Home, sweet, home. :)
I made it safely back to Sacramento, arriving by train early this morning
and staying with my dear friend, Panama. It's been a great day. The heat
hasn't broken 100 here and I found a place to live starting at the end of
the month! My new info will not be effective until the 23rd of September
but I thought I'd send it out now:
Heather Ricks
1174 13th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
916.443.0485
I'm off to San Francisco tomorrow to work for a week or so with my friends, Jill and Tracy. I'll then head to Santa Cruz for another week to visit with family and relax a bit before moving all my things back here and starting classes on the 25th. But first, I wanted to write-up a special list of
those folks who went out of their way to help myself and/or the group I was traveling with this summer. There are some who offered their home to a crew of dirty, hungry bikers who often turned showers black and made washing machines cringe with effort. Some of these kind beings drove many miles to see me and/or us. Once at their destination, many continued to offer themselves by providing meals, moral support and side-splitting laughter. Some of the folks on this list were too far away to provide the above help but they sent money or packages of goodies or donated online to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. And still others sent emails filled with support and love. All of you went out of your way to make my life, and the lives of my fellow companions, easier in some way. I thank you.1. Max's family friends with the cabin in Belfast, ME
2. John Carroll and his amazing family in Camden, ME
3. Gloria and Greg Varney at the Nezinscot Farm in Turner, ME
4. Big George and his restaurant in North Conway, NH
5. Lisa Carlson Freitag, John Freitag and their friend, Blake - South
Stratford, VT.
6. Dune, the owner of the best bike shop on the route - Green Mountain
Bikes, Rochester, VT
7. Gene and Michelle Blade - $20 and made to order omelets - Ticonderoga, NY
8. Debbie Graydon, who wasn't afraid to let 8 stinky strangers take over her house - Thendara, NY
9. My wonderful family in Bath, NY
10. Deanna Macaulay, who drove half-blind to meet me for lunch in Rochester, NY
11. Pam DiMauro and extended family in Cleveland, OH
12. Tom Bruley - Huron, OH
13. Bob and Dave - Fremont, OH
14. Steve and Debbie, who offered us shelter in their store basement during
a storm and a dry place to sleep on their living room floor - Florida, OH
15. Ryan Scherer, telephone messenger and bike-storer - Hoagland, IN
16. Matthew Dice and his big, blue taxicab - Fort Wayne, IN
17. Dave, another bike storer - Denver, IN
18. Karen Bareford and her brother, Leonard - they drove up from Indy with a cooler full of beer and all the Snickers bars a girl could want - Lagro, IN
19. Max Wagner, who overdid himself with hospitality (dinner, drinks,
shuttle, my 1st bday cake of the year) - Chi-town
20. Nate Feichter, who drank too much and suffered through work the next day - Chi-town
21. Julie, Will and Jack Hibler, who pampered me on my bday (2nd cake and a bottle of wine) - Libertyville, IL
22. Cathy and Sheryl (W2), who offered their home while they were away - Madison, WI
23. Sonja and Tym, great makers of dinner on the fly and builders of homes - Ridgeway, WI
24. Pastor Jean Waldron, who offered us her backyard and bought breakfast in the morning - LaFarge, WI
25. Ryan Blaisdell, and his family, who came out of the woods a day early to spend 4 days telling me all the people who are originally from Minnesota - Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
26. RV Park in Long Prairie, MN
27. Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church - Battle Lake, MN
28. Many Point Scout Camp and Miss Sugar Mountain Mama - MN
29. Lutheran Church and the cowboys who offered us yummy corn and a chance to participate in their rodeo - Culbertson, MT
30. Lutheran Church - Chester, MT
31. Lutheran Church - Cut Bank, MT
32. Anna and Heath, who drove 7 hours to see us, brought loads of local
beer, drove us all around Glacier National Park, slacked us one day and made us the best lunch possible - East Glacier, MT
33. Tim and his neighbor - Sandpoint, ID
34. Colville Nazarene Church - Colville, WA
35. My wonderful family in Fort Wayne, IN and my cousin, Nan, in Boston
36. Mike Maroney, writer of checks and hiker of trails - Standardsville, VA
37. Adam and Sara Farrish, who opened their new home, babysat my bike, fed us nicely at their Inn restaurant and treated us to a fridge full of brew - Orcas Island, WA
38. Jill Lounsbury, the mail chic who managed my home base of gear and kept me sane. She also offered chocolate treats from home in my packages - San Francisco, CA
39. Keri Dattilo, provider of much needed leg warmers - Pacific Palisades,
CA
40. Jules Keane, who got me to SF the night before my flight east despite
her own incredibly hectic agenda of finals and travel plans - Davis, CA
41. All of you on this list for your emails and support!!!
And, lastly, the Fire Departments, Police Departments and City Parks/Pools of the following towns who offered us many showers, dips in the pool or a hand in helping us find free camping:
Erie, PA
Madison, OH
Lagro, IN
Crown Point, IN
North Branch, MN
Milaca, MN
Fargo, ND
Hope, ND
Carrington, ND
Pick City, ND
Killdeer, ND
Alexander, ND
Nashua, MT
Malta, MT
Columbia Falls, MT
Libby, MT
Tonasket, WA
Twisp, WA
Lord, I hope I haven't forgotten anyone and please forgive me (and tell me!) if I did. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
heather :)
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August 29, 2003
Well, I did it! I biked across this huge country of ours! Whew...it was
tough some days and easy others. It was definitely beautiful in places and
oftentimes really gross and frustrating. Mostly, it was fun and certainly
rewarding. :)
The last few days have been some of the best - the Cascades are as gorgeous as I remember them and definitely a must-see if none of you have been. We climbed Washington Pass and it was harder than I hoped it would be. We could see the road switching-back miles before the top and I just put my head down and pedaled. I didn't want to see want I had to climb! But, I made it over all the passes in Washington without stopping and walking and I was really proud of myself. I did fall once but that's beside the point. That was the 3rd time I fell going uphill....so full of grace as always. :)
The last 50 miles we covered yesterday and they were flat and fast. Saw my first Anacortes road sign, I was struck with goosebumps and it all finally began to seem real. We rode into town as a group and cruised down to the ferry landing to dip our front tires into the water. Took loads of photos with Mount Baker in all its glory behind us (thank goodness we didn't have to climb that sucker!). Had a beer to celebrate and then dinner at a yummy restaurant close by the ferry. Some folks from Boston slipped us $50 after hearing our story - what a treat! We camped not to far from the ferry landing. Everyone crashed early - the whirlwind of emotions wore us out.
This morning we finally road the ferry over to Orcas Island and had to pedal a mere 8 miles to Eastsound, a quaint town that's really laidback and very beautiful. My friends, Adam and Sara, are not around but they were generous enough to offer their home and treated us to $100 at their restaurant! We are very blessed indeed.
I just took a lovely bath and am now on my way back to the house to make some dinner. Wanted to send a quick note to let you all know that we made it safe and sound. I intend to write one more group letter with thank yous, so you're not finished with me yet!! :)
As always, I hope this reaches everyone in good health and spirits.
Much love,
heather :)
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August 25, 2003
Hello from the Cascade Mountains!
We are in the home stretch....have only 180 miles left to pedal until I hit
the Puget Sound and the ferry station in Anacortes, WA - our official end.
Pretty exciting!
Washington has proved to be as beautiful as I expected with many, many
mountains and very friendly people. I'm definitely in the west - everyone
drives either a Subaru wagon or a Toyota truck, there are natural food
stores everywhere, and loads of cool people. :) We've crossed 4 really big
climbs/passes in the last 4 days including Sherman Pass (the highest paved
road in the state and our highest point on the whole trip). We actually
camped up there and enjoyed a chilly but beautiful evening.
The climbs have been hard but the down hills very fun and fast. Today we
struggled over Loup Loup Pass which was only 4,000 feet but very steep - I'm wiped out and looking forward to a relaxing evening here in the little town of Twisp. We are just east of the Cascades and we'll start into them
tomorrow when we climb Washington Pass, fly downhill a few miles and then proceed to climb back up to Rainy Pass where we'll camp for the night along the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from Mexico to Canada). I'm looking forward to this as one day I hope to be hiking through the same spot. :)
Have noticed that Washington, despite its amazing amount of wildlife, is
nicely lacking in roadkill. It's funny when you actually notice these things because you then realize how much of your day was spent previously observing dead animals on the road. Beginning in Ohio, we have been
inundated with road kill, having to negotiate around it at times to avoid...well you can imagine. In that time I have developed a knowledge of
this issue I never knew possible. I have seen all the stages, from
liquefied to skeletal, from squished flat to nicely bloated. I can identify
the smell a mile before I see the victim. I've seen a moose, a cat, skunks,
deer, chipmunks, snakes, owls and other birds, squirrels, cows, toads and
frogs, a beaver, the largest porcupine ever, opossum....you name it! And
for the first time in 3,000 miles I'm rarely seeing dead things in the road
and it's so enjoyable. The things you take for granted in a car are
amazing.
So...on that note....we have only 3 days of road kill-less riding left.
Shelagh - congrats on making it safely to Cape Cod! Mare - got your email and I'll definitely try you at work by the end of the week! Sara - you and Adam are so generous - thanks so much for the gift certificate to the Inn and enjoy Burning Man!! Anna - awesome write-up on osprey and eagles and I think you've convinced me that I saw osprey. :)
This one was short and sweet (ok, the road kill part wasn't so sweet). Hope everyone is well and I'm looking forward to writing a wrap-up in only 3 days!!!
Lots of love,
heather :)
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August 20, 2003
Hello from the Land of Famous Potatoes (as the license plate states)!
We are in Sandpoint, Idaho and it is gorgeous here! We rolled in yesterday afternoon after an "easy" 96 mile day. Actually, it was a really good day of riding and I have a feeling it was mostly because we were all so psyched to be rolling out of Montana. Thankfully, we had a nice end to our time in that state as once we hit the Rockies the drivers still sucked but at least the scenery improved immensely.
So, I last wrote from Chester, I think. The next few days were pretty
similar to the rest of Montana. We finally got to East Glacier and life got
better. We rode from Cut Bank into East Glacier, which sits on the eastern
side of Glacier National Park (makes sense), last Thursday. We were not
able to actually see the Rockies until we were almost on top of them. I
wasn't able to make out their outline until about 20 miles away, the smoke
from the fires was so thick. We rode with bandanas over our mouths for 2
days to avoid breathing in any more smoke than we had to and we probably should not have been out in it to begin with anyway. I was riding along listening to my radio (I actually had reception) and the announcers were warning against outdoor activity between the record heat and the
smoke-filled atmosphere. But, we rode just 50 miles that day to East
Glacier. The air there wasn't too bad as we were a little south of the big
fires. Our friend, Anna, and her boyfriend, Heath, drove up from south of
Bozeman - it took them 6 hours! What dedication!! They arrived with loads of local beer, tons of food and smiling faces - what a great sight to see! We took the next day off to hang with them and enjoy our final arrival to the mountains. We were tented with an amazing view of Glacier (witnessed 2 gorgeous sunsets!) and spent some time hiking in the park on our day off. Saw one of the most incredible moon-risings....just as the sun set on the first day, the full moon came up on the eastern horizon and it was blood red! It looked like the sun only the surrounding sky was pitch
black....really cool.
Because of the fires we were unable to ride through the Park, which was
disappointing. But the last few days have been great. I'm in the mountains
again and sooo happy. The weather has cooled off and the scenery is
tremendous. We're riding over rolling hills/mountains that are covered in
pine forests - the smell is almost as good as New England. :) Two days ago our route took us 60 miles through the Kootenai National Forest and I saw three huge nests - not sure if they were osprey or bald eagle. There calls are similar and I didn't have a zoom option on my cheap little camera.
Ghost, any thoughts? Anyway, whatever they were, the birds were really
majestic and their homes impressive.
Sandpoint is a super cute town. I've already seen 5 VW vans...I'm in
heaven! We spent the latter part of yesterday riding around Lake Pend
Oreille to get here and Idaho is breathtakingly beautiful. We rode through
both the Cabinet and Bitterroot ranges (or beside them I should say) and I'm dying to come back and hike. The locals are really friendly here and we're taking another day off today since we busted so hard in the last few weeks we've earned it! We'll be crossing into Washington in another 30 miles or so tomorrow. It's hard to believe in some ways.
I hope everyone is well. Thanks again for the emails, everyone!! Aunt
Diane, thanks for the belated card and cash!! It arrived safely. Anna and
Heath - your visit was wonderful and you made us the best lunch yet on trip - hope you made it safely home. Deep Sea - thanks for the care package! I think we've eaten it all already. :) Shelagh - best of luck in the last leg of your bike ride and enjoy the Berkshires!!! Meadow - loving your emails from Spain and wishing I was there with you! Hello to Sandi.
Michelle, Jess and Mom - thanks for the emails! Meg, glad you made it home safely and hope the bug is up and running soon. Ghost - I will definitely see you in October!! Panama - thanks for the housing info, I'll try to reach her tonight. See you soon!
I have more to write but have to go....my time is up on the computer and the beach is calling my name. Take care!!!
Much love,
heather
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August 12, 2003
Greetings from cowboy country....hot, dry, dusty, 100 degree country...
We've just pulled into Chester, Montana - over halfway through this gigantic country of a state and 2 days from Glacier National Park (which,
incidentally, is on fire again and closed but keep your fingers crossed they
get rain tonight and open the road on Friday).
Montana has proven to be a finicky state....or at least northern Montana.
We're following Route 2, the only road in this barren, empty cattle country
that meanders our direction. It's busy and chalked full of rude drivers
(the worst of whom drive REALLY big RVs with cars towed behind them - the true antithesis of our mode of transport - and these folks simply refuse to give us an inch of the road). Most of the other drivers have been equally obnoxious....we've been flipped off, yelled at, honked at and Leon actually had a bag of McDonald's thrown at him the other day. I think Jared is going to end up in a fight before we reach Idaho. Let's hope the drivers in Washington are nicer!!
The other negative factor influencing my time in Montana has been the heat - it's been near 100 every day for the past week or so. This leaves us really with no choice but to wake up at the crack of dawn in order to pound out 80 miles before 2pm so that we can lie under a pavilion and pant like dogs through the afternoon until it finally cools off enough to move. This must be what it's like back home right now - I've heard that Sac/Davis has had a record-setting hot summer as well. And, of course, the other drawback to the heat has been the fires. Glacier's western half had to close down again yesterday and as of now the one road that would take us through the park is not open. And we can't see the Rockies yet because of the smoke-filled air. But, I'm sure whatever route we end up riding will be beautiful and we'll be in the evergreens of Washington soon enough. I'll be lucky to escape this state without skin cancer on my back, despite the 50 block I use daily.
There have been some great moments in Montana, don't get me wrong. The first day we crossed into the state we were served loads of fresh sweet corn at a county fair in Culbertson. Some locals really tried to get us to stay for the next day of cattle roping at a rodeo. They actually offered us a spot in the contest, said they needed another team. :) There have also
been numerous community pools to soak in after a hot day of riding. And
yesterday, after getting only 3 hours of sleep the night before, I decided
to hitch the majority of the day's ride and we all splurged on 2 hotel
rooms. Got to watch some of the Democratic town meeting in Philly last
night as well as take a leisurely afternoon nap. :) Oh - and we met a potential American Idol candidate (Jill, are you reading this?!?). His name is Brett and he was on his way to Bismarck for a finalist competition. He'd made the top 10 from the region and they were going to pick one to go on to New York. I don't watch those shows but I think it would be awesome if he made it.
So, tomorrow we'll be meeting up with another trail friend, Miss Phoenix.
She and her boyfriend are planning to hang out with us for a few days. From there we'll be just shy of the Idaho border. I'm looking forward to
Sandpoint - I've heard really nice things about it's artsy vibe. And before
we know it we'll be into our last state on the journey west. Am anxious for
another change in scenery and hope the mountains don't kick our butts too
badly. It's been awhile since we've climbed peaks like we'll be facing in
the next 2 weeks. But, at least we'll be done with fighting the wind. I
hope.
Hope everyone is well. Thanks, again, for the encouraging emails!! Take
care.
Much love,
heather :)
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August 7, 2003
Hello from the Badlands!
Well, I'm in Watford City, ND - about a half a day from Montana. We've
stopped for some lunch and I actually found a library that was open. We've been cruising through some seriously small towns with no internet or
libraries that are open only one day a week. I have to say that North
Dakota is a very friendly state and just as barren as I had imagined it
would be. We rode 55 miles yesterday without so much as a gas station for water. Relatively speaking, it's the most remote section we've been through by far and from what I hear eastern Montana will be no different.
So, I have a few states to catch up on. We left our friend, Ryan, in
eastern Minnesota almost 2 weeks ago. I was feeling a little blue but have
been recharged with all the beautiful scenery we've pedaled through though I am still very anxious to get to Seattle and stop riding my %&$# bike! :)
It'll be quite a push to get to Anacortes by the 29th but we'll have some
great friends to greet us and a few days on Orcas Island will make anyone's summer.
Anyway, central Minnesota was incredibly beautiful. The fields of corn and
soybeans became less frequent and as we moved north we entered more pine and lake zones. Just before we left the state we were all able to visit with another trail friend, Jess, at her summer camp where she manages the corral and about a dozen gentle horses. She drove an hour to pick us up and stole us away into the Minnesota woods to Many Point Lake Scout Camp. We had a blast and ended up spending a day and a half there horseback riding, kayaking, climbing, windsurfing, swimming, you name it. We also went to the annual Hootenanny - lots of singing and guitar playing. Our own Sunshine (Leon) played a few tunes for the crowd and Jess surprised us all with her voice. Good times.
Entered North Dakota via Fargo, a strange little town. We spent a night
there and then headed off into the unknown along a country road recommended by a local bikeshop owner. Turns out that our detour is really worth it and we've found ourselves following the Louis and Clark Trail for a few days now only to end up in the Teddy Roosevelt National Park and the northern tip of the Badlands this morning. This state is actually quite beautiful, especially the fields of endless sunflowers!! We're going another 20 some miles today and will cross into Montana tomorrow, as I mentioned earlier.
Am finding that domesticated animals think we are quite intriguing. It
never fails, every time we cruise past a field of cattle or horses they all
stop chewing and stare. And they don't turn away - they seem utterly
dumbfounded by us...not sure if it's the noise or the bright yellow
clothing. I had a herd of cattle actually run ahead of me and line up along
the fence. They seemed as if they wanted to follow. I found out today that
sheep are equally interested though they were scared alot easier and fled
the scene, ewes in tow. While all of these animals entertain me quite a
bit, my least favorite is the barking, chasing dog. You see them crossing
the front lawn usually before you hear them and your heart begins to race
and your legs pedal faster to outrun the little jerks. Having been bitten
while riding my bike in my youth, I despise this chasing game and have
considered carrying dog mace (they do make it for bikers!). But, a swift
squirt of water in the face usually sends them running home, tail between
their legs. Actually, I never stop long enough to do that but the guys
swear by it. :)
There is a list of things in my journal that I've been meaning to email but,
alas, I don't have it with me. So they'll have to wait until next time.
Not sure if I'll have much luck with computer access in the next week or so but I'll try (and, Panama, I just told you yesterday that I can never find a
computer!).
Thanks everyone for your continual emails and I apologize that I can't
respond to all of them individually. Chief - finally got your check in
Fargo - THANKS!! Deanna - this summer will be a close contest on tans but I have to say that I have better tan lines!! The ones at my wrists and in the middle of my thighs are my favorites. :)
Oh, and you'll all be happy to know that I replaced my cracked helmet (from the fall I took the first day!) and will be riding safe and secure through the Rockies and Cascades. My bum still really hurts but the end is in sight. Am really looking forward to Glacier National Park and the Seattle area. Hope everyone is well!!
Much love,
heather :)
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July 21, 2003
From northern Illinois, we headed up to Madison, WI. Did not get to see the friends we know there but did take advantage of their offer to use their
home and car (thanks W2!!). Madison is a great little town and I found
Wisconsin, in general, to be very beautiful and hilly! We rode through the
western portion of the state which is mostly dairy country and I was
reminded of Vermont at times. We had perfect weather, sunny and in the low 80s. And the generosity of people continues...stayed in a dormitory, a
Pastor's backyard, and inside a church!
Finally reached the Twin Cities earlier in the week and have enjoyed 3 and a half days off with our friend, Ryan, from the AT. We were fortunate enough to time our visit with his few days off from work in the Boundary Waters and it's been wonderful hanging out with him and his family. Took in some time in a bookstore, a few visits to REI, a stroll along Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, some movies and fry bread tacos. I have also, proudly, avoided the Mall of America - unheard of around here. :)
The Midwest has been really pretty but I am growing weary of the monocrop fields of corn and soybeans and am longing for a change in scenery. We are nearing some expected highlights as we move closer to Montana and Glacier National Park. This is good as I seem to be reaching a mentally tough period in which motivation to keep riding is waning. The newness and excitement of the ride has worn off and Seattle seems oh so far away....but, it will all pass if I just plug away at the miles. This is what I expected to happen after my experience walking for such a long time on the trail. Physically, my body is holding up fairly well. Besides the obvious (my rear end), my thumbs and wrists are really sore as are my feet and back. Nothing too serious but these small annoyances distract me when I'm riding. I'm really looking forward to North Dakota and Montana and hope those states raise my spirits a bit.
I have also decided to end my trip in Seattle for reasons of finances and
timing. I'm hoping to get there by the 1st of September. I have an
opportunity to work in San Francisco shortly after that date and would like
to spend some time in Santa Cruz with my family before heading back to Davis and hitting the books. In addition, I have plenty to do before my fall
classes begin on the 25th of September. I was really looking forward to the ride down the West Coast but it will just have to wait until another trip.
:) I will be very satisfied to complete this first and longer leg across
the country.
For those of you who requested it, I have a rough list of mail drops from
here to Seattle. If you do send anything, keep in mind that you have to
send it through the Post Office. They will not accept UPS or FedEx.
Address the letters/packages as follows:
my name
c/o General Delivery
City, State Zip
and write "Hold for Bicyclist" somewhere on the package.
Here are the towns and estimated dates. I will put in a forward at all of
these towns in case something you send doesn't make it in time.
Fargo, ND 58107 July 30
Minot, ND 58701 August 5
Cut Bank, MT 59427 August 10
Sandpoint, ID 83864 August 18
Anacortes, WA 98221 August 28
I hope everyone is well. Thanks, again, for the continual emails!!!!
Much love,
heather :)
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July 16, 2003
Hello from the Windy City!!
Just a quick note to let you all know that I did decide to re-route north
through Chicago and Madison and will then head west to Minn-St. Paul and meet the rest of the crew. I do have company so I'm not traveling alone, for those of you who sent me concerned emails. :)
We broke from the group on Monday morning and headed straight north to Crown Point, IN (Mare - I thought of you!!). It was my first 100+ mile day and it rocked. There's something immensely satisfying when climbing hills in the 98th mile of a ride 2 days before you turn 29!! :) By the way, thanks for the birthday well wishes Michelle and Meadow!! I'll write soon. Anyway, we stayed with the Crown Point Fire Department that night. We were at first just camping behind their station but with severe weather expected they let us crash in one of their TV rooms, allowed us to cook in their kitchen, take showers and one guy even bought us some ice cream!
Left Tuesday morning after the crazy storm that passed through in the early
morning and began the adventure of navigating into downtown Chi-town. We were able to ride a nice bike path for the first 10 or so miles that dropped us off in the middle of Hammond, IN. We negotiated some busy streets and finally found ourselves cruising on roads that were definitely not intended for bicyclists. I felt at times as if we were riding on a freeway with all the traffic and big trucks. Not very fun, needless to say, so we made our way onto something a bit smaller using our road maps and some local help and finally found the Lakefront bike path that eventually would dump us onto a bikeway along Lake Michigan. We rode through East and South Chicago a bit. The roads were good though the neighborhoods very poor. People were quite friendly despite the countless warnings we received to avoid these areas. We made it to what should have been the beginning of the bikeway, with our first glimpse of the big blue lake, and found it all under construction. Had to make our way around all the mess and found ourselves riding along Lake Shore Drive for a bit until we were eventually able to gain access to the bikeway. This section wound up to be the best riding of the day, as you can imagine. All along Chicago, this lakefront park is filled with bike riders, rollerbladers, bball courts, beaches and many sights. We were offered amazing vistas of the skyline and up-close views of museums, Soldier Field, the Aquarium and Grant Park. After another 10 miles riding along the lake in perfect weather (the sun had come out and it was a breezy mid-80 temp), we found our turn off just north of downtown.
Two of my good buddies from IU live in the Lakeview area, literally across the street from one another. I hadn't seen Nate or Max in quite a while so it's been awesome to catch up with them. They took us out to eat at a great Mexican restaurant where I had wonderful spinach crepes and yummy margaritas. After which, we played some pool at their favorite local watering hole, I was sung happy birthday at midnight and we stayed out much too late! It's been a great visit here and we're enjoying a late start to our day this morning. We have only 40 some miles to cover to Libertyville, IL where yet another IU friend lives, Miss Julie. (I'm making it easy to find me today, Mary! We should be there this evening).
Hope all is well with everyone. Will try to write again from Madison, WI.
Much love,
heather
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July 10, 2003
Greetings from my home state!
Well, we've made it into our 7th state despite a few tornado threats and
lots of flooding. I'm enjoying a few days off in Fort Wayne, where I've
been running around trying to visit with as many friends and family members as possible. But, not to get ahead....
The gang left Cleveland on the 4th of July with a plan to bike 40 some miles to the home of Tom Bruley. As you recall, we had arrived in Cleveland 2 days before and were graciously welcomed by Pam DiMauro and her children, Josh and Paige, as well as their extended family. We were treated like long lost relatives: they fed us until we burst with pizza, veggies (sweet corn!) and bbq, allowed us to completely take over not only the house but the backyard as well and we were, essentially, integrated into their world for a few days. The experience will not be forgotten!!
The bike crew spent a day in downtown Cleveland on the 3rd. We took the train into the city and met Pam and a coworker for lunch then walked to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, which turned out to be a bit more than we wanted to spend. So, instead, we all took in a matinee and then trained it back to Pam's. Her sister, Laura, and her family hosted us that night for a cookout complete with a pool and basketball hoop. I logged the most time on the float, I think! :) And, Max's summer was made that evening when he convinced Samantha, Laura's daughter, to allow him to cut her hair into a mullet - I'm not kidding, see Max's posted email for a detailed description. We all thought Max had died and gone to heaven! He has a small obsession with the stylish haircut and Sam was a willing guinea pig. You'll all be relieved to know that she's cutting it all off before she starts
cheerleading camp this summer and high school this fall...her social suicide
will be prevented.
Anyway, the family's hospitality did not stop with our stay in Cleveland.
Pam and Laura's dad, Tom, lives along Lake Erie just outside of Huron and we were invited to spend the 4th with everyone at his house. We rode the 40 out of town and came upon his home upon the lake. He was just as hospitable as his daughters and we were treated to another bbq with a prime view of Lake Erie. First things first, we all had a nice swim. Again, I'm lovin' the salt-free water! We enjoyed a great dinner and an awesome display of fireworks around the lake and a beach fire. Things got a little crazy as the night wore on and we consumed Tom's fridge full of beer and ventured into his walk-in liquor cabinet. Let's just say it was a bit rough riding the next day for most of us. :)
The next evening we made it to Fremont, OH where we were hosted by Bob and David, two brothers who are bike-touring nuts themselves. David, in fact, had just returned from some touring in Michigan and the both of them have put in many, many miles across the country. As our luck would have it, their house was a perfect place for 6 of the group to store their bikes and gear while they traveled by car to Ann Arbor for a few days. Leon and Lucas were to perform with their band in Ann Arbor a few nights ago and most of the group went with them. Unfortunately, Danny and I had to miss the concert so I'm anxious to hear how it all went. Danny and I biked out Sunday morning together. We had 120+ miles to cover to Hoagland in 2 days so that we could make our previous commitment to visit with family (him in Ohio and me in IN).
Our first day we did a good 74 miles into Florida, a tiny little town along
the Miami-Erie canal way. We found a town park and asked the local shop owners if we could stay. A call to the mayor later, we were in and made to set up camp near a pavilion. Dinner consumed (and well earned that day) and tents pitched, we walked back to the store for some ice cream. It wasn't five minutes before a severe storm came through and we found ourselves in the basement with the two employees! Other community members came and went and we were finally allowed back upstairs after 20 minutes or so. We were extremely grateful our tents survived the gusting winds and that most of our gear had remained dry. Both of us ducked into our tents and were just settling into a night of cross-your-fingers-I-don't-get-soaked sleep when Steve, the shop owner, drove down to the park to tell us there were severe storm warnings until midnight and that his family would be more than happy to let us sleep on their living room floor if we liked. So, we packed up the wet gear and rode down to Steve and Debbie's and spent the night dry and warm on their floor, thank goodness.
The next day we had just under 60 miles to cover to Hoagland. There were severe storms brewing on the western Indiana state line heading east and also behind us in central Ohio. We made it to Paulding by lunchtime,
fighting 15-20 mph winds the whole way. Needless to say, Danny and I both had a few choice words to say about the wind. It's one thing to climb a mountain and work your tail off fighting gravity because you're rewarded
nicely with a ride downhill and the satisfaction that you climbed the thing.
It's another to pedal with all your might and feel as if you're standing
completely still. The fight becomes a mental one and can be quite
discouraging. But, somewhere you find the motivation to push yourself
through it on a day-to-day basis. My biggest fear resides in the knowledge
that this headwind will be with us for weeks to come and that my desire to
fight it will gradually fade. But, like anything else, it will pass and the
rewards for beating it will be great. Besides, we've met so many folks
traveling the opposite direction who claim they've fought the same winds
it's no relief to imagine biking the other direction. In fact, Danny and I
ran into two guys from Maine on Monday who were hilarious, mostly for their awesome accents! They live up near Monson and are biking home from the west coast and hadn't seen any other bikers since Minnesota. One of them was so sick of riding through cornfields that he was having nightmares. :)
So, I've had a great few days off in Fort Wayne. Danny took off by bus back to Cleveland on Tuesday and will join us again this weekend. The rest of the crew should be crossing into Indiana tomorrow and I'll be meeting up with them in Hoagland. We'll be adding our 2nd 14-year old when Josh joins us and offers Patrick some company. I'm not sure I've explained our new additions before. Patrick is the son of a guy we started with, Sean, both of whom hiked the AT and met the group in '01. He joined us in Niagara Falls and has been totally holding his own. Josh, Pam's son, was coached by Lucas and Brian in Chapel Hill on their basketball team last year when he and his family lived down there. He was talked into joining us by the guys in the time we were in Cleveland. It seems we're picking up a rider in almost every state so those we're getting ready to visit, beware!! You'll soon be spending your summer on a bike.
Well, again, I've rambled. Thanks for all the emails (Michele, Shelagh,
Panama, Deanna, Joe, Isabella, Chief, Sarah, Patch, Jill, Nan, Mel, Kate and Tonya) and support, both emotional and financial!!! I've been sufficiently stocked with food by family here and there are a few of you who have also donated money to riders and the foundation. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Our route from here takes us due west across Illinois and into Iowa. I'm
going to re-route myself through Chicago to hopefully visit some good
friends from IU and my cousin, Gretchen and her husband. I'll then head up into Madison, WI where some friends from the AT live. Unfortunately for me they are hiking in Maine but they have offered me their home for the night. Then, I'll head directly west, finally cross the Mississippi River and ride into Iowa where I'll join the main route and head north into the Twin
Cities. Hopefully one or two of the crew will join me on this adventure
but, if not, I'm sure I'll be fine. Seems silly not to visit with people I
haven't seen in ages. Plus, it'll be fun to ride through Chicago!
Hope everyone is well.
Much love,
heather :)
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July 2, 2003
Hello to everyone! (this one's much shorter than the last one!!)
We're in the Midwest, officially. Just arrived in Cleveland today - this
urban bicycling thing is really quite fun as long as the roads are decent.
Anyway, we crossed into PA two days ago and just skirted the NW corner. The rest of NY was nice, especially Niagara Falls. My dad drove me up to meet the guys and we stayed in a hostel in Niagara Falls, NY on Saturday night. Crossed into Canada the next morning and road a nice bike path for about 30 miles before biking over the Peace Bridge into Buffalo.
Biking was pretty uneventful for the rest of NY and into PA. We've hit the
flatlands and we're all loving it! Did enjoy some great swimming in Lake
Erie a few times - so strange to feel as if you're swimming in an ocean and
to not taste any salt!! Riding along the lake, with it's small cliffs and vast blue horizon, reminded me fondly of home (CA, that is) and is making me
really anxious and excited to hit the west coast....too bad it'll be about 2
months before that happens!! I'm sure I'll have plenty of other great
sights to see before then.
We entered Ohio yesterday and spent last night in Madison. Cute little town with a great diner that we hit up for breakfast before braving the urban sprawl known as Cleveland. As I've already mentioned, biking in urban areas (especially big downtown zones) is actually fun but just as dangerous as country roads. Mostly, car drivers have been pretty considerate. A few of us were buzzed really closely by a school bus yesterday though!! Of all the vehicles on the road, that one would have been my last pick for almost running a cyclist off the road. Kind of disappointed me after I recovered from fright and then anger.
It was really nice to have time off last week with the clan in Bath. Looks
like I'll have tomorrow to play here - we're thinking of checking out the
Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Then, it's across Ohio and into the Fort where I'll get to see more family and friends!! Looking forward to somesweet corn (I have to prove to Brian that it's better than corn from PA) and hoping for lots of baked goods and treats from the Hollister clan (hint, hint!!). Can't wait to see you guys! I should be arriving into Hoagland
with Danny on Monday. The rest of the crew will be getting off a day or so
earlier and hitting up Ann Arbor, MI to see some friends play music. Then,
we'll all reconvene at Ryan's house in Hoagland and hit the corn belt.
Hope all is well. Thanks, Meadow, Sugar, Phoenix, Keri, Mare, Rocky, Ghost, Paul, Jules and family for your emails!! Take care everyone!!
Love,
heather :)
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June 24, 2003
Hello all!
Well, a bit of time has passed since my last email. I actually wrote a
letter from Middlebury, VT but then had trouble sending it before I was
bumped off the computer at the library. So, I'll have to recap a bit and
then catch you all up to where the crew is now.
The rest of the ride through Maine was really nice. It was difficult to
leave Camden and our friend, John, but we all hit the road after a much
needed break and were into NH within 2 days. Right after we crossed the
state line, we went off route about 2 miles to stay with a friend of Leon
and Brian who also hosted them two summers ago. We spent a day cleaning bikes, perusing all the bike/mountaineering shops (of which there are many), and stuffing ourselves with Friendly's ice cream. We left on Tuesday, the 17th, and proceeded into the White Mountains which are as beautiful as I remember them and certainly as strenuous! We climbed over Kancamagus Pass that first morning - a 22 mile climb that was fairly gradual until the last 4 miles - and made it to the trailhead of the AT, just past Mount Mousilakee, that night. It was really nice camping along the trail again (all 7 of us thru-hiked in 2001) though the black flies were not something we had to contend with before as we passed through much later in the season. We've gotten into a pattern of diving into our tents as soon as we finish cooking dinner and packing up everything in record time in the mornings so that we can hop on our bikes and out ride the bugs.
Anyway, NH was beautiful and we passed into Vermont within another few days. I have, of course, fallen in love with Vermont again. :) The people are amazingly friendly and the countryside full of small farms and rolling green mountains. The smell of a New England pine forest is something that doesn't leave you and reminds me so much of walking through/living in those same woods on the trail. We spent days riding along fairly quiet roads, just soaking in the smells and sights of quintessential New England villages. Our first night (in South Stratford, VT) was a good one. We decided we were done for the day and were hanging outside a small store when we were offered essentially 3 places to stay for the evening. We ended up camping on the front lawn of a couple, John and Lisa, whose house sits up on a hill and offered us a gorgeous view of the valley below and glimpse of the Whites in the distance. John and Lisa turned out to be wonderfully hospitable. We swam in the local pond, were served fresh-from-the-garden salad, sat around a campfire for few hours, had access to a shower and had our gear shuttled to the top of the first big hill in the morning!
The next evening we ended up in Rochester, VT and were again offered a yard to throw up our tents and a shower. We climbed a killer hill (supposedly our hardest) in the morning and cruised into Middlebury, VT and took a nice leisurely lunch break. We crossed the southern tip of Lake Champlain by ferry that afternoon and camped just outside of Ticonderoga, NY that evening. We had another offer to stay with a family but we were already tented and it was raining. We negotiated that we would stop for breakfast at their place on the way out of town - he was very persistent!! It was raining in the morning as well so all the more reason to take a break after a huge climb and 2 flat tires (Sean and Max) at the home of Gene and Michelle Slade. We biked the mile off route to their place and were served the most amazing omelettes I've ever seen in addition to juice, coffee, bagels, hash browns and strawberries. We hit the road with very satisfied bellies and a break in the rain and ended the evening in Newcomb, NY. The Adirondacks were really tough - loads of small ups and downs - but the roads were really awesome and not too busy with traffic. Newcomb had a great view of the range including Mount Marcy, the highest point in NY. Unfortunately, we all couldn't enjoy it much as it turned out to be, so far, the worst night of black flies and mosquitoes yet. We were eaten alive and were all sequestered in our tents hours before sunset!
The rest of the Adirondacks were easier and we came into Old Forge, on the western edge, Monday night and were again blessed with hospitality. This time, Debbie, offered us her wonderfully cool and bug free basement, showers and laundry. We pretty much took over her house. :) We ordered pizza with the $20 we'd been given my Gene (we'd also been given $15 that day by two other people and that covered our $14 ferry ride) and gorged on it as well as ice cream and soda. Debbie was great and all her co-workers still probably think she's crazy to let 6 guys and me all sleep in her house. She let us use her car and actually left us in her house while she went for a walk. I'll have to say that this trip is re-affirming my faith in humanity. The trail was my first lesson and the generosity of people has been proved over and over again on this trip as well. It's so wonderful to be in a world where you see, the majority of the time, the goodness of people.
So, the last few days the terrain has mellowed and is more "hilly" in
nature. The roads in NY continue to be the best we've ridden on.
Unfortunately, we've hit the infamous headwind that everyone has been
warning us about and I think it's here to stay until we hit Seattle. We've
been getting up around 6:30 every morning and trying to pound out most of our mileage before the heat and wind pick up. We've definitely crossed into more humid weather and the temperature has risen. Of course, it's nothing like what we'll face in the Midwest so we keep hoping the swimming holes will be frequent and, with luck, the winds quiet. We should be into Pennsylvania by early next week and Ohio before we know it.
I'm actually taking a few days off to spend with some of my family in Bath,
NY. I'll be yellow-blazing it to Niagara Falls on Saturday, where the gang
is resting for the day and we'll all be staying in a hostel there that night. Sean will be leaving us there and returning to his wife and job in Raleigh, NC. He decided at the last minute to join us for the first leg and he's trying to convince his 15 year old son, who hiked 700 miles of the AT with him in '01, to join us for the rest of the summer. Also, our official 7th team member, Lucas, is hoping to join us there. He sprained his ankle playing basketball two days before the trip. We're not sure he's ready yet to ride but, if not this weekend, hopefully soon he'll be able to join us.I don't think it's possible for me to make Fort Wayne by the 4th at this
point. We were only able to do a 50 mile average through New England (I say "only" but I'm pretty pleased with it!) so my calculations were a bit off.
I imagine I will be stopping there just a few days later which is frustrating as I'd like to see the Knolls crew and party at Ryan's. I'll be in contact with you Mom, Ryan and Dice early next week to let you know for certain when I'll be there. I think the guys are stopping in Cleveland for a few days and then some are heading off route to Michigan and I'll probably ride ahead and hang in the Fort until they all catch up.
Sorry this email has been so lengthy. Too much to write about!! Lastly, I
have managed to stay on my bike for the past 2 weeks - yeah! Thanks for the concern and advice (Phoenix, I like the metal helmet idea!). I learned that first day not to pump my brakes going downhill with a BOB trailer.
I hope everyone is well!!! Keep checking our website - we're adding updates and photos as we go via a company in South Carolina. http://www.bikeamerica2003.com/
Love ya,
heather :)
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June 20, 2003
Hello all!
Well, we're on our way. I made it safely to the East Coast on Tuesday, the
guys picked me up and we spent that night in a cabin in the Maine woods near Belfast. The following morning we drove to the start of our trip, Bar
Harbor, and proceeded to cram our bike bags and trailers with camping gear, spare bike parts, mounds of free Cliff bars and a ton of nerves. We dipped our rear tires in the Atlantic and we were off. We didn't get out of town before one member broke a bike chain! :)
The day continued in that vein with minor mishaps and major falls (by yours truly) but we managed to ride almost 30 miles to Ellsworth where we spent the night tented around a very nice gazebo in town, nestled along a river and quite near the good things in life....bathrooms, a faucet to refill our water bottles and restaurants to fill our bellies. We licked our wounds
and were nestled into our sleeping bags early.
The next day was good - almost 50 miles into Belfast where we rode 2 miles off the route to the above mentioned cabin and spent another night in style. And yesterday was an "easy" 19 into Camden, Maine where our good friend from the AT, John, and his family live. We were treated to a wonderful dinner and good company. I had to spend today making some repairs and upgrades to my bike but we're all set to hit Conway, NH by Monday were we will again be treated to some trail hospitality. I certainly hope this good luck lasts! We don't know many people in North Dakota so we have to get in these free meals and warm beds while we can.
I owe many of you emails - I promise to try to respond as soon as I can. I
hope everyone is well. Best of luck to those of you traveling soon (Jules!)
and thanks to many of you for your well wishes and thoughts. I'll be seeing
some of you really soon, I hope!!! Keri, I got the warmers - thanks!
Everybody keep your fingers crossed I don't take another header off my bike!
Take care and lots of love!