“A conclusion is simply the place where someone got tired of thinking.” Although that’s probably why it’s taken me so long to finish, I don’t want that to be the reason why I’m ending this blog. It’s not how we ended our trip (although, sometimes looking back, it kind of feels that way. The light at the end of the tunnel was mesmerizing).
Why? Why ride our bikes across the country? For lots of reasons…probably none of them very good. Because…it’s there. Because we’ve never seen it. Because we don’t have jobs, or kids, or a house payment. Because… there’s no real reason that could convince someone that they had to take this trip. Maybe because if you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything. Maybe. Maybe we didn’t have a good reason.
Did it change us? Yes. And no. I can’t give you a good answer for that. I would hope that after having 2 ½ months to closely evaluate…all things under the sun… we would all come away changed. I feel more focused. We didn’t have much internet access, TV episodes online, movies…facebook. I don’t feel like I used these too much before, but I can actually get quite a bit done when I don’t use them at all… and I thought about things that aren’t the news, or an episode, or facebook. I thought about my relationships with people. I spent time remembering. I spent time self-evaluating. I realize I have too much stuff. Everything we needed to survive for three months fit on our bikes. It struck me that we work so hard for…what? We’re stuck on a hamster wheel. There is a whole life to live, but our hamster wheel gets in the way sometimes. It gets in the way of being a part of people’s lives…of doing what we really want to, or aspire to. It gets in the way of enjoying what we do have. I have a kitchen sink. This lone, simple fact is something that I have never considered. I didn’t have a sink on the trip.
But in other ways, I’m still the same. Those messy parts of me that I could ignore when I had a single task—riding my bike—for two months start emerging. I don’t prioritize correctly. I haven’t run this week. I know those things will slowly creep back out, but I’m trying to keep them in their places.
Was it ever terribly boring? I would be lying if I told you it was a joy-ride the entire trip. I listened to my ipod only four times on the trip, but it was over a stretch of days that riding seemed incredibly boring, or difficult. There were days when I’d wake up, and didn’t want to ride…primarily because I was bored. But I had to. Thank you, C.S. Lewis for entertaining me then. Most of the time, though… no. It wasn’t boring… sometimes David and I were talking, other times we were thinking about things separately. Lots of time, but lots to think about. Toward the end of the trip…the second to last day... it was boring coupled with antsiness. Most of the time, it was just peaceful. You can pray. You can just ride and not think about anything.
Was it incredibly hard? Annie Smith Peck says “Nothing to mountaineering, just a little physical endurance, a good deal of brains, lots of practice, and plenty of warm clothing.” I say “nothing to cross-country biking, just a little physical endurance, a good deal of thinking, and bike shorts.” I honestly think if you are physically capable of running a few miles, you’re probably physically capable of riding across the country. It’s just a matter of whether or not you can sit on a bike seat for hours every day and keep pedaling. I was pretty nervous before the trip. Not, ‘will I make it?’ but, ‘how hard is this going to be?’ There were a few stretches that were difficult, but for the most part… it was almost always enjoyable.
Did you drive each other crazy? Never. Not even once. My mom always said you can tell the true character of someone when they’re sick or tired. I’m happy to tell you that I’m married to a pretty awesome man.
What was the best part? Glacier National Park. The people we met. The way the trip unfolded. Everything.
What was the worst part? Regrets? Besides waiting on a dark street corner waiting for David’s friend to get off work for hours, it was this: (you’re probably getting tired of quotes. I’m sorry… I feel like this one sums up when I look back a little too well) “Just remember, the same as a spectacular Vogue magazine, remember that no matter how close you follow the jumps: Continued on page whatever. No matter how careful you are, there's going to be the sense you missed something, the collapsed feeling under your skin that you didn't experience it all. There's that fallen heart feeling that you rushed right through the moments where you should've been paying attention.” Chuck Palahniuk
Scariest? Not a lot of scary parts… maybe the tunnel in Wisconsin? Except that wasn’t scary… just eerie.
Did you lose weight? Do you feel in the best shape of your life? David lost a lot of weight… all said in done, it was probably 30-35 lbs. I lost…6 lbs (maybe? I’m still confused because I weigh 5 lbs different everyday). I feel more solid, and trim. However, I don’t feel like I’m in super-human shape. I went for a six mile run when I got back and while my body was like, “hey. ok. I get it…we’re running.” My lungs were like, “What is THIS? Actual cardio?”
How much did you average each day? We averaged about 70 miles a day. We rode as little as 50 miles, and as much as 140 in one day.
Did you see anyone else doing what you were? There were LOTS of people riding the same trip we were. I’d say we often ran into the same seven bicyclists throughout the ride, but we crossed at least 120 touring bicyclists between the west coast and the Northern Tier. We ran into only one other person our age… almost everyone else was retired.
Would you change anything about how you did it? Yes. David wouldn’t use the BOB trailer (in fact, he’s getting ready to sell it). We’d get slightly thicker tires so they wouldn’t wear as quickly. We’d ‘camp’ the same way… we’d use the same map company… we’d probably look for state maps to go off of rather than rely on Google, but we’d probably still have the Netbook with the internet USB. It was really handy when we did turn off the route. We might leave the propane stove at home if we did it again. And we’d start out with less.
What will you miss? I’ll miss a lot. The carefree-ness of it. Meeting new people every day. The unexpected. Pedaling in the middle of nowhere.
What won't you miss? I’ll bet David won’t miss his bike seat.
Was it hard to re-adjust when you came back? Not really. I think we were both ready to be back. It was disappointing to find our apartment in the mess that it was, but I think it made us appreciate it more now that it’s ‘ours’ again (aka: clean. organized). I’ve gone through and gotten rid of a bunch of ‘stuff’. After visiting our families, David started school right away, and went back to working at Melanthios… we just kind of slid back into our lives here…hopefully with some things changed. It was like pushing a reset button.
Best part of being back? A bed every night. Community. Having a church we are a part of. Family. A kitchen sink.
Would you do it again? In a heartbeat.
This trip was more than we'd hoped it would be. It was everything plus some. I think the biggest surprise was the kindness and hospitality that still thrives in the United States. Chicago has the highest youth crime rate in the US. That doesn't mean that every other person out there has a heart of stone. We were carried by the kindness of the people we met, the people we talked with or stayed with... that was why I got up and got on my bike in the morning... not necessarily to see everything we would see, but because I knew we'd meet more people, see more ways that people did life, and that we'd get to be a part of it.
Thank you, thank you to everyone that prayed for us along the way... that read up on us, that sent messages and called to tell us you were 'here' with us. We really appreciated it. This was the trip of a lifetime, and we are so thankful we got to share it with the people we love.
If you want to email me if you have any questions, or to tell me thoughts you had about our trip while we biked, go ahead and email me at kmrdjanov@gmail.com -- I would love to hear your take on things.
I guess... is this goodbye? Maybe for now, but we'll be back. Oh, yes we will.
Some other nerdy quotes I related to our trip:
"Endurance is patience concentrated." - Thomas Carlyle
“I learned from the example of my father that the manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured” Dean Acheson
“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many races one after another.” -Walter Elliot.
“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
About Us
- David and Kristen Mrdjanov
- We got hitched last summer, are enjoying starting life together here in Chicago, and are ready for some real adventure.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Final installment: 1 of 2
It's been almost a month since we've finished... and it's time to wrap this blog up.
For those of you who have diligently been checking this page EVERY DAY... even in my delinquency... I'm writing this because you followed us all summer and I want to offer you closure. You need to experience how we finished. It's kind of selfish that we left you hanging in Wisconsin.
So. Wisconsin, then closing thoughts.
I know... this is a long time ago, but I kept good notes, so don't fret.
We made a couple mistakes along the Mississippi river. We got so excited that we had made it to Wisconsin, and then inadvertently 50 miles later crossed back over into Minnesota again. Whoops! Wisconsin was not kind to us at first. Our BOB trailer had the only tire that hadn't been flat the entire trip (which, I guess is common with the BOB). Once in Wisconsin, we got not one but TWO flats on the BOB within 30 minutes of each other. Yep, David had swept the tire... it was just all the razor blades + glass that were hanging out, waiting for us. I was also kind of a whiny butt that day... we left Minneapolis and my ankle was still feeling like it was tearing something, so after 55 miles this whiny butt called it a day.
Our first night in Wisconsin was spent in the unincorporated town of Diamond Bluff. Une 'business' called "The Nauti Hogg". As in Nautical. And Harley. We found a lady out in her yard yakking on her phone and moseyed around town until she was off the phone before we asked if we could set up shop in her yard. We got a cautious yes. When her husband came home later she was much more sociable, which...really...I get. I mean, it's obvious we're not slashers (c'mon! Florescent yellow construction vests!), BUT we're still strangers on bicycles. Cherri made us brownies despite the vests and the distinct possibility that we were crazy... and gave us tomatoes from her garden. Bob checked on us in the morning when he got back from work to see if we got the brownies. mmm.
The next day started with the first ever (and only) bloodshed on the trip. Brace yourself. David was pointing out a sign I couldn't see, and I didn't realize he was turning as we slowed down. I tipped over and scraped my knee. Yeah. Pretty huge, huh? Although, I was sweaty so the blood started dripping in rivulets down my leg and it looked really impressive.
Biking along the Mississippi is pretty terrific...you have lots of rollers, lots of scenery, and lots of people driving who are used to seeing bikers. I kid you not, we saw at least 50 bicyclists when we crossed over into Wisconsin. It's like biker heaven. When we crossed into Minnesota (accidently)...no bikers. Back into Wisconsin? Lots of bikers. On an especially big roller, we were passed by probably thirty motorcyclists. One by one, each threw his fist in the air with the "rock" sign as he passed.
"Is that for us?"
"I don't know... but it's pretty cool."
"They're saluting the next bicyclist up too! It WAS for us!"
"I feel like a rock star."
The next group of bicyclists in front of us were three women in their mid 40's. We stopped at the same gas station for water, and obviously, due to our shared bike-nerdiness, we talked. All three women are training for the Madison Ironman (which happens Sep...7th?). 2.4 mi swim, 112 mile ride, followed by a full marathon. Really? REALLY?!?! They all looked like normal, healthy 40 year old woman...not like crazy she-men. One was overweight! We told them they were crazy. They told us we were crazy. Then we all mounted our bicycles and continued on secretly hoping for more motorcycle salutes from other people who thought we were crazy.
As we traveled down the Mississippi, we diverged off the Adventure Cycling maps (which travels on the Minnesota/Iowa side of the river before crossing into IL). So...back to our fickle friend, Google maps. Google maps loves bike routes. It loves them so much, it puts you on them, even if it makes absolutely no logical sense to get on them (aka, extra miles on a DIRT ROAD). We got to one stretch that was 'trail'. I will use that word very loosely, because what we had was a dirt path that was barely visible from the rest of the brush. Not so cool when your bike is of the 'road' variety. Extra-not-cool when your bikes are loaded. We got off that route as soon as opportunity afforded. This dumped us out near a subdivision in the middle of nowhere (well, ok…it was close to Trempealeau, which is also the middle of nowhere). We broke our cardinal rule of house searching, and knocked on the nicest house in the subdivision. (Hey, it never hurts to try...) (ps. This is the cardinal rule because we have never...and I mean never... had success)(pps. I guess really it's not our cardinal rule. Our cardinal rule is probably 'no crack houses'). Allene Horton opened the door, and was delighted to offer her yard.
Bob and Allene have adopted four boys (Kyle, Ethan, Michael, and Robbie). They were the most considerate little boys I have met. Kyle had been mowing the lawn, stopped when he was about 50 feet from our tent, came over and meekly asked, "Will I be bothering you if I mow over here?" Um, no. We’re in your yard. David played some basketball with the guys, Allene brought out some wine for us, and then Bob got back from helping coach Robbie's baseball team. They invited us to stay in their spare bedroom...! We quickly tore down our tents, showered, and joined them for their family movie night (Avatar). Again, fun, well behaved boys. Allene and Bob were fun to hang out with, and…after a 95 mile day, it was nice to have an incredible place to stay.
The next morning, Bob and Allene directed us back to the ‘sketchy’ path…except…that the path got exceptionally less sketchy right by the subdivision, so it was no longer a dirt road overrun with weeds, it was now gravel. We pretty much stayed on that trail system (which right near Trempealeau turns into a Rails-to-Trails network) for the next 200 miles. I was still kind of iffy about the whole gravel thing...it takes a lot more concentration, and, honestly, more work-per-pedal-stroke (more resistance). However, the trail is graded for a train, which doesn’t go up or downhill quickly…very even keel, which in bucolic Wisconsin is a nice thing to follow. Sometimes we were riding high above the rest of world, other times the trail was sandwiched between thirty foot high rock walls that had been hewn out from the surroundings. The whole 200 miles was especially punctuated 90 miles outside of Sparta, WI, when we reached a GIANT entrance to an old railroad tunnel through a ‘mountain’ (hill). Thirty feet from the entrance, it felt like we had ridden into a refrigerated cooler. We came around a bend, and saw the mouth of this…cave… with mist rolling out, and giant wood doors attached to either side. It reminded me of “Lord of the Rings” when Gandalf + the Hobbits must solve the riddle on the door outside the mountain to enter the dwarf kingdom. There was a sign that read, “Please walk bicycles through tunnel”. We both thought, “Yeah...Right.”, but ten feet in realized that, even with our lights on, we couldn’t see a single thing in front of us. The walls were rock. There were tiny, slippery streams that ran on either side. We got off and became obedient little bikers.
This tunnel was in.sane. Even though temperature outside was 90+ degrees, the tunnel was freezing cold; . There was some kind of strange, eerie music coming from far in the distance…which…if you looked hard enough, you could make out the end as the size of a dime. The light had a greenish cast. There was a train whistle. Halfway through, we could barely make out the entrance or the exit...just a lot of darkness. A little closer to the other side, we met a group of musicians…the strange eerie music that had sounded like a distant carnival. A man had brought in a wooden whistle that sounded like a train. Eventually, finally, we emerged on the other side. The tunnel was three quarters of a mile long. There were two other tunnels like this, but a little shorter.
That night, we stopped in Elroy, WI, and found “The Sportsman” bar. Real dive bar… no one really interested in serving us, but plenty of people interested in looking at us. We ate a smorgasbord of fried foods, and then found Rachel and Terry, who offered us their yard, a shower, and peaches. Rachel read up on our blog while we showered (“You know…just to make sure you guys aren’t weirdos”), chatted up a storm with us, then wished us goodnight. In the morning, Terry brought us out some coffee, and wished us well.
I don’t remember too much of the riding between Elroy and Madison, except I remember looking up and seeing a bald eagle seated on the side of the road slowly take off, circle just above us, and then beat away. I remember a dog tearing after David, biting at his heels, then turning around, seeing me, and disinterestedly walking (not trotting…walking…sauntering almost) off. I remember David’s ‘hymns’. I remember the potholes coming into Madison and praying that we would not be hit. University was the pot-holiest street ever. I remember that it was a long day, but we were close to home.
My Uncle Dan and Aunt Deb WERE surprised to see us… apparently, Jacob did forget to mention to them that we had called. We left to ‘allow them time to get settled in’ (aka eat the best ice cream of the trip) (no really. We would know). Dan and Deb were awesome hosts…they shwooped us up into a bedroom, made dinner, and chatted with us. We stayed an extra day to see Madison, watch an ultimate Frisbee game (which has inspired us to sign up for fall league here in Chicago…which required us to field a team…which requires us to be an ‘expert’ on Frisbee affairs. I’ll leave that up to David. I can catch. I can (sort of) throw. I cannot be an expert…on anything that requires hand-eye coordination), and really, not have to be on our bikes. Madison is a pretty fun city. Grad school, anyone? hmmmm… options…options.
The next (and final) day I should have a lot to say about, but I don’t. We rode the most we’ve ever ridden, 140 miles. We were motivated to get back. I prayed half the day that we wouldn’t get killed…because honestly, the way we took I would never take again, or recommend to anyone. Rt 12 is a death trap. It was a poor choice. Still, we made it. I was thankful every second for my bright green/yellow vest, and for every millimeter of road I had. Still, I was praying that God would allow each driver to see us. We were riding against the sun, and rode down Belmont into Lakeview just after the sun had set. There was something incredibly surreal to entering our neighborhood, in our city. I yelled out “We rode 3700 miles to get here!!” when we got close to the train station… it was… crazy. It was bizarre. It was everything I had hoped that moment would be.
Thoughts looking back tomorrow. That is a promise. And it will be the final segment of the bike trip blog.
For those of you who have diligently been checking this page EVERY DAY... even in my delinquency... I'm writing this because you followed us all summer and I want to offer you closure. You need to experience how we finished. It's kind of selfish that we left you hanging in Wisconsin.
So. Wisconsin, then closing thoughts.
I know... this is a long time ago, but I kept good notes, so don't fret.
We made a couple mistakes along the Mississippi river. We got so excited that we had made it to Wisconsin, and then inadvertently 50 miles later crossed back over into Minnesota again. Whoops! Wisconsin was not kind to us at first. Our BOB trailer had the only tire that hadn't been flat the entire trip (which, I guess is common with the BOB). Once in Wisconsin, we got not one but TWO flats on the BOB within 30 minutes of each other. Yep, David had swept the tire... it was just all the razor blades + glass that were hanging out, waiting for us. I was also kind of a whiny butt that day... we left Minneapolis and my ankle was still feeling like it was tearing something, so after 55 miles this whiny butt called it a day.
Our first night in Wisconsin was spent in the unincorporated town of Diamond Bluff. Une 'business' called "The Nauti Hogg". As in Nautical. And Harley. We found a lady out in her yard yakking on her phone and moseyed around town until she was off the phone before we asked if we could set up shop in her yard. We got a cautious yes. When her husband came home later she was much more sociable, which...really...I get. I mean, it's obvious we're not slashers (c'mon! Florescent yellow construction vests!), BUT we're still strangers on bicycles. Cherri made us brownies despite the vests and the distinct possibility that we were crazy... and gave us tomatoes from her garden. Bob checked on us in the morning when he got back from work to see if we got the brownies. mmm.
The next day started with the first ever (and only) bloodshed on the trip. Brace yourself. David was pointing out a sign I couldn't see, and I didn't realize he was turning as we slowed down. I tipped over and scraped my knee. Yeah. Pretty huge, huh? Although, I was sweaty so the blood started dripping in rivulets down my leg and it looked really impressive.
Biking along the Mississippi is pretty terrific...you have lots of rollers, lots of scenery, and lots of people driving who are used to seeing bikers. I kid you not, we saw at least 50 bicyclists when we crossed over into Wisconsin. It's like biker heaven. When we crossed into Minnesota (accidently)...no bikers. Back into Wisconsin? Lots of bikers. On an especially big roller, we were passed by probably thirty motorcyclists. One by one, each threw his fist in the air with the "rock" sign as he passed.
"Is that for us?"
"I don't know... but it's pretty cool."
"They're saluting the next bicyclist up too! It WAS for us!"
"I feel like a rock star."
The next group of bicyclists in front of us were three women in their mid 40's. We stopped at the same gas station for water, and obviously, due to our shared bike-nerdiness, we talked. All three women are training for the Madison Ironman (which happens Sep...7th?). 2.4 mi swim, 112 mile ride, followed by a full marathon. Really? REALLY?!?! They all looked like normal, healthy 40 year old woman...not like crazy she-men. One was overweight! We told them they were crazy. They told us we were crazy. Then we all mounted our bicycles and continued on secretly hoping for more motorcycle salutes from other people who thought we were crazy.
As we traveled down the Mississippi, we diverged off the Adventure Cycling maps (which travels on the Minnesota/Iowa side of the river before crossing into IL). So...back to our fickle friend, Google maps. Google maps loves bike routes. It loves them so much, it puts you on them, even if it makes absolutely no logical sense to get on them (aka, extra miles on a DIRT ROAD). We got to one stretch that was 'trail'. I will use that word very loosely, because what we had was a dirt path that was barely visible from the rest of the brush. Not so cool when your bike is of the 'road' variety. Extra-not-cool when your bikes are loaded. We got off that route as soon as opportunity afforded. This dumped us out near a subdivision in the middle of nowhere (well, ok…it was close to Trempealeau, which is also the middle of nowhere). We broke our cardinal rule of house searching, and knocked on the nicest house in the subdivision. (Hey, it never hurts to try...) (ps. This is the cardinal rule because we have never...and I mean never... had success)(pps. I guess really it's not our cardinal rule. Our cardinal rule is probably 'no crack houses'). Allene Horton opened the door, and was delighted to offer her yard.
Bob and Allene have adopted four boys (Kyle, Ethan, Michael, and Robbie). They were the most considerate little boys I have met. Kyle had been mowing the lawn, stopped when he was about 50 feet from our tent, came over and meekly asked, "Will I be bothering you if I mow over here?" Um, no. We’re in your yard. David played some basketball with the guys, Allene brought out some wine for us, and then Bob got back from helping coach Robbie's baseball team. They invited us to stay in their spare bedroom...! We quickly tore down our tents, showered, and joined them for their family movie night (Avatar). Again, fun, well behaved boys. Allene and Bob were fun to hang out with, and…after a 95 mile day, it was nice to have an incredible place to stay.
The next morning, Bob and Allene directed us back to the ‘sketchy’ path…except…that the path got exceptionally less sketchy right by the subdivision, so it was no longer a dirt road overrun with weeds, it was now gravel. We pretty much stayed on that trail system (which right near Trempealeau turns into a Rails-to-Trails network) for the next 200 miles. I was still kind of iffy about the whole gravel thing...it takes a lot more concentration, and, honestly, more work-per-pedal-stroke (more resistance). However, the trail is graded for a train, which doesn’t go up or downhill quickly…very even keel, which in bucolic Wisconsin is a nice thing to follow. Sometimes we were riding high above the rest of world, other times the trail was sandwiched between thirty foot high rock walls that had been hewn out from the surroundings. The whole 200 miles was especially punctuated 90 miles outside of Sparta, WI, when we reached a GIANT entrance to an old railroad tunnel through a ‘mountain’ (hill). Thirty feet from the entrance, it felt like we had ridden into a refrigerated cooler. We came around a bend, and saw the mouth of this…cave… with mist rolling out, and giant wood doors attached to either side. It reminded me of “Lord of the Rings” when Gandalf + the Hobbits must solve the riddle on the door outside the mountain to enter the dwarf kingdom. There was a sign that read, “Please walk bicycles through tunnel”. We both thought, “Yeah...Right.”, but ten feet in realized that, even with our lights on, we couldn’t see a single thing in front of us. The walls were rock. There were tiny, slippery streams that ran on either side. We got off and became obedient little bikers.
This tunnel was in.sane. Even though temperature outside was 90+ degrees, the tunnel was freezing cold; . There was some kind of strange, eerie music coming from far in the distance…which…if you looked hard enough, you could make out the end as the size of a dime. The light had a greenish cast. There was a train whistle. Halfway through, we could barely make out the entrance or the exit...just a lot of darkness. A little closer to the other side, we met a group of musicians…the strange eerie music that had sounded like a distant carnival. A man had brought in a wooden whistle that sounded like a train. Eventually, finally, we emerged on the other side. The tunnel was three quarters of a mile long. There were two other tunnels like this, but a little shorter.
That night, we stopped in Elroy, WI, and found “The Sportsman” bar. Real dive bar… no one really interested in serving us, but plenty of people interested in looking at us. We ate a smorgasbord of fried foods, and then found Rachel and Terry, who offered us their yard, a shower, and peaches. Rachel read up on our blog while we showered (“You know…just to make sure you guys aren’t weirdos”), chatted up a storm with us, then wished us goodnight. In the morning, Terry brought us out some coffee, and wished us well.
I don’t remember too much of the riding between Elroy and Madison, except I remember looking up and seeing a bald eagle seated on the side of the road slowly take off, circle just above us, and then beat away. I remember a dog tearing after David, biting at his heels, then turning around, seeing me, and disinterestedly walking (not trotting…walking…sauntering almost) off. I remember David’s ‘hymns’. I remember the potholes coming into Madison and praying that we would not be hit. University was the pot-holiest street ever. I remember that it was a long day, but we were close to home.
My Uncle Dan and Aunt Deb WERE surprised to see us… apparently, Jacob did forget to mention to them that we had called. We left to ‘allow them time to get settled in’ (aka eat the best ice cream of the trip) (no really. We would know). Dan and Deb were awesome hosts…they shwooped us up into a bedroom, made dinner, and chatted with us. We stayed an extra day to see Madison, watch an ultimate Frisbee game (which has inspired us to sign up for fall league here in Chicago…which required us to field a team…which requires us to be an ‘expert’ on Frisbee affairs. I’ll leave that up to David. I can catch. I can (sort of) throw. I cannot be an expert…on anything that requires hand-eye coordination), and really, not have to be on our bikes. Madison is a pretty fun city. Grad school, anyone? hmmmm… options…options.
The next (and final) day I should have a lot to say about, but I don’t. We rode the most we’ve ever ridden, 140 miles. We were motivated to get back. I prayed half the day that we wouldn’t get killed…because honestly, the way we took I would never take again, or recommend to anyone. Rt 12 is a death trap. It was a poor choice. Still, we made it. I was thankful every second for my bright green/yellow vest, and for every millimeter of road I had. Still, I was praying that God would allow each driver to see us. We were riding against the sun, and rode down Belmont into Lakeview just after the sun had set. There was something incredibly surreal to entering our neighborhood, in our city. I yelled out “We rode 3700 miles to get here!!” when we got close to the train station… it was… crazy. It was bizarre. It was everything I had hoped that moment would be.
Thoughts looking back tomorrow. That is a promise. And it will be the final segment of the bike trip blog.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Installment 3 of 3
So, I think we're both done riding. That's figuratively speaking, not literally.
Over the last ten miles of today, David turned both "Single Ladies" and "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts" into hymns. Oh yes. Keep that mental image. Throw in that...while he's gifted in many other areas, David cannot sing (Michael! If only he had a long board!). So, really, he was wailing "Single Ladies" in a hymn-like fashion.
So, we got to Madison, WI and sat on my Aunt + Uncle's porch waiting for them to come home... not really sure they'd know we would be there. Up until three days ago, we didn't even know we'd be heading through Madison... and by the time we called, we got their son Jacob on the phone. He was cat sitting. So, although we left a few messages...and Jacob told us he'd tell them we were coming, Dan + Deb were not expecting us as they pulled up to their house. "Oh! Kristen! Good to see you!" If they didn't mean it, then they sure are good fakers. I think they meant it though.
Dan and Deb were incredibly accommodating, and...we were relieved to know... cool with us staying there. We went and got ice cream to give them time to unpack (surprised? But it was sooo delicious), and ate dinner before heading over to one of the lakes near D+D's house. We made it just in time to see the sun set! After heading out, and chatting with Dan and Deb, we decided to stay in Madison another day. Hey, Chicago can wait, right?
I forgot to include one of the best parts of being with Kyle and Mandy... We were all eating dinner, when their four year old son laid his head on his arm on the table. It looked like he was sleeping, but he was still 'pushing through' eating his hot dog. Kyle asked if he was done eating, and Kale put the fist with the hot dog still in it on the table, head still down...defeated. Pretty stinking funny.
After leaving St. Joseph, we rode down to visit David's cousin near Lake Minnetonka. I didn't realize what a crazy nice area we would be riding through... but some of those houses, oh my! Ooooh! Look at that one! And that one!
and...well... we had a little trouble getting to Solla Sollew (...er...Exclesior), but we made it! Paul was home just a-sawing-away in his woodshop (he did know we were coming :) ), and soon after his wife, Jill, and children came home. Paul built a house in the area so 1. he could be near most of his jobs and 2. because it's prime real estate, and pretty easy to sell even in this economy. And a very nice house it is too. We all ate dinner on the lake, Paul and Jill put their kids to bed, and we sat around and told stories.
We took the next day... well... reeeeeeeaally easy. My ankle's been feeling like it's tearing, so we figured we'd give it a rest and just ride into Minneapolis. I wanted to meet up with Kelli O'keefe, a friend from high school, so...let's just say it was a 25 mile day. And holy smokes! What great riding too (all 25 miles of it)! I guess Minneapolis was named the most bike-friendly city in America this year. In the biking world, Chicago has a lot of catching up to do. We have 'a' path. Minneapolis has 'many' paths (note the plurality of that word). We rode on 'The Greenway', which is a well manicured path through the heart of the city. We stayed with a warmshowers couple named Tim and Anne that lived near the Mississippi river. Tim was on a canoe trip, so I guess it was really just Anne we stayed with. Anne was a huge sweetheart. She pulled out all the Wisconsin maps she had to try to help us plan our route through to Chicago... she fed us breakfast, and made us feel at home.
Uh. Yeah. So... it was in Minneapolis that we decided maybe the ice cream obsession had gone too far. We stopped on our gruelling ride to Minneapolis to eat some DQ. Once in Minneapolis, we went to see what all the hulla-balloo around the Mall of America is all about (ps. I still couldn't tell you. It's a mall. A great big mall). There, we had ice cream-like coffee drinks. And then, to cap it all off, when we met up with Kelli, we (naturally) got ice cream. This time, I opted for a low-fat version, but I don't think that matters as it was the third go-around. David made me vow our ice-cream eating days were over so we could 'get into Chicago mode' (ie. not gain 30 lbs when we get back). As you can see by our ice cream trip in Madison, this mode has not yet begun.
While waiting for Kelli to get off work, we went downtown. We meandered like lost ducks before stopping a man and asking him where we should go. "Welcome to the Great City of Minneapolis!" (he was taking his job as our director very seriously) "blah blah blah...you look Irish! I'm going to send you to Kieran's!" So, because I have red hair, we ended up at an Irish restaurant. I'm ok with it mostly because my food was delicious, and they gave us a free appetizer because they thought the whole biking thing was crazy.
We met up with Kelli and went to her apartment in Uptown. I had a hard time not feeling 'apartment envy'... because really... um... cough. cough. Kelli pays half what we do, but lives in a giant four bedroom, two bath, very nicely restored vintage-y apartment with landscaping and a cool landlord. I like our apartment. I like Chicago. I also think Kelli lives in a freaking sweet apartment.
I was really glad we met up with Kelli...I was a little nervous because it's been probably four years since I've seen her. Would we still click? What were we going to talk about? But Kelli is Kelli, and I am me, and really not much has changed (although, also...quite a bit has) (when is a non-statement a statement?). It was easy to talk to Kelli, and I wish we lived closer because on the bike ride out of Minneapolis, I started thinking about all the things we used to do a together in High School. Kind of pathetic that I'm getting all nostalgic about High School at 23, but... what can I say? I did love THS, and I did love the friends I had there. There's just something about knowing the same people since kindergarten. Seems strange that we barely know each other now.
Well... that was all for Minnesota. 3 installments. We are now two days away from Chicago, and can hopefully write fast + furious to catch the blog up on the Wisconsin riding before we hit home-base.
Sleep well all.
Over the last ten miles of today, David turned both "Single Ladies" and "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts" into hymns. Oh yes. Keep that mental image. Throw in that...while he's gifted in many other areas, David cannot sing (Michael! If only he had a long board!). So, really, he was wailing "Single Ladies" in a hymn-like fashion.
So, we got to Madison, WI and sat on my Aunt + Uncle's porch waiting for them to come home... not really sure they'd know we would be there. Up until three days ago, we didn't even know we'd be heading through Madison... and by the time we called, we got their son Jacob on the phone. He was cat sitting. So, although we left a few messages...and Jacob told us he'd tell them we were coming, Dan + Deb were not expecting us as they pulled up to their house. "Oh! Kristen! Good to see you!" If they didn't mean it, then they sure are good fakers. I think they meant it though.
Dan and Deb were incredibly accommodating, and...we were relieved to know... cool with us staying there. We went and got ice cream to give them time to unpack (surprised? But it was sooo delicious), and ate dinner before heading over to one of the lakes near D+D's house. We made it just in time to see the sun set! After heading out, and chatting with Dan and Deb, we decided to stay in Madison another day. Hey, Chicago can wait, right?
I forgot to include one of the best parts of being with Kyle and Mandy... We were all eating dinner, when their four year old son laid his head on his arm on the table. It looked like he was sleeping, but he was still 'pushing through' eating his hot dog. Kyle asked if he was done eating, and Kale put the fist with the hot dog still in it on the table, head still down...defeated. Pretty stinking funny.
After leaving St. Joseph, we rode down to visit David's cousin near Lake Minnetonka. I didn't realize what a crazy nice area we would be riding through... but some of those houses, oh my! Ooooh! Look at that one! And that one!
and...well... we had a little trouble getting to Solla Sollew (...er...Exclesior), but we made it! Paul was home just a-sawing-away in his woodshop (he did know we were coming :) ), and soon after his wife, Jill, and children came home. Paul built a house in the area so 1. he could be near most of his jobs and 2. because it's prime real estate, and pretty easy to sell even in this economy. And a very nice house it is too. We all ate dinner on the lake, Paul and Jill put their kids to bed, and we sat around and told stories.
We took the next day... well... reeeeeeeaally easy. My ankle's been feeling like it's tearing, so we figured we'd give it a rest and just ride into Minneapolis. I wanted to meet up with Kelli O'keefe, a friend from high school, so...let's just say it was a 25 mile day. And holy smokes! What great riding too (all 25 miles of it)! I guess Minneapolis was named the most bike-friendly city in America this year. In the biking world, Chicago has a lot of catching up to do. We have 'a' path. Minneapolis has 'many' paths (note the plurality of that word). We rode on 'The Greenway', which is a well manicured path through the heart of the city. We stayed with a warmshowers couple named Tim and Anne that lived near the Mississippi river. Tim was on a canoe trip, so I guess it was really just Anne we stayed with. Anne was a huge sweetheart. She pulled out all the Wisconsin maps she had to try to help us plan our route through to Chicago... she fed us breakfast, and made us feel at home.
Uh. Yeah. So... it was in Minneapolis that we decided maybe the ice cream obsession had gone too far. We stopped on our gruelling ride to Minneapolis to eat some DQ. Once in Minneapolis, we went to see what all the hulla-balloo around the Mall of America is all about (ps. I still couldn't tell you. It's a mall. A great big mall). There, we had ice cream-like coffee drinks. And then, to cap it all off, when we met up with Kelli, we (naturally) got ice cream. This time, I opted for a low-fat version, but I don't think that matters as it was the third go-around. David made me vow our ice-cream eating days were over so we could 'get into Chicago mode' (ie. not gain 30 lbs when we get back). As you can see by our ice cream trip in Madison, this mode has not yet begun.
While waiting for Kelli to get off work, we went downtown. We meandered like lost ducks before stopping a man and asking him where we should go. "Welcome to the Great City of Minneapolis!" (he was taking his job as our director very seriously) "blah blah blah...you look Irish! I'm going to send you to Kieran's!" So, because I have red hair, we ended up at an Irish restaurant. I'm ok with it mostly because my food was delicious, and they gave us a free appetizer because they thought the whole biking thing was crazy.
We met up with Kelli and went to her apartment in Uptown. I had a hard time not feeling 'apartment envy'... because really... um... cough. cough. Kelli pays half what we do, but lives in a giant four bedroom, two bath, very nicely restored vintage-y apartment with landscaping and a cool landlord. I like our apartment. I like Chicago. I also think Kelli lives in a freaking sweet apartment.
I was really glad we met up with Kelli...I was a little nervous because it's been probably four years since I've seen her. Would we still click? What were we going to talk about? But Kelli is Kelli, and I am me, and really not much has changed (although, also...quite a bit has) (when is a non-statement a statement?). It was easy to talk to Kelli, and I wish we lived closer because on the bike ride out of Minneapolis, I started thinking about all the things we used to do a together in High School. Kind of pathetic that I'm getting all nostalgic about High School at 23, but... what can I say? I did love THS, and I did love the friends I had there. There's just something about knowing the same people since kindergarten. Seems strange that we barely know each other now.
Well... that was all for Minnesota. 3 installments. We are now two days away from Chicago, and can hopefully write fast + furious to catch the blog up on the Wisconsin riding before we hit home-base.
Sleep well all.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Pause button.
We're in Madison... too tired to finish the blog for tonight. It'll be up tomorrow morning.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Installment 2 of 3
So, apparently I failed at reading through yesterday's installment. I use carrots to denote what I want to italicize <>...but if I don't actually DO it, Blogger eats the word. Bad, bad Blogger! Bad!
So, we crashed a family reunion.
Yep. Never thought that would be a part of our trip, but Kyle and Mandy adopted us, so we went with them to a Kugler family reunion. When we got there, we were quickly absorbed into Kugler trap-shooting, Kugler 'Minute-to-win-it' games (ie: pedometers attatched to foreheads; most 'headshakes' in a minute wins, etc), and a Kugler family volleyball game. And dinner. Let's not forget dinner. Everyone in the family is pretty uproariously funny... needless to say we had a great time.
Everyone in Mandy's family lives close. Like, really, really close. Her grandparents bought a bunch of land around a lake a looong time ago, and they've slowly given pieces of the land to their children and grandchildren over the years. So...Mandy's parents and brother are pretty much in their backyard, and if other relatives don't live around the lake, they live within two miles of the lake. Cool and crazy at the same time. I'm pretty sure both my and David's parents/grandparents would be pretty ok with this situation... and who knows? Maybe someday it'll happen.
After the reunion, we went to a 'Barn Dance' with the Rich's. Unfortunately, we weren't there long enough for the dancing, but we played bags (or corn-hole whichever, you prefer), played some other games I don't remember, and marveled at the pretty amazingly restored barn. We got home and all crashed.
The next day was the last day with Rich's. We all got up and had a full breakfast again, got on our swim trunks, and headed over to S. Turtle Lake, where Mandy's sister's in-laws live (did'ja get all that?). We rode around the lake in a pontoon boat, paddle boated, played lawn games (bocce ball, lawn golf, etc), and just hung out before consuming delicious porkchops. We came 'home', and made s'mores with the most gigantic marshmallows you've ever seen. They covered two full graham crackers. It was a long, lazy, delightful end to a long, lazy, wonderful weekend. We'll miss the Rich's, but are pretty confident we haven't seen the last of them.
The next day, we ditched the ACA maps, and cut our own route South to Morris, MN, where my family's longtime friends Chris and Dana Leman live. It was very...into the wind. We had memories of Southern California's gales. Thankfully, there was a light at the end of the tunnel--a Chris and Dana light. Payton and Reese, their two beautiful girls, had made "Welcome" signs for us and signs so we'd know who's room was whose. Utterly adorable. Chris had just gotten back from the butcher with the most b.e.a--utiful 1 1/2" thick steaks you've ever seen in your life. Apparently, he called my dad to see what cook up for us. Dana made these potatoes that I will long remember...mmm. Over dinner, there was talk about what to do with the remainder of the evening. See a local 'dairy', or go to Chris + Dana's golf course? I'd never seen the course, so I voted for that.
So, the course is beautiful (even if I wouldn't know a nice golf course from Adam). Chris picked up some clubs, and we all went to the driving range. Um. Yeah. So, I thought baseball was my worst sport, but... now I know better. It's golf. It's golf by a loooong way. Nothing beats trying to line everything up, and whiffing the ball twenty times in a row. Yep. Really. David gave me encouragement, "It's just like a check-list. Do what Chris says, ask yourself if it's all lined up before you swing, and you've got it!". Whiff. Whiff again. Whiff. WHIFF. "Ok, that was fun. I think I'll watch you guys now."
My husband looks like a golfer. Chris IS a golfer (Golf Pro...actually). Dana has it. Even the KIDS had it better than me. Oh well. My life feels pretty much the same as it did before I discovered I am awful at golf. We got home, ate banana splits (mmm...), and stayed up to chat with Chris and Dana. Very fun to sit with people I know, and remember my dad putting up 'exotic meats' signs in their yard.
Oh yeah. We did stop at a gas station with a gigantic buffalo head hanging on the wall. So cool! I would consider one of those for our tiny one-bedroom apartment. Anyone have an extra 'hanging' around they would donate?
The next day was pretty hot. We still had some headwinds, but nothing like the day before. We were able to hop on a GREAT paved rails-to-trails route called the 'Central Lakes/Lake Wobegon" trails. We rode into St. Joseph, where my high-school friend Kelli went to college, and the trail ended. The clouds were looking pretty ominous...it had been a hard 90 miles and we decided to call it quits as a few giant drops fell. We saw a family out playing basketball, and asked if we could set up a tent in their garage. We had just finished pulling the bikes into the garage when the worst storm we've hit yet dumped .
In a matter of minutes, Joe and Allison Errman had invited us in, offered us a room, showers, dinner, a beer and two front row seats on their coach to a Twins game. Their kids, Brooke, Becky and Billy were all gearing up for their 4-h presentations for the fair the next day... it was fun to watch them 'interview' with their dad and get pointers. Before dinner, I piddled around the living room looking at pictures (yeah. I know. Is that creepy? I'll probably keep doing it even if it is), when I noticed a very understated display of Joe's medals from the Army. When I say understated, I mean they are sitting on top of a dresser. Joe has two bronze stars, a purple heart, and a medal for 'Distinguished Service'. Um. Wow? We went to sleep in an uber comfortable bed, full, and happy. Joe and Allison and all the kids woke up, ate breakfast with us, and sent us off the next morning. Yay for great families. :)
Ok, I think that's it for Installment numero dos. Hopefully we'll be aaaaaaaaall caught up tomorrow.
So, we crashed a family reunion.
Yep. Never thought that would be a part of our trip, but Kyle and Mandy adopted us, so we went with them to a Kugler family reunion. When we got there, we were quickly absorbed into Kugler trap-shooting, Kugler 'Minute-to-win-it' games (ie: pedometers attatched to foreheads; most 'headshakes' in a minute wins, etc), and a Kugler family volleyball game. And dinner. Let's not forget dinner. Everyone in the family is pretty uproariously funny... needless to say we had a great time.
Everyone in Mandy's family lives close. Like, really, really close. Her grandparents bought a bunch of land around a lake a looong time ago, and they've slowly given pieces of the land to their children and grandchildren over the years. So...Mandy's parents and brother are pretty much in their backyard, and if other relatives don't live around the lake, they live within two miles of the lake. Cool and crazy at the same time. I'm pretty sure both my and David's parents/grandparents would be pretty ok with this situation... and who knows? Maybe someday it'll happen.
After the reunion, we went to a 'Barn Dance' with the Rich's. Unfortunately, we weren't there long enough for the dancing, but we played bags (or corn-hole whichever, you prefer), played some other games I don't remember, and marveled at the pretty amazingly restored barn. We got home and all crashed.
The next day was the last day with Rich's. We all got up and had a full breakfast again, got on our swim trunks, and headed over to S. Turtle Lake, where Mandy's sister's in-laws live (did'ja get all that?). We rode around the lake in a pontoon boat, paddle boated, played lawn games (bocce ball, lawn golf, etc), and just hung out before consuming delicious porkchops. We came 'home', and made s'mores with the most gigantic marshmallows you've ever seen. They covered two full graham crackers. It was a long, lazy, delightful end to a long, lazy, wonderful weekend. We'll miss the Rich's, but are pretty confident we haven't seen the last of them.
The next day, we ditched the ACA maps, and cut our own route South to Morris, MN, where my family's longtime friends Chris and Dana Leman live. It was very...into the wind. We had memories of Southern California's gales. Thankfully, there was a light at the end of the tunnel--a Chris and Dana light. Payton and Reese, their two beautiful girls, had made "Welcome" signs for us and signs so we'd know who's room was whose. Utterly adorable. Chris had just gotten back from the butcher with the most b.e.a--utiful 1 1/2" thick steaks you've ever seen in your life. Apparently, he called my dad to see what cook up for us. Dana made these potatoes that I will long remember...mmm. Over dinner, there was talk about what to do with the remainder of the evening. See a local 'dairy', or go to Chris + Dana's golf course? I'd never seen the course, so I voted for that.
So, the course is beautiful (even if I wouldn't know a nice golf course from Adam). Chris picked up some clubs, and we all went to the driving range. Um. Yeah. So, I thought baseball was my worst sport, but... now I know better. It's golf. It's golf by a loooong way. Nothing beats trying to line everything up, and whiffing the ball twenty times in a row. Yep. Really. David gave me encouragement, "It's just like a check-list. Do what Chris says, ask yourself if it's all lined up before you swing, and you've got it!". Whiff. Whiff again. Whiff. WHIFF. "Ok, that was fun. I think I'll watch you guys now."
My husband looks like a golfer. Chris IS a golfer (Golf Pro...actually). Dana has it. Even the KIDS had it better than me. Oh well. My life feels pretty much the same as it did before I discovered I am awful at golf. We got home, ate banana splits (mmm...), and stayed up to chat with Chris and Dana. Very fun to sit with people I know, and remember my dad putting up 'exotic meats' signs in their yard.
Oh yeah. We did stop at a gas station with a gigantic buffalo head hanging on the wall. So cool! I would consider one of those for our tiny one-bedroom apartment. Anyone have an extra 'hanging' around they would donate?
The next day was pretty hot. We still had some headwinds, but nothing like the day before. We were able to hop on a GREAT paved rails-to-trails route called the 'Central Lakes/Lake Wobegon" trails. We rode into St. Joseph, where my high-school friend Kelli went to college, and the trail ended. The clouds were looking pretty ominous...it had been a hard 90 miles and we decided to call it quits as a few giant drops fell. We saw a family out playing basketball, and asked if we could set up a tent in their garage. We had just finished pulling the bikes into the garage when the worst storm we've hit yet dumped .
In a matter of minutes, Joe and Allison Errman had invited us in, offered us a room, showers, dinner, a beer and two front row seats on their coach to a Twins game. Their kids, Brooke, Becky and Billy were all gearing up for their 4-h presentations for the fair the next day... it was fun to watch them 'interview' with their dad and get pointers. Before dinner, I piddled around the living room looking at pictures (yeah. I know. Is that creepy? I'll probably keep doing it even if it is), when I noticed a very understated display of Joe's medals from the Army. When I say understated, I mean they are sitting on top of a dresser. Joe has two bronze stars, a purple heart, and a medal for 'Distinguished Service'. Um. Wow? We went to sleep in an uber comfortable bed, full, and happy. Joe and Allison and all the kids woke up, ate breakfast with us, and sent us off the next morning. Yay for great families. :)
Ok, I think that's it for Installment numero dos. Hopefully we'll be aaaaaaaaall caught up tomorrow.
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