Suivez mes nouvelles aventures sur http://blogs.unelonguemarche.ca/Julie/ !
Plus de 5000 km de randonnée sur des sentiers pas ordinaires.
Je vous y attends!
Check out my new brand new adventures on http://blogs.unelonguemarche.ca/Julie/ !
A long distance hike of more than 5000 km (3000 mi) along mysterious trails.
Can't wait to see you there! (In French only)
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Trip Summary / Bilan du voyage
- Total # days / nombre de jours total = 129 => 99 days on the bike / jours sur le vélo
- Final bike mileage / kilométrage final sur vélo = 6135 mi / 9873 km > 15 states, 3 provinces
- Final bike + car mileage / kilométrage final en vélo et voiture = 9323 mi / 15037 km
- Cumulated elevation gain / gain d'élévation cumulé = 363,671 ft / 110 847 m (12.5 x Mt Everest)
- Total calories = 279 112 (that's a lot of donuts..)
- Maximum speed / vitesse maximale = 54.2 mph / 87 km/h
- Minimum speed / vitesse minimale = 2.1 mph / 3.4 km/h (when climbing Monarch Pass in Colorado / lors de la montée du col Monarch au Colorado)
- Average time per day on the bike / temps moyen sur le vélo par jour = 5 hrs 20 min
- Maximum time on the bike in one days / temps maximal passé sur le vélo dans une journée = 10 hrs 45 min
- Highest altitude / altitude maximale = 11,369 ft / 3465 m
- 23 peanut butter jars / pots de beurre d'arachide
- 297 bananas / bananes
- Unlimited amount of fun / quantité illimitée de plaisir :D
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sept 28 - À Montréal... Succès!
Sept 24 - Canton, NY to Malone, NY= 48 mi / 77 km
Sept 25 - Malone, NY to Plattsburgh, NY = 57 mi / 92 km
Sept 26 - Plattsburgh, NY to Beloeil, QC = 68 mi / 110 km
Sept 28 - Beloeil, QC to Montréal, QC = 33 mi / 53 km
(English below)
Mes amis, famille, connaissances, étrangers... ça y est. L'aventure vient de se terminer, avec mes deux pneus crevés!
C'est samedi (le 26 septembre) que j'ai traversé la frontière de Rouses Point, NY à Lacolle, QC. La journée était splendide. Je suis partie de Plattsburgh en matinée avec un immense sourire qui ne m'a pas quittée de la journée (ou presque!). Rentrer au Québec sur un vélo après tellement de péripéties, après avoir vu tant de superbes paysages, après avoir discuté avec tous ces inconnus... la sensation est très spéciale. Le vent dans le dos, le lac Champlain à ma droite, ma destination droit devant, je m'apprêtais à me retrouver en terrain connu. Après avoir franchi la douane déserte (et où le douanier, estomaqué par la mention de mon kilométrage, ne m'a posé aucune autre question), je me suis remise en route lentement, très lentement. Qu'est-ce qui est en train de se passer? Suis-je vraiment arrivée? Est-ce que c'est réel tout ça?? On dirait que je viens juste de partir... Bref, ces questionnements, je me les pose toujours, deux jours plus tard. Au Québec, j'ai découvert la Route Verte. Officiellement inaugurée en août 2007, la Route Verte est un réseau cyclable de 4300 km qui peut vous amener aux quatres coins du Québec. Vous savez quoi? En 2008, la National Geographic Society lui a décerné le prix de meilleure route cyclable au monde. Je suis désolée si je ne vous apprends rien mais moi, après tant d'années en dehors de la province, je n'en savais rien. Il fallait bien que je traverse tous les États-Unis pour me rendre compte que le meilleur endroit pour pédaler se trouve au Québec ;) ! Bien balisée et munie de larges accotements, la section Vallée des Forts sur laquelle j'ai roulé m'a tout à fait ravie. Toutefois, il suffit de diverger un peu (j'ai décidé de suivre mon propre itinéraire et ai quitté la Route Verte) pour se retrouver sur une route sans bordure et parfois même avec une ligne blanche déficiente (les trous et craques innombrables de nos routes québécoises l'ont fait disparaître). Dans ces cas (Chemin des Patriotes en particulier) que je me suis dit que j'aurais dû rester sur les voies balisées. En 75 km de vélo en sol québécois, je me suis sentie plus à risque de me faire frapper qu'en presque quatre mois chez nos voisins du sud. Mes amis, nous conduisons comme des débiles mentaux. Peut-être vous souvenez-vous de mes petites frousses en Iowa - je vous disais qu'environ 10% des conducteurs roulent très (trop) proches et font plus ou moins attention... au Québec, c'est le contraire. 10% font attention alors que les autres semblent vouloir vous donner un aller-simple pour la morgue. Les angles morts, les priorités, rien n'est accordé aux cyclistes. Le vélo au Québec, c'est un nouveau sport que j'ai dû réapprendre. Et quand j'ai eu le malheur de traverser la rue lorsqu'une lumière a viré au vert (ma priorité... théoriquement........), la voiture qui voulait tourner à droite m'a fait savoir que je lui ai fait perdre de nombreuses secondes par un strident crissement de pneus... Come on. Voulez-vous me dire qu'est-ce qu'il y a de si pressant?? Il faut respirer un peu, c'est samedi. C'est durant tous ces moments que mon sourire s'est effacé. Mais rapidement, je me suis retrouvée à Mt-St-Hilaire, tout près de ma petite ville natale. J'ai traversé le pont et j'y étais.. Beloeil. En tournant le coin de la rue où j'ai grandi, j'ai aperçu ma mère, ma soeur Nathalie et mes nièces Sandrine et Rosalie qui m'attendaient. Incroyable... Et depuis, je tente de retomber sur mes pattes.
Pour conclure l'aventure adéquatement, je n'avais pas le choix de rouler jusqu'à Montréal. J'y ai fait un aller-retour avec une version légère du Tank ce matin, dans la pluie et le brouillard. Je voulais une photo de la ville à partir du Pont Jacques-Cartier, on ne voyait que l'édifice Molson.. pas trop photogénique.. Ce sera pour une autre fois. Sur la route du retour, mon pneu arrière a crevé à Longueuil. Et meeeerde... dans ma nonchalance-de-dernière-journée, je me suis rendu compte que mon tout dernier tube se trouvait dans une sacoche que j'avais décidé de laisser derrière. Tant pis, je roule dessus. A Saint-Bruno, mon pneu avant m'a joué le même tour. Les belles, belles routes du Québec.. Tant pis, on viendra me chercher, je n'ai plus rien à prouver.
À vous qui avez feuilleté mon blogue une fois de temps en temps, à vous qui m'avez envoyé tant d'encouragements par courriel, à vous qui avez sorti votre vélo du garage cet été, à vous que j'ai rencontrés en cours de route et qui m'avez saluée ou parlé, à vous qui êtes tombés sur cette page par hasard et qui avez décidé de lire un peu, à vous tous: merci. Vous avez tous fait partie de l'aventure, merci. Vous m'avez donné des ailes, merci. Merci, merci, merci..
Friends, family, strangers.. everyone - this is it! The adventure just ended, with two flat tires!!
On Saturday, September 26, I crossed the international border from Rouses Point, NY to Lacolle, QC. It was the most perfect day and it is with a huge smile that I left Plattsburgh in the morning. Returning to Quebec on a bicycle after living so many adventures, after witnessing so many incredible landscapes, after chatting with so many people... the feeling is very, very strange. With a nice tailwind, Lake Champlain on my right and my destination straight in front, I was about to be riding in known terrain.. The customs were totally desert and, after I passed, I started pedaling slowly, very slowly... What is going on here? Am I really here? Is this really about to end? Did I just do what I just did??? I feel like I just left Seattle! Well, two days later, I am still asking myself the very same questions.. In the province of Quebec, I discovered a wonderful bike trail called "La Route Verte". Officially inaugurated in August 2007, la Route Verte is a 4300 km (2670 mi) cycling network that can take you pretty much everywhere in the province. And you know what? In 2008, the National Geographic Society named it "the best cycling network in the world"! It was worth going across the United States to find out that the best place to bike was in my own backyard ;) ! I rode on the well marked "Vallée des Forts" section of the trail and was absolutely delighted. However, if you decide to go off the trail for a while (I skipped the scenic portion.. been there, done that..), you find yourself on a narrow, shoulder-less (and even without a white line! In Quebec, there are so many holes and cracks on the road that the white lines get destroyed at some point..!). In about 50 miles of riding in Quebec, I felt threated more times than in almost four months in the US. Maybe do you remember those little frights I had in Iowa. I was telling that about 10% of the drivers were passing pretty close and were more or less careful. Here, it is the opposite. About 10% are very careful while the others do not care at all. They will drive as close as they can, like they were looking to send you straight to the morgue. Biking in Quebec is a different sport and I needed to re-learn it. And when I crossed a street on a green light (my priority.. in theory), the car that wanted to turn right let me know his frustration with a loud tire screeching action.. Come on. What is so urgent? It is Saturday, take a big nice breath and relax. However, before I even realized, I was in Mt-St-Hilaire, close to my hometown - Beloeil (Beloeil is located on the South Shore of Montreal (Montreal is an island), about 20 miles away). And when I turned the corner of the street where I grew up, I saw my mom and sister Nathalie with Sandrine and Rosalie, two of my nieces. Incredible. Since that moment, I am still trying to realize that I am not dreaming.
To end the adventure in a proper manner, I had no choice but to ride to Montreal. So I did the round-trip this morning, on a lightweight version of the Tank and in rain and fog. I wanted to photograph the city skyline from the Jacques-Cartier Bridge but the fog was too dense and all I could see was a white blur. On the way back, I got a flat on the rear tire. When I realized that I left my very last tube in a pannier that I chose not to bring, I decided to ride anyways. But soon, I got a flat on my front tire. That's it! I was done and called for a car ride!
To those who have read the blog once in a while, to those who have sent me emails and encouragements, to those who took the bicycle out this summer, to those that I met during the trip, to those that stumbled upon this page and decided to check it out, to you all: thank you. You have been an important part of my journey, thank you. You have made my trip, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Sept 25 - Malone, NY to Plattsburgh, NY = 57 mi / 92 km
Sept 26 - Plattsburgh, NY to Beloeil, QC = 68 mi / 110 km
Sept 28 - Beloeil, QC to Montréal, QC = 33 mi / 53 km
(English below)
Mes amis, famille, connaissances, étrangers... ça y est. L'aventure vient de se terminer, avec mes deux pneus crevés!
C'est samedi (le 26 septembre) que j'ai traversé la frontière de Rouses Point, NY à Lacolle, QC. La journée était splendide. Je suis partie de Plattsburgh en matinée avec un immense sourire qui ne m'a pas quittée de la journée (ou presque!). Rentrer au Québec sur un vélo après tellement de péripéties, après avoir vu tant de superbes paysages, après avoir discuté avec tous ces inconnus... la sensation est très spéciale. Le vent dans le dos, le lac Champlain à ma droite, ma destination droit devant, je m'apprêtais à me retrouver en terrain connu. Après avoir franchi la douane déserte (et où le douanier, estomaqué par la mention de mon kilométrage, ne m'a posé aucune autre question), je me suis remise en route lentement, très lentement. Qu'est-ce qui est en train de se passer? Suis-je vraiment arrivée? Est-ce que c'est réel tout ça?? On dirait que je viens juste de partir... Bref, ces questionnements, je me les pose toujours, deux jours plus tard. Au Québec, j'ai découvert la Route Verte. Officiellement inaugurée en août 2007, la Route Verte est un réseau cyclable de 4300 km qui peut vous amener aux quatres coins du Québec. Vous savez quoi? En 2008, la National Geographic Society lui a décerné le prix de meilleure route cyclable au monde. Je suis désolée si je ne vous apprends rien mais moi, après tant d'années en dehors de la province, je n'en savais rien. Il fallait bien que je traverse tous les États-Unis pour me rendre compte que le meilleur endroit pour pédaler se trouve au Québec ;) ! Bien balisée et munie de larges accotements, la section Vallée des Forts sur laquelle j'ai roulé m'a tout à fait ravie. Toutefois, il suffit de diverger un peu (j'ai décidé de suivre mon propre itinéraire et ai quitté la Route Verte) pour se retrouver sur une route sans bordure et parfois même avec une ligne blanche déficiente (les trous et craques innombrables de nos routes québécoises l'ont fait disparaître). Dans ces cas (Chemin des Patriotes en particulier) que je me suis dit que j'aurais dû rester sur les voies balisées. En 75 km de vélo en sol québécois, je me suis sentie plus à risque de me faire frapper qu'en presque quatre mois chez nos voisins du sud. Mes amis, nous conduisons comme des débiles mentaux. Peut-être vous souvenez-vous de mes petites frousses en Iowa - je vous disais qu'environ 10% des conducteurs roulent très (trop) proches et font plus ou moins attention... au Québec, c'est le contraire. 10% font attention alors que les autres semblent vouloir vous donner un aller-simple pour la morgue. Les angles morts, les priorités, rien n'est accordé aux cyclistes. Le vélo au Québec, c'est un nouveau sport que j'ai dû réapprendre. Et quand j'ai eu le malheur de traverser la rue lorsqu'une lumière a viré au vert (ma priorité... théoriquement........), la voiture qui voulait tourner à droite m'a fait savoir que je lui ai fait perdre de nombreuses secondes par un strident crissement de pneus... Come on. Voulez-vous me dire qu'est-ce qu'il y a de si pressant?? Il faut respirer un peu, c'est samedi. C'est durant tous ces moments que mon sourire s'est effacé. Mais rapidement, je me suis retrouvée à Mt-St-Hilaire, tout près de ma petite ville natale. J'ai traversé le pont et j'y étais.. Beloeil. En tournant le coin de la rue où j'ai grandi, j'ai aperçu ma mère, ma soeur Nathalie et mes nièces Sandrine et Rosalie qui m'attendaient. Incroyable... Et depuis, je tente de retomber sur mes pattes.
Pour conclure l'aventure adéquatement, je n'avais pas le choix de rouler jusqu'à Montréal. J'y ai fait un aller-retour avec une version légère du Tank ce matin, dans la pluie et le brouillard. Je voulais une photo de la ville à partir du Pont Jacques-Cartier, on ne voyait que l'édifice Molson.. pas trop photogénique.. Ce sera pour une autre fois. Sur la route du retour, mon pneu arrière a crevé à Longueuil. Et meeeerde... dans ma nonchalance-de-dernière-journée, je me suis rendu compte que mon tout dernier tube se trouvait dans une sacoche que j'avais décidé de laisser derrière. Tant pis, je roule dessus. A Saint-Bruno, mon pneu avant m'a joué le même tour. Les belles, belles routes du Québec.. Tant pis, on viendra me chercher, je n'ai plus rien à prouver.
À vous qui avez feuilleté mon blogue une fois de temps en temps, à vous qui m'avez envoyé tant d'encouragements par courriel, à vous qui avez sorti votre vélo du garage cet été, à vous que j'ai rencontrés en cours de route et qui m'avez saluée ou parlé, à vous qui êtes tombés sur cette page par hasard et qui avez décidé de lire un peu, à vous tous: merci. Vous avez tous fait partie de l'aventure, merci. Vous m'avez donné des ailes, merci. Merci, merci, merci..
Friends, family, strangers.. everyone - this is it! The adventure just ended, with two flat tires!!
On Saturday, September 26, I crossed the international border from Rouses Point, NY to Lacolle, QC. It was the most perfect day and it is with a huge smile that I left Plattsburgh in the morning. Returning to Quebec on a bicycle after living so many adventures, after witnessing so many incredible landscapes, after chatting with so many people... the feeling is very, very strange. With a nice tailwind, Lake Champlain on my right and my destination straight in front, I was about to be riding in known terrain.. The customs were totally desert and, after I passed, I started pedaling slowly, very slowly... What is going on here? Am I really here? Is this really about to end? Did I just do what I just did??? I feel like I just left Seattle! Well, two days later, I am still asking myself the very same questions.. In the province of Quebec, I discovered a wonderful bike trail called "La Route Verte". Officially inaugurated in August 2007, la Route Verte is a 4300 km (2670 mi) cycling network that can take you pretty much everywhere in the province. And you know what? In 2008, the National Geographic Society named it "the best cycling network in the world"! It was worth going across the United States to find out that the best place to bike was in my own backyard ;) ! I rode on the well marked "Vallée des Forts" section of the trail and was absolutely delighted. However, if you decide to go off the trail for a while (I skipped the scenic portion.. been there, done that..), you find yourself on a narrow, shoulder-less (and even without a white line! In Quebec, there are so many holes and cracks on the road that the white lines get destroyed at some point..!). In about 50 miles of riding in Quebec, I felt threated more times than in almost four months in the US. Maybe do you remember those little frights I had in Iowa. I was telling that about 10% of the drivers were passing pretty close and were more or less careful. Here, it is the opposite. About 10% are very careful while the others do not care at all. They will drive as close as they can, like they were looking to send you straight to the morgue. Biking in Quebec is a different sport and I needed to re-learn it. And when I crossed a street on a green light (my priority.. in theory), the car that wanted to turn right let me know his frustration with a loud tire screeching action.. Come on. What is so urgent? It is Saturday, take a big nice breath and relax. However, before I even realized, I was in Mt-St-Hilaire, close to my hometown - Beloeil (Beloeil is located on the South Shore of Montreal (Montreal is an island), about 20 miles away). And when I turned the corner of the street where I grew up, I saw my mom and sister Nathalie with Sandrine and Rosalie, two of my nieces. Incredible. Since that moment, I am still trying to realize that I am not dreaming.
To end the adventure in a proper manner, I had no choice but to ride to Montreal. So I did the round-trip this morning, on a lightweight version of the Tank and in rain and fog. I wanted to photograph the city skyline from the Jacques-Cartier Bridge but the fog was too dense and all I could see was a white blur. On the way back, I got a flat on the rear tire. When I realized that I left my very last tube in a pannier that I chose not to bring, I decided to ride anyways. But soon, I got a flat on my front tire. That's it! I was done and called for a car ride!
To those who have read the blog once in a while, to those who have sent me emails and encouragements, to those who took the bicycle out this summer, to those that I met during the trip, to those that stumbled upon this page and decided to check it out, to you all: thank you. You have been an important part of my journey, thank you. You have made my trip, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sept 24 - Yellow, Orange, Red and Rain!
Sept 19 - Springville, NY to Henrietta, NY = 84 mi / 135 km
Sept 20 - Henrietta, NY to Oswego, NY = 82 mi / 132 km
Sept 21 - Oswego, NY to Pulaski, NY = 25 mi / 40 km
Sept 22 - Pulaski, NY to Gouverneur, NY = 67 mi / 108 km
Sept 23 - Gouverneur, NY to Canton, NY = 26 mi / 42 km
The leaves are falling, the colours are beautiful, Fall is here my friends! And there is nothing like Fall in the Northeast. Not only does the air smell good but it also feels good. Chilly in the morning, just perfect in the afternoon, I love it. It has been pouring for a few days though. But this is how Fall goes. You get the sweet tree colours but you get wet once in a while.
For a while, I have been contemplating the idea of heading to Maine to take a look at the Atlantic and enter the Province of Quebec through the Beauce region, go to Quebec City and back down to Montreal along St. Lawrence River. I was really excited about my plan but, about six days ago, my body has started to wave the white flag. Long days in the New York hills have been pretty rough. The fact that my left quad is begging for mercy while my right knee is not liking the climbs is OK - I can still change the way I am pedaling. But when I feel like somebody is stabbing me in the belly with a fork every 20 seconds, it makes my days really long... Abdominal pain - stomach, liver, kidneys.. whatever.. it keeps moving around. Since the pain was keeping me from sleeping and eating well, I decided to take the short cut to Montreal and even skipped my Adirondacks tour. Now I feel much better but definitely feel the need for a rest and normal eating habits (3 meals a day and please, no more granola bars!).
Yesterday, on my very short ride to Canton, I met a Amish man for the first time. I had noticed the horse poop all over the side of the road but did not realize it was coming from horse-drawn carriages until I actually passed a horse-drawn carriage. The gentleman politely saluted me by raising his hat so I raised my helmet in return (nah.. just kidding! I just said hi!). I thought it was SO cool, I was totally impressed! I saw a few more on the way but did not take any photo because it is kinda rude. I think Amish people are extremely interesting.
So, guess what? I am almost at destination! Crazy isn't it?
Les feuilles commencent à tomber, les couleurs sont magnifiques, l'automne est officiellement arrivé, mes amis! Et l'automne dans le nord-est est tout à fait imbattable. Non seulement ça sent bon, mais la température est extrêmement agréable. Après la fraîcheur du matin, l'air d'après-midi est juste à point.. j'adore. J'ai eu quelques jours de pluie assez intense mais tout à fait légitime - on peut admirer les belles couleurs de arbres mais il faut accepter de se faire mouiller un peu. C'est l'automne et c'est comme ça que ça marche!
Durant un bon moment, j'ai caressé l'idée de me rendre jusque dans le Maine, question de plonger un orteil dans l'Atlantique, rentrer au Québec par la Beauce, passer par la ville de Québec et redescendre à Montréal en longeant le St-Laurent. J'étais absolument enchantée par ce plan mais, il y a environ six jours, mon corps s'est mis à brandir le drapeau blanc. Les looongues journées dans les trop nombreuses montées de l'État de NY auront eu raison de moi. Le fait que mon quadriceps gauche me demande un break tandis que mon genou droit démontre des signes de fatigue est OK - je peux toujours changer la manière dont je pédale. Mais lorsque j'ai l'impression que quelqu'un me plante une fourche dans le ventre à chaque 20 secondes rend mes journées plutôt désagréables. Douleurs abdominales.. estomac, foie, reins... je sais pas trop, ça se promène. J'ai eu du mal à dormir et manger durant quelques jours, d'où la décision de laisser tomber le projet du Maine et même la traversée des Adirondacks. J'ai choisi la route la plus facile jusqu'à Montréal, bien décidée à terminer l'aventure sur mes deux roues, en un seul morceau. Ça va mieux depuis quelques jours, mais je crois avoir besoin de retrouver un régime alimentaire normal (3 repas par jour et, s'il-vous-plaît, finies les barres granola!).
Hier, lors de ma très petite journée vers Canton, j'ai rencontré mon premier Amish. J'avais remarqué l'abondance de pommes de route en bordure de la 11 mais j'étais loin de me douter qu'elles provenaient de chevaux tirant des calèches jusqu'à ce que je dépasse une calèche! Son chauffeur m'a poliment saluée en soulevant son chapeau alors j'ai soulevé mon casque en retour (héhé.. ben non.. j'ai juste dit bonjour!). J'ai été vraiment impressionnée et tout à fait charmée. J'en ai croisé d'autres en route en plus de voir leurs maisons mais n'ai pas pris de photos. Bref, je trouve que ces gens sont très intéressants.
Donc avec tout ça, devinez quoi? Je suis presqu'arrivée à destination! Je n'arrive pas à y croire. C'est fou n'est-ce pas?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sept 12-18 - Just Cruising!
Sept 12 - LaPorte, IN to Elkhart, IN = 47 mi / 76 km
Sept 13 - Elkhart, IN to Montpelier, OH = 87 mi / 140 km
Sept 14 - Montpelier, OH to Perrysburg, OH = 53 mi / 85 km
Sept 15 - Perryburg, OH to Amherst, OH = 84 mi / 135 km
Sept 16 - Amherst, OH to Austinburg, OH = 87 mi / 140 km
Sept 17 - Austinburg, OH to Erie, PA = 58 mi / 94 km
Sept 18 - Erie, PA to Springville, NY = 89 mi / 144km
Total = 5626 mi / 9074 km
So I got arrested by the NY State Troopers today. The Tank and I are criminals... riding the Interstate after ignoring the "Motor vehicule only" sign. When crossing the PA-NY border, four police cars were parked on the highway. I just rode by, innocently... I did not have time to blink that one car was in front of me and another one right behind! Who am I? OJ Simpson?? So I started laughing.
- What's going on here?
- Well I'm following that detour for 430 that is closed (yeah, I was totally legal actually ;) )
- OH! Ok, no problem then! Sorry for stopping your momentum! Where are you coming from?
(Ah sh*t..) There is no easy answer for this question. I always try to be pretty vague because it can get complicated very easily. When I say Seattle, people usually ask me how many miles I rode. When I tell the truth (almost 6000), smart people notice that it's a lot. So I have to explain that big zig zag up and down and up the USA that I did. Then, reeeeally smart people realize that 6000 miles is not enough... Grrr.. so I have to detail the fact that I rented a car and blah blah blaaaaah. With some people, it feels like a police interrogation. But this time, I was actually being questioned by four cops.. Better tell the truth! So I started telling my adventures. You should have seen that! It was hilarious! They looked like four boyscouts listening to stories around a firecamp. I could imagine the scene from an outsider perspective: 2 police cars, 4 police officers forming a circle around 1 girl and 1 huuuge bicycle. Anyways, they were still very nice and wished me the best of luck.
That was my story of the day. But let's see here.... Last time you heard from me, I was just out of Chicago and had just entered Indiana. Indiana... we don't here a lot about this state. To tell you the truth, I am not even sure I would have been able to tell you where it is on the States map before this trip.... But you know what? I would go back. I did not stay long (2 days) but really enjoyed the very, very beautiful little towns and friendly people. It was flat but entertaining and the weather was perfect (almost no wind with a nice sun).
Then I entered Ohio. Again, I have to be honest with you guys. A few years ago, when my coworkers needed to go to Ohio for work, I was making fun of them. Now I realize that I was so very wrong. Ohio is fantastic. I rode along Lake Erie (or.. Ocean Erie... the Great Lakes are so gigantic that they really do look like an ocean..).
Wow, wow and wow. Then I rode through Cleveland. It was extremely easy to get around and the bike paths were very well marked. No ghetto riding this time! If it was not from the 20 mi/h wind blasting in my face, it would have been a really enjoyable ride. One word kept coming into my mind to describe what I was experimenting in Ohio: peaceful. But not boring-peaceful! It was peaceful-peaceful. Pennsylvania had pretty much the same vibe.. until I arrived in the town of Erie. I cannot say why, but I really did not like Erie, PA. Maybe it was just due to the fact that I had to ride across more and more towns in the last few days (riding across towns is looong.. with the traffic lights, heavier traffic and the bumpy sidewalk riding, it takes forever) and that Erie was a bigger town.. I don't know.. But it was enough to convince me that I wanted to ride in the fields and farms today. So I mapped a complicated itinerary to make my way to Springville, NY. What I omitted to do was to look at the elevation profile (it has been so flat lately that I did not even bother). Mistake. Yes I had a traffic light-free day, but I was not expecting the hundreds little steep sneaky hills that came along. Definitely a good workout, but 90 miles of this was too much, especially with the rain that started to pour at mile 75. So if you excuse me, I will go to my comfy bed and figure out where I am going next tomorrow morning.
Good night!
PS - I will be celebrating my 4 month anniversary on the bike (and work retirement ;) ) tomorrow! Woohoo!
Entering Cleveland
Sept 13 - Elkhart, IN to Montpelier, OH = 87 mi / 140 km
Sept 14 - Montpelier, OH to Perrysburg, OH = 53 mi / 85 km
Sept 15 - Perryburg, OH to Amherst, OH = 84 mi / 135 km
Sept 16 - Amherst, OH to Austinburg, OH = 87 mi / 140 km
Sept 17 - Austinburg, OH to Erie, PA = 58 mi / 94 km
Sept 18 - Erie, PA to Springville, NY = 89 mi / 144km
Total = 5626 mi / 9074 km
So I got arrested by the NY State Troopers today. The Tank and I are criminals... riding the Interstate after ignoring the "Motor vehicule only" sign. When crossing the PA-NY border, four police cars were parked on the highway. I just rode by, innocently... I did not have time to blink that one car was in front of me and another one right behind! Who am I? OJ Simpson?? So I started laughing.
- What's going on here?
- Well I'm following that detour for 430 that is closed (yeah, I was totally legal actually ;) )
- OH! Ok, no problem then! Sorry for stopping your momentum! Where are you coming from?
(Ah sh*t..) There is no easy answer for this question. I always try to be pretty vague because it can get complicated very easily. When I say Seattle, people usually ask me how many miles I rode. When I tell the truth (almost 6000), smart people notice that it's a lot. So I have to explain that big zig zag up and down and up the USA that I did. Then, reeeeally smart people realize that 6000 miles is not enough... Grrr.. so I have to detail the fact that I rented a car and blah blah blaaaaah. With some people, it feels like a police interrogation. But this time, I was actually being questioned by four cops.. Better tell the truth! So I started telling my adventures. You should have seen that! It was hilarious! They looked like four boyscouts listening to stories around a firecamp. I could imagine the scene from an outsider perspective: 2 police cars, 4 police officers forming a circle around 1 girl and 1 huuuge bicycle. Anyways, they were still very nice and wished me the best of luck.
That was my story of the day. But let's see here.... Last time you heard from me, I was just out of Chicago and had just entered Indiana. Indiana... we don't here a lot about this state. To tell you the truth, I am not even sure I would have been able to tell you where it is on the States map before this trip.... But you know what? I would go back. I did not stay long (2 days) but really enjoyed the very, very beautiful little towns and friendly people. It was flat but entertaining and the weather was perfect (almost no wind with a nice sun).
Then I entered Ohio. Again, I have to be honest with you guys. A few years ago, when my coworkers needed to go to Ohio for work, I was making fun of them. Now I realize that I was so very wrong. Ohio is fantastic. I rode along Lake Erie (or.. Ocean Erie... the Great Lakes are so gigantic that they really do look like an ocean..).
Wow, wow and wow. Then I rode through Cleveland. It was extremely easy to get around and the bike paths were very well marked. No ghetto riding this time! If it was not from the 20 mi/h wind blasting in my face, it would have been a really enjoyable ride. One word kept coming into my mind to describe what I was experimenting in Ohio: peaceful. But not boring-peaceful! It was peaceful-peaceful. Pennsylvania had pretty much the same vibe.. until I arrived in the town of Erie. I cannot say why, but I really did not like Erie, PA. Maybe it was just due to the fact that I had to ride across more and more towns in the last few days (riding across towns is looong.. with the traffic lights, heavier traffic and the bumpy sidewalk riding, it takes forever) and that Erie was a bigger town.. I don't know.. But it was enough to convince me that I wanted to ride in the fields and farms today. So I mapped a complicated itinerary to make my way to Springville, NY. What I omitted to do was to look at the elevation profile (it has been so flat lately that I did not even bother). Mistake. Yes I had a traffic light-free day, but I was not expecting the hundreds little steep sneaky hills that came along. Definitely a good workout, but 90 miles of this was too much, especially with the rain that started to pour at mile 75. So if you excuse me, I will go to my comfy bed and figure out where I am going next tomorrow morning.Good night!
PS - I will be celebrating my 4 month anniversary on the bike (and work retirement ;) ) tomorrow! Woohoo!
Entering Cleveland
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sept 7 -11: In and Out of Chicago.. Phew!
Sept 7 - Washington, IA to Moline, IL = 82 mi / 132 km
The last time we talked, I was still in Iowa. So let's start from there.. I crossed the Mississippi River on the 7th from the very pretty town of Muscatine, IA. After riding around a little bit and enjoying sunshine by the River, I went over the bridge to Illinois and rode all the way to Moline.
From Moline, it was time for me to hop on the Grand Illinois Trail (GIT). This 535 mile trail loops from the Mississippi to Lake Michigan. My ride on the GIT started in Geneseo, following the Hennepin Canal. Wow, I was truly impressed with the quality of the trail. It felt good to ride on a quiet trail, not having to worry about cars and trucks. Actually, it was so quiet I was really wondering if anyone was using it. The spiderwebs network was very elaborate! After 30 miles, when we were back on the real road, the Tank and I were ready for Halloween. Covered in spiderwebs, branches, leaves and all kinds of bugs, it felt like we were out of the jungle.
I did not understand what he meant until we got to the Lake. To reach the Lakefront bike path, you need to go under the highway. To go under the highway, you need to go into a tunnel. And to go into the tunnel, you must go down stairs and back up on the other side. Stairs... It reminded me my very first day of the trip, when I had to go up stairs to cross the bridge that would get me into Vancouver, BC. I had to do four or five carries to get everything up. It was May 19th but feels like 10 years ago. Anyways, this time, I had help and everything went smoothly. Thanks again, Aaron!
Downtown Chicago is awesome by the way. Although I did not explore in details, I could still appreciate the dynamism of the city. From the Lakefront bike path, that rides along Lake Michigan, the views of the city were stunning. I made my way South very slowly on a very sunny day.
Going out of Chicago was long and I went through some iffy neighborhoods but I am now in Indiana. Let me tell you that, after that crazy urban ride, I was appreciating my corn fields!
Sept 8 - Moline, IL to Mendota, IL = 89 mi / 144 km
Sept 9 - Mendota, IL to Westmont, IL = 66 mi / 106 km
Sept 10 - Westmont, IL to Chicago, IL = 36 mi / 58 km
Sept 11 - Chicago, IL to LaPorte, IN = 68 mi / 110 km
Total = 5119 mi / 8256 km
The last time we talked, I was still in Iowa. So let's start from there.. I crossed the Mississippi River on the 7th from the very pretty town of Muscatine, IA. After riding around a little bit and enjoying sunshine by the River, I went over the bridge to Illinois and rode all the way to Moline.Tank & Mississippi
From Moline, it was time for me to hop on the Grand Illinois Trail (GIT). This 535 mile trail loops from the Mississippi to Lake Michigan. My ride on the GIT started in Geneseo, following the Hennepin Canal. Wow, I was truly impressed with the quality of the trail. It felt good to ride on a quiet trail, not having to worry about cars and trucks. Actually, it was so quiet I was really wondering if anyone was using it. The spiderwebs network was very elaborate! After 30 miles, when we were back on the real road, the Tank and I were ready for Halloween. Covered in spiderwebs, branches, leaves and all kinds of bugs, it felt like we were out of the jungle. I made my way towards Chicago on and off the GIT and the Illinois Prairie Path (IPP). Along the way, I learned that approaching, entering and exiting a big city requires preparation. I made my homeworks for Chicago because I knew how easy it is to get into trouble. My itinerary was well planned and slowly, I entered the city. At first in very wealthy neighborhoods, I could admire the beautiful houses and, little by little, the landscape started to change... Little by little, the slow sightseeing ride started to go a lot faster. Soon, I was pedaling as fast as I could, timing myself to avoid the red lights and looking straight in front of me. I heard things screamed at me that I would not dare repeat here... And a light turned red. "Hey girl!" I turned around to see a man in a Land Rover, rolling down the passenger window. "Please do me a favor and never, ever, ever stop on a red light in this part of the city! Go! Keep going till you hit California!". I was in Humboldt Park, one of the roughest neighborhoods in town (not mentionned in the GIT description though...). So I kept going and soon, I was in vibrant (and safe) downtown area. A skinny guy on a neon orange fixed gear bike passed me. He seemed to know what he was doing so I followed him. Whew! Hello adrenalin!! When we both came to a stop, he started to laugh when he saw I was still there.
- NICE! Are you riding across the country?
- Yah!
- You're going to the Lakefront?
I nodded and he looked at his watch. Then, pointing at my bike, he said:
- Hmm.. you're gonna need help with that thing. I've got time, follow me.
I did not understand what he meant until we got to the Lake. To reach the Lakefront bike path, you need to go under the highway. To go under the highway, you need to go into a tunnel. And to go into the tunnel, you must go down stairs and back up on the other side. Stairs... It reminded me my very first day of the trip, when I had to go up stairs to cross the bridge that would get me into Vancouver, BC. I had to do four or five carries to get everything up. It was May 19th but feels like 10 years ago. Anyways, this time, I had help and everything went smoothly. Thanks again, Aaron!
Downtown Chicago is awesome by the way. Although I did not explore in details, I could still appreciate the dynamism of the city. From the Lakefront bike path, that rides along Lake Michigan, the views of the city were stunning. I made my way South very slowly on a very sunny day.Going out of Chicago was long and I went through some iffy neighborhoods but I am now in Indiana. Let me tell you that, after that crazy urban ride, I was appreciating my corn fields!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sept 3-6: Ridin' Iowa; Can I have a paved shoulder pleeeease??
Sept 3 - Percival, IA to Clarinda, IA = 45 mi / 73 km
Sept 4 - Clarinda, IA to Osceola, IA = 86 mi / 139 km
Sept 5 - Osceola, IA to Oskaloosa, IA = 76 mi / 123 km
Sept 6 - Oskaloosa, IA to Washington, IA = 51 mi / 82 km
Call me silly if you want but there is something about the light in Iowa that is just stunning. In the morning, the sun gets gently filtered by the thin layer of clouds to reveal wonderfully sharp yellows and greens. Combine this scene with the crickets and birds symphony, the fresh morning air and you can feel how great rural Iowa can be. Bordered by two great rivers, Missouri on the West and Mississippi on the East, Iowa is not exactly flat. In fact, I've been going up and down for four days and something, the ups were quite steep! Unfortunately, even though the scenery is quite pretty and the people are incredibly kind, I have had a lot of trouble appreciating my time here so far.
On the first riding day, I was greeted by violent rain. For the first 20 miles, I was amazed to see how rain does not affect me anymore. Then I started to freeze and the thunderstorms rolled in. Looking around me, I noticed that I was pretty much the highest thing. Ah well... At this point, all I could do was to ride as fast as I could in the wind, surf the waves created by the trucks passing by and find a place to sleep as soon as I could. I decided that Clarinda would be that place and ironically, as soon as I arrived in town, the sky cleared up and the birds started singing again...
I just completed my 8th consecutive day riding against the wind. But according to the Weather Underground forecast, the wind should turn around next Friday. Woohoo! I can use a tailwind anytime!
But the real reason why I have not been able to appreciate my ride here is the total absence of paved shoulder. I tried pretty much all the East-West roads, the 2, the 34 and the 92 and am still looking for a shoulder. Basically, the past four days have been mostly "survival riding". Never have I been so terrified on the road. With almost 5000 miles in, I felt in grave danger of being hit for the first time here. You have no idea how stressful it is to ride the white line with the hundreds of trucks zooming by. Most were very careful but I would say about 10% either did not see me or really wanted to signify me that I had no business there. So I rode a lot of gravel. And riding in gravel is not pleasant, especially not on rolling terrain with a headwind.
I will be crossing over the Mississippi tomorrow and am looking forward to seeing what Illinois has to offer! I will hop on the Great Illinois Trail as soon as I can and I very excited about the CO2 break!!
Vous allez trouver ça spécial, mais je trouve que la 'lumière' en Iowa est absolument magnifique. Le matin, le soleil est doucement filtré par la fine couche de nuages, révélant les superbes teintes de jaune et de vert environnantes. À cette scène, ajoutez la symphonie des oiseaux et de criquets cachés dans les champs de maïs et l'air pur et frais du matin, et vous pourrez apprécier toutes les splendeurs de l'Iowa rural. Entouré de deux grands fleuves, le fleuve Missouri à l'ouest et le Mississippi à l'est, l'Iowa n'est pas exactement plat. En fait, tout ce que j'ai fait durant les quatre derniers jours est de monter et descendre. Malheureusement, malgré les jolis paysages et l'incroyable gentillesse des Iowans, j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à apprécier ma randonnée en Iowa.
Dès la première journée en Iowa, j'ai été accueillie par une violente pluie. Durant les premiers 30 km, j'étais satisfaite de constater que la pluie ne m'affecte plus du tout. Et j'ai commencé à avoir très froid.. et la pluie a fait place à la tempête, aux éclairs et tonnerres. En regardant autour de moi, j'ai immédiatement constaté que j'étais le point le plus haut des alentours. Ah bon... il n'y avait pas grand chose que je puisse faire à part de rouler le plus vite que je pouvais contre le vent, de surfer les vagues envoyées par les camions qui passaient et de trouver une place où dormir dès que possible. J'ai décidé que Clarinda serait cet endroit et, ironiquement, la pluie s'est arrêtée et les oiseaux se sont remis à chanter dès que j'y suis arrivée.
Je viens de terminer ma 8ème journée consécutive avec un vent de face. Mais selon la météo de Weather Underground, le vent devrait tourner vendredi prochain. Croisez-vous les doigts pour moi et peut-être que je bénéficierai d'un vent de dos dans quelques jours!
Mais la véritable raison pour laquelle j'ai eu toutes les misères du monde à aimer cet endroit est l'absence de bordures pavées. J'ai tenté à peu près toutes les possibilités de routes - la 2, la 34, la 92 - pas de bordure. Donc durant ces quatre derniers jours, j'ai fait du "vélo de survie". Jamais n'ai-je été aussi terrifiée sur la route. Avec plus de 7500 km parcourus, c'est ici la première fois où j'ai ressenti une menace de me faire frapper. Il est impossible de vous décrire le stress de pédaler sur la ligne blanche avec les centaines de camions qui passent à toute allure. La plupart étaient très prudents, mais je dirais qu'environ 10% ne me voyaient pas et/ou voulaient me faire signifier que je n'avais pas d'affaires sur leur route. Donc j'ai roulé dans le gravier. Et le gravier est très déplaisant.. surtout sur un terrain en pente, avec un vent de face.
Je traverse le Mississippi demain et suis motivée par la découverte de l'Illinois. Dès que je pourrai, je vais rouler sur une grande piste cyclable que l'état a développée - la Great Illinois Trail. Celle-ci m'amènera jusqu'à Chicago, sans CO2!
Sept 4 - Clarinda, IA to Osceola, IA = 86 mi / 139 km
Sept 5 - Osceola, IA to Oskaloosa, IA = 76 mi / 123 km
Sept 6 - Oskaloosa, IA to Washington, IA = 51 mi / 82 km
Call me silly if you want but there is something about the light in Iowa that is just stunning. In the morning, the sun gets gently filtered by the thin layer of clouds to reveal wonderfully sharp yellows and greens. Combine this scene with the crickets and birds symphony, the fresh morning air and you can feel how great rural Iowa can be. Bordered by two great rivers, Missouri on the West and Mississippi on the East, Iowa is not exactly flat. In fact, I've been going up and down for four days and something, the ups were quite steep! Unfortunately, even though the scenery is quite pretty and the people are incredibly kind, I have had a lot of trouble appreciating my time here so far.
On the first riding day, I was greeted by violent rain. For the first 20 miles, I was amazed to see how rain does not affect me anymore. Then I started to freeze and the thunderstorms rolled in. Looking around me, I noticed that I was pretty much the highest thing. Ah well... At this point, all I could do was to ride as fast as I could in the wind, surf the waves created by the trucks passing by and find a place to sleep as soon as I could. I decided that Clarinda would be that place and ironically, as soon as I arrived in town, the sky cleared up and the birds started singing again...
I just completed my 8th consecutive day riding against the wind. But according to the Weather Underground forecast, the wind should turn around next Friday. Woohoo! I can use a tailwind anytime!
But the real reason why I have not been able to appreciate my ride here is the total absence of paved shoulder. I tried pretty much all the East-West roads, the 2, the 34 and the 92 and am still looking for a shoulder. Basically, the past four days have been mostly "survival riding". Never have I been so terrified on the road. With almost 5000 miles in, I felt in grave danger of being hit for the first time here. You have no idea how stressful it is to ride the white line with the hundreds of trucks zooming by. Most were very careful but I would say about 10% either did not see me or really wanted to signify me that I had no business there. So I rode a lot of gravel. And riding in gravel is not pleasant, especially not on rolling terrain with a headwind.
I will be crossing over the Mississippi tomorrow and am looking forward to seeing what Illinois has to offer! I will hop on the Great Illinois Trail as soon as I can and I very excited about the CO2 break!!
Vous allez trouver ça spécial, mais je trouve que la 'lumière' en Iowa est absolument magnifique. Le matin, le soleil est doucement filtré par la fine couche de nuages, révélant les superbes teintes de jaune et de vert environnantes. À cette scène, ajoutez la symphonie des oiseaux et de criquets cachés dans les champs de maïs et l'air pur et frais du matin, et vous pourrez apprécier toutes les splendeurs de l'Iowa rural. Entouré de deux grands fleuves, le fleuve Missouri à l'ouest et le Mississippi à l'est, l'Iowa n'est pas exactement plat. En fait, tout ce que j'ai fait durant les quatre derniers jours est de monter et descendre. Malheureusement, malgré les jolis paysages et l'incroyable gentillesse des Iowans, j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à apprécier ma randonnée en Iowa.
Dès la première journée en Iowa, j'ai été accueillie par une violente pluie. Durant les premiers 30 km, j'étais satisfaite de constater que la pluie ne m'affecte plus du tout. Et j'ai commencé à avoir très froid.. et la pluie a fait place à la tempête, aux éclairs et tonnerres. En regardant autour de moi, j'ai immédiatement constaté que j'étais le point le plus haut des alentours. Ah bon... il n'y avait pas grand chose que je puisse faire à part de rouler le plus vite que je pouvais contre le vent, de surfer les vagues envoyées par les camions qui passaient et de trouver une place où dormir dès que possible. J'ai décidé que Clarinda serait cet endroit et, ironiquement, la pluie s'est arrêtée et les oiseaux se sont remis à chanter dès que j'y suis arrivée.
Je viens de terminer ma 8ème journée consécutive avec un vent de face. Mais selon la météo de Weather Underground, le vent devrait tourner vendredi prochain. Croisez-vous les doigts pour moi et peut-être que je bénéficierai d'un vent de dos dans quelques jours!
Mais la véritable raison pour laquelle j'ai eu toutes les misères du monde à aimer cet endroit est l'absence de bordures pavées. J'ai tenté à peu près toutes les possibilités de routes - la 2, la 34, la 92 - pas de bordure. Donc durant ces quatre derniers jours, j'ai fait du "vélo de survie". Jamais n'ai-je été aussi terrifiée sur la route. Avec plus de 7500 km parcourus, c'est ici la première fois où j'ai ressenti une menace de me faire frapper. Il est impossible de vous décrire le stress de pédaler sur la ligne blanche avec les centaines de camions qui passent à toute allure. La plupart étaient très prudents, mais je dirais qu'environ 10% ne me voyaient pas et/ou voulaient me faire signifier que je n'avais pas d'affaires sur leur route. Donc j'ai roulé dans le gravier. Et le gravier est très déplaisant.. surtout sur un terrain en pente, avec un vent de face.
Je traverse le Mississippi demain et suis motivée par la découverte de l'Illinois. Dès que je pourrai, je vais rouler sur une grande piste cyclable que l'état a développée - la Great Illinois Trail. Celle-ci m'amènera jusqu'à Chicago, sans CO2!
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