actually reads slightly less than it should because I hadn't set the
wheel diameter correctly.
Sunday, 17 August 2008
The proof...
actually reads slightly less than it should because I hadn't set the
wheel diameter correctly.
Saturday, 16 August 2008
Day 49- Ashland to Yorktown
The end! Finito! Done! Woohoo. The flat terrain today appealed to my
lazy side but the traffic was a bit crazy. Not that there was too much
of it but American drivers refuse to slow down, especially on the
weekend when everyone is rushing to get somewhere relaxing... And even
on roads as narrow as today, where I have nowhere to go as there is no
shoulder, they always want to squeeze past no matter how fat their car
is or how big the one coming the other way is. Idiots. My last 20
miles was then ruined by the "Colonial Parkway", which connects the
three historic towns of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown. Its
surface looks to be as old as the three towns, so rough that my wrists
and elbows soon started hurting from all that rumbling! I made it to
Yorktown all shaken up and with a really sore bum (hadn't mentioned it
in a while but these sores don't go away, they just become part of
everyday life). The tour's official finish was at the victory memorial
in Yorktown. But now I had to get back to Williamsburg, 13 miles away
on the parkway, because none of the motels I called in Yorktown had a
room. Luckily, I found a couple who were just packing up their bikes
in a big SUV who gave me a lift back.
So, here are the statistics:
4,250 miles in 49 days including 3 rest days. So on my riding days I
averaged 92.4 miles per day.
I rode through 10 states on the Transamerica trail (Oregon, Idaho,
Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky,
Virginia) and briefly rode into Washington on my first day.
I rode over 4 mountain ranges: the Cascades, Rockies, Ozarks and
Appalachians.
I don't want to know: how many chocolate bars, burgers, eggs and other
crap I ate; how many gallons of Gatorade/powerade/vitamin water and
milk I drank; the number of close calls with cars and trucks or how
much roadkill I've seen!
Overall, an amazing experience. The way I did everything worked out
perfectly for me, although many people would tour differently. The
people in all states were great, very friendly and helpful all around.
And I love my bike! I think it'll serve me well as a commuter, off-
roader or winter training bike for years to come.
I was planning to ride down to Virginia Beach tomorrow to spend a few
days relaxing at the beach. I figured though that I wouldn't want to
ride 50 miles south just to come back north again a few days later.
Plus, knowing myself, I'll spend at least two days in bed watching
TV... So the beach would be useless. Instead, I'm taking the train to
Richmond (laziness and avoiding weekend traffic!), where I'll spend a
few days relaxing and sightseeing before I head up to Washington DC.
lazy side but the traffic was a bit crazy. Not that there was too much
of it but American drivers refuse to slow down, especially on the
weekend when everyone is rushing to get somewhere relaxing... And even
on roads as narrow as today, where I have nowhere to go as there is no
shoulder, they always want to squeeze past no matter how fat their car
is or how big the one coming the other way is. Idiots. My last 20
miles was then ruined by the "Colonial Parkway", which connects the
three historic towns of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown. Its
surface looks to be as old as the three towns, so rough that my wrists
and elbows soon started hurting from all that rumbling! I made it to
Yorktown all shaken up and with a really sore bum (hadn't mentioned it
in a while but these sores don't go away, they just become part of
everyday life). The tour's official finish was at the victory memorial
in Yorktown. But now I had to get back to Williamsburg, 13 miles away
on the parkway, because none of the motels I called in Yorktown had a
room. Luckily, I found a couple who were just packing up their bikes
in a big SUV who gave me a lift back.
So, here are the statistics:
4,250 miles in 49 days including 3 rest days. So on my riding days I
averaged 92.4 miles per day.
I rode through 10 states on the Transamerica trail (Oregon, Idaho,
Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky,
Virginia) and briefly rode into Washington on my first day.
I rode over 4 mountain ranges: the Cascades, Rockies, Ozarks and
Appalachians.
I don't want to know: how many chocolate bars, burgers, eggs and other
crap I ate; how many gallons of Gatorade/powerade/vitamin water and
milk I drank; the number of close calls with cars and trucks or how
much roadkill I've seen!
Overall, an amazing experience. The way I did everything worked out
perfectly for me, although many people would tour differently. The
people in all states were great, very friendly and helpful all around.
And I love my bike! I think it'll serve me well as a commuter, off-
roader or winter training bike for years to come.
I was planning to ride down to Virginia Beach tomorrow to spend a few
days relaxing at the beach. I figured though that I wouldn't want to
ride 50 miles south just to come back north again a few days later.
Plus, knowing myself, I'll spend at least two days in bed watching
TV... So the beach would be useless. Instead, I'm taking the train to
Richmond (laziness and avoiding weekend traffic!), where I'll spend a
few days relaxing and sightseeing before I head up to Washington DC.
Day 48- Charlottesville to Ashland
It's sad that a) the motel last night didn't offer free wifi or
breakfast, b) my breakfast at Starbucks was probably the best and most
nourishing I've had in a few weeks. Speaking of food, I caught up with
the Dutch guys I met last night after a few miles (I'm not the only
getting slightly late starts!) and I noticed again just how skinny, or
actually malnourished, these two look. It seems plain stupid to me to
let yourself lose that much weight while on tour. It's hard enough to
do this much riding everyday, I think you really have to feed your
body enough to help it recover- which really isn't that hard in the
US, it's the country of cheap and abundant food after all! Although
actually I'm getting kind of sick of American food and how much I need
to eat... Might go on a fruit detox week after the tour! Well, I got
to Ashland without any problems. It's still not completely flat, but
there's not too much climbing so I had quite a relaxed ride. Still on
schedule to make it to Yorktown tomorrow!
breakfast, b) my breakfast at Starbucks was probably the best and most
nourishing I've had in a few weeks. Speaking of food, I caught up with
the Dutch guys I met last night after a few miles (I'm not the only
getting slightly late starts!) and I noticed again just how skinny, or
actually malnourished, these two look. It seems plain stupid to me to
let yourself lose that much weight while on tour. It's hard enough to
do this much riding everyday, I think you really have to feed your
body enough to help it recover- which really isn't that hard in the
US, it's the country of cheap and abundant food after all! Although
actually I'm getting kind of sick of American food and how much I need
to eat... Might go on a fruit detox week after the tour! Well, I got
to Ashland without any problems. It's still not completely flat, but
there's not too much climbing so I had quite a relaxed ride. Still on
schedule to make it to Yorktown tomorrow!
Day 47- Lexington to Charlottesville
The first 20 miles to a little place called Vesuvius already had a
fair amount of steady climbing in it... That was just the warmup
though! The climb from Vesuvius to the top of the Blue Ridge (one of
the two parts of the Appalachian mountains, either the young or old)
was only 3 miles long but very steep. My legs were burning so much,
and I reached a new low speed record- I usually climb at 5-6 mph
(heavy gearing! most touring bikes allow you to climb at down to
2.5mph) but I got down to 3.8mph today. So to go that slow with my
gearing means I was essentially doing very heavy single leg presses,
ouch! Once I got to the top, I rode 25miles along the Blue Ridge
Parkway, a beautiful quiet road with some stunning views of the
mountains and the valley below. I passed two cyclists who I met again
later at the motel- they recognised me after reading Luke's blog, and
told me they were afraid that Luke would catch them up again because
of me! After coming down from the ridge, I ran into another cyclist
and we rode to Charlottesville together. Charlottesville is a really
pretty university town- it actually reminds me of the Harvard area!
Now I've got about 190miles to go to Yorktown, luckily with minimal
amounts of climbing... Oh nearly forgot something again- I'm pretty
certain I finally saw a black bear today! It was walking across the
road about 70m ahead of me, it looked like a cub so I stayed back
because its mum was probably nearby, and you don't want to get in the
way of mummy bear!
fair amount of steady climbing in it... That was just the warmup
though! The climb from Vesuvius to the top of the Blue Ridge (one of
the two parts of the Appalachian mountains, either the young or old)
was only 3 miles long but very steep. My legs were burning so much,
and I reached a new low speed record- I usually climb at 5-6 mph
(heavy gearing! most touring bikes allow you to climb at down to
2.5mph) but I got down to 3.8mph today. So to go that slow with my
gearing means I was essentially doing very heavy single leg presses,
ouch! Once I got to the top, I rode 25miles along the Blue Ridge
Parkway, a beautiful quiet road with some stunning views of the
mountains and the valley below. I passed two cyclists who I met again
later at the motel- they recognised me after reading Luke's blog, and
told me they were afraid that Luke would catch them up again because
of me! After coming down from the ridge, I ran into another cyclist
and we rode to Charlottesville together. Charlottesville is a really
pretty university town- it actually reminds me of the Harvard area!
Now I've got about 190miles to go to Yorktown, luckily with minimal
amounts of climbing... Oh nearly forgot something again- I'm pretty
certain I finally saw a black bear today! It was walking across the
road about 70m ahead of me, it looked like a cub so I stayed back
because its mum was probably nearby, and you don't want to get in the
way of mummy bear!
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Day 46- Christiansburg to Lexington
Had a late start because I stayed up until after midnight watching the
Olympics- Phelps winning another 2 golds and the US women battling the
(scarily tiny!) Chinese team for the gymnastics gold. It's nice to
relax and watch others at work! The day went by slowly as nothing
whatsoever exciting happened. Or maybe I was just a little too tired
to notice. Once I got Lexington, I found a motel and headed over to
Walmart to stock up on sweets- seriously, the looks you get here for
pulling up with a bike are hilarious. I went to get some dinner, and
managed to get back to the motel just as the thunderstorms once again
started up. That means it'll be even cooler tomorrow, brrr!
Olympics- Phelps winning another 2 golds and the US women battling the
(scarily tiny!) Chinese team for the gymnastics gold. It's nice to
relax and watch others at work! The day went by slowly as nothing
whatsoever exciting happened. Or maybe I was just a little too tired
to notice. Once I got Lexington, I found a motel and headed over to
Walmart to stock up on sweets- seriously, the looks you get here for
pulling up with a bike are hilarious. I went to get some dinner, and
managed to get back to the motel just as the thunderstorms once again
started up. That means it'll be even cooler tomorrow, brrr!
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Day 45- Damascus to Christiansburg
Christiansburg = end of section 11. Boy did I tear this section up,
380 miles over 3.5 days of riding! Oh yeah, and through the
Appalachian mountains... Child's play. Well not quite, my thighs did
hurt a bit but again, I still got up every climb just fine. On the
last section, number 12, there are only a few smaller climbs and then
one big ass crazy steep climb left. I'll tackle the big one on
Thursday, it's apparently 4 miles of up to 22% steep climbing... Might
take a while to get up there! I have to mention that the lady at last
night's B&B was just the sweetest thing: she did my laundry for $3,
and it smelt heavenly before I sweated all over it again. She made me
a huge delicious breakfast, and made sure I packed a banana as a
snack. It's people like her that make this trip so much more enjoyable!
380 miles over 3.5 days of riding! Oh yeah, and through the
Appalachian mountains... Child's play. Well not quite, my thighs did
hurt a bit but again, I still got up every climb just fine. On the
last section, number 12, there are only a few smaller climbs and then
one big ass crazy steep climb left. I'll tackle the big one on
Thursday, it's apparently 4 miles of up to 22% steep climbing... Might
take a while to get up there! I have to mention that the lady at last
night's B&B was just the sweetest thing: she did my laundry for $3,
and it smelt heavenly before I sweated all over it again. She made me
a huge delicious breakfast, and made sure I packed a banana as a
snack. It's people like her that make this trip so much more enjoyable!
Monday, 11 August 2008
Day 44- Breaks to Damascus
I took my time over breakfast, because the view from the restaurant
over the canyon was stunning. The fog lifted slowly, and it stayed
cool all day- actually almost too cold, so that I would only sweat on
the hard climbs! Virginia is beautiful, and although some of the
climbs are very steep, I enjoy the riding here a lot. I feel really
strong so I don't mind doing several steep climbs every day. Coming
down the hills is actually really hard work too, as the descents are
steep and have lots of sharp corners so I need to use the brakes
almost constantly! Once I got to Damascus, I went for a quick check up
at a bike store. The brakes needed adjusting after the heavy use
they've been getting! Everything else is in great shape so I'm all set
for the last few days... About 485 miles to Yorktown!
over the canyon was stunning. The fog lifted slowly, and it stayed
cool all day- actually almost too cold, so that I would only sweat on
the hard climbs! Virginia is beautiful, and although some of the
climbs are very steep, I enjoy the riding here a lot. I feel really
strong so I don't mind doing several steep climbs every day. Coming
down the hills is actually really hard work too, as the descents are
steep and have lots of sharp corners so I need to use the brakes
almost constantly! Once I got to Damascus, I went for a quick check up
at a bike store. The brakes needed adjusting after the heavy use
they've been getting! Everything else is in great shape so I'm all set
for the last few days... About 485 miles to Yorktown!
Day 43- Booneville to Breaks State Park
Mission "get out of Kentucky ASAP" was a success. Although honestly,
Kentucky was much more enjoyable than I had expected after hearing so
many horror stories about dogs and people living in trailers. It's a
pretty state, and while it may have many dogs, none of them were
anywhere near as scary as the ones that chased me in Missouri! It
seems people are quite responsible when it comes to keeping aggressive
dogs on a leash/locked up. I slept really well last night, and after a
filling breakfast, felt ready for this long day. There was a lot of
fog this morning but it cleared up quickly. Now, after a 138 mile day,
I am spending the night in Breaks Park, Virginia. It looks to have a
massive canyon in the middle, but it's all overgrown so I couldn't see
too much detail when I got here at dusk. I'll have a shorter day
tomorrow, but there's going to be more climbing up steep hills as I am
now right in the middle of the Appalachian mountains.
Kentucky was much more enjoyable than I had expected after hearing so
many horror stories about dogs and people living in trailers. It's a
pretty state, and while it may have many dogs, none of them were
anywhere near as scary as the ones that chased me in Missouri! It
seems people are quite responsible when it comes to keeping aggressive
dogs on a leash/locked up. I slept really well last night, and after a
filling breakfast, felt ready for this long day. There was a lot of
fog this morning but it cleared up quickly. Now, after a 138 mile day,
I am spending the night in Breaks Park, Virginia. It looks to have a
massive canyon in the middle, but it's all overgrown so I couldn't see
too much detail when I got here at dusk. I'll have a shorter day
tomorrow, but there's going to be more climbing up steep hills as I am
now right in the middle of the Appalachian mountains.
Day 42- Danville to Boonville
I'm going solo for the last week because I want to try to finish in 7
weeks, so I have to average 100miles a day. The boys didn't want to
that because they would feel rushed and they want to take a bit more
time to look around. So I left Danville by myself, rejoined the route
and headed to Berea, where section 10 ended. I went on towards
Booneville on section 11, ready to defend myself against the dogs in
eastern Kentucky. I didn't have too many problems, I had to stop for a
few dogs and I used the Dazer a few times but nothing I couldn't deal
with. Tomorrow, I'll try to get out of Kentucky, so I have a long day
ahead of me- about 135 miles. It should be ok though, there's less
climbing than I had on my last crazy long day. Time to get to bed
though!
weeks, so I have to average 100miles a day. The boys didn't want to
that because they would feel rushed and they want to take a bit more
time to look around. So I left Danville by myself, rejoined the route
and headed to Berea, where section 10 ended. I went on towards
Booneville on section 11, ready to defend myself against the dogs in
eastern Kentucky. I didn't have too many problems, I had to stop for a
few dogs and I used the Dazer a few times but nothing I couldn't deal
with. Tomorrow, I'll try to get out of Kentucky, so I have a long day
ahead of me- about 135 miles. It should be ok though, there's less
climbing than I had on my last crazy long day. Time to get to bed
though!
Saturday, 9 August 2008
Day 41- Sonora to Danville
A bit of cheating going on today as we chose to follow a shortcut
described on someone's blog. It saved us about 20miles so definitely
worth it! We passed Lincoln's birthplace memorial, where they put a
huge stone building around the tiny log cabin he was born in. That's
what I call dedication to preserving history! Nothing noteworthy
happened on the ride but we were having problems getting rooms
somewhere in Danville. We finally got 3 rooms at possibly the most
expensive motel in town, and I had to ask exactly what was going on
around here that would bring in enough people to fill up every motel.
I was told that this weekend, the 127 yard sale is on. A few seconds
silence, blank face, before I asked whether everyone living along
highway 127 was having a yard sale. I was told that yes, everyone who
lives along 127 is doing it. That would be along 600 miles of highway,
and throughout 4 states. Guess that's entertainment in America...
described on someone's blog. It saved us about 20miles so definitely
worth it! We passed Lincoln's birthplace memorial, where they put a
huge stone building around the tiny log cabin he was born in. That's
what I call dedication to preserving history! Nothing noteworthy
happened on the ride but we were having problems getting rooms
somewhere in Danville. We finally got 3 rooms at possibly the most
expensive motel in town, and I had to ask exactly what was going on
around here that would bring in enough people to fill up every motel.
I was told that this weekend, the 127 yard sale is on. A few seconds
silence, blank face, before I asked whether everyone living along
highway 127 was having a yard sale. I was told that yes, everyone who
lives along 127 is doing it. That would be along 600 miles of highway,
and throughout 4 states. Guess that's entertainment in America...
Thursday, 7 August 2008
Day 40- Utica to Sonora
We drove in the truck to Utica to rejoin the route- yes we are too
lazy to ride an extra 9 miles, but after so many thousands of miles
we're looking for the shortest way possible to the east coast. So far,
I have absolutely no complaints about Kentucky. With the temperatures
slightly cooler after the storms moved through, I really enjoyed the
beautiful countryside. A few dogs chased us, but we noticed that all
the aggressive ones are being kept behind fences, in cages or at least
on a short leash by their (responsible!) owners around here. We have
now made our last time zone crossing, so we're on eastern time. The
last 30 miles we rode today took us along a good quiet country road.
Only problem- they haven't quite got round to putting up all the usual
signs, so we're zooming down a hill that's at least 15% grade, when we
realise there's a sharp right curve just ahead of us. Thanks a lot,
Kentucky Department of Transport!
lazy to ride an extra 9 miles, but after so many thousands of miles
we're looking for the shortest way possible to the east coast. So far,
I have absolutely no complaints about Kentucky. With the temperatures
slightly cooler after the storms moved through, I really enjoyed the
beautiful countryside. A few dogs chased us, but we noticed that all
the aggressive ones are being kept behind fences, in cages or at least
on a short leash by their (responsible!) owners around here. We have
now made our last time zone crossing, so we're on eastern time. The
last 30 miles we rode today took us along a good quiet country road.
Only problem- they haven't quite got round to putting up all the usual
signs, so we're zooming down a hill that's at least 15% grade, when we
realise there's a sharp right curve just ahead of us. Thanks a lot,
Kentucky Department of Transport!
Day 39- Elizabethtown to Owensboro
We're off route here in Owensboro because they are just so few motels
on this section of the Transam. We'll have the same problem tomorrow,
so we're planning to ride about 100 miles along the trail and then
ride in the truck to a motel a few miles off route. This morning, we
rode to a little place called Cave In Rock, where we had to take the
ferry to Kentucky. We had breakfast first though, and looked at said
cave in the rock. Once in Kentucky, we still had a lot of miles ahead
of us. This part of Kentucky is actually quite pretty (more rolling
hills) and relatively affluent, so we had almost no dogs chasing us.
On the last 30 miles, big thunder clouds started chasing us east, and
soon enough it started drizzling. Just before we got to Owensboro, it
started raining heavily so by the time we got to the motel, we were
fully drenched. Quite a welcome refreshment! We're now into the last
1,000 miles, and we only have one more state left after Kentucky-
Virginia.
on this section of the Transam. We'll have the same problem tomorrow,
so we're planning to ride about 100 miles along the trail and then
ride in the truck to a motel a few miles off route. This morning, we
rode to a little place called Cave In Rock, where we had to take the
ferry to Kentucky. We had breakfast first though, and looked at said
cave in the rock. Once in Kentucky, we still had a lot of miles ahead
of us. This part of Kentucky is actually quite pretty (more rolling
hills) and relatively affluent, so we had almost no dogs chasing us.
On the last 30 miles, big thunder clouds started chasing us east, and
soon enough it started drizzling. Just before we got to Owensboro, it
started raining heavily so by the time we got to the motel, we were
fully drenched. Quite a welcome refreshment! We're now into the last
1,000 miles, and we only have one more state left after Kentucky-
Virginia.
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Day 38- Murphysboro to Elizabethtown
Our last full day in Illinois, which makes me sad because I like
riding here. The weather has been great, the hills entertaining and
not too challenging, but we'll take the ferry across the Ohio river
tomorrow morning... To face something like 700miles through Kentucky!
We were told to stop by this little cafe for free dessert on the way
today, and they served a great omelette and gave us free milkshakes.
Maybe a few too many calories to have before 11am! The ride to
Elizabethtown was nice but I left the boys behind at the last petrol
station stop because they were faffing around too much. We met at the
hotel after a refreshing shower and went for dinner at a restaurant on
a barge, moored on the Ohio river. Well, I can say I've eaten catfish
fresh from the river, but it was all deep fried and served on plastic.
Classy.
riding here. The weather has been great, the hills entertaining and
not too challenging, but we'll take the ferry across the Ohio river
tomorrow morning... To face something like 700miles through Kentucky!
We were told to stop by this little cafe for free dessert on the way
today, and they served a great omelette and gave us free milkshakes.
Maybe a few too many calories to have before 11am! The ride to
Elizabethtown was nice but I left the boys behind at the last petrol
station stop because they were faffing around too much. We met at the
hotel after a refreshing shower and went for dinner at a restaurant on
a barge, moored on the Ohio river. Well, I can say I've eaten catfish
fresh from the river, but it was all deep fried and served on plastic.
Classy.
Monday, 4 August 2008
Day 37- Farmington to Murphysboro
Luke got stung by a bee or something near his lip yesterday, but the
swelling had gone down by the evening. Overnight however, it started
swelling up again so this morning, we persuaded him to see a doctor
while we were still in a bigger town. He got a steroid shot and rode
in the truck for the first half of the day. Mike and I rode through
eastern Missouri before meeting up with John and Luke near the
Illinois border. There were less hills, the landscape was gorgeous and
there were less dogs- it seems higher income areas don't just have
nicer houses, but nicer dogs too! So coming into Illinois, we crossed
the Mississippi, and took pictures at the state line and the Popeye
statue in Chester, the home of its creator. We chose to head along the
Mississippi levee alternate route, not the main route, and enjoyed a
flat, quiet ride. Sadly, we'll leave Illinois behind in a couple of
days when we head into Kentucky- the only state I really dread riding
through!
swelling had gone down by the evening. Overnight however, it started
swelling up again so this morning, we persuaded him to see a doctor
while we were still in a bigger town. He got a steroid shot and rode
in the truck for the first half of the day. Mike and I rode through
eastern Missouri before meeting up with John and Luke near the
Illinois border. There were less hills, the landscape was gorgeous and
there were less dogs- it seems higher income areas don't just have
nicer houses, but nicer dogs too! So coming into Illinois, we crossed
the Mississippi, and took pictures at the state line and the Popeye
statue in Chester, the home of its creator. We chose to head along the
Mississippi levee alternate route, not the main route, and enjoyed a
flat, quiet ride. Sadly, we'll leave Illinois behind in a couple of
days when we head into Kentucky- the only state I really dread riding
through!
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Day 36- Ellington to Farmington
Worst. Day. Yet. The weather was great, overcast and cool. We didn't
have too many steep climbs in our way, and arrived in Farmington very
early in the afternoon. But the big problem: dogs. Seriously, I'm so
glad the guys are here for physical and mental support, if I was by
myself I'd be close to breaking point or giving up!! So the first
encounter we had was with two dogs that didn't seem too aggressive,
and backed off when we stopped. A few miles on, we were riding down a
hill, Mike was a few hundred metres ahead and the dogs didn't get to
him. But they were ready for attack when I passed by, the whole six-
pack came chasing after me. They came out of nowhere and I was going
fast so all I could do was to keep going and shout at them to f**k
off. That was really all I could take for one day, but we had another
attack. Mike was riding close by, and we saw the two dogs coming out
of a property, so we slowed down and shouted at them. Didn't work
though, they kept chasing and the smaller one bit my pannier!! I still
can't believe it did, so far I've been telling myself that they only
chase because that's what dogs do. Seems biting is also a thing they
like to do. Anyways, after that we stopped and I used my Dazer, they
ran away after that. We'll try to ride close together from now on, and
unless we're going really fast, it seems stopping is the best way to
deal with them. Fingers crossed!
have too many steep climbs in our way, and arrived in Farmington very
early in the afternoon. But the big problem: dogs. Seriously, I'm so
glad the guys are here for physical and mental support, if I was by
myself I'd be close to breaking point or giving up!! So the first
encounter we had was with two dogs that didn't seem too aggressive,
and backed off when we stopped. A few miles on, we were riding down a
hill, Mike was a few hundred metres ahead and the dogs didn't get to
him. But they were ready for attack when I passed by, the whole six-
pack came chasing after me. They came out of nowhere and I was going
fast so all I could do was to keep going and shout at them to f**k
off. That was really all I could take for one day, but we had another
attack. Mike was riding close by, and we saw the two dogs coming out
of a property, so we slowed down and shouted at them. Didn't work
though, they kept chasing and the smaller one bit my pannier!! I still
can't believe it did, so far I've been telling myself that they only
chase because that's what dogs do. Seems biting is also a thing they
like to do. Anyways, after that we stopped and I used my Dazer, they
ran away after that. We'll try to ride close together from now on, and
unless we're going really fast, it seems stopping is the best way to
deal with them. Fingers crossed!
Day 35- Houston to Ellington
What I hate most about Missouri are the useless or even reckless
drivers. I forgot to mention that one nearly skidded into us while we
were stopped by the side of the road yesterday! We were a few feet
away from the edge of the road, but most drivers still went wide
around us or slowed down- not sure why they are almost too careful at
times. Anyways, two cars came around the bend and the one in front
slowed down a lot when they saw us. The car behind it must have missed
that and had to slam on the brakes real hard to avoid running up the
back of that car. He started skidding though, nearly lost control of
the car and came really close to me. I saw this all happen in slow
motion and I was trying to clip out my right pedal so I could move
further over, but didn't manage so I could only lean over to avoid
being knocked out by the mirror. Scary!!! Today, most drivers were
careful and considerate enough, which is particularly important when
there are so many hills blocking the view for anyone trying to
overtake us. I only had a couple of problems with trailers driving
past way too close, but nothing happened. We got to some pretty steep
climbs today, and my lowest gear is too big so I had to almost sprint
up some of them to avoid stopping or falling over. My legs were really
burning, my heartrate got above 180 for the first time on this tour
and hit that mark on every major climb... We have a few more of these
hard climbs coming up tomorrow so we're not planning on going very
far. (69 miles today, about 62 tomorrow) Also, the weather channel
reported 100% humidity for Houston this morning, and even though it
wasn't as hot today, I swear my kit was so wet with sweat that it felt
like I'd been swimming in it! It sure puts every sun screen's "ultra
sweatproof" claim to the test! Oh and we ran into more dogs, most of
them small so I don't worry too much. But two big ones came running
towards me, I stopped which calms them down but as soon as I set off
again, they chased me again. Including a three-legged one!
drivers. I forgot to mention that one nearly skidded into us while we
were stopped by the side of the road yesterday! We were a few feet
away from the edge of the road, but most drivers still went wide
around us or slowed down- not sure why they are almost too careful at
times. Anyways, two cars came around the bend and the one in front
slowed down a lot when they saw us. The car behind it must have missed
that and had to slam on the brakes real hard to avoid running up the
back of that car. He started skidding though, nearly lost control of
the car and came really close to me. I saw this all happen in slow
motion and I was trying to clip out my right pedal so I could move
further over, but didn't manage so I could only lean over to avoid
being knocked out by the mirror. Scary!!! Today, most drivers were
careful and considerate enough, which is particularly important when
there are so many hills blocking the view for anyone trying to
overtake us. I only had a couple of problems with trailers driving
past way too close, but nothing happened. We got to some pretty steep
climbs today, and my lowest gear is too big so I had to almost sprint
up some of them to avoid stopping or falling over. My legs were really
burning, my heartrate got above 180 for the first time on this tour
and hit that mark on every major climb... We have a few more of these
hard climbs coming up tomorrow so we're not planning on going very
far. (69 miles today, about 62 tomorrow) Also, the weather channel
reported 100% humidity for Houston this morning, and even though it
wasn't as hot today, I swear my kit was so wet with sweat that it felt
like I'd been swimming in it! It sure puts every sun screen's "ultra
sweatproof" claim to the test! Oh and we ran into more dogs, most of
them small so I don't worry too much. But two big ones came running
towards me, I stopped which calms them down but as soon as I set off
again, they chased me again. Including a three-legged one!
Friday, 1 August 2008
Day 34- Marshfield to Houston
Yes, we are lost, we are in Houston, Texas. Kidding. We are in
Houston, Texas county, Missouri. No prizes for guessing where these
people came from! We didn't ride very far today, as we figured we
should maybe not attempt 100 mile days up and down these hills. And in
this combination of heat and humidity! I felt pretty dehydrated, plus
I didn't sleep too well last night. That won't be the case tonight!
Well, we've only been in Missouri for two days and we're about halfway
through the state. We've stocked up on lots of energy drinks to help
us through the mountains and into Illinois...
Houston, Texas county, Missouri. No prizes for guessing where these
people came from! We didn't ride very far today, as we figured we
should maybe not attempt 100 mile days up and down these hills. And in
this combination of heat and humidity! I felt pretty dehydrated, plus
I didn't sleep too well last night. That won't be the case tonight!
Well, we've only been in Missouri for two days and we're about halfway
through the state. We've stocked up on lots of energy drinks to help
us through the mountains and into Illinois...
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