Day 18 - 81 Miles

Total = 1201
Mazomanie to Westby

One thing about bicycle touring is that you become a human bug shield. Just think about the last time you took a long drive in the country and how filthy your windshield became. Well, for us we get to experience that up front and personal. I've had bugs zip into my mouth, crash off my helmet, and fly full speed into my sunglasses. The last of which is kind of scary.

Tonight we are staying in Westby. A nice little town. We got a place at a Lutheran church right off the main strip. Nice accept for a ton of ants and no shade at all. So, we went around to the front of the church to make dinner. Tonight we tried out chilli for the first time and as we prepared and downed our meal we got plenty of strange looks from the locals passing by. Must not get dirty bicyclist eating meals on the front porch of the biggest church in town very often.

Tomorrow we will make it to the mighty Mississippi. We will be heading North along a scenic route that should be pretty sweet...I mean JACKEDDDD!!!!

Day 17 - 81 Miles

Total = 1120 Miles
Emeralds Grove to Mazomanie

We survived the drunken Ray of last night. We all shared our stories today of what we thought might happen if he really went off the deep end. Thankfully none of that happened and we got an early exit out of that place.

Our first stop was in Janesville just down the road. They had a bike shop that opened up fairly early (9 AM) and Armin was sick of his spokes continually breaking and wanted a new rim. We were the first customers and they got us what we needed. Another town, another bike shop. For the record, Armin said that the guy who helped him was no Josh. The man crush continues.

We found ourselves back in some hills today. Kind of nice, but at the end of the day when you want to just kick back and eat some mac & cheese, even a small hill is tiring. Our first try at a place to stay was in a town called Black Earth. We tried a few spots, but nothing was coming together. Someone suggested we try a Catholic Church in another town four miles down the road. So, we headed off.

Once you get in your head that you've made it to your last town, going four extra miles is a killer. Your hungry, tired, thirsty and the last thing you want to do is continue on. Luckily the priest at the church was home and he gave us permission to use the expansive church property. Picnic tables, grass, and access to water.

Day 16 - 92 Miles

Total = 1039
Chicago, IL to Emerald Grove, WI
16 Biking Days, 4 Days Off

On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again....ah, felt good to be back in the saddle. A tiring 92 miles led us from the Shafer household in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park all the way into the great state of Wisconsin. Even though we were all ready to get going on our west bound journey, Chicago was a nice stay over. The Shafer's were very kind to let us park our bikes and gear in the garage and put Armin and I up for a few nights. Adam even let me sleep in his room. Thanks Lisa, Ron, Adam, and Emily for being so kind to us during our extended stay!!

In total we only spent two actual biking days in Illinois. A very quick dash through the Northern portion of the state. Shortly before the state line we had our first outwardly mean person encounter. Julie and I were resting in some shade off the highway on someone's lawn. It was a pretty big lawn and we weren't any where close to the house. But, a lady came out, gave us a whistle and said, "hit the road." Come on, is it that big of a deal for us to take a ten minute break in the shade? So, we hit the other side of the road and I was able to get a picture of the mean lady. At the same time I also checked the trip odometer which read "999", but I was looking at it upside down, "666". Hmmmmmm.......

Oh, and I was wrong, Illinois didn't have the worst state line sign. Wisconsin didn't even have one for us. There goes that picture taking series. That's what you get for taking the back country roads.

Tonight we are in the small town of Emerald Grove. The one church in town has a real nice lawn that we could have probably just put up tents at, but nobody related to the church is in town. As we were knocking on the door, the neighbors across the street, Ray & Janet, told us nobody is ever around. In the process we told them our story and they offered up their land. Very nice people, but also very drunk. Ray keeps stumbling over to us and offering us all beer, shrimp, and the use of things in his "bar". He even brought us a plate of fresh fruit, which happened to have very good muskmelon. As we are making dinner and setting up camp Ray continues to drink with friends and is bumping some old school rap. RIP Tupac. Every now and than we hear Ray yelling. Sometimes at the dog, sometimes at his kid (or stepson). At around 7pm there was a really big fight/ yelling scene that really made us nervous. It seems to have ended and the old school rap turned off. I don't usually sleep w!
ith a knife at hand, but tonight I probably will. Ray is nice, but you never know what a drunk is capable of.

Tomorrow we might hit up a bike shop in the next town. Poor Armin broke another spoke. Than were going to keep pouring on the miles. The plan is to head NW until we hit the Mississippi and than follow a scenic route along the river.

Chicago

Armin hitting a winning shot:



All you can eat Sushi at House of Sushi and Noodles:


Armin boxing:



Armin & Emily white water rafting:



Adam boxing:

Video's from the trip

Armin biking:




Armin and Julie rocking out:






Amish Buggy:

Day 15 - 64 miles

* Total = 946
* Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to Chicago

We made it to Chicago!!!! Our morning started out by checking out the dunes. As far as we could tell there wasn't any dunes, but it was nice wading in the water that someone told us was a warm 71 degrees.

We than made it through Gary, which wasn't even close to as bad as people said it was going to be. They made it seem like we were putting our life on the line. Gary led to East Chicago and than perhaps the lamest state border sign we will come across on the whole trip.

The ride into Chicago was nice once we hit the Lakeshore Bike Path. We took that all the way past Navy Pier and the main downtown area, before hitting the streets of Chicago for the ride West to Oak Park.

Right now were sitting in Adam's backyard resting until him and his family comes home. We have plans to eat, visit friends, and rest during our time here. We will take off for Day 16 of riding on Sunday the 29th. Until than you can give me a call if you want to chat.

Day 14 - 65 Miles

* Total = 882
* Elkhart to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

We left really really late today. Sandy insisted on showing us where the bicycle shop was instead of just giving us directions. It really sucked losing our freedom to just go. Even though we could have just pedaled away, societal norms chained us down. Turns out that when we called the bike shops said they were too busy to fix any bicycle spokes. Once we got that news we high tailed it out of Elkhart and haven't stopped cracking jokes about Sandy & Tom since.

Only six miles into our already late start of a biking day, we came across a bicycle shop. The House of Bicycles (10140 McKinley, Osceola, IN 46561). We pulled in to see if they had time to work on Armins bike and they did. The Head Mechanic at this shop, Josh, was great! He quickly went to work on replacing the broken spokes while telling us stories about his unicycling adventures. He commutes an hour to work on one and takes them on downhill mountain bike courses as well. Josh was so good that Julie and I had him take a look at our bikes as well and he made the necessary tweaks to get rid of the squeaks we had been hearing. If your in the South Bend/Osceola area, Josh is the man to take your bike problems to. As a side note, Armin has a man crush on Josh and would like him to be his best friend.

By the time we got out of the bike shop it was around 1pm and we had gone only 6 miles. We are usually this far along before 8am. We had a lot of catching up to do. One thing helping us out was going through a time zone today, so we had an extra hour to work with. We also decided to make reservations at a campground instead of having to ask around for a backyard to camp in. At only $15, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Campground seemed like a great deal.
So, on our 14th day we finally pay for a place. So, were averging about $1 a night for housing on this trip. Nice thing about this method of touring is we buy whatever food we want because it is really our main expense. We also took hot showers and made s'mores tonight...still joking about the crazy people of Indiana. You will have to read Julie's next blog to learn about the lady we thought might try and kill us.

Tomorrow is Chicago! We all have various plans: all you can eat sushi, Harry Potter, friends birthday party, and I have a phone interview on Thursday. Most important thing will be letting our bodies rest after 15 straight days of being on the road.

Day 13 - 81 Miles

* Total = 816
* Montpelier, OH to Elkhart, IN

We've crossed the 800 mile threshhold and made it to another state all in one day. Our last little stretch of Ohio was met with our first real dog chase. Dogs have a stange desire to attack bicyclist like we were stealing their favorite chew toy. I was the first to come across a house with two dogs that made a run for me. They didn't look that scary, but I was more worried about running them over and hurting the both of us. I have pepper spray just incase, but in this instance I put all my energy into going as fast as possible and I was able to drop them. At the next meet up point I asked Julie and Armin if they were also attacked. Both of them were and ended up stopping and starting again while the dogs barked nearby. Armin's plan has been to pull a knife out, but in the heat of the moment, he didn't remember to grab for it. If he comes acros Cujo, he's a dead man. Right before the border a little ankle biter also attacked. He wasn't scary at all, but sure could run fast.

One of the amazing things about today is Armin's bike being able to ride 80 miles. He didn't break one or two spokes yesterday, but four! And at some point today a fifth spoke broke. We passed one bike shop, but being Sunday it was of course closed. The town we are staying in has a shop, so we should be able to get Armin fixed up in the morning. My biggest bike problem of the day was getting my first flat tire on my bike. Seems like nothing compared to riding 80 miles with 5 missing spokes.

One of the funniest things of the day has to be our hosts for the night Sandy and Tom. Sandy is Julie's Mom's second cousin, I think. The first thing is they insisted on meeting us at a major intersection and having us follow them for 10 miles back to the house. So, there we were, a minivan and 3 bikes going 10 to 15 mph down the road. And Tom is quite the character. He has about 8 different things strapped to his belt. This includes a cell phone, 30 keys, flashlight, knife, and a big belt buckle that says, "4WD". In his snap button up shirt pocket he has 10 pens and pencils, another flashlight, and a small notebook of paper. In the other pocket he keeps his cigar. Near as I can tell he doesn't actually smoke them, just chews on the end. He is of course the type who tells interesting (??) stories about breaking in cows, watering trees at his job, and not really caring to leave the county he's always lived in. He said he's been to Chicago once, didn't lose anything, doesn't see any reason to go back. Quite the character Tom is. It was very nice of them to let us stay, even bought us pizza. Don't worry Ms. Yacso, you still hold the hosting title, we are sleeping in the back yard tonight.

Tomorrow we are hoping to make it to the Indiana sand dunes, via South Bend to see the Notre Dame campus.

Day 12 - 80 miles

* Total = 735
* Woodville to Montpelier

We woke up a little late today, but that didn't stop us from putting in some good miles. The flat land certainly helps with that. At one point today I was riding next to another bicycler, Joe. I had passed him in a town while he was going slow and I made him work to catch up to me, pushing my speed to around 20 mph. He seemed like a nice guy, jealous of the journey we are on. He also said were lucky because normally there are 10-15 mph winds thru this part of the state.

Tonight is our dinner night, so instead of cooking some delicious mac & cheese we plan to find a decent restaurant in Montpelier. I already splurged with an ice cream cone earlier today. Ohio has a ton of ice cream shops, it's tough not to stop at all of them.

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Rolling into Montpelier we had a crowd to cheer us on. Today was the end of Montpelier's Bean Festival, which ends with the Bean Parade. We were able to find some grass for our tents in enough time to catch the parade. Being hungry as well, we looked around for a place to eat and came along an all you can eat pizza joint, The Pizza Oven. Pizza, salad, dessert, soft drinks, and some other hot food for $5.34. A dream come true for the touring cyclist.

Armin was by far the biggest eater, which could be a mistake come tomorrow. I was hoping to eat more than I did, but they had Mellow Yellow and I filled up too much on that. Why isn't Mellow Yellow in more places, it tastes so good? We were able to eat and watch the parade at the same time, so it was perfect. These nights out to eat are great.

Tomorrow we cross another state border early in the day!!

Day 11 - 89 Miles

* Total = 655
* Cleveland to Woodville

I don't have a ton of information to share today. For the most part it was all about miles. By far my longest day of riding ever. It didn't hurt that this part of Ohio were biking through is totally flat.

The day started waking up in Ms. Yacso's wonderful house (Thanks Again!!). Felt good to roll out of a bed as opposed to standing up from a tent. The first half of our ride followed Lake Road out of Cleveland and along Lake Erie. We even had a bike path for part of the way, which is awesome! It's nice having a lane you don't have to share with cars.

Lake Road is Highway 6 and we took this all the way to 20, than pushing into Woodville. Julie started looking around at a few of the churches and parks when we rolled into town. Ended up talking to a neighbor and they motioned over a police officer who said it would be fine to sleep in the town park.

So, we have a nice spot once again. Running water, picnic tables, and a pavillion. Only thing its missing is a bathroom, but Julie doesn't mind squatting and dudes have it easy when it comes to these matters.

Tomorrow we are going to ride pretty close to the Ohio/Indiana border. Than the next night Julie has some family in Elkhart, IN where we can setup tents in the yard. Chicago is not far away!

Day 10 - 40 Miles

* 40 Miles, Total = 566
* Chesterland to Westlake (Cleveland)

After the long day yesterday it felt great to take a short one. I was faced with an early challenge as my BOB trailer tire was completely flat. Once I took the tube out I couldn't find the hole, so I got out the spare tube that the person who sold the trailer gave me. Totally wrong size! For those planning a trip, this would be a good detail to check beforehand. Back to patching the tube, Armin suggested I use a puddle to find the hole. This worked out, the hole was very small. Patched it up and we were on the way!

Speaking of the BOB trailer, I really like it. It's super easy to pack, gives me plenty of space to bungy things on, and takes some of the load off my bike to the extra wheel. The two big knocks is having to lean it differently at stops and it wobbles on down hills. Nothing serious, but it is a factor. Another benefit is that it keeps things totally dry. At night I pack my shoes and extra gear into it to keep them dry from rain and morning dew.

After we got the wheel fixed this morning we took off for Cleveland. Stopping along the way at a bike shop so I could pick up a spare BOB tube and Armin needed a small fix to his gear shifter. The ride through Cleveland brought us through heavy rain, various levels of traffic, and a stop at Whole Foods to enjoy the free samples.

Next stop, the Yacso household. Former roommate Erica grew up in Cleveland and she was kind enough to ask her mom to host us. And oh boy did she! Hot shower, laundry, internet access, and a wonderful meal. She really went all out for us and has officially taken over the "best host" award that I give to one lucky person. She takes over this award from her daughter, pushing Erica to second place.

Tomorrow we push on West. We figure Ohio and Indiana will take only a few days each. Should be in Chicago in 5 to 6 days.

Pictures

I posted pictures in the previous blogs if you want to see them.

Day 9 - 68 Miles

* 6.5 miles walking
* 3 miles hitch hiking
* 62 miles bicycling
* Andover, OH to Chester, OH

Yes Mom, I hitch hiked. Yes, I'm still alive. My lucky number for the month is going to be 22. It was vehicle number 22 that finally stopped to give me and my bike a ride to Linesville, PA. It would have been nice to be done with PA, but it sucked me back in.

So, right now I'm waiting outside the bicycle shop. We got the bent rim back in place, which I'm thankful for because that could really have been a huge issue. They don't replace spokes or true wheels, so I had to go with a new back rim. The bike mechanic is switching over the cassette right now. After that we will find out what kind of hit the rear derailer took. The bike took a hit, but I'm hoping to get out of here by noon. Than it's nine miles back to my gear (hidden in the bushes) and onward into Ohio!!!

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Well, in the end the bike basically has a new back end. I'm not totally happy with it, but it works. Up until the point where my bike broke down things were running smoothly. Now I can feel the differences. The slight rubbing, gears not changing smoothly. It might need some adjusting as we go along, so for now its good enough to get me to the next day.

It was a real long day. So long that its late and I'm too tired to write about where and how we got our place to sleep tonight. Tomorrow we stay over in Cleveland.

Day 8 - 54 Miles

* 54 Miles (Total = 457)
* Union City, PA to Andover, OH

Armin has been having various bike issues and finally I have some of my own. About a mile into Ohio I busted two spokes, might have bent my rear derailer, and possible the frame. Not sure what caused the problem, but it was messed up.

With the two broken spokes removed, I was able to fix one with a repair kit, but not the other one. The wheel is out of true and not rideable. Luckily we broke down at an insurance agency and they are going to let us camp out behind an old barn. Tomorrow morning a bike shop back about 6 miles away opens at 10AM, so there is nothing to do but wait until than. I might try and hitch a ride, or will just walk it.

We had planned to stay at a friends mom's house in Cleveland tomorrow night, but that is going to have to be put off until Thursday night. There we are hoping to shower, wash some clothes, and maybe even sleep inside! Even though we haven't made it yet, thanks for hooking us up Erica!!

Other than that the ride today was nice. Felt good to be done with a state, even though I'm heading back first thing tomorrow morning. We have gotten to the flat Ohio everyone we talk to has been mentioning. Let's hope this bike shop can get me fixed up tomorrow.

Day 7 - 65 miles

* 65 Miles (Total = 402)
* Allegheny National Forest to Union City

ONE WEEK!!!! We still have a lot more to go, but I feel one week is a pretty big milestone! We've gone roughly 1/8th of the distance we need to make it to Portland, OR.

It's been four nights since we ate out, so were hoping to find a restaurant tonight. I'd kill for an Old Country Buffet or OCB as it is often referred as.

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For sleeping accomidations tonight, Armin talked with the minister from the First United Methodist Church in town. They were kind enough to let us sleep in their backyard, another nice accomidation.

We are only a few blocks from downtown, so we headed out to find a place to eat. We had a couple of different options and ended up going with a chinese restaurant. One with the same exact menus and pictures that were so familiar with. It was fantastic! All food on this trip has just been great, although I didn't try the pink pickled egg Armin bought at a convience store. To cap the meal off I had an ice cream cone from McDonalds...brings back memories of growing up.

Tomorrow we should make it out of the Keystone State and cross into the land of Buckeyes. This state has been good to us, lets hope the rest of the country is.

Day 6 - 62 miles

Today was a tough day. When we all got to a meet up point towards the end it was tough deciding what to do because we were so exhausted. But, we managed to push on for an additional 8 miles from that point into the Allegheny National Forest. We knew we could camp just about anywhere in any National Forest, but we still stopped by the Rangers Station to ask where a good spot might be. The ranger said we own the land, so basically anywhere is fine. Being tired we chose this cleared out area behind the station. It is actually one of our worst accomidtions. We have always had a water source in our previous 5 stops.

I really haven't talked about what "camp" is like each night, so let me run down the basics.
- When we first get in we want to get out of our bike clothes, so that involves either going out in the woods, or Armin setting up his big ten.
- Than we usually have some relaxation time. I might blog, Julie reads, Armin sleeps or searches for crayfish. Various chores are also completed, like last night we rinsed our clothes out in the creek.
- At some point dinner is started. Armin is usually the lead on this, but we all pitch in with the various cutting or opening tasks.
- After dinner one or two of us will do dishes. We slowly start to prepare for bed by brushing teeth, taking out contacts, or getting our sleeping gear all in place.
- More free time again. I'm still pounding away at my little computer and Armin always takes out his ukulele and we gather around to practice a few songs. We might actually be good by the time we get to Chicago if anyone wants to book us.
- A little after sunset we head to bed for either more reading or just to fall asleep right away.
- Morning comes and we all slowly rise. Talking is limited to just the basics as we shake out the cold and prepare mentally for the day ahead. We have been eating oatmeal, but we just picked up some cereal and powdered milk for tomorrow.
- Than after picking our meet up spots and final destination for the day, were off.

Recap:
* 62 miles (total = 337)
* Denton Hill State Park to Allegheny National Forest (just West of Marshburg)

Day 5 - 52 Miles

We slept in an extra hour this morning, and it would have been nice excep it was so freaking cold. I wanted to stay in my bivy sack until the fog lifted and we got some sun to warm us up. But, like the last few days we pressed on. Even thouh it was cold I decided not to wear my rain jacket and during those first 5 miles I actually had dew on my arm.

Our first major stop was the beautiful town of Wellsboro. A must see if your passing through on route 6. We all wanted to stop at the bike shop and the store manager ended up being great. Didn't even charge Armin and Julie for some minor service repairs and he was very helpful in picking out some spare brakes for me.

As we were milling about outside another nice guy, Brian O'Shea, started chatting with us and gave us a tip of a place to stay up the road. Denton Hill State Park was his suggestion and that if anyone asked just to say that he sent us.

So, we headed off and were hopeful that his suggestion would work. This part of the route brought us into Potter County, or as they like to call it, "God's Country." A local flyer describes it as, "Vast tracks of forest where man is outnumbered by wildlife - herds of deer, flocks of turkeys, abundant bear and coyotes, and the lighting fast grouse that the Indians called Thunder Birds."

We reached Denton Hill State Park and true to Brians word they were welcoming. We spoke with the ski/mountain bike hill owner Scott, who knows Brian, and he said pitch a tent down by the creek. So, once again we have a beautiful place to stay that includes a creek, picnic tables, and a fire pit we might get going. If we have as much luck in the remaining parts of the country, this trip is going to run smoothly.

Recap:
* 52 miles (total = 275)
* Mainesburg, PA to Denton Hill State Park, PA

Day 4 - 58 miles

Today had one main thing that we haven't faced much of yet. Wind. In some of my practice rides I had decent wind and didn't like it. Now we have the wind and hills. They call the area around here The Endless Mountains. Nobody seems to know where they end, but we get the feeling pretty close to the Ohio border. We've had a couple people tell us about a very large hill we will face in the next day or two. I almost don't want to know about it because now I have to think about it. In the same respect I wish I didn't know the Rockies existed.

Today was a surprisingly long day. The last stretch seemed to go on forever. When I finally hit Mainesburg it was a lovely site. I stopped at the only store in town, chatted up the teller and drank a root beer. This gave me a chance to ask about places to stay in town. I asked about his land, but he was going to be out of town tonight and thought the neighbors would freak out. Julie showed up and as we were walking away he suggested we try the town park. Once we got to the park it was great, real big and secluded.

Just to be safe we wanted to ask the neighbors to make sure they didn't care. First house we went, Bernies, turned out to be the park supervisor. He said it would be fine and that nobody would bother us. Another town, another nice place to stay for free. Maybe we should write US Bicycle Touring on $5 a day. The only small notch at this sleeping site is the large family that is having a late bbq after a funeral. Hopefully they don't stay too late, we tend to hit the sack early. Once again though, thank you to small town America and welcoming their land to the weary bicycler.

I'm so excited that we are planning on sleeping in tomorrow. 6AM alarm instead of 4:30. I did not want to get up this morning, but biking early in the morning is nice. Armin has been having daily flats to his back tire, so were hoping to find a bicycle shop in the large town 4 1/2 miles down route 6. This might cost us some miles tomorrow, but poor Armin needs to get this issue fixed.

Recap:
* 58 miles (total = 223)
* Laceyville, PA to Mainesburg, PA

Q&A

A few people have posted questions in the comments section that I wanted to respond to.

Q: Have we showered yet?
A: We have not showered yet, and it could be a while before we do. To get by I make full use of bathrooms along the way. This includes rinsing my hair out, taking my shirt off to wash my body, and washing my face. I really don't feel that dirty, but I do stink.

Q: how are you getting internet service? Do you have a laptop?
A: I don't have a laptop. I've using this device called Pocketmail that allows me to write emails when I have free time and than to transmit I just need to call a 1-800 number on a pay phone. I hold the device up to the phone and it transmit/receives similar to a fax machine. Armin and Julie have been using the internet at small town libraries we pass through if they get the chance.

Q: Did you or your fellow travelmates happen to record your "physicals" before you left? Hair color, weight, height, skin color, number of limbs, etc.? I would imagine after riding across country something might change!
A: I weighed myself (180) and plan to take pictures of my face daily to show change. Armin also weighed himself and took profile shots with his shirt off. Julie also weighed herself and all her gear. I think I heard her say she's really into stats, so besides daily mileage she is recording her average and top speed.

I think that is all the questions. Keep them coming, I'm happy to answer them.

Day 3 - 49 Miles

Today once again started early and actually cold. A welcome change from sleeping in hot humid conditions. The plan was to meet up in Factoryville for the first major break. Julie and I got their first and took a bathroom break and waited for Armin. At some point Julie turned on her cell phone and had a message from Armin. He had another flat to his back tire and was out of spares. He was forced to turn around and search for the nearest bike shop. So, once we heard back from him we made a plan to meet up in Tunkannock.

We heard from him once again after waiting for a while and he was in route, but because of bad directions still behind us. So, once again we changed the meet up location to Laceyville. I write this as were waiting. It's starting to get late, so once he gets here I imagine it might be our stopping point for the day.

One funny or not so funny thing I noticed today while riding is all the road kill. When driving you see some of it, but miss out on the animals that make it to the roadside grass. Going at a slower speed, the biker gets to see all of it. And if you don't see it, you smell it. The smell of death. In just three days I've see perhaps 20 dead deer and smelled many more. I also came across a wild boar of some type today. Sorry, haven't taken any pictures. I'll write about them, but there is just too much to stop every time.

Well, Armin finally made it and we set off into Laceyville to find a place to sleep. The first lady we talked to on the side of the road suggested we go a block down to the mayors house and ask him. Mayor Ken was very nice and said we could sleep in the secluded area down by the river. Can't beat that, river side property and the mayor of this very small town's permission.

We had been talking about treating ourselves, so we went up to the only restaurant in town, The Wiser Choice. I had the Maryland Crabcakes and they might not have been the best in the world, but they were fantastic after a day of riding! We didn't get a ton of miles in today, but Laceyville has proven to be a great town to rest our weary bodies.

Recap:
* 49 miles (total = 164)
* Carbondale, PA to Laceyville, PA
* Beautiful chilly morning
* Riverside camping

Day 2 - 52 Miles

Sleep was rough last night. The heat took a while to let up and being on a main avenue, cars were coming by at all hours. But, we still woke up early and were off by 6AM.

We had seen the hill leaving Milford yesterday and I was dreading having to start the day going up it. Hills just take the juice out of you. You go from a nice 15 mph all the way down to 4 mph once you hit a decent hill.

One thing that is nice is the heat has left us for now. We can ride with a little more energy. As I sit at the half way point I'm actually a little cold. Great feeling! And despite the hills the Poconos are a beautiful area.

One thing that is interesting about bicycle touring is the various car honkings and cheering you get. Today has been full of this so far. We have even had some a few local truck drivers pass by honking their horns multiple times and yelling out the window and pumping a fist in joy. Whoever you are, thanks!

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After the break we hit the hills for the remaining climb to Canondale, PA. Which was in a valley, so I'm sure tomorrow we'll start with a climb. Oh well, I'll worry about that at 6AM. Right now Julie and I are waiting in the city park for Armin to catch up. Than we will head out once again to find a place to sleep. We can see two churches up and down the road that are good bets. It would be great if they let us sleep inside.

Its been a while since we expected to see Armin. We just had a big rainstorm roll through and that might have stopped him. Hopefully he's okay. Another guy bicycle touring that we passed earlier just rode by. I wonder where he is headed?

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Carbondale, PA: fourth oldest city in the state, location of the first underground coal mine in the US.

We finaly found Armin. He had been searching for us for a while in the town. Were not sure how he missed us, but he ended up going an extra 8 miles looking for us. He had already given up and was looking for a place to sleep for the night.

After Armin fixed a flat we searched for places to sleep. Nobody was answering doors at the churchs in town, so we headed west on 6 where Armin had seen some houses that had big yards. Two rejections later one of the owners suggested we sleep in a park around the corner. The park was secluded somewhat, but houses were around, so we went door to door to ask if it was okay. Nobody seemed to really mind, but they did not want us near their property. That was until Julie went to the last house and instead of being okay with the park, Ed & Judy said we could use the side yard. It even has a gazebo that they gave us the permission to use. Ed & Judy rock!! It turns out that Armin talked to Ed earlier in town when he was looking for us. Despite being turned down a few times, Carbondales good name was saved by the grace of Ed & Judy.

Tomorrow were going to try and make it to Wysox, PA. We expect more hills, but the road does follow the mighty Susquehanna River, so that should be pretty.

Recap:
* 52 Miles (total 115)
* Milford, PA to Carbondale, PA
* High Knob Moosic Mountains, elevation 1940 feet (tough climb)
* A lot better weather!!

Day 1 - 64 miles

I don't even know where to start. Being escorted off a miltary compound, crushing heat, our bicycler friend named Click Shrek, Armin being escorted by the police up a hill at 2mph, making it out of our first state, being lost in the first 15 miles and having a police officer help us, or the kindness of a Presbyterian minister in Milford, PA.

Let me talk about the heat first. As we passes a bank reader board the temperature reading was 108 degrees. A 108!!! Now, it wasn't supposed to get that hot and the bank could be wrong, but it's the only proof I have, so from now on it is a fact in my mind. As I recount this story 20 years from now I will start off by saying it was 108 and the hills were so steep, cars couldn't make it up them.

Within the first 15 miles Julie and I also got lost. Getting out of Jersey required quite a few turns to avoid major roads, and the one we were looking for never showed up. Armin some how figured this about before we did and took a different road. Julie and I ended up in Danville TWP and a nice officer gave us alternative directions that led us back to the waiting Armin.

Not long after this we were in the back woods taking some side roads that we located using Google maps. One road wasn't even paved a had a decent uphill section that forced me off the bike for lack of traction. Once that was done we came upon a small army base and our directions required us to take a road through the middle of it. I got to the road we needed to turn onto first and about 100 yards down they had a military checkpoint. I waited just inside the fence for Armin and Julie to catch up. After about ten minutes the MP's showed up and started asking questions. Where you from, where you going, do you have a bomb in that trailer. After they really grilled me I was asked to not stand inside the fence area. So I moved 10 feet away and the world is a much safer place now.

Of course not all the people on the base are bad. Once Julie and Armin caught up a fellow biker, Click Shrek, came riding by and stopped to say hi. When he found out that we were trying to use the military base road, he agreed to show us the best alternative route. Off we went following Click down the hill. We didn't get to talk to him for too long, but it is people like Click who go out of their way that make this world special.

The day continued with heat, hills, and breaks along the way to cool off and regroup. At one stop Armin shared his experience of being escorted up a hill by a police officer. Armin was going pretty slow and the officer was concerned, so he followed behind him at 2 mph. Luckily the road widdened and Armin could bike in peace.

The final story is about a little Presbyterian Church and Minister in Milford, PA. Finding places to sleep is going to be our biggest challenge, as we don't plan to stay in hotels or campgrounds. Armin is the seasoned veteran at this and he suggested we ask at churches in Milford. The first one we came to, right on Main Street was glad to give us a spot to setup tents and a spicket to get water fromm. Again, it is people like this that I hope to meet more of.

Day 1 Recap:
* 64 Miles
* Lincoln Park, NJ to Milford, PA
* HOT & Hilly

12 Hours

The bike is ready, my gear is packed, food has been purchased, but am I ready? It's really something I won't know until tomorrow and the heat is going to make it a worthy test. Tomorrow it looks like it might get up to 97. Ouch!! Good thing we are planning on getting up at 5:30am. Extended forcast says its going to cool down, maybe into the upper 70's.

We decided not to take two days to bike to the Jersey coast, so tomorrow we leave Lincoln Park, NJ and head West. We are pretty close to PA, so we should make it out of our first state in the first day. Than we plan to stay North, basically following route 6 through the state. I think its around 400 or so miles through PA.

PA Map: We will be following the orange route most likely. Route Y. Source: http://www.bikepa.com/

Last night Armin, Julie, and I went to a wedding of Armins friend from college. Ate so much good food that I was readyto burst. As most people are probably carbo loading a few days before an adventure of this magnitude, we were scarfing down the best food I've ever had at a wedding. Not to mention the multiple glasses of wine and bottles of beer. I'm actually looking forward to this amount of eating on the road as we will be burning up calories like crazy. I'm really looking forward to Chicago where we plan to take an extended break. That first drink of beer is going to taste oh so sweet!

Below is a picture of my face the day before the trip. I'm going to try and take a picture every day and see the changes as I cross the country. I expect to lose weight (I weight about 180 right now), get a really great farmers tan, and as long as it doesn't start bothering me I don't plan on shaving for the duration. So, after two or so months, I should look significantly different.

Only 12 hours and this trip will officially start. Stay tuned to find out how the 90+ degree weather and hitting the Appalachian Mountains on the first day turns out.

Side note for those bored at work:

• While exploring the northern coast of Florida in 1528, the members of the Narváez expedition, including Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, found a Native American town which they transliterated as Apalachen. This name and its pronunciation were applied to the Apalachee Indians, as well as a nearby body of water, now spelled Apalachee Bay, to the Apalachicola River, Apalachicola Bay, and the Apalachicola Indians, and to the city known as Apalachicola, Florida. The word "Apalachen" was also applied to an inland mountain range, and through the course of time it became applied to the entire range and its spelling was changed.

Portland Blues Festival

This is a video from the Portland Blues Festival currently taking place in Portland. This guy was rocking the air guitar the whole set. Got to love it!!

I leave for New York tomorrow night!!!!