Café Hot Dogs

Day: 332
Budapest Rest Day 1


We slept in this morning after having a bit of a fitful sleep. A drunk guy in the next apartment spent an hour or so moaning and buzzing the doorbell trying to get his buddies to let him in around 2:30 am. He finally went away, or his friend let him in, or he passed out in the staircase. Bottom line is he finally shut up. We had our little apartment to ourselves this morning and had a leisurely breakfast of coffee and cereal. We slowly got ready and went to look for a café for a cappuccino and a croissant. Leslie was looking for a café reputed to be the local hangout of the Budapest intellectual crowd. I was bummed because I had forgotten my t-shirt that reads ‘Talk to me, I’m smart.’ Luckily we didn’t find it so we had to settle on a cool little spot in the theatre district. It made for good people watching and Leslie thinks she maybe finally had a cappuccino to knock the old #1 off of the list. That one was from a little café on the Great Ocean Road in Australia. After some proper caffeine we decided to play super tourist and take a bus ride around Buda and Pest. The bus tour was set up to be a hop on, hop off type, but as we got to our first stop and saw the driver turning people away we decided that were here to stay. The tour was surprisingly thorough and we took a lot away from it. The basic gist of the city is it has been created, pillaged and bombed for around 1000 years. WWII took care of the city’s bridges across the Danube, but the city persevered and rebuilt most of the bridges just like the originals. All in all, quite educational. We finally decided to hop off in the Jewish quarter of the city where several thousand Hungarian and other European Jews sought refuge during the war. We both were hungry and sat down at the first café we saw. The special was frankfurters or grilled sandwiches. We both opted for the frankfurters and had a really nice meal. Leslie joked that we were having café hot dogs or ‘lips and a-holes with a view’. I wanted to title the blog the latter, but decided against it. We then worked our way over to the train station where we lined out some tickets for a train to Zagreb, Croatia on Sunday. We had to buy one ticket for each of us and two tickets for each of the bicycles. After our Bangkok train experience, we know what kind of questions to ask and don’t mind buying the bikes a ticket.
Tomorrow we are off to one of the cities famous baths and then a tour of the park.
I am sure there will be more cafés in our future.
CK

Adventures in Hungary

Day 331
Esztergom to Budapest
Time: 4:48:00
Distance: 78.2 kilometers
Avg Speed: 16.2 kph
Terrain: Flat
Location: 47 29' 51.63" N, 19 04' 19.28" E

We left Esztergom at our usual time this morning and quickly found the bikeway along the Danube. We snuck out of town under the grandeur of the Basilica, a neoclassical structure that dates back to the 19th century. This area of Hungary actually bears some important and interesting history. From here to Budapest, the Danube Bend area was once a popular place for the kings of Hungary. Way back in time, Esztergom hosted the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius in the 2nd century. It was while he stayed here that he wrote is famous work, Meditations.
We had quite the mix of riding surfaces today. That, coupled with our sub par route finding skills, had us going in all directions. One of us would spot a trail with a bicycle sign and off we’d go only to find that the trail ended or diverted itself in the wrong direction. It’s always amazing what signs you find (to point you in the right direction) when you turn around.
About 15 kilometers out of Budapest we found a major trail route called the Euro Velo. We hopped on and figured we’d have a smooth ride into the city. In a matter of five minutes we were on singletrack dodging trees and potholes. Chris yelled back to me to see if I wanted to continue and I hollered forward to carry on. As long as we were heading south and along the river, I was ready for whatever terrain lay ahead. The trail soon turned back to hardpacked dirt road and didn’t pose too many challenges after that.
The first glimpses of central Budapest definitely took my breath away. Sometimes I feel like I’m traveling through all the movies I’ve watched in the past about Europe. The magnificent parliament buildings set on the left bank of the mighty Danube River is a memory I think I’ll have forever.
We made our way to the Szechenyi Lanchid (bridge) and crossed over into Pest. You see, Budapest is actually two cities, Buda and Pest (I didn’t know this before reading my Lonely Planet book). Buda is the more relaxed of the two, while Pest is the commercial center. Anyway, we crossed the bridge and then did the usual zig-zagging to get to our apartment.
Tonight we are tucked away four doors in and four floors up. Tomorrow we explore the city…

Here’s to Viennese coffee houses,
LK

Day 330: Komarno, Slovakia to Esztergom, Hungary

Time: 3:45
Distance: 61.6 km
Avg Speed: 16.3 kph
Terrain: flat
Location: 47 47' 25.4" N, 18 43' 58.4" E

After a little respite off the bike we got back on the road this morning. Our two days in Komarno were great. The city offers a lot of great old architecture, nice people, good food and ease of access. It was nice to roll out in the cool morning air watching all the café owners setting up their wares for the day.
We quickly found the Danube bike route and rolled on out via the mountain bike route. We enjoyed double track dirt roads on top of the levies all the while keeping track of the flat farm and pasture land to our left. The right side of our route was the river and all the people who cruise its waters daily. We dipped toward and away from the river throughout the day, but if you kept an eye toward the high earthen levies, you could always pick it up.
We arrived in our last Slovakian town around lunch time and decided to do just that. Sturovo is a nice little tourist town right on the river and we were content just to eat our bread and nutella sandwiches and people watch for an hour. After we had our fill we quickly located the bridge heading east and rolled on into Hungary. We switched the last of our Slovakian Koruna for Hungarian Forint and came away with not as much as we had hoped. So much for having faith in the money changers for a good deal. There are three campgrounds in town and we seemed to have located the one with the most cyclists. I would imagine that there are just as many cyclists as other campers in this park. You can really tell that we are on a major bike route.
We have now had announced over the loud speaker in the campground, in German, Hungarian, Slovak and English that the pool is closing and rolls for breakfast should have been ordered. The fact that we picked a site right below the loud speaker has me hoping that they are done for the evening. Who knows, they may announce that the restaurant is out of beer around midnight.
CK

If It Doesn’t Have a Picture, It Doesn’t Have a Flavor

Day: 329
Kormarno Rest Day

We decided that we liked Komarno enough to take a rest day. The central part of town is quite nice with narrow cobblestone streets and beautifully renovated buildings. Rather than push all the way through to Budpest we decided to stick around and get caught up.

It’s only afternoon and we’ve already had a crazy day. Chris laid out the task list this morning and was kind enough to allow for a stop to get caffeinated. We examined the café menu and both selected our drinks. I wanted to try something new and the espresso macchiato caught my eye. Somehow my mental map created a much larger cup of java than what was brought out to me. I should remember that espresso is universal for very, very small cup of coffee. Chris’ cappuccino aroma was much more what I had in mind. After spooning out the last bits of foam we headed back to our pension to pay another night and find out about laundry. We once again found ourselves having a conversation in two different languages. The same girl that helped Chris yesterday whipped out her cell phone and called her English translator. We arranged for the room one more night and then got the scoop on laundry. Instead of trying to give us directions, the guy on the other end of the line said he would be over to pick us up in five minutes. Robert arrived soon after and we followed him through the streets of Komarno on our bicycles. Nothing like being motor-paced just to wash clothes. We traversed all over town and ended up at the cleaners – I had a feeling I’d being doing all the washing after all. Sure enough they wanted to charge for each piece and it would be extra to have it back by tomorrow. We politely declined and stepped outside. Robert kindly apologized and we told him not to worry. Chris then asked if it’s possible to wash clothes laundromat style. Robert replied “No, only in America I think”. We said goodbye to our accidental host and pedaled back to our room.
I sorted the stinky duds myself while Chris got himself together for the other errands of the day. As I started pile 1 of 5, he was out the door for a metal file, degreaser, groceries, and a haircut. In the middle of pile 2 I heard a knock on the door and found the pension owner waiting outside. He rattled something off in Slovakian and then somehow managed to tell me that our room had been booked for the night and would it be ok if we moved to another room. I looked behind me at all of our stuff strung across the room, shrugged my shoulders and nodding my head yes. Ten minutes later I had schlepped everything to the new room and was working on pile 3. I kept the door open hoping to catch Chris when he returned. It may have been quite a sight for him to go back to our original room and find the place cleaned out…
Chris made it back with his own stories – no degreaser, no groceries, and a nice metal file. I didn’t ask too many details as he needed to get his bike to go on a larger search for groceries. He was off again in no time and returned sooner than I thought with a backpack full of calories. We quickly dug into the pumpkin seed rolls with Nutella. To wash it all down, Chris found a couple of Activa yogurt drinks. The outside of the bottle looked kind of plain as I opened it, no picture. Chris wondered what flavor it was just as I took my first sip. I replied “If it doesn’t have a picture, it doesn’t have a flavor”. He sighed – another crazy moment in a manic day. I wonder what the rest of the day will bring?
LK

Danube Hustle

Day: 328
Dolna Streda to Kormarno
Time: 4:33
Distance: 80.4 km
Avg Speed: 17.7 kph
Terrain: flat
Location: N 48.272055, E 17.747325

After riding through mountains and hills for the first part of our trip we emerged to the flatlands of Slovakia. Kilometer after kilometer of corn and sunflowers guided us on down the road.
We left our little haven in Dolna Streda this morning with a little cereal and coffee in our veins and settled in for a little riding. After the first hour we hit a sizeable town that had a grocer and grabbed a little more brekkie and some snacks. Leslie found a tasty little juice that gave us a great sugar high for a kilometer or two. Another couple of hours down the road we stopped in a park near a church where we tried to reintroduce some bread and cheese into our diets. It all worked out ok, but it just didn’t hit the spot like the first couple of days. It was here at the church that Leslie turned into Rambo and took photos of passing cyclists from the shelter of some trees in the park.
More corn, more kilometers brought us into the Danube River town of Kormarno. Across the river to the south is Hungary, but our route will take us further east on the Slovakian shores. We checked out the local camping ground and ended up finding a penzion in the city center. Most of the penzions are attached to restaurants so it is always fun trying to rent a room from the waitress as she is hustling between tables. Add the language barrier in there and the fun is compounded immensely. We were very fortunate at this place in that it had a menu, with pictures and prices to choose from. Very painless, pretty quick and pretty affordable. Leslie and I later went back to the restaurant for dinner. A two course dinner with beers and cappuccinos for dessert set us back $20. Earlier we had ran into two Spanish cyclists riding the Danube who replied that the western part of their ride was so much nicer, and that Slovakia is so poor and hard to get around in. Leslie and I haven’t been out west, but if Slovakia is as backward as the Spaniards made it out to be we should just float on through Western Europe.
CK

Across the Vah River Plain

Day 327
Trencin to Dolna Streda
Time: 5:31:00
Distance: 98.3 kilometers
Avg Speed: 17.8
Terrain: Flat
Location: N˚ 48 16’ 19.4”, E 17˚ 44’ 49.6”

After a night in simple accommodations, we took one last look at the castle and rode on to the southwest. The clouds were still hanging around and it still looked like rain. We kept the wet weather gear handy and headed towards the bike path along the Vah River.
It didn’t take long to realize that we wouldn’t be riding the path at all. The storm that had rolled through the previous days before had uprooted just about every large tree along the river bank. There was no way to go through and so we turned around and found our way back to route 507, our friendly road for the last few days.
We stopped for groceries at our new favorite store, Kaufland’s. I spent quite a bit of time there yesterday – it’s quite the store. Chris spent even more time today. The store has several rows dedicated to sweets – you can see why we prolong our shopping experience. It’s a fascinating world of wafers, biscuits, and chocolates…
Lunchtime found us at our first café. We’ve been trying to self-cater as much as possible, but our appetites are getting stronger and we wanted to fuel up on something other than fruit and crackers. We stuck with some basics; soup, vegetables, and cappuccino. Our waiter was very good (quite formal for a café) and spoke great English. In fact, most people in Slovakia know a little English. In Poland we used our trusty language book a lot more.
After lunch we headed out for 40 more kilometers. In an otherwise flat ride, we stopped for a great view after climbing a hill above the town of Hlohovec. From the scenic rest area we could see far across the Vah River plain. The most striking feature on the landscape was the nuclear power plant.
We finally rolled into Sered and found no campground as indicated on the map. We soon figured out that the sign pointing to Ku Campingu was a road name not directions to our accommodation. While I staged a silent sit-down protest, Chris rode around town but found no other place to stay. There was nothing else to do but get back on the bikes and hope for something down the road. It wasn’t a great feeling, but I think we knew something would pop up. Sure enough, about 1.5 kilometers down the road we found Penzion Mlya. It was like an oasis – new building with plenty of rooms and a well stocked restaurant. We celebrated our long day (and a good friend’s birthday) with a nice cold Slovakian beer.

Happy Birthday to Jennie,
LK

Beneficial Barfies

Day: 326
Povazska Bystrica to Trencin
Time: 3:29
Distance: 65.1 km
Avg Speed: 18.6 kph
Terrain: Flat

We got a crack-o-noon start today from our hotel. We spent most of yesterday sleeping and trying to take in some clear liquids. Yesterday was a good day to be off the road since thunderstorm after thunderstorm rolled through. This morning we awoke to more lightening, thunder and rain so we grabbed a late breakfast and enjoyed some Slovakian Olympic coverage.
I would like to add here that the Slovaks have some of the most comprehensive Olympic coverage as long as you are interested in Slovakian athletes. I am now up to date on my kayak (3 golds for Slovakia), shooting sports, archery, judo, weight lifting, fencing and track and field. It is on 24 hours a day and has been a treat to watch. We have had to check internet for any American feats.
After signing off of the Olympic coverage for the day we got after it. The weather broke for us and we were able to stay dry from above all the way to Trencin. The puddles on the road did pose some wet difficulties for us, but as the day wore on, they got fewer and fewer. Our legs did feel a little bit weak from a restricted calorie diet, but we got in the flow of things, ate a few crackers and nuts and made it with no major difficulties.
About 12 kilometers out of Trencin it became quite evident that our stomach bug helped us out. A major wind storm or gust came through yesterday and blew down hundreds of trees, several steel sheds and lots of shingles. The small towns we rolled through on the approach all had the sounds of chainsaws going and people moving cut wood in wheelbarrows. There was one half kilometer section of road where a dozen or so apple trees had been snapped off several feet above the ground. Quite the crazy site as we rolled on through. I am glad that we didn’t ride or camp in that fury yesterday.
We have been gingerly introducing some easy food back into our diet. Lots of tea, crackers and soup on the menu tonight. We are staying in a penzion, which is a little like a B&B without the charm. We are in an older soviet style apartment building which is directly below the castle that looms above the town. Very clean, pretty cheap and a million dollar view. We even have a little 10” black and white television (which works and has the Olympic coverage going) to round out that apartment block feel.
No more grumbly tumbly,
CK

Google Earth and Bicycle Geography

Day 326

A rest day and fast internet gave me the chance to cook up something new for following our travels. Actually, being a GIS person, I should have thought of this a little earlier.
I created a layer of our current European route that can be viewed in GoogleEarth.
Download the file here:

http://bicyclegeography.googlepages.com/home

Note: you will need GoogleEarth installed on your computer. For more info on GoogleEarth or to download the program, click here.
Alternatively, you can use another program, ArcGIS Explorer, which is similar to GoogleEarth. Click here for ArcGIS Explorer.

Stay tuned for more refinements – in the future I hope to link photos and daily blogs to each route segment.

Have fun,
LK

No More Tapas

Day 324
Dolny Kublin to Povazska Bystrica
Time: 5:06:00
Distance: 90.2 km
Avg Speed: 17.6 kph
Terrain: Around Mala Fatra NP to the Vah River
Location: 49˚ 8’ 13.39” N, 18˚ 27’ 30.8” E

Now, you’d probably figure that we might be saying that in a few months once we had been traveling through Spain. Chris decided to try some cured meats from Spanish country today for lunch and he paid dearly. As a result, I’m the guest blogger this evening.
It rained a fair amount through the night and we were both a little worried about a wet start to the morning. Luckily, it let up and we got rolling with some humidity and mist. As we ride through this country, I’m intrigued by the landscape. It’s such a paradox; communist era apartment blocks and smoke stacks, verdant countryside and old world architecture. It’s definitely got me thinking about history and its progression in this part of the world. I have nothing to compare it to since my country has never been occupied by other people who didn’t share the same beliefs.
We decided to take the scenic road, a recommended bicycle route around Mala Fatra National Park. The area is quite beautiful with high mountains, limestone cliffs, and quaint settlements. The traffic was light and the air was cool – a perfect combination for touring. We had our first 12% grade and resigned ourselves to granny gear and a slow climb. The view at the top was great and in just a few minutes we were on the downhill slope for the rest of the day.
By kilometer 50 we had reached a large city called Zilina. We had two goals – lunch and the procurement of a bicycle touring map for this part of Slovakia. I found the map while Chris shopped for groceries. We left the city square just as the police were hassling a vagrant.
For the rest of the day we rode along the Vah River. Our stomachs had started the day a little queasy and continued to get worse as the kilometers piled on. I’m pretty sure that our lunch of bread, cheese and cured meats did not sit well on top of the medium pizzas that we ate last evening.
At kilometer 73 we stopped in town to look for a room and found nothing. We continued on and looked for anything that might be off the road. At kilometer 88 we spotted a sign for a hotel and turned around. A combination of heat, fatigue, and queasy stomachs led to an 80€ (yikes!) room without argument.
The budget suffered a little, but at least we have a very nice room tonight and a chance to rest and feel better for another ride tomorrow. I’m sure it will save us down the road.

Here’s to eating tapas in the right country,
LK

A New Day, a New Country, and a New Map

Day 323
Zakopane, Poland to Dolny Kublin, Slovakia
Time: 4:41:00
Distance: 76.4 km
Avg Speed: 16.9 kph
Terrain: Rolling with One Big Climb
Location: N° 49 12’ 18.2”, 19°16'4.1"E

It was a good thing that we crossed into Slovakia today because our map for southern Poland was just about to disintegrate. It had been folded and refolded several times. It was invaluable and I hope we can find similar maps for this country.
We tried to get up early today so that we could avoid some of the heavy traffic into the resort center of Zakopane. I had forgotten that we require about two hours when we are camping. We still managed to roll out onto the street at 8am – not bad.
The Poland/Slovakia border crossing came about two hours into the day. It was the first time we have actually ridden across a border. No need to rush into things you know. The moment was fairly uneventful – we took a picture with a generic sign.
As we pedaled through the first small town I noticed two things immediately. The architecture has a strong influence from the days of communism and there are definitely less people around. Slovakia has 1/7 of the people in Poland (and is also 1/6 the size).
Luckily, we found ourselves in a river valley most of the day and had some very pleasant downhill riding. About 15 km out of Dolny Kublin, our stop for the day, we passed our first castle. It was quite spectacular, even from the freeway. I’ve read that we have more on the way – certainly something to look forward to.
LK

Some rest day (the times and distances above are the riding portion)

Day: 322
Zakopane to Kunize
Time: 1.18.55
Distance: 15.55 km
Avg Speed: 11.8 kph
Terrain: Hills the whole time
Location:

We decided to spend an early rest day in Zakopane so we could take the tram to the top of the mountain and straddle the border of Poland and Slovakia. We got up early for a rest day and got ourselves together to go for a little ride to the gondola. The little ride turned out to be a little more than we had bargained for. By the time we got up to the tram we found ourselves in a line of people 150 meters long and 5 people wide. With the car able to carry around 200 people an hour we figured we were in for a wait. Frustrated, we decided to hike to the top rather than wait for the car. We soon found ourselves on a well worn track with just as many people who were in line for the tram. After dodging and diving around people for 15 minutes or so we were able to get in a stride and head to the top. The hike turned out to be not as easy I had thought, but we covered 5 kilometers with 950 meters of elevation in just under two hours. Once on top, at the summit of Kasprowy Wierch, we snapped a few photos of the truly awesome Tatras Mountains and went down to the gondola building for a ride down. No sense in pushing ourselves too far. We timed our departure perfectly and caught a half full car down just as we stepped into the building. We made it back to the bottom of the hill in 2.5 hours and figured if we had stayed in line we would still be standing there. After a little lunch in the village we had to run some errands, hit the internet and go food shopping.
The language barrier has been the hardest thing to overcome for us here. The only thing that is going for us is the letters and numbers are just like our language so we can at least read. Other than that there really is little verbal communication going on. Lots of pointing, gesturing and furiously looking up words in our phrase book. We are starting to get the hang of Polish, but tomorrow we enter Slovakia, so we will start all over again.
I may sound like I am griping, but I really do have a good time being a local at the grocery store, or post office or restaurant, only to have my cover blown by giving them a blank stare when I am spoken to.

CK

What’s Better Than Cheese and Crackers?

Day 321
Jordanow to Zakopane
Time: 4:21:00
Distance: 57 km
Avg Speed: 13.1 kph
Terrain: Rolling
Location: N 49˚ 19’ 20.3”, E 19˚ 59’ 7.4”

Cheese and crackers has become a staple in our life. It wasn’t always that way. In fact, we used to make fun of someone (my dad) who has made the snack one of his major food groups (the others are – popcorn and ice cream). Anyway, we have succumbed to this easy and tasty snack over the last year. Today, I think we found something better. Cheese and homemade bread!
Last night was rather uneventful except for the air raid siren at 2am. I think I’ve watched too many movies about World War II because I thought we might be under attack. Not sure why the siren went off, but nothing occurred afterwards but a chorus of barking dogs.
Like usual we rolled out of our sleeping bags, packed up our gear, and made a mug of instant coffee. It doesn’t take long to get back into the routine. After breakfast we chatted with a nice couple from Holland. They had done some bicycle touring in the past and told us all about the route along the Danube. We listened intently and made a mental note to see how it can fit into our plan. They also gave us the heads-up on the best campground in Zakopane, today’s destination.
We were a little tardy in our 9am start, but we’re cutting ourselves some slack since it’s just the second day. The terrain was much the same as yesterday – up and down the green hills and hay filled valleys of southwestern Poland. We found our yummy bread and cheese at a little sklep (I think it’s Polish for corner store) and turned south towards the mountains.
We spent most of the ride zigzagging our way toward Zakopane. Every time we intersected the highway, we checked for a road shoulder and then moved on. Yesterday morning must have been the exception and not the rule. We’ll be looking for some really detailed maps so that we can stay off the highways. We got spoiled this summer in Colorado.
Tonight we’re camped at a nice little place right behind McDonalds. We’ve got a decent view of the Tatras Mountains, really clean bathrooms and a friendly host. Ah, it’s good to be back on the road.
Here’s to a new twist on an old favorite,
LK

Welcome to Poland!!

Day: 320
Krakow to Jordanow
Time: 4:41
Distance: 70.1 km
Avg Speed: 14.9 kph
Terrain: Rolling

We rose early at the hostel to take advantage of a free breakfast and to get on the road early. It is nice to stay in a hostel that has a bunch of partiers in it. The 7 am free breakfast is usually empty. We shuttled our gear down the three flights of stairs to the street, snapped a few pictures and got to work getting out of the city. City riding is always an adventure, especially when you don’t have a clue where you are going and couldn’t even begin to ask someone for directions. We managed quite well with the expert guiding of my co-pilot and soon found ourselves on the highway heading out of town. The shoulder was huge so the riding wasn’t too nerve wracking. We even spent ten minutes passing cars as they sat in a construction zone. Our first break was a gas station/café. I thought a cappuccino sounded good so I went in to grab a couple. The lady behind the counter replied ‘nie, Nescafé’. I was suddenly down graded from a cappuccino to an instant coffee. Beggars can’t be choosers. We rode the highway for a little more until we managed to pitch off onto some frontage roads. We finally got to the turnoff to Jordanow and rode a great 19 km through river bottom land with stacks of hay standing like snowmen in the field. They actually looked more like cousin It from the Adam’s Family, but I digress. I think they stack the hay on small frames that help it dry faster and keep it off the ground. I haven’t figured out if it is put up for the winter from there.
We finally rolled into our little campground around 2:30 this afternoon. We were happy to find a nice clean, quiet, family campground. Around 4:00, fifty or so boys showed up as part of a school/tribe/release program. They are actually well behaved for fifty boys, but we happen to be camped next to the sand volleyball court, where a match has been going for the last 4 hours. It must be a sport group because there are soccer matches, ping pong matches, badminton matches, and volleyball matches all going on.
Tomorrow we head to southern Poland to a ski area. Looking at the maps and judging by all the cars with mountain bikes on top, it looks to be a great mountain biking area. I don’t know if we will ride anything or not, but our interest is piqued.
CK

Rain Delay

Day 319
Still in Krakow
Time: Less Than 10 Minutes
Distance: Less Than a Mile
Avg Speed: Slow
Terrain: Wet Pavé

We woke up to pouring rain, promptly went back to sleep, and stayed another day in Krakow. We did move our accommodations a few blocks to the main square. Our day wasn’t completely shot – we did a lot of people watching while we waited for our room. Then, a bit later while walking around, we were soaked when a passing golf cart (giving a city tour) purposely found a couple of big puddles to race through. Good thing we have quick-dry pants. Finally, we found some good, greasy Polish food. Nothing like pierogi, kielbasa, and vegetables cooking in heavy oil to make you feel like you’re in Europe.

Here’s to clearing skies,
LK

Auschwitz

Day: 318
Krakow to Oswiecem
Time: All Morning and most of the afternoon

Getting our luggage yesterday really helped us out keeping a schedule. Today we had wanted to get out to the town of Oswiecem and visit a pretty grim museum. Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum is a dark reminder of this area’s history during the occupation of Nazi forces in WWII. Leslie and I spent several hours guiding ourselves around the grounds and the restored blocks of Auschwitz. We viewed what atrocities occurred under the names of science, and genocide. For 5 years the camps murdered and cremated around 1.5 million people. These included Soviet POW’s, Gypsies, Poles, Czechs, Yugoslavs, French, Austrians, and Germans. The majority of the deaths were Jews. The actual tally is up for debate since most Jewish people who came in to Auschwitz never were registered; they were taken directly to the gas chamber and then cremated. I can’t even begin to describe what we saw today. One of the most haunting images was a room full of hair that had been cut off of dead women. The hair was then sold to a German textile mill to be used in the manufacturing of cloth. The hair on display weighed a disturbing 1950 kg. The prison block of personal effects was also disturbing containing thousands of pairs of eyeglasses, shoes, toothbrushes, hair and clothing brushes and artificial limbs. One of the quotes around the grounds is by the philosopher George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."If you are ever able to go see Auschwitz or read a book or watch a movie about the atrocities that occurred at these concentration camps please do. The hollow feeling that you get inside when you actually see what a human being is capable of doing to another human drives you to make sure that the world, your space, is a better and safer place for those around you.

CK

Only the Bags Know

Day 317
Krakow, Poland

Location: N 50˚ 03' 58.4'', E˚ 19 55' 46.3"

It’s happened to most travelers at one time – lost luggage. I’m not sure you ever really think it’s going to happen to you. When you arrive at the airport and watch your bags float off down the belt into the underworld, you just turn around and head to your gate. As you sit in your seat during the flight you’re thinking more about what drink to order than how your luggage is getting along in the cargo hold below. It isn’t until you’re the last person standing at baggage claim that you realize something went wrong.

Day 2 started without out our bags as they did not arrive last evening. We called first thing and got one of several different stories. I’m sure it must be frustrating to work in the lost luggage department at the airport. It wasn’t until later in the day that we remembered that Lufthansa employees are on strike. Maybe it’s just the baggage handlers.
We decided to stick around for awhile this morning just in case our luggage arrived. We read our books and took a few catnaps. We are still trying to catch up from lack of sleep during our flights. In between the shut-eye, I managed to start and finish The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I would definitely recommend it to everyone – it’s about following your dreams.
After lunch and a few more phone calls we were no closer to seeing our bags so we ventured out. Krakow has been pretty close to my mental map – interesting history, beautiful architecture, and vibrant people. Our goal for the afternoon was Wawel (pronounced vavel) Hill. Set on the banks of the Vistula (pronounced wisla) River, the hill is essentially a fortress with several structures inside. The most commanding building was the cathedral. Built in the 14th century, the copper and gold domed building was the coronation and burial place for Polish royalty for 400 years.
Upon our return we found no bags. Many things started to run through my mind, but before I got too far there was a knock on the door. Three bags had arrived and maybe the fourth bag would come today or tomorrow. Unfortunately, it was my gear bag that was still missing. Chris made a trip to the kitchen to get a beer and when he came back he had the last bag in hand. Apparently, it came with a different driver. At least we had something to drink to.
And so we ended the day on a very positive note and wondered where in the world those bags had been. I guess only the bags know…

LK

Nothing to Declare

Day: 316
Denver, Colorado USA to Krakow, Poland
Time: Too long
Distance: Too far

We left Denver yesterday at 10:30 am. Leslie’s family put together the going away caravan and shuttled us out to the airport. DIA was a breeze except for the liquids I forgot I had in my bag. The TSA people were nice and just took a look at them and let me on through security. You would think I had never done that before. We got to the ticket counter early and the United clerk was kind enough to bump us up to economy plus for free all the way to Munich. I always can use an extra couple of inches for my legs. We switched planes in Washington DC and flew through the night to Munich. I couldn’t sleep so I caught up on my movies. We landed in Munich 7:30 am local time and tracked down a little breakfast and coffee. Those thoughtful Germans had free coffee stations all over the place to help us get a little more caffeinated. After a three hour layover we boarded our last leg to Krakow. The flight was a little rough and the landing was a two hopper. It didn’t seem that windy, but if I were flying it I would have crashed and burned so I can’t complain. After landing and waiting for our luggage I learned my first Polish phrase: Moj bagaz zostal zagubiony. It translates to ‘my luggage has been lost’. Yes, for the first time on our trip we became detached from our luggage. The office for lost baggage had a very helpful lady working who took our information and promptly figured out where our luggage was. Our bags zigged when we zagged in Washington DC. They are supposed to be on a flight to Frankfurt and then on to Krakow tonight. We are keeping our fingers crossed. We did luck out and arrived in Krakow with a change of clothes, a desire for a little adventure and just in time to catch a professional bicycle race in the town square. We hung out there most of the evening watching a crit around the cobbles. We caught three wrecks in the corner we were in. One guy took a little while to get up and get moving. The others bounced up and headed back to the vans. I can’t imagine sliding across cobbles at 30 kph feels too good. I think I would have bailed as well.
We are looking forward to seeing our bikes and bags soon. Hopefully the airlines share our feelings.
CK

Europe Tour: The Final Clue

Day 315
Home Base to the Airport

Our summer break is over and it’s time to go back to work. Today we’re headed for Europe and the final leg of our ‘round the world journey. We’re pretty excited and anxious to get back on the road. There is a lot of history and culture waiting for us.
So finally we get down to the last clue. We didn’t pick our arrival city for a special reason. It was more about economics than a place on someone’s wish list. We knew we wanted to start in Eastern Europe and when this city in Poland popped up on the United Airlines route map, we said “why not?” If we’ve learned anything on this journey, it’s knowing that you can ride your bike just about anywhere and have a good time.
Ok, here we go…
Geography: in southern Poland on the Vistula River
History: was once the capital of Poland and attracted great scientists and artists from around the world; 50 km east of Auschwitz
Population: 800,000

If you know the answer (I’m guessing you do), click here to see more info on where we will start our European adventure.

Here’s to good drink, good food, old buildings, and a lot of cool history,
LK

Colorado Route Info: Crested Butte to Fairplay

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Colorado Route Info: Cedaredge to Crested Butte

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Colorado Route Info: Glenwood to Cedaredge

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Colorado Route Info: Glenwood to Vail

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Europe Tour: Clue #3

Day 308

We have just about a week to go until we leave for Europe. It’s probably time for another clue. I think we should narrow it down to the country.

Geography: largest country in Central (Eastern) Europe, bordered by 7 countries, the Baltic Sea and the Carpathian Mountains
Population\Culture: over 38 million, very few minorities
History: land and population severely affected by WWII, became Eastern Europe’s first free-trade union, assisted the US military in the Middle East by taking control of south central Iraq in September 2003.
Currency: Zloty

Follow this link to the answer (if you want to know):

Tour de France: Stage 17

Day 303


They’ve been calling it the “Queen Stage” of Le Tour. Over a distance of 210 kilometers, it has 15,000 feet of climbing and three historic cols; the Galibier, the Col de la Croix Fer, and the Alpe d’Huez. Each climb is rated HC, beyond category. It is THE day in the Tour de France.





Chris and I have been up since 4:30am watching today’s stage. As the riders approach each climb, the commentators review the grade. We’ve seen numbers like 5.9%, 5.2% and 8.6% and we sit and watch in amazement as these cyclists dance on the pedals like they’re floating.
In a few months we hope to ride some of these same climbs over a few days. We’ve been trying to get our minds around the steepness of the hills. I broke out some maps and we did a little simple math to compare a few Colorado passes to the ones in France. We’re in for it, that’s for sure. Our grind up Cottonwood Pass (2,700+ feet over 14 miles) is about ½ the steepness of what we’ll pedal in the Alps.

Here’s to granny gear,
LK

Colorado Route Info: Meeker to Glenwood Springs

Other Colorado Maps:
Overall Colorado Route
Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs

Europa Tour: Clue #2

Day 298

We’re in the midst of getting ready for Europe. Today we drug out the panniers and did a “practice pack”. Somehow, I didn’t fill all the bags up like I usually do. I must be getting good at this or I forgot a lot of things. We’ll soon find out soon.

I ran across a quote yesterday that I saved as part of our trip preparation. I’d like to share it because I think it fits some of the reflections I have toward our tour so far:
“The more you fail, the more you succeed. It is only when everything is lost
and – instead of giving up – you go on, that you experience the momentary
prospect of some slight progress. Suddenly you have the feeling – be it an
illusion or not – thatsomething new has opened up.” – Alberto Giacometti (1901- 1966)
And now for clue #2

I’ve been told that the first clue we gave about our European tour was pretty lame. I guess I’ll make the second one a little more interesting.

Let’s narrow it down to the region. We’ll be starting “behind the Iron Curtain”, an area where the boundaries were historically defined by the Cold War. The region has changed dramatically since 1989 and always challenges us to keep up with our geography.

If you think you know, follow this link to find out more.



Take care,
LK

All Over the Map

Day 294
Time: An Hour or So
Avg Speed: Single
Terrain: Dry Plains of Denver

About two months ago we published a blog entitled, “Ready or Not China, Here We Come”. Now after protests, an earthquake, major flooding, and the Olympics, we’ve decided that China is ready and we’re not. We can give you the list of reasons, but it basically boils down to one thing; we just didn’t have a good feeling about it.

So, where does that leave us? Well, it gives us more time in Europe. We have new tickets booked and we leave on August 5th. Where are we going? Well, we decided to have a little fun with you all on that one. In the spirit of the Today Show and their “Where in the World is Matt Lauer” segment, we will be keeping our destination a secret until we arrive. We’ll be sure to drop some hints and clues in upcoming blogs.
Here’s the first clue: we plan to ride from east to west.

Happy Monday,
LK

Colorado Tour: The Map

Here's the cartographic version of the Colorado Tour...

The Colorado Tour in Review

Day 291
Location: Littleton Homestead

We’ve returned to our home base in Littleton. We’ve got most of the laundry done and we’re getting ready to detail the bikes. The Colorado Tour was awesome and we’re so thankful to all of our friends and family who helped us along the way. A home-cooked meal, a bed, a shuttle, or a honk and wave can make all the difference.

Here are the numbers for the last seven weeks:

Days on the Bike/Road: 42/49
Total Bicycle Miles: 960 (includes singletrack days)
Total Bicycle Time: 100 hours, 10 minutes
Average Speed: 9.6 mph

Biggest Day: No Name to Paonia Reservoir (over McClure Pass), 6 hours, 59 miles
Highest Elevation: Cottonwood Pass (12,126 ft/Continental Divide)

Counties: 14
Mountain Passes: 7
Continental Divide Crossings: 2

Stay tuned for maps…

LK

Day 289: Buena Vista to Fairplay

Time: 3:54:45
Distance: 37.05 miles
Avg Speed: 9.4 mph
Terrain: hillier than expected

We got up early in Buena Vista this morning. Our goal was to get rolling early so we could load up on calories at the local café on the way out of town. Bongo Billy’s café didn’t disappoint with a good breakfast burrito, great scone and strong coffee. We slowly got out of town and decided to stop right by the prison for a photo op of Mt. Princeton. We then got on the road for the 14 mile climb up Trout Creek Pass. The climb went by quite smoothly and it was only disrupted by some conversion van that decided to buzz us. If I had written the plate numbers down they would be getting a visit from the Highway Patrol (yes it was that bad). I don’t think that people realize what would happen if they actually made contact with a cyclist (picture bug on a windshield). Leslie and I both have a deal with each other that if either one of us get hit, the other is to sue, sue, sue.
On a happier note, we finished up our Colorado tour today and Leslie’s dad was kind enough to meet us in Fairplay for a celebratory Subway sandwich before hauling our sore butts back down to Denver. It was nice to not have to run the gauntlet on Hwy. 285 any further. Leslie and I were both a little melancholy as we rolled the last mile to the meeting place. We were both excited to have done a tour like we did, but were sad that we had to move on to other things. We all piled in the truck after mowing down a couple of $5 foot longs. The ride to Denver went quickly since there wasn’t any traffic to speak of. We even made a pit stop at Coney Island for an ice cream on our way through Bailey. If you haven’t seen Coney Island, it is the giant hot dog shaped stand on the side of the road. It had resided in Aspen Park for 40 years before being loaded on a truck and hauled to its existing resting place further up the road. It was a nice way to cap off the trip with a little bit of old school Colorado.
We can now unwind our bodies and dry and unpack our camping gear before wrapping our minds around the next step.
Did I mention that Colorado is the best place out there? It is.
CK

Interview with a Guest Cyclist

Day 288
San Isabel NF camp to Buena Vista
Time: 1:01:00
Distance: 17.3 miles
Avg Speed: 16.9 mph
Terrain: Downhill
Location: N 38 50' 33.3", W 106 7' 56.8"

We finished the last part of our tour in less than an hour today. A 15 mile downhill will help with that. There was no “wet tent put away” this morning as we woke to a brilliant blue sky and were able to pack up camp in a timely fashion. After some oatmeal and coffee we bombed our way down to the Cottonwood Hot Springs. Scott knew the place well and we really enjoyed a good soak to sooth our tired legs.
The rest of the ride to “Buenie” was a breeze and we arrived in town around lunch. Food was the first order of business (as usual). Scott has been pretty amazed at the amount of groceries consumed on a bicycle tour. After lunch we found ourselves a nice, local motel and got cleaned up. We’ve been without a shower for over a week…
The afternoon was spent relaxing and reliving different parts of the last three days. We thoroughly enjoyed having Scott tour with us. To get a feel for what he thought of traveling by bicycle, we asked him a few questions over a very tasty steak dinner. Here’s what we found out:

LK&CK: What were your most favorite and least favorite parts of the tour?
SF:
Most Favorite: - Cottonwood Pass, Larry and Darian and their hospitality
Least favorite: the rain

LK&CK: What was the most exciting experience?
SF: The hail storm after descending the pass (luckily we were sitting under a tarp)

LK&CK: What gear did you find yourself wishing you had? What gear could you have done without?
SF:
Gear needed: heavier coat
Gear not needed: 75% of the rest of my clothes

LK&CK: What was your favorite thing to eat in the last three days?
SF: Huevos Rancheros ala Darien

SF on the Cottonwood Pass Experience: “it is like climbing a 14er – you have to put your mind in that far away place and just decide to go to the top”

LK&CK: What song got stuck on your head on the 14 mile climb?
SF: The Flobots – “Handlebars”

LK&CK: Now that you’ve done your first bicycle tour, where would you go on your own tour?
SF: Grand Tetons and Yellowstone

Here’s to sharing life experiences with good friends,
LK

Roof of the Rockies

Day 287
Lottis Creek Campground to San Isabel National Forest
Time: 3:51:00
Distance:26.8 miles
Avg Speed: 6.9 mph
Terrain: High Mountain Pass
Location: N 38 48 28.3, W 106 23 33.1

Today we climbed the highest pass yet on our trip. In fact, it’s the highest we’ve toured over. It was extra special since we have our latest guest cyclist, Scott, with us. We always enjoy having someone along for the ride.

The day started out with rain and we were a little worried about our chances of getting over Cottonwood Pass. We had a breakfast date with our campsite neighbors around 8:30 and decided to wait and see what the weather had in store. We soon forgot about the rain as hot plates of huevos rancheros came out rv door. We enjoyed more time with our new friends as we filled our bellies with the delicious meal. After the third cup of coffee, the sun started to poke through the clouds and we headed back to our tents to start packing.
By 10:30 we said goodbye to Larry and Darian and started the ride towards Taylor Reservoir. We gave them hugs and felt so thankful for the quality time we had spent with them.
After thirty minutes in the cool, crisp air we had made our way to the dam at Taylor Reservoir. The Sawatch Range and the Colligiate Peaks lay before us. Man, I love Colorado!
After a quick stop to refill our water, we made our way to the bottom of Cottonwood Pass – 14 miles to the top. Scott sprinted ahead and after the first couple of miles we figured he was already having lunch on top. A little bit later we caught up with him as he was having a gel. We all needed that kind of “go juice” today as we climbed to over 12,000 ft. A few more miles through the pine forest brought us to a much needed lunch break. I’m sure all of us were looking at our cycle computers trying to calculate how much time it would take to make the pass. We probably should have been thinking of other things. The mozzies kept lunch to the bare minimum and we started out again at the 4 mph pace. As the calories kicked in, I started to feel really good. The views of the pass opened up and I felt like I was dancing on the pedals. I stopped below the pass to wait for Chris and Scott. The big guy rolled up first and we discussed our options. We’d leave it up to Scott as to whether we’d stop for the day or continue on. When we posed the question he said – “ No way, we’re going to the top!”
The final 30 minutes of the long haul brought us to the roof of the Rockies. I was so excited for Scott and rode behind him to get as many pictures as possible. I wanted to have some good documentation of his first ascent to the Continental Divide.
The clouds held off for some family photos at the pass. We lingered just long enough to soak in the accomplishment and then donned rain gear for the descent. We found a great bush camp about 1,500 ft below the summit and quickly configured the bikes so that we could set up the tarp. Hail started to pelt down and we rushed to huddle under the shelter. The hail lasted for almost an hour and when it was all said and done it looked like Christmas in July. Chris and I had the pleasure of setting our tent up on two inches of frozen rain pebbles.
We are now snuggled down in our bags with thoughts of hot springs and steaks tomorrow…

Here’s to crossing the Divide,
LK

Three for the Road

Day 286
Lake Irwin CG to Lottis Creek CG
Time: 3:23:00
Distance: 37.0 miles
Avg Speed: 10.9 mph
Terrain: Flat/Rolling
Location: N 38 46 28.5, W 106 37 39.8

Guest cyclist #3 has joined us for the last few days of our Colorado tour. He probably picked the hardest part of the trip. Luckily, he probably also picked the most scenic.

We said goodbye to Scott’s fiancé after breakfast. Heather was a bit emotional and it was almost like he was going off to war. Hopefully, riding with us isn’t like doing battle. We had a downhill, but very bumpy ride into Crested Butte. The Kebler Pass road is notorious for washboards and this year is no different. It was such a rough ride for Scott that his little yellow B.O.B flag wiggled out and is lost somewhere on the side of the road.
As we hit town we took a right and headed down Highway 135. It was a beautiful morning and Mt Crested Butte was awash in the early sunlight. The gradient was in our favor as we headed down towards the Jacks Cabin Cutoff, a short cut to the Taylor River Valley. The bonanza of wildflowers kept us occupied as we pedaled the hardest climb of the day.
By taking the Jacks cutoff we found ourselves 8 miles up the Taylor River. We saved ourselves a few miles and more time on a busy highway. I had never been up this valley and really enjoyed riding along the river. The granite rock formations reminded me of being in the Poudre Canyon. It’s amazing how diverse the landscapes can be in such a small area. Just an hour before, we were gawking at the volcanic peaks around Crested Butte.
Around hour three we decided to wrap it up for the day. We wanted to save our legs for the big grind up Cottonwood Pass tomorrow. We cruised into Lottis Creek CG about 1:30. We must have sensed something about the weather because it started to rain about ten minutes after we had camp set up. As we crawled into our tents, the woman from the next camp over offered up the awning on their RV. They were headed out for a few hours and didn’t mind if we hung out on their “porch”. It was a really kind gesture and little did we know that it was just the beginning of the generosity to come.
After a short nap, Chris and I headed over to the RV. Chris cooked up the usual post-ride meal while a light rain sifted down. We roused Scott out of the “biv” and warmed ourselves with soup and hot tea. We lingered on into the afternoon and the hosts returned to find us still occupying their chairs. They were more than happy to share their campsite and we talked for quite awhile. As we thanked them and started to go back to our camp, they insisted that we cook dinner with their equipment and stay for s’mores. It was so easy to be around Larry and Darian, they had wonderful stories and were really interested in our travels.
After we ate our dinner, Larry built a fire and the weather allowed us to enjoy the evening. The stories lasted well past dark and it was hard for Chris to tear himself away. I can’t blame him, our little campsite just didn’t have the same atmosphere. Before we left, Darian invited us for huevos rancheros in the morning. I stuttered a little, but Chris said “we’ll be over between 8:15 and 8:30…”.
As we walked to our tent I was just overwhelmed with the hospitality of our camp neighbors. I think our new friend Larry was right – people are basically good, you just have to give them the opportunity.

Thankful for the charmed life we lead,
LK

Rest in the High Alpine Air

Days 283-285
Lake Irwin CG


Recap:
Day 283 – A day of soaking up the sun and watching the clouds go by. Chris summed up the mood of the day by wishing that we could have gathered all of our friends and family and shared the beauty of our surroundings. We ended the day sharing bicycle touring stories with Dennis and Karen – very wonderful people.


Day 284 – We fulfilled our singletrack goal by riding the Snodgrass loop from camp. We stopped in town to enjoy the 4th of July Parade. Our favorite group was the crew from Gothic. Who else can make clothes out of skunk cabbage leaves?


Day 285 – Shared the day with our good friends, Scott and Heather. We loved having them join us for the holiday weekend. Good food and lots of laughs.

O-High-O

Day 282
Gunnison to Lake Irwin CG (Above Crested Butte)
Time: 4:32:00
Distance: 33.2 miles
Avg Speed: 7.3 mph
Terrain: Rolling with a pass
Location: N 38 52 51.7, W 107 06 28.3

Recap: Today we made our way up to Crested Butte. We decide to go the way of the Ohio Creek Valley and Ohio Pass. The views were absolutely gorgeous. The traffic was light and I’m guessing that most people bypass this route for the direct shot on Hwy 135.
The pass was pretty steep and I felt very humbled as our speed dropped below 3 mph at various points. We were rolling a bit heavy with a few days worth of food.
We made it to camp before the rain and while we set up the tent we chatted with a couple who had passed us on the road. Interestingly, they had racked up over 50,000 miles over several years of bicycle touring!

LK

Chain Break

Day 281
Hartman Rocks
Time: 3:08:00
Distance: 29.97 miles
Avg Speed: 9.5 mph
Terrain: Crushed granite and sagebrush

Recap: We started out to ride Hartman Rocks and Chris’ chain broke with five minutes on the first climb. After a quick trip to town to get a new chain and cassette (at Tune-Up), we enjoyed a multi-hour ride in one of the most unique mountain biking areas in the state.

LK

Gunny

Day 280
Blue Mesa Lake (west end) to Gunnison
Time: 2:52:00
Distance: 31.2 miles
Avg Speed: 11.0 mph
Terrain: Rolling Along a Large Body of Water
Location: 38˚ 31’ 45.67” N, 106˚ 56’ 47.33” W

The ride to Gunnison today gave me cause for celebration. In honor of Colorado Bike Month, I have ridden my bicycle everyday in June. Yehaw – it was definitely a challenge.

We arrived in “Gunny” around noon today and it was h-o-t-t. It was quite a contrast from the average January temperatures of -7. The town is known for very cold winters and it’s never surprising to see -40 on the news. Western State College has nickname of “Wasted State” for a reason.
After setting up camp at the KOA we pedaled into town for some lunch. To our surprise we spotted a few streets with dedicated bike lanes! I guess it just caught us off guard. Cycling is very much part of the culture in this part of Colorado. The town boasts three awesome bike shops – we visited two of them after lunch. Rock and Roll had a decent section dedicated to climbing – I’m guessing it was Chris’ personal favorite.
Gunnison is the county seat for its namesake county and is located 200 miles from Denver. It lies at the confluence of the Gunnison and Tomichi Rivers and sits at an elevation of 7,700 ft. Sagebrush covered hills surround the town and you can’t miss the big white “W” to the southeast. Gunnison is the largest town in a county that is comprised of 78% federal land. Tourism, education, and ranching provide the economic bases for the area. Crested Butte is next in line according to population and provides a whole pile of snow in the winter for skiers and snowboarders. The resort also provides a lot of tax revenue in terms of real estate with a (2005) median home price of $830,000 – wow! As in most resort towns in Colorado, Gunnison is at or above the national average when it comes to cost of living. As we know, it’s usually more about quality of life than dollars and cents.
Tomorrow we’re off to Hartman Rocks and another round of sweet singletrack. We’re looking forward to crossing another great place to ride off the list. Stay tuned for details.
Hope everything is well and good in your part of the world,
LK

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know

Day: 279
Cedaredge to Blue Mesa Reservoir
Time: 3:21
Distance: 33.8 miles
Avg Speed: 10.1 mph
Terrain: Rolling
Location: 38 27' 16.26" N, 107 19' 40.25" W

We left Cedaredge early this morning. Leslie and I had been staying at my grandmother’s for a few days and had a great visit. We had very nice stay with her. She is always such an inspiration to me since she doesn’t get around very well any more. Does she let that stop her? No way, in fact she surprised Leslie and I with rice krispie treats and made us spaghetti and sauce one night. She always would get after me if I would try and help her with something while she was doing it.
I ran to the store before we left to get Leslie and I some groceries. I offered to get grandma some donuts while I was there (she loves donuts) so I grabbed some for Leslie and I as well (I love donuts too). After our donut break and few photos we rolled on down to my brother’s, a whole 5 blocks away. We loaded our bikes into his car and piled the whole family in so he could run us on the gauntlet of a highway to Hotchkiss. He actually dropped us off past Crawford which cut out a lot of boring highway riding. After a quick goodbye we pedaled off towards Blue Mesa Reservoir. I thought the road we were on would be a lot busier since it is the biggest body of water in the state of Colorado, but we had very few cars to interrupt our rubber necking of the nice scenery. After a couple of hours riding we rode past the view point for the Curecanti Needle. It is a large rock pyramid that rises up from the middle of the Black Canyon. One of my favorite pictures is of my Grandpa Jack climbing the needle while he was a student at Western State in Gunnison. After snapping a few photos we headed on to our campsite for the night near the western dam of the reservoir. We were supposed to call Leslie’s cousin to come and meet us when we got here. He and his wife live in Montrose which is nearby, and he has been a real positive force for us while we have been traveling. He regularly emails us, so we were looking forward to seeing him. I had never met him and when a red car pulled up not too long after we arrived, I asked Leslie if that was him. Sure enough he timed it perfect and we had a nice chat with him and his wife. A little bit later their son and his girlfriend showed up and our little campsite became the place to be. After an hour or so of talking I asked if it would be alright if I made some soup for Leslie and me. Why make soup when there is a cooler full of fruit, cookies and hot dogs in the car? I couldn’t argue with that so we set up our picnic table and built a fire to roast some weenies. We had a nice meal and great chat with everyone before they left to get back to the city.
I love the touring in Colorado. It has been more about riding from friend to friend and family to family rather than the actual touring. Don’t get me wrong, we love the touring, but seeing all of our people has been an added bonus that makes us feel at home on the road.
CK

A Bike Ride

Day 278
Cedaredge
Time: 10 minutes
Distance: 5 laps
Avg Speed: Kid speed


There are many ways to go on a bike ride. It can be with skinny tires on the blacktop or knobby tires on the dirt. It can vary in length. Some go quickly after work while others set off for hours. A ride can be solitary or a group affair. It can be a chance to escape or a time to catch up.
My life has been full of bike rides. My first adventures were done by linking driveways in the cul-de-sac where my house sat. My sister and I would ride for hours back and forth, and somehow, we never got bored. As the years have passed my legs have gotten longer, but my love for bicycles has always remained.
Tonight I went for a bike ride with my niece. We decided on five laps in a counter-clockwise direction around the block. We cruised for about ten minutes and enjoyed the quietness of the evening; me in my red shoes and she with her purple tassels. As we parked the bikes and headed inside, I smiled as I remembered those days when I was young. One thing hasn’t changed – it always feels good to go for a bike ride.
LK

Little Ropeguns

Day: 275
Cedaredge to GJ and back
Time: Most of the day

In climbing circles a ropegun is a climber who always gets the hardest pitches and always climbs them in style, without falls, flaws, or faults.

After shaking off the concert from last night Leslie and I rose early to go hang out with our nieces for the day. Leslie went down early while I hung out a little with my grandma for breakfast. I went down a little later and found Leslie and the girls finishing up the breakfast dishes. We hung out a little bit longer and then headed on over to the big city of Grand Junction. Our oldest niece had some birthday money burning a hole in her pocket and had her eye on a new iPod Nano. I guess that is the new walkman, so I can’t argue since I had a walkman her age. After her big purchase we headed over for a little lunch so the girls could get loaded up for our date at the climbing gym. After letting our lunches settle a little bit we made our way over to the climbing gym so the girls could get their climbing on. Leslie and I both became belay slaves as the girls hammered out lap after lap on the climbing walls. The real excitement came when they both ended up in the bouldering cave and strutted their stuff. The younger niece was working on a problem which required her to dyno up to a hold she couldn’t quite reach. A dyno is where a climber throws their body upwards propelling themselves with their arms and legs while balanced on holds. She would just reach her hold which got her to the bottom of the roof. After that it involved her climbing up under the corner of the roof and making a long exposed reach to the finishing hold in the middle. Needless to say Leslie and I were very impressed. The older niece took a little bit to figure out the problem, but after a try or two put the moves together and grabbed the finishing jug only to slip off with a belly flop on to the mat. Her moment of grace was a long sustained overhanging climb on small holds. The first time she attempted it she made it half way up before slipping off and doing a giant pendulum out into space. Her second attempt I told her I wanted her to focus and tag the top. She replied “Oh, I’m tagging the top!” She did, without a slip and without a rest. I think Leslie and I have our little ropeguns.
CK

Are You Derek’s Brother?

Day 274
Paonia Reservoir to Cedaredge
Time: 4:49:00
Distance: 52.9
Avg Speed: 11.0
Terrain: Reservoirs, River Valleys, and Mesas
Location: 38°53'47.5"N, 107°55'34.08"W

It’s the classic question when you get to the land of the Kehmeiers; “are you Derek’s brother?” Yesterday we were on the homestretch coming over Cedar Mesa, we were out of water and not looking forward to the last few miles of pedaling. After climbing the last hill, we rode around the corner and a woman walked out into the road. I was out of earshot, but Chris gave me the recap of the inquiry, “are you Derek’s brother?” Turns out that Heather is a friend of our sister-in-law (Derek’s wife Dasha) and had been looking for us all morning. She was really excited to see us and was kind enough to make us each a very refreshing glass of ice water. If only she knew how much that H20 made our day. Our arrival in Cedaredge at 1pm wasn’t the end of three days of hard riding, it was only the beginning.
And now, here’s the rest of the story…
About ten days ago we found out that Joe Cocker was giving a benefit concert in Hotchkiss on the same day we arrived in Cedaredge. We had to ride through Hotchkiss anyway but couldn’t figure out how to get our destination after dark on the bikes. Oh well, we thought, perhaps the stars would align another time. Fast forward to last weekend and an exciting voicemail from our sister-in-law. Sure enough, Chris’ brother had scored VIP tickets to the concert and wondered if we could join them. They weren’t particularly excited, but I was downloading the greatest hits while Chris worked out the details on the phone. We lead a charmed life, that’s for sure.

After a shower and a short nap we found ourselves again in Hotchkiss. The town was a buzz with all walks of life. From the beautiful people, to those who looked like they had been left out in the sun too long, the crowd filtered down to the Delta County Fairgrounds for a chance to spend the evening with one of rock and roll’s greatest legends. The Subdudes opened the show and get everyone loosened up. As they jammed out their mix of blues, rock and funk, I was captivated by the scene. The grandstands, the blue sky, the mountains, and the hometown crowd – it doesn’t get any more Colorado than this.
As night fell, Joe took the stage and electrified the crowd. He played well into the night and I had to pinch myself a few times to believe I was there. My favorite song was well worth the wait. I have to think it would be a great theme song for the last year of my life and I really believe that “I get by with a little help from my friends…”
You are (all) so beautiful to me,
LK

Chains and Chains, Rivers and Passes

Day: 271 to 273
Vail to Paonia Reservoir
Time: Day 272-4:11 Day 273- 6:00
Distance: Day 272-53.23 miles Day 273-59.25 miles
Avg Speed: Day 272-12.7 mph Day 273-9.9 mph
Terrain: Flat and Rolling

I am going to combo a few days on this blog. Day 271 was Saturday for us and we celebrated by volunteering with some friends to help clean up the top of the Vail Bike Path. It is an annual event that brings out about 20 people to help clear the top five miles of the pass from a winter’s worth of garbage. Our group of four got mile #2 and we set out quickly with our orange bags and vests clearing any and all garbage in sight. This year the organizers decided to recycle all the metal that we gathered off the road. Our friend John helped by driving Vail Pass and picking up the little piles we made for him. The biggest contributor of metal this year was the trucking industry. In our section we hauled out at least 20 sets of tire chains. When all was said and done John had around a ton of metal in his truck ready for the recycle man. I would say that 90% of that was tire chains. After the clean up we gathered back in Vail and rallied for a ride on the North Trail. The trail starts right in town on the north side of the valley and switch backs its way up the hills. We had nice cool weather and dry conditions as we wound our way up. Our friends Sean and Scott joined us for the ride. Once at the top we had the decision to either return the way we came or have a rocky descent into the creek bottom. Sean elected to return the way we came and Scott, Leslie and I did the descent. We all survived the descent just fine but on the climb back out Scott caught his rear derailleur on a rock and snapped it off. After fiddling with it for awhile we decided that he was going to have make his bike into a kick bike and walk it on up hills and coast or kick his way down. We survived with flying colors and Scott now is the proud owner of a multi thousand dollar kick bike.
The next day Leslie and I were leaving the comforts of Vail and heading to Glenwood Springs. I guess I should back up here and say that before we could leave town we were scheduled to be on the local TV channel’s Sunday morning show. We weren’t too sure what to expect so we tried to go in with pretty open minds. The interview only lasted a few minutes and all went well until the host asked us if anything funny happened while we were on the road. I couldn’t help but sharing our Laos brothel experience. She didn’t miss a beat and looked right at Leslie and said “I bet you were popular there”. She then added for all the viewers that if you are in Laos and you try to check in a ‘resort’ be careful because you might get more than you bargained for.
After that we got on the road and had our second guest rider of the trip. Our good friend Jennie rode with us for 10 miles or so before she peeled off and headed back home. I think Leslie and her had a good time chatting it up on the bike path the whole time. The ride was great on the way the Glenwood until we got to the canyon and figured out that the bike path was still closed due to high water. Luckily we were able to ride quite a ways and have our friend Andrew come pick us up at a rest stop. It worked out really well since we were staying at he and his wife’s place that night. When we got home we were immediately fed and watered (I guess beered would be a better word) and put in the shade to rest before dinner. Nothing like bouncing from friends to friends to really make a bike tour comfortable.
After a great nights sleep we got on the road towards Paonia Reservoir. The ride took us on a rail trail, through historic Redstone and Marble and up and over McClure Pass.
I even had a run in with a dog in Carbondale while the day was still young. He decided that my foot looked good to bite, so he did. I came out of the altercation a lot better than he did though. We rolled into Redstone around lunch and stopped at the Redstone General Store for a little food before the pass. We had a nice relaxing break and were pleasantly surprised by the small town hospitality. The cook in the store filled up our bottles and decided that they looked a little dingy so she washed them for us. It was a great note to get back out on the road to. We passed Marble at the foot of the pass and settled in for an hour long slog for the three miles up to the top. At the top the rain started so we donned our rain gear for the descent to the reservoir. We had heard that there was a private campground near that dam so we decided that we would stay there. Imagine our surprise when we learned that it had been sold and was now closed to the public! We really didn’t want to ride back the four miles uphill to the campground we passed earlier so we ducked into a picnic area to mull it over. The picnic area happened to be the home of the campground hosts so after researching our options with him, he said that if we wanted to wait an hour he would drive us back up there. He had to go check the campgrounds and would be happy to give us a ride. He and his wife even filled up all of our water containers so we wouldn’t have to filter.
Hospitality is alive and well in Colorado!!
CK