Day 6, The Final: Boonville to Rome, NY, 26 miles

(Note that this map is interactive. You can zoom in, show contours.)

I write this from the dry comfort of the Amtrak train taking me back to my car in Rochester. Although I changed my plans out of wimpiness, I'm still feeling pretty smart because it is raining steadily, and it's supposed to rain for the next two days. So the weather is helping make me feel better about quitting early.

And in my defense, I should say that my original thought for this trip was to do exactly what I'm doing, namely train to Maine, bike to Utica (or, in actuality, Rome, which has a more convenient train schedule.) Riding all the way back to Rochester was simply a late change that would have allowed me to technically ride across the country if I picked up the trip in Buffalo, since I had already ridden the Buffalo-Rochester segment. But you know what? That's a stupid reason to ride more than I want to (in the rain, no less). The cross-country-by-installments model is hereby defunct, but it wasn't really a good plan, anyway. Doing the whole thing in one shot for the sake of accomplishing it, well, that's one thing. This leg through spectacular country was reasonable. But why would I spend a week riding across North Dakota just to say I did it? I'm sure North Dakota is nice, but I think I can find a better place to spend a week riding.

So this change of plans does feel reasonable. I didn't catch the train two days ago in Ticonderoga (even though that was seeming like a mistake when I was in the middle of my long long day in the wilderness), so I'm not a total wimp. And, although not the motivation, the rain today and tomorrow helps.

And, in an unexpected bonus, today's short ride (I ended as I began, off the route guide) was absolutely lovely. The road was basically downhill all the way from Boonville to just outside Rome, through the gorgeous Black River Valley. Wow! It felt like a victory lap or something. I left very early, just because I didn't want to feel rushed packing up my bike, I wanted to avoid the morning rush hour traffic, and I wanted to miss the rain. I reached the Rome train station with two and half hours to spare, but that was fine. (It's a beautiful station, which made it pleasant to spend time in.) I will reach Rochester in time to drive home today.

Before packing up in the Rome, NY, train station

After the transformation. Ready to jump on the train.

I have now followed the ACA (Adventure Cycling Association) route guides for many miles, on several routes. They are very good, very accurate, very complete. But I am not convinced that they are good for me. There's something about being able to keep track of the route seemingly foot by foot that takes away from the general sense of where I am. Only seeing a tiny slice of the map, often pointed in the wrong direction (relative to north) can be disorienting. More than once, when I took out a normal map and looked at where I had been, I couldn't believe it. The distances and directions looked wrong. 

I think I may prefer relying on conventional maps, even just the state maps, using gray roads, or, even better, nice county maps, referring to GPS in problem situations. I don't know. Future trips may be circle tours of different areas, in which I improvise the route and find my own accommodations. The ACA guide is only marginally useful in recommending services, restaurants, hotels, and campgrounds. A grocery store is anything from Safeway to Mable's Beer and Cig Stop. Fred's Corner Motel was listed as one of the choices in Long Lake. One of hotels listed for Boonville was beyond scary looking. It's not really ACA's fault. They can't update every guide every year, although they try with regular addenda based on user comments (a few of which I'll be contributing). 

But I think future tours are going to need to be more carefully planned in advance by me; I'll create my own route guide. I'll make reservations, and not fret during the day about where I'm going to stay or eat. This is exactly the opposite of a Ken Kifer tour. Fine. I'm not Ken Kifer.

May I say a few words in praise of my "clown bike?" My Bike Friday New World Tourist was a marvel. It carried 35 pounds (at least) with no problem at all. With Schwalbe Marathon tires (also the best, the touring standard), the bike rode wonderfully. It didn't feel slow (in fact, this morning I was averaging 15 mph on my admittedly downhill run), it was wobbly in back, but every loaded touring bike wobbles. And, really, it was more stable than my touring trek has been when loaded in a goofy way. The Bike Friday never shimmied, always tracked true, and felt completely stable even going more than 30 mph.I loved having the step-through frame. If I were buying a full-sized touring bike, I would buy a Riv Mixte in a heartbeat. And at the end of the tour to be able to take the pedals off, fold up the bike, pop it into its soft case (which I carried with me the whole trip), and jump on the train, well, that's quite miraculous.

 

In the photo above, notice the handlebar bag. It is a Velo Orange bag for which I have crafted a "rackaleur" out of a 1/4" aluminum rod. The bag support wraps under the stem, over the bars, then forms a little shelf for the bag to rest on. Works great. 

So, that's that for now. I'll be refining these posts in the future, adding pictures, so if you were interested, check back for the more official edition.

(By the way, in case you're wondering, these posts were typed on a small Amazon Basics bluetooth keyboard into my iphone running the Blogger app. The keyboard fits perfectly into my handlebar bag, and the hard clicky keys (as opposed to rubbery squishy ones) are close enough to full size to make full-speed touch typing possible. Highly recommended.)

Tour Planning 2013, part 1

Now that it's almost May, it's time to start thinking about summer tours. It seems that Jon and I will discontinue our new/old tradition of a joint tour this summer (our riding/touring styles are diverging enough to create an unfavorable cost:benefit ratio, if I may be cryptic), which I regret. He and I have been touring together, at least on mini-tours, since 1975, not counting a big child-rearing gap in the 80s and 90s.

So now I'm faced with the prospect of touring alone. Although I would rather have company, the thought of joining an organized group tour is horrifying. I've had people say to me, "I always do RAGBRAI (or Michigan's equivalent, DALMAC). You should, too! You'd love it!" But I wouldn't love it. Taking a tour with a cast of (quite literally) thousands sounds awful. I don't want company THAT much. Maybe I don't want company much, at all. I don't like biking with people, in general. They're either too slow or too fast. I realize that group tours aren't really group rides; people go at their own pace, often not seeing their fellow tourists at all between daily departures and arrivals Still, it doesn't sound fun. (Although I have been tempted by the Bicycle Tour of Colorado, I must confess, mostly because it sounds so impossibly difficult--an interesting challenge.)

So, can I do it? Take a week-long tour on my own? I think so, and here's the tentative plan:

I propose to start my Trans-Am by installment trip this summer. I will pack the clown bike into its suitcase and take trains and buses to Brunswick, ME, then follow the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier route guide to Rochester, NY (550 miles, perhaps?), where I'll catch Amtrak back to my car in IN. At 70 miles/day, that's 8 days (or so) of riding. Since I have already biked the Rochester-Buffalo leg, I could start in Buffalo next summer, and ride across Canada back to MI and Empire. Then perhaps Empire to Minneapolis the following summer, Minneapolis to western N Dak, etc, always starting and/or ending at Amtrak stations.

So stay tuned.

Equipment report, indirectly related: I put Scwalbe Marathon 406 x 38 tires (100 PSI) on the clown bike yesterday, hoping for a nice combination of cush and rolliness. Mission accomplished. Really a good combination. I had them pumped up to about 85 PSI.

UPDATE, MAY 23
The reservations are made. Train to Boston, bus to Portland, ME, arriving at midnight. There's a hotel near the bus station, so I'll spend the night there, then start the next day, joining the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier route halfway through day 1.

I think I'll be able to pack the clown bike in its soft case to carry on the train. (At least, Amtrak says its possible to carry a folding bike as a piece of luggage; I'll carry a copy of their official luggage policy, in case the conductor gives me a hard time.) That way, I won't need too tow a trailer. The trailer is fine, and I have ridden hundreds of miles towing it, but I think it will be easier just to use panniers. I have rigged up a rear rack on the clown bike (just a stock rack that I have bent the stays to fit), which still allows the bike to fit in its soft case when folded. I'll try to put on a front rack on my way to the Indiana train station. (My winter home is exactly on the way, so I'll stop and mow the lawn and make final preparations for the trip.)

I decided that getting on the train at 1:15 a.m. is onerous but acceptable. It's by far the cheapest way to go, once airport parking and luggage fees are factored in. I have reserved a return trip from Rochester, NY. I hope I'll be able to keep to the schedule. 

UPDATE, MAY 29
I was going to catch the train in Indiana at 1:15 a.m. tomorrow night, arriving Boston 9:15 p.m., in time to catch the last bus to Portland, but the thought of pushing into a seat in the middle of the night, riding all night and all day, and not getting to my hotel until midnight sounded awful. And then, at the end, I'd need to reverse the process from Rochester to Indiana.

On my daily ride (see the picture, above), I got to thinking. (That's what daily rides are good for, among other things.) Why not just drive to Rochester and leave my car there? Catch the same train, but at 10 a.m. instead of 1:00 a.m.? Then, at the end of the trip, just jump in my car and drive away? I wouldn't even need to fold the bike back up. That way, if I finished a day early or a day late, I wouldn't need to rearrange a ticket. I like driving (I even fixed the radio in the van), and I'm willing to pay extra to avoid two nights on a train. So I did it.

Here's the funny thing: It turns out that I had a ticket from Indiana to Boston ON THE WRONG NIGHT! I searched for May 30 (Thursday), meaning Thursday night. Amtrak gave me May 30, 1:00 a.m., meaning WEDNESDAY NIGHT. I was too dumb to realize my mistake until I went to cancel the ticket. Lucky me. (Amtrak lets you cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the trip.)

So I saved $110 on train tickets, but I'll pay an extra $150 for gasoline, plus an extra $70 for a motel tomorrow night. But I'll save, say, $20 on train food. So let's say I'm paying an extra . . . call it $100. Worth it. Oh, and tolls. I'll need to pay tolls on the Turnpikes. Still worth it.

I should be apprehensive about this trip, having never taken such a long one by myself before. But mostly, I'm looking forward to it. I've done a lot of bike touring, so I know the drill. I think I'll have the right gear. I think the clown bike will work well carrying a load (rather than towing a trailer). I like riding by myself. I think I won't like camping by myself, but it will be OK. I have a new iPhone, so that will help me stay connected when I'm feeling lonely. (Although I'm sure I won't get much service in the mountains.)

I was thinking of using the iPhone as my documentary camera on the trip, but, quite frankly, the pictures it takes are crap. I'll take my little Canon Powershot SD4000, which takes lovely pictures. Extra weight, granted, but worth it.