IPad

We're prepping for our flight on Singapore Air to Frankfurt. Laura has acquired an IPad, and today we will try to put our old heads together and figure out how to set it up.

The old mini laptop I have used on other bicycle trips will be mothballed. Typing on an IPad is challenge, as well as uploading pics, etc. But the blog will resume come rain or shine.

This trip will involve purchasing two bikes in Prague, riding south to meet the Danube River, then following it to Budapest. Depending on conditions and desire, we may continue to Belgrade.

We really hope all our buddies at home and on cyberspace keep up with us. Comments are a help with homesickness. We're going to miss the new little additions to the family.

Book Signing

Snail mail might have been more personal, but we challenged ourselves and mass emailed out the notice of our upcoming book signing. First the power point I made up couldn't be opened by some folks, others didn't get it at all somehow, and some had it but couldn't find it.

So Laura made up a new email that looked good on our computer, but came across scattered randomly on the page when some folks opened it up. We don't work with this stuff often enough to know what it's going to do, so I hope everyone can bear with us. 

For those loyal readers who remain out there in cyberspace but for whom I don't have any way to contact, here is the info on the book signing. We will be at the Gorilla Room, 5654 So. Price St., a fine establishment in Littleton, Co. alongside Big O to sign books at a discounted price on August 30, from 2-5 pm. The owner, "Honest Abe," will have beer specials and it's guaranteed that all will have a good time all afternoon. 

If you can't make it go to llumina.com and order a book! Or it's on Amazon as well. That will really make our day complete.   

Coast to Coast on the Big O

While out riding today with Laura, we met two veteran (somewhat over 30) cyclists taking a well deserved break under a shady tree. Before long we were chatting with one of them, Jerry, about riding from Washington State to Florida back in 1994, and the other one, Tom, having just returned from RAGBRAI; the great ride across Iowa. Tom also volunteers every year helping out on Ride the Rockies. 

Before long they asked for information on how to get hold of a book I've recently written. Oh, have I mentioned that I RECENTLY PUBLISHED A CLASSIC BOOK RECOUNTING OUR   TOUR DE HOMERPEARL, CALLED "COAST TO COAST ON THE BIG O," AVAILABLE NOW AT WWW.LLUMINA.COM?

I realized that this blog may be a link for some interested folks to find out more about our trip and order a book. This could be the start of a tsunami of book sales. I hereby pledge to donate all profits over one million dollars to pro-bicycle organizations nationwide. Please be the first to start the wave.

There is going to be a book signing as soon as Laura and I can figure out the best way to do it. Autographed copies, at a discount, will be offered to all attendees. 

To read a post by post summary of the journey, written from the road each day, start in the archives with 2008, click on January and continue through August.

Just a reminder, to order one of the first available copies, go to www.llumina.com. or amazon.com. Tell any and all biker friends about my charitable offer. 

    

Last Post

This should be the last post for the trip, I'm out of ideas! As to where the blog goes from here, I'm not sure. My plans are to print the whole thing out and keep some hard copies for posterity. When Laura and I are old and decrepit, it will make for good reading. I have some tentative plans to retrace the trip in a car and keep mileages, document conditions and terrain a little closer than I did on the bike. Then I can write a sort of travel guide. Laura was the trip photographer, and took a lot of pics, only a few of which appeared on the blog. She will get home and fine tune them, with captions and such, on her Mac. I would be happy to mail some or all of the pics to anyone interested. E-mail us at Lauranewlin@mac.com if interested. It would be interesting to talk to the folks we met one more time. Somehow I think I might avoid spending the night in a few of the choice spots. Big O is in pieces in Tim's garage, plans are to leave it until January or so, when I will make a trip out to pick it up. With kin out here on the east coast, it gives me an excuse to see them. Anyone who travels much knows what it feels like to get out of your crib for awhile. Four months is more than awhile. We are both ready to get home and enjoy some of the routine we're used to. I've always felt like looking forward is the best way to keep a good attitude about things, so I'm looking forward to new plans. Just don't know what they are right now.

To get in shape for the trip, I suggest just riding beforehand as much as you can. We are not exactly big, strong folks, but the riding was not a big issue. It's bike touring, not racing, so we took breaks when we wanted, and stopped to eat or drink as necessary. I probably lost about 7 lbs, maybe ten, and Laura maybe 5. It's because you ride for so many hours, It's hard to determine the effort output. We weren't racing, but it takes some calories to push that tandem for 6-7 hours a day. We ate whatever we wanted, but didn't always find what we wanted.! Fried food is everywhere, fresh food is scarce. It became habit by the end to ride for an hour or two before breakfast, just to break things up. Of course, if there was complimentary breakfast at the motel, we scarfed it. Neither of us had any issues with knees or anything chronic. Give the tandem credit for that.

Overall, it was a great experience. The biggest drawback is the motor traffic. The roads are just not designed for bicycles in most places. Drivers are usually good, and almost are courteous, but the problem is that it only takes one to squash you. By the end,we were knocking on wood that nothing had or would happen. To me, the greatest thing about the whole thing is that it takes you out of your element for awhile. The people we met we'll never forget, nor the places we stayed. Since we've ended the trip, we've talked about it and shake our heads at some of the things we saw. You'd never stay in most of the places we stopped if you had a car because you could just drive on to a spot more in your comfort zone. We ran across a guy in Idaho that had ridden from Virginia and was going to the Pacific, and he told us that “ it may not be the trip of a lifetime, but it is the experience of a lifetime.”

Trip Summary

This is the second post summarizing some thoughts before I forget them. When I get back one of my projects will be to get things in order and maybe print out a copy. More tomorrow.


We found that we could only plan a day or two ahead, there are too many things that might happen to plan ahead any further. The I-phone we had was invaluable. With Google maps we could find any motel in any town, no matter how small. If they are in a phone directory or have a web site, we found it. Coverage was sometimes spotty, but usually we could get to a good spot within an hour or so. Camping is an option for some people, but we need a shower and bed, and rainproof ceiling after riding all day. Besides, usually the campgrounds are out of town and food is an issue. The motels we stayed in ranged from chains like the Fairfield Inn to mom and pop places built in the fifties. The sheets were always clean but the beds were iffy sometimes. We are not too picky, and kind of enjoy a little character, but you never know what you will get. Overall, we were satisfied with what we got almost every time, because after riding all day anything is a luxury.

We would buy a state map at the entry to each state and use that along with our ACA maps of the biking route. After all is said and done, we like our route just as well as theirs. The parkways and major roads are noisy and heavy with traffic, but there is a shoulder. On the side roads, the visibility is less and the curves steeper. With no shoulder on most, we felt uneasy much of the time. So we picked major roads much of the time. We'd put in the I-phone music to cut down on the noise. Although traffic was our major issue, the drivers were generally courteous and respectful of a bike. The trouble is, you never know if the next one that passes you might not clip you. A honking driver is one that you hope you will find in the ditch around the next curve. They have no idea how scary it is to a bicyclist to hear a honking horn at the wrong moment. Do they really want to kill somebody? Coal trucks in Appalachia will appear in my nightmares for months, but I give them credit for not hitting us.

Our clothes were adequate, if minimum. During the first half of the trip, we weren't cold riding, but couldn't go out after the days ride much because we didn't have ski clothes. The last half was always hot, and clothes weren't an issue. We rinsed them out in the motel shower, but they were not always dry in the morning or sometimes we had access to a laundry. Shoes were somewhat of an issue. We had bike shoes and flip flops, which are adequate if you're not going caving or hiking. We actually sent a package forward to Tim because we had too many clothes at one point. For riding the recumbent, you don't need bike shorts or jerseys, so what you have can be used for either riding or evenings. There wasn't much time to do much for us beside ride. We'd get up at 6:30 or so, eat if possible, then ride off and on, with lunch and breaks, until late afternoon. By the time we found a motel, took a shower, found and ate dinner, it would be 8pm or so. I would write the blog while Laura caught up on phone calls or chores. Between watching the Olympics and getting ready and planning for the next day, it would be bedtime by 10:30 or 11:00. That would repeat most days. We tried to take a day off about every 7, but that didn't always work out.

The weather for the first half of the trip, up until Colorado, was horrendous. Windy and cold, it was springtime in the Rockies. I would suggest waiting until maybe June 1 to start from Oregon like we did. The last half of the trip, after July 4, was perfect. We were very lucky, not running into storms or wind. It was hot, but that was not a problem, as we left early to avoid most of it. I'm used to being soaked anyway, so sweating is no big deal. If you want to start a trip across the country early in the year, start from Virginia and go west.

We put almost everything on a Visa card, but carried about $100 or so on us for the places that will not take credit cards. Yes, there are some, and we found them. ATM's are everywhere, so getting more cash is not a problem. I set up all bill paying and such on line, and carried a laptop all the way, so I could check on things. Our home was rented out to our friend Carrie, and she took very good care of our cat, Helen. Planning the trip is tough beforehand, but once you leave there isn't anything you can do about things, so you forget it. I stayed in a little bit of touch by writing the blog, but for the most part we were out of the real world. I have a feeling not much has changed and we will be back in the swing of things quickly.

Orioles

Donald Trump never had it so good. Somehow or other, Dora and Tim obtained tickets to the Orioles/Yankees game on Sunday. I had been saying I wanted to go, and what could be a better reward at the end of a long trip than going to a baseball game with your son. The unusual part of the deal was the luxury suite we had tickets to. After looking for the entrance and seeing the gatekeeper turning people away, Dora approached with our tickets. "Of course you can come in" she said. We walked through the restricted gate into an elevator with our own operator. Fourth floor please. The floor where no one else can go, please. We get off, walk down a hallway to the luxury boxes. Finding the one we're looking for, we enter and see about 15 other lucky or rich folks milling around. A high def tv is on the wall next to the media guides for all the baseball teams. In the corners are two private bathrooms, along the glass walls in front there are doors opening to the 15 or so soft leather chairs facing the field. The really special part was the beer tub full of beer, and the food counter full of gourmet chow. Crab cakes, pizza, brats, wings, filets, a fruit platter, with all kinds of nuts and desserts. If you wanted wine it was there also. We probably could have asked for caviar if we would have wanted. All of it was replenished time after time as we gorged. We walked around in and out of the box to see the game or eat, or watch the replays as we desired. Now I know how the other half lives. The only problem is that when I go to another game tomorrow I will be a regular Joe looking up at the boxes instead of being in one.

The next part of this post is part of the summary of the trip I came up with, somewhat for my memory but also for anyone wanting to read. I have also posted the left out days. Tim showed me the error of my ways and I pulled it out of the computer.

After two days of post ride celebration at Tim and Dora's house, the ride across the country is already starting to feel like past history. I figured that I had better write a summary of the trip now or I might forget half of it. All the opinions are mine, and Laura may have other impressions about any of it. It took two of us to ride but we haven't figured out how to write as a team yet, She may write something later or even better you all can speak to her in person and hear all the stories she has to tell.

When we started back in May, we had some issues with the tandem, and some of them never went away. I wasn't real good at driving, and when someone asked me halfway through the trip if I had bonded with the bike yet, I honestly had to say”not really”. I'm not sure I ever did. It's big, heavy, and hard to handle. In an urban setting it's fairly difficult to find a place to stop and get started easily again. Decisions about stop lights and changing lanes have to be made by me but communicated to her, and she has to blindly follow what I decide. Any input she has will cause confusion, yet if she feels it's important to safety, how can she not say it? We felt much more comfortable by the end, but it's nowhere as easy as being on your own bike. I have to think about shifting gears at every change in grade, yet I'm never really sure if it's the gradient of the road or the change in effort of the pedaling from the back. When she wiggles to take a picture or get something out of the pouch, I feel it and wonder what is going on. Generally there is just much more to think about for me, and it's not as simple as if I was riding by myself. On the other hand, the recumbent tandem is so comfortable that you can ride over a hundred miles per day and get off feeling no sore spots or aches. We can talk to each other, change the music or look at a map, all while riding along. There are no problems with waiting for anyone or feeling like you are getting behind. I know Laura had complaints about not being able to see anything ahead of her. There were many times she wanted a picture but the subject was behind before she saw it. The bike box we carried our stuff in worked like a charm, and although it seemed very heavy to me, balance was good with it on and we didn't notice it at all except for the weight. Hills caused us major problems, maybe because we are wimps, but more probably it's the geometry and weight of the tandem. On a big hill we could only keep about 4mph, and I was very concerned about weaving or wobbling into traffic. With the weight of the bike, which we estimated at about 60lbs, it is very unstable at 4mph. We only had to walk the bike about 5 times. Those hills were about 10-12% grade by my estimation, all in the Appalachians. But riding along on a heavy bike at 4mph is not fun when there are coal trucks around every curve or cars with four teenagers roaring up behind you and honking. Changing tires on the tandem is not easy, because it is big and heavy. Usually there is nothing to lean the bike on, so we had to team up. Normally it's the back tire that flats. I suppose that is because of the weight, causing pinches by rocks. We changed tires in Iowa and had no flats for the last 2000 miles, so I believe in this new brand. For Laura and I or two people like us, overall I would recommend this bike as the only way to make this ride. We make it as a team, I'm not sure it would have worked any other way.

This is enough to read at one sitting, more tomorrow.

Anchors Aweigh

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The first wasp appeared about sunset. We were sitting on the porch of our primitive little cabin, having a few beers we had bought at the convenience store up the road. With the porch light on, it was a cozy little scene, with the cicadas going strong. A different buzzing sound started, and our attention turned to the wasp buzzing around the light. Laura was starting to get worried about more. When two or three of his buddies joined him, we decided to go inside. That's when the fun began. One of the bees came in the door, and was flying madly around the room. Laura was a little more worried. The bees seemed to want the light, and our light was in the ceiling. I climbed on the bed and took a swat with a magazine, stunning him.. As he lay on the floor getting his wits about him, I stomped and stomped. Crisis over. Five minutes or so later we relaxed, and I uncovered the corpse. Much to our surprise, it was still squirming and flapping it's legs and wings. I stomped like I was making wine from grapes, and it finally died. Crisis over. Five minutes later two more of them were flying around the room. There was a way in somehow, and the wasps knew about it. Laura got really worried. It didn't take long to determine that we were not going to sleep in that cabin, especially after I went out to pee and found about 50 bees swarming around the porch light. We bailed, and walked over to the owners house and explained the situation and that we had to be moved. She was not sympathetic, mentioning at one point that she had been doing this for 32 years and “this is the first time I've ever seen this.” Yeah, us too lady. But she did give us a new cabin and we did not hear any more buzzing.

As this was ferry day, we were at the dock at 10:00. The ride over to Smith Island was pretty from the top of the boat. The Chesapeake Bay is popular with the birds, and you see plenty of gulls and heron type fliers. The island is in Maryland, so at some point on the trip we crossed the state line, a big deal to us, but not to the others on the cruise. They charged us $21 each to get on, plus $12 for the bike, which was supposed to be $6 but since it was a tandem she doubled it. I was outraged like last night with the linens, but what can you do. A swim across with Big O just didn't seem possible. We had a nice relaxing day on the island, which is a sleepy, dare I say boring, place with two restaurants and a cake shop. We visited all of them, had some crab cakes, and a piece of real layer cake. The Smith Island cake is now the official state cake of Maryland. It is a ten layer cake, very tasty. The next ferry left at 4pm, so we paid for this one, a more reasonable $12.50 each. They let us take the bike on for no charge, which was a shock. Maneuvering Big O around the ramps to get on and off the boats was interesting, and took help from 3 or 4 people. What a conversation starter. After a 60 minute ride, we arrived in Crisfield, Md. We are now in a motel we found right next to the harbor called the Captain Tyler.

We've been reminiscing over dinner about the summer now that it is coming to an end, The sun set tonight before 8, and there was a slight chill in the air. Coming up with goods and bads is hard, just because the bads always fade. Here is an attempt.