Day 90: The Law Man Says...

Waking up in a beautiful state park is always a joy and starts the day off right as far as I'm concerned. It was a slow and relaxed packing and eating and eventually I was on the road passing the two private campgrounds I had considered yesterday. Having seen these somewhat sorry affairs now compared to my site last night I vowed to have my last night of camping be at another state park, the goal being Pearl Hill.

I stuck to the Mohawk Trail through Shelburne Falls where a side glance as I crossed the river piqued my interest. I turned around and walked up the the Bridge of Flowers which is a walking bridge with a full flower garden on both sides of the path the entire length of the bridge! It was in full bloom and I smelled the roses and enjoyed the amazing display of dahlias, daisies, and hibiscus that were literally bigger than my hand. It has been these gems that I randomly find in towns that excite me about the possibility of each new place I see.

I continued through Greenfield and compared the topo map to Google's biking route suggestion. Sure enough the biking route was going to take me right over the top of a sizeable hill instead of the near route around. I did my own routing and got on Route 2/2A. This was a busy highway but I've been on the interstate with cars going 75 so this 55 was small potatoes (what does that idiom even mean??). My goal was a Subway in the town of Orange but when 2A split from 2 I took the wrong option and didn't realize it until I was too far past. I pulled off to a gas station for a Gatorade and banana instead of a sandwich and ended up talking to a few motorcyclists. One of them asked if I had been hassled by the "staties" since biking on the highway was prohibited. Prohibited? I hadn't seen any signs but be said it was probably because I entered in more rural and slow Greenfield. At this point I wasn't close to any other side streets so I got back on and saw the warning sign about walking, biking, and horseback riding. All I really needed to do was ride this for maybe 8-10 miles until the next significant exit when I could get back onto 2A.

I got probably 3 miles when a statie going the other way flipped around, flashed the lights, and pulled me over. I was two days away from finishing this ride and now I get pulled over?! He came out tough with the bad cop routine saying he'd have to give me a $90 ticket or a date in court. I feigned the ignorance which I'd truly had not long before, saying in many other states I'd ridden the highways but soon decided to keep my mouth shut as he took my license to check me out. He came back with the good cop side and said, somewhat surprised given my vagabond appearance, that I had no criminal record so it would be a shame to start one with a "stupid thing like this." I thanked him but he wasn't quite finished.

As it was illegal to ride or walk on the highway I could either wait for a tow truck to haul me off (which probably wouldn't have been free), or walk to the next exit on the other side of the guardrail. I hoisted the fully loaded bike over the rail and began pushing it through the weeds and dirt. I had to haul it for just under half a mile, at one point having to hoist onto the highway and back over to get around a massive bush that blocked all the level terrain next to the steep hillside. I finally saw a side road and elected to make for it instead of trudge another mile like this to the actual exit. One more fence stood in the way but soon I was back on pavement having no harm done except for being filthy and getting a hole torn in the leg of my shorts when I scraped the guardrail.

I proceeded to reorient myself and was soon riding 2A towards Fitchburg. When I was getting close my spirits rose at the unexpected smell of mash and sure enough I was riding by the Wachusetts Brewing Co. I stopped in for a couple free samples and had to pass on the tour, but was now ready to finish the day. When I got to the grocery store in Fitchburg I talked briefly outside with a man about touring and his former bike shop. When I came back out I had a tshirt of his bike shop stuffed into my helmet. Since he had just been out doing errands this man must have literally given me the tshirt off his back! I laughed and decided to keep it, it makes for a good souvenir and I'll wear it once it's washed.

I finished the ride up to Pearl Hill and set up camp in another beautiful state park. I made a tasty meal, had a Sam Adams, and did some reflecting of the trip and the fact that this would be my last night camping on this amazing journey. It is a shame there weren't more parks along the ride since the beginning and end of this trip have been so enjoyable when exploring them. It seems like ages ago when I was arriving near dark on the CA coast and exploring each park in the morning with glee. I settled in to enjoy the quiet night before the excitement picks back up in Boston.

Surprise Surprise! Now to Correct Some Lies

Ok I have to correct a couple of white lies and omissions from the past few days. The original plan was for Steph to fly in to Boston early on 8/11, go to her cousin's in Newton to rest and get ready, then meet me as I rode onto the beach in Boston having come from a final day's ride through eastern Mass. But I was ahead of even an easy schedule since getting back into the States and wanted to see her as soon as possible since it's now been five weeks since she left South Dakota.


I contacted the cousin's and they gave me the okay to stay at their place by myself Friday night (they were going to be out of town) so I could be there when Steph arrived in the morning to surprise her. This all sounds well and good but I talk to her quite frequently as well as to some of you, and there's even a GPS tracker on my blog. The "technical issue" was me disabling the tracking a few days in advance so it wouldn't be obvious how far along I was. Then with Steph I had to pretend the hills in Mass were going to be far more difficult than they actually were to justify the slow progress I was seemingly making.

I have to apologize to the reader that my posts have been delayed and lacking some locational clarity. I'm sorry to mislead you but it was worth it!


The update:

Day 89 was short at only 56 miles and the amazing state park I was at was called Mohawk Trail State Park near Charlemount. Now I'll upload the last two days and get on the bike for the last 10 miles!

This is of Steph after seeing me come out the door. I wish I hadn't fumbled with the camera and could have gotten that first shot because I've never seen eyes so big with surprise.

Day 89: Gorgeous Mountains in VT and MA

The morning was pretty standard and soon I was on the road for Massachusetts, home of the Berkshire mountain range. There's also the massive Quabbin Reservoir in the middle of the state so I could either take the northern or southern route. Despite Google Maps suggestion of the latter, it seemed straighter for me to try the former so that was my goal.

Once I got onto NY-7 I saw Romano again! I pushed to catch up with him and we ended up riding the next 10-15 miles together. He is an inspirational guy and is raising money for their organization FRANK.org for a couple of leukemia patients. He's been touring since '89 so we talked bikes, adventures, and philosophy while rising and falling in the foothills. He was the first bike tourer to see games at all 30 MLB baseball stadiums and has done several tours in areas I covered on this trip. We finally parted as he was headed for Montpelier and I needed to track east, but I hope to connect with him on the east coast or in Monterrey next year when he starts rowing to Hawaii.

Vermont wasn't on the original plan but it was the best way around the first range in MA so I spent a wonderful 30 minutes cruising through the SE corner. By the way Massachusetts, you have the lamest welcome sign of the trip so I tried to spice it up. Now in MA I stopped along the Hoosic River to eat my snacks and enjoyed the cool water. The scenery here, pretty much the entire day, has been truly beautiful. There are mountains covered in vivid green trees and bushes and everything is lush and wild countryside.

As I left the area I came across my first real mountain since South Dakota. I was pretty nervous that my legs might have atrophied a little but I started and was happy to find I could complete the entire 1200 vertical foot climb without stopping. Once at the top I took in the view but quickly started to descend. Without a climb like that there's no equivalent descent so I haven't had a good downhill for about a month either. Pretty soon I saw a sign cautioning steep grade and turns, and along with the fresh pavement that my tires were rolling on, caused me to let out a whoop, pull on a smile, and lean down on the bike. I took the turns sans brakes and it caused memory flashes of similar descents in the great states of the West.

Down at the bottom I came to a state park I had seen on the map. My goal was to keep going to the next commercial campground since it was farther and now only 4:30 but the park was just too beautiful. I could deal with a little bit longer day tomorrow so I stopped, paid the $14 instead of $26 at the next campground, and set up camp. I took a dip in the cool waters of the river running through the forest and prepared the basic meal that I had thankfully stocked up on just in case I couldn't find a store. The past few days and especially today have brought me back to the wonder and glory of the beginning of this trip. Riding through breathtaking mountain scenery, climbing until my knees are covered in drops of chin sweat then descending in a rush of wind, and camping in simple but beautiful state parks. A week ago I was ready to be done but now I'm really going to miss it but it's okay knowing the fun I'll have in the next few weeks and touring again in the future.

Day 88: Last Canal Day

Waking up at the lock was the first foggy morning I've had in a long time and it was a beautiful sight from in the tent with the mist lolling about on the water. I took my time and eventually the sun came out which allowed me to stretch out the tent and footprint to dry before packing them up. I got back on the trail and headed for Albany. I was pretty zoned out most of the ride, just enjoying the scenery on what was now mostly paved trail as I neared bigger cities. Eventually I hit Schenectady and left the trail for State St, then zoned out on that routs as well since I didn't have any turns for 10-15 miles and it took my right to Albany's Capitol Square. I did notice, however, the drivers becoming less patient and I had to watch my mirror a little more.

Once in the Square I did some mapping and enjoyed the respectful tranquility that comes with most capital areas, except for when a bird poops on your arm. Thankfully I have my trusty Smangin' USA handkerchief! I took some pics and saw The Egg which is a performance hall, then also noticed a fellow tourer.

Romano and I started talking and I found out he's on a 7 month self supported tour to reach all 50 capitals plus DC by human powered means and will be the first ever to do so. He started in Juneau on April 25th, I ran into him here in Albany onthe capital #20, and he expects to reach his final mainland capital, Phoenix, around Thanksgiving. And how will he get to Honolulu? By rowing a solo craft from Monterrey, CA to Hawaii next June! This man's journey is incredible and I wanted to hear more but we both had to start figuring out camping spots. I rode up to Waterford along the Hudson River to the beginning of the canal system. Here a visitor center volunteer pointed me to a patch of grass when I asked about the free camping advertised on the website. They also had free public showers at the facility, which were fairly clean and guaranteed that there must not be any homeless people here since free public showers would never work in a city like SF. And in fact a maintenance guy informed me that they "had a couple guys" a few years ago but they left. I guess there's no interest by the vagabonds in this village which is the oldest incorporated village in the U.S.

I made use of the visitor center's balcony to cook on, listen to music, charge gadgets, and enjoy sunset over the canal. With the past couple of days I have to say the Canal Trail is my favorite of the trip. The Trail of the Coeur D'Alene was better maintained and more beautiful, and Mickelson was more beautiful, but this trail is nearly four time longer than either, has several locks with free camping, and even skirts along some major cities, allowing me to detour a few blocks and get a beer or groceries and then keep going. The trail still needs to be completed since it jogs on and off roads once in awhile but being able to take it across the entirety of upstate NY is pretty phenomenal. I'll be sad to leave it tomorrow, especially since it means I'll have to ride the hills which the canal has allowed me to avoid.

Technical Difficulties, Again

It seems my GPS tracking is having some issues and won't show my location. I'm trying to work it out but not spend too much time on it. I'm on pace to hit Boston midday on August 11th which will be Day 92. Be patient friends, the end is near!

Day 87: Equipment Failures, Culinary Triumph

I heard some rustling early in the morning and saw Nick and Brad packing up at 6:30. I was still pretty much asleep, let alone packed and fed so I didn't bother trying to time it with them. It would be nice to ride with them but Brad is shooting for Gloucester on Thursday which is two days faster than my goal so we would have been on a different pace anyway. I slept some more, ate and packed, and left around 10:30. Not too far into the ride on the trail I heard a familiar rattling but had never figured out what it was. I also noticed my front rack leaning forward more than usual so I stopped to investigate. To my frustration I found that one of the bars securing it to the frame was broken! I've always known it wasn't the best rack since installing it, and by Missoula it had sagged and I was able to straighten it by hand (not a good sign) so I shouldn't have been surprised. But this close to the end?! I made a shabby splint using duct tape and a stick that didn't last longer than 5 minutes and just kept going to the next town.

In Utica I stopped at Nail Creek Brewing for a couple pints and a panini, then walked over to the hardware store. I ended up getting two small pieces of tubing and some zip ties to act as a sturdier splint, and at this time also noticed that the other side was cracked nearly all the way through. The rack has two attachment points on either side so if one on each side is broken it will pivot, and my goal was to splint the broken legs to keep that pivot from happening. It seemed pretty sturdy and I started riding again, getting only 4 block before it leaned over so far as to push the fender onto the tire. The zip ties simply had too much stretch and flexibility to them so I ran a chain of them around the top of the rack and looped it around the frame. This prevented the pivot but caused the zip tie to rub against the frame every time I turned the wheel and wear some paint off. I have three pairs of socks, one since the beginning of the trip and that pair finally started to slide below my heel today. Since they were now garbage I wedged one in between the frame and zip tie, the other quickly saw the trash bin. This contraption seems to be working, I'm now just crossing my fingers that it can make it another 5 days. It seems as if the 5000 mile threshold was the breaking point for a few things.

Back in decent shape I started riding along the Canal again. I was informed at Nail Creek that this area (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica) is known as the Rust Belt due to the once great industry and shipping that occurred along the canal to support the building of NYC among other areas, but was now struggling. That was fairly evident in the suburbs of Utica. The city itself seems to be having a renaissance but the outer areas have seen much better days. CAUTION: The following paragraph is likely to make your mouth water, it is recommended that you not be hungry while reading this. I finally got to camp at Lock 15 in Fort Plain. There are a few locks along the canal that provide free camping so I was going to try this one out. A trip to the grocery store provided me with the means to a feast and I set up camp and lit up the single-use size bag of coals in the stand-up BBQ next to my table. The meal that resulted from this was hands down the best of the trip. The store had single bottles of microbrews so I was able to finally enjoy a couple tasty IPAs at camp. I bought a small container of bacon and sour cream potato salad, then placed a halved bell pepper, two halved peaches, a salmon steak, and a personal size apple pie on the grill. The pepper was sweet and warm but still with a satisfying and juicy crunch. The salmon was the best fish I've ever prepared, the rub giving a caramelized sweet and spicy shell to a meat that was perfectly cooked through. It actually made me exclaim "wow!" at the first bite. The potato salad had a tasty balance of wholesome with some salty and smoky from the bacon. The pie was now warm and had a crumbly struesel topping and the grilling brought out the sweet flavor of the ripe peaches. I've always loved cooking and to make this happen for myself while touring and after such a long journey was an instant highlight of the trip.

I finally settled to bed with the stars above me having left the fly off, and laid down to rest after a superb evening with just the peaceful sound of water spilling over the dam nearby.

Day 86: Fellow Tourers and the Peace Run

I made breakfast and packed up quickly with the threat of rain on the horizon. I don't mind getting wet myself, especially since out here it's a warm rain, but breaking down and setting up a wet tent is about the most miserable thing I have done on the trip. I said bye to my neighbors and rode into town to visit the Women's Rights National Park. It was a pretty moving set of exhibits, located in the chapel that served at the meeting room for the very first Women's Rights Convention. This town is where Elizabeth Cary Stanton met Susan B. Anthony which kick started their friendship and partnership in the struggle for rights. Being a guy but also just a person living in a modern society where most (sad that I have to say "most" and not all) people have equal rights it can be hard to understand what it must have been like. But the exhibits painted a good picture and I said a silent thank you to those pioneers for their contributions which have ultimately shaped the lives of so many of the strong and wonderful women I personally know. I finally got on the road and had decided to change plans again and try out the Canal Trail. This meant riding due north about 10 miles instead of east, but it ended up being well worth it. The trail is mostly hard packed dirt and gravel and meanders alongside the Erie Canal and other waterways. The great aspect of riding next to a canal is it's almost entirely flat and the beauty of riding along water is pretty fantastic. I came across Kim and his wife, two daughters, and nephew who were riding from the Oregon coast to New Hampshire and were trying to make it by soccer tryouts this coming week. They seemed a little stressed with the deadline and the heat was pretty rough today so I passed them up and kept going, crossing the 5000 mile mark not long after!

I had looked up a deli in Syracuse and was riding along Genesee when I saw a guy running with a torch and a "World Harmony Run" running jersey. After tagging along with him to get the scoop I found out the general mission of carrying the torch across the world in an effort to promote peace. When the support van showed up they handed me the torch and took a few pictures, check it out on the website http://www.worldharmonyrun.org/usa/news/2012/week15/0805! It was pretty amazing stumbling onto this and holding the same torch carried around the world and also held by the likes of Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. They switched runners and I headed to the deli in a sort of glow.

After some food I continued on the Canal Trail and eventually made a stop for groceries. I went inside having seen the dark clouds coming, and when I came out it had started to sprinkle. I got on the bike with only 7 miles to ride and within 3 block I was stopping under an overpass amidst a complete downpour. I covered my saddle and actually put on my rain jacket. I was a little cool but I felt I needed it more for the bright yellow visibility since it was raining so hard I could barely make out cars a few blocks away except for their headlights. I turned on my taillights and after looking at the horizon and seeing no break from it, decided to go get soaked. If the storm wasn't going to quit then neither was I. Within 5 minutes of this sudden downpour half of the lane was a puddle so my shoes were soaked through instantly but I kept pushing hard after seeing some lightning and hearing a few claps. I could see a few people huddled under awnings, obviously taken by surprise at both the storm and this weirdo riding a bike in it, and I put on a big grin at how ridiculous this was.

Of course by the time I got to Verona Beach State Park the rain had stopped and had I waited in the grocery store for 15 minutes I would have been fairly dry. Oh well, so it goes, I got a nice spot and set up camp, showered, and started preparing food. As I was getting my corn in the pot I saw two other tourers pull up in a spot near me. I had seen Nick and Brad in Buffalo but we had only exchanged a hello. They were headed east but took the Canal Trail the whole way so I didn't see them while I was down near the Finger Lakes. They had picked up some beers and I had a tallboy myself so we sat down on the beachfront bench at sunset and shared stories over brewskies for the next hour and a half. Nick started in Washington and has been taking the Northern Tier route most of the time, and just met up with Brad in the middle of the country. They were great guys and it was a lot of fun to compare trips. I concluded the night with a late dinner and settled in having thoroughly enjoyed the entire day and its experiences.