GRANNYGEARS.COM

Jenny and Mac were married in California, moved to Ohio, and rode their tandem to Maine.

BLUETANDEM WEBLOG ENTRY 6/14/2004
June 10 – 13, 2004

Thurs June 10

Time finally stopped for a little while. We started packing on Monday, picked up the trailer on Tues and spent Tues & Wed figuring out how to get everything in the trailer & van, giving away stuff that wasn’t going to make it, and making last minute trip preparations. Friends & family helped us by giving us food, taking away furniture & trash, and cleaning. We decided to go ahead and start driving Wed evening because we needed to get on the road. Jeremy S.’s parents graciously let us show up at their house in the middle of the night to sleep. We’ve been alternating drivers, or at least taking a break, every 2 hours. I can comfortably drive the van with the trailer. It’s very stable & has been going up hills no problem. I get a little stressed in traffic or towns. I won’t be disappointed if I never have to back it up. Fortunately Mac is an experienced trailer driver. We took 101 to 20 to 5 and spent the night in Sacramento. This morning we started on 80 and we will probably stay on it until Nebraska. We are camping at Mill Creek, a BLM campground with vault toilets, picnic tables, & grills. We are the only ones here. There are some large insects (~2 inches) that are reddish brown with long legs & they jump. The creek is gurgling & I think I hear an owl. Mac made a gourmet Thai dinner and then played his guitar for me. We are near Battle Mtn. Nevada. Their billboard has a picture of the Statue of Liberty and says, “Voted the armpit of America; We didn’t think anyone was looking.” Yawn! time for sleep.

Friday June 11

Crossed Utah border. Bonneville Salt Flats speedway. Salt Lake State Marina. Only brine fish & some kind of fly live in lake. Colorful birds. Salt plants. Temple Square. Wild Oats health food store. Spent $10 on organic dark chocolate chips! Cross dressers & teenage head bangers on trolley. Ogden. Mac thinks we’ve landed on Mars. Great Aunt & Uncle’s house. Hospitality & family stories.

Sat June 12

Back on the road. Beautiful valley. Will we make it to Cheyenne tonight? Long drive. . . . . Windy. Jenny got 20 mpg with tail wind. Camping. Medicine Bow National Forest. Pretty trees. RVs. Tacos for dinner.

Sun June 13

Mac’s birthday! State Route 30 along Platt River in Nebraska. Hills turn to fields & feed lots. Swam in Sutherland Reservoir. Irrigated corn fields. Loomis. Tandem ride. Bed & Breakfast. Slept in Nebraska room. Nice folks.

BLUETANDEM WEBLOG ENTRY 6/18/2004
safe arrival

Jenny and Mac have arrived safely in Athens. Jenny called me (mommio) as they were leaving a pizza place where they ate what she called the best pizza in the world. She continued the conversation from the back of the tandem. Have you ever seen someone talking on a cell phone from the back of a tandem? Not me!!

They arrived on weds, rented a storage unit, took back the u-haul and have started looking for a house to rent. They have met with a professor for lunch and someone marked up a map indicating parts of town that might want to be avoided due to large concentrations of party hardy students.

Topics that may be included when the next journal entries arrive by snail mail:

camped in a major thunderstorm
noisy cicadas that wouldn’t let go
old streets paved with bricks
temperature “only” drops to 68 degrees at night

BLUETANDEM WEBLOG ENTRY 6/28/2004
news arrives via snail mail

Monday June 14

Jenny ate 3 pieces of bacon and 3/4 sausage patty for breakfast.

As you get closer to Lincoln, it becomes hillier and more green. Except for small personal gardens, we didn’t see any vegetable farms. West Nebraska receives very little rain and the crops are all irrigated. According to the couple at the B & B, if they don’t get enough rain this year, there will not be enough water in the reservoirs for another year of crops. Coupled with the rising cost of fuel, it may not be profitable to farm there anymore. (Fuel is needed to pump ground water.) They seemed open to the possibility of turning the fields back to native grasslands. They are protective of their small towns and farming economy, but its already being lost.

The small towns are extremely well kept, but appear to have little disposable income. The populations are primarily retirement age.

We spent the afternoon in Lincoln, population ~ 230,000. The woman at the visitor’s center said the university is great, but maybe there won’t be a football team next season. She went on about so and so coach being fired and another coach being hired. We looked at her kind of blankly. “other states have mountains, lakes and trees…Nebraska has football.” The university has a tractor testing track and other agricultural labs. Mac thinks he’s going to convince Jenny to move there for his PhD.

Tuesday June 15

Today has been a little stressful. Last night we were trying to decide if we should get a hotel, camp, or drive through the night. The weather forcasted thunderstorms with 3 inch hail and flash flooding. The weather channel warned. “Do not drive through flowing water, even if its only 6 inches deep. In case of flash flooding, leave your vehicle and find higher ground.” We decided to drive a couple more hours to the next campground and re-evaluate. We pulled into Wallace State Park (near Cameron Missouri) about 10 pm. There were several RVs, including a camp host, and other campers. The sky was clear with stars. The forecast there, said 50% chance of rain. Very different climate, warm and humid. Different vegetation, insects and night noises. Firefly’s!

The bulletin board warns about ticks and poison ivy. We can handle that. We see lightening in the distance and decide we should put the rain fly on. Maybe I had slept for awhile or maybe was still falling asleep when we started hearing thunder and it started raining. Mac has mostly only lived in California and Nevada and was still coming to terms with the fact that it rains in the summer in some regions. Although its been 8 years since I’ve lived in Texas, I grew up with thunderstorms.

I tried to be reassuring to Mac, but the thunder seemed louder than I remembered. It must be the acoustics of the area, I reasoned to myself. When a bolt of lightening sounded like it hit a tree in our vicinity, I told Mac we should get in the car. I remembered that vehicles are insulated to the ground because of their rubber tires, and the car would provide more protection from falling trees than a tent. The weather channel said tornadoes had been spotted in the area. The lightening went away and we went back to bed.

We woke up in the morning to another thunderstorm. “Mac, do you hear that sound? It sounds like a train.” “Thats what a tornado is supposed to sound like, huh?” “Yeah.” “Well, I don’t think theres anything we can do.” Mac decided, it really was a train.
We waited for it to stop raining so hard and threw everything into the car. The camp host agreed that it would be a scary storm in a tent, but didn’t indicate that the storm had been more severe than usual. The small bridge we had to cross was clear. Water was starting to flood one section of road, but we were able to get around it. Except for a few sprinkles, the weather was clear the rest of the day.

We crossed the Mississippi river and are now in Illinois. I took the exit in Springfield for gas and to change drivers. I got on the wrong road and just pulled over to let Mac navigate the busy city. Mac followed a sign for “Historic 66” and ended up in the ghetto. He accidentally cut off someone with a low rider van, pumping, with $1000 rims. Mac was seriously concerned about being in this area with an “expensive hood ornament” (our bikes) and all of our possessions. We safely made it back to the freeway. They don’t show the ghetto in the Simpson’s.

Now we are at the Kickapoo State Park near Danville, Illinois. Mac was concerned about the loud unidentifiable insect noise. I told him to pretend they are crickets. Time for dinner. Mac made something really yummy. We should be in Athens tomorrow.

Wednesday June 16

As we came closer to Athens, it became hilly and undeveloped. The forest looks overgrown. The area was probably most heavily logged in the early 1800’s, which would make the second growth a hundred years old. We don’t know anything about the native ecosystem here yet. We arrived in Athens early evening. First impressions: old architecture, narrow streets, brick streets in downtown, people walking around, college students moving out, college housing slums.
We ate at the Pita Pit, ok food, loud music. Went to sleep at the Motel 8, a little unsure about being in a strange place. We’re here, what do we do next? My Dad says the insects are cicadas. This is their 17 year peak or something like that.

Thursday June 17

Found one 10×10 storage unit open in The Plains, a few miles from Athens. Turned in the u-haul. Went in circles about 3 times before finding Strauds Run State Park. Sat around trying to become acclimated to the oppressive heat and humidity.

Dinner with one of Mac’s soon to be professors in plant biology. Buckwheat noodles mixed with lentils, homegrown chard and feta cheese. Green salad with fresh dill and homemade dressing and PBR’s to drink. Mac couldn’t be happier. A neighbor also joined us for dinner. We got the ins and outs about the local housing market.

Friday June 18

Jenny figured out how to take a “shower” with the water pump. Mac put the tandem together and we rode down the hill to town. We tried the bicycle/pedestrian trail and its great. We also found the community gardens. The house hunting has gone like this: Jenny calls the numbers on the cell phone and finds out more information or leaves a message. Sometimes the landlord says to come over right now to see it and we jump on the tandem and ride there with Jenny navigating.

The house of the day is a duplex with a small yard, hardwood floors, and lots of windows. Its right behind the laundromat, and near the city library and bicycle trail. We refer to it as the red brick house. Another bonus of the red brick house is that it is near Avalanche Pizza, where we had dinner. In some sort of pizza competition, they won “Best Pizza in the U.S.A.” and we could agree on that.

We made it back up the hill to the State Park about dusk. Yes there are hills here, some almost as steep as California Street in Arcata. The state park is about 7 miles from town and we rode a total of 25 miles for the day.
The weather seemed better, or maybe we’re getting used to it. Its a strange sensation to always be in minimal clothing and not get cold.

It feels like a jungles here with all of the bird noises. The fireflies are fun to watch. Mac is teaching himself the trees in our camp.

Saturday June 19

On the tandem again. It started to sprinkle so we stopped to put on rain gear. Rain jacket but no pants, just shorts. Mac is trying out riding in Chaco sandals, and Jenny put her rain booties on. The sprinkle didn’t turn into a downpour and we soon became too hot. We also stopped to help a turtle across the road. Jenny directed Mac on a wild goose chase, looking for a particular house for rent.

Farmer’s market! Currently located in a mall parking lot in a T-shape. Smaller than the Arcata market, but more diverse.

- cabbage, chard, carrots, new potatoes, snow peas, green beans, herbs, peaches, black raspberries, corn, squash, tomatoes, cherries, broccoli, apples
- baked goods such as bread, pastries and pies
- processed foods such as pesto, salsa, jams, apple sauce
- beef, buffalo, lamb, chicken, eggs, pork

More rentals to look at. Its great that there’s so many choices, but its also overwhelming. I think we’ve seen a wide range of whats available: west side, east side, uptown, downtown, out of town, hardwood floors, carpet, windows, uninsulated, uneven floors, extreme conservative neighbors. We haven’t seen any of the notorious dank basements. I think they all have some sort of gas heating. Gas bills can be up to $200 in the winter. Graduate student and married seem to be the magic words. It may even lower your rent. I’m not sure what the landlords think about us rolling up on our tandem. Hopefully we will get something secured in the next few days. “Top of a hill behind Wendy’s or bottom of the hill next to awesome pizza?”

We stopped at an outdoor store and bought some misc gear for our bicycle trip. Are we ready? Total mileage for today, 30, which equals sore butts! We haven’t done much riding in the last few weeks.

We cooked dinner in camp. Its actually cool this evening. Maybe I’ll bring that warmer jacket afterall……

(notes from mommio: Can you tell they like to eat? Exactly how do you take a shower with a water pump? Maybe we could write a
Simpson’s episode that takes place in the Ghetto.

I talked to Jenny on the cell phone friday. This time while taking a break, not actually on the back of the tandem. They have found a place to rent, an old converted barn outside of town, 3 bedrooms, a dank basement, and large exposed beams. They have started on their bicycle adventure: met another couple on a tandem celebrating the husband’s 60th birthday and took advice from a group of Hell’s Angels.)

BLUETANDEM WEBLOG ENTRY 7/3/2004
the tandem journey begins

Sunday June 20

Whats the matter! were you born in a barn?

We signed a lease for a converted barn. There’s a basement/garage for Mac to keep his tools in. Unfortunately, the Previa is too tall to fit through the door. The first floor has a living room open to the dining room with short carpet. The kitchen has a gas stove and a pantry. The bathroom has a cast-iron, claw foot bathtub. There’s a hardwood floor bedroom on the first floor that will probably be our laundry/utility room. Upstairs, there’s two more rooms with hardwood floors that will be a bedroom and a study. There’s a front and back yard with no fence. There’s a good spot for a garden in the back yard. The house is close to the bus line and about 1 or 2 miles from downtown/university, depending on where you’re going. The barn was built with hand hewn timbers and the basement has bricks stamped with “Athens” from when there was a local brick industry. Our landlord is a great-grandmother and lived in the house when she had children. I think its going to feel empty with our small amount of furniture.

We moved to Burr Oak campground. Real showers!

Monday June 21

We’re slowly transitioning from car camping as we sort through stuff and put extras into the storage unit.

The Farmacy is a small health food store in Athens. Mac said it has all the best things from the Arcata Co-op.

Tuesday June 22

Trip to Dysart Woods with Mac’s professor. We learned how to identify White Oak, Tulip Poplar, Black Walnut, Black Cherry, American Beech, Sugar Maple and Buckeye. Actually, Jenny only learned a couple of them. I could identify the ferns though. Sword Fern, Ladyfinger, and another one I can’t recall. And lots of Poison Ivy and huge grapevines. We learned about coal mining, mineral rights, subsidence and hydrology changes. Jenny came up with Mac’s thesis title: Response of late successional quercus alba to seasonal changes in available soil moisture.

Wednesday June 23

Jenny miraculously found a digital version of her resume and made some minor edits. We met with the director of the Environmental Studies Department and discussed the program and Jenny’s job prospects. Then we moved to Lake Hope.

Thursday June 24

We stayed at the Lake Hope State Park all day today. We attempted to take the tandem on a mountain bike trail, but it was too rough. We did find some nice dirt roads and swam in the lake. We biked/hiked 12 miles. They have an impressive Nature Center with live snakes, turtles and fish.

Friday June 25

Jenny wrote and mailed an application letter for a position at the Voinovich Center. It’s going to be interesting if I have a telephone interview while on our trip. We did a final run to the storage unit and left the Previa in its storage place. We rode through town with the fully loaded tandem. Mac was avoiding eye-contact and Jenny was looking around smiling at everyone, wondering what they were thinking about us. We got some yelling cheers from a large group of construction workers. We’re staying at Stroud’s Run, just outside town. We camped here a few nights earlier in the week, so it still seems familiar. Maybe it will seem more real tomorrow. We plan to leave early tomorrow so we can take a break in the heat of the afternoon. We’re aiming for Marietta, which is 55 miles away. A long ride for our first loaded day. But there’s a B&B and a brewery waiting for us…..

(The next part was written by Mac, on stationary from The Lafayette, A Grand RiverBoat Era Hotel)

Saturday June 26

Our first full day out on the road on the blue tandem. We had some predawn excitement when some raccoons took our bathroom bag at the campsite near Athens. We fought them off and saved our stuff, but the toothpaste, Dr.Bronner’s soap and sunscreen containers were all broken.

We pulled over to stretch this morning when a couple on a purple Santana tandem pulling a BOB trailer passed us. They are riding the same route to Maine as we are, so maybe we’ll see them again. They are from Nelsonville, Ohio. What a coincidence that we started our trips on the same day.

The state highways we are riding on are pretty good. The shoulders come and go, but there is very little traffic. We made it 60 miles to Marietta today. That is our longest 1 day ride on the tandem yet. It is much hillier here than either of us expected. We are tired and a bit sore.

We are staying in a restored Victorian Era hotel with antique furniture. The hallways stink of cigarette smoke and the ventilation is bad. The bathtub is nice. Marietta was the first settlement in the NW Territory, founded in 1788, right on the Ohio River.

(notes from mommio: They have arrived in Conneaut. Its right in the north east corner of Ohio, on Lake Erie. All is going well, they are in good spirits, have met more tandem riders and are feeling good about their bike muscles building up for the mountains to come, after a bit of flatland along the lake.)

BLUETANDEM WEBLOG ENTRY 7/15/2004
Finished crossing Ohio

Sunday June 27
22 miles (Jenny)

Breakfast at the Layfayette Hotel. Loaded omelet and french toast “to die for”. The french toast was topped with pecans and syrup. We purchased some special bicycling maps of Ohio. Their route to Marietta was the hilliest, but least amount of traffic. Some motorcyclists we met recommended that we go a different way out of Marietta because the mapped route has been recently chip sealed. So we took off on State Route 7 along the Ohio River. Sore and tired from yesterday. Stopped at Wayne National Forest Recreation Area for a break. Only rode 22 miles, but the campground looked too inviting. We are the only tent campers. Everyone seems to know each other. Several People came over to check us out and give us advice on what route we should take. Large barges go by in the river. “I’ve lived here my whole live and I never get tired of watching to the river. Sometimes you’ll see two barges of coal passing each other. One going one way and the other going the other way.”

We joined a family campfire for the evening. They’re from West Virginia and had been RV camping for a week. Great-grandparent, grandparents, and grandchildren, with others coming to visit. The grandfather is a principal at an elementary school. He commuted to work from the campground during the week. Camping here seems to be more of a social event. Hot dogs, sloppy joes, s’mores, soda, watermelon and campfire pies. I had never had a campfire pie before. There’s a special holder, kind of like a small waffle iron. You put one piece of buttered bread on each side, put cherry filling on one side, close the sides together, take the extra crust off the sides, and stick it in the fire. A neighbor camper showed us some meteor rocks he found. He said one of them is from Mars. In the fall, he uses a leaf blower and a metal detector in the woods to find them. Some other discussion topics: how is freon destroying the ozone when it is heavier than air?, operation of large chicken farms, driving to Yellowstone before there was air conditioning in cars.

For the first time, someone asked why we were riding to Maine. I don’t know how to answer that. I don’t know the answer myself. I think I’m looking for a rhythm. Eat Ride Sleep Eat Ride Sleep… But at the same time its an escape from the everyday. Desire to become physically strong and emotionally independent. Or maybe Mac and I will become dependent on each other. I can already see how we are finding our own yin-yang niches. Desire to see how other people live and what we all have in common. I didn’t realize how approachable you are when you are riding a bike. Its an easy ice breaker. A tandem makes it even easier to start a conversation. Although in one small town gas/grocery store, we ate lunch and watched people come and go and not one person even made eye contact. Why am I doing it? to experience the journey. I don’t know what I’m looking for or what I will find.

Monday June 28
60 miles

Route 7 is flat and has a good shoulder, so we decided to stay on it. Stopped for Amish cheese and turkey jerky and raspberry ice cream from the Dairy Bar. The scenic river turned more industrial. Aluminum plant, nuclear power plants, and who knows what else. Took a nap during the heat of the afternoon at a park in Powhatan Point. Every house on Main Street has a front porch set up with chairs. No place to sleep, so on to Bellaire. The only place here is the 7 Inn. Looked sketchy from the outside but it’s a decent room. It was getting dark and rainy so I’m glad we found a place to sleep. It was a 60 mile day. Route 7 has turned into divided four lanes and no longer allows bicycles, so we are going back to the mapped route tomorrow. We will have plenty of camping and motel choices for the rest of Ohio and it should be getting flat soon.

Tuesday June 29
28 miles (Mac)

“Good Road” A phrase that is tossed about lightly but means different things to different people. SR 7, the Ohio River Scenic Byway was nice down south were there was little traffic. The roads generally are much worse inside the limits of the small incorporated townships we have gone through. Good Road to us is flat and either has nice clean wide shoulders, or no traffic. Today we cut across SR 149 into the mountains (hills) to get back on the route on our bike maps. The road has no shoulders and is very hilly, but has almost no traffic. People generally give us plenty of room when they pass (if they can). I have a rear view mirror, so I can see when big trucks are coming or when cars are coming in both directions. Between watching traffic and watching right in front of the front wheel for glass and 20 feet ahead for potholes and dead animals, and watching the map and counting miles, I am kept busy.

We rode 28 miles today to Barkcamp State Park Campground. We are very close to where my study site for my master’s thesis will be. We went to the general store in Belmont this afternoon and bought a tomato, some onions, and an ice cream bar. I spent 45 minutes in Kroger’s this morning reading labels on bread, yogurt,… found that same Dole Salad mix with dill and parsley in it. I have a Kroger Card now, so I get coupons with my receipt- custom tailored to my buying habits. They already have us as health food nuts. They think we’d be interested in saving $ on low carb granola bars. I threw them for a loop this morning by buying Krispy Kremes and chocolate milk along with our plain yogurt and “health nut” bread.

Most of the state park campgrounds are set up primarily for RVs. Even our tent site has two 50 amp 220v outlets and a 20 amp 110v. Time to recharge the cellphone. We didn’t bring an air conditioner, microwave oven, or satellite tv.

Often when we stop, someone, (usually an older man) comes to chat about where we are from, where we are going.. and offer advice on the best roads to take. Some people seem envious, some think we are crazy. Kids seem to like our bike.

People in the nicely kept small towns here still have front porches where they sit. Lots of people have small gardens. Tomatoes, sunflowers, cucumbers, pole beans, sweet corn, onions, broccoli and marigolds. Lots of people inter plant marigolds with their broccoli. I’m really impressed (amazed?) by the huge lawns and the work people put into maintaining them. At least no one has to water anything.

There was a brief spell of heavy rain yesterday afternoon, but so far we have done very well at staying dry. I am sure our luck will run out soon enough on that one.

Wednesday June 30
48 miles (Jenny)

Left Barkcamp before 7 am. Stopped at a park in New Athens to make buckwheat pancakes with peanut butter and apple butter. Yummy. Mac is an expert at using the backpacking stove. Hard day. We couldn’t find the country back roads. Probably they’re not signed. Hilly, hot, no shoulder, and traffic. Not so fun to be the captain on a day like this. The stoker was trying to pedal as hard as she could. The campground at the Leesville Lake Marina won the award for worst campground. Hopefully we won’t find one to beat it. We paid $18 for a camp site with no showers, no place to swim, and questionable water from the facet. We paid $8 per gallon for drinking water at the marina.

Thursday July 1
46 miles (Mac I think, their handwriting is very similar)

Out of coal country and into rolling farm land. Nicer roads have signs. Stores have food. Found first real yogurt at Kroger in Carrolton. Bicycle maps of Ohio from Columbus Outdoor Pursuits are a mixed blessing. Todays back roads route was better than the state highway, but the locations of campgrounds and names of roads are often wrong on these maps. We went 8 miles past our intended campground before we realized the map was wrong. Today was supposed to be a short day. We have started seeing signs on the bike route and the landscape is leveling out. We are out of the hills for a while. My legs are sore in a “getting stronger” kind of way. Today was our 6th straight day on the bike. Feeling pretty strong. Maybe we’ll take Sunday off. We got some U.S. Flags for the bike.

Friday July 2
45 miles (Jenny)

“Farm and Urban area” Its amazing how unique houses are. Its seems like they would be more standardized. We’re camping at Mosquito Lake. It is a private campground in an orchard next to a soybean field. They don’t have showers, but they hooked up a hose and nozzle to the well facet for a good spray down. Bottle rockets are legal in Ohio. We got a fireworks show this evening. I would guess there will be many more to come.

Saturday July 3
34 miles

I didn’t know I married someone so excited about tractors. We stopped at an event with a flea market, crafts, and a tractor display. There were other various antique engines/machines like one to saw wood into shingles, and one set up to grind and sort corn. We watched the tractor parade but didn’t get to see the tractor pulls. We bought homemade ice cream, cookies and jam. Don’t worry if you feel like you missed out because Mac took lots of pictures. I don’t think we’ll have a big enough yard to use a tractor but we will have a garage…..

I’m sitting outside the grocery store while Mac shops. I just saw a horse and buggy go through the parking lot. We’ve seen some farms with horses and buggies and many people dressed in Amish clothing.

Our averages for 9 days of bicycle traveling:
$46 per day for food, lodging, personal items, and
entertainment (does not include equipment.)
39 miles per day

Before we started, our goal was to ride 40 miles per day and spend less than $50 per day. Maybe our goal should be to ride a mile for every dollar we spend.

We’ve been eating really well, and lots of it. Staples include oats, rice, lentils, parsley, dried fruit, eggs, yogurt, pancake mix, nuts, juice, bread, cheese, jam, peanut butter and cookies. We buy fresh veggies and fruit when possible. Sometimes we have bacon or ground beef. We often have ice cream and/or chocolate milk at rest stops. Hard to believe all that will fit on the bike. Today Mac got a little carried away at the store and we had to lash on a box of graham crackers and a bottle of juice to the back of the bike. I don’t know how many pounds we are carrying.

Sunday July 4
0 miles

Pymatuming State Park. Sleep in. Laundry. Seam seal tent. Nap. Swimming. Reading Novel. S’mores.

Monday July 5
50 miles

1 month wedding anniversary! Pennsylvania! Camp on shore of Lake Erie. Lake Erie feels similar to the ocean. Waves. Wind. Clouds. Empty horizon. Sunset.

Tuesday July 6, 2004 50+ miles? Computer broke part of day (Mac)

Up early and on the road by 7:00 to beat the heat. The heat never came. A cool breeze blew in off Lake Erie all day. Went into Erie, PA. Found a bike shop and got some dog spray and cleaned the chains. Couldn’t get to Kinko’s to do e-mail and upload photos – traffic was scary.

Bought cherries, zucchini, tomatoes…. from a farm stand. Went wine tasting at a winery. Tried cherry, peach, raspberry and grape wines. Bought a bottle of concorde grape wine. Crossed the border into New York. Met some other cyclists who left Vancouver B.C. On June 5th. They are going 100+ miles a day. We have decided that we don’t want to do that. We need to spend time to eat well and see the sights. Camped on NY/PA border.

Wednesday July 7, 2004 49 miles (Mac)

Pancakes for breakfast. Craving some meat. So many stores with so many kinds of sugar water and salted pork, but no decent fresh beef or chicken. Finally we found some meat. Rode the last 7 miles of the day in heavy rain and through city traffic. It was a little hectic…. but out bright yellow rain jackets and bag covers keep us visible. NY is nice. Roads all have wide shoulders and the traffic is light. Camping at Evangola State Park on Lake Erie. Thunderstorms. Bought another tarp to make a rain shelter for cooking. Going to Canada tomorrow.

Thursday July 8, 2004 (Jenny)

It rained hard last night. Fortunately it wasn’t raining in the morning. Mac made steak, potatoes, beets and eggs for breakfast. It was a little crazy going through Buffalo and its surrounding suburbs. Mac’s left pedal was making a clicking noise. We stopped at a bike shop for an overhaul. The shop owner only sells used bikes and he has lots of them. He fixed Mac’s pedal, insisted on overhauling the other pedal and gave Mac a Canadian beer. The shop owner refused payment but asked for us to send him a postcard. We continued through Buffalo on the “well paved but poorly marked” bike path to the Peace Bridge.

(Mac)

Today was a day of extraordinary generosity from bike shops. I’d been looking to replace on of the bearing cones in the front hub, but no bikes shops yet have had the part. McCooey’s Bike and Vacuum shop in Fort Erie, Ontario not only had the part, but stayed open late to rebuild our front hub and would only accept $1 Canadian as payment. It was interesting to see high end Trek bicycles right next to Hoover Vacs. “Every house has one and they need to be fixed” said the owner about vacuum cleaners.

Friday July 9, 2004 19 miles (Jenny)

Woke up this morning in a cabin on the shore of the Niagara River. There is a trail and recreation park along the entire river. Beautiful for bicycling. After several snack breaks, we could see the city of Niagara Falls. As we got closer, we saw the rapids and the spray from the falls. We found the Backpacker’s International Inn. It is a historic building that was originally a health clinic. We decided to stay for two nights in a private room with a shared bathroom. Excellent Greek food. IMAX movie about the falls. Skyline tower. Delicious dinner at Philippine restaurant. Gellato. Hot bath and deep sleep in a real bed.

Saturday July 10, 2004 0 miles (Jenny)

Whirlpool. Botanical gardens. Hydroelectric plant tour. People mover. “Journey Behind the Falls.” Rainbows at the falls. Indian food. Clifton Hill at night. The Niagara is so complex. I’m not sure how to explain it. The myths of Native Americans, the history of dare devil stunts, the accidents, the engineering of the hydroelectric plants and the amount of energy produced, the geology and erosion, the tourism and the amusements, tourists from all over the world. The Journey Behind the Falls was a tour that takes you to the base of the falls and through a tunnel so you can see behind the falls. It was an amazing experience. I felt like the falls should be an experience of natural beauty, but it wasn’t for me. For whatever reason, my definition of nature means there’s not many other people around. Even the falls couldn’t drown out the noise of the crowds of people. It also seems ironic to me that the falls are controlled by humans. The international dam controls how much water goes over the falls, and how much water is diverted to the hydroelectric plants. Just enough water is allowed over the falls so that it’s still impressive to tourists, but erosion and spray is minimized and power is produced. But humans don’t have complete control. Eventually the falls will erode away. Water is powerful.

Sunday July 11, 2004 45 miles (Jenny)

Today is the first day I got on the bike in the morning and didn’t feel sore. The Niagara Falls trip was a vacation from our vacation. We almost got in trouble when we crossed the Canada-U.S. Border. We came into Canada on the Peace Bridge and there was a special pedestrian trail and customs office. We assumed it would be the same on all the bridges. There were cars backed up across the entire bridge. There was a sidewalk on the side of the bridge. We didn’t see how to get on the sidewalk, so we hoisted the bike over the guardrail. When we came to the other side of the bridge, there was a locked gate across the sidewalk. A customs person walked towards us and said we had to go over the guardrail. This was not an easy task, because the sidewalk is lower than the road. The customs woman helped us. The guy who looks at your ID and lets you go through or not told us we were supposed to wait in line like everyone else. But he let us through. We would have had carbon monoxide poisoning from waiting on a bridge for a couple of hours with idling cars.

In Lockport we got on the Erie Canal Trail. No motorized vehicles. Flat, slightly downhill even, since we’re following the direction of the flow. The surface is compacted rock with a lot of lines. Our bike is getting dirty but it’s smooth to ride on. Some teenagers asked us if we were part of the bicycle group. No, we said, what group? They told us a big group had gone by, all wearing wristbands, and they were going to camp at a school in Medina tonight. What was a big group? 20? 100? We followed handmade signs to Medina elementary school where 437 people were camped for a fully supported tour called “Cycle the Erie Canal”, from Buffalo to Albany. They are going about 50 miles a day. Trucks haul their gear, meals and rest stops are catered and there are speakers, concerts, and other activities along the way. Lots of older people, children, tandems and recumbents. We got some stares with all the bags on our bike. After seeing only 2 other touring bikes in last 700 miles, it is strange to ride in a pack of 400+.

Monday July 12, 2004 55 miles (Mac)

Camped last night for free with the CEC tour and snuck into their shower truck (with permission). Riding with all these people is strange. They had a rest stop in Holley, we went on to Brockport for lunch. Looks like rain again soon. I am concerned the trail will get muddy. I am just realizing how much of our time and energy we devote to finding and cooking our food. Finding a store, reading all the bread and yogurt labels, planning the next couple of meals… packing the food on the bike, talking to people and getting back on the road can take 2 hours. It is nice to have a break.

The grocery store in Brockport had Red, White and Blue pickled hardboiled eggs. I got some of the red ones made with beets and jalapeños, but Jenny won’t eat them. We found a really good brand of full fat chocolate milk that Jenny has been chugging. The bike is running really smooth, though we are having a hard time maintaining our usual standards of drivetrain cleanliness. This canalway trail is dusty enough to get the bike dirty, but not a breathing annoyance at all. I want to clean the chains and gears again before we go up into the Adirondacks.

Tuesday July 13, 2004 47 miles (Mac and Jenny)

Camped again last night with the big group of people. Camped on the lawn at Nazareth College in Pittsford NY. We are the center of attention, people keep asking us all kinds of questions. I think we talked to about 200 of the 400+ CEC riders. Many of them were impressed with what we are doing. Others told us about the trips they have taken.

Skipped breakfast this morning, rode about 15 miles and then stopped to make pancakes. Saw a lock on the Erie Canal used to raise/lower boats from one level to another. Left the big group and the flat riding along the Erie Canal behind as we headed north out of Palmyra towards Lake Ontario. Lots of orchards and roadside fruit/veggie stands. I have decided I like riding through slightly hilly areas more. It is more interesting. Along the canal we stayed in the same gear going 14.7 mph and never got to stand up and coast down a hill or down shift and grunt up one. Maybe my opinion about hills will change as we ride into the Adirondacks.

(notes from mommio: As you will notice if you view the latest photos, they have passed through Niagra Falls and I believe they will be riding for a short distance through Canada.)

BLUETANDEM WEBLOG ENTRY 7/31/2004
Through Vermont

Wednesday July 14, 2004 29 miles

Thunderstorms. Greasy spoon breakfast to wait for it to stop raining so hard. Fairhaven State Park. Went to sleep very early. Tired.

Thursday July 15, 2004 41 miles

There’s no shortage of fruit/vegetable stands and little country markets. Cherries, blueberries, sweet corn, green beans, summer squash, homemade cookies and muffins, tart cherry salsa, black raspberries, more cherries. That’s one of the reasons we’re riding, so we can eat more. Today someone told me this stormy weather is unusual for summer. “We haven’t had so much rain since the summer of ‘92 (or was it ‘98?)” It rained hard last night and a little bit while we were riding today. Not so bad. My clothes may start growing something if they stay damp for a few more days. Tonight we’re at Selkirk State Park. You get to see how families interact with each other in campgrounds. No walls.

Friday July 16, 2004 43 miles

Morning rain inspired sleeping in late. Friday fish fry at small cafe in Redfield. We were the only non-local customers and had to tell our story. Yummy homemade style food. Stopped in West Layden to find a place to sleep. Tried calling the B&B but no answer. Owners of a camping area are out of town for the week-end. So we ate dinner outside of the market planning to try the B&B one more time and then go on to Booneville if there was no answer. Gary and Betsy told us we could stay at their house. They live in a large historic farmhouse. It was just what we needed. A long hot bath, laundry, homemade cinnamon rolls and a bed. We helped them sort a large box of seed packets and discussed gardens, food storage, hunting and other various topics.

Saturday July 17, 2004 30 miles

Gary and Betsy made a hearty buckwheat pancake breakfast. Gary rode with us to Booneville and he showed us the alternate less traffic route. Downhill to Booneville and uphill to the Adirondack State Park. Jessica and her sister-in-law Tracey honked as they passed us. We had agreed to meet at the Singing Waters Campground, a little east of Thendora. Jessica brought us hamburgers, strawberry rhubarb pie, our favorite kind of soap and all kinds of other treats. We did some shopping in Old Forge and watched a movie. It was fun to find out what Jessica, Pat and Sequoia have been up to.

Sunday July 18, 2004 0 miles

Crafts Fair, Pedals and Petals, Forestry exhibit. Time for Jessica and Tracey to leave.

Monday July 19, 2004 44 miles

Blue Mountain Lake. Camped in the yard of an Inn. Mac read the Sunday New York Times while Jenny went swimming. Canoeing in the evening. Beautiful clouds. The weather in the Adirondacks is temperamental.

Tuesday July 20, 2004 30 miles

Spent several hours at the Adirondack museum. Canoes, motorboats, horse buggies, logging, mining, recreation, preservation. Met 4 guys that live on the coast of Maine. They took a 4 day Greyhound bus to Astoria, Oregon and are on their way back home by bicycle. There’s a 5th member of the group that we met yesterday. He’s trying to get back early for a wedding.

Camped on the edge of Harris Lake. No motorboats, just canoes and kayaks. Watched the lake change as it turned from light to dark. Lots of noise during the night. I think owls were calling to each other. Listening for bears trying to reach the food tied high in the tree.

Wednesday July 21, 2004 37 miles

Met a couple traveling with Atlantis bikes from Riverdale. From San Francisco, started riding in Chicago and going to Prince Edwards Islands. Buffalo burgers and swiss chard from Adirondack Buffalo Co. Long downhill on a smooth road. Hot weather. Camped at Paradox Lake.

Thursday July 22 42 miles

New sore muscles from hill climbing. Ticonderoga ferry across Lake Champlain. Vermont! Immediately feels different from New York. Dairy cows, clover fields, large mowing machines, Subaru’s. Left early in the morning but already feels hot by 9:30 am.

One of the guys on the ferry told us another couple with a tandem and a trailer were on the ferry about 7 minutes ago and they had lost their map. In a little while we saw them at the top of a hill. Of course we assumed they were the couple from Ohio we met on our first day. As we got closer, Mac said, “they have a Burley trailer, not a Bob!” It was a different couple but they are also from Ohio (Dayton area) and they left about the same time we did. Long lunch in Middleburg with our new friends.

Decided to sleep in a hotel. Jenny was checking on prices and a guy in a beat up Subaru with a kayak on top stopped and told Mac we could use his shower and camp in his backyard. We took up his offer and tried his “Vermont Sardines.” Little trout he caught from the river behind his house.

Friday July 23, 2004 50 miles

Climbed Middleburg pass in the Green Mountains. Used our granny gear and chugged away to the top. The drum brake is great for going downhill. Stopped for breakfast and it immediately started pouring rain. Zella and Stephen showed up in their neon rain gear. Still raining and still hungry, so we ordered another plate of food. Continued to Sharon and checked in to a motel. This has been the first day its rained on us all day. We prefer the rain more than heat. Dinner with Stephen and Zella. Mac made a maple syrup pastry thing for dessert which we ate with ice cream.

Saturday July 24, 2004 25 miles

Slept in. Zella and Stephen took us out to breakfast. They will go in a different direction today because they are going to Portland, Maine. We will visit them when we’re all back in Ohio. Perfect weather today, sunny and cool. More climbing. Not as much as yesterday, but we’re tired. Lots of bicyclists in Vermont. Crossed the Connecticut River into New Hampshire. Pick your own blueberries. They let the bears and birds eat as many as they want and there were still plenty for us. Beautiful old plants. Green Pastures campground in Orferd. Live Blue Grass Band at the campground.

Sunday July 25, 2004 0 miles

Lots of sleeping. We’ve been bicycling for a month now. We’ve been mostly sleeping in our tent since June 9th. We’ll be ready to settle in one place for awhile by the time we reach Bar Harbor, which will be soon. I thought we would have been riding more miles per day than we are. I’m certainly not disappointedly in what we’ve accomplished, just surprised at what it feels like to ride every day. The weather, weight of gear, setting up/taking down camp, grocery shopping in unfamiliar stores and cooking, all take a significant amount of energy. Mac and I have been getting along wonderfully, especially considering how much time we’re spending together and all of the decision making over the past few months. We’re learning how to solve conflicts without getting angry/upset.

Monday July 26, 2004 45 miles

White Mountains. Our dérailleur is a little bent, but Mac figured out how to make it work. Uphill, mostly and gradual. Sometimes it seems like an optical illusion. Forest Service Campground right next to a stream.

Tuesday July 27, 2004

At the beginning of our trip, I was in denial that we would need to hang our food. It’s not like we’re backpacking in the wilderness. They’ll have bear lockers at developed campgrounds where there’s bears, right? We found that hanging food on a clothesline protects from raccoons and chipmunks.

When we got into bear country, Mac started hanging the food higher. The “experts” say the food should be 10 feet from the ground and 4 feet from the tree trunk. This is not an easy task. First you have to find a branch that’s the right height and strong enough. Then you have to tie a rock to a long piece of rope, throw the rock over the branch, tie the food to one end of the rope and pull the food up. Mac’s been doing a good job, but sometimes things just aren’t quite right. Maybe it was because the rope is worn, maybe it was the extra weight of the cantaloupe, or maybe the stars were just misaligned. Last night the food and cooking equipment bags came crashing down on rocks (Mac’s head once!) while Mac was trying to hang them and the rope broke 3 times.

Jenny took the bags to the camp host and asked if she could store them somewhere for the night. The camp host said ordinarily he would lock them in the wood shed but he was leaving for the night and wouldn’t be back in the morning. He was also having a small crisis because his dog somehow ran through the screen of his RV. He gave Jenny some nylon twine.

Jenny returned to camp with the twine and bags. But it was dark by now and the strength of the twine was questionable. So Jenny found someone getting stuff from his SUV, and she explained her situation and asked if she could store her bags in his vehicle for the night. He seemed reluctant but finally said, “I guess that would be ok.” In the morning Mac and Jenny slept in, listened to the radio and read, stretched, put the tent away, but the guy with the SUV was still sleeping. Mac and Jenny were STARVING! Jenny was wondering how she picked the last person to wake up in the whole campground. He finally emerged from his tent after 11:00. Mac and Jenny devoured the cantaloupe and Fig Newtons and all was well. Damage from the falls included one spilled yogurt, one bruised but intact cantaloupe, two cracked spice containers, one cracked Tupperware, and one bent but functional frying pan.

We climbed Kancamagus Pass: 8 miles in less than 2 hours, ~ 1,900 feet. The elevation of the pass is 2,855 feet. You know you’re going slow when the flies land on you while you are riding. I felt like wildlife as all the tourists stared at us from their vehicles. The climb was followed by 22 miles of downhill to Conway, where we are spending the night at a hostel. This was our largest and last major climb. Most of Maine is rolling ups and downs.
Erie Canal and Niagra Falls

(notes from mommio: just received word friday, that Jenny and Mac are in Maine and are almost at the Atlantic coast!)

BLUETANDEM WEBLOG ENTRY 8/4/2004
Bike ride complete!

Jenny called yesterday to let me know they are in Acadia National Park and will be heading back to Ohio on the train in a few days.

BLUETANDEM WEBLOG ENTRY 9/25/2004
Maine

(note from Mommio: sorry it took me so long to get this entered in the computer. They are obviously home now and are getting all settled in.)

Wed July 28
31 miles

Maine! Our last state line. We may not be climbing much in elevation, but the hills are steep. The back roads have sand shoulders and are not in very good shape. Camp in South Waterford. Spent all afternoon riding through trees and then slept in a resident campground with several radios blaring and loud people.

Thursday July 29
68 miles

Long day on the bike. Farm store. Freshly baked wheat bread with goat cheese and strawberry jelly and jerky for lunch. Yummy. KOA campground outside of Litchfield.

Friday July 30
58 miles

When we’re on top of the hills I can feel the breeze from the Atlantic Ocean. (Mac doesn’t believe me.) A swarm of insects followed us for awhile. We would lose them going downhill, but they would be instantly around us again going uphill. It made me a little nervous, but they didn’t bite/sting. Starting in Vermont, there were small uniform road signs for businesses. They continued into New Hampshire and Maine. I think maybe billboards and large business signs are not allowed, so they have these road signs instead. I think it’s functional and non-obtrusive. Very hot today. A guy told me his cousin got 3 ball caps for $10 and his motel room was half price. “Isn’t this the tourist season?” I asked. Yeah, but the weather’s been lousy so no one is there. We’ll be there soon enough to see what its really like.

Saturday July 31
8 miles

Is this really camping? No clotheslines. Garbage is picked up at 9 am from your campsite. Newspapers are delivered to your campsite in the morning. We woke up this morning at a campground by the sea. The Atlantic Ocean! We rode from Rockport to Camden Hills State Park. On the way we stopped at a cheese maker place where we were informed that warm slimy cheese tastes better than refrigerated cheese. We’ve been cheese connoisseurs this whole trip and didn’t know it. In Camden we did some window shopping and ordered our first lobster. They are soft shelled lobsters right now, which are supposed to be sweeter and easier to crack. I think the claw part tasted the best. Mac did all of the cracking. It was an experience, but next time he’s going to order a lobster roll.

Sunday August 1
0 miles

Today we walked 1.5 miles into the town of Camden. We looked around in a bunch of stores selling antique furniture, expensive clothes, tourist knick knacks. A lot of the tourists here have little yip-yip dogs they take everywhere.

We went for a two hour cruise on a schooner- a 2 masted sail boat with 4 sails. We saw the “Victory Chimes” – the largest 3-masted sail boat to fly the American flag – featured on the back of the Maine Quarter. Lobster roll for lunch – good, but $8 can buy a lot of tuna sandwiches.
The boat we sailed on was built in 1918 and is captained by the owner, who lives aboard with his wife. They go on 4 public cruises 7 days a week and have for 21 years. There is seating for 18 people, but there were only 13 on board today.

Apparently the weather has been unseasonably cool for the last month and the tourist season here has been slow. Captain Jack told stories of the various boats we passed, the birds and lighthouse we saw, etc.

It is nice to be on the coast – good food is easy to find and the weather is cooler (sometimes). It is also easier to spend $. We want to go for a full day kayak trip somewhere between here and Bar Harbor, visit Orano, and then head home to Athens and put our house together. A couple of days ago I was feeling homesick, but the coast and associated culture has lifted my spirits. (plus Jenny reminded me we are homeless.) It will be nice to go home and settle down soon.

Monday August 2
39 miles

Stopped to look at a Shaker furniture gallery. Shady Oaks Campground in Orland. RV neighbors gave us cold water, charged our cell phone, and lent us chairs and a hatchet. Mac made a fire and cooked steaks.

Tuesday August 3
50 miles

Mt. Desert Island. Our final destination! We decided to try out “Quiet Side” campground, which of course is on the far end of the island. The campsites are private because there’s lots of trees and the sites are spaced out. There’s a wooden platform for the tent. The campground has a rec room and a used book shed.

Wednesday August 4

The free “Island Explorer” bus stops in the campground. It takes about an hour to get to Bar Harbor. Last night we went to the Reel Pizza place in town. You can order pizza in the lobby. The movie theater has tables in front of the seats and there are couches in the far front. A bingo board is on the side wall and when your number lights up, you can get your pizza in the lobby. We watched the Notebook, a well done love story. I thought the food in the theater worked well and didn’t find it distracting.

Today we made our bus/train schedule/reservations. We were thinking about riding to Bangor, where there’s an Amtrak stop. Instead we are going to take Greyhound from Bar Harbor to Portland Maine, and then take the train. We will leave on Tuesday and arrive in Athens on Thursday.

Sunset at seawall. Watched the seagulls crack open their food by dropping it on the rocks.

Thursday August 5

Sea kayaking tour at sunset. Seals, loons, osprey, cormorants, laughing gulls.

Friday August 6

Oceanarium – touch tank, lobster museum, and lobster hatchery. Maine has rules to protect lobster populations. To harvest, a lobster must be larger than a specified size, smaller than a specified size, have no eggs on its tail, and no notch in its tail. If a lobsterman finds a lobster with eggs in his trap, he can notch the tail before he lets it go. Another lobsterman cannot harvest that lobster even if it no longer has eggs because it has been marked as a reproducing female. The number of lobsters being harvested in Maine continues to increase. No one knows what’s happening in the ocean.

Saturday August 7

Rode our tandem unloaded to Long Pond Lake. Rented a canoe and paddled for several hours. Saw a loon fishing from a close distance. Cool and refreshing swim.

Sunday August 8

Shoe shopping for Mac because he wore out his soles. Hiked to the top of Cadillac Mt. The trail we took down to Bubble Lake is very steep.

Monday August 9

Packed everything on the tandem one more time and rode to Bar Harbor. Spread out on the Village Green and packed everything into a couple of boxes, about 130 lbs. Robbins Motel.