Missy and Shane's All Around US Tour.

Welcome to the Best of Blog. This is the spot to come if you want just the highlights from the trip. A catch up if you will. This entry is set up opposite of the regular blog, it reads oldest to current so you can start from the beginning and read down. It's still long but not as long as going back to read everything.

On the Road!!!! Wow, it's really happening. After several months of planning and dreaming about this trip we are really here... doing it! It's our second night and we are in Half Moon Bay State Park. There is so much we want to tell about just a few days of traveling. We'll start off at the beginning. And this beginning isn't when we got on our bikes and pedaled off on Monday but on Sunday when we fueled up for the ride. For our final send-off meal for our trip Linda and Rock took us to Auberge du Soleil. It was one of the most incredible meals I have ever eaten in my life! Here's a little sample: Pan Seared Foie Gras, Poached Rhubarb, Baby Fennel, Red Wine Vanilla Au Jus. Sauteed John Dory, Fingerling Potatoes, White Asparagus Puree, Glazed Pork Belly. Roasted Lamb, Potato Gnocchi, Nicoise Olives, Green Garlic Red Wine Jus. and Roasted Comice Pears, Pecan Streusel Cake, Bourbon Ice Cream, Vanilla Carmel. And that's just what I ate! There were a lot of other great things ordered (that I also got to try) and we walked out of there satisfied and happy. I have never had so many courses of so many incredible foods. I mean I've had some great dishes, but four in a row. Totally amazing. Here's a shot from that night:
That was Sunday night and Monday morning we got up and said goodbye to Jennifer and Justin. It was sad, we've had so much fun staying there, cooking, playing, and enjoying being in their home... which felt like ours too. After that we packed everything up and headed over to say goodbye to Linda and Rock. Linda made us a great BLT and Tomato Soup Brunch- I think good food is going to be a theme of this trip! We also hung some Tibetan Prayer Flags and said a little blessing for our trip. It was the perfect send-off. Though it was sad to say goodbye it was certainly easier knowing we would be back in one month (rather than in a year or so). Our first day of riding was a route we know pretty well. Napa to Vallejo. We rode into Vallejo and saw a ferry leaving but when I went to buy our tickets I found out there was another in 10 minutes. Perfect timing. It had rained most of the way but stopped by the time we got on the ferry. We had a great ride over, seemed to fly by. I really love that ferry ride. Once in S.F. we rode under partly sunny skies to Chad & Kara's place, our first spot to crash on our trip. They gave us a cozy bed and we hung out with them and talked for awhile and then they took us up to Tank Hill near Sutro Tower. It was an incredible view of the city and it wasn't windy or cold at all, always a pleasant surprise in the City. Today we got up and had a little breakfast with Chad at a nice "euro" style local bakery, packed up and hit the road for our second day of adventure. It felt more exciting since we were actually leaving the city. Plus we had heard that Devil's Slide (outside of Pacifica) was closed and we had no idea what that was going to mean. OK-Now it's Missy speaking because I really wanted to write about our incredible day! So we cycled from SF and into Pacifica where the talk of the town was that Devil's Slide was closed. The first thing most people said to us was "you know Devil's Slide is closed, don't you?" Shane and I decided after a few hours of research trying to find an alternate route and not getting anywhere that we were would just cycle right up to the road closure and play dumb to whom ever was guarding the road closure area. Well, there was no guard so we thought let's just keep going as far as they let us, "What's the worst they can do?" We thought the worst to happen was to get fined-maybe thrown in jail for a night but that sounds kind of fun too. Plus, a local man reminded us the sign says "road closed" not "keep out," so we regarded this as an invitation to attempt Devil's Slide. Indeed, we walked our bikes around the very conspicuous road closure signs and began up the hill. We passed a few CalTrans crews and an Engineer who told us to be careful and we probably shouldn't be there but no one kicked us out. We kept cycling past sink holes, giant boulders in the road, and foot long wide cracks in the pavement. The sun came out as Shane and I made it to the summit, the ocean cliffs below us and NO CARS- just us and this most beautiful scene. We cycled into Montara, past the CHP who barely noticed us as we maneuvered past the road closure signs. It was amazing and made Day 2 of our journey something we will always remember. We then stopped at a local organic produce stand along the roadside for a snack. Shane busted out the Byerly Bike Blender for the 1st time this trip and we made fruit smoothies. The smoothies gave us the fuel to keep cycling for another 7 miles or so. We made it to Half Moon Bay where we camped at the Half Moon Bay State Beach Campground. We set up camp, made dinner and had just gotten settled into the tent when it started raining- not a drop on us. It truly feels as though the angels have taken good care of us so far this trip- showing us the rare beauties of the area and keeping us comfortable. All that being said, my thigh muscles are very sore and I need a good night's sleep. Good night to you all and check back as we will post some photos from today soon.



Saturday, April 15, 2006 | | Headwinds & Hotels (Part Two) Another Day of battling headwinds. Though we didn't actually have to use the granny gear for the downhills, we did still have to pedal on some of them. It was also a little wetter than yesterday. The ride was shorter than most but we had our highest climb so far, from sea level to 1,000 ft. in about 4 miles. The first part of the day was nice enough that we actually stopped once and awhile but once the hills started so did the rain and we didn't really stop until we reached Ragged Point. It was another great accomplishment of a day and I'm more and more amazed at what Missy can do (and I know she is too). When we rolled into the Ragged Point Inn at around 4:30 we were ready to shed the layers, string up the clothesline in the room, and take a hot bath. They were having a "weekday wet weather" special so that was a nice surprise and with no camping area for another 20 miles there was really no question. We have a room with a little patio that has an amazing view of the ocean and cliffs. We cooked a little Indian "Tasty Bites" & couscous out on the patio last night and are planning the next two to three days ride into San Luis Obispo to visit Missy's Grandma, Quacky. There is something great about looking at our map every morning and evening, checking the weather, seeing how we are feeling and then trying to decide where we might make it next. Each day is an adventure that we can try and plan out but in the end it's all open to change and the smallest thing could alter everything. We really do have to live much more in the moment and accept whatever happens. Today is sunnier but still blowing, maybe we'll make it farther down the road to the campground or maybe the wind will put us at the hostel in Cambria.... PS- we made it all the way to Cambria! It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day with a very mellow wind (and sometimes a tailwind) and no big climbs. One of the best days yet! More later.


Sunday, April 23, 2006 Santa Barbara Missy riding out from Lompoc. Mustard Hill background Leaving Lompoc- Some of the sunshine & rolling hills of mustard that have been with us the last couple days. Missy here! We stayed at El Capitan State Beach Campground last night (about 20 miles North of Santa Barbara). Our site had a beautiful, ocean view but highway 101 traffic was too loud and we both had a hard time sleeping. We woke to hear we both had dreams of our chickens. Shane's dream included a large butterfly migration through our campsite. The butterflies were flying into our tent as we tried to sleep and then transforming into our chickens, of all things! Anyway, hello to our friend, Roya, who is chicken sitting for us in Berkeley. We give Roya and those funny birds a big long distance hug. We saw another amazing experience at El Capitan State Beach- the northern migration of whales yesterday and dolphins this morning. This being said, Shane and I adopt a "pet for the day" on our travels. Yesterday's "pet for the day" was a group of gray whales that we "walked" up the beach. They swam about the same speed as Shane and I as we strolled up the beach with them. Other pets of the day include a rolly-polly bug trekking through our tent, a gopher, and an elephant seal (named Sandy). We are in Santa Barbara for the day and will eat lunch, get dinner groceries, maybe catch a matinee, then head on to Carpenteria's State Beach Campground (about 10 miles South) for the night.
Tuesday, May 2, 2006 | | We Did It! (Leg One) We did it! We've officially finished the Napa-San Diego leg of our journey! We talked about this being our warm up, our test run, and maybe the whole thing if we felt like it. Well it has been a great warm up and good test run, but in no way is it the whole thing. We both feel so excited for the next part of the journey that we've ordered our Northern Tier maps from Adventure Cycling and are excited about the journey from Washington to Maine! But first a little wrap up of this leg. We left Rob & Christine's Warm Shower stay in Del Mar with some heavy cloud cover after a rainy night and by the time we had ridden about an hour the misty rain hit us. We had a little headwind too. It was actually really similar to our first day riding from Napa to the Vallejo Ferry. Kind of funny since we were riding to the Ferry in San Diego. But just like the first day of our trip, our last day got better once we got off the ferry on the other side. It wasn't raining anymore and though there was still a slight wind we made our way much more energized. The ferry from downtown San Diego let us off in Coronado and we rode the Silver Strand bike path for several miles down to Imperial Beach and within a couple miles of the Mexican border. We looped around the bay and went into Chula Vista to find our motel. The Big 7 Motel was a little bit of a disappointment, but what could we expect for one of the cheapest places in Chula Vista? But determined to not let it bring us down I searched out a good dining spot near by. Flipping through the phone book a place caught my eye and we called to see if they had space. They did and so after our shower and general 'bag explosion' in our room we biked the few blocks down to the Tango Grille. It was an Argentinean restaurant that had live music on most nights and a live Tango show on Thursday. We just happened to be there on a Thursday and we got the last table in the place. It was a great treat. We drank some good Argentinean beer, had too much meat, heard some great music, and best of all had a dinner show of live Tango dancing! We went 'home' much happier that we had picked the Big 7. The next morning we packed up and rode back to downtown San Diego. It was an interesting ride through some very industrial parts of town. There were mounds of salt, more military troops and vehicles, stinky ship building smells, and the worst bike lane surface I have ever experienced. But we made it through and rolled into a major change right over the bridge into beautiful downtown. We bought our Amtrak tickets and booked a room 1/2 block away at the 500 West Hotel (a super cheap hotel right downtown... we'll let you know how it is). Then we rode another 10 miles or so up to La Mesa to Katie, Brian, Bea, and Tita's place. We feel like royalty here with our own guest house with a big fluffy bed, a cooler with drinks, special treats and snacks, and big soft robes. Missy's mom, Linda, came down to visit for the weekend too so we have been having a great time! We went to Balboa park today and had a nice little break at the Prado Restaurant and then went out for Mexican with the whole gang (Lisa & Paul- Tita's other two kids). Paul is doing a bike ride on Sunday from his place down into Mexico because it will be the last day that the border will have a bicycle access lane. They are closing it because of complaints from pedestrians that the cyclists are getting special treatment and moving through faster than they are. Check out the story HERE. Hmmm someone should start closing some downtown streets and start talking about the special treatment car drivers are getting over pedestrians! Next it's on the train to Napa so we are back for Missy's B-day . Then about a week later we go up to Eugene for a little visit, before finally catching the last part of the train ride up to Seattle to start our Northern Tier! We're both looking forward to this train ride back which will take us through several portions of the ride we just completed. A small full circle on this big full circle ride.


Monday, May 29, 2006 | | Island Hopping in Washington Washington is the friendliest place! The locals go out of their way to help us find our way through the state. In Seattle, one woman flagged us down from across the street to give us directions even though she had to park her car and had 2 kids in the car. We cycled from the train station in Seattle to Shane's "Aunt" Glenda and Pete's in Edmonds before really getting back on the road. Our time with Pete and Glenda was great. Pete found us on the main road cycling in and escorted us the last few miles to their house overlooking the Puget Sound- a wonderful dinner and fine wine were waiting for us when we arrived. Tuesday we were taken out to breakfast and then picked up by family friends, Tom and Kris Behan, who took us to see The Da Vincic Code. We felt like royalty being treated so well and we had a great time catching up and seeing these friends, even if it was a short visit. On Wednesday we said goodbye to Pete and Glenda and cycled north from Edmonds to Mukeltio and ferried over to the town of Clinton on Whidbey Island. From there, we cycled about 15 more miles to South Whidbey State Park. It was a wonderful spot, peaceful, wooded, and a short walk down to a great beach. The camp host showed us where some folks had left firewood and since the temperature has dropped a bit up here it was a welcome little campfire that night. Thursday we cycled to the very top of Whidbey Island and stayed the night at Deception Pass State Park. This park is right alongside a nice lake and our hiker/biker spot was one of my favorite camping spots we've had so far. Unfortunately, there is an air force base close by with the constant noise of jet plane traffic from the moment we got there to about 11pm. The next morning was quiet and peaceful and we were able to enjoy the beautiful area and didn't get on the road until after noon. Friday we cycled from Deception Pass and into Anacortes then ferried to Lopez Island, a very friendly and relatively flat part of the San Juan Islands. Once we got to the village, we decided we needed to spend more time here than the 2 planned nights because it is so incredibly beautiful and hey, we got the time. So we are spending 3 nights at Spencer Spit State Park. There has been very light rain almost everyday but nothing that keeps us from camping or going where we want to go, so far. Today we hung out in the Village, checking out the great Saturday Market- a bit smaller than the one in Eugene but really GREAT local arts, crafts, veggies, and meats, shopping, and writing this in a great little coffee shop. We have a kayak tour of the southern part of the island planned for tomorrow! We are planning to head East from Anacortes on Monday unless island fever holds us here longer. Here's a link to the MOST RECENT PHOTOS
Friday, June 16, 2006 | | Sandpoint, Idaho We've made it through Washington and are in Idaho for a couple days. We're taking a rest day, or actually just two short riding days to get here to Sandpoint and then out of town. I have to do a quick visit to a bike shop since I broke another spoke on the rear wheel (on the drive side of course so it's harder to get to). We've had a nice past few days. We've been travelling with our new friend Ormand for the past few days. At first we just happened to run into him a couple times but now we've actually been meeting up at camp at the end of the day. Nice to talk to someone else about the day's journey and what they saw/experienced on the road. We'll probably part ways in Sandpoint as he's meeting up with a friend to ride another route. We had a really great experience the other night when we pulled into the Beaver Lodge on Gillette Lake (outside of Colville). We were having dinner at the lodge (since it became too late to think about cooking) and struck up a conversation with a nice couple, Ron & Cindy, who were up working on their cabin on Thomas Lake. We were getting ready to roll to our campground just a mile down the road when they invited us to stay at their place. It was a wonderful spot with a beautiful view of the lake and surrounding mountains. The cabin was originally built in 1908 by Ron's Great-grandfather and his family has a long history in the area. We had great hot showers, comfy beds, nice conversation, and a little breakfast there. They treated us well and it was a special little treat. Since we left the mountains we've been following the Pend Oreille river (pronounced Ponderay) in a gorgeous valley. We've been parallelling the river on the other side from the highway so it's been very peaceful. It's also been rolling hills with no major climbs for a couple days. We stayed in a Dept. of Natural Resources campground for the first time on Skookum Creek. It was pretty bare bones but it was free and the spaces were big. A little worried about our neighbors who seemed a little 'down on their luck' but it was all fine. We've finished up the Pend Oreille river ride here in Sandpoint where we're are staying right next to the Pend Oreille Lake. We're excited to have a whole state under our belt and one of the Adventure Cycling maps done as well... only 10 more to go for this leg! Feel free to drop a comment to us if there is some part of the trip you want to know more (or less) about... or if you just want to say hi.
Thursday, June 22, 2006 | | A Day in the Life We had a request from Jennifer, Missy's sister, in our comments section (Thanks Jen!) to tell what a typical day looks like for us. Of course every day on the road is different but there is a certain pattern that we seem to be getting into so here's a general idea: I'm usually up first around 7:30 and start the coffee (ah, just like at 'home') with Missy up soon after around 8-8:30. We have a lazy morning with a breakfast of pancakes & syrup or oatmeal, dried fruit & nuts and syrup. After the clean-up we begin the pack-up. Missy crawls into the tent and changes into bike clothes and breaks down the bed. Our bed is made up of our two therm-a-rests strapped together, our two down sleeping bags zipped together (using mine on top for warmer nights and hers on top for colder ones), and our small travel pillows. I pack up the kitchen (stoves, pots & pans, bag of spices & utensils, etc) and all the gear we used in the last 12-18 hours (clothesline, 2.5 gal water jug, groceries, charging electronics, etc.) then get dressed in bike clothes. Then we both pack up all the clothes and gear into our bags (Missy into four panniers and me into two duffle bags). The last thing we do before leaving camp is pack up the tent and then our tarp (those go into a dry bag on top of the Xtracycle). We tend to be on the road around 10:30 a.m. Then a lot depends on where we are, sometimes we're near a town and sometimes we won't pass a town all day, we also don't know what the day holds weather wise, terrain, scenery, or people we meet. We generally pick a campsite to aim for with a back up spot before or after depending on how we feel. We'll figure out where the last town before our estimated camp is and plan a shop there. We usually ride for an a hour or hour and a half before stopping for a snack break and that seems to be the pattern throughout the day depending on how long the ride is. Our time on the bike will range from 2 to 6 hours. We like to get into camp around 5:00 p.m. but it of course varies from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. Along the way we may stop for lunch in a pretty turn-out or a city park, do a short hike to a scenic point, or we might come across a town that draws us in for a few hours. Other times we might just keep riding with little 5-10 minute breaks once and a while. Once into camp we set up the tent first (unless it's raining at the time then the tarp goes up first). Missy climbs in to change and sets up the bed. Then depending on the time we either start cooking dinner right away or catch up on the journal for the day, entering our mileage, elevation gain, and interesting sights and experiences of the day. We both prep the dinner and I do the main cooking (ranging from a 'camp gourmet' with the dual stoves and both the pots and the pan to a one pot hamburger helper calorie loader). Missy usually washes the dishes and we do a general clean-up of camp; putting stray things under the tarp, into bags, or near the tent. We park the bikes under the tarp, floss & brush =), and hit the sack anywhere from 9-10 p.m. usually. We generally shower once every few days depending on where we camp and the weather. It really hasn't been that hot for us yet that we get real sweaty riding. We usually wash at least our bike shorts every day and dry them on the bike the next day. We're also major advocates of wool clothing now. We have our favorite shirts that we wear almost everyday and we can go 5-7 days of riding without ANY stink! One or two days with a capilene or poly-pro and I have to do a quick wash to try and reduce the smell. Wool is Wonderful & Steel is Real- the classics work! So that should give you a general idea of our days on the bike. Today is another day off for us. We are killing time here in West Glacier (30 miles from Whitefish) waiting for the Going-to-the-Sun road to open. We've heard a rumor that it could open Wednesday or Thursday. Any longer than that and we'll have to skip Glacier National Park, which would be sad. We might still head up into Waterton in Canada though. We'll see. For now we're just enjoying a really nice campground, doing some hand-work, and soaking up the sun that has finally popped out.


Sunday, June 25, 2006 | | Going-to-the-Sun Road on Summer Solstice Shane & Missy at the top of the Going-to-the-Sun Road What a once-in-a-lifetime experience! We are so blessed on this trip sometimes I can't believe it. Since we hit Idaho we've heard about the Going-to-the-Sun road being closed due to mud and rock slides only a couple days after they plowed it open. But we figured we had some time before we got there so it would probably open. But once we hit West Glacier on the edge of the park and it was still closed, we started to make alternate plans around or talk about whether we would wait for it to open. We took our time going in the park spending two days just outside the park, then a day a few miles in (at Apgar campground), then another day 10 more miles in (at Sprague Creek campground on McDonald Lake). On that last day, we decided that we were going to do the pass no matter what, even if we had to "poach" it and sneak through after the crews left at night. As we sat around camp and talked to some fellow cyclists who were waiting around as well, another cyclist rode in who said he had just talked to a ranger that morning who said that the road would be open to cyclists after 7pm when the work crews were done. So, it was decided the next day we would ride the Going-To-The-Sun Road... with no cars!!! We had a leisurely morning where we rode to the McDonald lodge and had a picnic lunch, napped on the lawn, went up to the Avalanche Campground and did a little hike through the cedars, and then rode the last few miles up to the road closure. We got up there early, around 4:30, and the flag-lady was still stopping folks from going up further. The 10 mile ride up to this point had been spectacular already. The road was closed to cars and so the only traffic around were people walking or biking the road (and a couple construction trucks coming down). We rode up with a few other cyclists (one of them our friend Ormand) and once we got to the closure we all sat down and had 'dinner', read, chatted, and waited for our 7pm opening. We only saw one family make it all the way up to where we were. A mom had pulled a trailer with a child and two little ones riding their bikes. They had made the whole 10 mile ride up (a several hundred feet elevation gain) and we cheered them as they made it to the sign and turned around... to bad they couldn't wait until 7:00. We almost rode on around 6:00pm after the flag-lady and several trucks came down the mountain but Ed (a fellow cyclists who has "lived" in Glacier every summer for the last 4 years) reminded us about the good that comes from patience (plus we heard more equipment up there). So at 7:00 on the dot we passed the barricade to begin the car-free ride up the Going-to-the-Sun Road. What can we say? It was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. It was not only the great pleasure of riding 12 miles of roadway without cars but riding one of the most scenic and breathtaking roadways in America WITHOUT CARS. The silence was so great we could hear waterfalls miles away, birds and little creatures all around us, and the sound of our tires whizzing through the water that crossed the roadway from all the little springs & creeks that fell from the mountainside. We could lazily pedal along, crossing the center line to get a better view, stop to take pictures whenever we wanted, say hello to a couple other cyclists passing us on the ride up, or just ride along in blissful silence as we climbed higher and higher to the Continental Divide. Words and pictures won't do it justice. We were blessed and we are so thankful. We reached the summit at 9:30 p.m. and promptly saw a big-horn sheep as we were setting up to take our picture by the Logan Pass sign. It was the exclamation point to the most beautifully phrase and the best day of cycling we've ever had. As we descended to the other side of the Continental Divide we watched the sun leave us on the longest day of the year. And we were happy.

Tuesday, July 4, 2006 Made it to Minot Missy Riding the long roadHappy Fourth of July. We've made it to the big city of Minot, North Dakota. We're both pretty beat after doing the 600 miles from Cut Bank to here in 8 days of riding (75 miles a day avg.). We pulled into the main camping spot in town (a hotel/rv park) and it was pretty bad and the rooms were even worse so we looked next door and there was a nice fresh Holiday Inn. We asked about rooms, the rates were good, AND we found out that they are shooting the fireworks from the fairgrounds that is right across the street! We got a room up high and overlooking the fairgrounds so we should be in for a treat tonight. Now that we've made it here and seen what an average 75 miles a day feels like we've decided to slow it back down. It's been nice to blaze through some of the not so exciting parts of North Dakota but battling heat and hills for six hours in the saddle just isn't worth it to either of us. So we are sitting in our room with all of our Adventure Cycling maps spread out in front of us trying to figure out how to make it to Vermont in September (our one time-sensitive stop is my good friend Kori's wedding- Bonkaboonie the first of Sept.). We've talked about alternate routes up through Canada or even crossing the great lakes but it looks like we'll stick to the Northern Tier route. We're also planning a visit to Napa in August for a birthday celebration and some family time and are trying to figure out where we'll fly out of for that visit (looks like it might be Buffalo if anyone knows someone we can store our bikes with in the area let us know). We've had a pretty uneventful last few days of riding. Just some sore butts, rolling hills, side-winds, fields of green & yellow, and many miles of 'nothing'. Today we plan on enjoying the festivities here in Minot, some cold beer, and more map and route planning. Tomorrow we'll meet up with Missy's Aunt & Uncle who will be passing through on their drive back from Canada to Colorado. On a side note about the cold beer... turns out that you can't buy beer in the grocery store in North Dakota. You have to go to a liquor store (or Bottle Shop as they call them here) or even a saloon where they sell six packs from the bar. I went to a bottle shop last night to get some cold brew to celebrate our arrival and big mileage and was a little dismayed by the selection of beer. As I looked over the Bud, Coors, and Miller selections I asked the guy if they had any micro-brew and he said "micro-what"? Oh yeah. We've also been to several restaurants where there is NO descent beer selection. It's really a shame.
Monday, July 24, 2006 | | One Less Bird Adara & Shane at 231 Cassady House We got some sad news from home today. Our beloved chicken, Adara, died on Thursday. She had been sick for a couple weeks and our wonderful chicken-sitter and friend, Roya, has been furiously trying to get her well. After lots of Vet appointments and weeks of antibiotics, our lovely and funny bird died in the Vets office. We have decided to have her cremated and Shane and I will have a burial when we come home in August for our visit. We hope she didn't suffer too much and we hope she is eating as many strawberries and worms as she can get her little bird beak on. We will miss her dearly- so today we ride for Adara! Speaking of riding, it has gotten great. We are now fully in Minnesota with all the gently rolling hills, lakes and trees! Shade, glorious shade! After our day off in Fargo, we crossed over into Minnesota and stayed in the teency town of Callaway, "where the prairie ends and the forest begins." Sure enough, the next day, within an hour of riding, we were in the woods. By the end of the day, we were in the birthplace of the Mississippi River, Lake Itasca. As we waded in the headwaters, Shane remarked that we will be able to see the waters of the Mississippi River as it drains into the Gulf of Mexico as we cycle the Southern Tier- the beginning and end of the rivers life. It also felt like a geographic milestone to have crossed the river. The food is already better as we sit, writing this entry in an organic foods cafe in the town of Bemidji. We are hoping to make it to Grand Rapids tomorrow, where we deviate from our Adventure Cycling maps and "fend" for ourselves for a week until Escanaba, Michigan. Shane and I are planning on visiting Napa in August and are having a "Part Way Par-tay" as in part way through the northern tier. For those of you who we don't have email addresses for, we would love to see you there. Click here to view the e-vite and add yourself to the list. With blessings to our beloved bird, Adara, we bike on....


Tuesday, August 1, 2006 | | Hot off the press... We wrote that last blog two days ago and have some new news... Since we were in Michigan we thought we'd pay a visit to one of it's most famous folk... Michael Moore (Yes, thee righteous film maker!) . Here's Missy not stealing any of his popcorn: Michael & Missy Okay, we just happened to run into him today on the streets of Traverse City. It's their Film Festival opening tomorrow and Michael Moore is the founder and on the Board. Wish we could spare the time to see some flicks but have to keep those pedals spinning. He was very nice (no surprise really) and we gave him our 'card' so if he actually checks out the sight- Hi Michael... forgot to tell you how much we love your work and how important it is! Feel free to leave a comment =).

Monday, August 21, 2006 | | Napa & Numbers Thought I'd put up a quick post of some numbers from our trip. We are back in a Napa for a 10 day visit with family and friends and are packing it in. Heading to Water World with India & Fiona today. We also have lot's of great dinner plans, some shopping and equipment replacement while we are here, our big party next Saturday, and visiting our our beloved birds. Will have some pictures up in the next couple days but did some number crunching so wanted to post those first: These are the total for Seattle-Buffalo and don't include the Napa-San-Diego leg. Once we hit Maine I'll do a sub-total for our whole trip so far. Total Miles: 3,689 Average Miles per Day: 52.70 Average Miles per Hour: 12.3 Average time in saddle: 4.25 hours a day Shane's Max: 42 mph Missy's Max: 41 mph Total time in the saddle: 300 hours Days riding: 69 Rest Days: 9 New tires: 4 (but one is still waiting to go on M's) Flats: Shane- 3 Missy- 1(caused by her tire liner!) New Saddles: 2 (Shane's wore out, Missy's snapped in half) Wheels: 1 new rear for Shane (broke 4 spokes...decided I didn't like that wheel). Number of Macaroni & Cheese dinners: 2 (we're pretty inventive!) Bowls of oatmeal/porridge: 10,000 (feels like it... probably more like 50 each. Not so inventive at breakfast.) Sides of french fries eaten: 10,001 Bottles of Sunscreen: 4 Bottles of bug-dope: 1 Items lost to 'bandits of the night': 1 food bag chewed, 1 food bag stolen Miles left for the roundtrip: About 9,000
Thursday, September 7, 2006 | | Bonkaboonie! What a weekend. What a wedding! Bonkaboonie was blissful. It's hard to put the weekend in words and the pictures won't even do it justice. We had an amazing time meeting wonderful new people, hearing great music, eating great food, relaxing in the woods, lending a hand, dancing, and most of all, celebrating Kori and Thomas' super Nuptial Jamboree. We arrived into Poultney, VT on Thursday after taking the ferry across Lake Champlain from New York state. It was a beautiful day of riding- sunshine and a beautiful new state to see. We loved the rolling hills, the small farms, the people, the trees just turning colors, the cute little towns... and it was just our first day in Vermont. I think knowing that we were so close to the long awaited celebration made the days ride even more blissful. After a couple loads of laundry (even our tent!) and some major grocery shopping in town we rolled the next three miles to Lake St. Catherine State Park where Bonkaboonie would be based for the weekend. As we were riding out of town (with our Bonkaboonie or Bust sign) Missy said that she had an image in her mind of pulling into camp and having people holler "they're here, they made it" and clapping or something of the sort. We both acknowledged that this was very unlikely and then one minute later a car drove by loaded down with a canoe, two bikes, and lots of camping gear. Someone leaned out the window and yelled "BONKABOONIE!! Yahoooooo", they honked, we rang our bell, and we all laughed. And so the fun began. A couple other cars passed us loaded up and then we pulled into the campground and began to meet some of the wonderful people that would fill the weekend. The next three days were filled with shared meals, five bands, meeting lot's of new and interesting people, helping Thomas set up lights around their AMAZING property (.5 miles down the road from the park), and so much celebrating that it won't fit into a blog entry. The weather was sunny on Thursday and Friday, cloudy on Saturday, and a mix of clouds, sun, and rain on Sunday. Sunday was the main celebration day, with the shortest ceremony we've experienced, but at the same time one of the most magical as Kori was paddled across the pond by her dad in a canoe as her reflection, along with those of the trees that surrounded them, made it seem like she was being transported from one world to another. And in a way she was. She gracefully floated out of the canoe and onto the dock (that Thomas recently built) where Thomas took her hand, they exchanged rings, said "I Do", and within five minutes everyone was giving them their first hugs as "husband and wife". The party and music went on late into the night with only one little shower to add a fresh smell to the air. The fireworks blazed, the music rocked, the drinks flowed, the dance floor jammed, the food fulfilled (especially those home made pies- wow!), the lights were magical, the prism tent was trippy, and the night was magical! But now we are sad to see it all end. We took yesterday to head to the Killington area to ride the Alpine Slides with Judd & Mahri (Kori & I knew Judd from High School in Alaska and Mahri is his girlfriend). We had a great time with them. Today we packed up and said our last good-byes to them and Kat. This is the longest we've been camped in one spot yet and since we have no 'home' it's tough to leave one that has been so filled with fun, friends, and love. But the road beckons and we still have a little more than week to get to Maine. So back on the road with our hearts full but heavy. Have some pictures up finally from mid to the end of August HERE. Will put Bonkaboonie pictures up next blog- but here's one for a teaser: See you at Bonkaboonie 2007!


Friday, September 15, 2006 | | From Sea to Shining Sea Missy rides the last leg to the Atlantic Ocean We did it! We've ridden across the country under our own power. We left Seattle 101 days ago and arrived at Popham Beach (outside of Bath, Maine) having ridden our bicycles the whole way. And yet, the amazing thing is, this is just one of the milestones in the journey. Later this week we keep riding! There have been several milestones along the way but this feels like one of the biggies. Pacific to Atlantic- wow. Standing on the beach last night it really hit us, this is the other side of the country and we pedaled the whole way here. Can you tell that I'm impressed with us? The last few days (since our last blog entry) have been really wonderful, with such incredible scenery and the most wonderful people! We met a German couple, Dirk and Monika who had ridden from Anacortes, WA and left a few weeks after we did. Turns out they rode with our friend Ormand for a little while (it's a small little bike community out here that spans several thousands of miles). We only got to ride with them for a day though because during that day they were ahead of us when we were stopped by a truck as we left the town of South Paris. The driver's name was Jeff and he said that he and his wife were cyclists and would be happy to put us up for the night if we would like, they were only a couple miles up the road. We had to think a long time about that... an offer of a cozy bed only a couple miles up the road or ride 15 more miles (6 of which were up a big hill) to another campground on a night that was expected to get down to 37 degrees. But after that 2 seconds we said YES. He waited at his drive to make sure we didn't miss the turn and we pulled into a little paradise with a cute house, a big barn, a lilly pad pond, a rocky babbling brook, a friendly & fun dog, a cuddly cat, and two great hosts, Jeff & Katey. They fed us well and we had a good time exchanging stories and getting to know one another. They left early in the morning for work but left us there to pretend that we actually had a home of our own as we cooked breakfast on a real stove with food from a refrigerator and ate at a real table with chairs that moved (as opposed to a picnic table). We lounged on the couch but finally dragged ourselves out of the house when we realized that we still had 50 miles to go that day. It was a funny weather day. We started out all bundled up, then would strip down to short sleeves, then the wind would pick up and we'd layer up, then the sun would come out and we'd shed again. And it went on like that the rest of the day. We passed one of the reddest patches of trees yet and had many ups and downs through the hillsides of Maine. We arrived in Dresden, Maine in the late afternoon and rode to Jennifer and Stephen's house. They are a couple that we corresponded with even before we left the West coast. They took over hosting cyclists from their neighbor, Doris, who has hosted Adventure Cycling riders since 1984, treating them to Maine hospitality and blueberry muffins. Jennifer & Stephen are continuing the tradition by hosting cyclists passing through the area. They have a wonderful home with a great view of the Eastern River, the rolling hills, and land that 100 years ago was pasture-land but is now a beautiful forest. We had a great meal with them and enjoyed getting to know them. It was nice to spend two nights in a row in houses that felt like homes, very cozy. We lounged a little again the next morning but knew that we only had about 30 miles left to get us to the Atlantic Coast. We stopped off in Bath for lunch and dinner supplies then rode the final 15 miles to the water. We hit a detour that took us on even more hilly ups & downs just to challenge us once more before we finished the 4,460 miles from West to East. But we did it! We spent the night with the waves crashing a hundred feet from our tent and it felt good. We've put up photos from the last two weeks. Check them out HERE.


Tuesday, September 19, 2006 | | Numbers and a Poem Hi- Missy here! We have some numbers for those who are interested- totals for the Northern Tier plus totals for the entire journey so far. NORTHERN TIER average miles per day: 51 total miles cycled: 4465 average miles per hour: 11.8 our land speed record: 44 mph on a New Hampshire downhill total elevation gain: 188,740 feet Totals for the ALL AROUND US TOUR average miles per day: 46.9 total miles cycled: 5254 average miles per hour: 11.5 total elevation gain: 143, 787 feet average elevation gain per day: 1295 feet total time on the bike: 434 hours and 49 minutes average time on the bike per day: 3 hours and 57 minutes So there you have it! It's nice for us to keep running totals for every leg of our journey. It gives us a little closure as we leave behind the Northern Route and begin to head South for the winter. Having travelled so far, farther than I imagined I could or would want to, I am thinking we just might be able to go all the way around. Still too early to predict, though. I continue to put out to the universe that as long as I am "able and willing"- I have the physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental abilities to keep going- that I won't stop no matter the headwind, cold, tired, or sore state I may be in. This is no small request but so far has been continually granted. I am feeling stronger and more motivated than ever to keep going. The farther we go, the farther I want to go! My body feels like a machine-granted a machine that cries or gets grumpy when it gets really hard- but a machine nonetheless, as we climb steep hills with a hundred pounds of drop dead weight and we always make it to the top and are able to keep going. I was reading my first journal entry for this trip from March. I wrote, "my lungs feel stiff and my bike feels like lead." - and that was flat terrain. Now I can propel myself, my bike and all that stuff on flat terrain and not even feel like I'm doing much work. Amazing! We feel so very thankful to be able to do this- that are bodies are able to do this. So to celebrate the many miles we have come, here is a poem by Mary Oliver's book Why I Wake Early. Many Miles The feet of the heron, under those bamboo stems, hold the blue body, the great beak above the shallows of the pool. Who could guess their patience? Sometimes the toes shake, like worms. What fish could resist? Or think of the cricket, his green hooks climbing the blade of grass- or think of camel feet like ear muffs, striding over the sand- or think of your own slapping along the highway, a long life, many miles. To each of us comes the body gift.
Friday, October 6, 2006 L.O.T.S. This is a post we've wanted to do for awhile and a subject that I've thought a lot about over the years. When you're packing for a bike tour the general rule is to lay everything out that you think you will need and then take half of it out. In this day and age there is so much light weight gear and there are so many ways to do a bike tour with hardly any gear at all on your bike (supported rides or credit card touring). But with my background in cargo-bike work and Missy's need for the 'creature comforts' of home we have become a deadly duo in not only breaking that first rule but we're pretty much pulverizing it into little bits (and blending them into a great smoothie). And we knew that the kind of adventure we were planning was one that we would have to do self-supported and couldn't be done 'charging' along the way. So, as we packed for our possibly year long (plus) journey around the US we talked about what would make it possible and one of the most important parts for both of us was comfort. We didn't want this to be a suffer-fest. So I knew from the beginning that I would be bringing my Xtracycle to be able to carry a bit more gear. When we started the list of things to bring and laid them out we actually did manage to take some things out, but mostly we kept what we thought we might want because we knew we could always send them back later. So our gear list is pretty hefty. Now, many of my friends are minimalists in their bike touring, taking as little gear as is "necessary", traveling light and fast and I can appreciate this ideal, it's just not something I've ever been interested (or able) in repeating. Not only am I not good at being a minimalist I also could not picture Missy sleeping under a tarp or in a bivy sack in a storm. Who really wants to do that? This is a good time to mention that most of the minimalists I know are guys. A tip to all those people trying to get their friends (or partners) into bike touring... don't take them on a minimalist tour as an introduction. Bring the luxury items and just make it a shorter trip, they'll appreciate it more and may be more likely to join you again, maybe even adopting your minimalist ways. So we've determined that we're not minimalists. So what kind of touring do we do? Well, I've come up with a term that sums it up. We call our type of touring LOTS (Luxury Overnight Touring, Self-supported). On a LOTS tour you don't worry about cutting grams off your bike frame, you don't worry about throwing in that extra pair of cozy socks, and you most certainly would never sleep under a tarp! Of course this is not car camping, you do have to carry your own stuff under your own power so there are limits. We don't call it Maximalist touring. It's not carrying as much as possible (save that for Pedal Express), it's about bringing the gear that makes you comfortable- both in carrying it and in camp. Some examples? *We not only have a tent but a Kelty tarp to put over the picnic table. It has made living on the road enjoyable. It becomes our living room on the road. The weight to comfort ratio is big- Small weight-Huge comfort. *We use two cook stoves and a 'full pantry'. Between my love of cooking and the importance of food as fuel it's essential to us to have a kitchen on the road that makes cooking enjoyable. By having two burners and lot's of base ingredients our menus never get boring or old. We're already bringing all the gear to cook with, adding one lightweight stove didn't add that much weight. *Missy has the largest thermarest pillow and backpacking sleep pad available. A good nights sleep makes all the difference! *We use a Coleman lantern instead of just headlamps. Now that we are not touring in the summer and darkness comes around 6:00 there are a lot of things we would like to do around the 'living room' at night (needlepoint, knitting, bike repairs, cooking, reading, etc.) and having a lantern makes it so much more enjoyable. *And yes, we did carry a human-powered Byerly Bike Blender for awhile. This was a great luxury, making smoothies for breakfast and even a soup for dinner. Sadly, we sent it home awhile back. It was more the space than the weight really. Us & Our Gear Some people look at our bikes and say "you biked that over the Rockies"? But you know, no matter how you slice it (or ride it) going up some of those big hills on an ultra-light racing bike, a bike loaded with the minimalist 15 pounds of gear, or 140 pounds of bike and gear is not easy. At the end of the day(s) I'd rather have the 'things' we have and have worked a little harder to bring them along than to have not worked as hard and have very little in camp. On the note of the ultra-light racing bikes and working a little harder; it has always amazed me that people who ride for sport (rather than transport) and work so hard at getting in shape are also the ones so concerned about cutting the grams. We've made up a gear list that can be found as a link on the sidebar (though it's not in the best format) and one 'feature' I'd like to include on the blogs in the future is a little "gear review" of things that are working well or not so well for us. So watch for that. There is one thing that hasn't made the gear list yet that we added along the way and that is our little cooler. Missy carries it on her rack it allows us to pick up eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. or even the more important occasional six pack of local brew, because like I say- We like to ride fully loaded.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006 | | On the Road Again? It's Monday morning, almost two weeks later than our planned departure day out of Lambertville, NJ. We were pretty close to being packed and had a planned Friday departure but Ryan & Amy started talking about their plans for the weekend (which sounded like fun) and the forecast for Saturday looked really wet & windy (which didn't sound so fun) so we decided to wait until after the weekend. Here we are on Monday morning, the coffee is brewing, Amy's making muffins, we're all packed up and the time has come. Wow, hard to believe it may actually happen. It has been so amazing to have a 'home' again for awhile. Visiting with Ryan & Amy and meeting their sweet little girl Natalie has been a great treat too. I'm so glad we've been able to be here with them. But the time has come to give the road another shot. We've become so comfortable being in a homey spot, near friends, and 'settled' that we lost a little of our momentum and even questioned whether it was time to go home and give the road a rest. But, we've decided that we wouldn't really know what was right until we got out there and rode some more. It's about 5-6 days to Washington, D.C. so we figured we'd know a little better how things are going once we made it there. There's so much to look forward to either way; the continuation of an amazing journey seeing this awesome country or the wonderful journey of beginning to create our home together. We'll know what's right once we're back on the road.

Friday, November 3, 2006 RSS Logo Pennsylvania, Maryland, & Washington, D.C. We've got our groove back! Or at least it feels like it after four wonderful days of sightseeing in Washington D.C. It was a rough few days getting here but since we've been here we've really been recharged and re-energized! I wanted to start off by thanking a few wonderful people who have made this part of the trip so great. A special Thanks to Kate's brother and his family (Jamey, Mark, Kylie, & Ali) for their connection to a place to stay in DC (and a nice dinner at their place). With that, a grateful thank you to the host we've never met, Jim, for providing us a home base in the Dupont Circle area of DC, it made our visit so great! It has been such a treat to walk out the door to find great food or walk just a little ways and be at a Metro stop taking us right downtown. We've also been able to relax in the peace and quite of a cozy 'living room' when we're not out walking the sights. A very nice treat to have 'our own place' for a bit. Next, a big Thank You goes out to Erik for the amazing 'private' tour of the Capitol building and the special visit through the Cloak Room onto the Senate Floor! Senate Seal It was so great to step out on the floor of the Senate and think about all the senators from all the different states that we've been through (or that we are headed for) sitting out on that floor. It was impressive to stand down there and think about the impact that small room has on our lives. Interesting to note that if the Senate was actually in session we wouldn't be allowed on the floor (you can see who IS allowed HERE and to read up on your understanding of the Senate check HERE). Robert Fulton Painting in the Capitol BuildingWe also got a little tour around the Capitol building, Erik was a great guide and pointed out a lot of interesting items, including a painting done by Constantino Brumidi of Missy's ancestor, Robert Fulton (the inventor of the first steam powered ship). Thanks also to Ryan for setting up the meeting with Erik, our little Washington 'insider privilege'! We have had really such a wonderful time in DC, beyond our expectations for sure. We spent almost a whole day at the Holocaust Memorial Museum (heart wrenching and amazing). We walked The Mall and saw the White House (front & rear- no sign of "our President"- no political comment needed here), the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial (The Wall), the Reflecting Pool, the Smithsonian- the Hirshorn Museum & the National Museum of Natural History , and of course the Capitol Building. There is of course so much to see here and we could spend another couple days easy. But, as always, we have to draw the line somewhere and today is the day to get back on the road. Shane & Missy in front of the Capitol Building So we take our well rested, well fed, well educated, and re-energized bodies back on the road today. The prospect for the weather and lodging is better, cooler than the last few days (that it got into the 70s) but warmer and with less wind than a week ago. We'll roll into Virginia today and are excited to be heading south, south, south. We've put up some more photo's: LOOK HERE. There's some pretty nice shots in this series with some more of the great fall colors that we've been experiencing. The journey continues!


Thursday, November 16, 2006 | | Back from the Outer Banks We've just come back to the mainland from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It added a few miles to our route but it was worth it to ride a few days along the shoreline. On this Atlantic coast route we are near the coast a lot less than we were when we did the first part of the Pacific route so it's nice to be by the ocean again. We saw a lot of interesting spots out there, including Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, where the Wright Brothers first took to the air under a non-human-powered aircraft (though they did get started in the whole ordeal with human power by owning a bike shop and building their own bikes). We also rode through some great birding habitat on Pea Island Wildlife Refuge. We had some serious 20-30 mph winds that day so didn't spend a lot of time bird watching but more time fighting the side and head winds (the 3 mile bridge of the Oregon Inlet was particularly hair raising). Missy & Shane at the Cape Hateras Lighthouse The sand dunes, different flora,new house styles, lighthouses and nice flat & straight roads made it an interesting ride. Most of the houses out there were pretty large and built up on stilts an extra 20 feet or so for the flooding waters. It was pretty quiet out there and we could tell that in the summer it would be MUCH busier. A lot of businesses were closed which made the traffic pretty mellow too. The camping has been much better recently with most places actually open (except for some State Parks). They have also been reasonably priced and pretty well taken care of too. Besides our one windy (and rainy) day on the outer banks the weather has been really great recently, with some days in the mid to upper 70's. Tonight's forecast is a little ominous for this area (Surf City in Pender County) though: ...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE THURSDAY MORNING... FAIRLY INTENSE SQUALL LINE WILL PRECEDE A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE THURSDAY MORNING. THE MAIN THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE STRONG DAMAGING WINDS THAT MAY ACCOMPANY THIS SQUALL LINE. VERY STRONG WINDS NOT FAR ABOVE THE SURFACE CAN POTENTIALLY BE BROUGHT DOWN TO THE SURFACE IN ANY OF THESE STRONGER STORMS. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE FOR AN ISOLATED TORNADO THAT COULD FORM IN THE HIGHLY SHEARED AIR MASS THAT ACCOMPANIES THIS SYSTEM. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR DAMAGING WINDS TO AFFECT THE AREA IS JUST BEFORE DAYBREAK FOR AREAS WEST OF INTERSTATE 95...AND THROUGH NOON FOR THE COASTAL CAROLINAS. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. Well that's sounds nice doesn't it?! We've staked down the tent and will pack things up pretty tight tonight but it doesn't sound like it will hit hard until the morning... may be a short day of riding tomorrow or as Missy says... a short ride to the nearest motel- we are being cautious, don't worry Mom(s) (and Larry). We have a couple more days of riding before reaching Myrtle Beach, SC where Missy's friend Wendy is. We'll stay there for a rest day and then keep heading South. We hope to spend Thanksgiving in Charleston where we will miss being with family but know that we will be home for a visit soon enough. PS- Tried to publish this last night but couldn't. The storm is blowing through this area and we weathered it fine last night. Looks like we'll be sitting here for a little while as we see what the weather does. The neighboring county had a tornado touch down and our county has a tornado watch so we're going to be a little careful, most likely stay here at the campground and use their main building as our base (rather than go out into the weather to try and find a hotel). The storm is supposed to pass by this afternoon. PPS Newspaper clipping on storm We're okay, stay tuned.


Saturday, November 25, 2006 | | Thankful in Charleston Though we can't be with family this Thanksgiving we are Thankful that we are happy & healthy here in Charleston, SC. Today we are relaxing, exploring the quiet city, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, and going out to a nice restaurant for our turkey dinner. For those wondering and in honor of full disclosure, we did not ride our bikes here. With the cold, wind, and general storm conditions (it actually snowed in Charleston) that presented itself in Myrtle Beach we decided to take an offer of a ride from Wendi. We piled the bikes into the mini-van and she drove us the 100 miles here. It was a bit hard to accept at first and we talked about even trying to go back and "make up" the miles but that just seemed silly. It's all part of the journey. Yes, we would have liked to have biked but there are no rules to what we are doing and we said from the beginning that this journey was about being open to whatever presented itself and the time was right to just accept what the spirits have given us. So now here we are, exploring this wonderful city and giving thanks to be on this journey and thankful for how blessed we are to have our family, friends, and even strangers supporting us on our path. Thanks and bless you all. Saturday, December 9, 2006 | | Florida Another milestone for us! We've completed our Atlantic Coast Route! And now it's time for a break. We got here about 5 days earlier than planned (well...also a month later than planned but I mean our third or fourth plan) so we are going to take advantage of the time and explore the area a little. We found out that there will be a space shuttle launch on Thursday and we are both really excited to see that so we'll be around Cape Canaveral and may even make it down to the Keys. We had a great last few days of riding. We left Savannah and rode on a lot of peaceful back roads with only a few barking and chasing dogs adding to the excitement. The weather treated us well, even though the forecast was for rain several days we only broke out our rain jackets once and after 5 minutes we packed them away again. We even got so lucky one day that we pulled over to a store to shop and while we were inside it started to dump rain, we ate our lunch under an awning. As we finished and packed up again not only had it stopped raining but the headwind we had fought for the first part of the day had stopped as well, the next 30 miles flew by. It has been very flat and pleasant riding with very little traffic and even a nice shoulder now and again (seems like it's been a long time without shoulders). We've enjoyed the Georgia country roads, have had a lot of friendly waves and seen some great birds, a couple armadillos, a glimpse of a deer (and several deer hunters), and even an alligator at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. We camped next to the NWR just the other night and rode the four miles into the park to see what there was to see. It was already late afternoon when we got there so we didn't have time to do a boat tour or even a nature trail hike so we just checked out the visitors center and then walked around outside. As we stepped outside we saw a blue heron and an alligator. At first we thought they were fakes, set up as "nature scene". They were both totally still and even looked like figurines. Missy was about to go over and touch the alligator but then we both just sat there and watched them. Then she saw the heron swallow and then the alligator took a deep breath. We sat and watched them for about 15 minutes and neither moved another muscle. They won the staring contest and we rolled back to camp, seeing an interesting squirrel/racoon type creature we have yet to identify and a whole spread of interesting pine and palm forest. In one of the comments Larry asked about what area of the ride we've like best so far (and where we would relocate to). We'll talk about that and do some number crunching in a 'review' entry soon... maybe as we sit in front of the fire and watch the snow fall in Oregon when we are back for the holidays. But for now we're off to enjoy Florida's First Coast and beyond.
Monday, January 1, 2007 | | Numbers & Photos Finally got some pictures posted and you can see them HERE. Also have a numbers update for our trip so far:
Miles ridden: 7325

Average Miles Daily: 50
Average MPH: 12
Total Elevation Gain: 191,500 feet
Days on the Road: 220
Days camping: 131
Days in homes (friends/family/strangers): 54
Days in hotels: 35

Numer of flats: 2 for Missy, 5 for Shane
Replaced/Repaired gear:
lantern glass (broke, replaced).
Kelty tent (leaking, replaced for free, working great),
Xtracycle frame (cracked, rewelded),
MSR Stove (sent in for cleaning),
Wheels (one new one for Shane's rear),
Spokes (about 5 replaced on Shane's new rear wheel),
iPod (Missy's sent in & repaired),
clothes (some very worn gear but only one shirt, two bras, two pairs of socks, and one pair of shoes finished their life on the road so far).
Number of photos taken: 4,500 Live roadside animals:
Moose: 1
Cows: thousands

Interesting birds: a lot but not enough
Armadillo: 2
Blue Heron: 1-5 in almost every state we've been in.
Number of road kills seen: too many