The Final Day

We couldn't just end our trip in Central Connecticut. Since we started on the Pacific Coast we had to make the ride to the Atlantic. Today we got back on our bicycles after three days off.

Danielle rode unloaded and I just had my rear panniers to carry what we needed. We mapquested a route and headed off at 8 AM for the last 62 miles. The first half of the ride was a gentle down hill and pretty relaxing. Then at about 40 miles into our ride we hit some steep hills. Who new that there were hills of this size in Southern CT?? Well we made it through and showed up in Old Lyme at the planned time of 3PM. Dad and Dale met us there and we dragged our bikes across the beach to get our hero shot at the Atlantic. (okay it was Long Island Sound but that's part of the Atlantic so close enough) After 74 days of biking covering 4686.22 miles we didn't want to ride back to Plymouth so we put our bikes in the van and Dad drove home.

We stopped at Lenny and Joe's to celebrate with some beer and healthy fried seafood.

We would like to say Thank You again to all the people who helped make this trip a memorable experience. Thanks to all our families and friends who understand our vagabond lifestyle.

An extra thanks to everyone who drove us to start and finish the trip. We are grateful to all the people that we met who went out of their way to help us out. We are especially appreciative for all the beds that we had to sleep in and meals we were fed by people that we were complete strangers to. We have made many new friends along the way. Hopefully we can repay everyone by helping others who are on similar adventures.

geOff

Almost Done!!

Our plans change for the tenth time!!! After Niagara Falls the plan was to follow the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier route to Ticonderoga, NY. From there we would plan our own route south through VT, MA and CT. When we left Canada and were riding through New York we noticed that we were on NY bicycle route 5. We found a map of the NY bicycle routes and realized that we could follow this route which parallels the Erie canal. Taking cycle route 5 would have us enter MA near Great Barrington and from there we knew it would only be a day's ride to my Dad's house in Plymouth Connecticut. So to sum it up we became really motivated to get done with the trip after two and a half months of bicycle riding, camping, hotels and staying at some wonderful homes. It only took us 5 days at an average of about 80 miles a day to get across New York. On the fifth night we stayed in Great Barrington and called our families to let them know we would be home the next day. We showed up in Plymouth at about 3 PM. My Dad and Dale were here to meet us along with Danielle's aunt Deb and her two crazy Nephews Nate and Ethan. A little later Danielle's Brother Jim and Mom showed up too. It was great to be with family again and of course to have some tap beer from New England Brewing.

We then planned to take a couple days off to relax and spend time with family and friends.

On Monday August 11th we would ride to the Atlantic Coast to officially finish our trip.



geOff

Crossing the Erie Canal

Connecticut!

Arriving in Plymouth

Playing with the nephews

Rich in Rotterdam

While in Rotterdam we stayed with fellow Adventure Cycler Rich. He has previously toured in the Adirondacks, is heading out soon to bike around Vermont and will do the TransAm next year. We chatted lots about cycling, gear and the tours we've done. Rich treated us to lots of food..... cheese and crackers, dinner and dessert.... yum!

The next morning while we were heading toward Albany, Geoff's back tire decided to call it quits. Rich even came to our rescue with a new tire for Geoff.

Thanks Rich... Happy Cycling!

When in Rome

New York that is! We stayed with Larry & Patty. Talked bicycling with Larry who is an avid bicycle commuter...... and talked about nursing with Patty as I am trying to figure out what ever I am going to do with myself when we leave the Antarctic Program. They made us feel right at home, fed us a wonderful dinner, took us out for ice cream, let us do laundry and filled our tummies before we headed out in the morning. Larry even biked with us for a bit showing us the way out of Rome as he headed to work.


Thanks Larry & Patty!

Holley, NY

While biking through Holley, NY we found Gloria and her family on Warm Showers. Gloria and her son Nathaniel are going to be biking from New York to California next year along Adventure Cycling's routes. We were treated to dinner, warm showers, breakfast, Nathaniel biked with us for around forty miles the next day and Gloria treated us to lunch. Thanks so much! We wish you much luck and nice weather for your tour next year.

Canada & Niagara Falls

While biking through New York we headed north through Buffalo and into Canada. Crossing the bridge and going through customs in a bike is a fun time. Especially in a tourist traffic jam. We biked a bit through Canada and around Lake Erie to Niagara Falls. We took a short day playing tourist and doing some sight seeing. We watch an IMAX movie about the history of the falls and took a trip where you walk under the falls. Notice our sweet yellow ponchos and our mandatory "high tech" water sandals.... luckily they recycle the ponchos and donate the sandals. As the end of the bike trip was in sight we also decided that we should start tapering our eating more (tomorrow) .... so we ended the night with one last indulgence of nachos and I of course ordered some dessert.

Ohio ~ Pennsylvania ~ New York

From Ohio we headed east through Pennsylvania and into New York in one day. Crazy how that can happen. We even got a chance to paly some Mini Golf. This was also one of our biggest rain days in a while. Geoff even put his rain jacket on.... and that hadn't happened since Wyoming. By the time we reached our campsite along Lake Erie the skies had cleared up and we were ready for a shower and sleepy time.

The Wheelers

What was supposed to be a one night Couch Surf turned into 3 days of Covered Bridge pizza, bicycle cleaning and maintenance, delicious homemade cookies, the great search for Geoff's bicycle shifter, home cooking, lots of warm showers, comfy bed and you both coming to our rescue.... oh yeah, and I finally ate my first Brussel sprout.

Thank you so very much for all that you did for us. We enjoyed meeting you both. We will definitely stop by North Kingsville on our ride to Colorado next year.

In Ohio

I know it has been over a week since I last updated this blog. SORRY! It is well known that I can be a slacker with these things. The good news is I do have lots and lots to write.

Currently we are in North Kingsville, Ohio. If things go as planned for tomorrow we will be crossing over into Pennsylvania. Ohio has been a great state to bike through. There have been bike trails, waves and smiles from people we pass and nicer dogs. The terrian has also helped us bike some pretty impressive days. We completed another century ride last week from Covington, KY to London, OH. It was an awesome day especially since 80 of those miles were on a bike path. With no cars to compete with it made the century a much more enjoyable trip. The day after that we biked 90 miles and the next day 80. Hooray for our booties, they survived without too many aches.

Finally Some Pictures!

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks.
Geoff and I at the top of Hoosier Pass. The highest pass we climbed on this trip.

Crossing into to Kentucky on a ferry.















One of the many grain elevators of Kansas.














Geoff's photo titled.... "Beautiful Sunset in Kansas #62"
It's from a series.

Thank You Kentucky!

There have been so many people who have been generous to us on this trip. Geoff and I are truly thankful to everyone who has helped us along the way.

In Dry Ridge.... Ed from Warm Showers hosted us for a night. He had just recently finished the Southern Tier route. He made us dinner, we talked bikes and Geoff especially enjoyed the sunset from his back porch. Thanks Ed!




In Covington.... We stayed with the Ecklers. Donna and her family treated us right at home. Lasagna, ice cream, and waffles for breakfast... our tummies were so happy. Donna even dropped us off at a local brewpub that we wanted to go to. Oh yeah and in the morning they sent us away with bag lunches. We definitely felt like part of the family.

We will definitely be keeping in touch! Thanks Again!

and to the doggies that like to chase, bark and growl... i am sorry for the pepper spray, but hopefully you will be nicer to the next cyclists that come your way.

danielle and geoff

Heading North

Hello from Indiana!

We have been wavering for weeks with where we will end this trip. Originally we were planning for Maine, then we thought about Connecticut (how cool would that be) and then we thought maybe we would just ride the TransAmerican bike route all the way to Virgina (it is the much shorter option). Well we have come up with a decision.

Drum roll please.......

We are going to end in Connecticut. Yesterday we switched trails and are now heading north on the Underground Railroad bike route. We knew we had to decide by Whitesville, KY and yesterday was the day we rode through the little town. We had to find our way to the other route with a little navigation, some help from locals and some luck, but we are on it now.

Here is an overview of what the route looks like:








and a link to the maps

http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/undergroundrailroad.cfm

Currently we are on map 3 in Corydon, IN.

We will later hook up with the Northern Tier bike route and then head south through Vermont. We have no bike route maps for Vermont, but at least we are well familiar with the roads and elevation changes.

Good Bye Missouri

We are out of Missouri and in Illinois. The crazy thing is.... tomorrow we should be in Kentucky. Phew that seems fast!

Missouri did show us quite a few things. The Ozarks are steep. They are short hills, but sometimes I felt like I was going to fall off backward from my bike. There are lots of doggies that like to chase people on bikes. I finally had to spray my infamous dog pepper spray called Halt. I though Lassie was suppose to be a nice dog, but showing teeth, growling and coming after me were to much. I think I taught her a lesson. I hope I don't have to use it again.

We also met some wonderful people.
In Ellington... Wayne a fellow bicyclist and triathlete let us stay at his house, cooked us and amazing dinner, let us do laundry and shower. Wow it was awesome. His wife Betsy was out of town. Wish we could have met her too. Thanks to you both.

In Farmington... Geoff and I stayed at the White House Bed & Breakfast. When we checked in we had plans to stay one night, but after Ann spoiled us with baked treats and wonderful conversation we decided to take a day off and spend the next day there as well. It was so nice to get to read the Sunday paper, nap and relax.

Oh yeah... and I finally made Geoff eat at a Sonic in Missouri. We have passed so many and never stopped. I just had to try it out. I have seen so many commercials for it while in Connecticut (although there are none in the state). The banana split shake was yummy. I wouldn't eat it on a normal day, by when you are biking calories don't count.

will update again soon,
danielle & geoff

TransAmerica Route

Many have been wondering exactly where the TranAmerican Route takes us.

This picture from the Adventure Cycling website shows a general overview.

If you follow the link below it will take you to all the maps we use which are more indepth.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/transamerica.cfm

Currently we are in Hartville, MO and that is located on Map 9.

Lots of love,

Danielle & Geoff

Geoff's first post on the blog

I have been a slacker so far with the blog. Thanks Amy and Danielle for doing all the work.
Well we made it through Kansas with no Tornado's. I kind of wanted to see one and maybe meet the Wicked Witch of the West. Kansas was a great state to ride through without many hills and the nicest people I have met anywhere. Now we are starting our journey through Missouri "the show me state". Show me what? is the question that I have been wondering for the last 30 miles. We are currently in Golden City, MO where we had lunch and some awesome pie at Cooky's Cafe. So far Missouri has been great with the wind at our backs and nice roads. Hopefully I can keep from throwing up my giant lunch and enjoy the rest of the day. Tomorrow we enter the area of the Ozarks and rumor has it that we will be climbing lots of steep hills.

Friendly People of Kansas

Buhler, Kansas
Possibly the nicest town we have encountered on this trip.... (all respects to Dayville, Oregon). We met two lovely couples while we were there.
Sheri and Mike.... had us over for coffee and a wonderful breakfast spread on the 4th of July.

Willie and Courtney.... had us over for ice cream and to watch fireworks.

Cassody, Kansas
Diane and her sons.... invited us over to their cabin on Fox Lake for the 4th of July. We took showers, went swimming, washed clothes, kept our beer cold in their fridge and were entertained by the boys.

Hepler, Kansas
Pastor John at Immanuel Lutheran Church.... Gave us fresh vegetables from his garden, an air conditioned place to sleep, warm shower and cooked us a yummy breakfast.

Thank you Kansas for leaving a lasting impression on us.

The Bryans of Buehler

Second Century Ride

July 1, 2008

Tribune, Kansas - Bazine, Kansas
We had a lovely day wih a tailwind for the most part of it. . Geoff and I planned on doing a 70 mile day, but when it was noon and we had already covered 50 miles we decided to push through for a total of 117 miles. The goal for the day was Elaine's Bicycle Oasis B&B. A lovely welcoming home that Elaine and her husband Dan have opened up to bicyclists. Geoff even got to drive some of Dan's farming equipment. I was kept busy with their beautiful Golden Retriever puppies and some nice quiet time. If only I had a home I probably would have taken one off their hands.

In Kansas

Yesterday we arrived in Kansas. Exciting? Not really, but it does mean we are progressing in our trip. Instantly as we crossed the border we were hit with a head wind. Kind of funny since it is what we have been told to expect in this state full of grain elevators, flatness and wind. We have started seeing lots and lots of tourist headed westbound. It's fun to see them in the distance getting closer and closer.... especially since the animal sightings are pretty much nonexistent these days except for lots of dead snakes on the roads.

Will write more soon.
Geoff & Danielle

Inside the Adventure Cylist Mind

About a week before our arrival in Frisco, Danielle presented us with a set of questions that she hoped we would consider and answer before our parting of ways. Some of the questions are straightforward and some of them inevitably inspired more creative answers. In any case, our repsonses will perhaps satisfy some curiosities.

1) # of flats?

Danielle:
3 flats and 1 tire blowout

Geoff:
3 flats

Gift:
6 flats

Amy:
2 flats on Bob trailer tire; zero on bike tires

2) Top speed?

Danielle:
41.6 mph

Geoff:
52.69 mph

Gift:
51 mph

Amy:
37 mph (for the record i prefer climbing!)

3) Favorite place visited?

Danielle:
near Earthquake Lake where we saw the grizzly bear

Geoff:
1. the ride between Old Faithful and the south entrance to Yellowstone
2. Togwotee Pass
3. Bitteroot Brewery

Gift:
riding out of Yellowstone and seeing the Tetons (because of great scenery); Dayville, OR
(because everyone in town was so nice!)

Amy:
Yellowstone and the Tetons, despite rain, snow and wind

4) What do you think about while cycling?

Danielle:
"Come out, come out wherever you are, animals!!!"

Geoff:
"Food, beer, scenery, when is this effin hill going to end, songs, people on the trip, family,
friends, life in general. It's one long daydream."

Gift:
"Nothing. I don't think. I just ride."

Amy:
"What don't I think about?!"

5) What do you eat when you need energy while riding?

Danielle:
crunchy peanut butter Clif Bar, Pop Tarts, GU for a real pickmeup

Geoff:
Nature Valley crunchy granola bars and performance enhancing drugs

Gift:
whatever I have in my food bag-granola bars, Pop Tarts, string cheese,
Chex Mix (hot & spicy variety)

Amy:
Berry Almond Luna Bars, peanut butter Power Bars, cheese

6) Favorite article of cycling clothing?

Danielle:
my new Patagonia rainjacket...it has made all the difference!

Geoff:
none-I wish I could bike naked, although that could lead to an extra sore ass!

Gift:
my bike shorts, of course!

Amy:
leg warmers...and my rainpants once I finally purchased them!

7) Favorite piece of cycling gear?

Danielle:
my Sea to Summit dry bags-they keep everything organized and dry!

Geoff:
fenders-they keep the road slime off of me.

Gift:
my vented sunglasses that make me look FAST!

Amy:
my Shimano shoes because they're super comfortable and the velcro is a reminder of the
good ol' days.

8) If you could ask Lance Armstrong one question, what would it be?

Danielle:
"Were you not strong enough to be Sheryl Crow's man?"

Geoff:
"How was Ashley Olsen in the sack?"

Gift:
"Pop Tarts or muffins?"

Amy:
"Do you focus your eyes just beyond your front tire or towards the top of the hill?"

9) Finish this sentence: My bike________.

Danielle:
My bike, the Fujisaurous, is simply better.

Geoff:
My bike is fun, pain, escape, misery all in one sexy green ride. It's also great on gas!

Gift:
My bike is old and broken.

Amy:
My bike feels good between my legs.

10) Name one song you couldn't get out of your head all day.

Danielle:
"The Gambler"-Kenny Rogers

Geoff:
"Between the Moon and New York City"-Christopher Cross

Gift:
I don't sing. I just ride.

Amy:
Amy Winehouse songs

11) What's the oddest thing you encountered on the trip?

Danielle:
the West's weird obsession with taxidermy. It's even in the grocery stores!

Geoff:
three farting girls. WTF?

Gift:
two girls who are gassier than me!

Amy:
a granny telling her young granddaughter that the rest stop restroom is the place
they take little kids to spank them.

12) Describe your experience in ten words or less.

Danielle:
where the heck's the mountain lion??

Geoff:
what a long strange trip it is.

Gift:
fun, cold, smelly, hot, wet, hungry, exhausting, amazing, fast

Amy:
you can always accomplish more than you think you can!

13) Who, or what, is the real Pearl Izumi?

Danielle:
An old lady in a sweatshop.

Geoff:
The chamois making zen master. Me ass feel so good in me Pearl Izumi shorts!

Gift:
There's only one Asian on this trip! Need I say more??

Amy:
Pearl Izumi is a state of mind....when you conquer that long and exhausting climb...when
you find yourself in a peaceful trance on a neverending stretch of highway....when you
become one with the rain...it is at moments like these when you know Pearl Izumi.

Thanks to Danielle for a great idea and fun questions! I'm sure I'm not the only one interested in hearing if any of the answers change for you and Geoff during the second phase of the trip!

Michael!

Hey Michael....saw your comment! Thanks for leaving us a message-it's good to hear you safely completed your trip! We kept hoping we'd run into you at some point but you were just too fast! Feels strange to not still be riding, don't you think? Any ideas what your next adventure will bring??

Wishing you well,
Amy (& Gift, Geoff, Danielle)