And when you're only halfway up...

Days: 40
Distance: 3588 km / 2229 mi
Location: Boulder, CO
Elevation: 1646 m / 5400 ft

We're done with the plains, and now we're sitting in the shadow of some pretty impressive mountains. I can't wait for the new terrain and the scenic views of Rocky Mountian National Park. Crossing the Fall River pass at 12,183 ft will be the absolute highlight of this trip for me, and the continental divide will also be an exciting landmark.

But for now we're not even halfway up! Boulder is at 5400 ft. We've been ascending about 10 feet per mile for the last 400 miles or so across Nebraska and eastern Colorado. It feels like to whole thing was totally flat, but its actually a very gentle ramp. So you get up to 5400 feet without ever even realizing you were going up. That's about to change when we ascend another 6,000 feet in 40 miles.

Cycling at night

















I have some pretty awesome flashing lights too, but they don't show up in the photo. This nightime schedule has been great. There are almost no cars on the roads as we pedal away under the stars.

Oceans of grass


















Yeah. Pretty much. This is Nebraska.

Trains

















There are a ton of trains out here. Most are carrying either coal or gravel, or large freight containers. The railroad we were following in Nebraska is the original First Transcontinental Railroad built across the US in 1869.

Somebody more hardcore than us

















This is Eric and his donkey, Moses. Eric is walking barefoot with his donkey from Ohio to Seattle to meet Bill Gates and talk to him about education. Eric told us about his philosophy on life and recited poetry to us, while Moses quietly openned my rear panier and tried to eat some of our bread. The large thing on Moses' back is a solar panel used to power video cameras which record every step of their journey. They have been on the road for over a year. Eric told us he is not in any rush.


Lake McConaughy


















This is a large lake in Nebraska just north of Ogalalla. We camped in a nearby state park and took a day off at the lake to go swimming and relax!























Fishing is also a popular sport at the lake. Above: A woman shows off filets from her fresh catch.

Colorado

















Another day, another state.

Tornado Warning

On Friday afternoon we rolled into the tiny town of Wiggins, CO and got permission from the police to pitch our tent in the city park. We could see a large storm coming, so rather than set up camp right away we decided to hang out under a covered picnic area and wait for it to pass. We were sitting and chatting with Tammy, a local resident, when she got a cell phone call from her husband telling her to get out of the park. A tornado warning had been issued for the area!

Tammy took us back to her house and let us hide out there while the storm passed. Soon the wind was roaring and rain beat against the windows so hard you could barely see out. Fortunately, the storm passed without dropping any funnels, and the sun came out again. Aside from massive mud puddles on the dirt roads, not a sign remained of the storm, and we returned to the park to camp for the night.

The Mountians Approach

The next morning we got up and the horizon was for once entirely clear of storm clouds. We could just make out a line of mountains on the horizon! The following is a series of photos starting at approximately 70 miles out and ending at the foot of the mountains just outside Boulder. It was so immensely satisfying to watch the mountains approach all day long.

(click photos to enlarge)



































































Next update will be in a week or so after we cross those beautiful snowy peaks!

Moooovin' Along

Days: 31

Distance: 2462km / 1530 mi

Location: Omaha, NE

We just crossed the state of Iowa, and now we are couchsurfing with Lisa and Brendan in Omaha. Iowa is a beautiful state! Here's some of the sites:

John Deere Pavillion

The visitor center at the John Deere headquarters is full of antique tractors and plows. Plenty of new equipment on display too. Did you know modern farm equipment uses GPS to map fields for yield rates and apply the right amount of fertilizer? It's a new age!

Some of these tractors have some pretty scary warning labels...

Water Ski Stunt Show

Eric took us to a water ski stunt show in Rock island, Il. Some of these stunts are crazy.

Jumps!

Dances

Four person pyramid (could you even do this on land?)

The open road

This is pretty much what we've been seeing for the past few days.

Did I mention John Deere?

Nothing so fun as being overtaken by a huge combine on the road. Sometimes you have to get off the road just to let them pass because they are so huge.

Des Moines

I forgot to take a photo, but we couch surfed with Monkey and Lara. (yes, her name is actually Monkey. How cool is that?) The city has some fantastic bike trails, one of which we followed for about 30 miles out.

Site of the first train robbery in the West

Hailstorms and Tornados

While camping in a state park in Anita, IA, the ranger told us about a tornado warning. Apparently tornados always start with a huge thundestorm, then it turns into hail, and then after it stops and gets really calm a tornado starts to form.

We could see a huge thunderstorm coming, so we dove into the tent. Soon lightning and thunder was roaring all around us and the tent shuddered in the violent wind. And then the sound of the rain changed, and we realized it was hailing.

And then it stopped, And got very calm.

And we were afraid.

But we were also really tired, so we just went to sleep.

Crossing the Missouri River

A pedestrian bridge.

Replete with fountains to cool off after 

an 80 mile ride in 90 degree heat.

Beating the Heat

It's become a real problem. Trying to bike in this weather is just miserable. For example, when the temperature reached 94 yesterday with 70 % humidity, we crawled into a Dairy Queen and took refuge for several hours, waiting for things to cool off. 

We've got to beat the heat. So, starting tonight, we are implementing a new strategy: biking at night!

We're going to leave at 3 am, when 

the traffic is hopefully about as calm as it can get, and bike until noon.

 Hopefully we'll adjust to the new schedule quickly.

And yes, we do have bright lights and lots of reflective stuff. We are probably much more visible now than we ever were during the day. Above: Amelia sports her new nighttime gear.

Probably no more updates until Boulder, CO. It should take about 8 days.

PS: Last weeks mystery photo was of inside the Davenport Skybridge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davenport_Skybridge

The Mississippi River

Days: 25
Distance: 2046 km / 1279 mi
Location: Davenport, IA

We crossed the Mississippi River on June 13th, which is also my Dad's birthday coincidentally (Happy Birthday Dad!). We are now couchsurfing with Eric, a mountain biking enthusiast who actually came out and rode the last 25 miles to the river with us.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

















On the day out of South Bend we stopped at the lakeshore near Michigan City for some fun on the beach. Unfortunately the weather wasn't exactly what you would describe as a "beach day", but it was still beautiful.

















This is a nice photo of Amelia, but what's even more important is what you can see in the background. Indiana Dunes is probably the only National Lakeshore (or National anything) that comes with it's very own scenic view of a nuclear power plant.

Best High School Mascot Ever


Chicago

We got in to Tinley Park, which is a suburb of South Chicago, and couch surfed with Dave, a high school science teacher. Dave took us out bowling with a group of friends in the city, and we got to see the skyline at night.

Mendota

A day after Chicago we stayed with another couch surfer, Nick, in a rural town called Mendota, Il. I am impressed by how beautiful rural Illinois is! Once we got away from the Chicago area sprawl we were treated to hours of quiet roads surrounded by cornfields as far as the eye can see.

















Nick took us to an all-you-can-eat buffet in town. I think we put them out of business!

Ronald Reagan's Birthplace
He was born in a cornfield?
















Crossing Over
It was pretty exciting to make it to the Mississippi. Crossing the river felt like we entered a new phase of this journey. I feel like one of the Oregon Trail pioneers who set off to explore and colonize the west! Except with paved roads and grocery stores, and without the cholera or starvation.

What is this?
First person who can correctly tell me gets a prize!





















Davenport, IA
So, we are now taking a rest day in Davenport, IA. Eric (our couchsurfing host) took us to a minor league baseball game last night. Unfortunately Davenport lost to Cedar Rapids. But we had good popcorn!

















Next update will come from Omaha, NE.

Back on the road again

Days: 21

Distance: 1641 km / 1020 mi

Location: South Bend, IN

Well, now that graduation is over, we hit the road again! First we got our bikes tuned up at the Two-Wheel Tango Bike Shop in Ann Arbor. The mechanics let us watch as they rebuilt Amelia's back wheel with stronger spokes (which hopefully won't break all the time like her old spokes). They also replaced my derailleur cable and gave us a bunch of maintenance tips. I give them 5 stars!

Michigan International Speedway

(click photo to enlarge)

We made it to South Bend in two days, where we are now staying with Amelia's aunt and uncle. On the way we passed the Michigan International Speedway (above). It was closed, but some guys were fixing the gate and had it open. We asked if we could go in and they let us, so we got to climb the bleachers for a spectacular view of the 1.5 mile track.

Walmart Distribution Center #6043
So huge it won't even fit in the photo! I measured it with my bike and it was half a mile long.


Power Tour 2009
We noticed a large number of beautiful hot rods on the road. We met a few of the drivers at a rest stop, who told us about the Power Tour. This is an annual tour of hot rod owners who drive for eight days around the central states. They were headed from South Bend to Detroit. Several thousand cars participate! So for the next few hours we were treated to a long stream of gorgeous cars passing us in the other direction. Below: A Power Tour driver with his classic hot rod.


Indiana, our fifth state/province





















Camping on a bicycle
Some of you may be wondering just how we do this biking/camping thing. Below is a photo of the back of Amelia's bike. She has a tent (large gray bag), a sleeping pad (orange roll), and two saddle bags to carry her sleeping bag, clothes, food, and a camping stove.

When we get in to camp, the first step is to set up our tent. We have to do this first in case it starts to rain!
















The next step is to change out of our dirty cycling clothes, and into our less-dirty camping clothes. Then we cook dinner on the camp stove. Our favorite meal is instant rice and beans, because it is nourishing and uses very little fuel to cook. We also have to eat at least one vegetable every night to avoid scurvy. Below: Enjoying a hearty meal a-la-campstove.

When we've been camping for several days in a row, we have to wash our clothes. This is easily accomplished with the portable washing machine, otherwise known as two ziplock bags. First you fill one bag with water and soap. Then you stuff in some clothes, zip the bag, and squish/slosh it around for a while. Remove clothes and rinse them in the second bag with clean water. Then ring them out and hang them up to dry on a clothes line fashioned from p-cord. If they aren't dry by morning, you can tie them to the back of your bike and let them dry in the wind as you ride!

(Note: this washing method is not recommended for winter trips. Frozen clothes are no fun. Ask me how I know)

Time zones
Tomorrow we are headed on to Illinois, and we will cross over into Central Time! This is a fun landmark, although it means it won't be broad daylight at 9 pm anymore.

Next update will come from the west side of the Mississippi River!

Oh, Canada

Days: 14
Distance: 1350 km / 838 mi
Location: Ann Arbor, MI

So, we made it to my brother's coop house in Ann Arbor! Here's the latest list of adventures:

Niagra Falls

We biked from Rochester to North Tonawanda, a town right near the falls. There we stayed with Corey, a couchsurfer and skydiving pilot (how cool is that?). Corey showed us around town and helped us find our way to the falls in the morning. We crossed the "Rainbow Bridge" to Canada. The toll collector got so excited about our trip that he let us cross the bridge for free, and the Canadian customs officials let us jump the line in front of all the cars. After crossing over we relaxed and enjoyed the view for a while.


















Hamilton, ON

We had another fantastic couchsurfing experience with Alicia and her parents in Hamilton, ON. They took us out to dinner and fed us goat at a caribbean place. I've discovered a new food that I like!

The Magic Gazebo

We bike in all weather, and rain doesn't bother us. In fact, we thought we'd seen the worst when we got drenched biking out of Rochester. But there's one thing we don't do: lightning. Riding a steel bike across open fields in a lightning storm just seems to us like a recipe for a Darwin award. Unfortunately, it turns out this part of the country has thunderstorms pretty much daily in the summer.

The ride to London was tough. We faced extremely harsh head winds all day. We had to pedal hard just to even go downhill, and progress was very slow. Dark coulds began to gather in the late afternoon, and by evening the sky was looking ominous. Exhausted, we arrived in a tiny town called Thamesford and decided we needed a large snack break.

I was looking for a place to sit and eat when all of a sudden up ahead I could see a large gazebo by the side of the road. There was no apparently obvious reason for it to be there. About two seconds after we sat down in the gazebo, the sky openned up and it began to pour. Of course we were nice and dry in our magic gazebo!

At first the thunder was only in the distance and we weren't worried, but by the time we finished eating the lightning was directly overhead. We decided it wasn't safe to bike, so we had to wait until the storm moved farther away. We called a friend who checked radar images online and informed us that this storm was moving away, but several more were on the way!

After about half an hour the lightning was far enough away that we deemed it safe. We put on all our rain gear and headed out. To our delight, we discovered the horrible headwinds had finally calmed, and we raced to London ahead of the second storm!

Springbank Snow Countess























The inscription reads:

In honor of
Springbank Snow Countess
World Champion Lifetme Butterfat Producer
9062 Lbs Butterfat and 209.505 lbs milk in 10 lactations. Average test 4.37%
Born Nov 8th, 1919--Died August 9th, 1936
Errected by the Holstein-Friesian Association
of Canada August 4th, 1937 on Springbank Farm
Where her lifetime was spent in the service of her breeder and owner
T.R. Dent

London and Ipperwash Beach

My Grandmother's friend Ian hosted us in London, and he took us up to his cabin on the south shore of Lake Huron. We had a relaxing day, letting our muscles recover.




























Crossing the Border to Michigan

Our original plan was to cross back into Michigan via the Ambassador Bridge from Windsor to Detroit. However, another cyclist we met at Niagra Falls warned us that the bicycles are not allowed either on the bridge or in the tunnel. (The bridge has a sidewalk, but it's been closed ever since September 11th due to "security concerns"). We decided to cross the border north of Lake St. Clair via the ferry from Sombra to Marine City.



















I have to admit my first thought after getting off the ferry on the Michigan side was "I want to go back to Canada". Let's just say Marine City, MI has seen better days.

While trying to change our Canadian dollars back to US dollars at the local bank we were approached by a drunk guy named "Don". Don was facinated by our loaded bikes and the explanation of our trip. His hand was also bleeding very badly, but he refused my offer of a bandage. "I'm a tough guy" Don told us, and then went on to brag about all the fights he's been in.

"Do you girls know how to fight?" Don asked.

I admitted I don't fight often.

"You should know how to fight, cuz on a trip like this someone might try an' kidnap you," Don slurred. "Do you carry any weapons? You should carry weapons!"

Don offered us his protection and wanted to give us his phone number, but we just told him to have a nice day and biked away. We never did get to change our money!

The Empty City

We were a little afraid of biking through Detroit, but it turned out to be an easy city to bike through. Why? Well, frankly, the whole place is practically empty! We were biking through on a Tuesday at noon. In any other city the streets should have been bustling with traffic, but not Detroit. It looked like Boston would look at 7 am on a Sunday.

I asked my brother about it, and his response:
"Of course it's empty. Why would anyone go there?"

The Graduation Hiatus

So, a day after arriving in Ann Arbor, my brother and I drove all the way back to good old Cambridge, and tomorrow I'll attend commencement. It took a full 13 hours to drive back, and for the first time I fully realized just how far we've biked!

We'll make the drive back to Michigan on Saturday, where Amelia and the bikes are waiting. We'll probably start biking again on Monday, June 8th. So stay tuned for part II.