Minneapolis to Buffalo - Pictures

Landing back in the USA late at night, Lisa and I "camp out" in the airport 

The riding was quite an improvement over Central America. 

Lisa enjoying the sunshine

Into the north woods

Late afternoon rest break

Yard art

Riding along the north shore of Lake Michigan.  Our first bike lane in months!

The five mile long Mackinac bridge

Commuting with new friends

Between the French, Native tribes, British and the Americans Mackinac Island has changed ownership 8 times.

Hundreds of miles of forest in the UP of Michigan

The east shore of Lake Michigan

Riding on a old railroad line paved into a bike route

What?

Great Lakes fishing boat unloading at Port Stanley

Bikes and hoverboards to the left

This is why we do this

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.

Making our way to Nicaragua

A week and a half to get to Costa Rica. We need to move. I do not believe I mentioned the name of the school in San Pedro. In case you are wondering and would like one on one Spanish classes at a great school, it is called San Pedro Spanish School. We found it on a website called www.guatemala365. This website lists the Spanish schools in Guatemala and ranks them according to people's ratings and allows you to easily research all of your options. I would definitely recommend this school because it is in a beautiful garden on the lake, classes are held under palapas, the family we stayed with was wonderful as was my teacher Clemente.

Paying up to Sunday morning, we left first thing and were out the door at 5:20am to catch the 6am chicken bus to Guatemala City. We contemplated riding to Antigua because we heard it is a beautiful city but agreed upon spending our last bit of time in Nicaragua. Taking a chance and not booking a bus ticket online, we showed up at the Tika Bus station and were lucky to buy seats for the 1pm departure to Managua, Nicaragua. A night stopover in San Salvador, El Salvador, we arrived in Managua at 1:30pm. That was a lot of sitting and my legs swelled like sausages from the hours of not moving. Stopping in San Salvador, everyone needed to get a hotel room for the night and there were two options. One was to stay at a nicer hotel that was a bit more expensive ($24-28/room) or a cheaper hotel ($12/person) in a sketchy neighborhood. We opted for the nicer hotel and were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the area. We were able to walk the streets at night to stretch our legs and grab a bite to eat before our 2am wake-up call for our 9 hour ride to Nicaragua. Never easy, the man loading the bus at 2:30am would not load our bikes and said he was not able to do it. ugh! Our broken Spanish was not cutting but with a bit of help from a local woman dropping off her son, we spoke with the attendant inside and he did manage to get our bikes on. Now that would have been a problem.

Crossing borders, there are different requirements and procedures. We just went with the flow and asked our neighbors if they understood the announcement. At one point we blindly handed over our passports to the Tika Bus worker at 5am and did not receive them back until probably 11 after we crossed through Honduras into Nicaragua. Phew. All was fine. Crossing over the border into Nicaragua, all passengers had to unload their bags and gear to be inspected by the border patrol. It was a bit of a pain if you were like us, hauling 8 awkward panniers a few steps at a time. They barely checked the contents of the bags, simply asked what our plans were in Nicaragua. Children around the age of 10 swarmed all passengers hoping for a quarter or two to help carry luggage off the bus and to the search tables. At first I thought it was sad that this was how a child was spending their Sunday, their day off from school. Once back on the bus, I realized it was actually Monday and they must not attend school. The stomach turned to knots at this realization. How do they make a life for themselves without an education? We are so fortunate in life and I am so thankful to have spent time in other countries to put life into perspective as it is so easily taken for granted.

Surrounded by Volcanoes

The collectivo pick-up in Chichicastenango was in a small 4 space parking lot. Being sick and not eating for a few days, combined with the massive number of traveling Guatemalans, we decided to take yet another means of transportation up the windy road to Quiche. Although we attempted to capture the utter chaos of the collective transition of passengers, by the time we turned on the camera, we were too late. I will do my best to describe the scene to you, but I am guessing whatever you are picturing, intensify it. I have never seen anything like this. These vans are equipped to seat 19 passenger. Guess how many people they were carrying? Somewhere in the 30's. Just as the van pulled up and the door began to slide open, people of all ages sprinted to the van and began climbing on before anyone even got off. It is not just people either, they are often carrying large loads that only add to the difficulty. Large cloths wrapped up to hold any type of goods. They sit these colorful bundles in their laps, often along with a child. Anyway, It was total mayhem. We could not even attempt to push our way through the crowd, simply observed from afar with our jaws open in disbelief of the chaos. It was quite a scene.

We eventually found a collectivo with room for our bikes and gear up top. Ryan stood in a small space by the side door as I squashed next to a woman with a baby and a large, round, plastic bin filled with some type of food. The children here are amazing. They stand or sit for hours and barely make a peep. So different from being amonst kids in the US or Australia. They are so tough here and do not seem to expect much. This is another topic altogether.

We unloaded at the collectivo's destination point. Getting off here is nice because we are able to take our time. When we get off along a route, we are rushed and basically pushed out of the vehicle and our gear is dropped from the roof. Not having any food in the day and it already being after 1 in the afternoon, Ryan grabbed a bite at a road side stand while I watched him eat. Such an odd feeling not being hungry for days.

We road the last 15 miles to Panajachel where we stayed for the night before taking a boat across Lago de Atitlan to San Pedro. Lago de Atitlan is a large lake in the middle of Guatemala that is surrounded with volcanoes. It is absolutely bueatiful. Little towns, maybe 7 or 8, are spread around the lake, often tucked under a volcano. It is very calming to be here. We negotiated with the launcheros and eventually found a cheap fare of 70Q ($9) for us and our bikes. The prices ranged from 70-300Q. How is that possible? Early the next morning we were on our way to the tranquil town of San Pedro to start our one on one Spanish classes and live with a local family.

Semana Santa and Lago de Atitlan - Pictures

Two very traditional Guatemalan sights

Lisa helping out making an alfombra in the street for Semana Santa

The dyed hands stayed with us for days

The finished product awaiting the procession

Where it is destroyed in minutes

We hitched a ride in the back of a freight truck to get around this Massive landslide

It is normal to pack all this gear plus 32 people inside.  I know.  I counted.

Mouthes full of decorative gold are popular.  Long live the Grill!

We went looking for the backroads and found them!

The easy and scenic way across Lago de Atitlan.  Great volcano views.

We spent two weeks taking one-on-one spanish classes

The school also helps out delivering food to some poor families.  This room home and kitchen to four people.  Lisa passing the eggs...

Lisa thinks her teacher Clemente is the most patient person on earth

The floating rocks of Lago de Atitlan.  I loved these!

Chichicastenango - Trying saying that 5 times

Leaving Coban, we headed out on the fairly busy road that is the main connector to Guatemala City. Luckily we were only on this road for maybe 10 miles before turning onto the less used route to San Cristobal Verapaz where we were counting on catching some form of transportation to help us over the steep, gravel road that was wiped out two years ago by a massive landslide. This landslide not only destroyed an enormous section of the road, but it buried over 100 people, some of which are still missing.

Due to the festive and well traveled celebration week of Semana Santa, the buses and collectivos were extremely packed. Finding space took a bit longer than anticipated. We patiently waited, tucked next to a building with our bikes and in the shade. Ryan busily spoke with the drivers hoping for us to hitch a ride when another American couple walked up with backpacks in tow. Ian and Liz are New Yorkers who have spent the last few months volunteering in Nicaragua, and were spending their last few weeks of travel in Central America exploring Guatemala. They are great people and we really enjoyed their company as we were fortunate enough to meet up with them later in another city as well. Anyway, an enormous truck pulled up filled with 100 pound bags of corn and 5 locals standing atop the corn. We were happy to pass all our gear up and hop aboard. Bikes, backpacks, maybe 100 bags of corn and 9 people held tight to the sides of the truck for the 3 1/2 hour ride over the rough terrain. A slow and bumpy climb and descent, we eventually made our way to Uspantan where we stayed the night in a clean, cheap hotel.

Soon after arriving at the hotel, the seasonal rain that usually hits Central America in May and June started and since then, we have had a consistent daily rainfall most afternoons. We now understand why everything is so green. I cannot imagine the intensity of the colors come July. What a beautiful country.

Semuc Champay - Coban (finding a town that is often overlooked by travelers)

Running into Saskia, a lady we met in Finca Ixobell, at El Retiro, the three of us walked into town to catch a collectivo for the hour ride to Semuc Champay. Saskia speaks fluent Spanish, which of course helped us negotiate a cheaper rate in the back of the truck... 15 quetzals ($2) per person. The truck had an open bed in the back with a metal frame welded on to allow people to hold tight while standing during the jolting ride over the rocky and hilly ride. It was quite a trip. I am guessing we were stuffed amongst 30+ people, stopping occasionally to drop off or pick up locals. Although the ride is an hour, it is actually only 9k down the road.

Semuc Champay is an absolutely spectacular and beautiful place. There are multiple pools fed by natural springs, and small waterfalls trickle down the rocks which can also be climbed, connected each pool. The water is completely clear and the water is cold enough to cool you off from the heat of the sun and warm enough to not be a shock to the body. The water is surrounded by lush foliage, possibly feeling a touch southern Asia. It is an almost perfect place and was worth the effort to get there.

Although tempting (ok, I'm lying), we rode into Lanquin and found a collectivo to drive us up hill 2,000 feet on the gravel road. We gladly avoided the difficult road and steep inclines. Phew.

Water taxi outside our hotel in Flores

The one and only easy road in Guatemala...

Guatemala is very beautiful... and rugged.

Lisa waiting for a chicken bus in the only shade around

The incomparable spring fed swimming pools of Semuc Champey

If you sit still, the fish will give your feet a "pezicure", I mean pedicure

Semuc Champey translate as "underground river."  This is where the river ends.

...and the tranquil pools begin

The start of many, many days of rock roads

Near Poptun, we hired a guide to take us back two hours in the jungle to this underground river cave

Wading underground

Sometimes it was too deep to wade

The fearless crew

Rough roads and trying times

Leaving Finca Ixobell, we started riding fairly early, close to 8am and on a road that climbed for 10k. Piece of cake. The sun was out, the humidity already rising quickly and the road was smooth. Great start to our day. The first 20 miles were on a paved road but as we turned right at San Luis, the route turned to a rocky, gravel, rutted nightmare. After a steep initial climb and a short snack to boost our spirits, we were ready for the uncomfortable miles ahead. A few k's and we were back to pavement. Phew! My hands were starting to hurt. Riding Surly Long Haul Truckers, we do not have any frills like suspension. Opting for durability in our gear, even our tires each weigh 2.2lbs. These bikes have been perfect for us thus far, not causing any problems more than a rubbing fender, squeaky brakes or loose cables. Nothing that actually has to do with the bikes themselves. After 15k of more paved roads, we were back to a bumpy ride and loose rocks. What I would have given for suspension and biking gloves (I gave those up along with my biking shorts back in Germany). We had 40+ miles of this route and it was nothing short of absolutely awful.

A fellow cycle tourist had emailed and recommended this route calling it a "rewarding ride". I think he and I have VERY different ideas of rewarding. I hit my wall and this road almost beat me. 2 years into riding and even on the toughest days, I could still say that I absolutely loved what we were doing and wouldn't trade the trials and tribulations for anything. In this instance, I would have gladly given up touring all together to simply be done with this road. How awful is that? Talk about hitting a low point! Ugly conversations going on in my head and a lot of cursing to say the least.