We are driving up to Holland, Michigan to begin this summer's biking trek around the upper half of Lake Michigan. (South of Green Bay we'll take a ferry across the lake.) We are using the maps put out by the same organization, Adventure Cycling Association. Josh's cousin and husband live a half mile off the route and so we'll be keeping our car at their house while we're gone. (Thanks guys!) The grand plan is to finish the loop in 14 days with no zero days, which puts us at 75 miles a day. That is 15 miles a day above our average last year. Since it's only 2 weeks we're hoping we can power through the miles. But we’re also perfectly content if we only make it part way up the coast enjoying the scenery. We were able to slim down on our packing list so Brie's bike is 48 pounds and Josh’s bike is 57 (30 total pounds lighter than the start of last year). Tomorrow we will start and Holland and finish in Hart, Michigan.
The ACA had requested us to write a reflection on our trip a few weeks after we had returned. I had been in the throes of grad school orientation at the time and so just finished writing a small recap for them. I thought you might enjoy it too. Sorry to disappoint those who had seen this post and thought we were heading out on the road again. Hopefully one day (and before retirement) we will.
It has been more than three months since we got back to our home town. Since then there have been more than a few times that I've thought about being back on a bike full time. However, Josh reminded me recently, as pictures of our trip scrolled through on his desktop screen, that a lot of days weren't the perfect biking conditions. I do remember the weather wasn't super nice for us. The first half was mostly cold and second half was pretty hot, with not much in between. So what does biking mean to me now; especially with fall here and the air getting to the place I wish it was during our trip? I want to get back out there. I want my muscular legs back. I remember walking around, even on the trip, and feeling that my legs had so much power behind them. As if in one step I could bound like Super Man; that potential energy just waiting to tackle a hill. I want to get back out there. In some ways it was simpler and other ways harder because it was simpler. We lived each day with just a little of tomorrow in mind. Now I'm planning out to April and its only October. The dependency and hospitality we had from those who were willing to give, was nothing I had experienced before. I grew up in the middle class and maintained self-sufficiency even through the poor years of college. To be in need for basics like shelter, or on a few occasion water, was strange. Bicycle touring can sound independent, but it’s not. It’s one of the most dependent things I've ever done. When we were offered things like a bed or food my whole heart and body was grateful. I didn't turn anything down because I knew my needs like never before. Take me back out to my bike, back out to the fields, to the city, to the best people in the whole wide world. Make me dependent again. Because my dependency introduced me to Bill, Linda, Dan, Cindy, Lisa, Tad, Phil … I knew that at the end of this ride I would either have an obsession for cycling or thoroughly despise it. Well the verdict is in and we both enjoy biking more than ever before. We’ve gone on a few rides since being back, and visited the old challenges, namely Peacock hill and Springfield hill. These terrains just aren’t what they used to be. We so enjoy the feeling of our own bodies propelling us forward down a new road. That being said we’d love to go on another tour, however we’ll have to wait for comp time to rack up. There is a trail that goes along the Great Lakes; we’ve thought about taking a couple weeks off in summer and doing the stretch along Lake Michigan. Finding and exploring new roads, people, and sights was what made our trip inciting (both in the positive and negative sense). In a romantic sense it was like the US acreage was Professor Kirke’s musty mansion and we were the Pevensie children poking around and seeing what we could find. Each campsite had to be explored, water and bathroom of choice were noted, and land surveyed for the tent location.
Until we can get back on road by means of vacation time or winning the Powerball we’ll be living the adult life once more. Josh is training under my father to be certified as a soils specialist in the state of Illinois. In about three or four years he’ll be done and eventually become partners in my dad’s small business of soil analysis. I will be starting my masters program and assistantship at Illinois State University in a couple weeks. I am very excited for this opportunity which I never thought would happen. My focus will be English and in that medieval literature. While taking classes I will also be teaching a freshman composition course. While we wait to hit the road as touring cyclist you will still be able to find us on some back road in Illinois. Thus ends this adventure, but I’m sure another is just down the road, behind that grain bin maybe or just on the other side of those trees. Bike Stats: 6 Flat tires All were on Brie’s bike, 5 rear tubes and 1 front. 4 Tires Half way through we changed out all of our tires. 3 & 2 Chains Josh went through 3 chains due to his bike being geared higher and Brie went through 2 . 78 & 58 lbs. Weight of Josh’s and Brie’s bike respectively at the beginning of the trip. 58 & 52 lbs. Weight of Josh’s and Brie’s bike respectively at the end of the trip. 0 Crashes 5 drivers Brie wanted to give a good talking to. Gear we got rid of:
Health Stats: 840,000 Calories Estimation of total calories burn by the two of us. 12 & 2 Weight Loss Josh lost about 12 lbs. on the whole trip and Brie nearly stayed the same. 74 & 15 Years Old The oldest rider we came across was 74 and the youngest was 15. Records: 90.5 Miles: Longest Day 20.4 Miles: Shortest Day 50.09 & 47.4 MPH These are our top speeds (Josh and Brie respectively). 113* F Heat Index Hottest Day 23* F Coldest Night 35 mph highest headwinds plus gusts 15-18% steepest grade Misc. Stats: Hoosier Pass This pass just outside of Breckenridge, CO was our longest, hardest, and highest (11,539 ft) pass. $60 per Day This is an estimate of what we spent each day on food, lodging, and miscellaneous travel and bike gear. This totals to about $5,000. For those intimidated by the cost, if you don’t spend your days off in a motel you can save almost $2,000. Countries of Foreign Riders: Great Britain, Wales, Norway, Australia, Netherlands, France, Germany, Finland, Slovenia, and Belgium. About half of the riders we came across were foreigners. Things we’ll miss the most about biking the TransAm:
Things we won’t miss:
State Awards:
This will be a two-part recap of our whole trip. This first part will focus more on the stats and the second part will be the “fun facts” page. After these two posts I’ll write up a reflection on where we’ve been and where we’ll be. Stats: 4335 Miles If we had strictly followed the route the entire time and never left it our total would be 4,064. We added 271 miles or 3.7 miles a day which includes wrong turns, off route housing, food, and attractions. Or you could look at more discouragingly and say we added 4.5 days. 84 Days This doesn’t include the week we took off for Abbie’s wedding. 72 of these days were biking days and 12 were rest days. 379 Total Hours The hours we sat on our bike seat, which total to 15.8 solid days. 60.21 Average miles per day Below is a chart of all our days, including rest days. Our highest mileage day was 90.5. It wasn’t supposed to be our highest day but thanks to missing a turn it became our record. 11.5 Average mph 5 ¼ Average hours The average hours we spent pedaling a day. Once you add in breaks and lunch it turns into about an 8-hour day. Weather: Below gives a rough idea of the weather we encountered on our trip. Some days were a combination of two elements like cold and rainy, however for this chart we picked the dominate element for each day. Lodging: Below is a breakdown of where we spent our nights. We camped at RV parks, city parks, and US Forest Service sites. Hostels ranged from privately or city owned out buildings, to firehouses and churches. The hostels didn’t start popping up till Missouri and were a wonderful escape from the heat. They often had a small kitchen and some places even stocked the fridge for us. Warm Showers includes homes from the biker only couch surfing network which we’ve mentioned before, along with a few families-of-friends who were volunteered for us to stay with. At a motel we would spend 2 nights so that we could have a full day off in climate controlled rooms equipped with a kitchenette. Terrain:
One thing we learned about the US is that the terrain is very regular within one region; there is little variation and mixture of terrains. One of the European riders we met in Kansas mentioned that in his country a rider will get all the terrains in one day. I know the Appalachians are classified as mountains, but after climbing the West, the Appalachians feel much more like hills, so we classified them and the Ozarks as steep hills. We finished our trek today! A total of 84 days and 4,335 miles. We will be gathering up our statistics and posting them later, but here are some finish line pictures to tide you over.
We are almost to Yorktown; just about 90 miles out. Our final day of biking will be Saturday. We plan to do a short day Saturday, just 20 miles, so that we can spend some time taking pictures on the beach. My parents will be picking us up and driving us back. We’ll arrive back home on Sunday and spend a day or two unpacking and washing things. As we unpack we will put together a little report to review the facts and stats from our trip. Josh will start his career as a soil specialist with my dad and I will begin my masters program in English and teaching assistantship at ISU on August 11th.
Yesterday we got to stop and see Monticello, President Jefferson’s estate. Monticello is Italian for “little mount.” This is land he inherited from his father and later built his home with in a neo-classical aritechtural influence. Jefferson is also well known for designing and founding the University of Virginia as well drafting the Declaration of Independence. He died with over $100k in debt, so the family auctioned off the land, home, furnishings, and slaves. Uriah Levy was an admirer of Jefferson and bought the property. He and his son maintained the home, and later his son sold the property back to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation who runs the grounds today. Monticello is the building which appears on the back of the nickel. Shins or Chins
Which is worse the Ozarks or Appalachians? But before we can answer this we need to clarify how you pronounced that last word. Did you say it with a “sh” or a “ch”? Growing up in the Midwest I always heard “Appala-shins.” But in talking to my friend who is going to school out here we learned to say it like “I threw an apple-at-chya.” So “chins” and not “shins” is the way to be incognito. Now back to the question at hand. I like the western mountain grades at 5-7%, with the long up but therefore long down. The Ozark hills can get steep, one we swear was 15%, but they are also super short. At first I thought the Appalachians were the better of the two. But then I met this one hill that was between me and camp. This hill was a beast; well I guess it’s a mountain, but they are so different from the ones out west. A local said she didn’t understand why they routed us on that one lane road that was used in the ‘30s. I would like to know too. You can’t enjoy the down hills out here either. The roads are steep and too twisty to gain any kind of speed. We met one guy who took a corner at about 30 and wrecked, nothing major, just some soar muscles and road rash. We end up just riding the breaks the whole way down. Thus I’ve decided that the Appalachians are the worst terrain of the whole TransAm. We had our 8th rain day today. We’ve had three of them in a row and another forecasted for tomorrow. But we only have 10 days left! We’ll be in Yorktown on July 16th , where my parents will pick us up and drive us and our gear back. Thank you mom and dad for saving us the hassle, pain, and expense of trying to ship our bikes back. Jake Report: In lieu of taking a rest day we opted for a short half day. Miles: 34.5, time on bike: 3h 27m, average: 9.9, weather: rain and sun Doggies
A few of the states along our route have reputations. Kentucky is one of them. Cyclists passing us heading west were warning us miles upon miles back about the Kentucky dogs. Here if you have one dog you have three dogs. Some have been too tired or hot to care about our passing and others can’t wait for a new opportunity to stretch those legs. We had one stealthy dog laying under an old pickup parked right next to the road. He could see us coming but we didn’t see him. When we got right next to the pickup he jumped out and began the chase. Not too many have been aggressive, just very excited. Today we had a pair and the milder dog started barking and nipping at the aggressive one as if to chide him. There are a few strategies to help deter the dogs. 1) Pointing – One rider explained that dogs don’t realize you are a human on a bike and so deserved to be chased down and investigated. Pointing at them helps them to recognize the human in you amongst all the gear. We like to use the pointing strategy coupled with yelling to get the dog’s attention. 2) Yelling – This is using a firm voice to say “go home” and adding anything else you deem more colorful. This works pretty good on the mild dogs that are just too happy you decided to roll by. The aggressive dogs have selective hearing and require an action based response. 3) Pepper spray – Neither Josh nor I have ever used pepper spray on dogs but we have heard stories from others who use it as a strategy. One girl said she only sprayed one dog on her ride through KY. Another guy, the aritecht, said he had been carrying the spray around for three years and never used it so he opted for dog treats instead. The reason we didn’t go for the spray is because it needs to be very easily accessible, either in your jersey pocket or in a side pouch on your handle bar bag. We don’t have a handle bar bag and we don’t like weight in our pockets unless it is edible. The other thing is that you can’t give a good direct spray while also trying to pedal. The spray is for the worst case scenario, when you are fully stopped and have your bike in between you and the dog. 4) Dog treats – After hearing the aritecht say he used treats we decided to try it. We hadn’t heard of that as a strategy before by anyone but if it works for the USPS drivers we figured we’d give it a shot. So today we tried it. However it wasn’t as effective as we hoped. We kept one treat in our jersey pocket and pulled it out every time we spotted a furry ball. We came up to one house with a more aggressive dog but found it hard to get him to realized there was a mini steak being offered. I had been hoping their sense of smell would over power their desire to chase but it didn’t. So we decided this strategy was also for only those times when you’re forced to get off your bike. With less going on they will hopefully take more notice of free food. 5) Water bottle spray – This is our favorite way to keep the dog at bay while we pedal out of its territory. First of all the water bottle is always accessible and being down wind from it isn’t an issue. When we’ve sprayed water at the dog it doesn’t even have to hit them for them to notice and give a bit more space. It doesn’t stop them in their tracks but they keep their distance. We are also able to keep biking as we spray them so we get out of their territory faster. Between the yelling, pointing, and spraying we’re able to get by the dogs without any time lost. |
AuthorJosh and Brie are off across the country on their road bikes. Josh will chime in here and there, but Brie will be doing most of the talking. Archives
July 2016
CategoriesRouteTo check out our route click here; we are riding the orange one.
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