Post! Railroad Tracks! Glass! Hole!

Communication is a huge part of bicycling as a group and we have developed a method that works quite well.  The person in the lead shouts out the hazard and the call goes down the line.  On the Erie Canal Trail, post was most commonly yelled because Zion had hit one and crashed (another blog entry that I am behind on.)  After I crashed, Cedar was quick to point out any railroad tracks in the vicinity.  

Today we had at least 10 miles of glass to navigate.  Christy warned us before we left the house that there would be a lot of glass and I wondered how she could know from a car driver perspective.  Well, the roads were covered in broken glass and we were yelling the entire time.  We were riding through some very urban neighborhoods and many people would come out and stare at us as we rode by.  I was just yelling back about glass and Cedar cheerfully said hello to everyone.  We also had some enormous holes to avoid so it was a very interesting ride. We were all relieved to reach some country roads and took a deep breath.

It doesn't surprise me that most people don't ride bikes.  The glass alone would keep me off the streets here in Buffalo.

We are in a hotel because it is stormy outside.  Cord went out to cook dinner and returned a few minutes later looking like someone had dumped a bucket of water over him.  The storm had started with little regard for our dinner needs so Cord finished cooking under the overhang by the front entrance.  What a great husband he is!!

Wipeout!

Our day Thursday started in the rain and we waited for a slight break to take down our tents.  We had to leave the Erie Canal Trail because it isn't paved but we kept up a good pace.  

"This is the best rain we've had yet!" Cedar yelled.

It was pleasant being not too cold or windy.  It started to clear a bit and we were happy to be headed to Buffalo to see our friend Christy.  

"Don't go to Buffalo!"  a bicyclist headed in the other direction warned.  "It was horrible and you should do everything possible to avoid it."  If only we knew what was to come.  We disregarded his advice and pressed on.

I was in the lead and just after heading through a light, I saw the tracks.  It took a second for it to register that they were at the most horrible angle possible.  I couldn't go into traffic to cross them at a right angle and the second rail sucked in my front tire.  I was thrown off onto those large rocks often by railroad tracks.  Yeow!  I had the wind knocked out of me and it took a while before I could talk.  I just held my arm because I knew it took the biggest hit in the fall.  Kind drivers stopped to make sure that I was alright and it took us quite a while to get all of the cuts and scrapes cleaned up.  I was sprawled out on the ground for at least 10 minutes before I could move.  My shoe was even thrown off from the impact.  Weird.  Cedar was fine and I learned that I really do catch the full force of any impact.  Nothing was broken and we proceeded on to Buffalo, deciding to take a shorter route because of my injuries.

After riding for a while we stopped for lunch.  About to hit the road I stopped because something wasn't feeling right.  A flat tire!  I'm sure it was from the crash and at least we had a covered place to fix it.  Finally we were off.  

Only 10 minutes down the road we were pelted by rain and surrounded by thunder and lightning.  "Are you sure that this isn't hail," Cedar asked?

"No, it's not hail.  Pretend it is a massage for our sore leg muscles," I responded.  A gust of wind hit us from the side and we knew that we had to pull over.  We stopped at the first house with a covered porch and knocked at the door.  No one was home but we stayed under cover while the storm passed.  

On the road once more we headed to the bicycle paths that run through Buffalo.  An hour later, I had another flat on the front tire.  It was a slow leak and we had used our spare tube to fix the flat earlier.  We just wanted to get to a warm dry place so we stopped every 5 miles to pump it up.  The trail took us through some very industrial areas and the signs weren't great so we stopped every so often to call and check directions.  We were on the right path only 3 miles from Christy's home when I had to stop.  Another flat.  We were in an isolated part of town and wanted to get out of there before dark.  We pumped it up and walked as fast as we could.  Christy met us at a nearby grocery store and we figured out a plan to get everything to her house, now only 2 miles away.  Cord and Zion left to ride their bikes to her house and were going to drive back to help carry our tandem to the house.  This was at 8:30 at night and Cedar and I waited and waited.  It was 9:00, 9:15, and at 9:30 they returned.  Cord had gotten a flat on the way to Christy's house and fixed it.  It was a staple, fully seated in his tire.  That finished our day of flats and today we bought new tires for the tandem and tubes that are puncture resistant.  We hope to never break that record and think that Buffalo could do with a clean up day on their bike paths.

I am very sore and bruised.  My knees are both infected and painful so I have spent the day cleaning them.  One shoulder is swollen and the other is difficult to move.  I think another good nights rest will help and we will head out tomorrow.  It will be a better day.

On a more positive note, we were greeted with a great meal that Adjoa prepared and were very glad to be in their lovely home.  We took over for the day, replacing and fixing tires, cleaning chains, doing laundry and baking snacks for our ride.  Is that really a day off?

The Hostility of New York

(We wanted to include an entry from each person's journal.  Cedar wrote this one about yesterday's ride.)

After reading a sign saying, "Keep Out!  Trespassers will be shot!  Survivors will be shot again!", it doesn't make you think of friendly people.  I guess the dogs take after their masters for when Mom and I stopped at a crossroad to wait for Papa and Zion, two large dogs galloped down the street, barking madly at us.

"Cedar, get back on the bike!", Mom commanded urgently.  I leapt on, not bothering to clip in.  By the time we started to flee they were upon us.  It's bad to be chased but when you have a tiny dog on the back of your bike it's even worse.  One pursuer stopped chasing us but the other effortlessly sprinted alongside of me, grinning as if it were a game.  Pedaling as fast as I could, clutching a wild, barking Minnie and holding on at the same time wasn't very easy.  Unfortunately we were going uphill and couldn't go very fast but the dog finally gave up.  Terrified, Minnie began to howl uncontrollably but we refused to stop and comfort her in case any other dogs would choose us to be their next victims.

"I've never pedaled so hard!", I told Mom.  

It just so happened that all the dog attacks were on the same day, for I heard another dog bark.  

"There's no need to pedal so fast," Mom rebuked as I sped up. 

 "Yes there is," I contradicted.  "It's coming... no, it's going for Zion.  It's chasing him!"  I burst into gales of laughter watching the barking bulldog circle Zion.  From then on we looked for dogs before stopping.

Cedar

What do we eat?

I was asking Cord about my legs the other day because after 23 days on the road I expected more changes.  "Honey, do you see any muscle definition in my legs?  They look the same to me."  "No, they don't look any different.", he said.  I responded with "It must be all the bacon we are eating!"

For breakfast we usually fix between 12-16 pieces of bacon, one dozen eggs and at least 1/2 a loaf of bread.  This will carry us through until mid-morning when we need to have a snack, usually some kind of energy bar.  For lunch we will eat 7 sandwiches and a couple of cans of fruit.  Mid-afternoon calls for another snack and for dinner we eat the equivalent of 2 pounds of ground beef, 2 packages of whole wheat pasta, 1/2 pound of carrots with assorted vegetables thrown in.  We have had a tradition of eating one Lindt chocolate ball after dinner but we haven't seen them lately.

Yesterday Cord mentioned that he thought he could see the muscles in my legs.  He thinks it is because I've begun eating donuts.  I am hungrier than I have ever been and I need more calories.  I would normally choose ice cream but the days are still on the cool side.  Cord is very conscious of his role in teaching healthy eating and has not joined me in my donut indulgences.  I am just laughing at myself as I load up at bakeries.  Who have I become?

No Room at the Inn

Wow, our first day out of Ticonderoga was tough.  I think that we gained more elevation than we did in the Green Mountains.  I am so glad that I didn't know what was coming or I think that we all would have chosen a different route.  We rode about 48 miles and Zion had a particularly difficult day.  We had to wait over an hour at the top of one of the passes.  We were about 6 miles from the town of Newcomb when we were caught in a downpour.  It was freezing and Cedar finally admitted that his jacket is not waterproof.  The wind and rough roads made it difficult to keep going and we knew there was a B & B in town.  We stopped and as it turned out, they had all of their family in town and were not accepting guests.  They did have a barn out back that we could camp in.  We were thrilled!  We had the 8 horse stall barn all to ourselves.  No animals were in it and we were able to dry out and not worry about our leaky tent in the rain.  What a blessing that was!  I could so relate to Mary and fully understand how grateful they were to have a place to stay.  We started out late the next morning trying to let the rain pass and were able to meet the entire family.  The boys were so glad to be in a barn and were even excited about the outhouse.  "Mom, you've got to try it!"  It was one of the nicer outhouses I've seen although I didn't quite share their sense of adventure.

We rode on to Raquette Lake yesterday and I am sore everywhere.  My hands are so sore I can't shift up on my larger chainring.  We stopped to verify our directions at a women's softball game and they recommended a place to stay.  It is the only place in town, if you would call it that.  We are in a classic old hotel (1930's?), over a bar.  The building also houses the general store and that is what makes up this town.  We are right on a lake full of ducks, loons and turtles.  I was talking to some couples in the bar about our trip and when they asked where we are from, I gave my usual answer, about an hour outside of L.A.  "You aren't by chance from Thousand Oaks, are you?"  Well it turns out that her daughter works for Amgen and lives in T.O.  It's a small world.  One of the couples are Christian and will be praying for us.  Blessings.  

We're ready to hit the road once again.  I hope that these quick updates keep you filled in on our journey.  The sun is shining, by the way!!!

Look at that dog!

Most people couldn't believe that we were taking Minnie with us.  Cedar couldn't bear to be parted from his dog and I know that he is young only once.  She loves riding on the back of our bike and usually has her head sticking out of an opening.  We have probably had just as many people ask about her as we have had questions about our bike trip.  The Northeast is extremely dog friendly and she has been allowed in every general store and restaurant that we have gone in.  The most interesting moments have been when large dogs run out at us barking and we just pray that she won't bark back and we pedal harder.  She also barks at cows as we pass them.  Such a funny girl!

Entering New York State

We have officially finished three states.  I teared up as we pulled into the ferry terminal.  Time is passing.

Inspiration

We were in Woodstock, Vt getting ready to head out.  A man stopped to talk to us and was very excited about our trip.  He said several times that we are inspiring him to do the same.  He took pictures of us as he drove in front of us to share with his family.  I don't think I've ever inspired anyone before.  

What is tired?

So, how does one define what tired is?  I finally wasn't the weak link last Friday as we climbed through the Brandon Gap of The Green Mountains.  Cedar and I stopped at the bottom to apply sunscreen and didn't stop until we reached the top.  We climbed 1670 feet and it was HARD!  It took us about 1 1/2 hours but we did it!  We had several bicyclists pass us but they didn't have panniers and a dog on back!  Cord and Zion were 1/2 hour behind us but they are both towing trailers.  My legs were like Jello.  Cedar jumped off and was ready to hike down to a viewpoint.

At the top, we met a couple of hikers who had just completed 10 days on The Long Trail.  We offered them food and water and they gave us granola bars to lighten their load.  I was impressed by the young woman for being out there in the rain and mud and you should have seen her pack.

It took us only 10 minutes to descend what had taken us so long to climb.  Cedar and I reached our top speed of 39 mph but I couldn't let it go to 40 because of a curve.  Talk about a death grip on the handlebars!  My forearms are still sore two days later.  We rode into the beautiful town of Brandon and Cord couldn't go any further.  We pulled over by a bookstore and he collapsed on the sidewalk while I browsed inside.  That was tired.  I can't believe that I made it.  Cedar and I have always been the slowest because of my knee or lack of strength so I am still smiling.  I never could have done this two weeks ago, or even last week.

"Mom, we can't stay here!" Zion whispered as we pushed our bikes to the campsite.  We stopped at the first campground we saw only 3 miles from town.  "What is wrong with him?"  Cedar asked.   It turned out that our campground assistant was extremely drunk.  He was helpful and friendly but couldn't walk straight or use words without swearing.  Being tired is pitching your tent in spite of the uncertainty of the situation.  He had a fire going and invited us to join him.  Cord looked at me and shook his head.  "It's a great opportunity to talk and hear his story and share the love of Christ but I'm exhausted."  Tired is hobbling along only 20 miles the next day, passing Fort Ticonderoga and not having the energy to go the extra block to check it out.  That was painful to miss.  Tired is when Zion's trailer tire blew out again, choosing the nearest hotel to stay at.  Tired means something completely different on the road.

We're headed through the Adirondack Mountains tomorrow.  We loved Vermont and the people we met.  The best observation came from a man working on a house.  "If you wanted to go fast, you would be in a car."

Camping by another river

Here I am, typing on my computer at our campsite next to a rushing river.  Being from California this still surprises us.  There are more rivers, creeks, brooks and bodies of water than we ever imagined.  Water is everywhere and we love it when it isn't pouring out of the sky.

Yesterday, we had the most lovely ride.  We saw at least 4 covered bridges and spent some time in Woodstock, Vermont.  We would rate it right up there with Santa Barbara or Camden, Maine.  Cedar made a great comment yesterday, "The towns we ride through aren't stuck in the 70's, they are stuck in the 1700's but with modern technology'"  The architecture is stunning and we are still seeing rock walls lining the roadways.  At the local bike shop we were given a great route out of town on a road with almost no traffic, plenty of cows and a creek, of course.  We were able to leave our bikes outside the shop with the reminder that no one locks their bikes.  We've heard that over and over again here in small town America.  Isn't it sad that we have to lock our houses, cars and gates?

"Mom, are you sure that we aren't in the mountains?"  "No, Zion, that will be tomorrow."  "What?"  Cedar exclaimed!  This was one small example of our conversation yesterday as we tackled an uphill battle that was several miles long.  Cord couldn't even speak he was so exhausted but we all made it, on our bikes without walking.  I'll let you know how we do on the Green Mountains today.  The road we are currently on is full of truck traffic but we are hoping there will be a shoulder.

Are we going downhill?

"No Cedar, if we stop pedaling, we will stop moving.  It only looks like we are going down since the hill is not as steep."

"Cedar, are you pedaling?"  I look in my mirror and he is actually standing up for more power.  My legs are tired after 59.88 miles.

"Does anyone know what the weather is going to be like today?"  "Cool and rainy, of course!"  That was Zion answering yesterday.  Today is supposed to be clearer and yesterday wasn't too bad.  Some days are just like our winter days.  We are laughing at ourselves for bringing sunscreen.  Silly Californians!

We're in Vermont and I have several entries to catch up on.  It won't happen today because we know that we have a hard day ahead of us.  Vermont is HILLY!  We will be heading through Woodstock, VT and have to cross the Green Mountains.  We should be in Ft. Ticonderoga by Saturday night but that depends on our route.  Tuesday our road had too many trucks on it.

52 miles!

Well, it was unintentional but yesterday we rode 52 miles!  We haven't ever ridden that far so it is quite a milestone.  This wasn't easy and we had many "oh no" hills, the type that make you stop and look and take a deep breath.  Zion's top speed was 42 and I'm sure we all went close to that since we wanted the speed to help us up the next hill.  Thursday we only rode 7 miles because of torrential rains.  Yesterday the sun actually broke through the clouds in the afternoon.  Cheers were heard from everyone.

Wednesday night we camped on a lake and fell asleep to the sounds of Loons calling.  The next afternoon Cedar watched a Bald Eagle flying overhead while he was washing the grit off our bike.  We all saw a groundhog and we have a toad here at our campsite.

I have discovered a major flaw with the Keen cycling sandals we are wearing.  We need to drill a hole in the front to drain the water out of them when we are riding.  Our toes are quite waterlogged at the end of a rainy ride.  Cord also discovered that his Thermarest mattress developed slits in it and it is now useless.  We won't be in a larger town for several days so we'll be praying for softer campgrounds until we find a sporting goods store.  

We are in New Hampshire riding through Madison County.  We saw our first covered bridge yesterday and will be trying to see more today.  It is the 4th of July so we won't be riding more than 20 miles.  These vacationing drivers are ones we want to avoid.  

I have to share one more thing.  As we were riding through the rain on Thursday, Cedar commented that when we return to California, he will thank God every day that it is sunny.  I never thought he would get tired of rain!