For me, bicycle touring has a spiritual aspect to it. The everyday hustle and bustle of life gives way to concentrating on the fundamental aspects of life; food, shelter, personal safety, etc.. There is plenty of time while turning the pedals all day long to ponder the meaning of life and to think about (and be thankful for) family and friends (both old and new, living and not) - the only things that are really important . This is probably what I enjoy most about touring.
I also like the challenges that bicycle touring offers. Planning the trip is almost half the fun for me. I have my maps to study or create and spreadsheets I've created that help plan the daily mileage and overnight accomodations and also help manage the trip cost. More fun though are the physical challenges. Little is more rewarding that a major climb, especially mountain passes that can be 30 miles long and take 6 - 8 hours to achieve and the exhilarating down hill run that follows - too cool!!! Also rewarding is a day of smaller but steep climbs that seem to go on and on and on all day. Completing such a day is exhausting but very, very rewarding.
This years trip was every bit as enjoyable and rewarding as each of the other past trips I've had the pleasure of completing. I can hardly wait to do another. What can I say, I love bicycle touring.
So, with this summer's trip having been over for a couple of days now its time to assess the trip and evaluate what went right and what
didn't
Trip Statistics:
1,200 miles, including Section 1 of the Adventure Cycling Lewis & Clark route.
23 days total, 22 riding days + 1 rest day
6 camping days
4 Warm Showers host days (includes stay at Deb and Randy's)
12 motel days
0 flat tires (Schwalbe makes the best bicycle touring tires - Marathon Plus)
0 bicycle mechanical issues (Co-Motion makes the best touring bicycles; $$$ but worth it)
Highlights:
Great Trip!! Practically the entire trip was a highlight. Specific highlights include:
1. Family support:
a. My wife Susi is the best; always supportive and going out of her way to take me, meet me or pick me up.
b. Meeting my sister Cathy and brother-in-law Bob in Pleasant Hill, IL
c. Staying with my sister Deb and brother-in-law Randy in Milan, IL
2. Great Warm Showers hosts:
a. Bruce and Joan Berggren (Nebraska City, NE),
b. Kelly Burt (St. Charles, MO)
c. Brian Hill (Quincy, IL),
d. Doris and Jess Lionberger (Dallas City, IL)
3. Terrific people I had the opportunity to meet/speak with along the way;
a. Ruth Varnum at the old railroad museum in Pepin, WI.
b. All the guys at the various Casey's along the way who get together each morning and were willing to talk to a stranger in stupid looking spandex shorts (Yeah, I know they look goofy, probably especially on me. Heck, they look goofy to me too. But try sitting on a bicycle seat for 6 - 8 hours a day and you'll likely agree that they are worth the strange looks you get from those who don't ride bicycles).
c. All the folks at the baseball diamonds in Marthasville, MO who made a traveling stranger feel welcome.
d. Eric, Heidi, Coralee and Ramona from Carbondale, CO who I had the pleasure of sharing some time with on the Katy Trail. Eric and Heidi - you have two terrific little girls.
4. Scenery/Geography - This trip took me along the Missouri River between Omaha, NE and St. Louis, MO and along the Mississippi River between St. Louis, MO and Minneapolis, MN.
a. This was my second time on Missouri's Katy Trail along the Missouri River. This was once again an excellent experience; great scenery and very peaceful.
b. The Mississippi River scenery was excellent in the following areas;
(1) Between Hamilton and Nauvoo, IL
(2) Between Quad Cities and Savanna, IL
(3) Nearly the entire segment in Wisconsin
c. The ride in Wisconsin was outstanding. I couldn't believe how green everything was. There were some challenging hills on the south and north ends. I would ride this again.
d. The downhill ride between Chestnut Mountain Resort towards Galena, IL. Wheeeee!!!!
e. The Adventure Cycling Lewis and Clark Section 1 routing around Kansas City was very challenging both because of the hills on the county roads and the local traffic. Completing this challenging portion safely is very rewarding. I cannot say enough about how courteous and patient the drivers were and this contributed to my safety.
f. Missouri State Park campgrounds; second to none I'm guessing.
What Went Right:
Nearly everything.
1. I only got rained on one day out of 23; that's pretty good.
2.. New gear that performed well: CygoLite Expilion 800 front and Hotshot rear bicycle lights. I'm convinced that using the extremely bright daytime flash mode on the front light saved my bacon on several occasions by notifying oncoming traffic of my presence when traffic was also coming from behind. The rear light is also super-bright and can be seen for a long ways even in daylight.
What Did Not Go Right:
1. I carry many bicycle repair parts. These are packaged in two bags; one for routine maintenance such as a flat tire, chain lubricant, small took kit, etc. and one for more serious maintenance issues such as broken cable, broken chain, broken spoke, etc.. I have never used 95% of this and it weighs a LOT. I need to continue to evaluate what is essential (of course each would be if that is what broke) and try and reduce the weight.
2. Cycling companion. I placed a "companions wanted" add on Adventure Cycling's web page. Four people responded. The first was from Canada and leaving New Orleans (New Orleans/Baton Rouge were my Plan A starting point) a couple of weeks before I wanted to leave (my first and perhaps biggest mistake). Another was from Wisconsin who decided he did not have time on his schedule after all. Another was from California who had to cancel due to sickness in his family. And finally, the one I ended up riding with who could not be St. Louis before June 18 - which is the primary reason I could not reach my ultimate trip ending point in Lake Itasca, MN. I wasted at least 5 days (which is the amount I cut my trip short by) to honor my commitment to this gentleman. Had I not wasted these days, I could have been through Minneapolis while most of the trails were still open and reached Bemidgi/Lake Itasca before the July 4 weekend - before all the accommodations were booked. This is the first time I have ridden with someone I connected with over the internet and I learned that I should have asked more questions (I didn't actually ask any) and had a fundamental understanding about what I reasonably expect from a touring companion before agreeing to ride with them. This gentleman and I were fundamentally incompatible as cycling companions. Among the incompatibilities were;
a. Age difference.
b. Desire to camp as often as possible.
c. Cycling ability. If " 55-60 miles per day at a leisurely pace" (as stated in my companions wanted ad) does not mean 10-12 mph with a loaded bike on flat ground with no wind, and stopping to take in the sights, then the person would not be a suitable touring companion for me.
d. Riding/companionship attitude. If all a traveling companion wants to do is get up, get going and not stop until reaching the days destination and not stop for anything in between, then they would not be a suitable touring companion.
e. General demeanor/attitude. Not sure what questions I can ask before hand to be reasonably sure this would not be an issue again on a future trip; possibly if they have blogged during a previous trip then I might be able to determine their general demeanor.
Conclusion:
The "What Did Not Go Right" section above aside, this was a very enjoyable trip. I look forward to going back to Minneapolis possibly later this year and riding the rest of the way to Lake Itasca. Of course the Natchez Trace is still on my list of rides to do. Each of these two rides can be done in one week and shuttles or buses are available to return to the starting point so planning is relatively easy.
The rest of the Lewis & Clark route also remains on my list, but at least I have 530 miles out of the way.
The western portion of the TransAmerica route from Rawlins, WY to the west coast is on the list too; I essentially did the section from the Mississippi River to Rawlins, WY during my 2012 trip to Colorado. I don't have a great interest in the eastern section of the TransAmerica route.
Another future ride is the Grand Illinois Trail which connects trail sections with roads and goes from the Quad Cities up to Galena then across northern Illinois to Chicago and down through Joliet and Peoria and back to the Quad Cities; approximately 550 miles total.
And there is always the Northern Tier route that goes from Anacortes, WA to Bar Harbor, ME. I rode most of the Washington section of this route in 2011.
And finally, I have the maps for circling Lake Michigan on the North Lakes and sections of the Northern Tier route. This would be a fun five or six week fall trip.
Plenty of bicycle touring out there and hopefully plenty of opportunity to do more of it.
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