New blog site - Life Without Pie

For those of you that followed the bike trip - just wanted to let you know I've started a new blog. It's no transcontinental bike ride, but a lot of good stuff about nutrition and exercise. My link doesn't seem to be working - its www.lifewithoutpie.blogspot.com Hope to see you there!!!!

Day 59: Burlington, VT to St. Johnsbury, VT

Yesterday we enjoyed a day in Burlington. The town features a pedestrian mall that puts our own Pearl St Mall to shame! After perusing the mall for a few hours and checking out the sidewalk sales, we headed to the opposite end of town to tour the Magic Hat brewery. The best part of the brewery tour was the sample room where you could get a 3 oz sample of any beer you wanted and as many samples as you want too!

So after a good rest day, we were up early to start our ride to St. Johnsbury. The town of St. Johnsbury is on the eastern border of Vermont, directly across from Burlington. Its pretty amazing that we can ride from one border of the state to the other in one day - and we are at the wider end of the state!

Today's ride would take us past the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory and the Cabot's Cheese Creamery Factory. We were tempted to stop at the Cabot's Factory but it was a 5 mile ride out of our way and all uphill. As for Ben & Jerry's, I did the factory tour about 20 years ago when we came out to Stowe for a family ski trip. All I can remember about the tour was that we were the only ones there and we had about 30 ice cream samples to gobble up (and we did!) Marc said he's not a fan of B&J's so we passed that tour as well.

Northern Vermont is gorgeous! We enjoyed a scenic ride along HWY 2. The towns in Vermont are quite small. We rode through Montpelier, the capital, and we were amazed by the smallness of the town. We turned a corner and all of a sudden there was the gold domed capital- right on the edge of the woods! The town wasn't much more than a few main streets with shops and then we were back out of town and into the woods. Most of the towns we encountered on our route today were tiny hamlets tucked into the tight valleys between the hills.

We arrived in St. Johnsbury around 4 PM and I was a bit nervous that we would not have a room to stay in. I spent about an hour online last night trying to book a room at one of the three motels in town. I finally gave up after spending 20 minutes on the phone with priceline, only to have them tell me that there were no more rooms available. After my ordeal with priceline, I tried booking a room directly with one of the motels but never got a confirmation email. If we didn't have a place to stay in this town, we'd have to ride at least another 15 miles to the next town.

Luckily the hotel had our reservation and we are now enjoying a beautiful room at the Fairbanks Inn. This hotel sits on the former site of the Fairbanks Scale Factory (thus the name). We have a newly remodeled room with a King Size Bed and Balcony overlooking a grassy hillside and pool. Now that our hotel rooms have gotten nicer - I doubt that I'd ever want to go back to any of the seedy motels. Plus, the cheap motels are harder to find out East - believe me I am still searching for the cheapest night's stay but they are getting harder and harder to find.

The town of St Johnsbury is exactly what you'd imagine a quaint Vermont town to be. Its full of beautifully restored homes, churches and buildings all dating back to the 1800's. The Fairbanks family, who owned the scale factory, was quite generous to the town and donated money for many beautiful buildings. I was especially excited to discover that St. Johnsbury is the home of the largest Maple Sugar Candy Factory in the world. YUM! I told Marc that stopping for a factory tour is a must! Something tells me that he's not as excited about the tour as I am.


Last but not least, I saved room for dessert tonight and I wasn't disappointed. Marc and I dined at Christie's Bistro. The Friday night fish fry left us both a bit hungry so we shared a healthy slice of New York Style Cheesecake with a light drizzle of pure maple syrup. It was one of the best slices of cheesecake's I have ever tasted. The syrup added just the right amount of sweetness without being overpowering. Delicious!

Marc's stats:

78 miles

14 mph avg

Day 49: Dunnville, ON to Lockport, NY

Off to see the falls... our route today would take us Northeast up to Niagara Falls and then across the Canadian/US border to Lockport, NY. Since we grunted out 2 back to back 100 mile days, our reward today was a lighter 60 mile ride.

We got off to a good start this morning after a huge breakfast at the Dunnville Deli. This place had outstanding food! Maybe it was the 100 miles from yesterday talking, but my Vegetable Omelet was one of the best breakfasts of the trip.

We left Dunnville around 10:15 am and were making great time until we both heard a loud ping. Sure enough, Marc had a two spokes break on his back wheel. After about a 1/2 hour of repair and 15 more minutes of wheel truing, we were back on the road to Niagara.

Our next delay was at the Welland Canal where we arrived just in time for a boat crossing. However, the boat was nowhere to be found. We waited, and waited, and ate some leftover pizza, and waited some more. About 15 minutes later, a small barge with a tugboat attached came chugging through. It was neat to see the bridge as it was unlike any draw bridge that I've ever seen. (see photos)

We approached Niagara via Lindy Lane which is obviously the place where every guy wants to have his bachelor party. We must have passed at least 20 "Gentleman's Clubs" and a few other massage parlors. I don't think there is a shortage of motel rooms in Niagara either... we passed at least 200 motels along the 5 mile ride into Niagara's city center. Wow, all I can say is that this town has changed quite a bit since I was last here as a kid. We turned a corner off the main street and entered a theme park resort with all sorts of casinos, a Ferris wheel and even a mini version of the Space Needle. What a circus!

We made our way through the crowds of people to the falls overlook - wow! I had forgotten how amazing the scenery was. Its too bad that you have to go through all the madness of these man made attractions to get to this beautiful piece of nature.

While enjoying the view of the falls, we met another rider biking from Astoria to Boston. He had his family meet him at the falls and was crossing the border with assistance. We crossed over to the US on the Rainbow Bridge right next to the falls. It was weird to be waiting in the customs line with all the other vehicles.

Once we entered New York it was a night and day difference. The town of Niagara Falls on the US side is almost deserted. We rode around for awhile trying to find a place for lunch with very little options. I guess New York couldn't compete with all the casinos and other attractions on the Canadian side.

After eating way too much food at an Indian Restaurant, we contacted Jeff, our host in Lockport, and rode out to meet him. Jeff is a avid cyclist, triathlete and former thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail. He rode out and met us about 8 miles out of Lockport and led us back into town.

We were about a half mile from Jeff's house when I looked down and noticed that I had a flat tire! Wow - I haven't had a flat since Idaho! I couldn't believe my bad luck. Marc and Jeff rode back and got my flat fixed in no time. I'm such a lucky girl!

We had a great time at Jeff's! He took us over to his Mom's house for some great home cooking and conversation with the family. (Jeff's family just had a big reunion so a lot of his relatives were still in town.) That was really fun! I love the fact that we are meeting so many people along the way. After a big dinner, Jeff picked up some genuine Buffalo Wings for us to try. Wow, even with a full belly, the wings were outstanding - just lightly sauced with blue cheese dip. Yum!

After dinner Jeff showed us his albums from when he hiked the Appalachian Trail. What a neat adventure! I'm in awe of the few people that I know that have hiked all the way through on the 2000+ mile trail. Hmm, maybe Marc and I can do this next summer? (Just kidding!)

So, I know you are all wondering about the pie.... I hate to admit it but I am so darn sick of pie right now that I can't even dream of eating another slice. Marc's been giving me a really hard time about it and says that I'm a quitter. I'm going to try very hard to get back on the pie wagon again but for now I need a few rest days from the pie. (Come on...we get rest days from the bikes so what's a day or two off from pie?)

Lucky number day 13! Bozeman & Yellowstone via car.

Today was absolute perfection! Joe drove us into Yellowstone to see all the sites that we were going to miss since we changed our route. After seeing the traffic and narrow roads, I was sort of relieved that we changed our route plan.

We drove down through Paradise Valley into the North Entrance of Yellowstone. I've been dreaming of coming to Yellowstone for years so it was soooo exciting to finally see the park. It did not disappoint - in fact it was beyond my wildest imagination! Stopped at the Norris Geyser fields to see all the funky little steam producers and then on to the big falls in the beautiful canyon. This is the most gorgeous National Park that I have ever visited!!!!

To top off our adventure, we saw just about every species of animal - mountain goats,black & brown bears, huge buffalo, antelope, foxes, pelicans, deer, moose, elk. It was amazing! Upon leaving the park, we drove through Gardiner,MT and stopped at a quick mart for some drinks. Marc pointed out a few pies in the refrigerated section. I picked out a sour cream lemon pie. OMG! It was amazingly delicious for a convenience store pie. Real whip cream topping with sour cream and lemon filling with a delicious crust. I planned to share, but ate the whole thing! My appetite is getting crazy.

After the park, we enjoyed a soak in Chico Hot Springs. Great for our sore muscles and hopefully good for our sore tendons. The hot springs was a neat little place tucked away in Paradise Valley and only a $6.50 entrance fee!

After a full day of fun, we headed over to Dave's Sushi Restaurant in Bozeman. We were so eager for some healthy food after all the junk we've been eating. Our dinner was delicious - seaweed salad, multiple sushi rolls and a delicious sake, courtesy of the house. Wow - I love this town! It will be hard to leave tomorrow. We've had such a fun visit with Joe!

Marc took lots of cool pics in Yellowstone - I'll add them tomorrow. Back on the saddle in the AM - promises to be a sunny day tomorrow! It will hopefully be an easy 60 miles to Big Timber, MT tomorrow. Looking forward to starting the adventure again after a well deserved rest.

Day 13: Bozeman, MT

Greetings from "MAN"tana (as Joe affectionately calls it - I guess the women are a bit scarce here.) Bozeman is a great town to stop and rest for a day or two. It's reminiscent of Boulder with that college town feel and an overabundance of artists, athletes and "trustafarians" (trust fund kids- to the lay person), but a bit rougher around the edges. (Probably from all the rugged mountain terrain and its cowboy roots.)

This morning we woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground and decided that we better make a few serious decisions about our route. Snow in Bozeman, at 4500 ft elevation, surely meant snow in Yellowstone, 7500 ft. We only have a two day window to cancel our Yellowstone Cabin Reservation for Sunday night, so were facing a deadline dilemma.

After consulting our maps, resident Montana friends and the weather channel, we decided to skip Yellowstone (boo hoo!) and take a more northern route via Billings, MT and then drop down into Sheridan, WY. This route will keep us in the high plains areas and out of the mountain elevations. The new route is also a bit less strenuous so we have an extra day or two to play with until we camp with my sister and her family in Custer, SD.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the downtown shops of Bozeman and looking for a good slice of pie. We found the Leaf & Bean Coffee Shop and subsequently a delicious slice of Chocolate Banana Cream Pie. It was a chilled delight with crisp nilla wafer crust, banana chocolate base topped with a delicious layer of creamy vanilla custard and then a light whip cream top. I usually do not like chocolate in my pies but this one just had a hint of chocolate in the base and a touch on top for effect. YUM!

The evening was filled with activity. First we took a short bike ride down to the local Art Walk. Bozeman has an old high school building that they converted into artists studios. After checking out the local artists displays, we rode over to the Little Sherpa Coffee House for some music and relaxation. Joe's girlfriend, Mel, owns and manages this cute local coffee joint. Then, to top off the evening, Marc made us all a delicious dinner of fried tofu with peanut satay sauce and a spicy Pad Thai w/ beef dish.

Marc spent the rest of the evening soaking his "Cankles" in Epsom Salts (his tendons are still really sore and swollen). Looks like we are going to spend another day in town before heading off toward Billings on Sunday. Joe is planning to drive us into Yellowstone so we can see the sights and hit a hot springs on the way back. What a great host!

Day 9: Missoula, MT to Philipsburg, MT

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delayed blog. We did not have internet access last night. Now that we are entering the more desolate areas of Montana and Wyoming, there may be a night or two without service.

The weatherman promised a sunny day for today and it was! Unfortunately it was also very chilly in the morning - a balmy 45 degrees. We suited up and rode down to the Espresso Bakery for breakfast. I was tempted to order the triple berry pie for breakfast but settled on a hearty slice of ham and cheese quiche pie. It was delicious with a tender flaky crust and cheesy, ham and herb filling.

We were eager to get back on the road since the weather promised to be nice, but we also had lots of errands to run. After breakfast we hit the local Albertson's for a few road supplies. Marc's achilles tendons have been bothering him (probably since he's hauling a 50 lb trailer) so we hit the pharmacy aisle for some ibuprofen and IcyHot cream. As we were discussing our medical needs, a fellow shopper and eavesdropper popped his head around the corner of the aisle and quipped, "You guys must be biking a long way."

We told him that we were off to Deer Lodge and he suggested that we take an alternate route- Highway 1 to Anaconda. He said it was the same mileage but alot more scenic but with a steeper climb. I wasn't to keen on doing another climb but we thanked him and said we'd consider it.

After loading up on groceries, pharmaceuticals and then a quick trip to the bike shop for tires (Marc was jealous of my new Armadillo's and wanted a pair too!) we were finally on our way. (It was 11 am by then.)

We followed I90 down to Drummond. It was a fairly uneventful ride, rather boring actually. The highway is by far the quickest, most direct route but really a boring ride. I find myself just checking out all the billboards and mileage signs counting down the miles until our next stop. One billboard in particular sticks out in my mind - The TESTICAL FESTIVAL! Whoa - don't want to miss that fest. (Mr. Homan I know you appreciate that one.)

At mile 50 we stopped in the Bull Shipping Capital of the US - Drummond, MT. A small dusty town with a few motels and saloons. We stopped a gas station to refill our water bottles and ponder if we would like the shorter, flatter route of the highway or branch off on the scenic route. We opted for the scenic route and are so glad that we did!

We headed up Highway 1 for about 30 miles to the small mountain town of Philipsburg. Its a cute town tucked in the valley overlooking the Pintler Mountains. Philipsburg is known for its "Gem Mountain". Many people come to "pan" for gems such as sapphires and such. Its a neat old historic town with many of the old 1900 era buildings restored to their original lustor.

We arrived in town late and to our dismay, it looked as if all the hotels were closed. After riding back and forth across town we happened upon a cute Bed & Breakfast called the Biker's Sanctuary. ( Aptly named as it used to be a presbyterian church back in the early 1900's.)

After settling into our room, our hostess invited us outside for dinner. We enjoyed an amazing grilled ribeye steak and salad on the beautiful deck overlooking the snow capped mountains of the Pintler range. After meeting the other hotel guests, a newlywed couple from Montana and a couple of guys from Canada, our hosts invited us out for a night on the town at the local watering hole, White Front Bar. It was a riot! We had a great time chatting with Kim, our host and her friend and our cook, De, and the other hotel guests. We were even introduced to the wife of the local Congressman! For a Tuesday night, that place was hoppin'!

Day 7: Coeur d'Alene, ID to Haugan, MT

Oh my stomach is too full to type... I just had the best slice of pie yet this trip. And the best part was that it was FREE! Our waiter at the restaurant took interest in our bike trip and treated me to a free slice of Caramel Apple Walnut Pie. It was delicious with big chunks of apples and gooey carmel topping.

We logged 80 miles of riding today and have stopped in the small town(not really a town, more of a truck stop) called Haugan. Haugan is known for its $50,000 silver dollar bar. We've been seeing signs for this bar since we started our ride in Coeur d'Alene. I thought it was a silver bullion type bar not an actual saloon bar. As the story goes, the bar started in 1951 with the original owners hammering a silver dollar on the bar top. Since then thousands of patrons have done the same and now the bar is covered in silver dollars (over 50,000 to be exact!).

Our ride today was a tough one for me - very hilly. We climbed about 1000 ft straight out of Coeur d'Alene on a winding residential road. There were great views of the lake and the famous golf course with the floating green. (Yes they have a golf green that you have to take a boat to get to!) The scenery was great, but we were really bummed when we crossed a bridge and saw the highway way down below us. We climbed all that way up just to drop back down to the Interstate.

This was our first time riding on the Interstate (I90). It wasn't bad. We had a 8 foot shoulder and rumble strip. The Interstate actually seems a bit safer than some of the side streets with all the intersections.

We followed I90 up over Fourth of July Pass at an elevation of 3000+ ft and then up over Lookout Pass with an elevation of 4800 ft. In between the two mountain passes, we hopped on the Coeur d'Alene trail. Its a nice paved bike path that meanders along the Coeur d'Alene river up to the town of Mullen (about 25 miles). I really enjoyed the path, especially since it takes you right through the heart of most of the towns. We passed right under the gondolas of the Silver Mountain Ski Area in Kellogg and then rode under the Interstate in Wallace (that would be handy in the rain!).

Of course we had some rain again today but we timed our lunch perfectly and missed most of the first storm. The second storm started on our way down Lookout Pass and we stopped at the hotel in Haugan just minutes before a major downpour. Luck was on our side today! As for flats ... my new tires seem to be doing the trick and I'm happy to report that we didn't have to dismantle the wheels at all - yea!

Day Five- Davenport to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Wow, I have to start out by thanking all of you for following the blog. I am flattered that so many people are interested in our journey - and its inspiring to read your comments!

Today started out like most of our other days, wet and cold. We've now had rain four out of the five days. Its so hard to get motivated in the morning when you look out the window and see gray clouds, wet roads and the wind whipping through the trees. Thus we got a late start and finally rolled out of town at 10 am.

The first 30 miles sucked... there's no sugar coating it here. We had a side wind that whipped the rain into your face and as if we weren't wet enough, the passing trucks did a good job of soaking us thoroughly. To top it off, I had to pee about 5 miles into our ride. I didn't want to make us stop after just getting started, so I waited, and waited until it was so uncomfortable that I had to stop. (Ever try riding a bike while you have to pee? Its damn uncomfortable!) Unfortunately our route along Highway 2 into Spokane was a busy road with no cover. I'm really going to have to come to terms with my modesty and relieving myself on the side of the road.

After two bathroom breaks (yes I did use the bathroom before we left and only drank 1/2 bottle of apple juice), we arrived in Airway Heights. We were both wet and grouchy and had our first tiff, of many today, about where to eat lunch. Marc was ready to eat and I wanted to wait for Spokane. He rode on ahead and settled on Quinzo's for lunch. I rolled in behind several minutes later and discovered my first flat tire of the day! (Keep track of my flats as there will be a quiz at the end of our trip - if you haven't been counting, its number 4.)

Lunch at Quizno's was busy! I felt like an ogre walking into the store with my dirty, drenched bike clothing and grease covered jacket and hands. (Changing flats is not a clean job, especially when your bike in covered in wet road grime.) The older man behind the counter took interest in our ride and told us about his 9 years of traveling the country via RV. His advice - "Don't make motel reservations. You never know which town you'll like and want to stay longer."

The worst part about stopping for lunch is getting back on the bike. Fortunately for us, the rain had stopped briefly and the temperature warmed up to a balmy 50 degrees. I was eager to get going as Coeur d'Alene is one of my favorite stops on our route.

We rode on into Spokane and down to the Centennial Trail. This trail is a paved path that will take us all the way to Coeur d'Alene and beyond. We found the path easily ( last time I was in Spokane I walked a good portion of the downtown section of trail.) However, after following a short section of trail, we were dumped out into a parking lot of Gonzaga University. (Didn't even know that was a college!) By now it was raining again and our patience was wearing thin. We retraced our route looking for the path but couldn't find it. We decided to take the road along the river and finally I stopped at a bike shop and asked directions. Even after looking at a map and getting verbal directions, I still couldn't explain to Marc exactly where we needed to go. It was frustrating. I finally saw the trail when we were crossing a bridge and looked over to see a pedestrian bridge down the river. (What is it about bike paths and getting lost? We have no problems on the roads but when it comes to bike paths we are perpetually getting turned around!)

Once we were on the trail, it was gorgeous! Despite the pouring rain, I was really enjoying this section of the ride. We followed the path along the Spokane River for about 40 miles and pretty much had the whole trail to ourselves. Who else would be crazy enough to venture out in the stormy weather?

Bike trails are wonderful, but they meander. It look us about 4 hours to go the 40 miles into Coeur d'Alene. Granted we did stop a couple times to take photos and take off/put on rain gear. That's par for the course - well that and flat tires. The day wouldn't be complete with out another flat tire... yes, about 4 miles from our destination I got another flat! (Are you counting them?) I was so pissed off and hungry and tired! Poor Marc, he's the one that ends up fixing them for me. Tomorrow we are definitely getting the heaviest, most rugged tires that will fit on my bike!

We finally rolled into town at about 8 PM and 79 miles on the odometer. We took the first motel that we stopped at. (Note to Mom and Dad - its the same one we stayed at when we were here!) This motel seems like a palace compared to the last two places we stayed (and costs twice as much.) Oh well, sometimes you are just to tired to go any further down the road.

After cleaning the bikes and ourselves, it was 9:30 and we were hungry! Forget trying to find pie, we just hit the first restaurant we could find. We went to Cricket's. It was a fun place with live music and good local microbrew's. Marc is really enjoying the local beers (he's having much better luck with that than I am with my pie endeavors.) Tonight I am settling on a homemade pie (made by me) of nilla wafers and vanilla puddling. I'll call it "VaVaVoom Nilla Pie".

Arrival in Seattle

Wow! Our trip has finally started...after years of talking about it, months of planning for it and days of packing...we are in Seattle. This was our first time in the Emerald City and as expected we arrived on a cloudy, drizzly day. Our hosts, Sara and Dave, were perfectly amazing! Thank you so much Cindy (Marc's dad's wife) for setting us up with your sister's family. It was wonderful.

We were pleased to see that our bikes and luggage arrived safely. Marc spent a few hours assembling the bikes. Luckily we found no equipment malfunctions ... at least not with our bikes. I did have a wardrobe malfuction... my one and only pair of pants (just the ones I needed to wear every day for the next 70 days)lost their zip pull. (That's what I get for buying them at a thrift store.) Here's where I have to give kudos to Paul for saving the day and my pants. Thanks Paul for getting the zip pull back on the zipper for me! You saved the day and saved me $90 (the cost of a new pair!)

So overall, we couldn't have asked for a better start to our trip, we ate great food, had a nice cozy bed and wonderful company. Thank you to the MacDuff's for your warm hospitality and showing us your beautiful city! It was hard to leave your home especially on a cool, drizzly morning.