My bike is on its last legs

There is so much creakigng and claging in my bike, I am terrified it wont survive. Today i had to stop at nyack bicycle outfitters to get the right shifter fixed because it was slipping to the highest gear.

Why I am still not home

So hopefully, Rachel and Ashley are arrivinng home safely right about now. I am not, even though if it weren't pouring I could probably see the tip of the city. While the rain was a compelling reason to stop, i was already planning to. Not only did I not want to do another 100 mile day this week, but I really want to do the last day with my dad.

For his birthday two years ago, I promised my dad that we would kayak from west point to a landing near our apartment. The trip was derailed by a tornado (ok, a storm that later touched down), so while we will do that, tomorrow is a stand untill we do it

Last day! Almost home!

And one more flat

Today

We are tired. Like yesterday and the day before. I think it's because we are so close to home...and maybe because Will and I started on June 5, more than 3,300 miles ago.

Moving on...

Utica, NY

Two flats, pouring rain

May we get home now?

A little adventure for Will

The Mays' place

BAM

Guess what?

Many Ontario stories to come...

And then there were three...

W ell, but not in the classic sense.  Ashley H has joined us! She's another div student, taking a leap by joining us on this trip.

We left Ashley's awesome cousins' yesterday. Thanks, guys!

We are headed toward Hell Creek in Michigan today. It's rainy!

Hammond, IN!

After five days in Chicago, we are on our way again!

The bouquet, thrown to me

No comment

Will dancing

With my awesome friend Sandra

A wonderful wedding day!

A treat

Inexpensive sushi in Evanston

What a champ

What a champ

We are not alone

So I forget who asked us if a book could come of this trip. Yes, this trip is interesting enough to write a book about. However, I think people underestimate the relative ubiquity of this trip.

Some people, upon seeing our bikes, know exactly what we doing. Adventure cycling association ppublishes maps that are quite popular, and back when we were on one of the routes we would see multiple groups a day.

Even, when we were in the middle of South Dakota, far from any routes, we met a couple from Alaska who were doing the trip.

The groups we have seen generally come in three flavors: two young men, a college age couple, or a retired couple. Of course, there are exceptions. We met a father son pair, a married couple between jobs, and even a large group of retired people.

Yesterday, we were lost getting out of st. Paul and a commuting cyclist, Mike, offered to guide us in the direction he was going home (he also let us use his computer to check our route and fed us pizza. Thanks.) He was wearing a cycling shirt that had a cross country route on it. It turned out his wifes family had done it as a big group.

A NY times columnist is doing the trip solo for his second time.

So all types of groups do it.

Life on the road

Fun: pulling into a coffee shop to get out of a storm, meeting the locals, getting a history of the local areas

Less fun: setting out again, only to realize you need to find cover because two bolts of lightning strike a hundred yards down the road

Fun: watching the said lightning from cover

Btw, you were right, Pete. The storm did not break. Thanks again

It's raining

We have to get on the road.  Some kind of covered space would be awesome right now so we could pack up our stuff and keep it dry


Dems da breaks

Edit: Joyce, the campground host let us eat breakfast on her porch! And we chatted a lot.