Today is Monday, a day and a half after finishing my latest bicycle ride. I've had a little time to reflect and will put my thoughts down before I forget them. This will include a few trip statistics, answers to questions people asked along the way and some random thoughts of my own. Nothing that follows is in any particular order.
Let me start by saying that I had a terrific time and look forward to when I can tour again - though Susi says this will not be for a while.
The people I met, both fellow cyclists and locals, were terrific and I enjoyed every conversation I had with them.
The scenery along the Mississippi River, especially from Nauvoo to Hamilton, IL was spectacular and the riding safe and easy. Crossing the Mississippi River from Illinois into Missouri at Hannibal on the I72 bridge was special. I've crossed this bridge by car so many times over the years traveling back and forth from Iowa to my home town of Winchester, IL.
The 34 mile ride from Hannibal to Louisiana, MO was one of the more difficult days of riding. There were three large hills and the last two were "killer" steep. This was my first real day of riding hills like this and my quads were trashed by the time I arrived in Louisiana. That said, the views of the Mississippi River from the top of these bluffs was spectacular (but probably look the same if viewed from a car or motorcycle rather than a bicycle!)
The Katy Trail was also spectacular. The Missouri River on one side and high limestone bluffs on the other while riding in solitude on a trail with a tree canopy nearly the whole way - this was special. The locals were also very friendly in all the small towns along the Katy. I would definitely do some sections of the Katy Trail again.
The people I met in Kansas were also very friendly. The Flint Hills of eastern Kansas were very pretty. These things said, I would never choose to ride across Kansas by bicycle again. There just is very little of interest while pedaling eight hours, day after day. If I am correct, I said the same thing the last time Susi and drove across Kansas (that I'd never do it again). I apologize to anyone with ties to Kansas that may be offended by these comments.
Eastern Colorado - ditto the comments about Kansas but times two. There is just absolutely nothing to see here for miles and miles!
Colorado Rocky Mountains. The last week of this trip was sheer joy all the way from Pueblo to Laramie, WY (with the following exceptions ; (1) CO9 between Green Mountain Reservoir and Kremmling which has no shoulder and a high volume of traffic with very inconsiderate drivers - at least the day I rode it - but confirmed by at least one other fellow cyclist I met and (2) between Rand and three miles up Co127 towards Laramie - these were miserable miles primarily because of the headwind - maybe nice riding otherwise). The scenery of the Rocky Mountains was absolutely spectacular. The people were very friendly. Guffey, CO is something to see if you are ever in the area and have time to visit. I still highly recommend the Guffey Burger (definitely the best burger of the trip) at the Bull Moose Restaurant and Bar. Climbing the mountain passes, including Hoosier Pass, was challenging but very, very rewarding! I'd do the mountain section (except for the parts described above) again - and likely will do some sections again. The section from the turnoff of US40 near Granby up and over Willow Creek Pass may be the highlight of the entire ride - serene and simply spectacular bicycling.
All in all, this was a very nice trip that I'm glad I was able to take. Thanks to my family and friends for their support and encouragement on this latest adventure. I hope everyone enjoyed the daily updates and photos. Susi, I promise this is it for a while!
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Other stats and thoughts;
1. Trip duration - 28 days total with 27 days of riding and one rest day in Pueblo, CO.
2. Trip length - 1,587 miles.
3. Bicycle issues:
a. Really none; the exception being the rear tire fender rub noise that I finally figured out in Pueblo, CO with the help of an excellent bicycle shop. My Co-Motion Americano has been an excellent bike for nearly 8,000 miles now. The only real problem I've had with it was with the indexing feature of the rear shift lever and the bike shop replaced this component after the Southern Tier trip at no cost. The replacement shifter has performed flawlessly ever since. As part of helping me figure out the noise, the Pueblo bike shop looked at all the components including the crank and wheel bearings and found everything in very good condition. I highly recommend Co-Motion bikes to anyone wanting a high-quality touring bike.
b. Zero flat tires. I put new tires on the front and back just before leaving on the trip. The front was the same brand/model of tire that came on the bike when purchased (Vittoria Randoneur Pro) but the back was a new Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I had mixed feelings about purchasing the Marathon Plus because I've read, and seen first hand (thanks to Adrian on the last day of the Southern Tier trip), how difficult they can be to get on and off to fix a flat tire. But they are said by many to be the ultimate touring tire with long tread life. The long tread life is why I purchased this one. My experience is that the rear tire wears about twice as fast as the front. This tire installed very easily right off and other than a slight fender rub that I finally figured out and fixed in Pueblo performed flawlessly. After 1,600 miles, the tread looks like new - although the tread on the Vittoria front tire also looks like new. These are both 700 x 35 tires and I had to ride three miles of regular gravel road and about 200 miles of crushed limestone trail (Katy in Missouri) so I was glad to have the wider tire.
4. Gear issues. None. All my camping gear (Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 tent, Thermarest ProLite pad, Lafuma 40 degree down sleeping bag) is very well used and still kept me comfortable and dry during some cool nights and intense evening thunderstorms. My Ortlieb panniers also continue to perform perfectly. I've seen far more of this brand of panniers during my two long tours than any other and I highly recommend them to anyone serious about long duration touring.
5. Camping/Lodging - 27 nights (final night was at Jenn and Mike's); 12 camping, 15 motels. I had anticipated camping 6 nights then staying in a motel the 7th and 8th nights taking a rest day about every 7 days. However, there really was nothing of particular interest along the way that made me want to take a rest day and as long as the cycling was relatively flat each day, I felt fine. I took one rest day in Pueblo to get ready to ride in the Rocky Mountains and I will say that this was nice. I did pretty good with the camping plans for the first half of the trip, but really wimped out in the last week or so. It was so nice to sleep in a bed rather than on the ground! I was able to sleep better and enjoy the next day's riding so much more than if I'd been camping. Two nights early on were in a motel because Susi was able to join me. A couple of others early on were to avoid camping in strong thunderstorms and possible hail. The night in Guffey, CO when I got practically no sleep really pushed me over the edge with the camping vs. motel stays. Riding in the Rocky Mountains is pretty tough and one needs to be fresh and alert while doing so. That is harder to do at my age than it is for a 20-something which is mostly who I came across. The exception being Ed Devlin who is probably a little older than me but is in another class entirely (175 mile days!?).
6. Traveling solo vs. traveling with a companion or group. I have mixed feelings about this as there are advantages and disadvantages of each. I really enjoyed the companionship on last fall's ACA Southern Tier trip. It is fun to share the adventure while it is happening with others who are like minded touring cyclists. I've had this same group experience with RAGBRAI and with one supported mountain bike tour of the north rim of the Grand Canyon. However, what was nice about traveling solo is the independence and ability to do what you want; stop when and where you want, eat what you want, rest when you want, ride at whatever pace feels comfortable to you at the time. With the ACA trip last year, I felt like I was "racing" nearly the whole time; trying to keep up or not be the last rider. On this trip, there were times when I just "putzed" along and times when I rode hard, but the pace was always my choice. Traveling solo also requires one to be thinking ahead and planning for any contingency because there is no one there to do the thinking for you. Thanks to Ray, our group leader on last year's Southern Tier trip, for doing all that for us. I now have a better appreciation for what he did. Final analysis, I'd do either a solo or a group tour again in the future and am probably equally comfortable with either.
7. Cooking meals or eating out. After last year's Southern Tier ride, I told myself I would not cook again. I did not take any cooking gear on this trip except for a plastic knife, fork and spoon - not even a plate or cup. I don't regret that. I'm sure I could have saved a few dollars by cooking but, to me, that is offset by having to carry the gear, take the time to cook and clean up afterwards, etc.. Of the touring cyclists I came across during this trip, most did not cook, some started out cooking but quickly sent the cooking gear back home and a few continued to mostly cook - but very few. I cannot see myself ever electing to cook on a future trip. I did always carry a supply of food/snacks/drink just in case. These included peanut butter and jelly (which I don't particularly mind once in a while) along with a supply of trail mix, granola bars, raisins and fruit when I could get it. I also took along a few packets of GU but only used two at the base of a couple of substantial climbs when my legs already felt tired. GU always works for me, but has an unpleasant after-affect for anyone around me a few hours after I've eaten it (I know, TMI - just a warning to my fellow cyclists)!
8. Following ACA routes vs. picking your own route. On this trip I had the opportunity to do both. The ACA route maps are very, very good. They are accurate and easy to follow traveling in either direction. The only real problem, and this has nothing to do with ACA, is that services may or may not exist in locations where the maps show they do. From my experience on last year's Southern Tier ride and this years Great Rivers North/TransAmerica ride, the rural American economy is really down and out. There are many small towns one rides through which at one time had stores, gas stations and/or other forms of service that would have aided the touring bicyclist but are now practically ghost towns. It helped me to have my laptop computer and smartphone with me so that I could constantly be looking ahead at the next couple of days to see what services would be available to me. The only real route finding I had to do for this trip was to get from the western end of the Katy Trail in Missouri to the TransAmerica route. I searched the Internet for information from previous riders and any other sources I could find. I finally settled on a two-day route that went almost straight south from Clinton, MO to the town of Golden City, MO which is north of Joplin. I was showing this to Susi the last night we spent together in Sedalia, MO and she commented that it looked awfully hilly. I decided maybe she was right and did a little more research and came up with a different two-day route that took me east into Kansas then south to Yates Center, KS. This was much flatter than the route I'd originally chosen. Kansas and many other states now have bicycle road maps that show road traffic volume. This along with MapMyRide, which can provide an elevation profile for a route, are a very useful combination of tools for putting together do-it-yourself routes.
9. Traveling on US highways. I found this to be a mixed bag. Most US highways have a relatively nice, safe shoulder to ride on including a couple that I rode on on my two-day do-it-yourself route. However, US54 in eastern Kansas (which is included in the ACA TransAM route) is one to avoid if at all possible. It does have a 2' shoulder, but the traffic can be intense at times. Mostly though, if you can stand the high-speed traffic, most US highways have a very wide shoulder and I found them very safe to travel on. Just do some research before hand so you know what you are getting in to.
10. Drivers. I found drivers on the more rural roads to be the most courteous, nearly always giving a good distance when passing. I was also a little surprised that long-haul truckers did the same. Short haul truckers (grain and livestock trucks) on the other hand, are to be watched out for because they are nuts. On the busier roads, most drivers will give plenty of room when passing if there is no one coming in the opposite direction - not so much if there is some sort of inconvenience to them so far as having to slow down for you. Some will (and did) run you off the road - though this was rare and only happened to me four times in 1,600 miles. You always have to be aware of not only what is coming from behind, but what is coming towards you. When the two coincide, you need to have a escape route. This sort of thinking probably saved my life on CO9 between Green Mountain Reservoir and Kremmling, CO. If in double, just get off. There are a select few drivers that honestly did not seem to care if they hit you or not. I'm sure that if they did, somehow it would be your fault. I overheard a couple of gentlemen talking about bicyclers at a gas station and I can tell you they had nothing but contempt in their hearts for them (I'll run 'em off the road every chance I get!). I'm sure that otherwise, these are fine upstanding folks (NOT!) - but they are out there - so ALWAYS be on your guard. I practiced "own the road" on a few occasions with good success - but you still have to be watching and ready to abort if it doesn't look like it is going to work.
11. Gear List. Having toured before and sent items home that I didn't really need, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what to take. I learned even more this trip. Hauling a heavy load across Kansas is one thing because the terrain is flat and once you get the bike rolling, you don't really notice the weight. Hauling a heavy load over 9,000 and 10,000 foot Rocky Mountain passes is quite another thing. You really don't want any more gear than absolutely necessary. In Pueblo, I shipped nearly 15 pounds of excess "stuff" ahead to Ft. Collins to lighten the load. This included my 5 pound laptop computer, an extra folding-bead spare tire, miscellaneous bicycle parts, excess clothing and a pair of casual shoes. I have an Excel spreadsheet that is my gear checklist. There will be some modifications made to the spreadsheet after this trip. Of course, prior to the trip I also did not lose the 30 pounds of body weight I promised myself I would. That did not help, but was compensated for with lower gearing and slower speed up the mountains (faster on the descents though!).
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