment in Chicago is less than visitor-friendly.
We checked into our hotel and then went out for dinner. The suburbs of Chicago are sprawling masses of two lane highways and strip malls. It seems to go on forever. it's like no city I have ever seen. I have no idea how far we are from the actual center of Chicago.
Dinner was lovely. We went to a restaurant called 'Cooper's Hawk', which fancied itself both a restaurant AND a winery. It was actually quite nice. All of the wines are made by the restaurant. I had my first glass (I had half the glass) of wine in weeks. It was a white wine. And yes, a half glass was about all I could handle. Note to potential suitors: I am now a cheap date.
Melissa and I caught up about everything. She is one of those friends who I feel comfortable talking to about life, goals, love, etc - I'm honest with her in a way that is rare, putting my ego and self-consciousness aside. I know she doesn't judge and I know she gives good advice.
We enjoyed dinner and went back to the hotel. I planned my route for tomorrow - I will be going to Culver, IN, where I spend 5 summers of my life at Culver Military Academy. Culver always brings back positive memories and it's a gorgeous campus.
Today was my shortest day. It felt good to rest my legs, but strange. My ridiculous hunger hasn't subsided, which reminds me of a funny story from today. I keep snacks in my panniers. I like keeping lots of snacks. You know, in case I get caught in the middle of nowhere, cant move, and need snacks to survive. Anyway, when I came out from Melissa's office, someone had BROKEN INTO my bike panniers, in particular, the snack compartment. They had rifled through my snacks eating anything they could find. The culprit lacked the civility to open my pannier with the zipper, instead choosing to CHEW through my bag and pull my snacks through the hole that he or she had created. The whole thing was very bizarre, but certainly commonplace for such an unsavoury location as Westmont, IL.
Distance: 30 miles
Route: One that my mother wouldn't approve of
Lodging: La Quinta, $50, Priceline
Today was scheduled to be my quick jaunt from Hoffman Estates, where I visited Shri, to Westmont, IL to visit my friend, Melissa. Shri and I said our goodbyes this morning. Staying with her was lovely. It was great to see a familiar face after being on the road for so long without seeing anyone I knew.
I left Shri's around 9AM to go first to a bicycle store. I had no more bike tubes and my patch kit is out of commission. I got there before it opened, so I went across the street and had a coffee. I met a guy there who asked me about my ride. We ended up talking about cars, like you do. I've been really into Mercedes lately, he has a thing for Corvettes. We lamented the death of manual transmission, particularly with the Mercedes SL class. So it goes.
I went to the bike store and got 2 tubes and a patch kit. I also had them fill my tire to get some pressure. They asked about my trip, we chatted, and I went on my way.
I rode through the suburbs to get to my friend's office - Hanover Park, Addison, Elmhurst. I got to the office and locked up my bike. I threw on some normal shorts over my padded biking shorts and a jacket because Melissa wanted to introduce me to her office.
Melissa works for Recycled Energy Development. RED works in energy development, particularly in developing energy solutions with industrial clients and developing biomass and other alternative energy plants. They do both operations and efficiency improvements and M and A activity.
It was an interesting office - relaxed, but with intensity. I got to meet the CEO, CFO, lobbyist, policy folks and others. Melissa explained the business to me later at dinner.
After the intros, Melissa and I decided to go spend the rest of the day catching up. We got a hotel out in the suburbs since I wanted to start my ride tomorrow from outside Chicago and because her apartment in Chicago is less than visitor-friendly.
We checked into our hotel and then went out for dinner. The suburbs of Chicago are sprawling masses of two lane highways and strip malls. It seems to go on forever. it's like no city I have ever seen. I have no idea how far we are from the actual center of Chicago.
Dinner was lovely. We went to a restaurant called 'Cooper's Hawk', which fancied itself both a restaurant AND a winery. It was actually quite nice. All of the wines are made by the restaurant. I had my first glass (I had half the glass) of wine in weeks. It was a white wine. And yes, a half glass was about all I could handle. Note to potential suitors: I am now a cheap date.
Melissa and I caught up about everything. She is one of those friends who I feel comfortable talking to about life, goals, love, etc - I'm honest with her in a way that is rare, putting my ego and self-consciousness aside. I know she doesn't judge and I know she gives good advice.
We enjoyed dinner and went back to the hotel. I planned my route for tomorrow - I will be going to Culver, IN, where I spend 5 summers of my life at Culver Military Academy. Culver always brings back positive memories and it's a gorgeous campus.
Today was my shortest day. It felt good to rest my legs, but strange. My ridiculous hunger hasn't subsided, which reminds me of a funny story from today. I keep snacks in my panniers. I like keeping lots of snacks. You know, in case I get caught in the middle of nowhere, cant move, and need snacks to survive. Anyway, when I came out from Melissa's office, someone had BROKEN INTO my bike panniers, in particular, the snack compartment. They had rifled through my snacks eating anything they could find. The culprit lacked the civility to open my pannier with the zipper, instead choosing to CHEW through my bag and pull my snacks through the hole that he or she had created. The whole thing was very bizarre, but certainly commonplace for such an unsavoury location as Westmont, IL.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Biking, Day 26: August 11, 2009
Day 26: Madison, WI to Hoffman Estates, IL
Distance: 110 miles
Route: 14E to Walworth, WI then to a whole bunch of back roads, then back on 14 to Route 61 to encountering the worst riding conditions I've encountered yet to dealing with a flat tire to more back roads to the Candlewood Suites
Lodging: with my friend, Shri, who is interning at Sears and who lives in a hotel (Candlewood Suites), $0, total bargain
I woke up around 6am and had my coffee. I planned my route, which took a while. It was a bit complicated getting out of Madison and I kept getting different routes when I used googlemaps, mapquest, etc. I try not to make the directions too complicated by staying on the same roads, but I also can't go on highways.
I started riding around 8am. I rode down to lake Mendota and rode the bike path past the park where I used to run. I literally used to run where I rode every morning. The little set of woods that I used to run in was, interestingly, also a cruising park. I found that out after I moved. I rode out of town and it was a gorgeous morning.
I finally got to County Road MM which led me to Route 14E. Traffic was limited, which was nice. I took a break at Evansville, WI. I talked to a few people at the gas station who were interested in my ride. The woman who ran the gas station was interested and wanted me to be safe.
I continued riding. I have to be honest, I was rocking out. I mean, we're talking 18-20MPH. I was making great time and feeling really good. I got to Walworth, WI and decided to take another break. I took a break and mapped out my route but decided to take the back roads instead of 14 for the rest of the ride.
I rode through the end of Wisconsin, where I saw some signs talking negatively about 'Obama-care' and then crossed the line into Illinois. I took another break with around 18 miles left. When I got back on the road, people started being jerks (and by jerks, I mean something less delicately worded). People would cruise past me, didn't swerve around me at all, and the traffic was pretty heavy. I hit Route 61 and it was a horrible road. Barely any berm, cars going 55 MPH on the single lane. I felt unsafe for one of the first times this trip. I hate to admit this on here because I know my mother will worry. But, in the Land of Lincoln, I cannot tell a lie (nor in VA).
As I was approaching the turn where I would get off the worst highway ever, I got a flat. I was about 5 miles from my destination. 105 miles down, and I got a flat.
I had to walk my bike almost a mile to find a place where I could change the tube. I pulled off and started doing my handiwork in someone's front yard. And yes, they came out of the driveway while I was fixing my tire. They didn't stop.
I took my bag off my bike, flipped it over and took off the back tire. I quickly found the puncture. It was a huge staple/nail/metal hook hooked into my tire. I had to get tools out to pull it out. It punctured my very high quality Bontrager tire.
I got out my spare tube and threaded it into the tire. This is not an easy process. It took me about 20 minutes to get the tire and tube back on the wheel. It was hot, I was sweating. I started filling the tube and heard a leak. My good spare tube had a hole in it. WTF.
I took the tube and tire back off the wheel and tried to figure out what to do. I texted my friend, Shri and told her I might be screwed. good thing I was close, theoretically, I could take a taxi or something. I decided to try to patch the tube. I got out my patch kit and started the process.
Right when I was about to put on the patch, I realized my glue had dried out. Can't patch a tube without glue. I fell into a pit of despair.
I went out to the road and tried to find a biker or motorcyclist. The man who stopped was on a motorcycle, and he was lovely. He helped me patch my tube with his patch kit and helped me thread the tire back on the wheel (although, two people, when one is even more confused than the other about fixing a bike tire, is not necessarily better than one).
We got the tire on and I thanked him profusely. He mumbled something about how I looked like I knew what I was doing but he needed to help a 'damsel in distress'. For the record, I have never once thought of myself as a damsel. Maybe a lass, never a damsel. I pumped up my tire, put all my gear back on, and hit the road for the final five miles.
I got to my friend's place, The Candlewood Suites, around 6pm. Of course Shri lives in a hotel. She is a bit like a Tenenbaum (her nickname: The Empress). She was already in her pajamas. God bless a 9-5. I got a quasi-hug because of my sweaty-ness.
I showered, did laundry, and gossiped with Shri. It was good to be with a friend. We ordered Indian and watched liberal political shows on MSNBC. It was lovely.
Tomorrow I meet up with my friend, Melissa. I'm excited because I get to meet some of her co-workers at Recycled Energy Development and then catch up with her. it will be a short day from one part of outside Chicago to the other - 30 miles. I don't think I will be venturing into Chicago this trip, especially after seeing how the folks in the suburbs drive. I can't even imagine the inner city drivers.
Distance: 110 miles
Route: 14E to Walworth, WI then to a whole bunch of back roads, then back on 14 to Route 61 to encountering the worst riding conditions I've encountered yet to dealing with a flat tire to more back roads to the Candlewood Suites
Lodging: with my friend, Shri, who is interning at Sears and who lives in a hotel (Candlewood Suites), $0, total bargain
I woke up around 6am and had my coffee. I planned my route, which took a while. It was a bit complicated getting out of Madison and I kept getting different routes when I used googlemaps, mapquest, etc. I try not to make the directions too complicated by staying on the same roads, but I also can't go on highways.
I started riding around 8am. I rode down to lake Mendota and rode the bike path past the park where I used to run. I literally used to run where I rode every morning. The little set of woods that I used to run in was, interestingly, also a cruising park. I found that out after I moved. I rode out of town and it was a gorgeous morning.
I finally got to County Road MM which led me to Route 14E. Traffic was limited, which was nice. I took a break at Evansville, WI. I talked to a few people at the gas station who were interested in my ride. The woman who ran the gas station was interested and wanted me to be safe.
I continued riding. I have to be honest, I was rocking out. I mean, we're talking 18-20MPH. I was making great time and feeling really good. I got to Walworth, WI and decided to take another break. I took a break and mapped out my route but decided to take the back roads instead of 14 for the rest of the ride.
I rode through the end of Wisconsin, where I saw some signs talking negatively about 'Obama-care' and then crossed the line into Illinois. I took another break with around 18 miles left. When I got back on the road, people started being jerks (and by jerks, I mean something less delicately worded). People would cruise past me, didn't swerve around me at all, and the traffic was pretty heavy. I hit Route 61 and it was a horrible road. Barely any berm, cars going 55 MPH on the single lane. I felt unsafe for one of the first times this trip. I hate to admit this on here because I know my mother will worry. But, in the Land of Lincoln, I cannot tell a lie (nor in VA).
As I was approaching the turn where I would get off the worst highway ever, I got a flat. I was about 5 miles from my destination. 105 miles down, and I got a flat.
I had to walk my bike almost a mile to find a place where I could change the tube. I pulled off and started doing my handiwork in someone's front yard. And yes, they came out of the driveway while I was fixing my tire. They didn't stop.
I took my bag off my bike, flipped it over and took off the back tire. I quickly found the puncture. It was a huge staple/nail/metal hook hooked into my tire. I had to get tools out to pull it out. It punctured my very high quality Bontrager tire.
I got out my spare tube and threaded it into the tire. This is not an easy process. It took me about 20 minutes to get the tire and tube back on the wheel. It was hot, I was sweating. I started filling the tube and heard a leak. My good spare tube had a hole in it. WTF.
I took the tube and tire back off the wheel and tried to figure out what to do. I texted my friend, Shri and told her I might be screwed. good thing I was close, theoretically, I could take a taxi or something. I decided to try to patch the tube. I got out my patch kit and started the process.
Right when I was about to put on the patch, I realized my glue had dried out. Can't patch a tube without glue. I fell into a pit of despair.
I went out to the road and tried to find a biker or motorcyclist. The man who stopped was on a motorcycle, and he was lovely. He helped me patch my tube with his patch kit and helped me thread the tire back on the wheel (although, two people, when one is even more confused than the other about fixing a bike tire, is not necessarily better than one).
We got the tire on and I thanked him profusely. He mumbled something about how I looked like I knew what I was doing but he needed to help a 'damsel in distress'. For the record, I have never once thought of myself as a damsel. Maybe a lass, never a damsel. I pumped up my tire, put all my gear back on, and hit the road for the final five miles.
I got to my friend's place, The Candlewood Suites, around 6pm. Of course Shri lives in a hotel. She is a bit like a Tenenbaum (her nickname: The Empress). She was already in her pajamas. God bless a 9-5. I got a quasi-hug because of my sweaty-ness.
I showered, did laundry, and gossiped with Shri. It was good to be with a friend. We ordered Indian and watched liberal political shows on MSNBC. It was lovely.
Tomorrow I meet up with my friend, Melissa. I'm excited because I get to meet some of her co-workers at Recycled Energy Development and then catch up with her. it will be a short day from one part of outside Chicago to the other - 30 miles. I don't think I will be venturing into Chicago this trip, especially after seeing how the folks in the suburbs drive. I can't even imagine the inner city drivers.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Biking, Day 25: August 10, 2009
Day 25: La Crosse, WI to Madison, WI
Distance: 125 miles
Route: 14East
Lodging: Concourse Hotel, downtown Madison, $50 via priceline. Awesome hotel.
I woke up at 6am and went to the motel lobby. The owner of the motel, who utilized my services to bike to Walmart to get him a new router, agreed to let me come in and make coffee at 6am as opposed to the 7:30 that he usually comes out to make it. I started making coffee and he came out to chat with me. We talked a bit about owning a motel. He seemed about my age and hadn't owned the motel long. He thinks it's a pretty great business in a nice city - he plans on staying for his entire life. Basically, he bought the motel and got a residential mortgage because there is a house attached and he lives there. He draws a salary and uses revenues to pay the salary and the mortgage. he cleans all the rooms. That's it. He thinks it's such a great deal because the motel will eventually be paid off and then he will sell it or just run the business.
He was a nice guy. He failed somewhat miserably in setting up the internet last night, but he tried his best. Before I left, he was excited to tell me about his moon flowers - they come out at night, then they go away during the day. Interesting.
I started my ride around 7:30am. It was humid. Wisconsin is really quite beautiful. About 5 miles into the ride I hit a huge hill. I mean, it was like a mountain. I thought I was done with mountains. I rode up that mountain and it took forever. I was exhausted. What goes up, must come down. Then, another mountain. WTF. After that mountain, which dropped me in Coon Valley, there weren't any mountains as big as the first two.
I forged on. I was really tired. It was hot and humid and I had ridden really far yesterday. I stopped in Varoqua, WI and had another coffee. When I started again, I felt more motivated. I had also popped three advil.
Wisconsin is really beautiful. It's extremely green, lush, and there are little mountains. I like that there are more cities than in the cities in the mountain region. As the day progressed, it got hotter and hotter. I couldn't wear my sunglasses for a while because they steamed up so much from the sweat and heat. It was brutal.
I stopped again for another break about 45 miles from Madison in Lone Rock, WI. 125 miles is a long day. I've started listening only to podcasts, I don't really even listen to music anymore. I usually download all the daily podcasts from MSNBC: Rachel Maddow, nightly News, Morning news, Hardball and Countdown. once a week I get Meet the Press and some NPR shows like Wait, Wait Don't tell me. Today I got Meet the Press and my NPR shows. It made for a pleasant ride. Drivers must think I'm crazy when they pass and I'm laughing.
which brings me to what I've learned during this ride - to not care at all what people think. I mean, of course I care what people think, but I just randomly start conversations, ask for strange things, am not embarassed that i smell or am sweating profusely, go into wherever to use the bathroom, etc. I ask for what I want without shying away at all.
I got to Madison around 6pm. I checked into my awesome hotel and showered. Then i went out to see the city I lived in when I was 22. i walked over to my old apartment. i remembered the life I lived there. I walked all the way down State street. I got mexican food. I also got some cheese curds. Because I'm in Wisconsin.
I came back and planned tomorrow - Chicago. I stay with Shri tomorrow in Hoffman Estates. It's another long day, but on Wednesday I take a short day to hang out with my friend, melissa, in another part of Chicago 30 miles from Shri.
Distance: 125 miles
Route: 14East
Lodging: Concourse Hotel, downtown Madison, $50 via priceline. Awesome hotel.
I woke up at 6am and went to the motel lobby. The owner of the motel, who utilized my services to bike to Walmart to get him a new router, agreed to let me come in and make coffee at 6am as opposed to the 7:30 that he usually comes out to make it. I started making coffee and he came out to chat with me. We talked a bit about owning a motel. He seemed about my age and hadn't owned the motel long. He thinks it's a pretty great business in a nice city - he plans on staying for his entire life. Basically, he bought the motel and got a residential mortgage because there is a house attached and he lives there. He draws a salary and uses revenues to pay the salary and the mortgage. he cleans all the rooms. That's it. He thinks it's such a great deal because the motel will eventually be paid off and then he will sell it or just run the business.
He was a nice guy. He failed somewhat miserably in setting up the internet last night, but he tried his best. Before I left, he was excited to tell me about his moon flowers - they come out at night, then they go away during the day. Interesting.
I started my ride around 7:30am. It was humid. Wisconsin is really quite beautiful. About 5 miles into the ride I hit a huge hill. I mean, it was like a mountain. I thought I was done with mountains. I rode up that mountain and it took forever. I was exhausted. What goes up, must come down. Then, another mountain. WTF. After that mountain, which dropped me in Coon Valley, there weren't any mountains as big as the first two.
I forged on. I was really tired. It was hot and humid and I had ridden really far yesterday. I stopped in Varoqua, WI and had another coffee. When I started again, I felt more motivated. I had also popped three advil.
Wisconsin is really beautiful. It's extremely green, lush, and there are little mountains. I like that there are more cities than in the cities in the mountain region. As the day progressed, it got hotter and hotter. I couldn't wear my sunglasses for a while because they steamed up so much from the sweat and heat. It was brutal.
I stopped again for another break about 45 miles from Madison in Lone Rock, WI. 125 miles is a long day. I've started listening only to podcasts, I don't really even listen to music anymore. I usually download all the daily podcasts from MSNBC: Rachel Maddow, nightly News, Morning news, Hardball and Countdown. once a week I get Meet the Press and some NPR shows like Wait, Wait Don't tell me. Today I got Meet the Press and my NPR shows. It made for a pleasant ride. Drivers must think I'm crazy when they pass and I'm laughing.
which brings me to what I've learned during this ride - to not care at all what people think. I mean, of course I care what people think, but I just randomly start conversations, ask for strange things, am not embarassed that i smell or am sweating profusely, go into wherever to use the bathroom, etc. I ask for what I want without shying away at all.
I got to Madison around 6pm. I checked into my awesome hotel and showered. Then i went out to see the city I lived in when I was 22. i walked over to my old apartment. i remembered the life I lived there. I walked all the way down State street. I got mexican food. I also got some cheese curds. Because I'm in Wisconsin.
I came back and planned tomorrow - Chicago. I stay with Shri tomorrow in Hoffman Estates. It's another long day, but on Wednesday I take a short day to hang out with my friend, melissa, in another part of Chicago 30 miles from Shri.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Biking, Day 24: August 9, 2009
Day 24: Owatonna, MN to La Crosse, WI
Distance: 130 Miles
Route: 14East, then cut over on County Road 25, to County Road 12, to County Road 11, to County Road 8, to County Road 5, to County Road 6, back onto 14E into La Crosse.
Lodging: Welch Motel, $40, clean
Today I said hello to tailwind and goodbye to Minnesota. Clouds were menacing today and storms were promised throughout the area I was riding.
I got on the road around 7:45 am. After a few wrong turns, I got going and found Route 14. The headphones I got at Walmart solved my iPod issue, which was a step in the right direction to get me out of the Dark Period.
I have to admit, I was rocking out today. Finally, a little tailwind. Not a ton, about 6MPH according to the weather channel, but it felt so drastically different than the headwind. And going fast makes me push harder. I was knocking out 15-20MPH. So I kept going. Right through Rochester without a break. Finally, I rolled through St. Charles, MN, the 'Gateway to Whitewater'. I was going to go through St. Charles until I saw in a distance a coffee shop. Not a gas station, not an A&W Rootbeer stand, but a real coffee shop. It looked like Caribou Coffee. I stopped. I got real coffee. I sat on the faux front porch and I watched as a storm started rolling in.
After about a half hour, I realized that storm wasn't going away. I decided to leave and try to outrun it. I made small talk with an older guy who was polishing his bike (an older bicycle, but VERY shiny) and then hit the road again.
I went on 14E for a while and then I decided to venture off my main route and take some back roads. I'm glad I did. There was nominal traffic on County Routes 25/12/11/8/5 and 6 and I got to see some beautiful parts of Minnesota.
I finally got to La Crescent, MN, the last city in MN and known for their apples. I had an apple. I rested before venturing into La Crosse, the first city in Wisconsin. I have been to La Crosse before, when i lived in Madison for my first job after college. A friend had a friend who went to University of Wisconsin, La Crosse and we came down for a night. I don't remember anything about La Crosse. Probably because it was 8 years ago. Probably because it was dark. Probably because I was intoxicated. I certainly didn't remember that La Crosse is actually quite lovely, on a river. Nor did I remember the statue of the King of Beer. Nor do I remember the Largest Six Pack in the World.
I got to my motel and checked in. Then I was told that the internet didn't work. It was the router - it blew when there was a big storm last night. He said he would run to Walmart to get a new router and set it up. Instead of leaving this to chance, I offered to go to Walmart for him to get the router. He was thrilled. I went to Walmart, got the router, and got my dinner.
I had a great ride today. I'm hoping I'm through the Dark Period. This ride has left me with a lot of time with my thoughts - life, goals, future, love. It reminds me of the last time in my life when I was so solitary - when I lived in Madison, WI.
I moved to Madison for my first job after college with Epic Systems doing Healthcare IT and Consulting. I didn't know a soul in Madison. I started my job September 4, 2001. Exactly one week into my career, September 11 happened and I knew I wanted to move back east. Unfortunately, companies weren't jumping at hiring new college grads in Wisconsin. I spent nine more months in Madison in what was the coldest, most solitary, and most self-reflecting period in my life.
I moved from Madison, but I left one day before I had intended. My uncle died, so I had to rush back to Ohio. I packed up my things in haste, left the day before my last day at work, and didn't say a lot of goodbyes. I haven't been back to Madison since.
Distance: 130 Miles
Route: 14East, then cut over on County Road 25, to County Road 12, to County Road 11, to County Road 8, to County Road 5, to County Road 6, back onto 14E into La Crosse.
Lodging: Welch Motel, $40, clean
Today I said hello to tailwind and goodbye to Minnesota. Clouds were menacing today and storms were promised throughout the area I was riding.
I got on the road around 7:45 am. After a few wrong turns, I got going and found Route 14. The headphones I got at Walmart solved my iPod issue, which was a step in the right direction to get me out of the Dark Period.
I have to admit, I was rocking out today. Finally, a little tailwind. Not a ton, about 6MPH according to the weather channel, but it felt so drastically different than the headwind. And going fast makes me push harder. I was knocking out 15-20MPH. So I kept going. Right through Rochester without a break. Finally, I rolled through St. Charles, MN, the 'Gateway to Whitewater'. I was going to go through St. Charles until I saw in a distance a coffee shop. Not a gas station, not an A&W Rootbeer stand, but a real coffee shop. It looked like Caribou Coffee. I stopped. I got real coffee. I sat on the faux front porch and I watched as a storm started rolling in.
After about a half hour, I realized that storm wasn't going away. I decided to leave and try to outrun it. I made small talk with an older guy who was polishing his bike (an older bicycle, but VERY shiny) and then hit the road again.
I went on 14E for a while and then I decided to venture off my main route and take some back roads. I'm glad I did. There was nominal traffic on County Routes 25/12/11/8/5 and 6 and I got to see some beautiful parts of Minnesota.
I finally got to La Crescent, MN, the last city in MN and known for their apples. I had an apple. I rested before venturing into La Crosse, the first city in Wisconsin. I have been to La Crosse before, when i lived in Madison for my first job after college. A friend had a friend who went to University of Wisconsin, La Crosse and we came down for a night. I don't remember anything about La Crosse. Probably because it was 8 years ago. Probably because it was dark. Probably because I was intoxicated. I certainly didn't remember that La Crosse is actually quite lovely, on a river. Nor did I remember the statue of the King of Beer. Nor do I remember the Largest Six Pack in the World.
I got to my motel and checked in. Then I was told that the internet didn't work. It was the router - it blew when there was a big storm last night. He said he would run to Walmart to get a new router and set it up. Instead of leaving this to chance, I offered to go to Walmart for him to get the router. He was thrilled. I went to Walmart, got the router, and got my dinner.
I had a great ride today. I'm hoping I'm through the Dark Period. This ride has left me with a lot of time with my thoughts - life, goals, future, love. It reminds me of the last time in my life when I was so solitary - when I lived in Madison, WI.
I moved to Madison for my first job after college with Epic Systems doing Healthcare IT and Consulting. I didn't know a soul in Madison. I started my job September 4, 2001. Exactly one week into my career, September 11 happened and I knew I wanted to move back east. Unfortunately, companies weren't jumping at hiring new college grads in Wisconsin. I spent nine more months in Madison in what was the coldest, most solitary, and most self-reflecting period in my life.
I moved from Madison, but I left one day before I had intended. My uncle died, so I had to rush back to Ohio. I packed up my things in haste, left the day before my last day at work, and didn't say a lot of goodbyes. I haven't been back to Madison since.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Biking, Day 23: August 8, 2009
Day 23: New Ulm, MN to Owatonna, MN
Distance: 75 miles
Route: 14E
Lodging: Budget Host, $45 plus photos taken with motel-owners
A dear and wise friend told me today that this was the Dark Period. Like in a marathon, that point around 18-20 miles where you've finished more than half, but you can't quite see the finish. This isn't to say that Minnesota isn't lovely - it is - or that I'm not enjoying this anymore - I am - but the last few days have been particularly hard.
First, the weather has been crappy. Not crappy enough to warrant a day off, which I probably should have taken, but uncomfortable. Yesterday, it was periodic driving rain and 15-20MPH head and cross winds. Today, it was a heat advisory and 20MPH head wind with menacing clouds threatening (and eventually delivering) thunderstorms. I fell short both yesterday and today which, for anyone who knows me, is enough to lock the day in the 'crappy' column. Yesterday, I had hoped to make it 100 miles to Mankato. I went 65 to New Ulm (which, having now seen Mankato, was a MUCH better choice). Today, I had hoped to make it the 115 miles to Rochester, MN. When I was faced with thunder and lightening at 4pm in Owatonna with 40 more miles to Rochester and no cities with lodging in between, I chose to stay in Owatonna.
The wind has been particularly frustrating. I specifically flew out to Seattle to bike West to East with the hopes of some solid tailwinds. So far I have had exactly ONE day of tailwinds, the rest have been headwinds, crosswinds (which can sometimes be worse), and no wind. The winds today were so intense that some gusts were so strong that i was convinced I had blown a tire since I came to an abrupt almost-stop. I was barely breaking 10MPH today. It was frustrating.
To add to the dark period today, my iPod Shuffle died. Not only did it die, but it died mid-Maddow. I download Rachel Maddow every day (every week day) and save it for particularly challenging parts of my ride. She makes me laugh, and cringe sometimes, but mostly laugh. When I dug deep to deploy the Maddow today, my shuffle died. Sink deeper into Dark Period.
The other thing that I feel I should mention that has become a bit of an issue, and I know I've mentioned this before, but it's the lack of human contact. I wasn't fully prepared for this to be a challenge. The reality is that I haven't hugged a person in 24 days. It may not sound like a big deal, but I can't think of the last time in my life, if ever, that I haven't had moderately intimate contact with another human being. Hell, I can't remember the last time I haven't had moderately romantic contact (commence eye roll) with another human being for a period of 3 weeks. I can't even fathom solitary confinement.
Thinking ahead, I'm excited about the next two weeks. Things are starting to get familiar. But back to today. I woke up at 630, had my coffee and breakfast and tried to figure out where I wanted to go. I was tired, I sort of wanted to take a break, but the weather was good and I decided to ride. There were storms in the area, but it looked like I could ride until at least late afternoon without much trouble. Optimistically, I could possibly reach Rochester, MN - 115 miles or stop along the way in Mankato, Janesville, Waseca, or Owatonna, each about 15 miles apart.
When I started riding, it was incredibly humid and insanely windy. The wind was pretty miserable. I pushed through and took a break when I got to Mankato, about 30 miles into my ride. I got a drink, talked to my parents about motel options, and made small talk with an adorable boy with a 'Minnesota State Wrestling' t-shirt on who was filling the tires of his trailer with air. My mom made a reservation for me in Owatonna, 45 or so more miles. My mother has been awesome throughout this adventure in being my ever-available conversation partner, constant pressure-er to take a break, and overzealous travel agent.
I forged on. Route 14 around Mankato sucked. It had become more of an interstate and the lane where I ride was littered with rocks, glass, and other tire-threats. I rode past Janesville, where my mom had initially wanted to make a reservation. The wind was rough, but the heat started getting really intense. I pulled into Waseca for another break.
Waseca was a cute town, really gorgeous houses, and the best Kwik Mart I have encountered in my 2000+ miles. Clean bathrooms, fountain pop with the option to add flavors like vanilla, lime and cherry (vanilla, obvi), a bakery with the most beautiful cinnamon roll I have seen in weeks, and fresh fruit. I utilized all of the aforementioned.
I talked to my mom and we determined there wasn't anything between Owatonna, where I had a reservation, and Rochester, my lofty goal. Owatonna felt too short - I actually felt really good, despite the Dark Period and the wind and heat. But it was 3PM and pushing to Rochester felt risky considering the time and the weather report calling for storms. I decided to go and reassess in Owatonna.
I rode on, and felt great. Waseca is beautiful - a big lake, pretty houses, etc. I rode the 15 miles and got to Owatonna. When I got into town, I made the executive decision to stay. It was 3:55PM and I had to call before 4PM to tell the motel owners if I was coming. The owner, a gentleman with a strong Indian accent, gave me a $5 discount because he had never met anyone who was biking across the country. This was going to be fun.
In the distance, I saw a strip mall. Oh, middle America. I saw no strip malls in the west, I saw a mini one yesterday, but this one was worthy of the Virginia suburbs. Loews, Super Walmart, McDonalds, and even a Culver's, a sure sign of the midwest (and a personal favorite). I needed to go to Walmart to get some new headphones, since I was hoping the iPod Shuffle issue was maybe my headphones.
Walmart turned out to be more of an adventure than I had planned. I finally got that protein powder MC had encouraged me to buy (but I couldn't find electrolytes). I got vitamins. I got fresh fruit (strawberries!!) and vegetables to make a salad. There had been a period of several days where I had eaten primarily from convenience stores (read: high carb, sugar, delicious pastries, etc) and i was super excited to have some fresh food.
When I finished up at Walmart, I started riding toward the motel. I got a little lost so I called and re-asked directions. He helped me out.
About ten minutes later, when I arrived at the motel, the owner and his son were waiting outside. They cheered for me when I was pulling in. I'm not joking, they were cheering. He was REALLY excited. I greeted them, he said how amazing this was. He then asked if he could take a picture. Of course. He was a middle aged man, about 5'4", indian, bald, and a little overweight. He was wearing track pants. He then asked his son/relative to take a picture of us. oh! but before he took the picture, he needed to put on his bike helmet. Oh yes, he went inside the motel and emerged wearing a bicycle helmet. He admitted to never riding a bike, but said someone had once left a bike helmet. Clearly a perfect prop for our photo.
I indulged the owner and his son and checked into the motel. He offered to make me breakfast earlier than 6am, but I said 6am was fine. It's like I was an olympic athlete. I enjoyed the special treatment.
I showered, had dinner, and talked on the phone with some friends. I started mapping out the next few days. Tomorrow, I would like to make it to La Crosse, WI, an aggressive 120 miles. Then, Madison, WI (where I lived for a year), Hoffman Estates, Il (to see Shri), Westmont, Il (to see Melissa), Culver, IN (where I spent 5 summers growing up), then into Ohio to see my parents.
I can see an end to the Dark Period.
Distance: 75 miles
Route: 14E
Lodging: Budget Host, $45 plus photos taken with motel-owners
A dear and wise friend told me today that this was the Dark Period. Like in a marathon, that point around 18-20 miles where you've finished more than half, but you can't quite see the finish. This isn't to say that Minnesota isn't lovely - it is - or that I'm not enjoying this anymore - I am - but the last few days have been particularly hard.
First, the weather has been crappy. Not crappy enough to warrant a day off, which I probably should have taken, but uncomfortable. Yesterday, it was periodic driving rain and 15-20MPH head and cross winds. Today, it was a heat advisory and 20MPH head wind with menacing clouds threatening (and eventually delivering) thunderstorms. I fell short both yesterday and today which, for anyone who knows me, is enough to lock the day in the 'crappy' column. Yesterday, I had hoped to make it 100 miles to Mankato. I went 65 to New Ulm (which, having now seen Mankato, was a MUCH better choice). Today, I had hoped to make it the 115 miles to Rochester, MN. When I was faced with thunder and lightening at 4pm in Owatonna with 40 more miles to Rochester and no cities with lodging in between, I chose to stay in Owatonna.
The wind has been particularly frustrating. I specifically flew out to Seattle to bike West to East with the hopes of some solid tailwinds. So far I have had exactly ONE day of tailwinds, the rest have been headwinds, crosswinds (which can sometimes be worse), and no wind. The winds today were so intense that some gusts were so strong that i was convinced I had blown a tire since I came to an abrupt almost-stop. I was barely breaking 10MPH today. It was frustrating.
To add to the dark period today, my iPod Shuffle died. Not only did it die, but it died mid-Maddow. I download Rachel Maddow every day (every week day) and save it for particularly challenging parts of my ride. She makes me laugh, and cringe sometimes, but mostly laugh. When I dug deep to deploy the Maddow today, my shuffle died. Sink deeper into Dark Period.
The other thing that I feel I should mention that has become a bit of an issue, and I know I've mentioned this before, but it's the lack of human contact. I wasn't fully prepared for this to be a challenge. The reality is that I haven't hugged a person in 24 days. It may not sound like a big deal, but I can't think of the last time in my life, if ever, that I haven't had moderately intimate contact with another human being. Hell, I can't remember the last time I haven't had moderately romantic contact (commence eye roll) with another human being for a period of 3 weeks. I can't even fathom solitary confinement.
Thinking ahead, I'm excited about the next two weeks. Things are starting to get familiar. But back to today. I woke up at 630, had my coffee and breakfast and tried to figure out where I wanted to go. I was tired, I sort of wanted to take a break, but the weather was good and I decided to ride. There were storms in the area, but it looked like I could ride until at least late afternoon without much trouble. Optimistically, I could possibly reach Rochester, MN - 115 miles or stop along the way in Mankato, Janesville, Waseca, or Owatonna, each about 15 miles apart.
When I started riding, it was incredibly humid and insanely windy. The wind was pretty miserable. I pushed through and took a break when I got to Mankato, about 30 miles into my ride. I got a drink, talked to my parents about motel options, and made small talk with an adorable boy with a 'Minnesota State Wrestling' t-shirt on who was filling the tires of his trailer with air. My mom made a reservation for me in Owatonna, 45 or so more miles. My mother has been awesome throughout this adventure in being my ever-available conversation partner, constant pressure-er to take a break, and overzealous travel agent.
I forged on. Route 14 around Mankato sucked. It had become more of an interstate and the lane where I ride was littered with rocks, glass, and other tire-threats. I rode past Janesville, where my mom had initially wanted to make a reservation. The wind was rough, but the heat started getting really intense. I pulled into Waseca for another break.
Waseca was a cute town, really gorgeous houses, and the best Kwik Mart I have encountered in my 2000+ miles. Clean bathrooms, fountain pop with the option to add flavors like vanilla, lime and cherry (vanilla, obvi), a bakery with the most beautiful cinnamon roll I have seen in weeks, and fresh fruit. I utilized all of the aforementioned.
I talked to my mom and we determined there wasn't anything between Owatonna, where I had a reservation, and Rochester, my lofty goal. Owatonna felt too short - I actually felt really good, despite the Dark Period and the wind and heat. But it was 3PM and pushing to Rochester felt risky considering the time and the weather report calling for storms. I decided to go and reassess in Owatonna.
I rode on, and felt great. Waseca is beautiful - a big lake, pretty houses, etc. I rode the 15 miles and got to Owatonna. When I got into town, I made the executive decision to stay. It was 3:55PM and I had to call before 4PM to tell the motel owners if I was coming. The owner, a gentleman with a strong Indian accent, gave me a $5 discount because he had never met anyone who was biking across the country. This was going to be fun.
In the distance, I saw a strip mall. Oh, middle America. I saw no strip malls in the west, I saw a mini one yesterday, but this one was worthy of the Virginia suburbs. Loews, Super Walmart, McDonalds, and even a Culver's, a sure sign of the midwest (and a personal favorite). I needed to go to Walmart to get some new headphones, since I was hoping the iPod Shuffle issue was maybe my headphones.
Walmart turned out to be more of an adventure than I had planned. I finally got that protein powder MC had encouraged me to buy (but I couldn't find electrolytes). I got vitamins. I got fresh fruit (strawberries!!) and vegetables to make a salad. There had been a period of several days where I had eaten primarily from convenience stores (read: high carb, sugar, delicious pastries, etc) and i was super excited to have some fresh food.
When I finished up at Walmart, I started riding toward the motel. I got a little lost so I called and re-asked directions. He helped me out.
About ten minutes later, when I arrived at the motel, the owner and his son were waiting outside. They cheered for me when I was pulling in. I'm not joking, they were cheering. He was REALLY excited. I greeted them, he said how amazing this was. He then asked if he could take a picture. Of course. He was a middle aged man, about 5'4", indian, bald, and a little overweight. He was wearing track pants. He then asked his son/relative to take a picture of us. oh! but before he took the picture, he needed to put on his bike helmet. Oh yes, he went inside the motel and emerged wearing a bicycle helmet. He admitted to never riding a bike, but said someone had once left a bike helmet. Clearly a perfect prop for our photo.
I indulged the owner and his son and checked into the motel. He offered to make me breakfast earlier than 6am, but I said 6am was fine. It's like I was an olympic athlete. I enjoyed the special treatment.
I showered, had dinner, and talked on the phone with some friends. I started mapping out the next few days. Tomorrow, I would like to make it to La Crosse, WI, an aggressive 120 miles. Then, Madison, WI (where I lived for a year), Hoffman Estates, Il (to see Shri), Westmont, Il (to see Melissa), Culver, IN (where I spent 5 summers growing up), then into Ohio to see my parents.
I can see an end to the Dark Period.
Biking, Day 22: August 7, 2009
Day 22: Tracy, MN to New Ulm, MN
Distance: 65 miles
Route: 14East
Lodging: Microtel Inn and Suites, $59, Free breakfast, actually a hotel, not a motel, nice for a change
I have met a lot of interesting people on this trip. One group of people who I've met are railroaders. These are typically guys in their 40s who work on the railroad in a bunch of different capacities - fixing track, being an engineer, conductor, etc. They travel away from their families and stay at the same types of random motels in the middle of nowhere. They are friendly and macho - there's something I appreciate about a man whose hands are rough from hard labor. There aren't many guys like that on the east coast.
I woke up this morning and went to get my coffee and met a few more railroaders. It was rainy out and I was trying to figure out how far I would go and trying to determine whether the weather would cooperate with me. These guys were from South Dakota, staying in Tracy, MN because of their work on the railroad. One was a conductor and I told him to always wave and toot his horn at bikers. They were impressed with my bike ride, though they conceded that they preferred to travel by pickup truck.
I'm going to be honest - today was hell. I wanted to make it to Mankato, MN - about 100 miles - but I failed miserably. There were storms, 20MPH headwind, driving rain. I could barely break 10MPH. I hit each city and thought about staying, then pushed a little farther. First in Lamberton, MN, then in Springfield, then in Sleepy Eye, MN. I wanted to stay in Sleepy Eye solely for the name, but was convinced by a guy to push 15 more miles to New Ulm.
I got to New Ulm and it was cute. There was also a Walgreens. I stopped. It has been like 10 days since I've seen a modern drug store. I got shampoo because, well, I've washed my hair with bar soap for 5 days. That's gross, I know. I also decided it might be time for some leg-shaving. Indeed, I'm moving into more populated areas and it's time to stop being a mountain woman.
I passed the motel I had booked but it looked like it had been the site of several violent and non-violent crimes, so I decided to splurge on the Microtel down the road. I checked in and was exhausted. I took a bath, and was too tired to go out to get dinner. I ate some of my snacks and went to bed at like 9PM. Bed at 9PM on a Friday. Awesome.
My body is breaking down a bit and I may need a day off. Tomorrow I will either stay, go to Mankato, 30 miles away, or continue to push and go to Rochester, 110 miles.
Distance: 65 miles
Route: 14East
Lodging: Microtel Inn and Suites, $59, Free breakfast, actually a hotel, not a motel, nice for a change
I have met a lot of interesting people on this trip. One group of people who I've met are railroaders. These are typically guys in their 40s who work on the railroad in a bunch of different capacities - fixing track, being an engineer, conductor, etc. They travel away from their families and stay at the same types of random motels in the middle of nowhere. They are friendly and macho - there's something I appreciate about a man whose hands are rough from hard labor. There aren't many guys like that on the east coast.
I woke up this morning and went to get my coffee and met a few more railroaders. It was rainy out and I was trying to figure out how far I would go and trying to determine whether the weather would cooperate with me. These guys were from South Dakota, staying in Tracy, MN because of their work on the railroad. One was a conductor and I told him to always wave and toot his horn at bikers. They were impressed with my bike ride, though they conceded that they preferred to travel by pickup truck.
I'm going to be honest - today was hell. I wanted to make it to Mankato, MN - about 100 miles - but I failed miserably. There were storms, 20MPH headwind, driving rain. I could barely break 10MPH. I hit each city and thought about staying, then pushed a little farther. First in Lamberton, MN, then in Springfield, then in Sleepy Eye, MN. I wanted to stay in Sleepy Eye solely for the name, but was convinced by a guy to push 15 more miles to New Ulm.
I got to New Ulm and it was cute. There was also a Walgreens. I stopped. It has been like 10 days since I've seen a modern drug store. I got shampoo because, well, I've washed my hair with bar soap for 5 days. That's gross, I know. I also decided it might be time for some leg-shaving. Indeed, I'm moving into more populated areas and it's time to stop being a mountain woman.
I passed the motel I had booked but it looked like it had been the site of several violent and non-violent crimes, so I decided to splurge on the Microtel down the road. I checked in and was exhausted. I took a bath, and was too tired to go out to get dinner. I ate some of my snacks and went to bed at like 9PM. Bed at 9PM on a Friday. Awesome.
My body is breaking down a bit and I may need a day off. Tomorrow I will either stay, go to Mankato, 30 miles away, or continue to push and go to Rochester, 110 miles.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Biking, Day 21: August 6, 2009
Day 21: De Smet, SD to Tracy, MN
Distance: 100 Miles (vast majority on the bike)
Route: 14East
Lodging: Wilder Inn, $42.89, Cute family-run place with internet and laundry (score!), and an amazing sign that boasts 'New!' and "(very nice)"
Today's a big day. I get to stop in the Sioux River Bicycles and Fitness store in Brookings to have my bike checked out. I haven't stopped at a bike stop in about 1500 miles, since I went to Fitness Fanatics in Spokane. My back tire is almost worn through, so this little visit is definitely necessary. I have heard good things about the Sioux River Bike store since Midland, SD where they advised I go through Pierre without stopping at the Pedal and Paddle store there and wait until I hit Brookings, SD.
I left De Smet, SD around 8-8:30am, which seems to be protocol these days. As I've moved into different time zones, I haven't fully adjusted. I used to start around 6:30am back in the Pacific Time Zone, but now I'm starting around 8:30. Also, weather has been questionable the past few days, which has given me pause before I start.
I immediately hit construction as I left DeSmet. For the first time the entire trip, I was told that I shouldn't ride through. Instead, I tossed my bike in the back of the 'Pilot car' and got a ride the 1.5 miles through construction. The kid who drove me through was super nice - from Brookings, curious about my ride, just a really nice and friendly person.
I got out and continued my ride. I hit a few more spots of construction, but rode through on my own. I hit Arlington, 20 miles out, and had some coffee. 20 more miles and I would hit Brookings.
I got to Brookings around 12:15 and went right to the bike store on Main Street. I entered, introduced myself to the guy behind the counter, Robb and told him I wanted a tune up, a back tire, and anything else necessary. Robb, the owner, stepped up and started checking out my bike.
Robb started telling me about the bike store. He bought the place in 1977. His business, like many small businesses, is struggling. He revamped the store a few years ago and the loan payments are making it hard for him. For the record, the store is beautiful. It's large and has tons of bikes, bike parts, accessories, etc. This was great for me, because I had options on tires, chains, and anything else I wanted, but I was probably a pretty rare case.
I let it slip that I just got my MBA and Robb got out his files and business plan. A relative had been looking through his finances and I agreed to give it a look, too. The problem seems to be inventory and working capital - Robb likes to have the best, newest, most awesome bikes in stock, but the market he's in (Brookings, SD, college town, not many super serious bikers) doesn't really demand it. And worse, the Walmart and Dunham's sports have started cutting into his business. We talked about a couple of ideas and I asked Robb to send me the more detailed files.
The Sioux River Bicycle and Fitness store is a classic case of a small business started by someone who was passionate about something, in Robb's case, biking. Our country used to have tons of small businesses that made enough money to sustain the owners, and employ a few others. Most small businesses aren't looking to make millions and millions of dollars, they're looking to make a living. But with businesses that compete that ARE trying to make millions, their ability to get huge volume discounts, secure low interest loans, and carry more inventory have made it hard for small businesses to achieve their less lofty goals.
Robb's case, and many others, I hope to learn more about and help this fall on the Senate Committee.
Sorry for the rant. Back to the ride. Robb and I had been chatting so much that my bike repairs took longer than expected. There was a storm coming and I wanted to make it at least 30 more miles. Robb finished up with my tire, chain, and getting it tuned up and I got ready to hit the road again. Robb was awesome and gave me a great deal. I hope that things work out for Robb - his new ideas on selling to students, the grant that is supposed to be spent on bike lanes in Brookings, and hopefully a better interest loan.
I rode fast to the next town 30 miles away - Lake Benton, the first little town in Minnesota. Goodbye, South Dakota, it's been a lovely 4 days. I had researched a motel there, but couldn't find it and couldn't get cell service. This is getting to be common. I got a drink at the gas station in town and decided to just go the 9 more miles to Tyler.
I got to Tyler and saw my motel options. I wasn't impressed, but the storm had arrived and it was almost 6pm. While I was getting a coffee at the gas station, a kid I met back in Robb's bike store in Brookings came in. He had an awesome lime racing bike - we had both been checking out each others' bikes. He asked to take a picture of me. I agreed, then asked where he was going. He agreed to take me a few miles down the road to the next town so I didn't have to stay in Tyler.
Hunter, a 20 year old student and the University of SD, was pretty awesome. We talked about biking, graphic design (his major), and business. I appreciated the ride, the weather sucked, and so did Tyler, MN.
I got to my motel - the Wilder Inn in Tracy, MN and Hunter and I said our farewells. I checked into my motel, which was actually quite nice. I did laundry. It was awesome.
I planned my next day, hopefully, I would make it to Mankato, MN, depending on weather.
Distance: 100 Miles (vast majority on the bike)
Route: 14East
Lodging: Wilder Inn, $42.89, Cute family-run place with internet and laundry (score!), and an amazing sign that boasts 'New!' and "(very nice)"
Today's a big day. I get to stop in the Sioux River Bicycles and Fitness store in Brookings to have my bike checked out. I haven't stopped at a bike stop in about 1500 miles, since I went to Fitness Fanatics in Spokane. My back tire is almost worn through, so this little visit is definitely necessary. I have heard good things about the Sioux River Bike store since Midland, SD where they advised I go through Pierre without stopping at the Pedal and Paddle store there and wait until I hit Brookings, SD.
I left De Smet, SD around 8-8:30am, which seems to be protocol these days. As I've moved into different time zones, I haven't fully adjusted. I used to start around 6:30am back in the Pacific Time Zone, but now I'm starting around 8:30. Also, weather has been questionable the past few days, which has given me pause before I start.
I immediately hit construction as I left DeSmet. For the first time the entire trip, I was told that I shouldn't ride through. Instead, I tossed my bike in the back of the 'Pilot car' and got a ride the 1.5 miles through construction. The kid who drove me through was super nice - from Brookings, curious about my ride, just a really nice and friendly person.
I got out and continued my ride. I hit a few more spots of construction, but rode through on my own. I hit Arlington, 20 miles out, and had some coffee. 20 more miles and I would hit Brookings.
I got to Brookings around 12:15 and went right to the bike store on Main Street. I entered, introduced myself to the guy behind the counter, Robb and told him I wanted a tune up, a back tire, and anything else necessary. Robb, the owner, stepped up and started checking out my bike.
Robb started telling me about the bike store. He bought the place in 1977. His business, like many small businesses, is struggling. He revamped the store a few years ago and the loan payments are making it hard for him. For the record, the store is beautiful. It's large and has tons of bikes, bike parts, accessories, etc. This was great for me, because I had options on tires, chains, and anything else I wanted, but I was probably a pretty rare case.
I let it slip that I just got my MBA and Robb got out his files and business plan. A relative had been looking through his finances and I agreed to give it a look, too. The problem seems to be inventory and working capital - Robb likes to have the best, newest, most awesome bikes in stock, but the market he's in (Brookings, SD, college town, not many super serious bikers) doesn't really demand it. And worse, the Walmart and Dunham's sports have started cutting into his business. We talked about a couple of ideas and I asked Robb to send me the more detailed files.
The Sioux River Bicycle and Fitness store is a classic case of a small business started by someone who was passionate about something, in Robb's case, biking. Our country used to have tons of small businesses that made enough money to sustain the owners, and employ a few others. Most small businesses aren't looking to make millions and millions of dollars, they're looking to make a living. But with businesses that compete that ARE trying to make millions, their ability to get huge volume discounts, secure low interest loans, and carry more inventory have made it hard for small businesses to achieve their less lofty goals.
Robb's case, and many others, I hope to learn more about and help this fall on the Senate Committee.
Sorry for the rant. Back to the ride. Robb and I had been chatting so much that my bike repairs took longer than expected. There was a storm coming and I wanted to make it at least 30 more miles. Robb finished up with my tire, chain, and getting it tuned up and I got ready to hit the road again. Robb was awesome and gave me a great deal. I hope that things work out for Robb - his new ideas on selling to students, the grant that is supposed to be spent on bike lanes in Brookings, and hopefully a better interest loan.
I rode fast to the next town 30 miles away - Lake Benton, the first little town in Minnesota. Goodbye, South Dakota, it's been a lovely 4 days. I had researched a motel there, but couldn't find it and couldn't get cell service. This is getting to be common. I got a drink at the gas station in town and decided to just go the 9 more miles to Tyler.
I got to Tyler and saw my motel options. I wasn't impressed, but the storm had arrived and it was almost 6pm. While I was getting a coffee at the gas station, a kid I met back in Robb's bike store in Brookings came in. He had an awesome lime racing bike - we had both been checking out each others' bikes. He asked to take a picture of me. I agreed, then asked where he was going. He agreed to take me a few miles down the road to the next town so I didn't have to stay in Tyler.
Hunter, a 20 year old student and the University of SD, was pretty awesome. We talked about biking, graphic design (his major), and business. I appreciated the ride, the weather sucked, and so did Tyler, MN.
I got to my motel - the Wilder Inn in Tracy, MN and Hunter and I said our farewells. I checked into my motel, which was actually quite nice. I did laundry. It was awesome.
I planned my next day, hopefully, I would make it to Mankato, MN, depending on weather.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Biking, Day 20: August 5, 2009
Day 20: Highmore, SD to De Smet, SD
Distance: 100 miles
Route: 14East
Lodging: Cottage Inn, $40, lovely motel
Laura Ingalls Wilder. She wrote about her adult life living in De Smet, SD in the Little House on the Prairie books. I was never a big reader of these books, but De Smet present day is just lovely.. There is an adorable downtown area, gorgeous fields, and a ridiculous amount of references to Laura Ingalls Wilder and tours including any part of the town that may have been touched by her. According to my motel owner, 60,000 people pass though De Smet in the summer to tour all of the Little House on the Prairie memorabilia. Tourism is amazing.
I woke up this morning in Highmore, SD. I was tired. I got some coffee and breakfast and bummed around my motel room for a bit. I watched the news, and watched the story of the two news women who were held in North Korea and then rescued by President Clinton. I can't imagine something like that - the fear, uncertainty, being without my family. A similar story, about the three hikers that accidentally crossed the Iranian border, is a reminder that our government really isn't so bad.
I hit the road around 8:30am. The wind was a headwind again, which was making the ride slower than I wanted. I decided to take a lot of breaks during the day to make it easier. My first stop was Miller. I got coffee and remembered it was Beth's birthday (her last name is Miller). I forged on. It was getting hot, but the South Dakota scenery was gorgeous. A lot of people don't like farms and flat lands, but I do. South Dakota has a lot of corn and soybeans.
Next, I stopped in Wessington. I love these small towns. I remember one sign: "Friendly town with room to grow". I got a drink and a snack in Wessington. The other thing that I love about these towns is that I don't lock my bike every time. Sometimes I lock my bike up, but when I feel safe, I just leave it. People leave their cars running when they go into convenience stores (C-Stores, in SD terminology).
Next, I went into Huron, SD, which was probably the biggest city I have hit in SD since Rapid City. I thought about stopping for the day. But, to be honest, Huron wasn't that great. Maybe I just hit the outside part and not the charming center city, but Huron, known for having the largest Pheasant, was not as alluring as I had hoped. I decided to push on 30 more miles to De Smet, of Little House on the Prairie fame.
I hit about 10 miles to De Smet and I was officially on the Laura Ingalls Wilder historic highway. The scenery around De Smet was beautiful. Finally, I pulled into De Smet. I went down into town to get some dinner before I checked into my motel - the Cottage Inn. I knew I was too tired to go out after I had checked in.
I got dinner and checked in to the Cottage inn, which advertises on its road sign - "Service with Style and a Smile" and welcomed Laura fans. I talked with the woman for a while. She told me about all of the places to see in SD - Watertown, the Laura Ingalls Wilder tour, and that SD has more natural lakes than any other state. We talked about the midwest, and she said she could tell I wasn't from the east coast because i actually talked to her. She gave me a room that she gives to her friend when her friend arrives, and only charged me $40, not the $50 her husband had quoted me on the phone. Pays to be nice, literally. She was wonderful.
I went to my room and planned the next day - weather could be an issue. I plan to stop in Brookings at the bike store there because I'm almost worn through my back tire, then I can go to Lake Benton, the first city in MN, Tyler, or Tracy, MN depending on the weather.
Distance: 100 miles
Route: 14East
Lodging: Cottage Inn, $40, lovely motel
Laura Ingalls Wilder. She wrote about her adult life living in De Smet, SD in the Little House on the Prairie books. I was never a big reader of these books, but De Smet present day is just lovely.. There is an adorable downtown area, gorgeous fields, and a ridiculous amount of references to Laura Ingalls Wilder and tours including any part of the town that may have been touched by her. According to my motel owner, 60,000 people pass though De Smet in the summer to tour all of the Little House on the Prairie memorabilia. Tourism is amazing.
I woke up this morning in Highmore, SD. I was tired. I got some coffee and breakfast and bummed around my motel room for a bit. I watched the news, and watched the story of the two news women who were held in North Korea and then rescued by President Clinton. I can't imagine something like that - the fear, uncertainty, being without my family. A similar story, about the three hikers that accidentally crossed the Iranian border, is a reminder that our government really isn't so bad.
I hit the road around 8:30am. The wind was a headwind again, which was making the ride slower than I wanted. I decided to take a lot of breaks during the day to make it easier. My first stop was Miller. I got coffee and remembered it was Beth's birthday (her last name is Miller). I forged on. It was getting hot, but the South Dakota scenery was gorgeous. A lot of people don't like farms and flat lands, but I do. South Dakota has a lot of corn and soybeans.
Next, I stopped in Wessington. I love these small towns. I remember one sign: "Friendly town with room to grow". I got a drink and a snack in Wessington. The other thing that I love about these towns is that I don't lock my bike every time. Sometimes I lock my bike up, but when I feel safe, I just leave it. People leave their cars running when they go into convenience stores (C-Stores, in SD terminology).
Next, I went into Huron, SD, which was probably the biggest city I have hit in SD since Rapid City. I thought about stopping for the day. But, to be honest, Huron wasn't that great. Maybe I just hit the outside part and not the charming center city, but Huron, known for having the largest Pheasant, was not as alluring as I had hoped. I decided to push on 30 more miles to De Smet, of Little House on the Prairie fame.
I hit about 10 miles to De Smet and I was officially on the Laura Ingalls Wilder historic highway. The scenery around De Smet was beautiful. Finally, I pulled into De Smet. I went down into town to get some dinner before I checked into my motel - the Cottage Inn. I knew I was too tired to go out after I had checked in.
I got dinner and checked in to the Cottage inn, which advertises on its road sign - "Service with Style and a Smile" and welcomed Laura fans. I talked with the woman for a while. She told me about all of the places to see in SD - Watertown, the Laura Ingalls Wilder tour, and that SD has more natural lakes than any other state. We talked about the midwest, and she said she could tell I wasn't from the east coast because i actually talked to her. She gave me a room that she gives to her friend when her friend arrives, and only charged me $40, not the $50 her husband had quoted me on the phone. Pays to be nice, literally. She was wonderful.
I went to my room and planned the next day - weather could be an issue. I plan to stop in Brookings at the bike store there because I'm almost worn through my back tire, then I can go to Lake Benton, the first city in MN, Tyler, or Tracy, MN depending on the weather.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Biking, Day 19: August 4, 2009
Day 19: Midland, SD to Highmore, SD
Distance: 112 miles
Route: 14E
Lodging: Prairie View Motel, $36
There is something that just doesn't get old - having a train conductor wave at you, waving back, and having him toot the horn. There's a sense of friendliness on the road in the West, and so far, the Midwest that reminds me that people are good intentioned and friendly. Truckers wave, motorcycle riders throw peace signs, people are just friendly. I forget that on the east coast a lot - people are not as friendly, and I think I've become that way. Taking an extra minute to wave, or to stop, or to engage someone is worth it.
I started today in Midland. My ride was long - 110-115 miles and I was losing an hour due to the time change. There wasn't much between Midland and the next big city - Pierre, the state capitol. And by not much, I mean nothing. Not a convenient store. Not a restaurant. Not a bathroom. 62 miles. Nothing.
The wind was in my face today. About 8-10MPH winds. They were slowing me down, which was annoying because I had so far to go. About 30 miles in, I hit construction. The road would be fine, then the pavement would go. All in all, it took me almost six hours to make it the 62 miles to Pierre. That's too long.
I got to Pierre and wasn't that impressed. The city had some pretty elements - the river, bridge, capitol building, etc, but also some not-so-pretty elements, like the rude people honking at me. I got a drink at a gas station and got into a conversation with the woman who worked there. Her husband's name is Corbin!!!
I forged on. The wind was less intense the rest of the ride. I hit Blunt, SD and took another break, then kept going.
Finally, I made it to Highmore. Highmore consists of two motels, two gas stations, and two convenience stores. God bless competition. Oh yes, and a Frosty Freez, where it was overpriced (no competition) and where I got my dinner. I have been desperate for a vegetable, any vegetable, so I ordered a taco salad, without meat. The pimple-faced boy laughed at me, but said he could make it without meat. He still charged me the $5.75 for what ended up being a bowl of shredded lettuce and a few tomatoes. Oh well. I also got tator tots and a blizzard. There, I said it.
As an aside, I haven't had a sip of alcohol in almost 4 weeks. That's a long time. I'm starting to miss people - like, human touch. sure, I meet lots of people, but it's surface conversations. My body is also hurting. Not horribly, but just tired. I can't seem to eat enough. I'm not losing a ton of weight or anything, I'm just having a hard time keeping fueled up. I should take a day off, but I keep thinking I will run into bad weather and then be forced to take a day off. It's hard to take a day off when it's gorgeous out.
Tomorrow the weather looks touch and go, so i will decide in the AM how far I want to go.
Distance: 112 miles
Route: 14E
Lodging: Prairie View Motel, $36
There is something that just doesn't get old - having a train conductor wave at you, waving back, and having him toot the horn. There's a sense of friendliness on the road in the West, and so far, the Midwest that reminds me that people are good intentioned and friendly. Truckers wave, motorcycle riders throw peace signs, people are just friendly. I forget that on the east coast a lot - people are not as friendly, and I think I've become that way. Taking an extra minute to wave, or to stop, or to engage someone is worth it.
I started today in Midland. My ride was long - 110-115 miles and I was losing an hour due to the time change. There wasn't much between Midland and the next big city - Pierre, the state capitol. And by not much, I mean nothing. Not a convenient store. Not a restaurant. Not a bathroom. 62 miles. Nothing.
The wind was in my face today. About 8-10MPH winds. They were slowing me down, which was annoying because I had so far to go. About 30 miles in, I hit construction. The road would be fine, then the pavement would go. All in all, it took me almost six hours to make it the 62 miles to Pierre. That's too long.
I got to Pierre and wasn't that impressed. The city had some pretty elements - the river, bridge, capitol building, etc, but also some not-so-pretty elements, like the rude people honking at me. I got a drink at a gas station and got into a conversation with the woman who worked there. Her husband's name is Corbin!!!
I forged on. The wind was less intense the rest of the ride. I hit Blunt, SD and took another break, then kept going.
Finally, I made it to Highmore. Highmore consists of two motels, two gas stations, and two convenience stores. God bless competition. Oh yes, and a Frosty Freez, where it was overpriced (no competition) and where I got my dinner. I have been desperate for a vegetable, any vegetable, so I ordered a taco salad, without meat. The pimple-faced boy laughed at me, but said he could make it without meat. He still charged me the $5.75 for what ended up being a bowl of shredded lettuce and a few tomatoes. Oh well. I also got tator tots and a blizzard. There, I said it.
As an aside, I haven't had a sip of alcohol in almost 4 weeks. That's a long time. I'm starting to miss people - like, human touch. sure, I meet lots of people, but it's surface conversations. My body is also hurting. Not horribly, but just tired. I can't seem to eat enough. I'm not losing a ton of weight or anything, I'm just having a hard time keeping fueled up. I should take a day off, but I keep thinking I will run into bad weather and then be forced to take a day off. It's hard to take a day off when it's gorgeous out.
Tomorrow the weather looks touch and go, so i will decide in the AM how far I want to go.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Biking, Day 18: August 3, 2009
Day 18: Wasta, SD to Midland, SD
Distance: 75 miles
Route: I-90E, exit at WALL DRUG, spend 2.5 hours being completely smitten and in awe at the kitch for sale while being fueled by 5 cent coffee, I-90E to Route 14E to Midland, SD
Lodging: Stroppel Inn, Midland, SD, $26, shared bathroom, use of 'spa' which was an interesting mineral bath thing. Basically, the Inn was a house, the owners were super nice.
I started the day by leaving the super crappy motel I was in in Wasta and hopping on I-90 for the 13 mile ride to Wall Drug. I was really excited to go to Wall Drug. I know this makes me a gullible fool affected by overzealous advertising. This may be true. However, additionally, Wall Drug has always been a mystery to me. My running coach in college, Mark Young, had a bumper sticker on his car that said 'Wall Drug'. Everyone on the team was always wondering WTF Wall Drug was, including me. So there's that. Plus, Wall Drug literally advertises hundreds of miles out. It preys entirely on tourists, but it has somehow worked. I mean, it's a fantastic case in Marketing. This tourist trap and roadside store managed to survive through the great depression.
The story is actually an interesting one. The founder started a drug store in Wall,SD, which was a small town. Business was slow. Finally, his wife suggested they offer 'free ice water'. They put up signs, and people traveling through the hot prairie stopped for the water.
So, I rode on I-90 and got off at Wall, SD. Wall Drug was hilarious. It looked and felt like Disney World – fake people, overpriced souveniers, photo booths, dinosaurs, and lots of kitch. I loved it. First, I wanted to score myself a cup of the 5 cent coffee that Wall Drug had been advertising on the highway. Scratch that, 6 cups. Lovely.
I basically just walked around Wall Drug trying to find gifts for friends and just taking it all in. I was inspired to buy spurs for my cowboy boots, a button down shirt with snaps, a big belt buckle, and stickers from different states. I did not buy any of it, though. I did buy a few things, which shall remain nameless.
I spent 2.5 hours at Wall Drug. I'm not sure exactly what I did. I drank a lot of coffee, I talked to a lot of bikers, I took a few pictures. I was awe-struck. There, I said it.
I decided to go to Midland, SD, a total of 75 miles instead of pushing it to Pierre, SD, which would have been 136. My time at Wall Drug would have made Pierre really hard to pull off. Plus, it was hot.
I took off and rode quickly on I-90 and then on 14E. I will be riding on Route 14 until I hit Madison,WI. It's a nice road – single lane, decent brim, minimal traffic.
I passed through some small towns, but there wasn't really much going on. Cottonwood, with a population of 12, for example. Finally, I hit Midland. Also quite small. I followed my directions to my motel – the Stroppel Inn and Spa.
The Stroppel Inn and Spa looks like a house. There are a few rooms and two spa baths. They have constant hot running water in an enclosed room. I have never been to a spa like this. I went in the spa, but It's like a big cement pit filled with really hot water. There's nothing like this on the east coast. I'm unclear of whether it is sanitary. I seem fine so far.
My room was like a room at my grandma's house. I used a bathroom in the hall. I had a TV. I had internet. I paid $26.
I planned my next day – I would ride through Pierre, the state capitol, to Highmore, SD.
Distance: 75 miles
Route: I-90E, exit at WALL DRUG, spend 2.5 hours being completely smitten and in awe at the kitch for sale while being fueled by 5 cent coffee, I-90E to Route 14E to Midland, SD
Lodging: Stroppel Inn, Midland, SD, $26, shared bathroom, use of 'spa' which was an interesting mineral bath thing. Basically, the Inn was a house, the owners were super nice.
I started the day by leaving the super crappy motel I was in in Wasta and hopping on I-90 for the 13 mile ride to Wall Drug. I was really excited to go to Wall Drug. I know this makes me a gullible fool affected by overzealous advertising. This may be true. However, additionally, Wall Drug has always been a mystery to me. My running coach in college, Mark Young, had a bumper sticker on his car that said 'Wall Drug'. Everyone on the team was always wondering WTF Wall Drug was, including me. So there's that. Plus, Wall Drug literally advertises hundreds of miles out. It preys entirely on tourists, but it has somehow worked. I mean, it's a fantastic case in Marketing. This tourist trap and roadside store managed to survive through the great depression.
The story is actually an interesting one. The founder started a drug store in Wall,SD, which was a small town. Business was slow. Finally, his wife suggested they offer 'free ice water'. They put up signs, and people traveling through the hot prairie stopped for the water.
So, I rode on I-90 and got off at Wall, SD. Wall Drug was hilarious. It looked and felt like Disney World – fake people, overpriced souveniers, photo booths, dinosaurs, and lots of kitch. I loved it. First, I wanted to score myself a cup of the 5 cent coffee that Wall Drug had been advertising on the highway. Scratch that, 6 cups. Lovely.
I basically just walked around Wall Drug trying to find gifts for friends and just taking it all in. I was inspired to buy spurs for my cowboy boots, a button down shirt with snaps, a big belt buckle, and stickers from different states. I did not buy any of it, though. I did buy a few things, which shall remain nameless.
I spent 2.5 hours at Wall Drug. I'm not sure exactly what I did. I drank a lot of coffee, I talked to a lot of bikers, I took a few pictures. I was awe-struck. There, I said it.
I decided to go to Midland, SD, a total of 75 miles instead of pushing it to Pierre, SD, which would have been 136. My time at Wall Drug would have made Pierre really hard to pull off. Plus, it was hot.
I took off and rode quickly on I-90 and then on 14E. I will be riding on Route 14 until I hit Madison,WI. It's a nice road – single lane, decent brim, minimal traffic.
I passed through some small towns, but there wasn't really much going on. Cottonwood, with a population of 12, for example. Finally, I hit Midland. Also quite small. I followed my directions to my motel – the Stroppel Inn and Spa.
The Stroppel Inn and Spa looks like a house. There are a few rooms and two spa baths. They have constant hot running water in an enclosed room. I have never been to a spa like this. I went in the spa, but It's like a big cement pit filled with really hot water. There's nothing like this on the east coast. I'm unclear of whether it is sanitary. I seem fine so far.
My room was like a room at my grandma's house. I used a bathroom in the hall. I had a TV. I had internet. I paid $26.
I planned my next day – I would ride through Pierre, the state capitol, to Highmore, SD.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Biking, Day 17: August 2, 2009
Day 17: Newcastle, WY to Wasta, SD
Distance: 130 miles
Route: 16East to I-90E to Old highway 1416 to the dead end of Old highway 1416 3 miles before Wasta to I-90 to exit 98 - Wasta, SD
Lodging: Red Motel, $98 total rip-off, preying on the bike rally
I woke up today knowing I had a long ride in front of me. The bike rally made it impossible to get lodging in any of the bigger cities - Rapid City, even New Underwood. So, I was booked at a total crappy motel in Wasta, SD for probably about three times what they normally charge.
I headed out on Route 16 out of Newcastle. It was a beautiful morning. The ride was slow for some reason. I knew my first big stop would be Custer, SD, about 40 miles. I just wasn't feeling very fast. I hit a lot of hills, too. I thought SD was going to be flat, but alas, I hit the Black Hills and it was, well, hilly. One of the first big hills I hit was too steep for my bike to climb, so I walked. I went in and out of the valleys of the Black Hills. A lot of bikers passed me, which made sense since they had totally taken over the region.
I finally came out of the Black Hills and hit a long downhill into Custer. Custer was filled with bikers from the Sturgis Bike Rally. I got a coffee and rested for a bit.
When I started up again, I saw that I had 20 miles to Rushmore and 40 miles to Rapid City. Riding out of Custer was all up-hill until I hit Crazy Horse. I decided not to go check out Crazy Horse since my ride was so long for the day. I forged on.
I got to the intersection for Rushmore and started the hilly ride to the monument. On the way, I was passed by *tons* of bikers. Like, a ton. A lot. So loud. After about 8 miles I pulled off where I saw about 100 motorcycle riders pulled off. You could see part of the monument. I took a picture of the monument, and the riders. They were taking pictures of me. hmph.
Finally, I got to the front of Rushmore. It's amazing. I almost didnt come to see it, but I'm so glad I did. It's truly magnificent. I took a few pictures and headed out.
When I got to the bottom of the hill I was greeted by Keystone, SD. keystone is basically a city that survives on tourism brought in by Rushmore. There are fake 'western' little cities, lots of bars, fudge shops, etc. It is the epitome of a tourist trap. It's actually a little like the fake cities at Disney World. And today, it was filled with bikers, which isn't very Disney-like.
They were drinking, hanging out, and then getting on their motorcycles to ride in the 20 MPH cross winds next to me on the highway. Awesome!
I rode out of Keystone up a huge hill on 16A and connected with 16. The cross winds were pretty intense, but I was thankful they weren't headwinds. 20 miles in, I hit Rapid City.
I got a drink at Rapid City and sat outside. A woman came up and started asking me about my ride. She told me how awesome I was and asked me my name so she could watch for me on the news. Ha. she also offered to let me stay at her house, which was very nice. The people who I have met in the Western US have been super nice. I thanked her, but said I had a motel in Wasta.
I got back on 16 and my directions told me I had to get on I-90 briefly to switch off to old highway 1416, which would take me into Wasta. The ride on I-90 was more like 8 miles. An unpleasant 8 miles. Lots of motorcycles whizzing past (probably just a post-beer cruise), trucks, etc. I hit the exit and got on Old Highway 1416 which *was* the highway before the advent of interstates. It was a decent road, rolling hills, through farm country.
It was *hot*. I couldn't drink enough water. After about 20 miles I hit New Underwood. I stopped for a cold beverage. I sat outside and made small talk with the motorcycle riders. one was bitching about how hard it was to ride with headwind and cross wind. i demasculinized him by suggesting that maybe it was harder to pedal through the wind and actually use your muscles. he concurred.
I checked and saw I had about 20 more miles to go. It was about 530. I started riding. I rode down Old highway 1416 and was making good time. With about 5 miles left, I hit an intersection and there was a sign that said 'no outlet'. I rechecked my directions and they said I was supposed to take Old highway 1416 the entire way, so i continued.
The road was starting to get more rough - like almost gravel. About 2 miles in, 3 from the motel according to the directions, a motorcycle came up beside me. I took off my headphones and stopped. The guy told me that the road ended in about a mile. I told him where I wanted to go and he said I had to get on I-90. I was pissed. I thought I was almost done! The mental affects of setbacks like this are hard to describe. After a long day, I just want to get there. To make things worse, it was another 9 miles when I hit 90 because the Old Highway route that googlemaps had given me was more direct.
i backtracked to the intersection that warned me of the 'no outlet'. I turned toward I-90 and got on the highway.
I rode the 9 miles, which really weren't that bad because it was mostly downhill. Finally, I got to Wasta. I pulled off the highway and saw my super crappy motel. I decided to get some food before I checked in because I knew I would collapse upon entering my room.
I went to the only restaurant - Dixie something - and tried to order something. He informed me that they were *out of food*. Like, they sell food, but they RAN OUT. Who runs out of food? And it's not like this place was selling organic produce that goes bad. it was frozen stuff - chicken patties, burgers, etc. I pressed him on the 'running out of food' thing. He scrounged up 5 cheese sticks for me. Fine, that will do.
I took my five cheese sticks and checked into my super crappy motel. Outside was a couple, probably in their 60s, driving from Carmel, CA to VT. They refused to pay the rate the woman was charging. It was completely criminal what she was charging for her rooms, but as a newly-minted MBA I understand her opportunism. She has one week a year to completely rip people off and probably pay most of the year's mortgage. Wasta is totally off the beaten path, twelve miles from Wall, 38 to Rapid City. It had one restaurant which was known for its inability to property order food quantities and a gas station. I understood her blatant abuse of the bike rally.
I talked to the couple for a while - they were really into biking, their son works for Trek. Then I went to my motel room, showered, and got ready for bed and to wake up and go to Wall Drug. I have been seeing signs for Wall Drug for days now. And my running coach in college, Mark Young, had a Wall Drug sticker on his car. Clearly, I was excited. Plus, with 5 cent coffee, it was bound to be a good time.
Distance: 130 miles
Route: 16East to I-90E to Old highway 1416 to the dead end of Old highway 1416 3 miles before Wasta to I-90 to exit 98 - Wasta, SD
Lodging: Red Motel, $98 total rip-off, preying on the bike rally
I woke up today knowing I had a long ride in front of me. The bike rally made it impossible to get lodging in any of the bigger cities - Rapid City, even New Underwood. So, I was booked at a total crappy motel in Wasta, SD for probably about three times what they normally charge.
I headed out on Route 16 out of Newcastle. It was a beautiful morning. The ride was slow for some reason. I knew my first big stop would be Custer, SD, about 40 miles. I just wasn't feeling very fast. I hit a lot of hills, too. I thought SD was going to be flat, but alas, I hit the Black Hills and it was, well, hilly. One of the first big hills I hit was too steep for my bike to climb, so I walked. I went in and out of the valleys of the Black Hills. A lot of bikers passed me, which made sense since they had totally taken over the region.
I finally came out of the Black Hills and hit a long downhill into Custer. Custer was filled with bikers from the Sturgis Bike Rally. I got a coffee and rested for a bit.
When I started up again, I saw that I had 20 miles to Rushmore and 40 miles to Rapid City. Riding out of Custer was all up-hill until I hit Crazy Horse. I decided not to go check out Crazy Horse since my ride was so long for the day. I forged on.
I got to the intersection for Rushmore and started the hilly ride to the monument. On the way, I was passed by *tons* of bikers. Like, a ton. A lot. So loud. After about 8 miles I pulled off where I saw about 100 motorcycle riders pulled off. You could see part of the monument. I took a picture of the monument, and the riders. They were taking pictures of me. hmph.
Finally, I got to the front of Rushmore. It's amazing. I almost didnt come to see it, but I'm so glad I did. It's truly magnificent. I took a few pictures and headed out.
When I got to the bottom of the hill I was greeted by Keystone, SD. keystone is basically a city that survives on tourism brought in by Rushmore. There are fake 'western' little cities, lots of bars, fudge shops, etc. It is the epitome of a tourist trap. It's actually a little like the fake cities at Disney World. And today, it was filled with bikers, which isn't very Disney-like.
They were drinking, hanging out, and then getting on their motorcycles to ride in the 20 MPH cross winds next to me on the highway. Awesome!
I rode out of Keystone up a huge hill on 16A and connected with 16. The cross winds were pretty intense, but I was thankful they weren't headwinds. 20 miles in, I hit Rapid City.
I got a drink at Rapid City and sat outside. A woman came up and started asking me about my ride. She told me how awesome I was and asked me my name so she could watch for me on the news. Ha. she also offered to let me stay at her house, which was very nice. The people who I have met in the Western US have been super nice. I thanked her, but said I had a motel in Wasta.
I got back on 16 and my directions told me I had to get on I-90 briefly to switch off to old highway 1416, which would take me into Wasta. The ride on I-90 was more like 8 miles. An unpleasant 8 miles. Lots of motorcycles whizzing past (probably just a post-beer cruise), trucks, etc. I hit the exit and got on Old Highway 1416 which *was* the highway before the advent of interstates. It was a decent road, rolling hills, through farm country.
It was *hot*. I couldn't drink enough water. After about 20 miles I hit New Underwood. I stopped for a cold beverage. I sat outside and made small talk with the motorcycle riders. one was bitching about how hard it was to ride with headwind and cross wind. i demasculinized him by suggesting that maybe it was harder to pedal through the wind and actually use your muscles. he concurred.
I checked and saw I had about 20 more miles to go. It was about 530. I started riding. I rode down Old highway 1416 and was making good time. With about 5 miles left, I hit an intersection and there was a sign that said 'no outlet'. I rechecked my directions and they said I was supposed to take Old highway 1416 the entire way, so i continued.
The road was starting to get more rough - like almost gravel. About 2 miles in, 3 from the motel according to the directions, a motorcycle came up beside me. I took off my headphones and stopped. The guy told me that the road ended in about a mile. I told him where I wanted to go and he said I had to get on I-90. I was pissed. I thought I was almost done! The mental affects of setbacks like this are hard to describe. After a long day, I just want to get there. To make things worse, it was another 9 miles when I hit 90 because the Old Highway route that googlemaps had given me was more direct.
i backtracked to the intersection that warned me of the 'no outlet'. I turned toward I-90 and got on the highway.
I rode the 9 miles, which really weren't that bad because it was mostly downhill. Finally, I got to Wasta. I pulled off the highway and saw my super crappy motel. I decided to get some food before I checked in because I knew I would collapse upon entering my room.
I went to the only restaurant - Dixie something - and tried to order something. He informed me that they were *out of food*. Like, they sell food, but they RAN OUT. Who runs out of food? And it's not like this place was selling organic produce that goes bad. it was frozen stuff - chicken patties, burgers, etc. I pressed him on the 'running out of food' thing. He scrounged up 5 cheese sticks for me. Fine, that will do.
I took my five cheese sticks and checked into my super crappy motel. Outside was a couple, probably in their 60s, driving from Carmel, CA to VT. They refused to pay the rate the woman was charging. It was completely criminal what she was charging for her rooms, but as a newly-minted MBA I understand her opportunism. She has one week a year to completely rip people off and probably pay most of the year's mortgage. Wasta is totally off the beaten path, twelve miles from Wall, 38 to Rapid City. It had one restaurant which was known for its inability to property order food quantities and a gas station. I understood her blatant abuse of the bike rally.
I talked to the couple for a while - they were really into biking, their son works for Trek. Then I went to my motel room, showered, and got ready for bed and to wake up and go to Wall Drug. I have been seeing signs for Wall Drug for days now. And my running coach in college, Mark Young, had a Wall Drug sticker on his car. Clearly, I was excited. Plus, with 5 cent coffee, it was bound to be a good time.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Biking, Day 16: August 1, 2009
Day 16: Gillette, WY to Newcastle, WY
Distance: 77 miles
Route: 14/16E
Lodging: Roadside Motel, $36, and actually not too bad
I woke up around 730 or so and wasn't sure where I would head. I initially wanted to go to Custer, but everything was sold out there because of the Sturgis Bike Rally. I found a cheap motel in Newcastle and decided to book that.
The wind was behind me today and the ride was pretty uneventful. I rode at like 20-25MPH most of the time and got to my hotel around 230 after taking several breaks. It was a good ride - the road was right along I-90, and there were plenty of signs telling me how far I had to go and where I was going.
I stopped in Moorcroft for a coffee and snack and met a few bikers. They are starting to be everywhere now. Every city has signs that say 'Bikers Welcome',typically sponsored by a beer. The Sturgis Bike Rally starts on Monday in Sturgis and I'm not entirely sure what it entails, but bikers from across the country come. There are a lot of sponsors and vendors. I'm not sure if there's an actual rally.
Here's what the Sturgis Bike Rally means for me: for the past 4+ days there has been an exponential increase in the amount of motorcycles on the road. As I move into SD, hotels have become scarce and extremely expensive. I mentioned to one biker that they were making it hard for me to get hotels and he said oh yeah, if you didn't book anything yet, you're screwed. That has tended to be the mentality. People book a year in advance. And, call me lucky, but this is the 69th year of the rally. I got pretty lucky with my motel in Newcastle, considering all that I've learned about the rally. Sturgis is north of Newcastle, more near the top of the Black Hills. But the riders clear out hotels west, east, north, and south of the rally.
I will say that motorcycle riders are a friendly bunch and they always ask me 'how many miles you do a day?' When I say 100 they act impressed, which I like. They usually wave or throw a peace sign at me when they pass, as if I'm a brethren, two wheels and all. En masse, the engines are loud and jarring, but I enjoy chatting with them at gas stations. As I've gotten closer to the rally, there have been more interesting characters and costumes.
Newcastle is a cute little town. Small, not much to it. There's a refinery. There are two competing grocery stores next to one another. There's a coffee shop. A few motels. I primarily prepped for the next day, made use of the *free* wifi, as advertised on the white board outside the Roadside Motel (creativity not their strong suit).
Tomorrow I go through Custer, Rushmore, Rapid City, and end in Wasta, which was the only place I could get a motel.
Distance: 77 miles
Route: 14/16E
Lodging: Roadside Motel, $36, and actually not too bad
I woke up around 730 or so and wasn't sure where I would head. I initially wanted to go to Custer, but everything was sold out there because of the Sturgis Bike Rally. I found a cheap motel in Newcastle and decided to book that.
The wind was behind me today and the ride was pretty uneventful. I rode at like 20-25MPH most of the time and got to my hotel around 230 after taking several breaks. It was a good ride - the road was right along I-90, and there were plenty of signs telling me how far I had to go and where I was going.
I stopped in Moorcroft for a coffee and snack and met a few bikers. They are starting to be everywhere now. Every city has signs that say 'Bikers Welcome',typically sponsored by a beer. The Sturgis Bike Rally starts on Monday in Sturgis and I'm not entirely sure what it entails, but bikers from across the country come. There are a lot of sponsors and vendors. I'm not sure if there's an actual rally.
Here's what the Sturgis Bike Rally means for me: for the past 4+ days there has been an exponential increase in the amount of motorcycles on the road. As I move into SD, hotels have become scarce and extremely expensive. I mentioned to one biker that they were making it hard for me to get hotels and he said oh yeah, if you didn't book anything yet, you're screwed. That has tended to be the mentality. People book a year in advance. And, call me lucky, but this is the 69th year of the rally. I got pretty lucky with my motel in Newcastle, considering all that I've learned about the rally. Sturgis is north of Newcastle, more near the top of the Black Hills. But the riders clear out hotels west, east, north, and south of the rally.
I will say that motorcycle riders are a friendly bunch and they always ask me 'how many miles you do a day?' When I say 100 they act impressed, which I like. They usually wave or throw a peace sign at me when they pass, as if I'm a brethren, two wheels and all. En masse, the engines are loud and jarring, but I enjoy chatting with them at gas stations. As I've gotten closer to the rally, there have been more interesting characters and costumes.
Newcastle is a cute little town. Small, not much to it. There's a refinery. There are two competing grocery stores next to one another. There's a coffee shop. A few motels. I primarily prepped for the next day, made use of the *free* wifi, as advertised on the white board outside the Roadside Motel (creativity not their strong suit).
Tomorrow I go through Custer, Rushmore, Rapid City, and end in Wasta, which was the only place I could get a motel.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Biking, Day 15: July 31, 2009
Day 15: Sheridan, WY to Gillette, WY
Distance: 110 miles
Route: 14E, which is 30 miles more than taking 90E and has no discernible hotels/motelss along the way
Lodging: Motel 6, Gillette, WY, $69
I woke up today and it was cloudy out. I looked at the weather and it looked like rain and very heavy winds, but that it would come later on in the day where I was biking to and the wind looked like it would be coming to my side, sometimes behind me, but at least not headwind. I had really bad cramps when I woke up, but decided to forge on to Gillette. I knew there wasn't much on route 14E to Gillette, except a town or two where I could hopefully stop if the weather got bad.
I got a few things from my 'free' breakfast and hit the road. It was sunny, but cool out. I rode right through the center of Sheridan. Sheridan is actually totally cute. Center of town has cute little restauurants, and lots of western themed places to buy clothing and have a beer. As I routed out of town, I stopped by Walmart to get some lady-products and to try to get some mace to appease my mother. Walmart had an abundance of lady-products, but nothing to keep said lady safe (except guns and large knives).
I rode on and started down 14E. There were clouds around me and the wind was kicking up, but it looked like I was biking away from the storm. Also, the wind seemed to be helping me a bit, which was nice. The wind was fierce, though, and I had to be careful that it didnt knock me over. It was 30 miles to the first city on the map and I figured I would stop there.
As I hit that 'city' of Ucross, there was nothing. Like, nothing. Sometimes I don't understand why they tell you the mileage to some location 50 miles out and then you get there and there's nothing. It's such a tease.
I started riding to the next 'city', which my mother researched and promised had something – even, gasp, a motel. It was ten miles away according to the road signage. About 2 miles in, the wind started really stepping up. I almost got blown into the road ditch. About 3 miles in, it started raining. The wind was so intense it was raining sideways onto me. It was pretty crappy. And cold. The only thing good was the fact that I was listening to Rachel Maddow on my Ipod.
I kept going and looking for some sort of shelter. My speed was slow, I was incredibly uncomfortable. There weren't even trees to take shelter under.
It took me about 30 minutes to do the 5 miles to the next town. The library was closed. The post office was closed. The gas station that advertised ten miles out as a 'travel center', was open. It was a small mini mart and one gas pump.
I went in and got coffee and waited. I had no cell service, but I did have intense cramps. The weather was up and down. I wanted to stay in thhe city, but the rumor of a motel was a farce. There was nothing. And apparently nothing until my initial destination, so I had to be careful about whether I wanted to forge on. I could probably ask someone for a ride, but there weren't any people I trusted coming in.
I called my mom on the gas station phone and we discussed options. She looked up motels, there weren't any. She looked up weather. It looked promising, but weather in WY, MT, etc is constantly changing.
Finally, after about an hour and a half at the gas station, I decided to go for it. I didn't have many options.
The ride wasn't horrible. The wind was intense, but it wasn't headwind. The crosswinds were a little hard to manage, but otherwise, it wasn't bad. I actually was moving very quickly. I went through Leiter, which was another 'town' that didn't have anything. Then, 30 miles into it, I hit Spotted Horse.
Spotted Horse, WY has a populatinon of 2, as indicated on the sign when you enter the town. The town consists of a bar. Apparently the bar opens and closes randomly. It was open. Sitting outside were two guys with bikes. I went over and talked to them. They were also biking across the country! Starting in Cincinnati, they were ending in Seattle. They were camping along the way and looked very crunchy – dreads, lots of facial hair, etc. But they were cute – and brothers! I stopped and talked with them, then the bartender came out and said 'another crazy person!'. I ordered a diet coke and called my parents from the bar phone to alleviate their concerns about me.
I hung out there for a bit. A few motorcycle riders came through, too. They were going to the Sturgis Bike Rally – one of the biggest bike rallies in the country, located in Sturgis, SD and starting August 2. I just started feeling the effects of this rally – jacked up motel prices, sold out hotels, bikers passing me on the road non-stop. Figured that they were totally on my timeline.
Finally, after hanging out enough I rode off. My biker friends stayed – they had the wind as headwind and were frustrated by it. The one wanted to hitch hike, the other refused to 'cheat'. So they continued to sit at the Best. Bar. Ever. Seriously, the Standard in Spotted Horse, WY is awesome. It has everything. From really crass signs, make your own nachos (you push the button and the cheez comes out), to fried food, to cheap drinks, to pool. Amazing.
I made great time riding the 38 miles to Gillette. The wind was in my favor. I did the 38 miles in a little over 2 hours.
I checked into my motel 6 and ordered chinese food. I was tired. Exhausted. I tried to map out my ride for the next day, which was difficult with horrible internet and the Sturgis Bike Rally in my way.
Distance: 110 miles
Route: 14E, which is 30 miles more than taking 90E and has no discernible hotels/motelss along the way
Lodging: Motel 6, Gillette, WY, $69
I woke up today and it was cloudy out. I looked at the weather and it looked like rain and very heavy winds, but that it would come later on in the day where I was biking to and the wind looked like it would be coming to my side, sometimes behind me, but at least not headwind. I had really bad cramps when I woke up, but decided to forge on to Gillette. I knew there wasn't much on route 14E to Gillette, except a town or two where I could hopefully stop if the weather got bad.
I got a few things from my 'free' breakfast and hit the road. It was sunny, but cool out. I rode right through the center of Sheridan. Sheridan is actually totally cute. Center of town has cute little restauurants, and lots of western themed places to buy clothing and have a beer. As I routed out of town, I stopped by Walmart to get some lady-products and to try to get some mace to appease my mother. Walmart had an abundance of lady-products, but nothing to keep said lady safe (except guns and large knives).
I rode on and started down 14E. There were clouds around me and the wind was kicking up, but it looked like I was biking away from the storm. Also, the wind seemed to be helping me a bit, which was nice. The wind was fierce, though, and I had to be careful that it didnt knock me over. It was 30 miles to the first city on the map and I figured I would stop there.
As I hit that 'city' of Ucross, there was nothing. Like, nothing. Sometimes I don't understand why they tell you the mileage to some location 50 miles out and then you get there and there's nothing. It's such a tease.
I started riding to the next 'city', which my mother researched and promised had something – even, gasp, a motel. It was ten miles away according to the road signage. About 2 miles in, the wind started really stepping up. I almost got blown into the road ditch. About 3 miles in, it started raining. The wind was so intense it was raining sideways onto me. It was pretty crappy. And cold. The only thing good was the fact that I was listening to Rachel Maddow on my Ipod.
I kept going and looking for some sort of shelter. My speed was slow, I was incredibly uncomfortable. There weren't even trees to take shelter under.
It took me about 30 minutes to do the 5 miles to the next town. The library was closed. The post office was closed. The gas station that advertised ten miles out as a 'travel center', was open. It was a small mini mart and one gas pump.
I went in and got coffee and waited. I had no cell service, but I did have intense cramps. The weather was up and down. I wanted to stay in thhe city, but the rumor of a motel was a farce. There was nothing. And apparently nothing until my initial destination, so I had to be careful about whether I wanted to forge on. I could probably ask someone for a ride, but there weren't any people I trusted coming in.
I called my mom on the gas station phone and we discussed options. She looked up motels, there weren't any. She looked up weather. It looked promising, but weather in WY, MT, etc is constantly changing.
Finally, after about an hour and a half at the gas station, I decided to go for it. I didn't have many options.
The ride wasn't horrible. The wind was intense, but it wasn't headwind. The crosswinds were a little hard to manage, but otherwise, it wasn't bad. I actually was moving very quickly. I went through Leiter, which was another 'town' that didn't have anything. Then, 30 miles into it, I hit Spotted Horse.
Spotted Horse, WY has a populatinon of 2, as indicated on the sign when you enter the town. The town consists of a bar. Apparently the bar opens and closes randomly. It was open. Sitting outside were two guys with bikes. I went over and talked to them. They were also biking across the country! Starting in Cincinnati, they were ending in Seattle. They were camping along the way and looked very crunchy – dreads, lots of facial hair, etc. But they were cute – and brothers! I stopped and talked with them, then the bartender came out and said 'another crazy person!'. I ordered a diet coke and called my parents from the bar phone to alleviate their concerns about me.
I hung out there for a bit. A few motorcycle riders came through, too. They were going to the Sturgis Bike Rally – one of the biggest bike rallies in the country, located in Sturgis, SD and starting August 2. I just started feeling the effects of this rally – jacked up motel prices, sold out hotels, bikers passing me on the road non-stop. Figured that they were totally on my timeline.
Finally, after hanging out enough I rode off. My biker friends stayed – they had the wind as headwind and were frustrated by it. The one wanted to hitch hike, the other refused to 'cheat'. So they continued to sit at the Best. Bar. Ever. Seriously, the Standard in Spotted Horse, WY is awesome. It has everything. From really crass signs, make your own nachos (you push the button and the cheez comes out), to fried food, to cheap drinks, to pool. Amazing.
I made great time riding the 38 miles to Gillette. The wind was in my favor. I did the 38 miles in a little over 2 hours.
I checked into my motel 6 and ordered chinese food. I was tired. Exhausted. I tried to map out my ride for the next day, which was difficult with horrible internet and the Sturgis Bike Rally in my way.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Biking, Day 14: July 30, 2009
Day 14: Greybull, WY to Sheridan, WY
Distance: 97 miles
Route: Route 14E through the Big Horn Mountains
Lodging: Sundown Motel, $55
Today I started my ride around 8am. I had to schedule around a phone call I had at 10am about my fall externship. I knew I wouldn't have service in the mountains, so I found the last place to stop before hitting the Big Horns and decided to take the call there. The last stop was Dirty Annie's, 17 miles from my hotel in Greybull.
I got to Dirty Annie's at 9:15am and realized I had no cell service, go figure. I decided to kill some time by having a good, healthy breakfast. Also, I hadn't had coffee yet. Again, criminal.
I had coffee, a waffle, and a cinnamon roll (or frosting of a cinnamon roll - we all have our weaknesses). After I ordered, I realized I could have had some protein - something I'm having a hard time getting enough of on this ride. I instinctively order things that I can drench in syrup, which I should alter for the sake of my health. Anyway.
Around 9:50 I went outside to try to figure out how I was going to negotiate this call. Phone was still a no-go (and they were supposed to call me), so i called them on a pay phone and gave them that number to call me. Ten minutes later I realized the phone doesn't take incoming calls. I called them back and just sat on hold until they were ready for me.
I finished the call, tried to get mace inside Dirty Annie's to appease my mother, got some advil for what had been promised to me as a very difficult ride, and got scared even more by a girl who worked there and called me crazy.
I started the ride a little before 11am. I passed the sign that gave mileage to the peak (or close to): 31 miles and to my destination, Sheridan: 81 miles. About 3 miles in, the climb began. It was somewhat gradual, but steep enough that I had my bike on its lowest gear. I was pushing hard and barely surpassing 4-5MPH. I got into a rhythm and just pushed.
The switchbacks were intense. There was no letting up. There were maybe 2 flat periods the entire climb. I was sweating, drenched, but I just focused on getting up the mountain. I didn't want to stop, but my tire lost a lot of air, so I stopped once to fill it.
Finally, I turned a corner and saw an elevation sign. Typically that means you're at the top. Granite Pass - 9033 Ft. I started around 3000FT. Brutal. It was like 2 or 2:30. Three to 3.5 hours of uphill biking.
It was there that I realized it was FREEZING. Once i had stopped, my sweaty shirt felt really cold. I put on my jacket and started biking again. it was all downhill. I was kicking ass. But it was freezing and soon I couldn't feel my hands or my feet.
I stopped at a lake to have a snack, then kept going. THEN, there was construction on the road. I felt like this wasn't really fair. I worked SO HARD getting up and now i couldn't cruise the down part. Doesn't that seem unfair? I was pissed. The pavement would go out, I would ride, then hear a large vehicle behind me, unclip, and pull over. It was annoying. Finally, I hit the bottom. I was in Dayton, WY
I had a drink at a gas station and called my parents. I tried to decide if I could make it the 20 more miles to Sheridan. I felt emboldened by my diet coke rush, so I decided to go for it. I made a quick reservation at the cheapest motel i could find and took off.
I rode on route 14E and then it turned into I-90. I rode on I-90 for 12 miles. I guess people ride their bikes on the interstate out here, but I hate it. I did it, but I hate it. There's something unsettling about having a huge truck wiz past you.
Finally, I got to Sheridan. I pulled into my awesome motel and talked to the owner. He gave me some advice - like to check out Devil's Tower (may not logistically work). He asked me how old I was, I made him guess, he guessed 22-23. He is my new best friend.
I ordered a sandwich from Dominos (shockingly good toasted sandwiches). I may or may not have also ordered Cinna-sticks - a fantastic use of pizza dough, covered in cinnamon and sugar and served with a tub of icing.
Tomorrow, I go to Gillette via 14E, which takes you 30 miles out of the way in comparison to I-90. Again, seems unfair.
Distance: 97 miles
Route: Route 14E through the Big Horn Mountains
Lodging: Sundown Motel, $55
Today I started my ride around 8am. I had to schedule around a phone call I had at 10am about my fall externship. I knew I wouldn't have service in the mountains, so I found the last place to stop before hitting the Big Horns and decided to take the call there. The last stop was Dirty Annie's, 17 miles from my hotel in Greybull.
I got to Dirty Annie's at 9:15am and realized I had no cell service, go figure. I decided to kill some time by having a good, healthy breakfast. Also, I hadn't had coffee yet. Again, criminal.
I had coffee, a waffle, and a cinnamon roll (or frosting of a cinnamon roll - we all have our weaknesses). After I ordered, I realized I could have had some protein - something I'm having a hard time getting enough of on this ride. I instinctively order things that I can drench in syrup, which I should alter for the sake of my health. Anyway.
Around 9:50 I went outside to try to figure out how I was going to negotiate this call. Phone was still a no-go (and they were supposed to call me), so i called them on a pay phone and gave them that number to call me. Ten minutes later I realized the phone doesn't take incoming calls. I called them back and just sat on hold until they were ready for me.
I finished the call, tried to get mace inside Dirty Annie's to appease my mother, got some advil for what had been promised to me as a very difficult ride, and got scared even more by a girl who worked there and called me crazy.
I started the ride a little before 11am. I passed the sign that gave mileage to the peak (or close to): 31 miles and to my destination, Sheridan: 81 miles. About 3 miles in, the climb began. It was somewhat gradual, but steep enough that I had my bike on its lowest gear. I was pushing hard and barely surpassing 4-5MPH. I got into a rhythm and just pushed.
The switchbacks were intense. There was no letting up. There were maybe 2 flat periods the entire climb. I was sweating, drenched, but I just focused on getting up the mountain. I didn't want to stop, but my tire lost a lot of air, so I stopped once to fill it.
Finally, I turned a corner and saw an elevation sign. Typically that means you're at the top. Granite Pass - 9033 Ft. I started around 3000FT. Brutal. It was like 2 or 2:30. Three to 3.5 hours of uphill biking.
It was there that I realized it was FREEZING. Once i had stopped, my sweaty shirt felt really cold. I put on my jacket and started biking again. it was all downhill. I was kicking ass. But it was freezing and soon I couldn't feel my hands or my feet.
I stopped at a lake to have a snack, then kept going. THEN, there was construction on the road. I felt like this wasn't really fair. I worked SO HARD getting up and now i couldn't cruise the down part. Doesn't that seem unfair? I was pissed. The pavement would go out, I would ride, then hear a large vehicle behind me, unclip, and pull over. It was annoying. Finally, I hit the bottom. I was in Dayton, WY
I had a drink at a gas station and called my parents. I tried to decide if I could make it the 20 more miles to Sheridan. I felt emboldened by my diet coke rush, so I decided to go for it. I made a quick reservation at the cheapest motel i could find and took off.
I rode on route 14E and then it turned into I-90. I rode on I-90 for 12 miles. I guess people ride their bikes on the interstate out here, but I hate it. I did it, but I hate it. There's something unsettling about having a huge truck wiz past you.
Finally, I got to Sheridan. I pulled into my awesome motel and talked to the owner. He gave me some advice - like to check out Devil's Tower (may not logistically work). He asked me how old I was, I made him guess, he guessed 22-23. He is my new best friend.
I ordered a sandwich from Dominos (shockingly good toasted sandwiches). I may or may not have also ordered Cinna-sticks - a fantastic use of pizza dough, covered in cinnamon and sugar and served with a tub of icing.
Tomorrow, I go to Gillette via 14E, which takes you 30 miles out of the way in comparison to I-90. Again, seems unfair.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Biking, Day 13: 7/29/2009
Day 13: Wapiti, WY to Greybull, WY
Distance: 75 miles
Route: Rte 14/16/20E to Cody, WY continue Rte 14E to Greybull, WY
Lodging: The Antler Motel, the 'Rustic Cabin', $40, bathroom outside my adorable cabin
I woke up today in Wapiti and it was cold and rainy. I decided to ride to Cody and see if the weather got any better. The ride to Cody was about 25 miles. It took a long time. There was significant headwind and I only survived because the ride is somewhat downhill.
I got to Cody and started looking for a place for coffee (I had had a mere dixie cup worth before I left). I saw the Sierra Trading Post, which was recommended by Bex, so I decided to stop and warm up, get some gloves, and extra socks. Seriously, it was really, really cold. I bought the needed stuff and then got back on the bike and headed into the town of Cody.
Cody is really adorable. There's lots of Buffalo Bill stuff, including the museum which was highly recommended to me by MC. I did not go to the museum. My need for coffee surpassed any desire to educate the self.
I went to an adorable coffee shop, called Rawhide Coffee, to figure out my next move. I got coffee (very good coffee) and sat on an awesome leather couch whilst using the free wifi. The weather looked like it was going to warm up a bit , stay windy, and then the rain would come around 4PM. I made the executive decision to forge on to Greybull - 53 miles away.
The ride actually went really quickly. I had my fastest pace so far. The wind was bad, but it was primarily sidewind, which meant that I just had to be careful going downhill too quickly.
When I got to Greybull, I went to the hotel that I had a reservation at and there was a sign on the office door that said "I'm not around, but I will be back in a while. Give me a call if you want a room or something. 307-xxx-xxxx. - Tom" I decided to go across the street to the better looking motel, the Antler motel. I got a little cabin there for $40. It was actually quite cute. The only negative was that the bathroom was across the parking lot. I figured it wouldn't be so bad.
I showered, biked into town to see what it was like (Western, sparsely populated, quiet). I went to the bank. I got some groceries. I came back to my mini-cabin and started planning my next day. I had initially planned to take 16, cut through Basin and Hyattville, then go through the Big horn Mountains and stay in Buffalo. 116 miles. I had to arrange it around a call for my fall externship which was scheduled for 10am. I did some updating to facebook/blog and went to bed.
In the middle of the night, I got up. I don't know why. I tried to find any info on the two different roads that go through the Big Horn Mountains - 14 and 16. Everyone who blogged about it said they were both killer passes. I decided maybe doing 116 was aggressive, especially with my 10am call. I decided to do Route 14, ending in Sheridan, 96 miles.
Distance: 75 miles
Route: Rte 14/16/20E to Cody, WY continue Rte 14E to Greybull, WY
Lodging: The Antler Motel, the 'Rustic Cabin', $40, bathroom outside my adorable cabin
I woke up today in Wapiti and it was cold and rainy. I decided to ride to Cody and see if the weather got any better. The ride to Cody was about 25 miles. It took a long time. There was significant headwind and I only survived because the ride is somewhat downhill.
I got to Cody and started looking for a place for coffee (I had had a mere dixie cup worth before I left). I saw the Sierra Trading Post, which was recommended by Bex, so I decided to stop and warm up, get some gloves, and extra socks. Seriously, it was really, really cold. I bought the needed stuff and then got back on the bike and headed into the town of Cody.
Cody is really adorable. There's lots of Buffalo Bill stuff, including the museum which was highly recommended to me by MC. I did not go to the museum. My need for coffee surpassed any desire to educate the self.
I went to an adorable coffee shop, called Rawhide Coffee, to figure out my next move. I got coffee (very good coffee) and sat on an awesome leather couch whilst using the free wifi. The weather looked like it was going to warm up a bit , stay windy, and then the rain would come around 4PM. I made the executive decision to forge on to Greybull - 53 miles away.
The ride actually went really quickly. I had my fastest pace so far. The wind was bad, but it was primarily sidewind, which meant that I just had to be careful going downhill too quickly.
When I got to Greybull, I went to the hotel that I had a reservation at and there was a sign on the office door that said "I'm not around, but I will be back in a while. Give me a call if you want a room or something. 307-xxx-xxxx. - Tom" I decided to go across the street to the better looking motel, the Antler motel. I got a little cabin there for $40. It was actually quite cute. The only negative was that the bathroom was across the parking lot. I figured it wouldn't be so bad.
I showered, biked into town to see what it was like (Western, sparsely populated, quiet). I went to the bank. I got some groceries. I came back to my mini-cabin and started planning my next day. I had initially planned to take 16, cut through Basin and Hyattville, then go through the Big horn Mountains and stay in Buffalo. 116 miles. I had to arrange it around a call for my fall externship which was scheduled for 10am. I did some updating to facebook/blog and went to bed.
In the middle of the night, I got up. I don't know why. I tried to find any info on the two different roads that go through the Big Horn Mountains - 14 and 16. Everyone who blogged about it said they were both killer passes. I decided maybe doing 116 was aggressive, especially with my 10am call. I decided to do Route 14, ending in Sheridan, 96 miles.
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