When to stop?

He was riding his bicycle. That was about the only good thing about the scene right now. The slick, coast road wound up and around the promontories, so that the wind and rain was as often in his face as across the beam.

As the cold rain ran off his Arcteryx rain jacket, soaking his crotch and running down his legs, he pedaled on, one stroke after the other. At the top of the hill, he pulled alongside the other rider, and matched her pedal cadence. Her face was set in a stony expression. The rain was dripping off her nose, and he knew that she was soaked everywhere that he was. Continue reading

How I have changed: breathing, smelling, hearing…

“I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

— Robert Frost.

The mountain was not as steep as some that we had already climbed, but it seemed interminably long. It was not as hot today as it had been earlier, but I was drenched with sweat. To keep up a steady cadence on my pedals, I repeated the artilleryman’s mantra as I stroked,2014-08-22 14.38.44

“If I wasn’t a gunner I wouldn’t be here. Ready, aim, fire!”

My legs no longer burned like they did the first week, so I must be getting stronger. But there was no denying that she was faster, stronger, and lighter. Continue reading

How I have changed: gear

This week I get to show you just how clueless I was when I started out a year and a half ago to live on the road. When bike packing, nothing gives you away as a newbie faster than your gear. Continue reading

How I have changed: accommodations and attitude

2014-12-17 Black Cat Road

Black Cat Road

Trip update: I have managed to ride almost every day, and, as often as not, out into the rolling hills of Albemarle County, Virginia. The days are short, so 40-45 km is a good ride. Still, the last three days, I have pulled in before dark. Now that I have ridden in as many places as I have in the last year, I find that Albemarle County is a very pleasant place to ride. The topography reminds me of riding along the Southern Shore of Nova Scotia. The weather has been comparable, too. Continue reading

Cross-Border Checklist

Trip update: Since returning to Charlottesville, I have been working (editing and translating), preparing for Christmas, and moving material around in the house. I have promised my son, Daniel that I would clear out the entertainment/TV room and the porch before I leave. Continue reading

Trip update VIII: The end of the Northern Trek (2014)

We headed north on 8 October using US 1 and ME 88 to reach Brunswick, where my cousin Rook lives. 2014-10-11 15.02.58Autumn was rapidly bursting into color. I was also looking forward to intercepting the new charger for my computer. The charger was stolen off his porch, so I was back to square one on my search for a solution.

Continue reading

Trip Update VII: Nova Scotia, formerly (but still) New England (2014)

Tuesday morning, 23 September, M/V Blue Puttees moored in North Sydney. Blue PuteesThe sun was shining on the calm water. We rode 60 km to Louisburg to visit the French fortress that anchored New France in the 17th and 18th Centuries. It was a fascinating visit. I wished that I had bought two 1-lb boules in the King’s bakery instead of one. Continue reading

Trip update VI: Western Newfoundland, blessings in the storm (2014).

Burgeo once had a population of 2000 and a thriving fishing industry, but today has only half that number, and its main purpose seems to be to connect the ferry with the TransCanada Highway.

Burgeo

Burgeo

We landed not looking forward to the prospect of riding the Barrens in worsening weather. Highway 480 was the main road through town. We decided to stop at Sharon’s Diner, which looked like the last restaurant, to bulk up on hot food for the trip. Sharon herself waited on us. As we ate our fish and chips, we asked about how we might get a ride to the T.C.H.

“I’ll call my son,” she said. “He knows everything.” Continue reading

Trip update V: from France to the isolated communities (2014).

On Saturday the 13th of September, the Marystown Taxi Service took us to Fortune, about 62 km south on the east side of the Burin Peninsula. From there, we took the ferry Cabestan to St. Pierre, one of a pair of islands in Fortune Bay, belonging to France. Under the Peace of Paris in 1783, France gave up all her possessions in the Canadian Maritimes. However, St. Pierre et Miguelon (SPM) were returned to France along with French historic fishing rights. France retained fishing rights on the Saint Georges Bank and in Newfoundland waters until 1904. 2014-09-13 14.17.00Today, SPM is a charming tourist mecca, and still an active fishing port.

Continue reading

Trip update IV: To the end of the New World (2014)

2014-09-08 09.12.13On Monday morning, the 8th of September, Atlantic Vision sailed into Placentia Bay and made port in Argentia. The ferry pier is at the former US Navy seaplane base from World War II. Like many of the dozens of US bases built during the war to win control of the North Atlantic, NAS Argentia, with its long runway, remained in service for the Cold War. Continue reading