The Land of the Above-Ground Swimming Pools

Leaving Cleveland. 

Everybody's got their own above-ground pool. Or personal pond. It's crazy.

Tuesday morning we woke up to some ominous clouds overhead and a forecast of thunderstorms for the day. Because the Cleveland Hostel was such a nice place, and cheap, we thought about taking a rest day. After crunching some numbers, we realized we're already a full day ahead of schedule. So, Dad said, "I'm done being wishy-washy, we're taking a rest day" as well as "I'm off the fence, enjoy your day off".

It's the land of above-ground pools.

Love those DQ gift cards. Thanks, Darin.

So we lounged around for a bit, until dad came back upstairs from the front desk to report that the only room that was available for Tuesday night only had one bed.

The excitement over a rest day plummeted. So we packed up and grudgingly headed out of Cleveland. At least we were able to take a short day of only 44 miles. Along the way we met a couple who was also touring, and convinced them to book the open room at the hostel. At least they were appreciative.

We also met a British guy at lunch who was apparently touring through all 48 states, no bike shorts, no helmet, just a camo baseball cap. So I guess he's more hardcore than us.

Biking through the corn.

Outrunning that storm.

Most of that day was spent trying to outrun a storm. After getting rained on while riding (again) we ended up taking shelter at a laundromat while the rain really started pouring down. As soon as it let up, we raced to Firefly Beach where we got the cash discount for a "cottage" and food at the tavern nearby. Thankfully we had a roof, because it rained all night long.

BGSU

The next day we rode out to Bowling Green, Ohio, still trying to outrun storms. We avoided some rain at a Subway for a while, then took off to beat the rest. We pushed through the last 20 miles in only an hour, which is flying with a fully loaded bike. Once in Bowling Green, we stayed with Matt, Heidi, Elizabeth, and Noah, a family who offered us food and a shower and a chance to camp in their backyard. We were lucky to get the chance to spend a night in their company. The hospitality we've received has been incredible.

Everyone in Ohio keeps seeing our "OREGON" sign on the back of the trailer and asking "are you going to Oregon, Ohio, or Oregon, the state?"Apparently Oregon, Ohio is a big destination for cyclists..?

The next morning we took a brief bicycle tour of Bowling Green State University, then headed out. Dad really wanted to go 90 miles because apparently there was free camping in Monroeville for cyclists.

So of course, we went 93 and made it all the way to Monroeville, Indiana. It was an exhausting day, but in the end we were all happy we had made it. Even got to see the Campbell's factory in Napoleon, Ohio. The Monroeville city park had a community center/shelter thing that was opened up for us to sleep in and shower in, and the town was super friendly to cyclists. It even had a Whippy Dip for ice cream! Such a wonderful place.  Bravo, Monroeville - well done.

Indiana did not greet us with a "welcome to" sign. Extraordinarily disappointing.

This morning we slept in since we rode so much yesterday and have ended up off route in Wabash 68 miles later. There was no where good to camp after Monroeville, so we're in a cheap motel.

Failed sign, failed jump. Welcome to Indiana.

Mom got the first official tire flat of the trip today! Luckily it wasn't bad enough to stop us for long.

We also made friends with a guy named Ben from Rhode Island today. We got to ride with him and he followed us off route here to Wabash for a while. The motel we're in has an outdoor pool, the highlight of our night. It's finally getting to be a little too hot to be pleasant riding temperature, and that pool tonight was just right.

Money found: $0.00

Roadkill Report: Bird, Disgusting Snake, Squirrel, Deer, Raccoon, Twin Raccoons, Deer, Possum

Wabash Cannonball!

What's high in the middle and round on both ends?

On Lake Erie

Friday night was a late one. Since we didn't get to the hotel until 7:30, and no food until 8:30, we were up pretty late for bike tour standards.

Biking selfies.

Therefore, we slept in really late Saturday morning. We were all barely out of bed by 9:30, then took our time and ate as much complimentary breakfast as the hotel would allow. Leaving time was about 11:30, but the extra rest was definitely welcomed.

Thankfully we were cruising right along for Saturday's mileage. We had a big tailwind again today, and a perfect temperature of 70 degrees. Sleeping in didn't get us to camp any later than starting earlier has in the past.

The roads were a little rough today, but we had nice views of Lake Erie along the route. We even got to stay in the comfort of a KOA at night. We were in the city of Barcelona. New York, not Spain, unfortunately. It was a 69 mile day.

State #5!

On Sunday morning, Mom rolled out of the campground and turned East, apparently not remembering which way we had been going. So we had a false start and do-over in the morning, but otherwise easy riding with yet another big tailwind.

State #6, cheerleader-style

We hit three states in one day, leaving New York, passing through Pennsylvania for about 40 miles, and then reaching Ohio before we stopped. Sunday gave us one last tailwind day, which landed the family at camp a bit early. In an attempt to keep up with cross-country training, Shelby and I tried to run a measly three miles. After biking 69, the legs just weren't really willing to do anything but spin in a circle.

This morning we woke up to slugs all over our shoes from the campground, which was pretty gross. We biked into Cleveland today. The suburbs of Cleveland stretch on for miles, so today was a lot of urban bicycling. While waiting for a train to pass by this afternoon, we were stopped behind a teenage girl in her sparkling convertible with a license plate surround that spelled out "PRINCESS". Dad promises to get me one when we get home. We'll see if its true.

Kent State Ashtabula Campus visit.

The bike route took us on a really rough piece of road coming towards downtown today, appropriately named "Marginal Road". It started raining on us again today. There was a short burst of rain with some pretty violent thunder that sent us to a park shelter for a few minutes earlier in the afternoon. With about 15 miles left in the day, it really started raining and didn't want to stop. The bad condition of Marginal Road caused for some pretty great puddles. Thankfully we have a roof over our heads tonight, because it's still raining.

The rain today.

We're currently smack in the center of downtown Cleveland at the Cleveland Hostel after a 74 mile day. We were all pleasantly surprised to find this place, which gave us a private room and has shared bathroom and kitchen facilities. Its perfect for what we need, and cheaper than a hotel. Today the winds were not exactly in our favor, and it doesn't look like that will change in the next couple days.

We still have $40 Canadian rolling around and can't find a place to exchange it for American dollars. Silly Canadians.

Money Found: $0.06

Road Kill Report:  More dead otters and raccoons than we care to remember.

If You've Ever Navigated on the Erie Canal

Family photo at Lake Ontario

Wednesday morning we headed out for Lake Ontario. It was another pretty big day for us: we did 73 miles total. The lake was pretty, at least when we got to see it. Even though we were on "Lake Road" there were so many trees that the only time we really got a good look was on a stop at a public park.

As it was getting later in to the day we finally rode into Palmyra to get some food to take to camp. For a fun fact of the day, Palmyra is home to the only place in the nation where there is a different church on all four corners of an intersection.

Megan all-smiles on The Erie Canal Trail

Camp for the night was supposed to be available at the Mid-Lakes Marina, right on the Erie Canal. Upon arrival, we were greeted by several boating couples, who were very happy to see us, but weren't sure if camping was even allowed. The owner was called and we were told to set up our tent anywhere on the grass nearby the docked boats.

That covered, the boaters wanted to know all about our trip and were very enthusiastic about it, to say the least.  Mom and Dad scored some free adult-berages and a boat tour. As it turns out, Wednesday night was potluck night for everybody who called Mid-Lakes Marina their boat parking spot, and there was more than enough food available, so they invited us in to share with them. We had tons of food and plenty of good company. Everybody wanted to know the details and give recommendations and tell stories. The laughter in the place was like nothing we've seen yet. The night was one big party and we all left full and happy. Showers there were really nice, too.

Trying to sleep at the Marina campground was interesting. There were train tracks immediately across the canal from the marina, and trains came by fairly frequently. These trains were exceptionally loud and really liked to blow their whistles. So on the hour through the night the trains would come by and wake us up then let us sleep for a bit and do it all again. It was a bit of a problem for exhausted bikers.
When it was actually light out, a goose came by our campsite and honked at us until we woke up. Apparently we had taken its favorite grazing spot and it wasn't too happy.

The marina was definitely the best place we've stayed so far. In the morning though, we had to get up and keep going. We were able to cross the bridge (which apparently wasn't closed to cyclists?) and get on the Erie Canal trail, which was about 90 miles of sometimes paved, mostly ridable dirt biker/hiker paths.
Our map instructions told us at one point to "ride through trailer park on driveway", so that was a fun addition.

Stacey & Megan on The Erie Canal Trail

The path was nice and allowed us to talk while riding. We sang the "Low Bridge" song all the way along the path (Here's the song!).  Thursday was not the day for us to move quickly, however. Only 7 miles in, we found another bike shop and decided to see if Megan's bike could be fixed - it was still clicking. A coffee shop visit later, we found out that the bike shop didn't have the right tools, but that the bearings in the bottom bracket had come loose after all the torque from the steep mountains we had been climbing the first week and a half.
7 more miles down the trail, we stopped at another bike shop. They were able to perform a quick tune and adjustment that eliminated the clicking (for now anyway).

The lock doors were opened!

We were also having some communication problems Thursday.  Dad stopped short in front of Megan which caused a rear-ending of the tandem. Later in the morning, Mom saw a bathroom sign and turned into a driveway without warning right in front of Megan, which caused a collision with the bob trailer, and sent Megan into the pavement.  No cuts or bruises, just a little embarrassment.

We got to see a boat go through the lock system on the Erie at one point as well. The water system was incredibly entertaining.  Another fun fact:  The Erie Canal is primarily used only for recreational traffic these days.  Very little if any cargo flows on the Erie Canal anymore.

University of Rochester

We then stopped at University of Rochester which was close to the canal trail.  Megan got another bike around campus self-guided tour.

Dad is eating EVERYTHING

Later we stopped at this place called Jimmy Z's whose special was always "the garbage plate".  Dad got one which was a mix of fries, tots, mac salad, hamburgers, and "meat sauce". Weird.

That day we rode 74 miles on the canal trail and stayed in Middleport behind the police station on the grass next to the canal. There were free showers and bathrooms there, as well as free camping in a safe place, so it was a good deal for us. Our many stops that day sadly had us riding until 7:30 at night.  We had showers and pizza, and Dad met four very nice (retired) New York school teachers at Pony's Bar & Grill.  They listened to Dad's bike-tour stories and even provided him with a yummy plate of buffalo wings and a beverage.

Our night went smoothly until 2:30, when we all were rudely awakened by the town alarm, which of course originated right next to the police station. We still don't know what set it off, but it was sure loud for ten minutes of the night.

We had breakfast in the town restaurant, then finished out the last few miles of the canal trail before stopping in Lockport for "elevensies". Then we were off to Canada! At the border we were told that pepper spray for personal defense were not allowed there. Only bear spray is allowed, so we were forced to abandon our Mace.

Our short trip to Canada was entirely meant to show the best side of Niagara Falls. We took the park trail for a while until we had to walk near the falls because of all the other tourists. The falls were amazing to see and definitely worth the detour. Our favorite view was from the very edge of the falls where you could see the water just going over the edge.

30 miles in Canada over we crossed back into the States under this weird kinda sketchy pedestrian and bike tunnel, then across the Peace Bridge into Buffalo, NY. From customs, it was 9 miles more to a hotel. There was really no where to camp in the city here, so we're staying on the South side of Buffalo for tonight.

We did 69 miles today. Turns out we are already ahead of schedule, even including the 20 miles on our first day, so this is very good news.

Out of the mountains and onto the Great Lakes

Sunday: Father's Day.
Go Shannon.

So here we are, leaving our nice little campground on Schroon Lake on Sunday morning, thinking we had made it past the mountains of New England. Little did we know that on Sunday, we would climb 6000 feet and descend 5000. It was sad that we hadn't quite made it past the hills, but we knew we were close. We rolled into a region of lakes at the end of the day. We stopped at The Tap Room bar of Raquette Lake for dinner, where Shannon got his Father's day Manhattan (even though they apparently made it incorrectly), and the family got the gist of the town's gossip from the old-timers sitting around. We then rode another five to a New York State Campground at Eighth Lake. This chain of lakes had really creative names. There were eight of them.

When we got to the campground, the park ranger guy told us that since there was no established rate for cyclists to camp in the park, he let us camp for free, which was very nice of him. NYS campgrounds are actually pretty nice places.

We rolled out the next morning on Shelby's 14th birthday. Amazingly we found ourselves going downhill for an entire thirty miles. We got to Boonville, NY about midafternoon and 45 miles into our ride. Although we hoped to go further, no campgrounds (or even hotels) were answering their phones or were deemed unworthy for lack of showers or laundry services. We REALLY needed to do laundry on Monday. We ended up in the Boonville laundromat for a while, then backtracked a mile to the Big Brown Barn campground we had passed on our way into town. The day was cut short but at least we got laundry done.

Taking a break in Booneville

Shelby's day-of birthday celebration was noted with a bucket of butter pecan ice cream and a chocolate bar, as well as a game of ping pong in that Big Brown Barn.

Today we vowed to make up for our short day with a long one. We haven't exactly been getting on the road at early hours, leaving most days between 9 and 10 when we're  waking up at 7 or 8. That's been a bit challenging with 5 to 6 hours of riding each day, not including time for breaks and meals.

We were on the road before 9 this morning. Once again, our mileage today was mostly downhill, a welcome event after so much climbing the past week. We ticked off the miles pretty fast today.

Speaking of ticking, Megan's bike began to do that at about mile 5. Every time she pedaled (so pretty much all the time) her bike would start clicking. It was loud and echoed really well in the morning. After about mile 20 this became quite annoying, and there was fear the bike would simply quit working. Somehow, after climbing a steep hill out of a little town, the bike stopped clicking for no reason at all. This was good news, because the nearest bike shop was at mile 77, and we would have all been driven to insanity before then.

We kept up our fast pace to make it to Fulton at mile 83 tonight. We did get a bit turned around for about a mile after missing a turn today, thankfully still not a major mistake. Upon arrival, we hit the bike shop for a fix of Megan's bike, where we also learned that there was a major thunderstorm alert for the night. So now, we're in our third hotel. It's raining hard outside, and  they were expecting hail as well, so this was probably a good decision.

Road Kill Report: Squirrel, Rabbit, Squirrel, Squirrel, Bird
Possum, Bird, Otter, Deer, Frog, Deer, Bird, Squirrel, Frog, Chipmunk, Otter

Money Found:  $0.04

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Megan getting a little help on a steep section

Thursday morning it was raining pretty hard. So we took the opportunity to rest and sleep in, then power through the morning on a dozen Dunkin Donuts. We don't have those out West, so that was exciting. We rolled out pretty late in some light rain and started making our way to Vermont. That day we were in the Green Mountains. Not as many rolling hills this time as there are sizable climbs. Suffice it to say, Megan was glad for a little push up one of the mountains.

State #3!

We weren't moving very fast, and with the late start and rain, we only ended up going 53 miles on Thursday. It rained hard through the night, but thankfully let up a bit around the time we got going.

Riding through the rain in Vermont

Friday it rained a ton. Only about 16 miles in we stopped for lunch, hoping the rain would let up a bit, but it only got worse. So we were forced to ride it. Some roads we've ridden out here are smooth, but a bunch are old highways with a lot of cracks and good places for puddles. So that became a problem as we rode to find a place for camp. The spray from trucks going around us was also real nice. Shelby put plastic bags inside her shoes in an attempt to keep the water out, but later informed us that the water had just seeped inside the bags and her feet were soaked anyway. Thankfully we all had enough clothes on to stay warm, we were all just soaked to the skin and muddy from the road spray. 

We stopped in a little town that afternoon at a laundromat as the rain was dying out to dry ourselves and our clothes for a bit. We then left, anticipating a campsite in the next two miles. Turns out, the campsite was supposed to be a mile and a half up hill with a 10% grade on average. Then it turns out that the campsite no longer existed. So that was unfortunate wasted energy. At least it was downhill on the way back to the highway.

Our campsite gone, we stayed at the Old Hancock Hotel, which gave us a room with a kitchen and a little loft. More than was necessary, but it worked well for us and gave us time to dry our gear out. We only did 49 that day. Rain makes it difficult to get anywhere.

We started today with what has been rumored to be the worst climb of the whole trip. It's innocently named "Breadloaf". That doesn't make it sound too bad - we all like bread in the Galinat family. Friday we heard from a random guy shopping  in the grocery store and the Hancock Hotel lady that Breadloaf is exceptionally steep and a nearly impossible climb. Apparently it "would make The Kanc seem like a little warmup".

Stacey on a back road in Vermont

But we took on Breadloaf anyway this morning. Everyone we heard from was right: it was really steep. The top was a couple miles of 10-12% grade, reaching 15% at some points. It wasn't impossible though, we made it to the top even if it took us a while.  The name of the actual pass is "Middlebury Gap".  "Breadloaf" is the name of the town on the other side of the pass.

Megan at Middlebury College

On the ferry to New York

We descended into Middlebury, where Megan got the chance to do another bike-through college tour. The sun even started to peek out a bit.

Hooray!  State #4!

A big highlight of the day was crossing into New York via ferry across Lake Champlain. Sadly the lake crossing didn't eat up very much distance, but it was a fun break. We stopped in Historic Ticonderoga for ice cream, since there's an unlimited budget for that, then pushed on to the campsite we're at now. After the ferry we crossed onto map number two on our route. This time there's no elevation profile, which means that we must be nearing the plains where everything is flat. Unfortunately that also meant we had no way to predict that 900ft climb out of Ticonderoga.

We did 60 miles today, and are hoping to catch back up on mileage tomorrow. It's been a week as of today! We've been climbing about 5000ft each day, too, and are ready for some flat country.

Roadkill Report: Squirrel, Possum, Bird, Rabbit, XL Moth That Megan Killed

Money found:  $0

We Cranked the Kanc... In the Rain

Today, we had to make our first big climb: Kancamagus Pass. Apparently because this name is so long and hairy and generally hard to pronounce, it gets shortened to just "The Kanc" (pronounced 'kank').

Before we even got to the base of the climb, though, we had to pedal forty miles. It was another day of New England's steep rolling hills, though thankfully still cloudy. We crossed the state line into New Hampshire today, definitely a cause for celebration. One state down.

Stacey and her good friend Laurel Smith

We made it to Conway for lunch where we met with Stacey's friends from Bogus nordic, Kevin Donohoe and Laurel Smith. They pointed us to a nice little cafe for lunch in preparation for the climb, and even biked with us for about ten miles. It was nice to have them along for the 40 to 50 mile marks. We've noticed that those miles can be the worst, as the realization that there's still a lot of pedaling left to be done and legs are fatiguing. Chatting with them and having them be our tour guides for a few miles was a great change of pace. They took us across this lovely little covered bridge, the icon of the great state of New Hampshire.

Still smiling at the summit with all our clothes 

Then came the Kanc. It really wasn't a bad climb at all for the first few miles out of Conway, but the last five miles were very much uphill. The rain that we have thus far eluded caught up to us today, of course, as we "cranked the Kanc". The summit was at about 2800ft. Today in total we climbed 5500 feet. Ouch.

We conquered The Kanc!

Rain made for a chilly descent. Everybody's feet and hands were frozen by the time we reached the other side into Lincoln, NH. We were all cold and wet and tired, so Shannon caved and got us a motel room. That poll is now closed.

We rode 77 miles today, way more than we needed to, but we didn't have many good options for camping in between. A successful day, but everybody is exhausted.

Roadkill Report: Squirrel, Turtle, Snake

This is Mainely Fun

Monday was definitely a tough day for all involved. It was extraordinarily hilly, highlighted by a grade of 26% up a hill within the first three miles. It was a warmer day, and not exactly easy going. We did 67 miles, perfectly on schedule again. We stayed at a nice grassy campground right near the river, and though it did rain on us overnight, the day had been clear. We also biked through Camden, a really cute town somewhat like McCall, and right by the ocean.
It may have been so bad yesterday that we broke down and had to use some of our McDonald's gift cards on a few large fries. (Thanks Loren)

Names of places out here have certainly been entertaining. Last night, we stayed in Wiscasset at Chewonki Campground. Say that five times fast.

Stores aren't exactly creative out here either. We've seen:
- Mainely Sewing
- Mainely Nails
- Mainely Embroidery
- Mainely Vinyl
- Mainely Pottery
Go Maine.

Today was another 67 miles, but much easier going. The first twenty were Mainely flat, which was a welcome change. We even took a river walking/biking path along the road for several miles. It can get pretty loud along the highway, but the back roads we've been taking are also very hilly. Its hard to win. We were all feeling good today though. It was overcast and even a bit chilly when we stopped for a break. Also a great tailwind day, so that was nice. Even though it looks like its going to rain, we still haven't had to ride through any. We shall see what tomorrow holds.

About twenty miles in today we stopped at Bowdoin College in Brunswick for a self'-guided biking tour for about five minutes. Megan has to keep up with her college choices while on this trip, so we figure this counts as progress.

We're currently at a KOA just outside of Naples. Tomorrow we have a huge climb up Kancamagus Pass. Hopefully we make it up there.


Roadkill Report:
Porcupine
Rabbit
Skunk
Turtle
Turtle
Bird
Squirrel.

Skunk
Turtle
Presumed Porcupine.

Money Found: $1.10

Welcome to the Maine Event

Saturday at about 11AM we landed at the Bar Harbor county airport and took a taxi to the bike shop. We assembled all three bikes in the gravel behind the shop in two hours, pretty impressive for non-professionals.

We then stopped at the Atlantic Ocean for the commemorative tire dipping. Using breaks on saltwater tires is a bit squeaky, be warned.
We road into Acadia National Park in the afternoon to set up camp. The Park Loop Road was absolutely beautiful, two lanes one way and ocean views all along. The roads otherwise were a little rough on the shoulders, but traffic has been decent enough to get along absolutely fine. We headed to the Jordan Pond House for some Lobstah dinnah, because what else could we do while in Maine.  Milage for Saturday only computes to twenty miles, but it was a nice travel day to start out. As mentioned, we were running on very little sleep.

Today we rode a total of 65 miles right on the nose. Currently we're sitting in the laundry room of a little campground right on the ocean, which will be a nice sound to fall asleep to. We've hit a few grocery stores along the way, including a picnic outside of Walmart for lunch. There are certainly a lot of hills out here. A bunch of short steep climbs and descents . Thankfully we had nice conditions, generally a tailwind and only about 70 degrees. Stacey cooked up a great pasta meal for tonight.

Shan made a hand-made sign to explain where we are headed.

All in all a successful day. The pictures tell it all.

Roadkill count for the day: 1 skunk, 1 unidentifiable, 1 bird

Money found:  $0  ($0.20 on Saturday)

Our Campsite along the Atlantic Sunday night