Steve and Guy's Big Bike Ride Across America
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For August follow AUGUST
For September follow SEPTEMBER
Preparations
Early May 2004
I think you can say that our preparations have so far been characterised by a huge amount of phaffing (sp?) around, running in both directions at once, bumping into each other and falling over. At least we've got the maps for the route... I'm busy trying to plan the first few weeks, explore the chance of getting a swim regularly in little towns in the USA after a long days cycling, worrying about what happens if one of our four legs starts to hurt. Well, they say 'face the worst and you'll get the best'.
Still wondering if we'll ever get going....
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Early June 2004
Well, we are going! The flight is booked, the insurance obtained, etc. Our plan is to start from Washington DC and cycle across to the Pacific coast, so we'll have gone from the Potomac (tidal and salty bit of the Atlantic) to the Pacific - assuming our legs hold up and suchlike.
Getting it all together has been pretty unexciting and has involved a surprising amount of waiting.
Why are you doing this?
Well, it seems like a fun way to spend a summer.... Quite like being on a bike (except when it is cold and uphill).
What the route?
Basically the trans American route of the american adventure cycling association. But we've only got 90 days to do the crossing and lots to see, so we might have to take a few deviations, shortcuts, etc. The route goes over the Appalachians, across Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, into Kansas (for lots of miles!), reaches the Rockies, goes through Yellowstone, up, eventually, into Oregon and reaches the coast at Astoria, then we'll have to go to Seattle to start the journey back.
Are you crazy?
Oh well, yes, I suppose so... Guy lost his job due to an Enron related staff loss, and Steve gave up his job to do the trip. He wasn't making much money so it didn't seem to make so much difference (I was just about paying the cost of commuting to work!). Why do this, though? Well, it's a route you can see from outer space - that appealed to me (Steve), and we've never been to the USA so it seems a good way to see it "properly". MORE UPDATES SOON [June 10th June]
Comments welcome to Steve
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June 17th 2004
After a long flight in which we could see various bits of offshore Canada, we landed amidst thunderclouds, at Washington Dulles Airport. Then the wonderful Metrobus took our bikes (on the front of the bus) to the centre of town. The International Hostelling Youth Hostel was easy to find, but not bike friendly, they didn't want to have our bikes inside the hostel (clearly this isn't France where they are happy to display your bike in the hotel lobby!). Anyhow, having now been awake for about 36 hours, I (Steve) haggled them inside. They are locked in a remote part of the basement, against the stern will of the management! Washington's best bits look like Paris (e.g. the Old Administration Building), I think! But the capitol has a Sacre Coeur wedding cakey feel that's quite nice I suppose. And the White House is impressive, again white for purity of political intention no doubt (hype over reality I guess). The picture is of a Washington DC bike policeman, interrupted in the performance of his duty in order for us to take a photo. Nice to see bike police - not a common site back home in Bradford sadly!
Orville Wright's bicycle
June 18th 2004
First day of cycling! Lovely escape route from Washington on the Vernon Trail - winding alongside the Potomac. I dipped my wheels in the Potomac (it's salty and tidal here so it's as good as the sea) and then headed for the Pacific. We then headed along route 1 towards Fredericksburg. This was a poor road for cycling, with very heavy traffic, often stationary, very humid, very hot and not much space for cyclists. What have we done?! Well, actually, it was bad, but it was what you should expect getting out of a capital city in the country ted by cars! After about 80 miles (which I'd estimated at about 50 when looking at the map! whoops!) we got to Fredericksburg and a motel (surprisingly expensive - though the cheapest we could find - on an Interstate junction). Today, we hoped, was not to be typical.
June 19th 2004
A shortish ride to Anna Lake. It was only 36 miles, and at the end we camped by a pool. It has to be said that the countryside was lovely and the Lake looked great - so we spent the afternoon swimming in it. It was warm. Lots of powerboats, and JetSkis, no rowing, nothing that would involve a citizen of the United States in taking any exercise! It's a powerboat kind of place. We spotted a heron lurking in a backwater - well, Guy spotted it while swimming near some reedy bits. Excellent. Do we have to do any cycling? Well, I suppose so.
June 20th 2004
A big day, going from Christopher Run campsite to Misty Mountain campsite, near Charlottesville. Excellent cycling for the most part, and we are now, well and truly on the Trans-American trail. Didn't see any other TransAm cyclists though.
June 21st 2004
Over the Blue Ride Mountains and down to Mallard Duck campsite near Vesuvius. Lovely hills, certainly blue, and hot and sweaty to cycle over. Saw the famous TransAmerican trail 'cookie lady' - but only very briefly - just 'hello'. We'd just been chased by three dogs so I was not entirely cool and collected. The 'dog dazer' works - ultrasound device that deters dogs. It's great - they chase, then just give up, looking puzzled. The Blue Ridge Parkway was hilly - you are either going up or down, but just about never flat. 27 miles were rather slowly done.
June 22nd 2004
From Mallard Duck campsite to Troutville. Big Problems, but overcome. My dearly beloved bike, which has been over the Galibier, the Tourmalet and countless other passes, broke while on a backroad near Troutville. The weather was lovely, the scenery very pleasant and we were on time. There was a crunch from the back of the bike and suddenly peddling became difficult. It could be walked up the hills and freewheeled down, so that's what I did, with Guy giving me helpful pushes to keep me going on the flat bits. The local cyclists that passed us were wonderful. Greg, a retired law officer from Roanoke, was particularly helpful. Greg met us in Troutville with his van, took me to a bike shop, where my frame was exchanged for a new Aluminium one. The mechanics managed to overcome various problems along the way (different clearances for brakes, etc, etc). Looks great and the whole thing was very cheap. A big thank you to the Cardinal Cycles Staff - especially Billy, John and Bob. My bike is now excellent. I even got a lift back to Troutville where Guy was setting up camp in the local park. The cycling had been so easy after the big hills, so why did it break there on a quiet lane, doing about 3 mph?The park was not that easy a place to sleep - we slept under a roof, but during the night huge freight trains went past on the railway next to the park. The trains had a very musical, but very loud, hooting, and went passed at about 2.30 and 3.30am. Reminded me of the trains in Fried Green Tomatoes in the Whistlestop Cafe - a place I could do with finding. I think I slept for about 5 hours, if you add all the bits together.
June 23rd 2004
First day on the new bike and all seems great. A hilly-ish ride round Catawba, then through Christianburg (which seems to be all out of town malls and no center) then to Radford. I am now in the public library looking for a motel. Will we find one that we can afford? Well, read the next instalment! America, so far, is curious. The towns have little sense of center, sprawl, and are very full of large vehicles. Americans, however, have been remarkably hospitable and helpful, often pulling up to advise on the bike route! It's culture shock that we are going through. Will I reach any conclusions? Well, it would be nice - one day... Later... well we found a motel we could afford about half a mile away, so it's rather nice to have a bit more time. I'm not finding it easy to upload photos to this site - it seems to be covered under the library policy of 'unauthorized tampering with hardware/software', so I'm not going to be able to upload anything here.
June 24th 2004
From Radford to Sugar Grove (Racoon Branch Campground) - which is about 70 miles. I've noticed that my bike 'pedometer' (thing that measures the mileage we're doing) has lost its receiver unit, so it isn't measuring. Radford had a remarkably disorganised but very well stocked bike shop. I found the box that the piece I needed should have been in, but wasn't. Further scurrying around, searching under, over and amongst. No sign of the contents. So no precise mileages, just the ones from the map (these don't include our detours due to being lost, trying to find somewhere to sleep, getting caught in a gyro-auto-circulatory system that whisks us off to the Interstate). The roads were undulating and pleasant- gentle climbing. Mostly farmland and small woods. Sugar Grove is minute, the motel seems to be miles away in the wrong direction, the little place that does usually rent seems to be in a state of festive chaos and has no space, so the National Forestry Service Campground is very welcome.
June 25th 2004 (Friday)
Racoon Branch Campground to Elk Garden United Methodist Church. It started raining heavily in the night and continued raining heavily throughout the day, with little pauses to drizzle. Packing up the tent- well everything was wet. The biking was through lovely wooded hills, right next to the highest peak in Virginia (Mt Rogers, a bit over 5000 feet). Didn't see Mt Rogers because, well, it was wet. Still, I was water cooled for the whole day which made things easier. Big climb just before Elk Garden - went over 3000 feet contour. Then down into a tiny settlement, which included this wonderful church which lets you sleep in the church and use the kitchen and toilets. Excellent. Met Matt and Laura who are doing a run (Matt) and cycle (Laura) across the USA for the sake of Measles Medical Care (heading for Rwanda later in the year). See their website at Across the USA. Also met Ben Ewig who looks incredibly well considering he'd fallen off his bike - seems to be composed entirely off muscle and wants to be an exercise scientist. Matt and Laura asks us what seems strange - we said, as one voice, - 'towns with no centres' (we'd had a bit of trouble with Christiansburg - which seems all out of town shopping mall and no centre AT ALL). Matt said that English people still made Americans feel inferior (educationally). I suspect this is media portrayal of the English as a heap of Eton and Cambridge educated gentry. We are hoping for sun to dry out, tomorrow.
June 26th 2004 (Sat)
Elk Garden United Methodist Church through to Breaks Interstate Park. Quite a hilly day, lots of going up, coming down, repeat, etc. Wooded Appalachian countryside. Stopped after 43 miles because Breaks looked lovely. Pitched tent amidst the trees, put tent up to dry it out and then went for a swim in the unheated swimming pool. Deliciously cool, and with diving boards, hooray! On the way to Breaks we passed Matt, who is going to run c. 43 miles today! Photo taken - but once again can't easily upload it just now since the computer is physically tucked away so I can't plug in a USB cord. Tried to get the piece that's missing from the cycle computer when we were in Damascus. Failed - they had one, but it was a dummy, for display only from the manufacturers. Fate seems to be teasing me! First an empty box in Radford, now a dummy version in Damascus. Expected to see visions on the way to Damascus, just saw road, trees and warm sunshine. As you can see from the picture below, Breaks Interstate Park, right on the border between Virginia and Kentucky, is very very scenic.
The river winds around in a sort of gorge - thickly wooded hills add to the delights of walking and camping.
June 27th 2004 (Sun)
Breaks Interstate Park to Pippa Passes American Youth Hostel Association. Entered Kentucky. My brakes need new brake blocks. Just as we were into Kentucky, the bit holding the pannier carrier to the frame broke and I had to stop (the back light that's fixed onto the back of the carrier melted a little as it came into contact with the back wheel!). All seems OK, so bungee-ed the carrier to the seat post and carrier on, seems fine. Kentucky does seem full of dogs - they generally just park and jump up and down a bit, but there are more than in Virginia, almost as if we were in a different country. The dogs don't seem to be out to bite, just to warn their owners that you are there. Dog dazer at the ready none-the-less. How do people put up with the continual yelping that issues from the hillsides? One little boy, in Lookout (appropriately named), woke his little dog up and said "Chase them, Jobey". Jobey chased but rather ineffectually. Hostel at Pippa Passes had us, Mark and Wanda (doing transAm but needing to go faster than us since he's got to go to work in early Sept),and Jason, all making tea, cooking things, washing, etc. Pleasant discussions of the trans Am - the usual questions arose "What do you do if you cross a bear in Yellowstone?", etc. The owners of Pippa Passes,the Maddens, have been running the hostel since 1976 - and have a certificate fromthe original BikeCentennial,for their services to the transAm. 62 miles today.
June 28th 2004 (Mon)
Pippa Passes to Booneville Presbyterian Church. Nice and hot, not too humid. A hilly-ish ride- either you're going over1500 foot hills or you are going down or gently up a river valley. Deciduous woods mostly, with little communities and a few barky dogs. Nothing too difficult. Various locals asked me if I new of their families back in England - there's a good deal of curiosity about England, and it is a bit of a rosy image (little thatched villages, dramatic moorlands, old Victorian buildings).Generally unable to help - "no I don't have them as next door neighbours, but...". Today was 74 miles.
June 29th (Tuesday) 2004
Our 11th day of cycling and at the end of the second map (our of twelve) that we've got to cover. We are off to Berea today, not too far - about 58 miles I think. Hope there's a bike shop in Berea. Will post again soon!Well, today ended up being a hot and humid ride. Started off amidst the wooded hills of Kentucky and ended in Berea, which is really the end of the hilly bit of Western Kentucky. The first half of the day was amidst the ups and downs of the hills, while the second half took it easy be sailing along river valley's into Berea. Had a wonderful time in the second half - apart from being chased by dogs on the official shortcut of Murphy's Ford - a bit of a quiet road and with a couple of dogs who really like to chase cyclists and are a bit big. Well, we dazed them with the dazer and they ceased to chase, but it's not what you need. Another cyclists who met them later said that they were still on form, but this time they got 'maced' - i.e. a form of pepper spray. Whoever owns those dogs should make an effort to keep them under control (the owner appeared to be strimming [a very popular american occupation] while his dogs were going for us - I shouted 'Happy Strimming!'). We finally hauled up at the Knight's Inn in Berea - tho' it turned out the Holiday Motel (not a chain, apparently) does more for less just a hundred yards down the road. Still, a hot shower was very welcome at the end of the day, even if I couldn't make a decent cup of Earl Grey. We did 58 miles, even with the shortcut, so moving on well.
June 30th (Wednesday) 2004
From Berea to Lincoln Homestead Park - 79 miles. The landscape changes after Berea, the hills become much smaller and there's a sense that it's a primarily agricultural landscape rather than a wilder wooded landscape. The riding seemed easier, and the humidity seemed initially a bit lower. Kept bumping in Mark and Wanda, and Jason - all of whom were heading more or less in the same direction. Harrodsburg was nice - a town where the historic core still feels real, and not tourist schmalz with no real shops. Harrodsburg claims to be the first settlement in Kentucky - settlement as a permanent thing, I suppose. Ended up shopping in Springfield, but they had no wine only heavy six packs of beer, too heavy we decided for the bike. Went to the Lincoln Homestead State Park - no obvious campsite but we met someone who said camp at the bottom of the hill, which we did. No showers. Mark and Wanda rolled up, and so did Jason. Mark had bought beer - hooray. Bass Export, so English beer as well. A beautiful ending to a hot and long day.