Pushing Silver

Damage Report

Well my bike is sitting in the shop getting some surgery.  Not only was the rear derailleur completely shot (as I expected), but the chain turned out to be absolutely worthless.  Bike mechanics have a tool that determines how much the chain has stretched, and mine didn't even register on the scale.  After putting on replacements for both of those parts, I took it for a test ride and discovered that the gears themselves were all worn to the point that the new chain skipped.  So we've ordered parts which we hope will be in tomorrow afternoon, getting me on the road again Thursday...maybe Friday.  I'll update the damage list (link in the right column) once it's all said and done.

Like I said a few days ago, the folks here are really nice and this is a good place to be "stuck".  Shaun and Sam at Adventure Cycle and Fitness are taking good care of me - even gave me a ride back to the campground since my own wheels are still up on their work stand.  When I arrived on their doorstep this morning, they were expecting me.  Not from my phone call on Saturday, but because some of the folks I met here alerted the LA View, the local newspaper.  So we called the paper to let them know I was available and I got interviewed (another first for the trip).  The paper comes out on Thursday, so if you're interested, you can look for the article about me.

I've updated the reading list now that I've started the next book - In Patagonia - which was recommended to me by Erik and Pam in Boston last year.  I'm about halfway through and it's a great book so far.

Big thanks to everybody who's been responding to my "distance learning" questions!!

Distance Learning - turtles

We've got a painted turtle (painted tortoise?) that just laid eggs in the campground.  Any chance any of you know (or can find out) how long it'll take for those eggs to hatch?  Answer through email or comment please ;)

Unplanned Break

Today started out really good.  I was well rested and ready to hit the road when I finally pushed off around 11.  I turned down the option of a house visit in order to get back into camping.  But camping on a holiday weekend is tough without reservations, and I'm just not good enough at planning ahead to be the reservation type.  Yesterday, I spent the afternoon calling around trying to find vacancies and came up with very few options.  Though I did come up with "plan B" in Lapeer.

Plan A was to camp at the nudist campground.  I figured that would add to the adventure a little bit, and it's not like spandex cycling shorts leave anything to the imagination - going to a birthday suit isn't all that big of a leap for me.  About a mile from the campground, something went crunch.

I've noticed a little bit of clunkiness in my drivetrain recently, but I figured that it was just dirty.  I'm pretty good about lubing the chain about every three days, but I have to admit that I do nothing to clean the gears.  When the globs of muck build up enough, they'll eventually flake off.  My bike has 21 speeds (3 on the front, 7 on the back) and I rarely get into terrain where I can use my high gears.  As a bicycle wears, the chain stretches a little, which forces the teeth of the cogs to wear accordingly.  Today, it seemed like 6 and 7 (the high ones) on the back were the ones causing the crunchiness, indicating that they hadn't been "broken in" like the rest of my gears.  I kept pushing, not thinking anything of it - happy to have an opportunity to use those gears for a change.

Then, on a dirt road, the big crunch happened, and the pedals locked up.  When I pulled over and yanked off the saddlebag that covers the derailleur, I saw the damage.  One of my idler pulleys was missing at least one tooth.  That caused the chain to jam, and my exertion forced the derailleur up.  It broke free, twisted, and self destructed.  With a little TLC and some tools, I was able to get back 2 of my gears, though I wasn't able to choose which ones, and as I bounced down the road the selection seemed to change.

I didn't get into the nudist camp.  Turns out, it's more of a members only, families and couples kind of thing, and they were turing away all singles.  So I leaned up against the dumpster and started flicking through my GPS to find a bike shop (they aren't in the database I now find).  Two minutes later, the posse comes out in golf carts.  Had to be 5 guys, coming to defend their territory.  Apparently, the gate is under heavy camera surveillance and my failure to leave immediately had raised a red flag.  But the folks were nice enough once they determined I wasn't a threat, and even called the front office to go through a phone book and help me find a bike shop.

When I called, I had a poor signal, but I was sure that I heard a confirmation that parts were in stock, and that he'd wait for me for an hour or two until I arrived.  Less than an hour passed before I reached the shop, and it was dark and locked...nobody answering the phone anymore.

So I'm at a campground in Lapeer, MI waiting out the holiday weekend until the bike shop opens up on Tuesday.  I met a nice guy here, Bill, who's done more bike touring than I could ever dream of, and who knows most of the bike mechanics here in the area.  If the shop in town can't do what I need on Tuesday, he's offered me a ride to a guy who can definitely set me up.  It's an unplanned break, but I'm close to a town (groceries, and even the option of catching a movie), it's a nice quiet spot, and I'm going to do some reading and mail some weight home before I push on.  Oh well...gotta roll with the punches, and it could be worse...I could be in the desert.

Today took me 76 miles (2 of which I had to walk when the drivetrain totally collapsed), 31.1 max, 13.3 average (even with the big breakdown and the slowdown it caused), over 5:42 in the saddle.  If you're paying attention, that's the longest I've EVER ridden in a day.

Another Border Crossing

I really didn't want to ride today.  My ankle is still tight and sore, but I was determined to cross the border today.  That, and I wasn't in a good area to take a break.  By that, I mean that I had no nearby access to groceries...and annoying neighbors.

Last night, one of the residents of the campground lured me into the most meaningless conversation I think I've had in my entire life.  Really nice folks, but obviously lonely.  The conversation went absolutely nowhere, and he changed subjects so frequently that I had trouble seeing the "point."  I'm guessing the elderly couple was just lonely.  An example...he babbled on for almost a half hour about his TV watching habits.  They also had two completely untrained dogs, the larger one having a passion for chewing on my wrists.  I was really glad that they went to bed at sundown like me so that I could make a subtle escape.  However, at one point he took off his fake leg and told me the story about how he lost his biological one.  Not too interesting, but how often do you get to hold a fake limb and get a sense of what they feel like and how much they weigh?

Today's ride was boring.  The wind conditions were about the same as yesterday, but I guess I'm getting used to it.  I maintained a pretty good speed, but the road I was on was so straight, I could see upcoming towns and intersections 2 miles before reaching them.  As I pushed on, I knew I was making progress from watching my speedometer, but it seemed like I'd never reach the individual features  of the land.

The ferry crossing into Michigan was uneventful, and customs were pretty relaxed.  I didn't get the barrage of questions that I got when I entered Canada, but the officer did see it fit to dig through one of my saddle bags.

Once in Michigan, the sky looked rather ominous, and I was really not interested in pushing on any farther, so I made my way to a motel.  I like older motels.  Drive up (or ride in my case) and go straight into the room - no hallways, no elevators, etc.  Also, many of them don't have the newer water saver shower heads, so I get a good massaging blast out of the faucet.  This one even doubled the AAA discount in honor of my means of conveyance.  I'm going to go cook, maybe do some laundry, and figure out where I'm heading next.  Tonight's weather report is rather violent (we're under a tornado watch and expect thunderstorms, possibly hail).  Tomorrow's weather looks less vicious, but still unpleasant.  I may take the day off.

Today was 55.1 miles, 19.9 max, 13.1 average over 4:13.  If you're keeping track, it was the second international border crossing; and if you count Ontario as a state, I'm at 7 states (VA, MD, DE, PA, NY, ON, MI).

Improving Weather

The weather is slowly improving, allowing me to make better progress.  Today it finally warmed up enough for me to wear shorts and short sleeves.  Though the wind is weaker, it's still coming out of the west and presents quite a challenge.

Today was pretty uneventful.  No dogs (though I came close to getting chased - I saw the owner grab a collar at the last minute), no interesting people, no tourist stops.  The most interesting parts of today were a ride by a horse farm where someone was exercising a race horse, and an odd moment when a fleet of six antique airplanes flew over.  I hope the pictures came out, but I haven't bothered to check since I have no signal to upload them with today.  My body is in pretty much the same condition as yesterday, so I won't bore you with that again.  Tomorrow's goal is to catch the ferry to Michigan.

Today was 63.7 miles (longest this year), 25.5 max, 12.0 average over 5:18 in the saddle.

Beware of Dog

Today showed the first of the truly improving weather.  The sun came out and the temperature climbed.  BUT, the wind has not subsided.  I expect that to happen tomorrow (it'll still be a headwind, but only half as powerful as what I endured today).  Tomorrow should bring warmer weather as well.

In farm country like I've been in for the past few days, dogs have a very large territory.  Also, since the roads have very little traffic, you can't assume that a dog chase will end at the street.  I got chased twice today, both times having to veer all the way to the other side of the street.  Both times, the dog came flying through the grass, silent until getting within about 6 feet of me (maybe not silent, but the wind deafens me after a while).  The last one drove me off the bike twice, using my rig as a fence and shouting the usual "stay!" and "go home!"  Unlocking a foot so I've got something to kick with (if need be - it'd hurt me more than it'd hurt the dog) means that I've got to make my sprinting getaway with only one leg.  Thus, my left knee is overtaxed tonight, and my right ankle is extremely tight from the odd positions I had it in for self defense.

Distance Learning question:  Last night, I made a mistake.  After dinner, I crawled under the tarp to get out of the wind and read...and fell asleep.  I woke up at about 1am to an awful smell.  Now I first thought it was me - no shower and the synthetic fibers of my clothes are always kinda funky - but it turned out to be a skunk going through my trash.  I hate that guy that leaves his trash bag on the ground in a camp, and last night that guy was me.  So I went to the washroom to think about how I would get rid of the skunk (tried hissing, growling like a dog, stomping feet, flashlights, etc), but when I came back it had gone.  All that was in the bag was a few empty soup cans, so it gave up quickly.  But the experience sent me to a new question - how much can a skunk spray?  I assume they don't shoot their entire load all at once, so how much does it take for a skunk to run out of its defense spray?  Once out, how long does it take them to recharge?

I'm slowly making my way to Michigan, hoping for better wind conditions so I can make better mileage.  I'm in a motel after 40.5 miles, 34 max, 11.1 average, 3:40 on the bike.

Powerless on Victoria Day

Today is Victoria Day in Canada; a time when fireworks and yardsales prevail.  The winds have not let up, and though today was supposed to begin the warming trend, I actually found myself donning my coldest weather gear.  The wind chill has got to be around 38 degrees.  When I stopped in Selkirk for a cup of tea (they brought me the whole pot, and I drank every drop), my face was so numb I had trouble getting my mouth to form the words as I placed my order.

Today's goal was to reach Turkey Point, but my campground directory leads me to believe they don't have showers, so just a few miles shy of Turkey Point I was distracted by a sign for the Triple C Campground.  2km out of my way, but downwind, so I took it.

So why am I powerless?  We're all powerless around here.  I don't have an official story, but here's what I've gathered from around the campground.  North of here is an Indian reservation, commonly referred to as "Six Nations."  Nearby, a developer is building a neighborhood for which he's gotten clearance from the government.  The six different nations of Indians have a claim that the site is in fact their ancestral burial ground.  They've been setting fires and blockading roads for quite some time now.  During all of this, construction has stopped and the developer has gone bankrupt.  As a further insult, today they blew up a large power transformer, shutting down a large service area.  So, the campground wants to take my credit card...but can't do anything with it.  I'd like to give them some money, but they can't open the cash register.  Better yet, everyone I run into reminds me "no hydro tonight" because the well pumps are off.  Maybe I'll get a hot shower in the morning...  For now, it's time to heat up some soup and crawl under my tarp to get out of this wind.

Today was 45.9 miles, 31.4 max, 11.4 average over 4:02.

Wimping Out

The wind has been relentless, and it sends a chill right to my bones.  Today I woke up tired from fighting wind all day yesterday, but to fight the stagnation blues that come with waiting out weather in a motel, I promised myself I'd go somewhere.  I eased down the road to the town of Dunville, and stopped in another motel, where I'll be through tomorrow as I wait for the last of the rain to pass.  Monday is supposed to be nice, so I'll head out towards Turkey Point.  Monday, incidentally, is Victoria Day here in Canada - the holiday that kicks off the summer vacation season.

Today was short, but I assure you, it wasn't easy.  15.9 miles, 16.0 max, 11.2 average, 1:25 riding time.

Windy day!!

Today I hit the road, following multi-use trails down the coast more most of the day.  The weather was better than I expected - sunny for much of the day with blue skies, though cool and WINDY.  I fought headwinds most of the day and finally settled into a motel, unwilling to be out in the weather for yet another night.  It's raining now, so it seems my decision was a good one.  I'll keep this short, but I've got a little housekeeping to do.

Daredevils
The museum in NY reported 11 out of 15 surviving the plunge over Niagara Falls.  In Ontario, the Imax theater museum reported 10 out of 15.  For those that are curious, I suspect the discrepancy is over George Stathakis, who went over on July 4, 1930.  George survived the drop, but was trapped in the roiling currents for 22 hours and perished due to lack of air (he only had a 3 hour supply on board).

Roadkill
In Ontario, the majority of roadkill is actually snails.

Flat tire
My flat on the front, that scared me while taking a photo, was actually due to a failed valve - no puncture.

Lastly, in the rain a few nights ago, I tried to "dive" into the tarp but failed to remember my wallet in my pocket.  Cycling jersey pockets are on the back, so the lump snagged the tarp material and I ended up snapping one of my support sticks.  I survived the last two nights with the extra segment of my trailer flag duct taped in as a shim, but today I was able to find a respectable, natural, replacement.

I'm tired and heading to bed, after stumbling on a motel closer than I had expected.  the headwinds sapped my energy and my spirit - I found myself staring at the odometer all day, wondering just how long I'd be on the bike.  Nothing to report but good scenery and lack of traffic due to the trails.

Today was 58 miles, 20.7 max, 11.2 average, 5:12 riding time.  Not many pics, just a few of the Niagara River near the Whirlpool Bridge.  The original boat the served the Maid of the Mist function (think it was called the Lelana) was only 7 years old when war broke out and tourism died.  When the boat was sold, the captain shot these rapids in the coal fired steam boat to deliver it to the buyer!!!

Unsettled Weather

Meteorologists the world over have a thankless job.  Most of us look up at the sky right where we are and think, "they're wrong," failing to observe the weather of the general region.  This area in particular is tough to predict because of the weather coming off of the lake.  As the weather moves south from Lake Ontario, much of it passes over NIagara On The Lake and dumps rain on Niagara Falls due to the changing pressure caused by the escarpment.  Right now, there's a report of low pressure over the region that will cause "unsettled weather" for a while.  Some say through Friday, some say through the weekend.  Either way, it's nasty today and I'm waiting out the rain and doing some much needed laundry.

Yesterday was supposed to be nasty as well, but I got lucky and stayed dry under blue skies most of the day.  As I checked out of camp, the staff referred me to a good place to get a cheap breakfast - The Flying Saucer.  It looked like a tourist trap that I'd typically avoid, but they fed me well and didn't break the budget.  The wait staff all wore coin dispensers on their belts - the same kind found in arcades.

I made my way north along the Welland Canal ("Where ships climb the mountain"), watching the ships come and go and wondering if I'd see Jerry (last year, Somersworth, NH house visit).  Nobody on the ships waved, and I doubt I'd recognize Jerry in a hard hat.  The Welland Canal has a multi-use path running most of its length, so I got to cruise downhill and out of traffic for quite a while.

In 1998 when I took my first bicycle tour, I was only 20, so I had to pass up the wineries that I rode past in Napa and Sonoma valleys of California.  So when I reached the northern end of the canal, I headed over to Niagara On The Lake to attend some wine tastings.  This region is full of wineries, and I went in search of the perfect bottle to relax with for the evening.

My winery tour began at Stonechurch, the oldest winery in this area.  I never thought 15 would be considered an old winery...  Stonechurch was a coincidence - it's simply the first winery I came across.  But happy coincidences are what this trip is all about.  Many of the staff are avid cyclists, and I was very well received.  I am not a wine connoisseur - in fact, I'm almost a wine imbecile, but I learned quite a bit and got to taste some great wines.  Stonechurch had a few different bottles of the same wines open, allowing me to sample the various years of some of their blends.  The best had to be the 14 year old ice wine.  It looked like a syrupy single malt scotch, and tasted fabulous.  Ice wine is harvested and processed in the middle of the night while the grapes are frozen.  That had to be the best wine I tried all day, but ice wine has a high sugar content and is meant as a dessert wine.  If you could drink the bottle (hard to do because of its sweetness), you'd be awake all night on a sugar high.  So I kept moving.

I visited 6 or so wineries yesterday, eventually settling on a bottle from Frogpond, the organic folks.  But when I finally got to camp, the rain was moving in and I had just enough time to get set up and visit the grocery store on site before I got drenched.  When it's raining, I try to come up with meals that don't require cooking.  Last night, it was beef-a-roni straight out of the can (warmed between my legs for about an hour), and a bowl of cereal.  I just couldn't bring myself to drink a good bottle of wine with that.

In the town of Niagara On The Lake, I cruised by the marina district and watched the impending storm roll in over Lake Ontario.  The coloring was amazing, causing the sea and skyline to melt together, making the horizon completely indistinguishable.  I also rode by Fort George, though I didn't stop to go in.  Just before I got to camp, I stopped to take a picture of a boat near the Queenstown/Youngstown Bridge.  As I was taking the shot, my front tire blew (while I was standing completely still).  Today I'll have to find a dry spot to sit and fix that.

As I make my way around and talk to the locals, I hear great stories of the naive
Americans who come over the border and ask stupid questions, such as "which road takes me to the icebergs and polar bears?"  Many of these folks show up in July with skis on the roof.  What are these people thinking?  Don't they realize that Niagara Falls is right next to Buffalo?  Crossing the border in shorts from America doesn't mean snow on the other side of the bridge.  In fact, this area is at the same latitude of northern California!  I've also learned that since we're so close to the border, many Canadians go to NY to buy gas.  Gas here is sold by the liter, and the cheapest price I've seen so far is 98.5 cents.  Since the American dollar has fallen so low, folks here are able to fill up in Buffalo for about 20 bucks (they spend about 50 bucks in Canada for a full tank).

With any luck, tomorrow will bring good enough weather to make some progress.  If not, I'll probably end up in a motel (there's a limit to how long I can sit under this tarp).  Either way, I'm looking forward to getting out of this campground.  It has to be the most uptight place I've ever stayed.  Showers are a dollar for 5 minutes (and you don't get a full 5 - had to rinse myself off in the sink last night when the water cut off).  They hand out keys to the bathrooms.  I've seen places that secure the bathrooms with a punch code lock, but this is an actual key on an elastic wrist band.  They even write the checkout time on your parking permit, just to make sure you don't try to loiter for an extra hour.  Tomorrow I'll try for an early start, regardless of where I'm going.

Yesterday's miles could be considered unproductive since it didn't really get me anywhere on the map, but I carried all the gear so I'm counting the statistics.  42.3 miles, 32.5 max, 11.6 average over 3:39.