Bike Trip #2 - PA -> MO - 2020

Bike Trip #2 - My house to Pat's (Pottstown, PA to St. Louis, MO)

Day 1, Wedn, 6/24/2020

My house (Pottstown, PA) - Easton

45.7 Miles (45.7 total)

Weight: 170.8

Both of us were out in my driveway with everything outside, and before I closed the door, I asked Dad if there's anything else he needed inside. I wasn't bringing my house key since Mom was bringing me home at the end and had one. We both thought we had everything and I closed the door. A minute later as I was loading my bike, I realized I left my straps inside for securing the tent to the back. Luckily we had rope, so we tied it down.

Day 2, Thur, 6/25

Easton - East Stroudsburg (Dad's friend Bill's house)

37 Miles (82.7 total)

Another morning of waking up to a bike problem. My rear fender was rattling at the end of the ride yesterday, and this morning we found out why - the bolt connecting the fender and bottom of the rear rack was missing. Luckily, one of my extra water bottle bolts fit, so we didn't have to stop at a bike shop.

More hills today, good bit of walking before finally getting to Bill and Lisa's house. They made us a great salmon salad dinner, had dessert ready to go, and Bill looked at my bike since he owned a bike shop for 20 years.

Day 3, Fri, 6/26

East Stroudsburg, PA - Mechanicstown, NY

23.7 Miles (106.4 total)

Lisa drove us over half the distance of our ride today, so what was originally supposed to be about a 60 mile day turned out to be closer to 24! We got to our hotel pretty early, packed everything in the room, and had Chili's for dinner.

Day 4, Sat, 6/27

Mechanicstown - Hyde Park

48 Miles (154.4 total)

Weather did not look good today. Weather app said 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms almost all day. We got lucky though and only hit rain maybe the last half hour, and it only came down a little harder the last 15 minutes, which is when I finally got my rain gear out. We rode over the Hudson River today too.

Day 5, Sun, 6/28

Hyde Park - Albany

71.5 Miles (225.9 total)

We were supposed to hit rain and thunderstorms again today, but luckily only got about 10 minutes of rain close to the end. We looked at the radar an hour later and saw the roads we took getting heavy rain, so we got lucky again today. When we got to the hotel, we checked the beds for bed bugs, and underneath my mattress I found a hunting knife. Super weird. 

It was a long ride today, but we made good time and felt ok after.

Day 6, Mon, 6/29

Albany - Amsterdam (Lock 11)

42.2 Miles (268.1 total)

Easy day of riding today. No crazy hills and a good bit on trails. Forecast called for rain again, but luckily we only got a quick, nice sprinkle on the ride. This was our first day camping, and we did it at Lock 11. Apparently, Locks aren't advertised as campgrounds, but if you go ask the person on duty if you can, they usually say yes. This wasn't anything like the campsites in Europe, which had bathrooms, showers, sometimes a little place to eat, and occasionally even Wi-Fi. This place didn't advertise any of that. But we bumped into a biker riding through another city who said if we ask nicely if there was any place to shower, they might let you use theirs, and luckily, that was the case. We were going to shower when we got there, but less than an hour after getting to Amsterdam, it started to thunderstorm, so we chilled in our tents until the worst of it passed. We stopped at Dollar General to pick up dinner, then basically chilled in our tents the rest of the day. The rain kept coming and going, and the bugs were bad, so the tent was the only safe spot. So by 7:30pm, we were locked up for the night.

Day 7, Tues, 6/30

Amsterdam (Lock 11) - Herkimer

53.4 Miles (321.5 total)

Woke up to a light rain, so we packed up the wet tents and clothes and headed out. Whole day was cloudy and called for chance of rain. I didn't even put on sunscreen. We got a few drops while riding, but less than a mile from the hotel it started coming down harder. We waited briefly under a bridge, then made our way over. Sun came out then, and we set up our tents in the parking lot to dry. Later we walked to Walmart to pick up dinner and supplies, then relaxed in the room.

Day 8, Wedn, 7/1

Herkimer - Stacy Basin (Lock 21)

41 Miles (362.5 total)

Easy day today. Cloudy again. Stopped in Rome, NY for a bite to eat and to kill some time before getting to the campsite. Again, less than 30 minutes from Lock 21, it started to rain. We waited less than 5 minutes for it to pass, then finished our ride to the Lock. Much nicer than Lock 11. Mostly because there were much less bugs. We could sit outside at a picnic table and relax instead of staying cooped up in our tents all evening. We washed our clothes and "showered" in the spicket of the Lock keeper's residence, had dinner, and hung our clothes to dry.

Day 9, Thur, 7/2

Stacy Basin (Lock 21) - Weedsport

60 Miles (422.5 total)

Haven't slept well at the campsites so far, but getting ready was easy today. Didn't rain last night, so our stuff was dry except for some condensation. A trail ambassador named Dave stopped us to ask us some questions, said it helped keep the trail funded and in good shape. We stopped in Syracuse at Burger King to refuel on fries and a drink. Covid-19 has made stopping at places difficult. We can't eat or stay inside fast food places, so getting refills/ice/wifi/a place to put your feet doesn't really happen. It was a hot day, and when we got to the hotel, we stopped at the Arby's across the street for $1 shakes. We got dinner at a gas station food area across the road, then came back to the hotel to put our feet up.

Day 10, Fri, 7/3

Weedsport - Macedon (Lock 30)

47.7 Miles (470.2 total)

Interesting start today. Dad lost his phone. Couldn't find it anywhere in the room. Turns out when the person at the front desk took Dad's bed sheets and all last night (because they were wet, guy had put a wet comforter on the bed), Dad's phone was wrapped up in it and thrown in the dryer. Luckily, it still worked! Later, one of my bolts broke off in my bike holding the back rack in place. We zip tied it together, and it's working for now. Today is also the first day we passed other tourers. They were sticking to the Canal Erie Trail, but they're the first ones we've seen. Lock 30 is the nicest one yet. No bugs again, and there's also a porta-potty and a public drinking spicket that we washed our clothes and selves in.

Day 11, Sat, 7/4

Macedon (Lock 30) - Albion

57.9 Miles (528.1 total)

Woke up early and was on the trail around 6:45am. Between Fairport and Rochester, the trail was busy! It feels like we rarely see people on the trail, but today we saw loads! Don't know if it was because it was Saturday or Independence Day or what, but lots of people were out. Lots of bikers and runners. Saw two guys on something like a skateboard, and they were using a pole to propel themselves forward. Saw another guy on rollerblades doing the same with two poles. Even after Rochester, the trail was active. Talked to another tourer today who had cycled from Minnesota, already having done about 1500 miles, and he was going to Maine. He hadn't decided if he was going to cycle back or use other transport. At our hotel in Albion, another family of tourers arrived later and got a room.

Day 12, Sun, 7/5

Albion - Niagra Falls

54.5 Miles (582.6 total)

The wind has been giving us some trouble the last couple days. The wind blows from west to east across the US, and we're going east to west. It definitely slows us down. We got to the Falls and were told we couldn't check in yet, so we stopped at a convenience store for a snack, then rode down to see Niagra Falls. When we came back to see if the room was ready, we figured out we were at the wrong hotel. We got to the right one, took a dip in the pool, showered, then went out to get dinner.

Day 13, Mon, 7/6

Niagra Falls - Buffalo

21.3 Miles (603.9 total)

Easy ride today, basically a rest day. And when we got to Buffalo, we stopped at a bike shop not long after it opened and they were able to fix my bike in under an hour! When I went to pick it up, they had a line of people waiting there, so we had good timing.

Day 14, Tues, 7/7

Buffalo - Westfield

61.9 Miles (665.8 total)

It is getting hot! We got up at 5:30am to try and avoid the worst of it. We got to our campsite around 2:00pm, set up the tents, and took a dip in Lake Erie. Super refreshing. We made spaghetti for dinner. The sound of the lake hitting the shore was very relaxing at night, but the heat was unbearable for awhile. I was in my tent, laying on my sleeping bag liner, damp with sweat. It was an hour or two after we got in the tents before they started to cool off.

Day 15, Wedn, 7/8

Westfield, NY - Conneaut, OH

65.7 Miles (731.5 total)

It was going to be another hot one, so we got up early and were on the road by 6:45am. We rode through three States today! Started in New York, rode through the small portion of Pennsylvania that touches Lake Erie, and ended in Ohio! Only other interesting thing today was all the acres of vineyards. Reminiscent of Europe - there were vineyards as far as you could see in some areas. Stopped at Burger King for dinner and it was our first normal restaurant experience in a long time, even before the trip - we were able to dine in and get refills. No other place had offered that yet. We talked to the manager a little too, and before leaving, she gave us a giant bag of ice! The hotel we were staying at said their ice machine was not available due to Covid-19 stuff, so the bag of ice was a life saver.

Day 16, Thur, 7/9

Conneaut - Mentor

53.5 Miles (785 total)

Good day of riding, seemed to go fast. Got to the motel, and the cleaning ladies saw us and gave us bottled water and ice pops! Very refreshing.

Day 17, Fri, 7/10

Mentor - Cleveland

25.1 Miles (810.1 total)

Big breakfast at Bob Evan's this morning and then made our way to Cleveland. Weather channel said high chance of storms there in the afternoon, so we wanted to make sure we got there before that. We got to our hostel and checked out West Side Market. Just a chill day.

Day 18, Sat, 7/11

Cleveland

Rest day! Got a quick bite to eat in West Side Market, then went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Lots of interesting information and stories about legendary musicians. Then we saw the house from A Christmas Story, lamp in the window and all. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Day 19, Sun, 7/12

Cleveland - Clinton

55.6 Miles (865.7 total)

We are now riding the Ohio and Erie Canalway. Ride started really well, despite being slightly uphill the whole time. We were cruising comfortably and passed a lot of people on the trail. We rode through the city of Akron, and it was spooky - for a good sized city, I only saw one or two cars actually on the road moving, though there were others parked along the side. Didn't really see anyone either except a couple people on the trail. This isn't the first time this has happened. A couple cities we've biked through remind me of the apocalypse - little to no traffic or people. We just bike through lights because no cars are coming. Don't know if it's because it's Sunday combined with Covid-19, but the lack of signs of life in a city is creepy. We got to Barberton around 12:30pm and tried to kill a couple hours there. The campsite was still five miles away, but after this town, there's nothing for miles - hotels, stores, fast food, nada. And we heard that the campsite has lots of bugs, so we thought it better to hang there than couped up in our tents. We left Barberton at 6:00pm and got to the campsite not long after. This campsite had nothing - it was three spots in the middle of the woods. We did a wet-wipe rinse, but my tent still smelled like BO. Looking forward to a shower and washing clothes tomorrow.

Day 20, Mon, 7/13

Clinton - Millersburg

53.9 Miles (919.6 total)

It had rained last night, so we packed everything up wet and hit the road. A couple miles in, we actually saw places - small shops and hotels - that didn't show up on Google maps for some reason. Could've biked to a hotel instead of killing 5.5 hours in that town! Started strong again, but we lost it pretty quick. Definitely slower than our normal. Don't know if it was lack of sleep, or I was, at least, trying to eat a little healthier the last day or two, so lack of energy, or more hills than usual, or what, but it was slower. We eventually stopped for a sandwich and to set up our tents again to dry. After that, we had a couple more hills, and the rest of the ride was good! Got to the hotel, hit up the hot tub, and went to dinner.

Day 21, Tues, 7/14

Millersburg - Mt. Vernon

46.7 Miles (966.3 total)

Had a late start today, waking up at 7:00am. But had a great ride after leaving the hotel. I think it's because we split a quart and a half of ice cream and had a pizza buffet for dinner last night. It might also be because the trail was amazing again today - paved, minimal bumps, and bicycle support stations with pumps and bike repair tools. No crazy hills either. We would go up for a couple miles, but at 1.5 grade and less, which was nothing. Then we'd go down a couple miles, which felt great. We got to the campsite and were very impressed - it had plenty of spots with water spickets and electricity, a swimming pond, showers, and even a small arcade! This is also our last night camping, so that's super exciting. The people in the camper close to us made us s'mores and we talked with them a little.

Day 22, Wedn, 7/15

Mt. Vernon - Columbus

59.7 Miles (1026 total)

Early start with little to no sleep. We haven't been able to get sleep while camping. But it was our last time, so that's awesome. Since we aren't camping anymore, we stopped at a UPS store to send some gear home. I ended up sending 17 lbs home! We got to our hotel before the worst of the hot weather and got dinner.

Day 23, Thur, 7/16

Columbus - Xenia

50.5 Miles (1076.5 total)

Funky start. We packed up, went to McDonald's for breakfast, headed towards the trail, and it downpoured within a mile. We got off and under a tree real quick, already soaked, and by the time we got our rain jackets out, it had stopped. It should have been an easy ride today, with a slight uphill the first 30 miles and slight downhill the last 20, but the wind was strong today, weather app saying 17 mph, and we had to push. We got to our hotel, and it took three tries until we were put in a room that was ready. First room, one bed wasn't made, and second room, trash was still on counters and a shirt was on the floor. We finally got a room that was ready and got Arby's for dinner.

Day 24, Fri, 7/17

Xenia - Cincinnati

68.3 Miles (1144.8 total)

The BEST ride today! The chart said all downhill, but I didn't think it'd be that good. The downhills looked like an optical illusion, because it looked like we were going flat or up most of the time. And they weren't steep - we weren't coasting. We were still pedaling, but averaged a much faster speed than usual. And there was no wind like yesterday. Just a great ride on a beautiful trail. Lots of people on the trail today too, most we've seen in awhile. When we got to Cincinnati, I crossed the bridge briefly into Kentucky just to say I was there.

Day 25, Sat, 7/18

Cincinnati

Last rest day! Slept in until 7:30am and went to Findlay Market not long after. Then we walked across the bridge to Kentucky, stopped to have ice cream for lunch, and came back to the hotel. We were biding our time until 3:00pm when the restaurant we ate at last night opened again, since we're pretty sure Dad left his credit card there last night. But even walking down the street, we were getting sweaty. We got dinner and headed back to the hotel. Relaxing day.

Day 26, Sun, 7/19

Cincinnati, OH - Batesville, IN

48.9 Miles (1193.7 total)

We were on the road by 7:00am and had three hills to conquer by 32 miles. No more beautiful trail either - all roads now. We wanted to get an early start because the next couple days are supposed to be in the 90's and feel like upper 90's or 100's. After the hills, the wind picked up and we had to fight it for a little over an hour. But we got to our hotel pretty early and stopped at the supermarket to grab stuff for lunch.

Also, the last couple days, the fingers in my right hand especially have felt asleep all day. I can't even clip the nails on my left hand or open those black food clips.

Day 27, Mon, 7/20

Batesville - Edinburgh

49.2 Miles (1242.9 total)

Awesome day riding! We were on the road at 7:50am and got there by 12:30pm! Another downhill day, averaging a grade of -0.1%, clouds to block some of the heat, and not many cars on the road. We're surrounded by corn and soybeans most of the day. And Dad was chased briefly by a pudgy dog. Can't have a bike trip without that! We're at a hotel by the Indiana Premium Outlets, which is the only other place we've been today where we could get supplies. Usually, we pass a couple gas stations and stores where we can get a snack or a cold drink. But we only passed one other town today where we could get stuff. We didn't need anything today, but it's nice to know you'll be passing by stuff if you need to stop.

Day 28, Tues, 7/21

Edinburgh - Cloverdale

63.2 Miles (1306.1 total)

Made great time today, but started slow. Two roads the GPS told us to turn down were blocked, either by overgrown vegetation or a gate leading to private property. So we had to backtrack and add some distance to our day. We were worried about the weather after checking the app, which said low chances of on and off rain, but we only got cloudy skies that helped cool things down. I've been worried about the wind too. At this point, we're traveling straight West, and the wind typically blows East across the US, and that can be a struggle to fight against. But so far, no bad wind! The street signs here are different, only because most of them are just numbers. You're not going down Chestnut St., you're going down 700 S. And something to look forward to is this was our last hard day! The last five days of the trip here are all around 60 miles. But this one was the last with intimidating hills. It's mostly flat and a little downhill from here!

Day 29, Wedn, 7/22

Cloverdale, IN - Marshall, IL

56.6 Miles (1362.7 total)

Was supposed to be an easy day today, another average grade of -0.1%. But it was slow. We woke up late because we didn't want to get there too early since we would be going back an hour crossing the time zone into Illinois. The day started with rain, so we waited even longer before leaving. Then it was on and off for the first half of the day, so we lost time putting on the rain jacket, taking it off, and putting it on again. Once we had to pull over when the rain got harder. But the temperature was good again and the wind was fine. We got there and rewarded ourselves with Dairy Queen.

Day 30, Thur, 7/23

Marshall - Effingham

57.6 Miles (1420.3 total)

Good day of riding, but felt a little slow. Started off with a Wendy's Baconator, because if I don't try it during a bike trip, I never will. It was good, but the bacon didn't look like the picture, just like the Bacon King we had at Burger King. We stopped in Casey, which had a whole lot of "biggest" things to try and get tourists - biggest rocking chair, pencil, wind chimes, wooden shoes, etc. Effingham is the busiest place yet we've been since getting to Indiana. And again, no wind! Soooo happy. Excited for only two days left!

Day 31, Fri, 7/24

Effingham - Greenville

57.5 Miles (1477.8 total)

Another good ride today! Good weather and no wind. Lots of sun and little shade for a few days now. But leaving Ohio, the weather channel said a heat wave was coming, with temperatures in the 90's but feeling hotter, and a big storm not long after that. But we missed both! And not fighting the wind has upped my spirits since I was dreading that. We only pass one, maybe two towns or gas stations the whole day, mostly just looking at corn and soybeans for miles on end. Mom stopped by the hotel on the way to Pat's, so it was nice to see her. One more day, super excited!

Day 32, Sat, 7/25

Greenville, IL - St. Louis, MO

64.2 Miles (1542 total)

Weight: 166

Done! Good day of riding, no wind, but got hot. At mile 50 I could see the Arch, which was very inspiring, gave us some extra energy. The Arch was huge, and Dad said the park around it was almost empty compared to how it was when he was here last, pre-Covid-19. We rode a couple miles past that and finally got to Pat's house. Hosed the bike down and locked it up for the next couple days. We all went out to get waffles and ice cream later, then left Pat to head back to the hotel.