Any. Other. Day. Tom rides ahead of me and patiently waits until I catch up. He never complains. Today I had the chance to wait on him! Not sure if it was the bag of Sour Patch Kids or that we had overcast skies during our climb, but I actually cycled up front today on our climb.
There were scattered showers today and our Montana farmers need rain badly. Today we cycled through beautiful bucolic fields before hitting the high ground.
We are camping at Swan Lake tonight and didn’t anticipate any services but found a wonderful RV Park with a local tavern less than. 200 feet away. It was taco Wednesday tonight so you know… we did that. And a pork chop sammie.
Heading to Holland Lake tomorrow. Fingers crossed. 🤞🏻
This morning’s ride provided one of the most fun gravel riding experiences yet on the descent from Red Meadow Lake. Downhill, twisty turny roads with a few obstacles to avoid every now and then. Both of us were out of our seats all the way down keeping our feet at 9 and 3. (thanks to Sally and Liv). And again, the scenery did not disappoint.
The highlight of the day, however was meeting Deb and Marilyn who were scouting huckleberry patches. They picked and rinsed a healthy portion for us to eat a trail breakfast and even gave us quick huckleberry picking lesson. I could have stayed there all morning. Searching for the berries is addicting although more go in my mouth than in the bucket.
The riding was easy and short today. We stopped back in Whitefish for a pizza for lunch. It might be the first time I’ve eaten more than Tom. He does have one more piece stashed for tomorrow. Hummm I’m sure he’ll pull it out before noon. He’s known for stashing leftovers.
Many friends and family ask about the bears. Yep they live in the woods especially around these parts. Both of us carry bear spray right in the cockpit and we make a LOT of noise on the trail. I think you heard evidence of that yesterday with the mountain melody. Food is stored safely in bear boxes and we don’t cook at the campsite.
Tonight’s campsite is in an RV park…Not quite the view that last night’s had but we do have clean clothes and full bellies from town food. And that works nicely for us.
Aiming for Swan Lake tomorrow. We’ll see what we get!
Today we finally feel like we are riding the Great Divide. The scenery, the elevation and of course, we are beginning to give our legs something to think about.😉
The day started a little helter skelter when we heard the sprinkler system going off early in the city park before they were scheduled to go off. We found out from Kai his sprinklers started at 3am. He immediately evacuated to a dry spot.
We were on our way quickly enough, however and chose Red Meadow Lake as our destination for the day.
There’s plenty of water to filter up here so we didn’t have to carry so much. Our Sawyer water filter is super easy to use, inexpensive, and lightweight. And oh did that cold water quench our thirst.
Chunky roads on Whitefish Divide made for a little tougher going, definitely on the inclines but also on the descent as there was so much shaking. Gotta tell you though, it was a lot of fun bombing down those hills when it wasn’t chunky rock.
And who doesn’t like to have a little fun in the middle of a climb. #eternalsoundofmusicfan #debonthemic
Then at the end of the day, the route challenged us with a 15 mile climb to Red Meadow Pass. Let’s put it this way, I’m not fast enough to out cycle the horseflies, mosquitoes and bees. It was pretty uncomfortable the last two miles where it was steepest but when we turned the corner, and saw spectacular Red Meadow Lake we knew the order of business would be to filter more water, jump in the lake to bathe, eat dinner and stow food in the bear box.
We pretty much dove into our tent as quickly as possible, murdered the mosquitoes that followed us in and called it a night. Stellar stargazing and crisp mountain air made for a lovely tent fly free evening.
Tomorrow we head back down toward Whitefish and Columbia Falls.
It seems like we’ve been gone a month already but it’s only been four days. 😂 Happy July 4th everyone! 🇺🇸❤️🤍💙
Going to try to squeeze four days of pre ride events into one post. And we have internet access here while camping in the city park and not sure if we will have it again for the next couple days so there’s that.
For the benefit of future riders (and as a way to journal our bike adventures) here’s how we found our way to the start line of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in 2021. Remember… it usually starts in Banff but well you know… COVID. This year southbound riders started at the border of Canada. 🇨🇦
For the first time ever on an extended bike tour we were able to leave from our house, ride to our daughter’s house and then catch the Amtrak to Chicago at 6:30 am.
After a three hour layover in Chicago we were in it to win it for a 36 hour train ride to Whitefish – Coach class. Like steerage on the Titanic 🚢 😂
Honestly tho, Amtrak is a reasonable solution for getting your body and your bike to the start of your ride.
Coach Class. Wouldn’t have it any other way. We met some fascinating peeps and appreciate fresh bed linens even more. You can find pics in the vid of Lance and Vince. Too bad I didn’t get one of Tammy, a bada$$ half iron man finisher, Helena cattle rancher, mom and grandma. She taught us why you want to keep bull snakes around the farm and more about best practices in farming.
Vince, on the other hand spun a yarn about how a rattlesnake jumped off a rock and bit his buddy while riding by on his bike. #ikidyounot Thanks for that bit of advice, Vince. 😊
Once in Whitefish we took a day to poke around town at a community art fair, visit a local brewery (thanks Lauren), hold puppies, get some trail food and a good night’s sleep. And oh yea, we even hit up Mass on Saturday night.
Early Sunday on July 4th we took off from Whitefish on bikes and headed north for the border. It was a perfect day for riding – a little warm in the afternoon but just about perfect.
This guy is FINISHING his northbound ride tomorrow! It’s Kai’s last night of the ride and our first. Pretty amazing… we had a nice long chat. He shared lots of stories for which we were grateful. I asked the most important thing he learned over the last month. He said #waitforit “Don’t ride with your mouth open.” He got stung today in the mouth. Of all days. Ouch! Kai also mentioned that if your bike starts making funny noises just turn the music up. Alrighty then! Thanks Kai!
Free camping in the city park, Internet access, and a 24 hour gas station right across the street. What more could we ask for? 🤷🏼♀️. Maybe flushers? 🚽
In keeping with tradition we got the whole crew (all 19.5 of us) together for dinner before we left.
Grandchild #6 is due in late September. We aim to be back well before then so if we’re not, dispatch the cavalry. 🆘🐎
Per usual we ask a lot of questions and seek advice from fellow riders. Everyone is super friendly and eager to help and we in turn, love to share as well.
Although we have a few bike tours under our belt and have cycled a lot longer distance, cycling the Great Divide is like nothing we’ve ever attempted.
But I always say…
If you only do what you know you can do, you don’t do very much. 💁🏼♀️
The fam had some advice to share and we’d like to share with other riders. You’re welcome.
I mean… there’s a lot of folks on bike tours right now. #postCOVID Maybe they can benefit as well. #sharingiscaring
Click on the image below to view the video.
We’re on our way… finally
We’re going to miss our family, friends and neighbors. And we keep wondering… what person or place will inspire our next adventure. We have a few more states to hit and we haven’t cycled in Europe, Asia or South America yet. Australia? Iceland? #opentotravel
If you’re following along, thanks! More to come… we’re finally on our way.
Since our July 1 departure date for the Great Divide Mountain Bike Ride will be here before we know it, we’ve been out riding our Cuttys in southern Indiana most weekends where there are a few more hills. I mean… central Indiana is flat and although southern Indiana has a few climbs nothing around here can adequately prepare us for 150,000+feet of climbing coming in July and August.
Just ridin’ in the cold…Hoosier National Forest, Deam Wilderness
So, part of preparation will be the ride itself. We’ve learned from past rides that gradually building up mileage on extended bike tours with lots of climbing works better than going all out on Day One. Thinking about the Appalachian Gravel Growler here. #mistakesweremade
We’ve also been putting together our packing lists and to see how much weight we can cut from our 2018 cross country ride along the Northern Tier. I mean… who wants to haul a bunch of weight up all these mountain passes?
Since the Canadian border is still closed, we’ll start at the red line.
Tom’s list:
Salsa Cutthroat: 24 pounds Bags and Gear: 31 pounds (does not include food and water) Total: 55 pounds Click here for itemized list
Tom’s UnpackedTom’s Packed
Deb’s List:
Salsa Cutthroat: 24 pounds Bags and Gear: 26 pounds (does not include food and water) Total: 50 pounds Click here for itemized list
Deb’s UnpackedDeb’s Packed
What’s different on this trip?
New bikes. New bags. No kitchen. No inner tubes. No camp chair. *sigh
2018
2021
The above isn’t entirely accurate for our 4,200 mile Norther Tier ride in 2018. I had an extra set of panniers sent from home to Whitefish, MT and added to the front of my bike. It was more difficult pulling weight on the back than having it evenly distributed. #lessonlearned
We switched to a tubeless tire setup which is a plus since more than 70% of the roads we’ll cycle on are unpaved and although scenic, a bit ratty. What’s the big deal if we get sprayed with a little sealant if we puncture a tire?
And we won’t be carrying a kitchen. What? You ask, no kitchen? What will you eat? Apparently there are enough local restaurants or resupply stops we can eat on the fly or purchase food to consume (but not cook) later. Basically we will have nothing to do all day but ride our bikes. So no excuses for old Deb to quit early to set up the kitchen.
When you car camp you bring supplies for Pudgy Pies.
Tom’s replaced nearly all of the components on both of our Cutthroats, so we are ready to roll. There’s definitely a benefit to riding the same model bikes.
When it rains, he tunes up bikes. #winner
Besides riding bikes we’ve been up to a few more shenanigans including home brewing with our buds, growing into hydroponic gardening and taking groovy pics of our bikes.
Basically we’re just a couple of shenanigators waiting on that train.
Four months from today we board an Amtrak train and ride to Whitefish, MT where we will purchase a few provisions and ride our bikes about 60 miles north to the Canadian border, do an about face and then hop on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
Alas, we won’t be going up to Canada. Not this trip anyway.
I mean anything could happen and we’re not counting it out, but at some point ya gotta start making plans. Two one-way train tickets purchased. ✅
Lest we get too soft now that we are in our early 60’s, or in case we forget what it’s like to live in a tent for more than a couple days, we took a two week excursion to the Florida panhandle. It wasn’t warm, but there was sunshine! And it wasn’t like we were roughing it although Tom used his phone as a hot spot so he could work. All good!
Pandemic work-at-home started for me on March 17th. I’d been spinning regularly at Lifetime Fitness 3-5 times per week riding 20 miles in each class. So I woke up on March 17 at my usual 4:35am and told Deb since I am no longer going to the gym, I need to get my 20 miles in outside. I put the lights on the bike and headed out at 5am.
Little did I know I would miss only two days of riding between that day and the Trans Indiana 250 on September 26, 2020. The Trans Indiana 250 was the inaugural ride across Indiana designed by Kyle Lagemann. Deb and I saw it posted on Facebook in early 2020 and kicked around bikepacking it over two days. As the year went by we mentioned it off and on, but never committed. The first week of September Deb said she hadn’t been riding much and probably wasn’t going to do the ride, but since I had been riding every day, I should ride it.
Well that was all the encouragement I needed. I planned a 100 miler on September 12 and a 150 miler for September 19 to test my endurance and legs. Of course they went just fine and it was time to plan for the September 26 weekend. I was planning on riding self supported, but at the last minute Deb decided to SAG. What a nice surprise 😊.
On Friday September 25, we packed up and headed to the start in Danville, IL. We checked into our hotel and do what we always do before running marathons and riding bikes; find a local brewery for a couple of beers. We lucked out with Vermillion River Beer Company just a couple of miles away. It was a great evening with outdoor seating and live music playing. Families with kids were enjoying the evening watching a man with a makeshift bubble machine. Just a couple for us as we had a long day/night ahead of us.
I’d been riding my gravel bike, a Salsa Cutthroat, all year and was planning on riding it fully loaded for the ride prior to Deb deciding to SAG. With her sagging, I just needed the bare essentials; head light, rear light, bike tools and my Garmin Edge 530 with the route loaded.
On September 26, at 6am, 14 riders showed up for the inaugural ride. A group shot was taken and we were off. Most riders were half my age and were obviously racing this ride. My goal was just to finish 😊.
It started lightening up within the hour and we hit gravel roads early. I met a couple of guys during that first 30 miles; Mark Carlson and Geoff Chandler and enjoyed getting to know them a bit. Deb was up ahead at mile 30 and she had a hot breakfast sandwich with coffee waiting for me, and then I was off again.
Not too much farther down the road I came to a creek with the bridge out. We got to hike-a-bike down one bank, cross the creek and hike up the other bank. It was bit muddy, but no biggie.
I was looking forward to the next stop at mile 60 on the Purdue Campus at Harry’s Chocolate Shop. No I wasn’t going to stop and have a cold one, but my sons Adam and Clayton and their friend Dylan were. They came up to root me on during the ride. After a brief visit with them, I was off and next stop was Kokomo, mile 110.
The day was going well with a favorable wind from S/SW. The next couple of hours were just riding in the country. I put the headphones in and enjoyed the ride. I met Deb in Kokomo for a quick snack and Gatorade. I then jumped on the Nickel Plate Trail heading north with a tailwind to Peru at mile 140. Another quick stop and it was on to Salamonie single track at mile 160.
My goal was to reach Salamonie before dark. I almost timed it right but it was getting dark and difficult maneuvering on the single track. Glad I had my head light to guide me. Single track lasted about 5-7 miles and I got through it even though I am not much of a mountain biker without a mountain bike 😊. Another quick stop for food and I was off again.
The plan for the remainder of the ride was to meet Deb about every 30 miles. I was in virgin riding territory by this time. The longest I had ever ridden before in one day was 163 miles at the RAIN ride. I was amazed my legs were feeling so fresh and I really wasn’t tired at all. That was the good news. The bad news was the buns ☹. They were in shape for the 30 milers I had been riding every day, but not this long of ride. Just keep riding and suck it up!
I arrived in Ft. Wayne at mile 211 and met up with Deb. My Garmin got a bit confused in Ft. Wayne. Gratefully, Kyle painted green Dan Henry’s to keep riders on course. I knew I was in the home stretch now.
A few miles out of Ft. Wayne at about 1am, I was riding out in the country along a non moving train. Just then, my Garmin beeped for me to turn left on a road blocked by the train. I called Deb and explained my situation and said “I think I can crawl under the train to get to the other side”. Of course she talked some sense into me and I pulled out my phone and dialed up Google Maps to get around the stopped train.
Just a short detour and I was back on track. Next stop was New Haven at mile 235 and the last stop before the finish line. I arrived to find Deb’s car running parked along the road and she had fallen asleep 😊. After a quick stop, I gave her a kiss and said “see you at the finish line”.
The finish line was the Indiana/Ohio state border. With 15 miles to go, I headed out. My mind said, “Enjoy This”. My buns said “Hurry Up!”. The last 10 miles was a gravel road riding between corn and soybean fields. The finish line was uneventful with Deb sitting there in the parked car in the middle of nowhere.
I finished and gave Deb a great big hug and kiss. I noticed another biker was there who had finished just ahead of me. Kimberly Byers lives in Ft. Wayne and was going to ride home on her bike from the finish line. She gladly accepted a ride home so we loaded up both bikes and gave her a lift. Although Fort Wayne to Indy is usually a two hour drive, this time it took a bit longer as we stopped three times for cat naps 😊.
It was a great day and it couldn’t have gone any better. I finished the 250 miles in 20 hours and 11 mins at 3:11am.
Will I do it again? Deb and I are one-and-done-ers. It’s off to the next adventure this summer, ride the Great Divide 2021!
Since the Canadian border is still closed due to COVID-19, we postponed our Great Divide ride to Summer 2021 and instead opted to ride the C&O Canal Towpath and Gap Trail. Thanks to our friends Dan, Christie, Dave, Kathleen, Paul and Terri for the ride intel. You were spot on.
You can learn more about the C&O Canal Towpath and Gap Trail here. We figured that in a relatively short bike tour we could knock out four more states and DC on our 50 state cycling quest while enjoying spectacular scenery, laid back riding and continue to physically (not socially) distance ourselves from others during the pandemic.
Cyclists can ride all or part of either trail but the big question is how to get back to where you started if you don’t want to cycle back. We opted to drive to Pittsburg, park our car and ride the Amtrak train to Washington, DC with our bikes on board the train. Once in DC, we’d ride bikes back to our car in Pittsburgh.
We’re so grateful when a plan comes together. It seems like cycling back to our car always works for us on linear routes since there aren’t any time constraints. We used the same logistics on the Natchez Trace, Katy Trail , Appalachian Gravel Growler and Ohio to Erie Trail (OTET). On the Michelson Trail and Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail we did, yoyo the ride and ride back to our car. More bike riding? We had the time to do it so I’m not complaining. Plus riding in the opposite direction on the same trail offers a different perspective.
Where did we stay? What did we ride? What did we pack?
We planned on camping every night but we always weasel into at least one or two inside stays for a hot shower and since this was my birthday week… well I wasn’t going to argue about choosing to stay at a hotel in town rather than camping at the YMCA in Cumberland.
For a list of daily mileage and where we stayed all week, click here.
Our go-to bikes for touring are our Salsa Cutthroats and we pack the same thing every trip whether we’re going to be gone for two days, two weeks or two months. About the only optional items are based on the season. Obviously we didn’t pack our puffy coats. And yes I know, the amount of electronics we carry is ridiculous.
I’ll tell you what we’re not schlepping around anymore – a stove, cookset and groceries. We can most always find a c-store or restaurant. Doing this saves a lot of time in the morning when packing up and it’s less weight (for me) to carry. And yes, Tom still has to carry the Big Agnes tent.
So here’s how it all went down. It’s something we can look back on a year from now when I hope we’re riding Koko Claims on The Great Divide.
Day 1, Thursday: Washington DC to White’s Ferry, MC | 41 miles
We woke up in Pittsburg at 3:30 am and rode our bikes to the Amtrak station. After a seven hour Amtrak train ride from Pittsburgh to DC, we put our bike bags back on the Cuttys and began riding at 3:45 pm to get a jump start on the route. And…. it started raining. However, we saw immediately, the towpath is home to a lot of deer, turtles, and blue herons. We even saw an osprey and a beaver!
Rain on the C&O turns the towpath into a quagmire with lots of puddles, mud and ruts. We’re good though! That’s what these bikes are made for.
Amidst the downpour and getting close to the end of the day’s ride, a trail angel at White’s Ferry offered to let us camp under his pavilion to get out of the storm. Since we planned to take the ferry across early the next morning, it was the perfect stop. Plus there would be coffee in the morning. Remember? We aren’t packing a stove.
Tom slept soundly in the tent while I nervously monitored the Weather Channel and noticed that the storm cell was not moving on. For over three hours there was intense lightening, thunder and wind. Was this our version of the Midwest delrecho? The severe storm cell hovered causing so much rain and wind. What would the towpath be like the next morning?
Day 2, Friday: White’s Ferry, MD to Harper’s Ferry, WV | 59 miles
We woke up to sunshine (and coffee at the ferry landing). It was a beautiful morning for a ferry ride over to Leesburg, Virginia for breakfast and exploring 20 miles of the Old Dominion Trail. Midmorning we returned to Maryland and continued on the C&O confronted with many downed trees and debris on the trail from storm.
A mile before we reached Harper’s Ferry, the C&O intersected with the Appalachian Trail – kinda cool! Once we arrived to Harpers Ferry where we were staying for the night, we had to take the footbridge (aka stairs with loaded bikes – ouch).
Day 3: Saturday: Harpers Ferry, WV to Hancock, MD | 66 miles
The third day brought more debris on the towpath. A rider cycling the opposite direction told us that at mile post 88 the trail was impassable and to turn around. Ummmm just no. We pushed on and climbed over, ducked under or plowed through the obstacles.
Later in the afternoon, we met a cute family of four stopped along the trail. They were riding with their two sons age eight and ten. The Pringle cannister actually caught my eye. This family is bike touring one section of the C&O at a time. They carry everything they need, use the free hiker/biker campsites and homeschool the kiddos. (even before COVID). Grateful to see families out and about sharing time together and enjoying the outdoors.
We hit Tony’s Pizzeria for an outdoor lunch. It’s a family owned business that’s been serving up food to locals and hungry cyclists for over 35 years. I highly recommend! Be sure to try the garlic knots with homemade Ranch dressing.
Another tip from a cyclist going in the opposite direction told us about the Bicycle Bunkhouse in Hancock, MD. Since Hancock was our planned stopping place for the evening, we decided to check out the bunkhouse.
We had the bunkhouse to ourselves except for Dave (a former state prosecutor) who was bike touring with his pupper named Ozzer. Prosecutors, hair stylists, bartenders and teachers have the best stories. Sit next to them at dinner or at the campfire and you’ll share a few laughs. In town, we again dined outside at Buddielous, where they specialize in fried green tomatoes and ruebens. They were quite tasty!
Day 4, Sunday: Hancock, MD to Cumberland, MD | 61 miles
Cumberland is the end of the C&O Towpath and the beginning of the GAP Trail.
Today we rode through the Paw Paw Tunnel which is considered the greatest engineering feature of the trail. We’d been looking forward to seeing it on bikes. Wouldn’t you know it? At the same time we were riding through it, a boy scout troop (travelling with 30 or so cyclists) rode the opposite direction as us.
The Paw Paw is over 3,000 feet long and the scouts thought they might be able to ride the whole thing instead of dismounting and walking their bikes as was recommended. They tried to ride it, without bike lights and one scout even had his sunglasses on. We giggled. God bless them and their leader. They were all having a good time, had face coverings on and also reflective vests. Gotta admit though, we did feel like a couple of spawning salmon swimming upstream through the Paw Paw.
Day 5 Monday: Cumberland, MD to Ohiopyle, PA | 74 miles
We started the day with a 25 mile, mild uphill grade. It wasn’t really difficult with one earbud to listen to music, scenery to enjoy and a railroad track to follow. We both actually enjoyed this quite a bit.
It’s pretty much biking nirvana here on the GAP where the surface is even and trail towns are every 15 miles or so if we need to resupply. The hiker/biker campsites are immaculate and even come “stocked” with split campfire wood, weenie roasters for hotdogs and smores, plenty of picnic tables and three sided shelters.
Both Tom and I believe that God puts people, places and opportunities in our paths for a reason. It’s not always evident what the reason is and it might take a while to figure it out but we met Marie Bartoletti near Rockwood, Pennsylvania. Marie is 62 years old, has completed well over 450 marathons and several triathalons (including Kona) and she is a retired teacher. She is also a stroke survivor. She came out of nowhere and introduced herself and invited us to her home to retrieve a book she’d written entitled Perseverance.
While Tom was on a conference call for an hour or so, Marie and I chatted it up and soon she was off cycling four houses away for one of her books. I can’t wait to read it. I know this special lady has something for us to learn.
We cross into Pennsylvania, crossed the Mason-Dixon Line, and reached the Eastern Continental Divide (ironic we would have been riding along the Western Continental Divide had COVID not come along). Plus we cycled through the Big Savage Tunnel (even longer than the Paw Paw). It mighta been my fave day of the trip.
Finally the ten miles between Confluence and Ohiopyle, was just about the most perfect section of riding all week. Downhill. Sunny. Scenic.
It’s all rainbows and unicorns until you get to the access trail to Ohiopyle State Park. Ever done it? You don’t wanna. It’s steep, rocky and not what you want to tackle when you’re approaching the 80 mile mark and you’re tired, hungry and thirsty. Not only did we get ‘er done, we set up our tent and then walked back down the ratchet trail into town for an outdoor dinner and bevvie. Of course that meant we had to walk back up it again. In the dark. But at least this time we weren’t pushing loaded bikes.
Day 6, Tuesday; Ohiopyle, PA to Pittsburgh | 78 miles
On the last day of riding the GAP trail (and the last day of our trip), it was just about getting back to Pittsburgh to our car and we took our time.
For those of you who followed along on social media, it was nice having you with us. We’re grateful for so much, even if we are restricted to playing in our own backyard. It’s a most beautiful yard in which to play.
And even though our country may seem divided at times with its warts and imperfections, she’s still evolving and we’re grateful to rock our way through the USA.
Most of you know that Tom and I have a fun little tradition on New Year’s Eve. We write predictions for the coming year. Then on the following New Year’s Eve we open the sealed envelopes, share our predictions and find out who’s most accurate.
Some of the 2020 prediction questions were:
How many books will each of us read in 2020?
What will each of our total bike miles be in 2020?
How many days will it take to complete riding the 2,700 mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR)?
How many “0” days will we take on the GDMBR? (A zero day is when riders take a rest day.)
How many flat tires will each bike have on the GDMBR?
What teams will play in the Super Bowl and who will win?
What will the average price per gallon of gas be on 12-31-20?
What will the Dow Jones Industrial Average be on 12-31-20?
Will Steak N Shake at Keystone and 54th still be open?
When will Katy and Eric’s baby be born? She’s due on May 18th (two days ago).
Many prediction questions were about our planned ride in August on the GDMBR.
Ummmm I’m not sure anyone could have predicted a global pandemic in early 2020. Well unless you’re Bill Gates.
And think about it. Anyone who was asked the typical question during a job interview in 2015 missed the mark.
So now we are faced with another (unanticipated) prediction. Will the GDMBR even happen for us in 2020? Friends, family and followers have been asking.
The short answer is “yes” – that is if Canada will let us into their country and the US will let us return. The travel restriction that began on March 21st between our two countries has been extended (again) for 30 days until June 21. If it’s extended again until July 21, that’s pretty much a show stopper since we need time to ship our bikes to Canada ahead of our August 5th arrival.
With all the COVID cray-cray I can’t say quarantine life since mid March hasn’t been good. I’ve been doing lots of “procrastibaking”, weekly sit down family dinners for 17 have transitioned to no-contact, carry-out dinners for 15. We took a long break from seeing our littles, and that was tough. I’ve kept up with running and Tom’s working from home so his bike commute to work just turned into longer morning bike rides. Sometimes I even tag along. We’ve made masks, meals for COVID-19 caregivers, checked in on neighbors, finished a lot of yard work and home projects, and “zoomed” and FaceTimed with friends. We can even give haircuts – except bangs. We have a #nobang rule.
Like everyone else though, there are many things we miss like face-to-face visits with our parents, volunteering, Mass and visiting our fave craft breweries, local restaurants and spending time with family and friends. I do believe we have (so far) successfully maneuvered “shelter at home” and managed to stay healthy(ish).
Regarding cycling, May is Bike Month so we’ve been riding everyday. During shelter in place, however, we rarely got any gravel rides in and central Indiana is flat as a pancake so training for the mountainous GDMBR has been sketchy. Thinking positively, we are ready to get back to gravel riding, some hills, camping and loading up our bikes with some weight to prepare for the Great Divide ride.
What’s YOUR preference?
If the border doesn’t open, we have two contingency bike ride options and both enable us to knock off more states in our 50 State Bike Chase.
Option 2:Cowboy Trail to the Mickelson Trail. This is a bit more complicated as the western terminus of the Cowboy Trail (195 miles long ) in Nebraska is about 250 miles from the southern terminus of the Mickelson Trail (109 miles) in South Dakota. Total Miles: 554 miles, knock off two states. This ride is a bit more of a challenge and adventure.
There’s also logistics to work on about how we get back to Nebraska from northern South Dakota. Should we just ride our bikes back to Indianapolis?
So whaddya think?
If the GDMBR doesn’t happen in 2020 would your preference be riding the GAP/C&O or the Cowboy/Mick?
What’s your prediction?
Do you think the Canadian border will open on or before June 21st?
Keep Calm and Pedal On 