Actually, this is just day 34 extended. I only rode 15 (25 km) miles today, just down into town for a nice breakfast with the local ham radio population and then over to the Atlantic Ocean to dip my wheels. I also managed to dip my feet and shoes. The waves were very unpredictable and try as I might, there was no avoiding the waves. The water temperature was actually quite nice and swim-able.
This brings to an official end the coast-to-coast bicycle ride. I found it tougher than hiking the whole Appalachian Trail. Was it because I was riding a fully loaded touring bike? Was it because I was 11 years older (71)? Or, is it just a tough ride? I’ll never be certain. New England was, without a doubt, the toughest part of the ride. All those ups and downs from Troy, NY on were killers. The roads in Massachusetts were challenging and dangerous. The drivers were okay, the road surface on MA119 was abominable. Whoever is responsible for maintaining that road should be replaced.
In all, I was thrilled to be fortunate enough to live long enough to complete this ride. I’ve seen things that I would have never seen from an automobile and wouldn’t trade that for anything. The joy of seeing a mountain lion run out in front of me, to see stars like nowhere else in Montana, to experience the desert heat and storms, and to meet truly interesting people made it all worth it. Maybe you don’t have time for such an epic ride, but even a few short days on a local trip can bring many joys that you’ll never experience in an automobile.
The bottom line is: get out there and do things. Turn off the television, get away from the computer and experience the world…the clock is ticking.
I stopped at Bob Lobster and had a clam chowder for lunch. Bob Lobster is one of these local New England seafood places that have dynamite food and fresh seafood. I ate outside, at the picnic tables, and enjoyed the sun, air and the roar of jet engines.
Just up the road is the Plum Island Airport. This tiny airport is for small aircraft. Every year, around this time, they close the airport to regular air traffic and have a celebration of small, radio controlled aircraft. Today, in addition to some spectacular propeller aircraft, they had several jets. These are actual jet aircraft, about six feet (two meters) long. It was fascinating to see these things roar through the sky. I had never seen the hobby jets in action, they look just like the real thing. People were having a really good time.
I’ll spend a bit more time in Massachusetts, then head back home to Sarasota, Florida. I will continue to post things related to this trip, as well as long-distance bicycle touring in general. Thanks for following along, I hope you have enjoyed this and do leave comments, I love to hear from folks.
Speaking of comments, I have one follower that, for whatever reason, has not been able to post comments. I’m going to close today with a comment that the follower sent via email, I think it sums things up:
“Dennis, You’ve endured mountains, deserts, plains, extreme heat, vicious attacks from the air, rough shoulders, Amish drag racers, Canada! (The horror, the horror), Rain, cold, and the loss of at least one tooth.
Wallyworld better not be closed when you get there.”
Tired, wet, cold, exhausted, yet satisfied it is almost over. I still have to go dip a wheel in the Atlantic.
Arrived at my daughter, Áine and son-in-law’s home at 17:05 after 39.54 miles (64 km). The trip total is 4091.62 miles, or 6585 km.
I set out from Nashua, NH late in the morning, figuring there was no rush. I forgot to check the weather forecast. Around Salem, NH it started to get colder and started raining. Even though I am familiar with the area, I decided to use the GPS to find the shortest route.
I haven’t lived here in many years and there are all sorts of new residential areas. Using the GPS bicycle navigation it took me through many areas I wasn’t familiar with. As the rain intensified, the raindrops started hitting the phone/GPS screen and acted as finger taps. I would look down and see a map of the world with a little red spot showing I was in the United States, or it would have opened some other app, such as Solitaire. It was getting useless, so I carried the phone in my rain coat pocket.
It would mumble something about “GPS signal lost.” I took to taking the phone out, restarting GPS, memorizing the next few miles and then putting it away. This really slowed progress.
When I arrived in Haverhill, MA, it was a downpour. Suddenly, something splashed into my right eye and I couldn’t see a thing. I’m figuring some toxic waste from the road had blinded me. It was burning like hell. Then I realized that I had not ridden in the rain for some weeks. All my dried sweat had accumulated in my helmet and the water was now releasing it, it would then drip down into my face and eyes. I cannot describe how painful it was, totally blinding me. I pulled over and wiped out what I could. With all the potholes and puddles, I needed keen eyesight, it could have proved dangerous.
Even though I had a good breakfast at a Paneras and stopped for a BLT at an IHOP, I was running low on energy. My body, for the last few days, was begging me to stop. I kept going but found that I was getting off the bike and pushing it up the smallest hills, I just had nothing left. It is fortunate that this trip is coming to a close, if not, I could see having to take a week off to build up my strength again. This wasn’t such a problem when I was younger, am I getting old? Perhaps? Naw, couldn’t be. Maybe I’m just getting over that cold I had.
When I was about a mile from Áine’s home a road crossing had a sign that said the road was closed, the bridge was out. I was tempted to ride down and see if I could get across with a bicycle (I know the bridge) but decided to ride around the lake. I just couldn’t fathom having to come back up from the bridge, so added another three miles (5 km) to the ride. So be it, I was too tired to argue with myself.
Me, consulting with rest and sleep master, “Midnight.” When it comes to sleep, he is an expert.
I let myself into the house. The dog was glad to see me, but the cat (Midnight) was absolutely thrilled. What a strange twist, it is usually the other way around. In any case, following some rest, I will continue with this story in another post. I’m too tired to continue.
The day started out cool and sunny in Brattleboro, VT. It was a quick ride down a very steep hill to the bridge crossing the Connecticut River into New Hampshire. I decided that, for the most part, I would just follow NH119 east. It was a good choice, the road surface was excellent, with plenty of shoulder room. Unfortunately, until I reached Fitzwilliam, NH it was very much like the road out of Bennington, VT, lots of climbing and running out of breath.
Jack, W1PFZ, welcoming me to the east coast. We had never met in person, only via ham radio.
About 13 miles along, I spotted a fellow on the other side of the road standing next to his vehicle and waving his arms at me. For whatever reason, I somehow suspected it was a ham radio friend that I had never met in person, Jack, W1PFZ. Sure enough, he had been following my postings here and calculated where he thought I might be. He drove up with Ann (sp?) from Ashburnham, MA just to be my personal welcoming party to the east coast. How cool is that? Hams are like that, I wonder if there is a medication for it?
After Fitzwilliam, I continued east on NH119 and the road became more level. Of course, by then, my energy was sapped. A typical ride on level ground with just the weight of the bike is around 3400 calories for a 70-mile ride. I would venture that the first twenty miles of today’s ride burned that much. Judging by my serious weight loss, I suspect I’m not too far off the mark. By the end of the day, my legs are rubber. These New England hills are the toughest part of the coast-to-coast ride. My daughter, Aine, said the same thing when she did this ride.
I’ve been seeing groups of 10-20 turkeys everywhere I go. They usually scatter before I can get a good photo. I hope they get the memo about Thanksgiving.
When I was a kid in Connecticut, I rarely saw any wild turkeys. They were practically extinct in the region. Through care and concern, they have been brought back, and they have certainly recovered. In NY and New England, I am seeing them everywhere, in huge numbers. I would venture that on today’s ride I’ve seen at least 2000 birds. I laughed when, a few weeks back, I saw a bear chasing a turkey, to no avail. The wild turkey, unlike its domestic relative, is very cagey and smart, the bear never had a chance.
NH119 turned into MA119 in Massachusetts. It became a pothole hell. It was actually dangerous on a bicycle, motorcycle, or in a small car with narrow tires. Some of the holes were a foot deep and I really had to watch for them. Going 40 MPH (65 km/h) downhill, with tearing eyes, it became a dangerous game. At one point, as a car was passing, I had to revert to my old mountain bike talents and force the bicycle to “jump” over a very deep hole at top speed. I just cleared the pothole. Had I gone into it there would have been serious rim damage, or worse. I should have taken a photo. The pothole, one of the thousands, was at least a 3-4 feet (1 m) across and a foot (.33 m) deep.
Later, in a restaurant, I saw a politician in a campaign ad claiming to have cut taxes in Massachusetts (I think it was the current governor, Charlie Baker). I’d love to invite him to ride MA119 with me across the state. If he survived it, he’d be less inclined to brag about cutting taxes and subsequently, cutting road maintenance. Sorry if I vent on this, but this is outright dangerous and when they cut taxes, they should explain what else gets cut…there is no free lunch. I’ll bet automobile front-end business is thriving.
I really wanted to make it to the Nashua, NH area for the evening. This would put me in a good spot to finish the next day in Newburyport, MA. I pushed on as the sun got lower and lower. It finally started getting dark enough that I had to turn on my headlamp and three rear lights. At around 19:15 I rolled into a Motel 6 on Spit Brook Rd, Nashua, NH and found that they did in fact, “Leave the light on,” for me. I don’t know what the temperature was, but several folks asked me if I was cold, the locals thought it was cold. When working that hard, I must admit, I didn’t even notice.
It was a 72 mile (120 km) day. I was spent, but happy. I put the bike in the room, walked out for an evening meal and was asleep by 22:00. In all, it was a good day. Tomorrow, it is on to Newburyport.
Sometimes the canal towpath is well marked, such as with this sign. Other times there is no sign at all, or it is so faded as to be unreadable.
An easy 23 mile (39 km) day. I rode from Weedsport to Syracuse in good weather. My GPS was actually working and allowed me to find the car rental place without difficulty. The original rental (on line) showed some sort of small SUV, I ended up with an Altima sedan, it was supposedly an upgrade, but putting a bicycle in it looked daunting.
Fortunately, the rear seats folded down. We couldn’t figure out how to bring down the driver’s side rear-seat and the rep had to run off. I finally looked in the manual and found there is a strap hanging down when one opens the trunk, pulling on it released the seat.
The opening wasn’t quite wide enough to load the bike into the car. Once I removed the bicycle’s seat, I was able to get it in…barely. After about an hour, I was good to go.
I’ll skip the next few days, except for a few important things. I went to my daughter’s in Newburyport, MA. As planned, Jane (my spouse) was to arrive there and I did meet her as planned. On Saturday night, we attended a friend’s wedding. While dancing, Jane managed to injure her knee with a meniscus tear. While dancing she claimed she heard something “pop.” Additionally, she was wearing awful shoes for walking and dancing. All the stressed added up.
Lessons on how to destroy a left knee.
She walked out to the car without much pain, but by the time we returned to our daughter’s place, she had difficulty getting out of the car and winced at every little move. I felt she should get it looked at, but she was concerned about catching her plane back to Florida the next morning. We went to bed and at around 1 am, we got up and headed to the Anna Jaques hospital emergency room. As luck would have it, our son-in-law had a walker and it allowed Jane to make it to the car. Without it, I think it would have been an ambulance ride, what with stairways and all. At this point she was in extreme pain.
The staff at the hospital were excellent and, following an X-ray, determined it was the meniscus tear. They gave her crutches and lessons and a leg support and sent us home. She did manage to make her flight to Florida, although Homeland gave her the going over because she had to be a terrorist wearing a leg brace. Go figure. She brought along the hospital paperwork, just in case, but I guess that wasn’t good enough.
The bike fully loaded. I’ve abandoned the yellow tent on the back, and the sleeping pad under it and the contents of the left pannier (the radio gear). The bag on the front is now in the left pannier.
After sending Jane off I faced a decision. I had tried to convince her that I should postpone the ride again and go back to Florida to help her. She INSISTED that I continue. I agreed but felt that I should make haste to finish. With that in mind, I have jettisoned my tent, sleeping mat and, this is painful: my ham radio station. This lightened the load by twenty-two pounds (10 kg). My thinking is I will be able to travel quicker in the mountains ahead and I won’t really have time to stop for leisurely radio operation. I know this will be disappointing for my ham radio friends, but such is life. I will promise, when I get to Newburyport, MA to fire up the radio (letting everyone know in advance) and contact those of you that have missed me thus-far. After that I will ride the bike down to the Atlantic Ocean and do the traditional “wheel dip.” Oddly, it won’t be with the same bike I started with, I totaled it in Minnesota.
I returned to Syracuse, NY on Monday. After dropping of the rental car, I again headed east. The GPS guided me through all the Syracuse back streets and in no time, I was back on the Eire Canal towpath. The day was sunny and very windy, but the towpath has so many trees around it that the first forty miles (65 km) were relatively easy. I decided I would go to a Best Western motel that I had stayed in the night before, in Utica, NY. It was 65 miles (103 km) and would be a good destination. Little did I know the last 25 miles (40 km) would, you guessed it, have severe headwinds. I had started around noon and figured I would make it well before nightfall, but my speed cut to half, the wind was getting worse and worse.
At one point, there was a big gust and I heard a sharp crack and the top of a tree snapped off and landed right in front of me! I stopped with about 20 feet to spare (6 m).
This tree top crashed, right in front of me. I had already removed a bunch of it when it occurred to me that I should take a photo. I laid the bike on its side because it doesn’t have a kickstand.
The sun kept getting lower and lower and I was racing to beat the darkness. The GPS indicated I was getting close. It was getting colder and darker. I finally came upon Harbor Lock, and knew that I had less than a mile to go. I couldn’t find my way across the lock. There was a sign that told me to walk my bike across the lock, but I could see where. I looked downstream and saw the other lock wall, so I rode down there and it was chained off. I pushed the bike up to the original spot and spied a walkway across the lock that wasn’t visible from the approach. I pushed the bike across, put on a heavier jacket and turned on all my lights. It was now totally dark.
Finally, with much relief, I arrived at my destination. I got a room and went in and turned on the heat. I’m not one for much heat, but in this case it felt fabulous.
After calling Jane to check up on her, I was off to bed. All night long I could hear the wind howling and rain pounding on the roof, I was thrilled to be indoors.
Tony, the hotel receptionist, told me I would be in “C” section. I wondered if that is where they keep all the pregnant guests?
The next morning the rain was still pounding, the wind was still blowing and I decided that it would be best to just hunker down for the day. I slept most of the day. As I write this, it is the second evening and I feel like I caught up on some much-needed rest. I’ve had the sniffles all day, I probably caught something at the wedding. Hopefully, tomorrow my head will clear and the weather will clear. Predictions are for thunderstorms. Hopefully, I can ride between them and take shelter when needed. At least they may change the wind direction. Once, just once, a tailwind would be very welcome. We’ll see.
Today was only a 45.31 mile (73 km) day. I was feeling better than yesterday, but no ball of fire. With the heat still persisting, I quit early and took a long, late afternoon nap.
I noticed some interesting street art today. It referred to “Clinton’s Ditch,” the original name for the Eire Canal. A fellow by the name of Clinton seems to have proposed building the canal back in 1699. Eighty years later they took action and actually started working on it. There was the original canal, and then later it was widened and eventually widened again to the present dimensions. It was a historic achievement, especially considering that everything back then was manual labor and animal power.
My ride today was through hot weather again. I’m planning on taking a few days off to go to a family event. I’ll be renting a car and leaving the trail and then will return to where I leave off, probably around Syracuse, NY. My goal today was to mak e it to near Syracuse so I will have a short ride to gather up the car. The remnants of Hurricane Florence are supposed to blow through tonight (it is raining as I write this) and then clear in the morning. I have about 22 miles to ride to the rental car. I’m actually looking forward to some time off. I have used up far more body fat than I thought I would by this point, the rest and eating should do some important restoration so I can attack the last few miles with vigor. I’ve been a wimp the last few days.
The canal is only about four feet deep (1.3 m) and about 80 feet (14 m) wide. It is an extremely popular place, with all sorts of party boats, and residences along it. They’ve done a good job of keeping residences to a minimum. I’m certain, if unrestricted, there wouldn’t be an inch without a building. As it is, one rides for many, many miles at a time without any sign of homes, etc. It is quite bucolic and scenic.
Tomorrow I will pick up the rental car in the afternoon and head over to Massachusetts. Maybe I can get my tooth repaired while there, that is a big question mark. In any case, early next week I should be back on the ride…stay tuned and thanks for following. I’ll be watching for comments while away.
A vehicle is has been rented and the bike tires are replaced—this trip is going to happen. Jane returns home from being up north on Sunday and we need some time together, so I’ve delayed leaving by another day. I should be riding on Thursday, 23 August, 2018.
I’ve checked out the tent, the cold weather gear, new riding shoes, the new rear panniers and the ham radio station and everything is as ready as it can be. I’ll start out a bit slowly because I am about five pounds (two kg+) over what I like to be.
The good news is the terrain, at least until I reach Vermont, should be reasonably flat. Vermont, NH, and MA are at the right side of the map:
The bike weighs about the same as before, around 85 pounds (39 kg), fully loaded. By the time I hit Vermont, I should be back in shape for those climbs. My daughter, Áine, warned me that the biggest climbs of the entire trip, from Oregon to Massachusetts are in Vermont. Who knew? One would think the Rockies would be the issue. She accomplished this ride just after graduating from high school. She makes me feel like a wimp.
As usual, I will operate the ham radio station in the evenings, when camped. I also get on the air when staying at hotels by going out to nearby parks and setting up at picnic tables or the like. Sometimes hotels have a convenient place to do so. If I have WiFi, I will send out a Tweet from @K1YPP to let the ham radio world know where to find me.
I recall one time in Vermont, I was out in the back of the hostel on a deck. I had the radio on, talking with a fellow in Pennsylvania. I was wearing headphones and it was very dark. It was then I realized that I was sitting right next to the gas grill that had been used to cook salmon and steaks just a few hours earlier. I was deep in bear country. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.
Follow along and let’s see where this next adventure leads.
It looks like, if things go well, I could be on the road again around the 8th of August, 2018. The bike is almost ready, I just need to change the tires, the replacements have arrived. The following photo is a page from AAA magazine, they came and rescued me when I crashed in Minnesota.
The Florida weather has been terribly hot this summer so most of my riding has been around midnight. In the summer there is practically zero traffic at that hour and I don’t have to suffer the sun’s intense rays. In a twenty-mile ride I may see only two cars and one a police car.
My ham radio friends will be interested to know that I will have my radio station with me. I’ve been exercising it lately and everything seems to be in good working order. Radio conditions are not great, but I have to take what nature throws at me.
Anyway, just wanted to bring things up to date. I will be starting around Stacy, MN, then over to WI, then the ferry across Lake Michigan, MI, up into Canada, dropping down to Buffalo, NY, then across NY, into VT, NH and at long last MA and onto Newburyport, MA. Stay tuned.
Hi All: Just a quick update. I’m still alive and celebrated my 71st birthday on Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day. The really good news is, unless something prevents me from doing so, I am planning on getting back on the road this summer.
The current plan is to load up the bicycle in a rental car around 6 August, 2018, get up to around Stacy, Minnesota and start riding. With luck, and good weather my route should take me through the last few miles of MN, then into Wisconsin. From there I’ll hop the ferry from Manitowoc Port, to Ludington, Michigan. I’ll wander across Michigan to the Detroit/Windsor crossing into Canada and then ride east to the Rainbow Bridge crossing from Canada into NY. I’ll certainly visit my cousin in the Buffalo, NY area and then move on to cross NY into Vermont, New Hampshire and finally Massachusetts.
I’m told by my daughter, Áine, that I face the toughest hill climb of the entire journey going into NH. One would think the Cascades or Rocky Mountains would garner that honor. Who knew?
That is the quick update. Hopefully, more to follow soon.
Life has a way of getting in the way. Originally, it was my plan to return to the ride later this summer (2017). In the interim, there have been a few life changes that will, once again, postpone things.
Jane and I have decided to sell our home and move to something requiring less maintenance. All this traveling and keeping up a home does not go well together. At our age, the traveling takes precedence over mowing lawns and fixing plumbing.
In addition, we have a rental property that we’re selling, for the same reasons. We’re closing on a home to move into, a manufactured home at a local mobile home park. It needs work, but, once done, we can get on with our lives. Of course, a home of that nature isn’t as solid as what we have now and we could end up like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz in a tornado, or hurricane. It is a chance we’ll have to take.
The closings for the properties we are selling will happen in August and September. That, and moving, precludes any bike adventures for the time being. Currently, I go out for midnight rides and will continue until the weather cools. It is just too hot here in Sarasota in the summer to ride during the day. Additionally, there is absolutely no traffic late at night. With a powerful headlamp, tree frogs singing and no traffic, what’s not to like?
This puts finishing the bicycle ride out to next summer. I’m hoping that July will be the right time. I could go earlier, but May or June can be chilly and rainy up north, so why push it? Any suggestions on places that I should stop and see along the way? The tentative route is flexible:
