The prickly heat! It prickles...

It's been a bit humid for a few days, and nothing ever dries...

Sunday, 31 August: Today I woke up ready to bang out some serious miles, so I went back to the road instead of staying on the canal towpath. Everything was going along fine until, somewhere south of Rochester, I realized that it had been a while since I had seen a sign for either Route 31 or SBR 5. I stopped to consult my Garmin about where exactly I was, and another cyclist rode by. He asked if I needed help, and I explained how I was only a little bit lost. He didn't know where exactly SBR 5 had gone, but he was on his way to work at a bike shop, and they have maps of it there, so he invited me to ride along. What the heck, it kinda seemed to be in the general direction I needed to go to get back on route. We rode along and chatted for a few miles to the Park Ave Bike Shop, where we examined the map and he told me the best way to get back to where I wanted to be, and he gave me a couple of free maps of New York state bike routes. Nice! He also pointed out where on the map he had run into me, and I could see where I had gone straight instead of turning. The lame thing is: I totally remember that intersection. The signage for cars was vague, and there were no bicycle signs! I had pulled up to the light and looked around, and decided to go straight, since that had generally worked out before when there were no signs. The state of New York had neglected me again!

There were a few more instances of neglect, but for the most part I had a pretty nice shoulder, and was making really good time. I got to the city (or town, or village, I dunno) of Macedon, and was faced with a choice. Based on where the bike map said I could camp, which I assumed was free camping in the park like last night, I could either stop in Macedon just shy of 50 miles, or continue to Port Byron, Which would put me at just over 90 miles. A wiser person might have decided to take two short days in lieu of a rest day, and camp in both towns, but every now and then I have to test my limits. I rode like a demon for about 35 more miles, and was on track to reach Port Byron before nightfall. I had time for a break, and decided to stop at a gas station in Savannah for some Power-Ade. I considered just sucking back a packet of Gu, but it was pretty warm today, and a quart of refridgerated liquid sounded nice. I met a woman there who thought I looked like I needed a shower, and who also didn't like the idea of me camping in the park in Port Byron, so she invited me back to her place, which happened to be just a couple of miles further in the direction I was headed. More serendipity! I got a shower, washed some clothes in an actual machine, cleaned my bike, ate some food, and played Scrabble with her kids. It was a pretty fine night, in my book.

And even though I didn't go 90 miles today, I still pedalled a new personal best: 84.7 miles.

I heart NY? Maybe.

Dear state of New York,

Although I appreciate all you try to do for the other cyclists and me-- like making those marked bike routes that cross the entire state, and putting them on your DOT website-- I can't help but wonder how you *really* feel about me. When the bike lane and signs suddenly disappear, and I am hung out to dry on a shoulderless road with bad cracked concrete on the righthand side, is it because you got busy and kinda forgot about me, or are you trying to tell me something? And why is there no mention on the DOT website of the Erie Canal Towpath that basically parallels State Bike Route 5? Do you want to keep it a secret? It sure seems that way, since I saw hardly anyone using it on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. On a holiday weekend, no less! But you didn't mention it because it isn't a DOT project.

I would feel a lot safer if you would clarify your feelings toward me-- are you inattentive or filled with malice?

Thank you in advance for your prompt and honest response,
Cheri

Dear New York state drivers,

Drop dead, d-bags.

Regards,
Cheri

Saturday, 30 August: This morning went as planned. I rode over to Niagara Falls, took a few pictures, and had enough time to ride the loop around Goat Island. That is a beautiful park, and peaceful, too, since all of the tourists are clustered around the falls viewing areas. I got back to my luxury-priced campsite in time to load up my stuff before check-out time.

Then I headed east. I went and went and went. I started out on SBR 5, which is mostly just the shoulder of Highway 31. And a lovely shoulder it is. Usually. I met a guy from the Netherlands touring in the opposite direction, and he said I could ride along the canal, and he mentioned the town that he camped in last night, although the conversation moved along before I asked him any details about the camping. So this is how I found the towpath, with a few additional directions from a really odd and kind of annoying local guy in Lockport. It was mostly that hard packed gravelly surface, but that fit my mood today, since it got me away from the cars and was almost completely level. Although I guess the road wasn't all that hilly. The kayakers were out in full force on the canal, and I felt a twinge of envy.

By the time I got to the town where the other tourer had stayed, it was getting late, and I was hungry. I decided to treat myself to dinner at the local diner, and inquire about camping. I'm glad I went, because everyone was really nice, and they told me I could camp for free in the park by the canal. What?! It's been so long, I was starting to think it was all a nice dream. And I'm happy to drop a little cash on dinner when the camping is free. Especially at a facility as nice as this one. Bathrooms with soap and hot running water?! A sponge bath never felt better. There is a shower room, too, but it was locked. Although I'm certainly not complaining! I'm camped near a pond with a fountain, so I get a nice running water noise to add to the crickets. Ahh.

Shoulda skipped Buffalo and Niagara Falls altogether

Friday, 29 August: Today was overcast and muggy, but it never actually rained on me, and I even had a friendly tailbreeze for much of the day. The terrain even leveled out some as the day went on, so I had a pretty swell day for riding, and made good time.

It wasn't all candy and cookies, though. I was warned by a couple of different cyclists to avoid Buffalo, because it was no fun to ride downtown. I picked a route that I thought would kind of skirt the city. In this case, "kind of skirt" ended up meaning "ride through the poor parts of town for almost two hours." I don't think I have ever gotten that many dirty looks in such a short time in my entire life. People are grumpy in the poor parts of Buffalo. But I made it through safely and got fairly close to the falls. I am camped for the night at a place right on the highway that is charging me a freaking ridiculous fee for camping, but what can I do? It's the holiday weekend soaking. The woman gave me a tiny little token discount since I am alone, so that was something. I could have saved a few dollars by camping further out, but with this location I should be able to go check out the falls really quickly in the morning, then get back here to load up my gear before checkout time. I consoled myself by charging my phone in the bathroom while I handwashed some clothes in the immaculate shower. It's a booby prize, really, but I'm trying to get the most out of my $35.

Speaking of candy, I have found the best candy ever. It nearly counts as an energy bar. I got it at the same place where I got the goat milk fudge. It is called "Peco Flakes," which I am assuming stands for "peanuts and coconut flakes," since it is basically just peanut brittle with coconut flakes. Yum. I will be making some of that next time I have access to a kitchen and a little spare time...

Oops...

Thursday, 28 August: I spent the day doing next to nothing. It was nice. It wasn't as rainy as I was worried it would be, but the wind was pretty gusty at times, so I'm glad I was napping, reading, and eating.

Saturday club has it's downsides-- I just realized that we're coming up on Labor Day weekend and I'm headed for Niagara Falls. I'm thinking I pretty much have no shot at getting a campsite anywhere within forty miles. Or anywhere, really. If any of my readers know of anyone in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area who can spare a few square feet of lawn, shoot me a note. Now that I think of it, one probably needs reservations in the area even if it is not a holiday weekend. But planning ahead has never been my strong suit. I considered calling a few campgrounds today to check on availability, but decided that they would just laugh in my ear, and I would be better off just showing up and playing dumb. Then perhaps I can get the pity squeeze-in, especially if there are thunderstorms, as predicted.

Stayed tuned to find out how this ill-planned trip to a major tourist attraction plays out.

Eleven and Twelve

Wednesday, 27 August: Today was overcast and muggy, but not too hot. There was an occasional head/crosswind. It was really decent for biking, all things considered.

I got a nice early start this morning, and entered Pennsylvania after less than a mile of pedaling. Unfortunately, my standard bike-and-a-sign border crossing picture was terrible due to sun position. C'est la vie.

In the afternoon, I crossed over into New York state. I heart these tiny little states! Okay, I am well aware that I only cut across a tiny corner of Pennsylvania, but it still feels pretty swell to have ridden my bicycle through three states in one day.

I stopped by a roadside stand to pick up some delicious locally grown produce, and couldn't resist the goat milk fudge. I had to try it. It is quite tasty, with an excellent creamy texture, but I would not recommend smelling it from very close up.

Since it is supposed to be rainy tomorrow, I decided to ride hard today, then treat myself to two nights in the illustrious New York State park system. This campground has all of the modern conveniences like soap and running water (and great water pressure in the shower) for a fairly decent price. This is a combo I have seen far too little of lately... in state parks anyway.

Ohio has been very very good to me

Seriously, Ohio might be my favorite state so far.

Monday, 25 August: My friend's mom found an excuse to drive me out to Kent, home of Kent State University (yes, *that* Kent State), which was much appreciated, because it saved me at least a couple of hours of navigating my way through very populous, trafficky, boring areas.

I had a lame headwind today, but it was sunny and not too hot, and I spent most of the day out in the country, so it was pretty nice. I made my way east toward a nice long north-south paved bike trail. It is wonderfully smooth, with many lovely trees that helped to block the wind a little bit. I chatted with another cyclist, who gave me five dollars and told me to treat myself to dinner at the Dairy Queen that was a ways up the trail.

Toward evening I approached a small town just off the trail, and decided to look for a store and inquire about camping. A few blocks away from the trail, a kind woman hailed me from her yard, where she was out mowing, and asked if I had a place to stay. She took me in and fed me and let me shower and sleep in a bed. That was completely awesome. It turns out she and her husband have done some bicycle touring of their own, and she said a lot of people have offered them places to stay on their trips, but it's often too early in the day, when they aren't yet ready to quit riding. Her timing tonight was about as perfect as Brad Pitt. When I told them my next destination was Niagara Falls, they said they had ridden there before, so we discussed routes, and I got some useful information.

Tuesday, 26 August: Another fantastic day, with another fantastic headwind. I spent the first part of the day on the same trail that I was on yesterday. I met a nice couple who gave me $20. I love Ohio! Although I think that couple was actually from Iowa...

While I was having a roadside snack about twelve miles from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, a woman came out of her house and gave me two peaches from her prolific backyard tree. She also brought wetnaps. Full service! We talked a bit, and I asked her about camping, and she offered to let me stay in her backyard, but I wanted to go further.

After a few more miles, I came across a guy on a bicycle who was having a problem with his bike. I offered him tools, but he said he could make it home okay. We rode along and chatted for a while, and he offered to put me up for the night. I hadn't gotten quite as far as I wanted to, but he seemed cool, and I didn't want to pass up a good opportunity just to make ten more miles. He and his girlfriend are really nice people, and we had a fun evening of pizza, booze and conversation.

Oops, I forgot to post this last night

Saturday, 23 August: The three of us rode our bicycles a ways up the Erie Canal Towpath, and then rode the train back to the car. It does a tour along the canal, and they've added two cars to the end of the train-- one for bicycles and one for their riders-- and you can hop aboard with your bicycle at several places along the canal for only two dollars. It was a really nice day, and we saw two blue herons.

We had sushi for dinner, then rented "Lars and the Real Girl." Ryan Gosling is a good actor, but Bianca was so unexpressive...

Sunday, 24 August: I got a tour of downtown Akron this morning, then spent the afternoon route planning while it stormed outside.

Today rocked. And rolled.

Thursday, 21 August: I spent the day with my friend's mom, whose boss called and offered her the day off, because they were overscheduled. Nice! We ate, grocery shopped, ate, and went for a walk on the towpath along the Erie canal.

After dinner we stopped by Sun Valley Sports to pick up her bicycle, where it had been getting a tune-up. Everyone who works there is ridiculously good-looking, so if anyone who likes boys is in the area, stop by for an ogle.

Friday, 21 August: My friend's mom drove me into Cleveland before work, where we had lunch at a vietnamese place. I finally got my fix, so that should stave off my cravings for a while. It was pretty tasty, although there was no tofu in evidence, so I went for the shrimp. Then she dropped me at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to which I had a free pass, thanks to their membership. I spent the afternoon wandering the exhibits, and then my friend's dad picked me up after work. These guys are totally spoiling me. Maybe I should settle here, and get a job at Sun Valley...

There was a Rolling Stone magazine exhibit at the museum that contained various magazine covers, famous articles, and various correspondences with and among people at the magazine. There was a letter from Charles Manson complaining that he had been misrepresented in their recent story on him. What struck me about it was how neat and girly the handwriting was. The "i"s are even dotted with little circles. Perhaps the letter was transcribed for him by one of his groupies. One of his seventh-grade groupies... I surrepticiously took a picture
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/26490833@N02/2788312248/), but it didn't turn out so well. You can kinda see it. I didn't keep trying for a better picture, as there were signs everywhere telling me not to take pictures.

Now I'm relaxing and watching Edward Scissorhands. Ah, Johnny Depp, back in the olden days when he was engaged to Winona...

The touring cyclists are taking over Ohio

Wednesday, 20 August: I slept in for as long as humanly possible today, partly because I was tired from getting in so late last night, partly because I didn't have far to go today, and partly because I wanted to get my money's worth for that campsite.

It was a short ride to my friends parents' house outside of Akron, but it wound up taking a bit longer than I expected. There was a super fun headwind, and the hills just kept getting bigger and more frequent. That was such a disappointment after the completely flat western side of the state. While I was snacking, the guy I met yesterday came riding by, so we talked some more. I guess he mostly just rides in the summer, and spends winters with various family members. That would be pretty fun.

Later in the afternoon, it was hot and I was on a busy road with hardly any shoulder, and I decided that stopping for ice cream would make it all better. When I came back out, another touring cyclist (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/allanb) was riding by. I waved, and he stopped for a chat before heading in to get some ice cream of his own. It was really odd seeing two other tourers in the same day on the same stretch of road, because they have been few and far between since I let the Northern Tier route in Rugby, North Dakota. I think these were the first I had seen since western Wisconsin.

It turns out the ice cream did make everything better, because the shoulder widened out just after the ice cream shop, and stayed decent for the rest of my ride. I made it to my destination, had a nice chat over a delicious salmon dinner, showered, and got online. Life is good.

History and a headwind

Tuesday, 19 August: I woke up late and then spent some time at the Rutherford B. Hayes Museum before leaving Fremont, Ohio. It's a pretty friendly city. One old guy I chatted with told me that if someone is creeping me out, I should say "Give me space or you get the mace." I guess rhyming threats are more effective?

I've never been big on historical museums, and I'm still not. There's always a few cool things, and then a bunch of random filler. But, you know, I was right there and all... The "artifact" that got my attention the most was the totally ancient Kotex vending machine in the bathroom, that was only charging ten cents for a feminine napkin. That's right, just one thin dime. The design and writing looked all fifties. I wish I had gotten a picture, but my phone was outside attempting to charge in the little bit of sunlight that was coming through the clouds. My museum experience was spiced up a bit by two old ladies who sounded like they owned their own, much poorer museum. I didn't talk to them; I just listened while they nitpicked everything in the museum in an envious-sounding way.

I finally got moving after noon. With some help from some friendly joggers, I managed to find a bike trail that other Sheri had told me about. It only went to the next town, but hey, that was seven miles in which I didn't have to worry about getting hit by a semi. Also, the trees lining the trail lessened the effect of the strongish head/crosswind. While on the trail I met an older gentleman who was touring on a recumbent with a trailer. He has been doing basically what I'm doing-- sightseeing and visiting people-- for THREE YEARS and nine thousand miles. Awesome.

Toward the end of the day I ran out of water and stopped by Hook's Greenhouse on Route 18 just west of Wellington, OH to ask if I could refill. The kind woman who owns the place with her husband gave me a bottle of water, an ear of sweet corn, and a yellow heirloom tomato. She wanted to give me more, but I thought I should only take what I could eat tonight, since vegetables are squishy and perishable and all. I should have chatted her up about camping there, because I bet she would have taken me in and given me a shower and food, but for some unknown reason I was set on making it to Findley State Park tonight. I dunno, maybe it's the name. I made it here just before dark, and it's a pretty nice park, with soap and showers and toilets that flush and even a laundry facility. And it dang well better be nice-- campsites are twenty bucks a night! Yeesh. Well, at least I got to experience an Ohio state park.

I didn't run over any live animals today...

Monday, 18 August: Another good day for biking, with more sun and tailwind. There was a brief afternoon thunderstorm, but I managed to take cover. I found a campground with some sketchy directions from some wacky old people, and then hung out around the fire with my fun camping neighbors, one of whom shares my name. I didn't ask about the spelling, though.

Chillin' like a villain

Sunday, 17 August: I spent the day at my new friends' house, recovering from last night's sorrow-drowning. They were really nice to let me hang out. We went to Big Boy for breakfast, so I was able to cross that landmark off my list.

Almost a perfect day

Friday, 15 August: Hung out, rested, sunbathed. A guy who who was tent camping with his four kids invited me over for dinner and chatting. It turns out he grew up in Federal Way. Crazy!

Saturday, 16 August: Everything was awesome, it was sunny with a tailwind, and the shoulder was mostly decent to wonderful. A few miles into Ohio (the tenth state, for those counting) a woman stopped and offered me a cookie. What a welcome! I was cruising along, enjoying the ride, until I ran over someone's dog. A bunch of chihuahuas were chasing me, and one ran in front of my front wheel. Yikes! No one was home so I left a note explaining why their dog had an injury by his eye. I bawled all the way to the nearest bar, where I ordered a whiskey and a beer, and someone took pity on me and bought my drinks and nachos, which in Ohio come with iceberg lettuce, but they only cost $2, and you can finish the whole plate, so it is excellent. The bartender also took pity on me and let me stay at her place. She, her boyfriend and her brother are really great people, so I'm feeling a lot better now. Whew.

There are so many different ways roadkill can stink...

Thursday, 14 August: If you are ever in northern Indiana and need some plants, pop on by Myers Landscape Nursery on Hwy 6 just west of the junction with 13. They're such nice people, I'm assuming their plants are nice also.

I got on the road early this morning because the weather prediction was for rain in the morning and storms in the afternoon. It ended up being cloudy and a little sprinkly in the morning, but not too bad. I still felt kinda off, though, so I just did a half day, and stayed at an actual pay campground, so that I will feel like I can hang around for longer tomorrow if I'm not feeling better. I'm thinking I maybe pushed myself too hard for the last two days, so some resting should set me right.

The campground is pretty nice, but a little pricey. I didn't attempt to bargain, though, because I was paying a camp host in a city-run campground, and those people have no power. Also, this city is run-down, but they are still maintaining a huge park, so I guess I can consider it a worthwhile donation. The storms don't seem to be materializing, so all of my stuff got time to dry.

I was eating by the side of the road and an Amish family with a horse and buggy went by. The horse looked at me, then jerked his head up. It looked just like when the cool kid gives you the acknowledgement head nod with attitude. I nodded back at the horse and cracked up, and then greeted the happy family.

The kindness of strangers

Wednesday, 13 August: I got an early start today, which was good, because I managed to do a few miles before it started raining. It kept up for most of the morning-- mostly a heavy drizzle-- annoying, but I could ride in it. I stopped for hot lunch and hot cocoa at a little café, and sat around drying for a while. When I left, the rain was pretty much done, and I had the whole afternoon and evening ahead of me. The weather stayed decent all day, but I started to feel funky in the evening, and riding didn't go as fast as I had hoped it would. When I hit a detour, I knew there was no way I would make my intended destination before dark. I rode until the sun was almost down, then stopped at a house that had much activity inside. They're remodeling. I explained the situation and asked if I could put up a tent on their property. They said sure, and put me in the backyard next to the firepit and lit a fire to keep the coons away. They offered me all my favorite things (food and a shower), but they seemed really busy and I was feeling bad about imposing. I was also feeling super tired, so I thanked them and said I just wanted to sleep. I had trail mix and a handy-wipe bath in my tent before quickly typing this up. Yawn.

My dad called this afternoon to tell me about the good shoulders on the road he was on in Indiana. I pulled out a map, and it turned out he was literally 15 to 20 miles north of me while we talked. Wacky! He said the shoulders were so good because it was Amish country and they drove their horse'n'buggies there. Shortly after that I started to see more evidence of horse on the shoulder, and then I saw some Amish people on bicycles. I don't know how the women ride in those dresses. I would get all caught up in the gears so fast.

I'm thinking all of those yellow warning signs I keep seeing with little pictures of bicycles might be marking Amish communites. I was wondering what that was all about.

Hwy 6 has pretty decent shoulders for most of the way, and the traffic is sporadic. The view is mostly cornfields, but there are plenty of nice trees to break it up.

I forgot to say it yesterday, but Indiana seems to be the kind of place where everyone smiles and greets you. People seem quite friendly here, even when I was still basically in the Chicago suburbs. In fact, I even noticed more of this in south Chicago. Not everyone, but certain demographics were smile-and-greet kind of people. In Indiana, there are less demographics involved; people are almost uniformly friendly.

One hundred days on the road: a numerical retrospective

-2843.5 total miles ridden during 65 days of riding, for an average of 43.7 miles per day.
-2689.3 miles ridden loaded toward a new goal during 57 days of riding, for an average of 47.2 miles per day. The rest were unloaded miles ridden while sightseeing or running errands.
-12 consecutive nights sleeping outside
-61 total nights sleeping outside
-11 consecutive nights sleeping indoors
-40 nights I paid for lodging
-$721 spent on lodging
-9 consecutive days without showering
-58 consecutive days without seeing a single person I knew before the trip
-29 consecutive days without riding in a car or bus

Monday, 11 August: I was planning to leave today, but on Sunday night my cousin told me I should stay longer, and I said I would if she played hooky on Monday, so we spent one last day chillin' like Bob Dylan. If Bob liked to play Trivial Pursuit, sunbathe and swim in Lake Michigan, that is.

Tuesday, 12 August: I finally left Chicago. I already miss its well-labeled bike routes almost as much as I miss my cousin. She dropped me off by the Lakefront Trail kinda downtownish, near her work. I rode that trail to some well-marked connecting streets to another trail that took me almost all of the way to Indiana.

I crossed the border after 17 miles or so, but it wasn't labeled because I was on smaller streets. I had a route all planned out (thanks to a fantastic bike map of northwest Indiana that I found online) that would utilize three nearly connecting bike trails to go slightly south and then east, but it didn't quite work out that way. When I finally found the first trail, it was so completely unlabeled I wasn't positive I was not on a large sidewalk until a mile or two later when I saw a sign indicating it was a bike trail. Not which bike trail, just a trail, but it was heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, I didn't print out the bike map, and forgot that I was supposed to turn off the first trail and head for the second about 5 miles before the trail ended. I got to the end of the trail, and then decided to re-route on the fly instead of backtracking. I ended up on a road with no shoulder that was closed for construction after a few miles, and detoured onto a road with no shoulder that was in such bad condition that riding anywhere near the right side of the lane was like riding on a washboard. I made it through, however, and meandered back north and east to a road that I think will be a decent ride across the rest of the state. More on that tomorrow...

With all the re-routing, I ended up riding pretty late today. I got to a small town and asked about camping at a gas station, and the woman said she thought I could camp at the county park. In other states I've been in, that was not allowed, but it was too late to look for other alternatives, so I headed over there. I saw no signs that said camping was not allowed, and it's a huge park, so I was able to find a secluded spot. I am surrounded by woods and wetland, and the park is well outside town, so there are many good wildlife noises and hardly any lights. It's a great way to return to outdoor life. The only imperfect thing is the cloudiness hiding my stars. But I'm so sleepy it hardly matters...

Girliest day ever.

Sunday, 10 August: We started the day at Kopi Cafe, a mostly vegetarian restaurant/ juice bar/ coffee and tea shop in Andersonville, an area that has a Capital Hill vibe. I would highly recommend it. We moved on to Andersonville Galleria, which sells a bunch of arty kinds of things. I was enchanted by some items that were made out of old records and bike parts, especially a picture frame made of a bike chain around a picture of the Fat Tire logo. I was not planning to buy anything, but then I ran across my new favorite T-shirt (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26490833@N02/2750946749/) and justified the purchase by telling myself that not only is it small and will fit in my luggage, but I only had one non-technical T-shirt for city wearing which was already starting to grow tiny holes.

We decided to go full blown splurge and I got my very first pedicure. Dark blue polish, to match my bike...

Then it was off to the bike shop to pick up a few things my cousin needed to make her old rickety bike more user friendly. I got to be the mechanic, which was fun for me, because I didn't get time to mess around with my old bike before I left, and I'm afraid to do anything to my new bike, since it is already perfect and I don't want to weird it up. I was able to make some improvements to her bike, although I would love to have another week or two to learn how to make it even better. I never thought I would turn into one of those bike geeks, but I guess spending so much time with mine is causing a shift in attitude.

I was going to refer to the mechanic part of the day as the non-girly part, but then I decided not to sell my gender short. I had a super girly day.

Moooo

Friday, 8 August: I decided I had been riding my bike entirely too much for what should have been rest days, so I spent today playing housewife (oatmeal fudge bars and granola!) and trying to figure out how to vote in the Washington state primary and special elections. I'm having problems accessing the online voter information, however, so I'm kinda in the dark. Sigh. If anyone feels informed and opinionated, by all means, post a comment!

When the breadwinner got home, she took me out to a bar called the Hopleaf (http://hopleaf.com/). They had a SIXTEEN PAGE beer menu. I was overwhelmed. They had at least eight beers from my favorite brewery, Dogfish Head (http://www.dogfish.com/). I ordered a CB&J, which was a grilled cashew butter and jam sandwich with morbier cheese on sourdough. Yum! Now I feel less weird for all of those toasted PB&J with cheddar sandwiches that I have eaten. If they're serving it in a restaurant, other people must be willing to eat it too.

Saturday, 9 August: Cuz and I rode our bikes downtown and checked out some touristy stuff. We both have a fairly low tolerance for that stuff, so we were kinda like "seen it, move on." The Sears Tower seemed like a requirement, but it was also a bit of an ordeal. I bet it's less bad on a weekday, but the wait on Saturday afternon was pretty nasty. It's a good thing we enjoy talking to each other, because we had a lot of time to do that while being herded like cats through tons of those little airport security-type mazes. In fact, the second maze, out of seven (? I think), was for security, but we didn't have to take off our shoes. There was even a long line for the elevator to get out, and one last line before we could escape the building. Whew! My cousin had never been there before, she had only been to the John Hancock building, which also has an observation deck, and is only slightly shorter. Since it's not as famous outside of Chicago, it is a less hectic way to see the city, so keep that in mind if you go there. The view was great, though, and we were able to see a big rainy area moving kind of toward us, although we somehow managed to not get rained on.

There are a lot of cool sculptures scattered around the city, and many lovely parks and greenspaces. Navy Pier is eh. Buckingham Fountain was pretty, although the scheduled 6:30 show did not appear to be happening. The free trolley system is handy, but pretty crowded.

Of course we had a headwind on the way home, and my cousin commented that she now understood why so many of my blog entries are about wind. We managed to make it home before dark, so yay, us!

Four plates of lunch

Thursday, 7 August: I got my hair cut this morning by my cousin's hairstylist, Goran Coban (http://www.gorancoban.com/). He did a good job, and he gave me a shampoo and scalp massage, which was pretty nice, but no one *knows* my hair like Beth knows it. The oddest things can cause a twinge of homesickness...

After the cut I considered doing some wandering in the neighborhoods near the salon, but I've never been the sightseeing-in-funky-neighborhoods type, especially since that usually just involves shopping and eating. I don't want any stuff, and my dad is in town, so I wanted to meet him for food, and there's really nowhere to park an eighteen wheeler in the city, so I headed back north, to meet him in Evanston. Yup. I rode out to Evanston three days in a row. On the way north, I did a ride-by of Wrigley Field, thinking that it was so famous and close, it would be silly not to. I had some vague notion of stopping there for a look around or something, because you all know how I love team sports and their venues, but when I got there I saw a whole gaggle of gawkers milling around in front of the place, and I said, "bored now," and rode on.

Dad and I went to an Indian restaurant that had a lunch buffet, and I ate until I was waddling around with an Indian food baby. Dad and I were planning to walk around the sculpture park, but then I was like, "ugh, I need to sit down." So we hung out in the shade for awhile.

While playing Trivial Pursuit, which we both love, my cousin and I discovered that neither of us likes Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, The Godfather, or Batman. I could be forgetting someone, but I'm pretty sure she is the only person I know who is in complete agreement with me on all of these series. We high-fived over it and totally flubbed that, and then I remembered the thing I learned recently about looking at the other person's elbow in order to high-five successfully. We tried again with pleasing results, and got so excited we went for a lefty-five, also with great success.

It's possible we haven't been getting quite enough sleep for the last few days...

Ouch.

Wednesday, 6 August: I'm finding Chicago to be extremely bike-able. I almost didn't need to pick up my free biking map of the city, because the suggested bicycle streets are so well marked. If ease in biking was my only criteria in choosing a place to live, I would move here. But I am devoted to Seattle...

That being said, I got car-doored for my first time ever today while running errands on my bike. A guy opened his door to get out of his car just as I was riding by, so the edge of it split the padding on my handlebars and scraped my thigh. It wasn't really a big deal, but I was a bit shaken, and I think I'm going to have a pretty good bruise to show for it. So be sure to look both ways before exiting your car when parked on the street, because it can be hard for cyclists to see through your car windows, and we don't know when you are planning to open the door.

But at least I got my ice cream home before it melted completely.

Shopping and sculptures

Tuesday, 5 August: Today I rode a few miles north to the Turin Bicycle Shop, which is, according to my cousin's co-worker, the best bike shop in the Chicago area. Technically, it is not actually in Chicago, but in Evanston. Although I have not been to any other bike shops around here, I'm gonna go ahead and believe him, because everyone there was all nice and helpful. I picked up a couple of things, then headed over to the Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park. It is a thin strip of greenspace a few miles long, running along the channel, that is occupied by a paved trail and a bunch of big sculptures. They were pretty cool, but I was totally not in a picture taking mood, so sorry... They were mostly metal, but there were other media as well-- some stone, wood, clay and ceramic.

The weather outside is frightful...

Monday, 4 August: It was dark and stormy for pretty much the whole day. I opted to stay indoors and research the free things I could do in the city. It felt like a pretty productive day.

In the evening, my cousin and I got caught in a thunderstorm, shortly after a tornado alarm had sounded. We were only outside for about a block and a half, but were completely soaked after half a block. There is some insane electrical activity happening tonight, and it is close.

I can't stop grooving on Rodrigo y Gabriela. They are seriously sick guitar playing machines.

City life

Sunday, 3 August: I had a pleasant, shortish ride today from the suburbs into north Chicago. A little research yesterday on the internets helped me to plan my route through the city. The recommended bicycle routes are really well marked with tiny little signs for cyclists. So far I'm mostly happy with biking here, and plan to do more sightseeing from my Surly this week while my cousin is at work.

While I was riding in, I saw two different vehicles with those "Baby on Board" warning stickers in their back window, and briefly wondered if I had gotten lost and ridden to the eighties. But then I saw an H2, and, with a sad shake of my head, knew I was in the zeroes.

At one point, I tried to change gears and then everything locked up and I couldn't even move my pedal. I pulled up onto the sidewalk to check it out (in front of a bike shop, coincidentally, but they appeared to be closed) and found that there was a plastic grocery bag all twisted up in my cogs and rear derailleur. Forget that idea of charging a five cent fee for grocery bag use! These evil things should be outlawed! But then only outlaws would have plastic grocery bags, and they're exactly the sort of people who would litter them all around my bike lanes. I managed to remove it fairly easily, however, with no apparent damage-- but lots of guck on my hands.

My cousin and I went nuts at the grocery store, then had Ethiopian food, then made brownies and granola. Separately, of course. Pretty much the best day ever...

Chillin'

Saturday, 2 August: Did a buncha nothing all day with my friend's mom. We saw Iron Man at the second run theater, and I can describe it in three words: Dow. Ney. Licious.

So relaxed... Bedtime.

More serendipity

Friday, 1 August: I was awakened at 5AM by a friendly Hebron police officer, who just wanted to let me know that a big lightening storm was on the way. It was so nice of him to look out for me like that. I think they may have stopped by the park a time or two during the night to check on me. I thanked him, but was way too tired to do anything other than bring my shoes inside the tent, and then roll over and go back to sleep. It didn't end up passing directly over us anyway.

By the time I finally woke up for real and got on the road, it was so hot I couldn't resist stopping by Kaitie's diner in Hebron, IL for some ice cream. It's a great mid-morning snack. And just to complete the plugs, the bartenders and patrons of Rumors bar and grill just north of town are friendly and helpful.

As I rode closer to Chicago, everything got more suburby and trafficky. It was pretty much reaching the height of blech when I stumbled upon a bike path that looked like it might be heading the same way as me. I found someone unloading his bike in a path parking lot and asked where the trail went. He pulled out a map and showed me that I was on the Fox River Trail which headed south many miles past where I needed to go. Fantastic! When I told him where I was headed tonight, he showed me where to switch over to the Prairie Path, which goes literally within a mile of tonight's destination. The Fox River trail is lovely and paved, lined with trees and shady in parts. There were multiple adorable old men on adorable old bikes. In response to my "hello," one of them gave me a weak little honk from his adorable old-timey squeeze bulb bike horn. The Prairie Path is also lovely, tree-lined, and shady, but mostly unpaved. Some people in Illinois refer to it with distaste as an "unimproved" trail. Funnily enough, it is very similar to-- and in places better than-- what is known in Wisconsin as a "State Trail: $4 per day fee for use." Okay, I think that was my last dig at Wisconsin. It's pretty much out of my system. Truthfully, there are many wonderful things about that state-- the scenery! The people! The cheese! The beer!-- that got overshadowed at the end by a few lame things. I just spent entirely too long baking my brains on the humid hills.

I got to my friend's mom's place in time to go out for dinner (portabello enchiladas, yum!) and have a nice chat (and some homemade apple pie with ice cream) before bed. In a real bed.