Cycling west on the Northern Tier Trail, summer 2009: skipping around, seeing the good parts!
Posted by Andrew on August 17th, 2009 - 2 Comments...
And that’s it, I’m done.
Back in NJ at the moment sorting through mail, cleaning up some gear, and planning my move to Boston. I’ve got plenty of pictures that need to get sorted and posted, so look out for those in the coming week or two. I’ve got a few posts about the end of the trip in the works right now, and I’ll write a few things about the overall experience too.
Overall, it was excellent - the US is big.
Posted by Andrew on August 7th, 2009 - No Comments;
I spent my second night in the San Juans on Orcas Island - it’s a big horseshoe-shaped island, hard to get around, but absolutely beautiful. I arrived on the ferry with just enough time to ride from the terminal to West Beach Resort to camp for the night. I’ve encountered a number of campgrounds that like to refer to themselves as resorts, but this one priced itself as a resort: $41 for the night + $1 for a shower. By far the most expensive campsite since Maine - I wish I could say that it was the best and worth it, but it wasn’t. *sigh* The shower was hot, the ice cream was cold, and the sunset was excellent. I had a beer and Mrs Fields ice cream sandwich while I watched the sunset over a distant island. Couldn’t help but think how cool it would be sitting there having just biked straight across the country… ohwell, another adventure for another time I suppose (more to come about that).
I was up early the next morning because that’s how large campgrounds work. Dogs need to go out which wakes up the kids who then need to get back on the playground. I’ve learned that tent sites tend to be the worst campsites available - both campgrounds on the San Juans held to the rule very well. On San Juan the “hiker/biker” sites are located as far away from water, power, and the showers as possible on a lousy patch of lumpy ground. On Orcas, my site was about 10 yards from the showers, playground, and volleyball court. Tent areas also look like pet exercise areas - I’ve had several people let their dogs crap behind my tent while I’m standing there eating my Pop-Tarts in the morning.
Note: I’m not hot on large campgrounds right now. Too many people, dogs, kids, diesel engines mixed in with a lot of cheap beer is the complete opposite of what I want in a campsite.
Anyway. The guy camped next to me turned out to be the campground–sorry, “resort”–maintenance guy, who suggested Mt. Constitution as a good place to visit before I leave the Islands. He’s left the islands 3 times in 6 years, so I assumed he really knows what’s up. Kelly suggested hiking up the mountain, but I only have flip-flops and cycling shoes, so up I went on the bike. Steep switchbacks, no shoulder, and a hot, steamy day made for one brutal climb, but the view was worth it. Going back down was a blast - it’s the only time I had to stop on my way down something. I thought the burning smell was the car in front of me, but nope, definitely my brakes. Short hill, brake hard, short hill, brake hard… all the way down the mountain.
Raced back around the island to catch the ferry, which was over an hour late, and went back to Anacortes to camp for the night. On Wednesday the 29th I rode from Anacortes, WA, down WHiDbey Island, crossed back to the mainland and continued to Seattle. 98 miles in 100+ degree heat - it’s the type of heat that comes at you in waves when the wind picks up, much like opening your oven door. After getting lost in the fake street grid around Seattle and falling (1st time in the trip!) on uneven concrete, I arrived at Bryce’s house for a relaxing evening of cheeseburgers and beer. Thanks Bryce, great to see you!
After a night at Bryce’s and the following day spent in front of the computer (bills, email, website!) I rode about 2 miles down the road to Kelly’s apartment for a day of cleaning, reorganizing, repacking, reading, and eating. Thanks a lot Kelly - it’s been a while since I’ve had time to clean up and repack! Just as soon as I got everything unpacked and spread out, Steve sent me a message via facebook - he happened to be in Seattle on his way from VT to AK (home). Excellent timing! I took the bus downtown and we wandered around seeing the sights. The Pike Place Market is definitely worth visiting - we stood with the rest of the crowd waiting to se some fish thrown around for a bit. Everyone was watching with nobody buying, hence the lack of fish flying around. The Pike Brewery IPA was excellent, cheap burritos from Taco Del Mar hit the spot, and the Seattle Monorail is not worth the $2 fare, just walk, it’s not that far.
That evening, I rode one of the extremely well-marked bike paths south to Erica and Brian’s apartment. Minneapolis, you could learn something from Seattle’s bike path signs - the intersections are labeled with directional signs = very helpful. We spent Saturday afternoon watching the Blue Angels perform as part of Sea Fair from the shore of Lake Washington. Very cool show, and very close! I hadn’t seen them since the air show in Schenectady and I’d forgotten how wild it looks. Fantastic Thai food for dinner, some excellent beer, and a game of Container that lasted well into the night - great way to end a few days off from riding. Thanks a lot Erica and Brian, great to see you both!
I got up the next morning and rode my bike to Portland.
Posted by Andrew on August 3rd, 2009 - 1 Comment...
I’m glad I watched the truly flat parts of ND roll by from the train and got back on my bike to ride through the rolling yellow hills of canola. ND was a lot of fun, the people I met are fantastic, the weather was good, and the landscape was completely new to me. I loved the extremes: bright green fields gave way to blinding yellow fields, then rolling “waves of grain” became sparse, rocky, then barren as I approached ranch country.
All I saw of most ranches was a gate with a name and a beat up fence at the road. Obviously there’s something else back there, but I couldn’t discern any other buildings or activity as far back as I could see. Big ranch. The cattle that I did see near the road all watched as I rolled by, which was sort of an odd feeling. They didn’t just look up, they actually turned around to face me, turned their heads, and shuffled around to get a good look. I mean, I’d watch me too, not probably not that intently.
I met some interesting people in Montana and had several unexpected conversations along the way. Gordon is a full-blooded Sioux Indian living just off the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. I found him leaning over his car on the side of route 2 staring straight up at the sky with a pair of binoculars. At first glance, I didn’t see anything, but after I stopped to ask what he was looking at, Gordon pointed out several golden eagles floating way up in the sky. He told me about seeing a few up close, how they mate (grab onto one another up high, then float down slowly until the last moment and let go), and their position as a sacred animal. We went on to talk about the trouble on the reservations, both in years past and in the present. Gordon has his fair share of issues years ago, but is proud to have cleaned up and is trying to help others, unfortunately without much success lately.
I met a rancher in Saco, MT as I was changing my rear tire. I picked up a sharp stone in NY, which turned into a hole and kept giving me flats… 2200 miles on that tire wasn’t too bad. We spoke about riding, the weather (of course), the bugs, which weren’t too bad so far this year, and about organic farming. He was pleased to see that a few farms, mostly wheat, peas, and canola, have started to switch over to organic practices. I must admit, I was a little surprised to hear about changes in a place like Saco. I assumed this was very large-scale commercial farming with all of the chemicals and debt that comes with it. Before he left, we talked about my bike for a few minutes… turns out he used to race bikes in high school and college, but doesn’t ride any longer. Instead he builds tandems and other odd bikes (4 wheels) for whoever needs them - just gives them away! He recommended the beef jerky at the local grocery store, “Robert makes the best jerky in the state!” I don’t know if it’s the best in the state, but I thought it was excellent. The grocery store had several animal heads on the wall - nice touch as you’re looking around for ice cream.
Grace and Alan
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Montana
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Laurie, Lucy, Me, Grace, Alan, Barbara
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