Paying it forward

We woke early after camping behind a closed hotel/camping area, headed down the road for an hour before stopping at a gas station for a cup of coffee (we made oatmeal for breakfast). Many cyclists ride hard through their days, making miles in one go before stopping for the day around 4 or so. Ryan and I have a completely different method. You might wonder what we possibly do all day long. A typical day for us starts with the sun. We pack up and are on the road around 7am, riding around 20 miles before we stop for our first break. Always hungry, we often stop for pancakes and a big breakfast where we can also relax with the newspaper or a book for a good hour or two. We get back on the bikes for another 20+ miles before taking another break (again normally 1-2 hours), whether that be in a cafe or setting up our chairs for a snack and relaxation in the park under a tree in the shade. Our last leg, my personal favorite, is the later part of the day, the last two hours before sunset. The temperature drops, the wind slows and the traffic dies down. We ride until about 8 (or maybe 45 minutes before dark) before finding a spot to stash our tent for the night. We then break out our chairs and stove for dinner before setting up camp as the last bits of light disappear. Before we know it, it's 10pm, we are reading in our tents by the red light of our headlamps to not attract attention to our stealth spot, trying our best to keep our burning eyes open for a few pages of our books. It's surprisingly how quickly our days pass. And no, it is not a stressful life.

Having our coffee on this particular day, 4 guys in their mid 20's were on their first bicycle tour, starting in Milwaukee, WI and making their way to Traverse City, MI. They were pumped to be on their bikes and the energy they had with them with quite intense, much different than a solo cyclist or a couple. The stopped for a quick bathroom break before getting back on the bikes. We exchanged our routes quickly and they were on their way, all of us travelling in the same direction, toward Mackinac Island, MI. 45 minutes later, Ryan and I followed suit and started pedaling our way east.

Eastern Michigan

Hitting Lake Michigan, the temperatures dropped significantly, but the winds thankfully remained at our backs, giving us just enough of a push that makes pedaling feel so easy. The difference between the wind at our back verses in our faces makes such a difference and we can cover a great deal more miles when it is in our favor. We flew through the days, often taking multiple 1-2 hour breaks, and still managed to average over 70 miles/day.

Western Michigan changed from the farmlands, open fields, and birch trees of Wisconsin to old growth forests that lined the roads. Logging machines busily worked behind these tree lines, just far enough back from the road to create a barrier and an image that trees were not being cut down just feet away. It did make for a nice Christmasy smell, but breaks my heart seeing all of the loggers and the massive piles of logs.

Wisconsin

Riding into the unincorporated town of Clam Lake, WI just before 7pm and after covering 70-80 miles, we were hoping for a grocery store and a water fill-up. The adventure cycling map showed a grocery symbol, but we have come to learn that a "grocery store" in these small towns are often gas stations with basic necessities. Because of this, we have found it challenging to get our vitamins through fresh fruits and vegetables. Hence the previous blog about living off pancakes. There might not be fresh fruits and veggies, but almost every town has a breakfast joint.

Pulling in to the gas station, it was already closed. A quick look around the 4 corner "town" that had maybe 6 shops in total, we jumped across the street to the bar/restaurant. The first words we heard when we opened the door were, "Gas station is closed. Sorry about that. It's our fault because we work there." And there began our next great experience while living on the bikes. Five Clam Lakers in total filled the bar and curiously asked questions about our bikes and travels. They could not have been nicer. All we wanted was some water and here we were talking with the small town folk, swapping stories.

Saying our goodbyes, the same woman who apologized about the gas station being closed, waved us over to their side of the bar and fed us pizza and beer. We agreed to a slice of pizza, but she just kept filling our plates. She and her husband had taken a few trips on bikes, so they understood what it felt like to be a garbage disposal, always on the hunt for food. Before we knew it, it was 8pm and the bar patrons were sharing old stories of dancing on the bars and this and that about the area. We were laughing quite hard but needed to head out and find the campground to set up our tent before it was too dark. What a great night so far.

We rode down the street behind the bar and sure enough there was the couple who shared their pizza. Mind you, we have not even exchanged names at this point, but Colleen approached us and offered their home for a hot shower (we made mention in the bar how we had not had a truly hot shower since the middle of February) and a bed. What luck! We could not have been more thankful. A few turns later and a bit of gravel road, we were at their beautiful log home that sat on 120 acres that they had been working on for ten years. She rushed us down to our own private area and we embraced one of the best showers of our lives. It was absolutely wonderful. The night was spent with Colleen and Jerry, talking about everything from family to jobs to politics. We had a wonderful time and again found friends that we hope to cross paths with in the future. A great addition to our travels in the US. We are so fortunate to live in such a wonderful country, filled with people with such big hearts. I couldn't be happier.

Pancakes and footlong subs

First stop in Minneapolis was at REI, 7 miles in the opposite direction of where we needed to go. A great spot to re-supply and we were hoping to find Adventure Cycling maps, a non-profit company that offers 40,000 miles of cycle specific routes throughout North America. We were on the hunt for the Northern Tier maps but could not find them because no stores in the Minneapolis area carried them. In order to get these maps, you must have them sent to your home or an address. As we do not have a home and often do not know where we are headed, this turned out to be a difficult task. No maps at REI, but as always, the employees were extremely helpful and curious about our travels. It was a great introduction into Minneapolis because the people could not have been nicer which was a trend throughout our entire time in Minnesota. Minnesota nice is a phrase for a reason.

Next stop, Whole Foods. Oh wonderful wonderful Whole Foods. We devoured a huge salad for lunch, something we have been craving since most of our vegetables in Central America were always cooked. We stocked up on quinoa (a fantastic and healthy alternative to rice that seems to last much longer in our stomachs compared to rice or couscous), dried fruit, nuts and bulk items before hitting Trader Joe's for their brand of tasty bites. All set to ride.

Although we would have liked to spend more time in the Minneapolis area, we were anxious to sit in our saddles and make headway. Our first night was at Lake Elmo, 35 miles outside of Minneapolis. Riding the last hour in the rain, we hunkered down under the awning in the campground to wait out the storm before setting up our tent. We were approached by a tall man in his early 60's who had also ridden across country with his wife a few years back and was willing to share his maps. He and his wife turned out to be the camp hosts. They retired a few years back and sold their house and business in exchange for an RV and a life on the road. Kudos to them. They act as campground hosts in Big Bend National Park in Texas in the winter and Minnesota in the spring/summer and take trips in between. In their 50's they decided to ride from Bellingham, WA to Bar Harbor, ME. Wow, we were in awe. Great conversations and a few hours later, we had wide grins on our faces hearing of their experiences and were given their maps of the northern tier. How lucky are we? The best bike routes to get us to Buffalo. Thank you generous people.

Finishing up in Central America

It's hard to believe we spent three months in Central America, traveling from Mexico down to Costa Rica. How the times flies. Although the riding was a bit rough at times, our experiences have opened our eyes to different ways of life and have given us memories that will stick with us forever. Reading through past blogs, I realize I often leave out specific stories that happen to us along our travels. If you are reading this and have any questions or curiosities about our everyday life, please pass those questions along (there is an email link on here) because to be honest, I have no idea what people are curious about or want to know regarding our travels. So, I will share a few stories I skipped over in the past.
While traveling with Russ and Debbie along the Mexican coast, we followed signs to a beach where we ended up staying for 3 nights under a palapa and more or less on our own beach. The only visitors were the fisherman who launched their boats early in the morning and the occasional local stopping in to watch the sunset. This spot was one of the most southern spots in Mexico, allowing us to see the sun rise and set over the ocean. Stunning place to spend some days. Each morning we would enjoy breakfast under the palapa. This particular morning we had yogurt and papaya with lime (papaya is so delicious down here because it is so fresh and picked only when ripe). I went to toss the used lime peels in the bush and on my way back, as I ducked under the palm frond roof, my head brushed the fronds that triggered a wasp nest. The next thing I know, I am swarmed by wasps. These are not wasps that we are accustomed to back in the US. These are Jurassic Park wasps, dangling legs from inch sized bodies. As I was attacked, I froze thinking that if I did not move, they would fly away. Definitely wrong. I hear Debbie hell, "Run! Run! Run!" So I ran off but the wasps held tight, one on my shoulder and one on my neck, stuck under my hair. Ouch! Debbie came over and grabbed both wasps with her fingers to remove them. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch. At least four bites. Two on my skull, one on the right side of my neck and the biggest bite taken from my left shoulder blade.