Sunday, June 5, 2016 Ordinarily it’s a case of “too many tours and not enough time,” so I would rarely want to repeat a previous trip, and the last time I did the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath tour I remember telling my wife that I was not Read more…
Wednesday, June 8, 2016 Today was our last 50+ mile day of the tour, and would be another full day since the hotel dining room didn’t open for breakfast until 8AM and then we had to return to Hancock to pick up our bikes. Everybody was there when the doors Read more…
Thursday, June 9, 2016 In the morning it was hard to believe that there were only two days of riding left, especially since I felt that I was getting stronger on the bike as I went. The day before, I had felt really good at the finish even after 55 Read more…
Today was the day that we would return to civilization and the end of our long journey. The 35 miles of trail would not take too long, but the guides reminded us that it is always a good idea to try to clear out of the D.C. area as early Read more…
After singing the praises of my old Specialized Sequoia-based light touring bike in a previous posting (see What Works for Me), it seems odd that I should now be talking about “retiring” it to use just for local riding, but after my experience on the Amish Country Adventure (also the Read more…
That’s right: just a couple weeks after finishing the strenuous but enjoyable tour of Ohio Amish country, I went on another Amish-themed ride in northern Indiana. The Amishland and Lakes tour is a typical club-sponsored ride that has been presented for over 40 years by the Michiana Bicycle Association. On Read more…
Friday, July 18, 2015 OK, this was officially a day to do a loop ride from New Philadelphia. But although I don’t have a chronic back problem and have never had trouble on a tour before, all of the tough climbing must have gotten to me over the past days Read more…
Thursday, July 17, 2015 This was the day to transfer to the hotel in New Philadelphia, which we were sure would not live up to the Berlin Grande. But first, there was one more adventure in store for us in Berlin. I thought that having to go to the lobby Read more…
Wednesday, July 15, 2015 This day was nicknamed Buggies Day and did not disappoint. It was also the peak day for climbing, but as the week wore on I actually felt myself getting stronger, as my earlier problems mostly reflected a lack of training (hill training being rather difficult where Read more…
Tuesday, July 14, 2015 At the previous day’s briefing, Joe had said that this would be our first foray into Amish country and also the first day of the “real hills.” He described the terrain as “rolling,” but as he said this he was moving his hand up and down Read more…
Monday, July 20, 2015 At dinner the night before, the group consensus was that we’d ride out starting no earlier than 8AM, which meant of course that we’d almost all be rolling out of the lot precisely at 8AM! Cyclists tend to be early risers. Surveying the group, although there Read more…
Sunday, July 12, 2015 I knew pretty much from the start that this tour was going to be top-notch as far as organization and amenities goes since it was production of Rod Hutton and Joe Florian’s Buckeye Country Roads outfit, whose Erie Shores tour I had done a year before. Read more…
Of the bikes that I own, the oldest one by far is also the first modern road bike that I purchased some 10 or more years ago. It’s the one that I use for what I call “light touring,” which is to say that I use it mostly on multi-day Read more…
Continued from Part 1 In this post I’ll talk about the other components and accessories that I’ve ended up with over the years. Saddle Yes, that’s a Brooks B-17 leather seat on the bike. I guess that Brooks saddles are somewhat of a love-em-or-hate-em item, but I really think that Read more…
Friday, July 18, 2014 Breakfast is served at Chamberlin’s promptly at 8:30 and it was a typical B&B selection of quiche and sausages served on real plates with real silverware, cloth napkins, fresh-squeezed juice, etc. In other words, a pleasant departure from the typical hotel “continental” breakfasts. Nobody was in Read more…
Thursday, July17, 2014 Another nice day and even warmer than the day before, and the North Shore staff set out the breakfast items at 8:00 at our request so we could get a reasonably early start. The route was basically straight back south to the Manistique Lakes area and Chamberlin’s Read more…
Wednesday, July 16, 2014 The day dawned with a promise of sunshine, warmer temperatures, no rain, and favorable winds. On top of that, the 50 miles to Grand Marais looked to be the most interesting ride of the trip. What else could a cyclist ask for? Well, for several of Read more…
Tuesday, July 15, 2014 There are dozens of activities in the Munising area, but unfortunately they all require you to be outdoors! Hiking, cycling, kayaking, boating, and snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in the winter. So with an obviously rainy day on tap and the planned boat ride and hiking expedition Read more…
Monday, July 14, 2014 Monday’s route was pretty much a straight shot north on M-94, 50 miles to Munising. Riding on state routes is never ideal, but the U.P. has a dearth of paved roads and often there is no other choice when going from town to town. But at Read more…
Sunday, July 13, 2014 The first day was to start the tour out with a 30-mile round-trip ride to Palm Book State Park, which boasts the state’s largest freshwater spring: Kitch-iti-tipi. In the morning, I met Jim Plaunt, who is the owner, CEO, and principal tour director of Bike Tour Read more…