Backseat Fun

If you were to read an article about riding a tandem bicycle you would find some very interesting information. As simple as it may look it does take some technique to ride on a bicycle built for two. The front rider is known as the "captain" and has the responsibility of controlling the bike (shifting, steering & braking). The back rider is known as the "stoker" and serves mainly as a motor. Since the stoker's main job is to pedal and they don't have to concentrate on changing gears or watching the road ahead, it allows the stoker to do other things while riding. Several articles I read suggested things like giving the captain a bit of back rubbing now and then, opening energy bars, pinching the captain when he fails to call bumps, enjoy the scenery, etc. I got to thinking about the etc. and what it could mean.

Possibly.......

I could do some bird watching

Knit a sweater

Get ready for a night out on the town

 Play with the dog

Enjoy a cup of coffee while reading the paper

Take a nap

Play the guitar

These pictures were taken in Hannibal, Missouri at Riverview Park by our daughter Sarah Earls. A special thanks to our two daughters (Rachel Wallace & Sarah Earls) and their husbands (Jeremy Wallace & Drew Earls) for helping make these pictures possible. We couldn't have done it without you. Love you all!

Keystone Trail, Omaha, Nebraska

Friday, September 14, 2012

20 miles

Left Sioux Falls this morning a little before 8 am. Drove south to Sioux City, Iowa and continued south in Iowa on Interstate 29 until we were east of Omaha, Nebraska. We then crossed the Missouri River and arrived at the trailhead for our ride. 

While we were in Iowa I got some information at the visitor's center about barn quilts. We were going to be driving through a county that had some of them and we thought it would be fun to go see some of these quilts that were painted on old barns. We spent almost 2 hours trying to find them. Unfortunately, we never found them but we did get to see some of the area called Loess Hills. We also went through the town of Onawa whose claim to fame is that it has the widest main street in the USA.

We started our ride in Democracy Park. This trail followed a creek through Omaha. There were some very nice things about this trail. It went north to south so we didn't have to worry about taking a wrong turn. We went 10 miles south and then turned around and came back 10 miles north. We didn't have to worry about traffic at all. The trail had underpasses under all the roads. About half of the underpasses had graffiti artwork so we  got some culture today while riding.

When we got to the trail parking lot and were unloading the bike an older woman was walking in the park. She came up to us and said "I love that shirt, God bless America". Clay was wearing a red, white and blue biking jersey that has stars and stripes on it. She said she was going to a pre- nuptial reception tonight and she would like to wear a shirt like Clay's to it. Too bad he didn't have an extra one to give to her!

Some of the things I didn't like about today's trail. It wasn't very scenic and the creek smelled. Every time we went under a road we got closer to the creek and got a good whiff of it. We also passed a shooting range and there was lots of gun fire and they were facing us. It was eerie and I was just praying we were out of their firing range.

Today's weather: Fabulous! Sunny and 75F

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Thursday, September 13, 2012
25 miles

Had breakfast this morning with Clay's uncle and aunt before we left Fargo. I should have taken a picture of the waffles they made, absolutely delicious!

We started our bike ride a little later today than normal. We checked into the hotel and then went out to ride.  Our hotel is just a few blocks from the trail so it was very convenient to get on the trail. This trail follows the Big Sioux River and loops around the city. What amazed me was there were 16 parks that we passed on this loop. If you can't find a park you liked in this city something is not right.

We ran into 3 different sections of the trail that had construction. One wasn't marked and a vehicle was blocking the trail so we had to dismount and walk around the truck. The second section was marked very clearly and had easy detour signs to follow. The last section had a trail closed barrier blocking the path but bikers and runners were on it so we followed everyone else and went around the barrier. It did look like there had been work along the sides of the trail but nothing today was being done.

We made 1 wrong turn today. We came to a fork in the trail and it wasn't marked which way to go and............we picked the wrong way! The trail ended a little less than a mile later so we turned around and went back and chose the correct way.

The Falls of the Big Sioux River is really beautiful! We were told that because of the drought the water level is down this year. It was still breath taking.

Well, it finally happened. After 11+ years of riding the tandem we had an incident today. We had stopped to look at the Falls and I was still clipped onto the pedals. We decided to go a little further down the trail to get a better look. Clay had to back the bike up and turn it a little so we could go where  we wanted to. When he turned the bike we hit an uneven part of the trail and the bike went down. Clay had 1 foot still clipped in but as the bike was going down he was able to unclip. He has a leg that is now hurting. I ended up on the ground still clipped onto the bike. I got a few scratches but was otherwise unhurt. I figure tomorrow I will have some bruises and will be sore in some unusual places!

Today's weather: Sunny and breezy. Temperature of 75.

Red River Trail, Fargo, North Dakota

Wednesday, September 12, 2012
14 miles

We left Minneapolis early this morning so we could arrive in Fargo before lunch. A cold front came in sometime in the night and it is much cooler now. We had to cover the bike seats for the trip because it started sprinkling and it looked like we would get into rain.

We crossed the Red River just before 11:30 and had a delicious lunch with Clay's Uncle and Aunt, Chandice and Thema Johnson, at a nice place in downtown Fargo. Thema had gathered all kinds of maps and information for us about riding our bike in Fargo. She would make an excellent travel agent. They actually own a tandem but couldn't ride with us today because they had a prior appointment that they couldn't cancel. It would have been fun to have them along today. 

We rode along the Red River on both the North Dakota and Minnesota side. It was very beautiful! There weren't too many people out on the trail today but the ones we came across were very friendly. Another bike friendly town!

 Red River of the North

 Crossing over the river to Moorhead, Minnesota

 Hopperstad Stave Church Replica

 Another view of the river

 Bike Jail (notice the blue tandem)

Old Fargo Depot, now a bike store

Today's Weather: Cool (low 70's) and Windy

Grand Rounds Trail, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Tuesday, September 11, 2012
37 miles

 Lake Calhhoun with the Minneapolis skyline

Yesterday the trail we rode was country, today we were in the city. We rode the Grand Rounds trail through 7 different districts in the Minneapolis area. They were all very unique and beautiful. Minneapolis is a very bike friendly city. I do have to say that riding in a unfamiliar city is sometimes difficult. It is very easy to miss bike trail signs. Several times today we missed a turn so we actually got to see more of Minneapolis than we had planned. 

We are staying with my college roommate here in Minneapolis. It has been 16 years since I have seen her and we had a lot of catching up to do, stayed up way too late last night!

Today's weather: Hot and Windy! We just thought coming north would be cooler!

Me and Mary

Elroy-Sparta Trail, Wisconsin

Monday, September 10, 2012

Spent Sunday night at the Franklin Victorian B&B in Sparta, Wisconsin. They offer a bike shuttle service and we took advantage of that. They transported us this morning to Elroy where we started riding on the trail. This trail has been converted from an abandoned railroad and has the distinction of being Wisconsin's first bicycle trail and America's first rails to trails path. It is 35 miles long and is known for it's trestles and tunnels. The longest tunnel is three-quarters of a mile long. You are suppose to walk your bike through the tunnels but since no one was around we actually rode through two of the three tunnels. We just went very slow.

 Walking through tunnel two

Tunnel one

The towns along the trail are Elroy, Kendall (love that name), Wilton, Norwalk, and Sparta. They are small farm and Amish communities. Ate lunch in Norwalk at The Main Street Cafe. Sparta is known as the "Bicycling Capital of America" and has the "World's Largest Bike".

Ben Biking. The world's largest bike in Sparta, Wisconsin

As we came out of tunnel three we saw Tunnel Tom. He is well known in the area. Back in the 50s, as a little boy he would wait in his backyard every day at 3 pm for the train headed for Chicago. It would come barreling out of the tunnel and pass right by his house. The train conductor would toss him a candy bar, and a newspaper for Tom's dad. Tom is now in his 60s and the trains are forever gone but Tom still spends plenty of time waiting in that same backyard. He now waits for bicyclist to come along. He has candy bars, Gatorade, and flashlights for sell but is more interested in conversation than in turning a profit. I think he should also sell towels because you get wet going through tunnel three!

Amish horse and buggy in the background

Today's Weather: Perfect! Started out in the 60's and ended up in the 80's.

4 Important Words

It takes a lot of communication to ride a tandem. Since we have a timing chain that connects us together, we have to do all motions together and not individually. This requires lots of communicating. There are 4 very important words we use while riding.

Pedal,
Coast,
Bump, and
Duck

Since things can happen quickly you can't spend a lot of time explaining or questioning these words. I especially have to trust what Clay tells me since I can't see what is coming. If he says duck I can't try to look ahead to see why he said that, I have to immediately duck. Clay and I have gotten pretty good at this since we have been riding tandem for 11 years.

Several times on this trip when Tom and Susan were drafting us, which means they were riding very close to Clay and I, I would hear Tom tell Susan to coast. A few times I actually stopped pedaling before realizing that it was Tom and not Clay that said coast. When this happened I had to use the 5th most important word, and that is "Sorry"!

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Statistics for Part II

504 miles
Averaged 14.5 miles per hour
11 out of the 12 riding days were 100 degrees F or higher
3 flat tires
1 rest day
176 pictures taken

 Clay & Kathy

Tom & Susan

Photo Potpourri

 My personal touch

 Preparing to leave McPherson, KS

 Shadow picture.

 Tom had problems with bugs at this rest stop.

 Abby. Lyons, KS

 Clock Tower on the Rice County Courthouse in Lyons, KS

 Cross monument somewhere between Lyons, KS and Ellinwood, KS

 Kansas wildflowers.

Between Lyons, KS and Ellinwood, KS

Antique Store in Pawnee Rock. We liked the bike out front but we like ours better!

High Plains area in Kansas

Left to Right
Ann Sell, Mary Lynne Simer, Rachel Wallace, Kathy Burkholder,
Judy Craig, Clay Burkholder,
Sue Goldsby, Robert Craig, Susan Weaver, Tom Weaver,
Ellen Merriman, Abby Weaver,
Mary Kate Weaver, Jane Leeper and Christy Cate

Don't Cry Because It's Over, Smile Because It Happened

Part II
Day 13
Liberal, KS to Hooker, OK
20 miles

The title of this blog is a quote from Dr. Seuss, and I thought it was fitting for this day. What a journey this has been! 

We started with a hearty breakfast at Hampton Inn. I love eating waffles, and the only time I eat them is when we are traveling and I'm burning lots of calories. We left the parking lot approximately 8:30 a.m. It was a beautiful morning with not much wind, and what wind we had was at our backs. It was only about 4 miles until we left Kansas and entered Oklahoma. Of course we had to stop and take a picture.

We arrived in Hooker right at our planned time of 10 a.m. There was a small crowd gathered at the cemetery to cheer us in. It was really hard not to cry as we pedaled in, knowing that it was over. I am so thankful for my husband who didn't think I was crazy when I suggested this journey and who worked with me to make it happen. I am also thankful that my sister, Susan, and her husband Tom shared this experience with us. I really appreciate our support team who provided shade when there wasn't any, who brought us water when we ran out, who came out to us with our pump when we had a flat tire, who notified us of road hazards or construction so we wouldn't be caught unaware, who got up early each morning so we wouldn't have to ride after lunch in this extreme heat, and who did so much more for us. You made our job so much easier!

I don't know if I can adequately explain what it felt like to retrace my great-great grandfather's journey. It was very surreal at times. Especially when our journey paralleled their journey. I feel very honored to have had a glimpse of my relative's lives through the manuscript written by Sophronia Cousins and can only hope that some day a grandchild of mine will enjoy my blog about our journey as much.

 Releasing balloons to celebrate our ride

Clay and I at my grandparent's grave at the Hooker Cemetery

Land Of Oz

Part II
Day 12
Plains, KS to Liberal, KS
25 miles

Because we rode so many miles yesterday it made today's ride really short. We had a very brisk wind at our backs. It was very enjoyable and we averaged almost 21 miles per hour. That even included a  steep incline after crossing the Cimarron River. We had a flat tire 2 miles after starting out this morning, so that was a bummer. It was on the front tire this time. The wind was so strong, several times while standing there while Clay was changing the tire, I lost my balance because of how hard the wind was blowing! Tom and Susan decided to take a rest day so it was just Clay and I this morning.

You can see how hard the wind was blowing by looking at Rachel's hair.

In 1912 when Charles Cousins was coming into Liberal, the Cimarron River was a wide and swiftly moving river that they had to cross. Some places the water was only knee deep but at other places it was waist deep. Today there was not a drop of water in it!

Cimarron River

We are expecting several relatives to arrive in Liberal today. They are planning to welcome us in Hooker, Oklahoma tomorrow when we finish. I can't believe our journey is almost over.

Liberal is the official hometown of Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz. 

Rachel and the Tin Man.

Drifting Along With The Tumbling Tumbleweeds

Part II
Day 11
Dodge City, KS to Plains, KS
60 miles

We started our day early. Had breakfast at 6 a.m. with road construction workers, Harley riders, and rodeo cowboys. An outsider looking in would have thought us a strange group! We pedaled out of the hotel parking lot at 7 a.m. When we left Dodge City it was 71F, and Clay and I were actually cold. We even had goosebumps!

Our planned route today was to stop in Meade, Kansas, which was 45 miles away. We were really making good time this morning. I think we were pedaling fast to try to warm up. When we stopped at our 20 mile break, it was about the time we are usually getting started. This was a great morale booster. Susan said it has been the best day for her.

We always get strange looks from the cows and horses as we pedal by.

When we took a break at Fowler, Kansas, this morning we heard a train coming. We realized that it was going West, the same as us, so we quickly hopped on our bikes so we could draft him. It was so much fun. We got up to 24 miles per hour. We also got 2 encouraging whistle blows from trains today along with some car honks!

When we got to Meade, we found a Historical Museum. We decided to go in and see if they had anything about our relatives when they came through. We were disappointed that we didn't find any information, but it was a nice museum. The lady there was very helpful! Since it was still before lunch and we were making such good time, we decided to continue on. We ended up stopping in Plains, Kansas, at the 60 mile mark for us. It was Tom and Susan's longest ride to date and also the longest mileage we have done in a day on this trip. Way to go Tom and Susan!!

Susan needing to be helped in after bicycling 60 miles.

Some tumbleweed bushes along our route today.

Seeing all the tumbleweeds today reminded me of something in the manuscript that you might find interesting. Sophronia writes "From farmer's wives we learned how to cook tumbleweeds which grew abundantly along the road side. Tumbleweeds, when picked small before the prickly thorn develops, were delicious! Maude, Rita and I picked baskets full of the weeds as we walked along the road." I never knew that tumbleweeds could be eaten!

This afternoon we went to the Liberal Cemetery and found Harry and Lucy Cousins' gravesite. They were my great grandparents and they were 2 of the 13 that traveled in the 1911 caravan.