Friday 30 July 2010
Wrong lead
Sorry followers but I have the wrong lead with me, my phone one instead of my camera one, and therefore cannot put up any photos today.
WEEKS 7 and 8
Since this trip started a week has not always been a period of 7 days, hence week 7 has sort of been absorbed into weeks 6 and 8. Officially each week should start on a Sunday but as week 6 ended on a Thursday I will continue from there and try to get back in order now!
On Friday 23 rd July we left Pueblo to tackle the second part of our trip. We set out at first light, 5.45 am, and with a good tailwind, covered 50 miles by ten past ten! We checked into a very odd hotel in Ordway and just chilled out for the day. We imagined Saturday would be as easy but that was not to be!We had a gale force head wind all day long and it took us nine and a half hours to do 60 miles. Part of the route was very interesting though. We passed at least 20 miles of abandoned railway carriages, an endless stream.That day there was absolutely nothing for 58 miles and I find that very hard as there is no obvious way of mentally breaking up the journey. It really helps when you can break it up into ten or twenty mile sections and then tick them off as you go on.
On Sunday 25th we had a nasty little encounter with biting flies, they can really hurt and through your clothes too!The wind wasn't as bad and eventually we crossed into Kansas, our 6th state, and booked into the dirtiest Motel ever.I was afraid to switch on the ceiling fan as there was so much dirt and grime on it! We ventured to the nearby gas station to cheer ourselves up with a couple of cans of beer only to be told that its illegal in Kansas (or that county in Kansas) to sell alcohol on Sundays.What a disappointment! We just got back to the motel in time before the thunder storm. What a day.
We moved on into a new time zone next day, now only 6 hours behind the UK. The scenery in Kansas is so different to what we've seen up to now. Its flat as far as the eye can see. The farms are enormous and feedyards fill the air with dreadful smells.( the feedyards are places that produce battery cattle). We have never seen so much wheat, corn etc millions of acres of crops with marvellous water sprinklers keeping everything fresh and green. Also Kansas has many small oil wells which pump away continuously. These are usually in the middle of fields of crops or even right beside their owners houses. The heat and humidity here is making cycling very hard now. If it wasn't for the flat roads we would really struggle. The way to get round the heat is to start and finish as early as possible in the day. Right now its 4.20pm and the temperature outside is 102 degrees!!
We were lucky to find open air pools twice this week where it was so good to cool down after our ride. Unfortunately none today! It is now Friday 30 th and I will leave it here for now until I get to a library next week.
On Friday 23 rd July we left Pueblo to tackle the second part of our trip. We set out at first light, 5.45 am, and with a good tailwind, covered 50 miles by ten past ten! We checked into a very odd hotel in Ordway and just chilled out for the day. We imagined Saturday would be as easy but that was not to be!We had a gale force head wind all day long and it took us nine and a half hours to do 60 miles. Part of the route was very interesting though. We passed at least 20 miles of abandoned railway carriages, an endless stream.That day there was absolutely nothing for 58 miles and I find that very hard as there is no obvious way of mentally breaking up the journey. It really helps when you can break it up into ten or twenty mile sections and then tick them off as you go on.
On Sunday 25th we had a nasty little encounter with biting flies, they can really hurt and through your clothes too!The wind wasn't as bad and eventually we crossed into Kansas, our 6th state, and booked into the dirtiest Motel ever.I was afraid to switch on the ceiling fan as there was so much dirt and grime on it! We ventured to the nearby gas station to cheer ourselves up with a couple of cans of beer only to be told that its illegal in Kansas (or that county in Kansas) to sell alcohol on Sundays.What a disappointment! We just got back to the motel in time before the thunder storm. What a day.
We moved on into a new time zone next day, now only 6 hours behind the UK. The scenery in Kansas is so different to what we've seen up to now. Its flat as far as the eye can see. The farms are enormous and feedyards fill the air with dreadful smells.( the feedyards are places that produce battery cattle). We have never seen so much wheat, corn etc millions of acres of crops with marvellous water sprinklers keeping everything fresh and green. Also Kansas has many small oil wells which pump away continuously. These are usually in the middle of fields of crops or even right beside their owners houses. The heat and humidity here is making cycling very hard now. If it wasn't for the flat roads we would really struggle. The way to get round the heat is to start and finish as early as possible in the day. Right now its 4.20pm and the temperature outside is 102 degrees!!
We were lucky to find open air pools twice this week where it was so good to cool down after our ride. Unfortunately none today! It is now Friday 30 th and I will leave it here for now until I get to a library next week.
Thursday 22 July 2010
Letter to Mr Obama re: Kentucky dogs
Dear Mr President,
I know you are a very busy man but I hope you can spare a moment to read my letter. My husband and I are cycling across America following the Trans Am route, we are from Ireland and both in our early fifties, and this , for us, is the trip of a lifetime. We began in Oregon and so far have travelled through Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. We cycled through the Rockies, risking life and limb with bears and other wild animals and have now arrived at Pueblo, Colorado, unscathed!
Along the way we have met many other cyclists doing the same route. All the cyclists coming from East to West have one thing in common to say and that is" BEWARE OF THE BIKE CHASING DOGS OF KENTUCKY!!" That is my reason for writing to you, in the hope that you can invoke some form of legislation enforcing dog owners to keep their dogs restrained, before we get to Kentucky. I would rather bears on the road than dogs! Please can you help? Perhaps you might have a quick word with the Governor of Kentucky for me, I'd be ever so grateful. As I am on the go you will not be able to respond to my letter, however you may get in touch by email should you wish. My email address is mary1norton@hotmail.com
I think you are doing a great job Mr President but you've got one heck of a big country to keep track of!
Yours Sincerely,
Mary Norton
I know you are a very busy man but I hope you can spare a moment to read my letter. My husband and I are cycling across America following the Trans Am route, we are from Ireland and both in our early fifties, and this , for us, is the trip of a lifetime. We began in Oregon and so far have travelled through Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. We cycled through the Rockies, risking life and limb with bears and other wild animals and have now arrived at Pueblo, Colorado, unscathed!
Along the way we have met many other cyclists doing the same route. All the cyclists coming from East to West have one thing in common to say and that is" BEWARE OF THE BIKE CHASING DOGS OF KENTUCKY!!" That is my reason for writing to you, in the hope that you can invoke some form of legislation enforcing dog owners to keep their dogs restrained, before we get to Kentucky. I would rather bears on the road than dogs! Please can you help? Perhaps you might have a quick word with the Governor of Kentucky for me, I'd be ever so grateful. As I am on the go you will not be able to respond to my letter, however you may get in touch by email should you wish. My email address is mary1norton@hotmail.com
I think you are doing a great job Mr President but you've got one heck of a big country to keep track of!
Yours Sincerely,
Mary Norton
Wednesday 21 July 2010
WEEK 6
Rawlins must be the windiest town on Earth! Don't know how the locals cope with it! Dermot got a haircut there and also had his spoke repaired so it wasn't all bad. We met a girl called Sage who is on a 2000 mile walk alone from Mexico to Canada and really roughing it, just sleeping wherever with a tarpaulin and a net! Lonely existence to say the least. After Rawlins we still had the terrible gusts of wind to contend with and then I got a puncture . As it was too difficult to repair in the wind we had to take a lift the last few miles to Saratoga, our next stop. Next day we were up and away by 6 to try and beat the wind (always less windy at dawn and dusk). I got another puncture a few miles out the road.... all my punctures are from tiny bits of wire from the remains of truck tyres along the road. We are told these fine wires are known as alligators! Bloody nuisance as they are very hard to see and very difficult to remove from the tyre.
We made it to Colorado for lunch on Wednesday and met up with 7 other cyclists at the Welcome to Colorado sign and we all ate our peanut butter sandwiches together. Great camaraderie.We stayed in a small place called Walden in a Motel run single handedly by an 81 year old lady who took it on last year for a 5 year plan. Other cyclists, Russell, Clyde and Joelle were also at the same motel.We had a nice ride on Friday over the pass from Walden to Granby with the railway running alongside us a lot of the way. Its the Union Pacific Train route and very spectacular. Our next town was Kremmeling where , much to Dermot's delight, there was a hotel offering spartan rooms at 25 dollars a night. These rooms were in the basement but were fine. We had free coffee and biscuits on arrival and a free breakfast next morning too, what good value.
We had a long day then to Silverthorne and we had a night in a hostel there. We had a wander around the outlet village beside the hostel which was nice....lots of cool air conditioned shops! Sunday morning early we set off for Hoosier Pass, the highest point of the entire Trans Am at 11,565 feet. It WAS hard!I got a puncture along the way, another alligator. We went through Brecken Ridge on the way to Hoosier and bought myself a new cycling top and we replaced 2 tyres. From Hoosier we zoomed downhill to Alma which is the highest town in the U.S and then to Fairplay where we decided to stay. Another haunted hotel!! But I was too knackered to even listen out for ghosts!!We visited South Park,an old mining town at Fairplay, sort of museum place but really good. Monday was a 75 mile ride in unbearable heat to Canon (pronounced Canyon) City. On the way the wind was sooooo hot that Dermot thought his hat had caught fire and had to take it off to check!!!Yesterday ,Tuesday, we had quite a deserty ride to Pueblo which is the halfway point on the route. We passed many wild sunflowers along the roadside and also cacti. The needles of cacti will be our next challenge!We are now in Pueblo at a motel with a pool, having a well deserved day off, having done 2063 miles and maybe a bit more if you count all the times in the start when we went astray! Off for a swim now!
We made it to Colorado for lunch on Wednesday and met up with 7 other cyclists at the Welcome to Colorado sign and we all ate our peanut butter sandwiches together. Great camaraderie.We stayed in a small place called Walden in a Motel run single handedly by an 81 year old lady who took it on last year for a 5 year plan. Other cyclists, Russell, Clyde and Joelle were also at the same motel.We had a nice ride on Friday over the pass from Walden to Granby with the railway running alongside us a lot of the way. Its the Union Pacific Train route and very spectacular. Our next town was Kremmeling where , much to Dermot's delight, there was a hotel offering spartan rooms at 25 dollars a night. These rooms were in the basement but were fine. We had free coffee and biscuits on arrival and a free breakfast next morning too, what good value.
We had a long day then to Silverthorne and we had a night in a hostel there. We had a wander around the outlet village beside the hostel which was nice....lots of cool air conditioned shops! Sunday morning early we set off for Hoosier Pass, the highest point of the entire Trans Am at 11,565 feet. It WAS hard!I got a puncture along the way, another alligator. We went through Brecken Ridge on the way to Hoosier and bought myself a new cycling top and we replaced 2 tyres. From Hoosier we zoomed downhill to Alma which is the highest town in the U.S and then to Fairplay where we decided to stay. Another haunted hotel!! But I was too knackered to even listen out for ghosts!!We visited South Park,an old mining town at Fairplay, sort of museum place but really good. Monday was a 75 mile ride in unbearable heat to Canon (pronounced Canyon) City. On the way the wind was sooooo hot that Dermot thought his hat had caught fire and had to take it off to check!!!Yesterday ,Tuesday, we had quite a deserty ride to Pueblo which is the halfway point on the route. We passed many wild sunflowers along the roadside and also cacti. The needles of cacti will be our next challenge!We are now in Pueblo at a motel with a pool, having a well deserved day off, having done 2063 miles and maybe a bit more if you count all the times in the start when we went astray! Off for a swim now!
Tuesday 13 July 2010
Monday 12 July 2010
WEEK 5 (after Yellowstone)
We left the beautiful scenery and wildlife of the park behind us and headed out on the open road again. At least we had a hard shoulder to ride on again and not as much traffic to cope with. Before long we entered Grand Teton National Park, again more traffic but beautiful mountains to distract us. The Teton mountain range is quite spectacular. We spent the night in a place called Hatchet Resort outside the park (very overpriced). Nonetheless, a BED!!
On Thursday 8th July we crossed Togwotee Pass, our second highest pass of the entire Trans Am route....9658 feet. On the way up, about 2 miles before the summit we came upon major roadworks. We were told that it is against Wyoming law for cyclists to go through roadworks like that so a pickup came and took us upwards for about a mile!!! What joy!! Then we had to walk over very rough ground for a couple of miles before throwing ourselves in the snow on the summit!! the same procedure again on the way down!! I like Wyoming law!! We spent that night in the lovely town of Dubois and relaxed with a couple of beers on the motel deck overlooking the Wind river.
A long day on Friday, 75 miles to Lander, where we decided to spend 2 nights and have a bit of relaxation. I was due a visit to the hairdressers!!! All taken care of satisfactorily!! We had a very nice motel in Lander with a free hot breakfast!!!! The waitress kept saying "you betcha!!!" and the pancakes were great!!!
Sunday turned out to be much longer than intended and by the end of the day we had covered 80 miles!! I had a top downhill speed of 33.4 mph!!! We had planned to stay at a motel in Jeffrey City but that city had closed up and gone and there wasnt much left...only one cafe,run by very strange people!!! We went on to the next place, Muddy Gap and the campsite there had vanished!!!! Luckily we found a room in a trailer to rent and that was bliss after the long ride.Lights out at 8.20 and we slept soundly till 5.30!!!
Today we made it to Rawlins which is the end of our 5th map. Never in my life have I had to cycle against such a headwind!!! We were being blown into the road and nearly taken in the slipstream of huge lorries. Not an easy ride! Evidently Wyoming is well known for its winds!
We have now done approximately 1680 miles and will have reached halfway by the end of map 6.
On Thursday 8th July we crossed Togwotee Pass, our second highest pass of the entire Trans Am route....9658 feet. On the way up, about 2 miles before the summit we came upon major roadworks. We were told that it is against Wyoming law for cyclists to go through roadworks like that so a pickup came and took us upwards for about a mile!!! What joy!! Then we had to walk over very rough ground for a couple of miles before throwing ourselves in the snow on the summit!! the same procedure again on the way down!! I like Wyoming law!! We spent that night in the lovely town of Dubois and relaxed with a couple of beers on the motel deck overlooking the Wind river.
A long day on Friday, 75 miles to Lander, where we decided to spend 2 nights and have a bit of relaxation. I was due a visit to the hairdressers!!! All taken care of satisfactorily!! We had a very nice motel in Lander with a free hot breakfast!!!! The waitress kept saying "you betcha!!!" and the pancakes were great!!!
Sunday turned out to be much longer than intended and by the end of the day we had covered 80 miles!! I had a top downhill speed of 33.4 mph!!! We had planned to stay at a motel in Jeffrey City but that city had closed up and gone and there wasnt much left...only one cafe,run by very strange people!!! We went on to the next place, Muddy Gap and the campsite there had vanished!!!! Luckily we found a room in a trailer to rent and that was bliss after the long ride.Lights out at 8.20 and we slept soundly till 5.30!!!
Today we made it to Rawlins which is the end of our 5th map. Never in my life have I had to cycle against such a headwind!!! We were being blown into the road and nearly taken in the slipstream of huge lorries. Not an easy ride! Evidently Wyoming is well known for its winds!
We have now done approximately 1680 miles and will have reached halfway by the end of map 6.
Saturday 10 July 2010
Yellowstone National Park
As we entered Yellowstone we entered Wyoming. It costs 12 bucks to get into the park! A few miles along the road, with endless lines of traffic, we came upon moose in the river.Not long after we saw some bison and then a buffalo. Its o.k if you're in a car but a bit intimidating from a cyclists perspective! On we went as far as the famous geysers; I have never seen anything like them in all my life...miles of geysers and brightly coloured pools, so spectacular. The most famous of all is Old Faithful, a geyser that shoots hot water up to 180 feet into the air at a certain time each day and does it for about 3 minutes. Luckily we were there at the right time. We met up with the other cyclists at Old Faithful (Doug, Jim and Kathy) ,quite by chance!
Later that day we were all reunited once again at the same camp site. As there was no other available accommodation in the park I had to agree to camping!!! When we were checking in at the camp site ,the warden warned us to take great care as there is a big male, grizzly bear who goes round the site every night in search of food!!! Music to my ears! We were instructed to put everything in the line of food or anything with a smell, even a bottle of water, into the bear proof steel containers on the site! Jim reassured me that if a bear wanted food he could even rip the doors off a car! Sweet dreams!
We went into our tiny tent, into our tiny sleeping bags,zipped up to the neck and hoods, up and then I found a bag of sweets in my pocket... Unhappy but with no choice Dermot had to get out and go and put them in the bear box (,he was at the zip side! )In again zipped up and I found a lip balm but this time he refused to get out so I lay in fear all night in case the bear would smell it and come and eat us all up!!!! All night I lay clutching my whistle and my torch, listening out for grizzly bears!! At 5am we were both wide awake with the cold and soon got up. There was ice on the picnic table outside the tent! It was below freezing! We went to the filling station and got coffee at 6am and then breakfast when the restaurant opened! what a night!!! We overheard a conversation about snow at another camp site in Yellowstone and a tent had collapsed with the weight of the snow that same night!! Maybe we didn't have it so bad after all!!!
Later that day we were all reunited once again at the same camp site. As there was no other available accommodation in the park I had to agree to camping!!! When we were checking in at the camp site ,the warden warned us to take great care as there is a big male, grizzly bear who goes round the site every night in search of food!!! Music to my ears! We were instructed to put everything in the line of food or anything with a smell, even a bottle of water, into the bear proof steel containers on the site! Jim reassured me that if a bear wanted food he could even rip the doors off a car! Sweet dreams!
We went into our tiny tent, into our tiny sleeping bags,zipped up to the neck and hoods, up and then I found a bag of sweets in my pocket... Unhappy but with no choice Dermot had to get out and go and put them in the bear box (,he was at the zip side! )In again zipped up and I found a lip balm but this time he refused to get out so I lay in fear all night in case the bear would smell it and come and eat us all up!!!! All night I lay clutching my whistle and my torch, listening out for grizzly bears!! At 5am we were both wide awake with the cold and soon got up. There was ice on the picnic table outside the tent! It was below freezing! We went to the filling station and got coffee at 6am and then breakfast when the restaurant opened! what a night!!! We overheard a conversation about snow at another camp site in Yellowstone and a tent had collapsed with the weight of the snow that same night!! Maybe we didn't have it so bad after all!!!
A typical day in the lives of 2 mid life cyclists!
6am wake up time, sometimes earlier! Out of bed,pack up the panniers,quick wash,into cycling gear,fill water bottles,have cereal,one of us get coffee if possible.....check the map, then on the road by 7am.
We try to do at least 20 miles before the first stop,quick snack then another 20. Time for lunch break...bigger snack....then off again for possibly another 20 miles, we seem to be doing more miles recently!!! Ideally arrive at destination by 3 pm and check in. Shower,coffee or cold beer or both,followed by a little chilling out time.Then a walk to explore our new venue, a beer in the local, and finally dinner!!! Not long after dinner its bedtime,always before 9pm!!! snore....snore.....
We try to do at least 20 miles before the first stop,quick snack then another 20. Time for lunch break...bigger snack....then off again for possibly another 20 miles, we seem to be doing more miles recently!!! Ideally arrive at destination by 3 pm and check in. Shower,coffee or cold beer or both,followed by a little chilling out time.Then a walk to explore our new venue, a beer in the local, and finally dinner!!! Not long after dinner its bedtime,always before 9pm!!! snore....snore.....
OTHER ADVENTURE CYCLISTS WE'VE MET
Rachel and Kelsey
Parker and Susan
Russell
Doug
The boys from LA
John from Virginia
Jim and Kathy
Sage .....an adventure hiker,not cyclist
Ross
Heidi
Parker and Susan
Russell
Doug
The boys from LA
John from Virginia
Jim and Kathy
Sage .....an adventure hiker,not cyclist
Ross
Heidi
Clyde, Joelle and Ken
BIKE FACTS
Dermot's bike
2 PUNCTURES
1 NEW TUBE
1 NEW WHEEL AND NEW COGS
1NEW TUBE AND SPOKE TIGHTENING
Mary's bike
SPOKE REPAIR
NEW WHEEL
2 PUNCTURES
1 NEW TUBE
1 NEW WHEEL AND NEW COGS
1NEW TUBE AND SPOKE TIGHTENING
Mary's bike
SPOKE REPAIR
NEW WHEEL
Thursday 8 July 2010
WEEK 4
We left Missoula on Tuesday morning ,in the heat ,with a new wheel on my bike. We had a 51 mile ride to Hamilton which was ok until the thunder and lightning and heavy rain. We had no option but to shelter under a tree and wait for the weather to improve. Dermot's turn to cook....we had a lovely microwave lasagne sitting on the bench outside our motel room and a few cold beers!
Next day we cycled to a place called Lost Trail Hot Springs and we stayed in a VERY rustic cabin there. We enjoyed the hot springs pool and hot tub! We set off early next morning as we had two passes to climb... Lost Trails first (7012ft) and then Chief Joseph (7252ft). We also crossed the Continental Divide again . We were warned about the mosquitoes over the next 30 miles or more and boy were they waiting for us! They were really out in force. Never in my life have I seen such enormous and vicious mozzies!! The road was long and straight for miles and miles and there was no way to escape their attack! Due to Dermot's encounter with the Mighty Mozzie that day, he has now resorted to wearing reinforced cycling shorts!!! Along with the mosquitoes that day we also had an unnerving experience with a bird! As we were cycling and minding our own business, suddenly a big bird swooped and tried in turn to knock each of us off our bikes....not very nice!! We ended that day at another hot springs, this time Jackson Hot Springs...I couldn't bear the heat of the water in the pool, it was hotter than the hottest bath!
Friday we went to a town called Dillon, not the nicest town but we had some fun in the local bar and I won a free drink by throwing the dices!
Our next stop was Virginia City, a real little wild west town. As it was getting close to July 4th the festivities were starting so there was lots to look at and do. The place was full of cowboys and horses and music; we enjoyed it there and we stayed in the funniest, most old fashioned hotel on the main, in fact ,only, street! We wanted to stay a second night but they were fully booked so on Sunday 4th we went to Ennis a town about 20 miles further on,over a big hill. We got there just in time for the Parade which was great, a real proper taste of America. It was all happening at the parade! We then went to a vintage car exhibition right next to our Motel, then a barbeque and the highlight of the day was the rodeo in the afternoon!! That was amazing...bucking broncos, bucking bulls....very exciting. Lots of photos taken!!!
On Monday we did 71 miles and nearly all uphill , all the way to West Yellowstone, just outside the National Park. That brings us to the end of week four and the end of Montana!
Next day we cycled to a place called Lost Trail Hot Springs and we stayed in a VERY rustic cabin there. We enjoyed the hot springs pool and hot tub! We set off early next morning as we had two passes to climb... Lost Trails first (7012ft) and then Chief Joseph (7252ft). We also crossed the Continental Divide again . We were warned about the mosquitoes over the next 30 miles or more and boy were they waiting for us! They were really out in force. Never in my life have I seen such enormous and vicious mozzies!! The road was long and straight for miles and miles and there was no way to escape their attack! Due to Dermot's encounter with the Mighty Mozzie that day, he has now resorted to wearing reinforced cycling shorts!!! Along with the mosquitoes that day we also had an unnerving experience with a bird! As we were cycling and minding our own business, suddenly a big bird swooped and tried in turn to knock each of us off our bikes....not very nice!! We ended that day at another hot springs, this time Jackson Hot Springs...I couldn't bear the heat of the water in the pool, it was hotter than the hottest bath!
Friday we went to a town called Dillon, not the nicest town but we had some fun in the local bar and I won a free drink by throwing the dices!
Our next stop was Virginia City, a real little wild west town. As it was getting close to July 4th the festivities were starting so there was lots to look at and do. The place was full of cowboys and horses and music; we enjoyed it there and we stayed in the funniest, most old fashioned hotel on the main, in fact ,only, street! We wanted to stay a second night but they were fully booked so on Sunday 4th we went to Ennis a town about 20 miles further on,over a big hill. We got there just in time for the Parade which was great, a real proper taste of America. It was all happening at the parade! We then went to a vintage car exhibition right next to our Motel, then a barbeque and the highlight of the day was the rodeo in the afternoon!! That was amazing...bucking broncos, bucking bulls....very exciting. Lots of photos taken!!!
On Monday we did 71 miles and nearly all uphill , all the way to West Yellowstone, just outside the National Park. That brings us to the end of week four and the end of Montana!
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