A Bittersweet Ending

Blacksburg, VA

With mixed feelings, Alex and I ended our summer bicycle adventure yesterday (Wednesday). We were on the road for 54 days and 3522 miles on our journey from Seaside, OR to Danville, KY.

It was our original goal to ride directly from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, but that was revised when Alex decided to attend graduate school at North Carolina State and needed to be in Raleigh, NC by August 15. We revised this goal once again last week, when we realized that the mileage we were doing was not going to be adequate to get us to Raleigh by August 15. We instead wanted to make it to the state of North Carolina. However, luck or the bicycle gods were not with us this week. Upon entering Kentucky on Monday, we were constantly being challenged by the weather and other riding conditions. We rode Monday and Tuesday in heat over 100 deg (the actual temperature, not even the heat index!), humidity, and either a headwind or no wind at all (which is sometimes even worse than a headwind, as the wind helps you cool down when you are riding). Additionally, we encountered some of the steepest and most numerous hills of the trip. I hate to admit it, but I had to walk my bike up a hill on Tuesday. We did the hardest 50 mile ride of the trip on Tuesday when we rode from Shelbyville to Harrodsburg.

These things combined were making riding miserable, and we felt no reason to torture ourselves. Riding was no longer fun for us, and the point of this trip was to have a fun and crazy adventure. The decision to end the trip was not made lightly.

Although there was no fanfare or sense of closure at ending the ride, we were at least able to end it on a very positive note that seemed to characterize the entire trip. The friendliness of complete strangers and their willingness to assist us once again came to our rescue! We made the decision to end the trip in Harrodsburg on Wednesday morning and then set about the complicated task of working out the logistics. We found out that our friend Katie (who we are living with once we get to Raleigh) is out of the country until Sunday and therefore we would not be able to immediately go to Raleigh. After many phone calls and text messages, we found a way to end our trip. We found a car rental place in Danville, Kentucky, about 10 miles away. We decided to rent a car and make our way to Blacksburg, Virginia, where Alex and I have a mutual friend, Jeff. Jeff was willing to let us stay with him for a few days until we figured out how to get to Raleigh. However, the Enterprise car rental place in Danville did not have any vehicles that would carry our cargo available and they put us on a waiting list. We decided to ride to Danville anyway and talk to them in person. After arriving there, they still did not have anything available, and we decided to go to a nearby deli for lunch and to wait for a reply from Enterprise. After waiting for an hour or so, a couple came into the deli that seemed interested in our bikes and came to talk to us. We told them our story and how we had decided to end the trip that same day, but how we couldn't get a car at the rental place. The man whipped out his phone and called Enterprise. Next thing I know, we have a car that can fit our things and they even waived the normal fee for crossing state lines! Turns out the man was the lawyer in town and happened to be a bicyclist himself and have an entire family that also bicycles! He also offered us a place to stay when we come back to Danville to finish our trip!

I have continually been amazed at the many ways that people have helped us along the way. There have been friends and family that have gone out of their way to give us a hand. Thank you to:
-Both of our families, who have done numerous favors for us and been there for us in any way possible!
-My mom, for maintaining this blog through pictures and text messages from me
-David, my friend in Portland who let us stay with him for a few days, showed us around Portland, and then drove us to the coast
-Ashli, a good friend from Iowa State, who let us stay in her new house in Dubuque when she wasn't even there
-Jeff, who took us in without any notice and is letting us crash at his place for a few days in Blacksburg, Va
-All of our friends and family who have come to visit us at some point during our journey

There have been people we met along the way that extended their friendship and went above and beyond to help us:
-Randy, the bicyclist from WV, who we rode with for more than a week and who is going to pick us up and take us to Raleigh on Sunday
-Randy and Cheryl from Montana, who offered us a safe haven from mosquitos, food, and excellent company on the 4th of July
-Rick from South Dakota, who let us stay in his home when he wasn't even there, then took us on an amazing kayak trip down the Missouri River
-the gas station attendant who drove Alex almost 40 miles total to find his wallet that fell out of his handlebar bag
-the people from Prophetstown, Illinois, for taking a great interest in us (doing a newspaper story!), and giving us detailed bicycling information and maps
-Mayor Jack and the people of Iroquois, Illinois, for giving us food, shelter, a shower, and being amazingly hospitable
-And all of the other people we have crossed paths with who have extended offers to help in anyway way and who have made this trip an absolutely amazing experience!

Many more people than were mentioned above deserved to be thanked, so THANK YOU! This trip would not have been possible or enjoyable in any way without you! Also, thank you to all of the readers of this blog for extending your encouragement and support. This has been an incredible experience and it has been great to share it with everyone.

So, what is next for Alex and I? Randy has graciously offered to pick us up in Blacksburg and drive us to Raleigh on Sunday. Alex will start grad school on Monday. I will be resuming the job search I left off in May and will have an interview in Raleigh on Wednesday. We are both excited to start the next phase of our lives, but we do want to be clear about one thing: we WILL finish this ride at some point. It is unclear when that will be, but it will be completed! We figure we have about 10 days of riding left to get from Danville, KY to the Atlantic Ocean. We plan on taking the Adventure Cycling Trans-America bicycle trail from Danville to the coast...when the weather is more favorable and after I purchase an actual touring bike so that I will have gears low enough to get me (and my gear) over the Appalachians.

Meanwhile, my dad cannot wait to start his next tour and a cross-country tour is still at the top of his list of things to do! I loved being able to share the first part of this ride with my dad, and hopefully I can join him for part of his next tour.

Also, be watching for links to the final set of pictures from this trip. Both Alex and I will work on uploading pictures when we get settled in Raleigh and will post the links on this website!

-Andrea

It's Hot!

Yes, it's that hot.

Shelbyville, KY August 10

Shelbyville, KY. Today we encountered the trifecta of difficult bicycling: heat, hills, and headwind. We passed several temperature readings on banks and such of over 100 deg! It didn't help that we got a late start this morning due to a wild scavenger hunt around Madison for mace. We eventually found some at a gun shop after almost 10 miles of searching. We then crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky. After all we've heard about it, we were expecting the worst. The only thing we have found to be true thus far is that there are hills, lots of hills, in Kentucky. We did struggle with the heat and headwind today, though. Every mile was a struggle, which is why we chose to go to Shelbyville, and not Frankfort. On the way into town we accidently took a brand new highway "Freedom's Way" that wasn't open yet. That took us to another road, which led us to what felt like a gold mine in Shelbyville: pool, showers, and campground. After dinner we took a dip in the pool and we are slowly cooling off. Tomorrow's supposed to be just as hot!

Kentucky August 9

Clifty Falls State Park, Indiana Aug 8

One of the waterfalls in Clifty Falls park. You can't see any water? This mighty falls is only a dribble...

The past few days we've been making our way south. We've been hindered by head winds, but we are still making progress. We finally realized and accepted that we will not be able to ride into Raleigh, and that our trip will have to come to an end because "real life" is calling. Since we realized we won't make it, we have scaled back our daily mileage a little to make our days more enjoyable. Yesterday (Sat) we rode from Chesterfield to St. Paul, IN, about 64 miles. St. Paul was one of the most lively towns we've come through. As soon as we got into town, we saw a big group of people on Main St playing bags and hanging out. We stopped to ask them how to get to the grocery store, and before we knew it everyone was flocking around us to hear our story. Someone offered to buy us a beer at the tavern next door and we were whisked off into another group of people who were enthralled by us. We went from group to group talking and it was definitely one of the most enjoyable entrances to a town that we've made! The only thing I can
compare it to would be a Friday afternoon FAC in Ames. If we hadn't needed to find camping, a shower, and food we definitely could have mingled for much longer! Today (Sun) we rode to Madison, IN, which was about 69 miles and is right on the border with Kentucky. I think we've officially said good-bye to the plains! As well as the changes in landscape, we have also started to see changes in people...let's just say we saw our first confederate flag today! Tomorrow we will head into Kentucky, the land of big hills and vicious dogs. We've been warned by more than 1 person about both and we'll be picking up some mace before we leave town tomorrow. We're staying at Clifty Falls State Park tonight, which has a huge canyon and some waterfalls. Definitely a change from the cornfields... Our last week on the road has started!

Madison, IN Aug 8

No post, phone call from Madison, Indiana in a state park. Temps in the 80's, getting antsy to get to North Carolina. Phone call to Randy about pick up time later this week. Entering Kentucky today and we prepared them for the heat wave coming! Riding across Kentucky this week.

Chesterfield, IN August 6

Chesterfield, IN. It's been a long couple of days. Yesterday (Thurs) we rode 82 miles from Iroquois to Rossville, IN. Rossville was a very pleasant town. I think it helped that we met one of the town's councilmen and reserve policemen in the first 10 min of being there. He was able to bend the rules a little and let us stay in the city park, something not normally allowed. There weren't any showers there, but I convinced one of the residents living across the street from the park to let us use her hose in the driveway. Probably the most fun shower I've had yet! The night was made when better when Anne, a mutual MatE friend of ours from ISU who now lives in Indy, drove up to hang out with us and take us out to dinner. It was great to see a famil
iar face, especially since we have been in Iowa- and RAGBRAI- withdrawal.

Today (Fri) we did 86 miles from Rossville to Chesterfield. The biggest highlight from today was eating at a roadside diner for lunch. We thought Sherill's Eat Here and Get Gas diner was just a normal place-that is until they got the call from the Food Network, while we were there, asking them to be featured on an upcoming episode of a show about diners. Everyone got a little crazy in the restaurant after the call came in and we have been invited back for the filming and the episode showing party...we'll see if we can make it! Our original plan was to stay in Anderson tonight at Mounds State Park. However, we were turned away when we arrived late in the day because the campground was full. It's unfortunate, but this has been our most unpleasant encounter with locals. The park ranger was downright rude to us and it caused some frustration and anger on our part. Fortunately, there was another campground about 5 miles away that did have room (although 25/night!). I just have to remind myself that for every rude person we've encountered, including people who shout at us on the road, there are at least twice as many
who go out of their way to help us. And, in the end, we got showers and even laundry done here. Tomorrow we head south!

Indiana August 5

Indiana!

Iroquois, IL August 4

Iroquois, IL. We finally found the tailwinds! After battling winds from the south and heat the past couple days, we have finally found some relief. Yesterday (Tue) we got a late start due to thunderstorms (we actually had to move our tent into the pig sties in Princeton) and found ourselves in the blistering heat later in the day. We stopped at a gas station for a break and found out we were under a heat advisory with a heat index of 110! I felt like I was back in Africa for a day...We stopped after only 62 miles in Streator. The campground there was very bicycle friendly and let us camp for free under their pavilion and they even gave us ice and a fan! Today (Wed) has been a very good day. At our breakfast stop in Cornell we came across another touring cyclist and discovered we had stumbled onto Adventure Cycling's Northern Tier route. This bicyclist had the same idea we did for the western part of the country- he followed the Lewis & Clark trail to Sioux City and then did RAGBRAI. He is now following the Northern Tier to Maine. He started 10 days after us near Portland and turns out he even heard stories about us (he heard about the sprinklers going off at 8 pm instead of 8 am on us in Winnett, MT)! He also told us about another cyclist going the other direction that had a great time in Iroquois the night before. Later in the day the winds shifted to be from the east, then the north, so Alex and I decided to push for Iroquois tonight. Turned out to be a good choice! After 87 miles today, we were met on the highway outside of town by a guy in a car who directed us to follow him. We later found out that he is the mayor of the town and he had heard 2 cyclists were headed his way, so he came to meet us! He took us to the city park, where his office is, and showed us where we could stay- IN his office. There's a bathroom with a shower (and clean towels), a garage where we can put our bikes, and a nice office with AIR CONDITIONING to sleep in! This town really rolled out the welcome mat! To top it off, the banker in town pays for all bicyclists to eat breakfast at the local cafe! We really hit the jackpot here and this town definitely takes "the most bicycle friendly town" award in my book! We are not the only ones to think so, either. There's a whole wall full of thank-yous, notes, and postcards from other bicyclists that have passed through. Hopefully the winds from the north continue tomorrow and we can make some progess south. For now, Alex and I are going to enjoy this wonderful town!

Hennepin Canal Trail August 3

Alex changes his 3rd flat tire (of the entire trip) on the Hennepin Canal Trail.

Princeton, IL August 2

Alex and I are back to having random adventures and meeting all sorts of people on the road again! We forgot what it was like to be "unique" on the road during RAGBRAI, but the last couple days have been good reminders of how friendly everyone can be when you are touring.
Yesterday we rode from Dubuque to Clinton, about 65 miles. We had planned to go farther but right after we crossed the bridge into Fulton, IL my chain got caught in my derailleur, breaking my chain and bending my front derailleur. Alex was only able to temporarily fix it, leaving me stuck in my grannies. We met a nice older couple at a gas station who were very helpful and with their help we found a nearby camping spot. This morning we called around at 8 am and found a bike shop that was willing to repair my bike immediately. 2 hours and a new chain later, we were able to hit the road again. Today we biked from Clinton to Princeton, IL, about 70 miles. In Fenton we met a guy who just did his 32nd RAGBRAI (!) and offered his house and services to us. Unfortunately, it was too early for us to stop for the day. Next we stopped in Prophetstown for lunch, which turned out to be one of the most friendly stops we have made thus far. We met a nice man (that I regret we did not get his name) who told us about a great bike path going east across IL and then went home to get maps to give us about the trail and about bike routes in the state. We decided to try to hook up with this trail- the Hennepin Canal Trail. We also met another man who interviewed us and took our picture for the local paper! Mom, be expecting a copy of the paper in the mail! We are now officially celebrities! We made it to Princeton and swung by the police station to get the word on camping. We've discovered that the police know some good spots and they can also bend the rules and let us stay at places we wouldn't normally be able to camp. Tonight we're at the county fairgrounds with the whole place to ourselves- all showered and for free! Tomorrow will be another adventure on the canal trail!

Tampico, IL August 2

Tampico, birthplace of Ronald Reagan...and I always thought it was Dixon!

Illinois August 1

We made it to Illinois! Crossing the bridge at Clinton, IA. right after we crossed the bridge my chain got caught in my derailleur...don't think we'll be going much farther today...yes, welcome to Illinois!

Dubuque, Iowa

RAGBRAI came to an end yesterday and left us in Dubuque, Iowa with all of our gear attached to our bikes again. Alex and I had a great time riding with Team High Life and our riding companions will be missed in the weeks to come. Also, as much as we despised it at the time, the 6 am wake-up call (bugle followed by Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash) will also be missed. We are already back to our old habits of getting up late and trying to hit the road by 9 am...

We were joined at various times last week by a number of friends and family. My friend from college, Lando, rode with us on Sunday and then rode yesterday as well. My brother, Kyle, rode with us on Wednesday and Thursday. My mom, dad, and grandma came to visit on Thursday night in Waterloo. Alex's friends from his internship at Rockwell and his roommate from Iowa State also came on Thursday night to hang out with us. We are definitely going to be in people withdrawal this week!

Some other highlights of the week include getting poured on for all of Friday morning (hey, all that rain gear we bought finally came in handy!), a monstrous 19% grade hill outside of Dubuque known as Potter's Hill (probably the steepest hill we've climbed with the exception of the random bike path hill in Bismarck, ND), and random run-ins with friends also doing the ride.

Now we are getting ready to start the next phase of our adventure. Today we will leave for Illinois. We no longer have Adventure Cycling maps to aide us, so we will be following highway maps and tips from locals from here on out. We will try to take the most direct route possible to Raleigh, as we only have 15 more days of riding left to get there. We are both excited and still exhausted from RAGBRAI at the same time.

Lastly, thank you to Ashli and Tony for letting us stay at their new house in Dubuque last night to recover a bit and do some laundry! Onward we go!