No sleep til RVK
What I didn't realize when I booked my flight was that it got in at midnight New York time which was 4 am Iceland time. By the time I had my bike put together and left the airport it was around 7 am which got me into the city at around 11 am. That meant no time for sleep except the measly hour I got...
Paid beaches?
Komoot led me down a path that was completely sand. I had to push the bike for over a mile before I found a way off. The rest of the day was easy. I finally made it to the ocean and got to spend the night in a hotel. I though about taking a rest day but weekend hotel prices were insane. I spent the...
Broken Phone
Today was mostly downhill, but still took a good portion of the day. On the way into Philly my phone fell out of my feed bag and broke it's screen. I had to ask someone for directions to the hostel. The next day I got my phone fixed and did some sightseeing (some because most of the museums were clo...
Joe
Today I met Joe, an interesting man originally from Germany but currently living in New York after spending time in Hong Kong. His bicycle is a collection of gadgets including multiple GPS, a phone, and a Go-Pro. He says the Go-Pro is to make videos he can watch later so he doesn't forget the trip....
Always Say Yes?
Today I visited Falling Water. I spent $50 on a shuttle so I didn't have to climb the crazy hills to see the house. It was everything I had imagined! The only real sign of its age is the tired looking concrete. There is a waterfall running through the house, which provides such great white noise whe...
Hilltop Campground
The GAP trail itself is an easy climb, however there is one campground that is not. The Ohiopyle state park campground is beautiful, but it's about 0.7 miles up a very steep gravel trail. I had heard from various people differing reports about the height of the hill (one said skip it, it's too hard...
A Beautiful, Historic Town
Harper's ferry is worth the stairs. Although there isn't anything but trails near the hills up to the visitor's center. My trek wasn't in vain though because I met a knowledgeable ranger who asked me a lot about my trip and insited that I keep a journal and possibly write a book. She told me she had...
Riding the GAP
My first day on the GAP was a great change of pace. It's so nice to ascend as a small grade with no fear of cars. Plus the forests of pennsylvania are beautiful. When I got to the campground for the night, I heard music from across the river. I went to investiate and found a brewery with a live funk...
Out of Ohio
The rest of ohio was uneventful. I raced through the hills to try to make it to my Brother's graduation on time. Three days over 70 miles. I was making great time but seeing almost nothing. This is not how I normally like to ride, but is was necessary due to the previous delays in Indiana. When I go...
Fixing my cable
I spent most of the day at the Air force museum. I was actually glad I hadn't tried to squeeze it in the previous day due to how extensive the museum was. They have planes from the wright era through the modern day. I spent a good half day there. In the afternoon I headed to Xenia and then London. O...
Flash Floods
My first full day in Ohio was full of rain, so far the constant in the trip. I did an easy morning ride into Dayton, preparing to use it's many museums to avoid most of the heavy stuff. Dayton loves the wright brothers. I first visited the Aviation Herritage National Park which was mostly based arou...
Who Can Stop the Rain?
The next that I bid Mike adeui, thanked him for his hospitality, and left, determined to leave Indiana in the review mirror. The morning went smoothly, following a nice bike trail into Richmond. I visited the Model T museum (really cool), ate a hardy lunch and saw the local history museum, which for...
Backyard Camping
The next day was more pleasant, and largely bike trails. My first stop was the city of Marion to see the Quilters Hall of Fame. It's an old building that houses a museum of fancy quilts. I love visiting quirky museums in small towns. They're quick and often odd. Leaving Marion, I only got caught in...
Hiding from the rain
Unfortunately, good weather never lasts in the spring. That night brought a rainstorm lasting into the next day. Wanting to do as little biking in the rain as possible, I hid in my tent and kept checking my weather app for when the torrent was supposed to stop. As weather predictions do, it kept cha...
The first tailwind
The hotel break in Dinwiddie really abated the tiredness I had been fighting since the beginning of the trip. I started the next day full of energy, fueled by mediocre hotel waffles and coffee. After getting back to my route, I came upon a tailwind further lifting my spirits and pushing me faster. I...
Hotel Detour
Indiana is a boring state. Luckily, they've invested quite a bit in not so boring bicycle paths. The planted trees help block the wind. and since it's currently spring, the trees are in bloom and the birds are singing. My second day was supposed to be hell. It was the day I had been worried about be...
Leaving Chicago with Out Our Front Door
Making a crazy life change is always stressful. I expected the two weeks I gave myself off work before leaving to allow for relaxing and some tourism of the city I've lived in for the past 7 years. Unfortunately, getting rid of all of my stuff proved way harder than I had anticipated. I only really...
Bike Bag Setup
It's my last week in Chicago before starting the tour. I've gotten most of my setup ready and am working on getting rid of everything I can't take with me. Below is my bag setup. From Rear to Front: Rear Panniers: Arkel Orca 45 (45L total). They are larger than I need, but I don't think the 35 would...