Wisconsin through Vermont

Back in the Mountains: Brighton, NY to South Royalton, VT

Leaving Brighton we made a quick stop at the Bagel Bin to stock up on a favorite carb cache. After many many miles of disappointing bready ringlets painfully labeled as bagels, the sight of a true New York bagel store had us running... or pedaling... whatever.

Full of crispy exterior and soft interior goodness we headed back to the Lake Erie Canalway Trail. We pedaled past draw bridges and tourist-laden river craft for ~20 more miles of trail before heading north to Lake Ontario. The trip north took us through the second largest apple producing county in the nation (after whatever county Seattle, WA is in). As we made our way to Sodus, NY we stopped briefly to grab a fishing license. The ensuing visions of trout over warm coals were enough to keep up our momentum despite the unexpected 6 mile detour required to trace the Lake Ontario coast to our night's camp site... yet another trailer-filled, waterfront lot (no... we didn't catch squat... but not to worry... we didn't even have time to dwell on our deflated hopes for a fishy meal as our attention quickly shifted to the evenings torrential downpour, giving way to the early mornings torrential downpour with a side of 40 mi/hr winds).

As it turns out, 2.5 hrs of sleep is just enough to get you 63 miles. The day's ride through an orchard rich countryside lead us to Selkirk Shore State Park. The sunset was breathtaking and Matt didn't even mind learning that the recently acquired fishing pole didn't have enough line to reach more than 25 ft off shore, trumping his every effort at making the most of the week-long fishing license.

*note: despite the negative undertone of the preceding paragraphs, NY State was proving to be a wonderful threshold to reaching New England. (at this point it may be worth mentioning that ol' Selkirk has a little secret... it is riddled with skunks and raccoons... both of which graced us with their presence and - er - fragrance that evening).

Dawn brought dewdrops, morning doves and many thanks that the preceding evening's skunk vs. raccoon battle royal didn't end up leaving a longer lasting impression on our camping gear. Riding through the increasingly hilly terrain was accompanied by the perfect riding temperature and we made quick time of 60 miles en route to Boonville, NY. We arrived just in time to sign up for the local talent show at the friendly 1950's soda fountain. Matt decided that competing against a field of 10 year-old American Idol hopefuls and 60 or better sock hop veterans was not the place to display a barrage of beat box antics and opted instead to retire to Stych's Camp Barn to watch the Olympics in both Canadian and US coverage.

Friendly Stych (Dan) welcomed us with open arms, gave us free reign of the barn accommodations and showed us the way to perhaps the most pleasant camping site we had to date. The expansive property boasted an undulating field of glacially formed eskers (offering gorgeous views of the countryside) and a babbling brook swollen with the month's heavy rains swirling to avoid massive boulders (known as erratics) carried into place by the regions notorious glacial tongues.

Heading deeper into the Adirondack mountains, we saw other evidence of the glacial history of the region. Deep lacerations of bedrock (schist, basalt, sandstone, and limestone) alerted us to seasonal streams and waterfalls. Pockets etched out of the hills were formed of glacial lakes and deposits of debris resulting in current-day lakes at varying altitudes. We found many places to stop, swim and curse at the complete inability to entice a single fish to bite our rubbery worm imitations.

The towns of the upper Adirondacks were charming and delightfully irritating in their impeccable ability to draw tourists to their overpriced bounty. It was in this context that we met Big Bad Bruce. A seasoned recumbent bicycle tourist, Bruce was managing the hills with a bum kneecap forcing him to lug his 14' bicycle across the grain of hills with one leg. To his credit, the fearless iron horse rider achieved 50+ speeds careening down mountainsides we only dared white knuckle.

Approaching VT, we hopped on our 3rd ferry of the trip to cross into the green mountain state. Not yet completely put out by his fruitless efforts, Matt cast his lures out into the NY waters until the 10-car ferry made port and required his retirement.

Almost as soon as we disembarked in the new state, we found ourselves back in farm country. New England at this time of year is brimming with garden goodies and orchard treats. Not 5 miles from the ferry did we stop and load up on apples and plums (cider was not yet quite ready). We rolled into Middlebury that evening and enjoyed more local food at the Two Brothers Tavern before being picked up by Sue Levine. Sue graciously offered up her in-law cabin for the evening and was even willing to tote us between Middlebury and her town of New Haven both that evening and the following morning. Thanks Sue and Charlie! Your new home is lovely.

We now find ourselves alternating between sitting in a hot tub and lounging in leather lazy boys to watch whatever daytime programming we are able to digest. Matt's aunt, Jane Reed, called up a childhood friend, Kit Hood, in South Royalton, VT to alert her to our trans-am route. Kit kindly offered up her house despite not being around to greet us and told us to make ourselves at home. We thoroughly appreciate the beautiful house nestled in the green mountains and are appreciating our last day off before making the final push to Appleton, ME. Thanks Kit and Allen. Take a look in the freezer to find a home-made treat as a token of our thanks.

Fish, Farms and Flatlands Part 2: Minneapolis, MN to Brighton, NY

From Minneapolis, it was just a quick trip on the local rail-to-trail before entering Wisconsin (home state of Matt's Mom). As we came down a steep hill into the town of Stillwater, MN, which sits on the St. Croix River (this is the river that forms the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin) we were excited about the prospect of a change in landscape. It was a subtle change, but we were glad to learn that Wisconsin has at least slightly more hills and curves in its roads than Minnesota.

We rode across the border in a rainstorm after camping along the St. Croix River, but the sky cleared while we were at the library in Oceola, WI, and we traveled the rest of the day under the blue. We were lucky to find a restaurant that served fried cheese curds (the little pieces of cheese that are formed just after the curdling process- they are really tasty and fresh, and they squeak when you eat them) and a fine local brew (PBR).

It was amazing at how quickly the landscape transformed from wetland, lakes and flat expanses to rolling hills and... well ... cows. We greatly appreciated the change of scenery, and we decided to venture off of our official route to go a bit more directly through the state. We enjoyed really beautiful back roads, even cycling alongside a couple of deer as they bounded through a nearby meadow!

The Wisconsin State Parks we stayed in were very nice. One was on an island in the Chippewa River, right next to a huge old "stacker", which was once used for stacking pulpwood onto barges and rail cars (see photos on flicker link). We were also provided with more mid western hospitality: on our very first day in Wisconsin we stopped in to Donna's Kooler, where we were treated to a nice, cold, melon and some incredible sweet buns (we incidentally met Donna's brother when we stopped for lunch the next town over!). We got a place to get out of the rain, a sandwich and a ride to a campground from Ken Fleishman in Antigo, and we were gratefully kidnapped by the Keenan Family in downtown Shawano (pronounced SHAno). The Keenan's not only took us home for a swim in the Wolf River, they also showed us around the area, made us a lovely dinner, and let us watch TV, which they had just gotten hooked up in their new house.

The next exciting stop was at the ferry that would take us to Michigan, which left Wisconsin at Manitowoc, just slightly south of Green Bay. Dear friend Cristina made the trip up from Chicago to meet us, and brought delicious brownies and banana bread, which we promptly devoured. We found a place to camp through the warmshowers.org website, and although Jon and Pat were headed out of town, they invited us to stay in their yard and use their porch and garage, which worked out perfectly.

Leaving Manitowoc, we ventured across Lake Michigan on the SS Badger, the last coal burning ferry in the US (it took us a little while to figure out why our glasses of water had little black floaties in it). Midway across the lake we happened upon a HUGE storm that let loose exactly when we made port. Having never experienced a tornado, we were convinced that a water spout would appear any moment... it didn't.

Luddington, MI was a nice port town. We were fortunate to stay the night in the local Methodist church. At 7pm the board of trustees were having a meeting just as a sopping wet Anna and Matt walked through the front door. They thankfully let us sleep in the dining room.

As we cruised across the state of MI (only a 3-day ride) we came across more and more local gardens and roadside stands. The Amish and Mennonite communities are very active growers and were present at multiple markets. After spending an evening on the Leroy, MI town green we hopped on a 30 mi. bike path. Local rider Kim Wilson met us in Stanford and offered up his back yard for camping... not to mention his pool. The following morning he rode us out of town the rest of the way down the trail to Midland, MI where we enjoyed the local farmer's market and took photos of a unique landmark, the Midland "tridge" (see photos).

Midland quickly gave way to Bay City which brought us to our nation's edge at Marine City, MI. Next step.... Canada. We took the five minute, 1$ ferry across the S. Clare River into Ontario and headed out once again into...more corn and soybeans! After an entire day of straight and flat (on Bentpath Road, strangely enough) we finally hit Lake Erie, which was such an incredibly refreshing sight. Anna jumped into the water right away, and Matt took a "one step at a time" approach.

The next morning, while eating a piece of Bumbleberry Pie at the nearby convenience store, we had some visitors stop in. The triumvirate, the trio, the triple threat: Deb, Dan and Dutch, who are also on a cross-country ride. It was great to share stories with them about where we'd been, the interesting people we'd met, and the amount of ice cream we eat every day. Being gainfully employed (or gainfully retired) they are on a little bit of a different caliber of tour. For example, in the next town as the rain came in, they headed off to a B&B and we waited it out in the park. But it really worked out well, as we asked to camp at the local Anglican Church and ended up being invited into the home of Rick and Maureen Gilbert, who are caretakers of the church and grounds, random hitchhikers from Iran, and, it seems, traveling cyclists.

The next few days consisted of alternately riding through cornfields and through cottages along Lake Erie, into little port towns, and sampling local peaches, blueberries, apples, currants and of course some Lake Erie Perch. We shared a campsite and a torrential downpour with Deb, Dan and Dutch, and the next night with a woman from Holland on a solo, week-long recumbent tour. Her name was Iris, and she was on a summer trip in between her med school studies- last cycling holiday she took was six weeks through Europe, which sounded pretty awesome. We hung out with her in a campground that a)was full of huge RVs as usual and b) required wristbands so no "outsiders" could sneak in! and c) was having an outdoor showing/singalong/stagger-around to live Phil Collins, Steeley Dan and Earth Wind and Fire concerts. Thankfully they didn't require us to wear the wristbands- I guess we stick out enough.

The next day's ride to Niagara Falls was a nice one, and although it was a little sad to leave the shores of Lake Erie, we knew we wouldn't miss the smell of rotting algae that had followed us for the past week. We met a group of cross-country cyclists who were on an organized tour with a company called Teen Treks- they were headed to NYC from Seattle- clearly an incredibly ambitious group of high schoolers! A bicycle path brought us up into the Niagara River: we saw Buffalo, NY from across the way and continued north to see the Falls from the Canadian side. Niagara Falls is really beautiful, but the development around it looked pretty awful to us- huge hotels, casinos, and insane crowds of people. We took a look and continued on up to the bridge that brought us to New York, which was also packed with cars. Being on a bike came in handy, as we cruised past all the idling folks and through customs without a hitch (the woman only told us she was going to "recommend us for a psychiatric examination", which we are sure is the line she uses with all cyclists).

We are headed a bit further north now towards Lake Ontario, and the riding we have done in NY so far has been primarily on the Erie Canal tow path (although we have still been seeing lots of corn and soybeans!). We rode to Rochester on it yesterday, and it was really interesting to stop and read the history of the canal along the way. The amount of work that went into canal building in New York in the 1800s is incredible, and then trying to imagine all the hours of hauling freight back and forth with mules (they walked on the towpath and pulled the barges through the canal)

We spend the evening with Paul Tankel, a friend of Anna's friend Rebecca. It was great to shower and use a furnished kitchen after a few days of pasta and "one pot meals". We are now sitting in his house publishing this blog while he is at work. Thanks Paul!

Want to send us something?

We will be in Gasport, NY around the 17th of August, and if you would like to send us a little note or a box of cookies, we will a) pick it up from general delivery and b) treasure it!

Just write
Please hold for: Anna Sommo and Matthew Crampton
Gasport, NY
14067

We look forward to a mountain of fan mail:)

Fish, Farms and Flatlands Part 1: Livingston, MT to Minneapolis, MN

We couldn't have left the great mountain states without visiting one of our nation's great landscapes. Yellowstone was astounding!

We were picked up in Livingston, MT by friends Liv and Zach. They drove all the way from Victor, ID to spend a day with us. We arrived at the park gates amidst thunderstorms which added to the mystique of the nearly pre-historic landscapes of Yellowstone National Park. Our first stop took us to the mineral rich geysers that spot the rolling hills. During a brief circumnavigation of the park, we managed to come across two bears, 1 grizzly and 1 black bears. Matt took a great photo of all the tourists with their mouths agape along the side of the road.

Before leaving the park we were able to catch some fair weather and take a dip in the boiling river. This phenomenon provided for one of the finest memories made on the trip thus far. We waded out into 50 degree water of the Yellowstone River to find warm spots where the boiling river entered and mixed to create pools of tolerable heat. Unfortunately we didn't bring the camera.

From Livingston we continued east along the Yellowstone until reaching Big Timber, MT where several hail throwing storms clobbered us until we were a shivering pile hoveling under an awning. Some kind folks happened by about 4 hrs later and made us an offer that was too good to refuse: dinner followed by a warm bed... we acquiesced. Ken and Becky Rockeman were extraordinary hosts. They shared stories of their home town, their two children and, not to mention, two wonderful meals. The next morning, Ken rode with us on his amazing road bike (Litespeed Tuscany for those who care... full Dura Ace) and gave us the low down on MT State DOT.

Enter Long Flat Roads and Tiresome Heat

Eastern MT was... different. At first, the ease with which we cruised at 20+ miles was enchanting.

Exit tailwinds and enter east winds.

Pain and suffering ensued. Matt and Anna were stricken silent. Were it not the beer festival in Billings, MT and a cheerful Aussie, our heroes would have been lost.

Drew, a fellow traveler, offered us to share a camping site (and nearly everything else... this man is prepared all the way down to his Parmesan cheese). We made quick friends and Drew shared many stories of his long trip across the states. You can check out his blog at http://www.americanwalkabout.blogspot.com/

Leaving Billings we decided to try for a 110 mi. day and cruise up to Forsyth. After 85 miles we were pretty exhausted, so we were lucky to get a very needed ride from Eldon, a local banker and new biker (thanks to a Father's Day gift). Apparently he saw Matt laying down on a bench and thought we were completely spent (pretty close anyways) and offered up a lift to the campsite. Thanks Eldon!

By the time we reached Miles City, MT (after getting two flat tires in the 100 degree heat) we realized we needed to make up some time in order to finish the trip in just 2 months. The plan was to take a bus out of Miles City across ND to Fargo, ND. In true Matt and Anna style, we rolled into town without a bus ticket or a clue as to what to do with our bikes. Somehow we managed to make it work. It just took the help of the entire town. We called up the closed bike shop and met the owner who was peaches and cream to us. He hooked us up with boxes for our bikes, opened up his shop bench so we could disassemble the rides and even called the bus depot (also closed) to get us a ticket. It seems that in small towns everybody knows everybody and the owner of the bus line was no exception. We managed to get on the bus that would take us across North Dakota.


Minnesota was very, very green compared to Montana, and the roads were much, much flatter and straighter than we had expected. For much of the state we rode alongside large fields of soybeans and corn. We passed hundreds of small kitchen gardens and were able to stop at several farmers markets along the way. We also sampled some other local treats: lefse, which is a traditional Norwegian, potato-based bread that looks and tastes much like a tortilla. We also ate some Walleye, which is a prized fish that lives in the many lakes of Minnesota and Wisconsin (its a deep fried delight... but just tastes like most fried things). We kept our eyes out for Norwegian bachelor farmers and lake Wobegon the whole way.

Along the route in MN we stopped at the Mississippi R. headwaters in Itasca, MN. We learned about the multi-century hunt for the famed headwaters and found that after its discovery, which turned out to be a boggy lake region, it was built up with hundreds of loads of rock and sand to look like a quaint meandering brook.

South of the headwaters we received a string of hospitality. In Dalbo, MN we met Don Olsen and his wife Cheryl. In a region with very few camping areas, they were nice enough to open their farm to cyclists passing through. Don, Cheryl and family shared a meal with us and provided a bed after a long haul through the land-o-lakes. Thanks Olsens!

The ride into Minneapolis from the Olsens proved to be a real trek. What we anticipated as a 60 mile day stretched into the night and after 96 miles we reached our host house in NW Minneapolis. We found the Kosowskis on a really cool website called http://www.warmshowers.org/. They had signed up a year ago after sons John and Michael toured the NE on their bikes. They were more than happy to have their first tourers share their home and John gave us the grand tour of Minneapolis along all the great bike trails. Despite riding on our "day off" we had a blast and got to see a lot of a hip city (not to mention try some local brews). Thanks Kosowskis!

Into the heart of the country

Hello friends!

We are now in Livingston, Montana, and a lot has happened during the past two weeks. We took a day off in Missoula, but it was a busy one and we only managed to post pictures, without any narrative. So here is a review of the last couple of weeks on the road:

We rolled out of Walla Walla July 5th, after stopping (and eating!) at the great Walla Walla Farmer's Market. It was full of great produce- especially nice onions, berries, cherries and apricots. We headed out across the farmlands again. We stayed the next night at the fairgrounds in Pomeroy, WA, where we met Ellie and Dylan, a couple who were riding from St. Louis to Portland, OR. We also met the Wolf Family, who were having a reunion and thoroughly enjoying a cover band's renditions of "cheeseburger in paradise" and "werewolves of London." The next day we were in Idaho, crossing the border in Lewiston (where we crossed the Snake and Clearwater Rivers) and heading almost immediately up into the High Plains area. This was the beginning of the Nimiipuu Homelands (called the Nez Perce by whites) who are the nation who have lived in this area of the country for thousands of years. They greatly aided the Lewis and Clark party, who never would have survived the Bitterroot Mountains without them. Sadly, much of the history we read about the Nimiipuu (we stop at every single highway historic marker) spoke of them in the past tense, though their presence here is still strong, despite the fact that they were chased out of the area by the US army in the late 1800's. We learned a great deal about the tragic voyage the Nimiipuu made towards Canada in an attempt to continue their peaceful way of life. Many tribal members never saw their homeland again after this, as most either died or were sent to Oklahoma reservations.
We unfortunately didn't get to stop at the current tribal headquarters in Lapwai, ID. You can read more: http://www.seeya-downtheroad.com/LewisAndClark/NezPerceStory.html.

We came down out of the High Plains to begin our trek along the Clearwater River. During this leg of the trip, we pedaled in the shade of cedars, ponderosa pines, lodgepole pines and various firs. The shade was a great way to take our minds off the fact that we would be climbing for the next two days. Along the clearwater we saw rafters and kayakers out for day paddles but very few cyclists. We came to accept the masses of motor bikers as kind. We spent the evening on the Clearwater at the Riverdance Lodge. They host an array of white water activity and have a few camp sites in back of the lodge where we stayed. After a hot day of pedaling up hill, the ability to dip in the river at their raft take-out was welcome. It was cold enough that we didn't even have to ice down our aching joints.

The following day of climbing took us to the fork where the Lochsa R. met the Clearwater R. The Lochsa would accompany us almost the rest of the the way to our first big Rocky Mountain Pass (Lolo Pass). It dazzled us with white water, cascades and many rapidly flowing tributaries. It was recently classified as one of the nation's "wild and historic" rivers. Due to the classification, however, many tourists and river riders are beginning to call it home and leaving more of a mark on the landscape.

Along the Lochsa we stopped at the Lochsa Historical Ranger Station and met Frank Fowler. He is an ex-smoke jumper who was full of historical knowlege. He told us all about the history of the rangers and their roles as protectors of the forests and managers of the wilder territories. He wrote a book called High Mountain, Two Manner, a recounting of his time in college as a smoke jumper in Selway Bitterroot Forest. A day later as we summitted the Lolo Pass we ran into Frank again where he shared some of his home-made antelope jerky with us. We managed to polish that off before we even got down off the mountain.

After the summit, we entered Montana. Montana introduced us to a different type of mountain. The peaks became rockier and less rolling than we saw in the Selway. We cruised more than 20 mi downhill to complete a day of over 100 miles all the way into Missoula. Missoula was great!

As soon as we got to town we realized we needed a place to stay as there was no camping close to town. After a few phone calls to friends in the area we were directed to Lane, Dylan and Diana's house. They were more than hospitable and were nice enough to put us up in their 1950's aluminum trailer. This was the most unique evening we had spent so far. We were introduced to the music of the Inhumans, a band composed of two of Diana's sons and friends, and Lane's group, the zookeeperz.

The following day we headed to a bike shop to look for a replacement for Anna's ailing bottom bracket. There, we ran into Joel, a friend of Anna's from camp counseling 5 years ago. He demanded we stay another night with him in Missoula. It was Matt's birthday so we figured it was a good idea. We made a great dinner, had a night on the town and got to hang out with a bunch of U of M tri-athletes: Ali, Matt, Ben, Tyler and Joel of course. Matt was in heaven talking shop with all the bike-heads. The Missoula Farmer's Market was amazing- they actually have three markets in their downtown all at once: a craft market, a food market and a produce market. The majority of the farmers are from the local Hmong and Russian communities, and had lots of delicious potatoes, peas, carrots, squash and herbs for sale.

The next couple of days out of Missoula were along the Blackfoot and Clearwater Rivers, north towards Helena and across the Great Divide at Flesher Pass. We had to stop for a flock of sheep crossing the road on the way up! This area is the traditional homeland of the Blackfeet and Selish and Kootenai tribes, who were nomadic tribes that followed the Buffalo herds.

We arrived in Bozeman on Monday evening, after crossing the Missouri River just outside of Helena. We passed through Three Forks, where the Madison, Gallatin and Jefferson Rivers come together to form the headwaters of the Missouri. Bozeman is a college town with a great co-op store, and some really nice camping in Hyalite Canyon close to town. We met a family at the campground who were from Bozeman "forever" that were having a birthday party. They invited us to eat with them and we gratefully accepted! Their kindness, and that of another visitor who asked us if we needed anything was a great reminder to us about the importance of reaching out when you have the ability to share.

We are now in Livingston, MT, enjoying the hospitality of Jessie, Chieko and Amelie. Our friends Liv and Zach and driving up from Idaho to take us to Yellowstone National Park today! We have been very fortunate.

Week 1 Portland to Walla Walla, WA

The first week of the trip has been a mix of excitement and challenge.
We'll tell you the challenges first, so you can be assured that the good stuff is far outweighing it...
The first challenge has been equipment related: the weight on our back wheels has been too much for our bicycles to handle, so we had to do some scrambling to locate a trailer for Anna and new wheels for Matt (achieved!). The other challenges have been the heat, the wind and the irrigation. The heat and the wind, when combined and in our faces, was pretty awful, and made us stop on Wednesday after only 40 miles. The irrigation sprinklers at the campgrounds have either woken us up early or kept us up late when we heard the spray coming across the tent!

It has been incredibly exciting to ride through diverse landscapes as we've followed the Columbia River: from lush green and waterfalls near Portland, to steep-sided cliffs past Hood River, to the flat, dry farmland and rolling hills. It has also been exciting to learn about the history of the area. The Native people have used the Columbia (and continue to do so, though much has changed because of the dams) for its rich fisheries for thousands of years. Lewis and Clark would never have made it out to Astoria without their help through the rapids, trading for horses and food. The creation of the dams regulated the flooding and created a network of farms along the banks that benefit from the fertile soil. We pedaled past acres and acres of river-irrigated grapes, peaches, cherries, pears and apricots. The fruit stands were a great end to a hot day!

Meeting people has also been exciting, and we have been the recipients of much kindness over the past four days. We got a ride over the cars-only bridge in Hood River from Pat, which took us off I-84 and onto much quieter roads on the Washington side. Another important ride came from George in West Roosevelt, WA- he picked us up in his postal van and drove us 50 miles after an incredibly hot day. The folks at Albertson's (a big chain grocery store) ushered us into their air conditioned oasis along with our bicycles to give us directions. When we arrived in Walla-Walla, Tim and Reggie fixed up our bicycles, gave us a place to camp (Pete and Vickie's house, which is on a beautiful 1890's homestead in the middle of the wheatfields outside of town) and volunteered to send some of our stuff home so we wouldn't have to haul it to the post office. The next bike shop (Allegro Cycles) was another amazing stop- Matt got his wheels put on by Justin, who was one of the people who assembled the Sommo bicycles when we did our cross-country trip from Anacortes, WA in 1996! Incredible and special coincidence.

Now we are relaxing in Walla, Walla for the day- hoping to get a taste of some Walla-Walla sweet onions. From here we head up into the mountains of Idaho (we should be in Lewiston by Sunday) and probably to Missoula, MT in a week or so. We'll do our next update from there. If you want to check out some photos of the past few days, click this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27960603@N04/sets/72157605972483272/

Big love from the bikes!

Anna and Matt