She was really mad with us this morning. In the early hours of the morning the predicted storm hit Eureka and the lightning flashes lit up the stained glass windows of the church like something from ‘The Omen’. Warm and dry on our sleep mats on the floor we thanked Joanie and the church that…
Riding days start early on the trail. Our alarms were set for 6am, by which time Jerry and Jonathan were already up, clipping their panniers onto their bikes and making coffee. First Baptist had been a great place to stay, but the TransAm never rests, so by 7am we were out of the door and…
By Terry “See that red bit? … that’s the worst of the weather and it’s heading straight at us.” said Jonathan, pointing at the radar weather image on his phone. Sure enough, half an hour, 3 bowls of wheat flakes, 2 blueberry muffins and lots of rubbish coffee later, the thunderstorm hit Pittsburg. So much…
Our first day off for nearly 3 weeks. We’ve cycled over the Appalacians and the Ozarks. We wanted a rest. We needed a rest. Hell, we deserved a rest. Mike, Jessica and Tuan peddled off though towards the promised golden flatlands of Kansas after the now obligatory photo shoot and we all reckoned that we’d…
“You’re getting slower, aren’t you”? Terry’s question was direct, but honest. After 19 days of continuous cycling without a break since Fort Chiswell in Virginia, fatigue was beginning to set in. I found myself looking more and more at my feet and less and less at the landscape. I’d noticed no change in Terry’s energy…
“That’s not tea”. “Yes it it” “Is it hot?” “No”. “Do you have milk?” “No, we don’t keep perishables”. “Then it’s not tea then is it?” We are standing in KFC looking at a fizzy pop machine and for the first time on this trip I’m really grumpy. I face-timed Ellie and Kate this morning…
My dear old mum always says that if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything … and so in that vein, I won’t mention the Houston motel, the motel breakfast or the Yorkshireman who ran it. Suffice to say that he came over years ago looking for the American dream and seems to…
Ok then I’d better ‘fess up. There are no aliens in this post. Unless you include the cockroach we found in our hotel room this evening. That was pretty alien, well less of the pretty actually. But anyway the headline was there to grab you into the great Ozarks vs the Appalachian debate and if…
“Make sure you watch out for Chiggers”. “Chiggers”? “Yep you can’t see them but if they get up your leg they’ll leave bites all over your groin, they’re nasty”. “So how would I get rid if them?” “You can’t. Well you could try taking a bath in bleach – that’s about the only thing that…
Short day today … so after leaving the shack (which had wifi!) and sending Steve off eastwards with all our tips for free overnights, Paul and I headed west with young Ian … for about a minute … before stopping for breakfast in the local diner opposite a lifesize(?) bronze statue of Popeye. (Olive Oil,…