one hundred eighty eight

NIGHT AT THE RACES

I reached Chicago Friday afternoon. I slept in a real bed and used inside plumbing at an old friends home. John and Debbie are old friends from Ohio and Phoenix. 

My bike needed some new parts in Omaha. The trip across Iowa was a learning experience because if the truly bad riding conditions. Not one road had a paved shoulder except for I-80 which restricts bicycles. 

A week ago Friday I had a great night at the local mud track car race. I was searching for a restaurant which had closed when I ran into a young farmer who offered me water. 

I asked about the race cars in tow I had seen throughout the day. He said there was a race in the next town 25 miles away. Then he asked if I wanted to go, this was the second time this exact thing happened. 

I camped most of Iowa and Illinois, only one rainy night and one awful day of headwinds. This is absolutely beautiful farm country. I’m glad so many of you are following my blog, I feel like I'm not so alone. Thanks to everyone who posted a comment, keep it up.

one hundred eighty seven

MAKING PEACE WITH THE VOICES

I have had just about enough solitude. I'm again bonded enough to communicate with cattle. My MP3 player broke, no radio, or cell phone and endless distances between anything man made. 

One good thing I've made peace with the voices in my head.

one hundred eighty six

MORNING FROST

I like this picture now that I'm warm, it was a cold morning in Utah.

one hundred eighty five

SHOP LOCAL

700 miles and no Walmart, now that's country. The only store for thirty miles was owned by a young couple who also farmed nearby. It is refreshing to find small America. 

The cash register was a metal box that I think was made for fishing tackle. and ran on the honor system. This place had an innocence that is lost in our big cities. No locked cars, alarm systems, or impatient words. It was worth the ride to know tis still exists.

one hundred eighty four

YOU CANNOT COMPREHEND HOW THIS TASTES

Heavy fuel for Highway 50, the loneliest highway through Nevada. I have an all new concept of BIG. This place is harsh and baron, but I find is amazingly soothing.

one hundred eighty three

NO ONE CAN SEE YOU PUSH IT

The mountain passes were still white and cold. At 7000 ft and over you feel it. No matter how conditioned you are it takes a toll on your lungs. Especially this 55 year set I have. 

I discovered I can sit and spin up the mountain at 4.5 mph or I can get off and push it at 3.3 mph. I'm not embarrassed to say I pushed it over the top.

It's not that you get out of breath, you just feel weak and wimpy. Now that I am again at sub 2000 ft I feel much stronger. I cranked out seven 100 plus days and still had some kick when I arrived in Omaha. 

I will assess the next move in Chicago and head for Boston or Key West Florida.

one hundred eighty two

HAVING THE RIGHT GEAR

A cold night in a free off road Utah campsite near Bryce Canyon. The smell of Sage brush and sub freezing temperatures. 

I have a warm tent, cozy bedding, hot coffee and Top Raman noddles. I doesn't get much better then this.

Having the right gear makes all of the difference at 17 degrees.

one hundred eighty one

BACK TO CIVILIZATION

The motel selection is slim to none, but $59 is beyond my price range. I'll camp tonight then make Omaha tomorrow and sleep in a bed.

The next day I made Omaha after pounding out seven 100 mile days. After I finished the mountains I hit flat ground and a breathable air.  I feel good but the bike needs a little work. 

I’m at the 2200 mile mark, more than half way to Boston, but the thoughts of heading to Florida are tempting. I’ll stay here through Sunday to catch up with a longtime friend and his family. I see many of you have watched my progress. Thanks.

one hundred eighty

CRACKED WATER BOTTLE

Utah near Bryce Canyon last night it was 17 degrees over night in the higher altitudes. I will be on the road early tomorrow to get warm. I'm getting in the groove now after the first 1000 miles in the saddle. I lost a water bottle because it cracked from the sub freezing temperature. 

one hundred seventy nine

FELLOW TRAVELERS

I bumped into these guys back in Davis California. We had no idea we would meet again. We camped together twice in Nevada. We did not ride together. The would rabbit off in the morning and I would drag into where they were camping three hours later.

They were from London and were heading to New York City. The conversations were interesting, youth meets old fart. 

I did fine one other hats and returned it in Kansas. I saw their bikes in front of a restaurant. I walked in, haded him his hat and headed down the road. They made it to New York about the same time I made it to New Hampshire.  

one hundred seventy eight

FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH HELPFUL STRANGERS

I'm in California waiting for the snow in Mormon Pass to melt.  A wonderful couple stopped me and warmed me of the snow closings. They offered me their home for as long as needed. In fact they dropped me off and headed out for a bicycle ride. I was alone in a total stranger’s home, taking a shower, using their computer, and watching TV. I will never understand the kindness of strangers. This trip has surpassed all of my dreams so far.

one hundred seventy seven

WINTER COMES TO THE PUGET SOUND

I stayed with these people on the way north. Winter came and they sent these photos. They were taken from their beautiful home. 

one hundred seventy six

This is where I sit and post, well I wish. This is a beautiful home in Washington, I was fortunate to be invited in.

one hundred seventy five

The third floor game room. I can only imagine enjoying a winter day in this place. Watching a football game on the big screen, a warm fire in the gas fireplace, adult beverages (coffee for me), and good friends. The beauty of the Puget sound would pass the time between shots.

one hundred seventy four

A view from the ferry ride to the main land. The three story house in the center is where I stayed the night.

one hundred seventy three

The water was very clear. If you look closely you can see Salmon.

one hundred seventy two

This was taken from the Clinton Island shore. I watched this ferry make dozens of trips. Tomorrow I will be on board heading for Seattle.

one hundred seventy one

The begining of the ferry ride.

one hundred seventy

My bike is in the bottom right of the picture. The guy above was yelling something about being the king of the world.

one hundred sixty nine

SECURED FOR ROUGH SEAS

My bike was secured for the ferry ride. I made sure my helmet was also secure because on the east coast I almost lost it when it blew out of the back of the boat. 

Some nice people in a small fishing boat plucked it out of the water and found me. I had no idea what had happened to it until I heard them yelling. I was just about to head to the next town to buy a new one. Like I said before, people are really nice.