Ouch!

Ouch!
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

As we cycled through the Tug Hill region of upstate New York, we saw a scarecrow that was caught in a seeder. Concerned, we pulled over and tried unsuccessfully to free the scarecrow from the mangling jaws of the seeder.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Teresa & Kevin Sullivan - Owners of the Osceola Outpost who let us pitch our tents on their land and use the shower in their rental house.

Day 12 Recap: Thendara, NY to Osceola, NY (53 miles)

Blue Mountain Construction Crew

Blue Mountain Construction Crew
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

This morning we ascended Blue Mountain and this was somewhat of a relief as it would be our last major climb in the Adirondacks Mountains. As we took in the view at the top of the Blue Mountain pass snapped some some pictures, a joking road worker asked, "Hey, why aren't you taking a picture of us?!"

This question led us to a humerous discussion with the entire road crew and we appreciated listening to their words of encouragement. After the Blue Mountain pass, we enjoyed a blazing ride down the west side and then for the rest of the day we maintained a somewhat constant elevation as we cycled past a long chain of mountain lakes.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Larry Myers-McElwre - Former manager of the CCB Cycle Club in Boston, Massachusetts who previously did extensive cyclotouring in Scotland and England.
Dave Loome - Cross-country cyclist who invited us to stay at his house in Stillwater, MN when we pass through his hometown later in the summer.

Day 11 Recap: Long Lake, NY to Thendara, NY (47 miles)

"The Black Box"

"The Black Box"
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

This morning we saw "The Black Box", home to a true camper, as we departed Medcalf Campgrounds in Severance, NY and continued our climb into the mountains. On our ride today, we have noticed a distinct decline in car and truck traffic and at times it seemed as though were we the only ones on the road. The towns are further and further apart and a couple of times we have approached a town on the map and since the town was only a small, unrecognizable cluster of summe cottages, we ended up passing through the town without even realizing it.

We have learned from our mistakes and we are now very careful about planning our food and water stops in these small mountain towns. In many of these towns we are lucky to even find a small "General Store", which often functions as the local grocery store, gas station, hardware store, retaurant, etc. But even still, these stores serve their purposes and we are able to find the necessities of life.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Mike Tisi - Postal worker in Newcomb, NY.

Day 10 Recap: Severance, NY to Long Lake, NY (59 miles)

Buying Ferry Tickets

Buying Ferry Tickets
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

This morning we descended the Green Mountains of Vermont and approached Lake
Champlain. As we approached the lake we could see another monsterous mountain range popping up in the distance. This mountain range would be the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. As we gazed at these mountains, they looked daunting since by now we were already worn down from riding over the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains of of Vermont.

Even still, our exitement pushed us forward and at mid-day we crossed Lake Champlain on the ferry and entered into New York state at Ticonderogo. We stopped in Ticonderogo to have a late lunch and waited out the blistering afternoon heat. Later in the afternoon we made one of our most challenging ascents of the ride as we climbed a couple thousand feet on a very steep gradient into the spare wilderness of the Adirondacks!

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Bike Vermont - Refilled our water bottles and gave us cookies to send us into New York State.
Karl - Owner of Medcalf Campgrounds who gave Drew a nice discount on some sweet "Starsky" shades
Paul - Camper at Medcalf camprounds who gave us some cold beverages to relax in the evening.

Day 9 Recap: Middlebury, VT to Severance, NY (40 miles)

Meg & Ben - Happy Campers From Ripton, VT

Meg & Ben - From Ripton, VT
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Middlebury, VT - We chatted with Meg & Ben after pulling over the Breadloaf pass. Ben and Meg had just pulled up the pass in their vintage Volvo and were preparing to go on a hike. They are both "happy campers from Ripton, VT". They shared their enthusiasm for the outdoors and encouraged us to explore nature while riding cross-country. After chatting with Meg and Ben, we enjoyed a thrilling ride down the west side of Breadloaf Mountain and are now in Middlebury, VT where we are posting updates at the college library. We plan to stay in Middlebury tonight and take the ferry across Lake Champlain into New York state tomorrow.

Day 8 Recap: Rochester, VT to Middlebury, VT (35 miles)

Dale Challenges Steve

Steve Whaley & Dale Clemens
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Middlebury, VT - Steve Whaley and Dale Clemens rolled into a Vermont convenience store where we were filling our water bottles and immediately inquired why we were riding our bike with load on a scorching hot summer day. We later learned that Steve and Dale are friends from Florida, who vacation in Vermont every year so they can cycle in the Green Mountains. Dale was enthusiastic about the effort to raise money for the Leukemia Society and he challenged Steve donate more than him.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Bill Campbell - Owner of Tozier's Restuarant in Bethel, VT, who sponsored our ride by offering us free lunch
Green Mountain Bicycles - Gave us 2 water bottles to carry extra water on a scorching hot day
The Harvey Family - Allowed us to pitch our tent on their property along the White River in Rochester, VT

Day 7 Recap: Thetford, VT to Rochester, VT (52 miles)

John A. Roden - "Keep It Rollin' !"

John A. Roden
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Middlebury, VT - As we cycled pass John outside of North Havervill, HN he yelled at us to "Keep It Rollin'!". We turned back to have a chat with John and learned that he is the last Pearl Harbor Battle survivor in northern New Hampshire. John was born on July 4th and his dad always told him he was "born with a bang". John will be 84 years old this July. After chatting with John, we continued our ride down the Connecticut River valley in New Hampshire and crossed the river into Vermont in the last hour of daylight.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
The Ladd's - Shared their stories about life in the West.
N. Haverill Inn & Bike Shop - Gave us some chain lube to heal our squeaky gear shifters.
Kendra Waterbury - Allowed us to camp on her farm, Vaughan Farms, outside of Thetford, VT.

Day 6 Recap: Hancock Campground, NH to Thetford, VT (60 miles)

"Cranking The Kang"

Kancamagus Pass - Elevation 2,855'
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Middlebury, VT - Today we rode into New Hampshire, pedalled over the Kancamagus Pass and reached an elevation of 2,855 feet, our highest elevation to date. This ride left us with many spectacular views of the White Mountains.

Click Here to track our GPS course and elevation profile for our climb up "The Kang".

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Dan & Kristen Drew - Graciously allowed us to stay in their guest house last night in S. Waterford, ME and gave us a tour of their family fur trading business on Kimball Corner
Donny - Gave us directions to a grocery store so we could re-fuel before hitting the White Mountains and told us not to fear "The Kang"
Jimmy & Roslyn - Motorcyclists from Boston
Steve Whitney - Touring cyclist who shared some provisions.

Day 5 Recap: S. Waterford, ME to Hancock Campground, NH (59 miles)

Rick Collier - Veteran Touring Cyclist

Rick Collier
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

S. Paris, ME - We departed Greene Corner this morning and quickly approached Streak Mountain, our first big mountain in Maine. On our descent of Streak Moutain, we ran into Rick Collier, a veteran touring cyclist, who is cycling from Minneapolis to Halifax, Nova Scotia via the Northern Tier. Rick is from Calgary, Alberta and he kindly gave us us some chamios cream to prevent chaffing for our long haul ahead.

Once again, we would like to thank the following people we met today who we consider "Fans For Life":

Mike "The Rabbitt" - Free-spirited truck driver and former cyclist
Mark Francis - Special Education teacher in Buckfield, ME
Construction Crew on Streak Mountain Road - Encouraged us to continue our climb.
Jeanne Prince & Jennifer Talbot - School teachers & librarians in Turner, ME who donated to the cause.

Day 4 Recap: Greene Corner, ME to S. Waterford, ME (46 miles)

Todd Belaire's Amazing Generosity

Todd Belaire's Generosity
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

S. Paris, ME - After cycling a tiring 65 miles from Waldoboro to Greene Corner, we bumped into Todd Belaire at the IGA grocery store. Todd recognized us as cross-country cyclists and he told us of his dreams of cycling cross-country on the Northern Tier from Washington to his home state of Maine. Todd was excited for us and eager to support us and we were asolutely amazed when he offered to let us stay at his newly built house even though he would not be spending the night there. He gave us the house keys and further offered the drinks in his refrigerator, the shower and the washing machine. Todd is an avid cyclist and has cycled for several years in the "Trek Across Maine", which raises funds for the American Lung Association. People like Todd make our journey far more enjoyable and fulfilling than we ever imagined.

Also, we would like to thank the following people we met today who we consider "Fans For Life":

Sprague Energy Cycling Team - Riding for the March of Dimes
Dana & Pam Moody - Owner's of Dresden Texaco
Jim & Jason Roy - Owners' of Roy's Bicycle Shop in Lewiston, ME

Day 3 Recap: Waldoboro, ME to Greene Corner, ME (64 miles)

"For Your Good Health - Barrel Picking is Prohibited"

"For Your Good Health - Barrel Picking is Prohibited"
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Camden, ME - We saw this trash can near our "ninja campsite" last night and we thought it deserved a picture. We stayed on Verona Island outside of Bucksport, Maine and we were pleased with our effort as we clipped of nearly 50 hilly miles with a full load. Today we stopped in Lincolnville Center and enjoyed lunch and a chat at the Center General Store with Mary, the store owner, Amy and Mieko, the great St. Bernard. Currently, we are resting in Camden and enjoying the view of the beautiful harbor. Later today we plan to clip off some more miles.

We thank Today's Fans For Life:
Dave Brankley - A touring cyclist who told us to keep riding.
Eric Gray - Gave us directions to Moody's Diner in Waldoboro, ME.
Leah - Gave us permission to pitch our tents on her farm land outside Waldoboro, ME.

Day 2 Recap: Verona Island, ME to Waldboro, ME (55 miles)

Westward Bound

Heading West
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Bar Harbor, ME - This morning we departed the Bar Harbor Hostel to begin our westward journey. For the next several days we will be traveling through small coastal villages in Maine and may not have an opportunity to post updates until we reach a larger town with internet/phone access.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Bradley & Phylis Bennett - Gave us directions after we made a wrong turn in Ellsworth, ME.

Day 1 Recap: Bar Harbor, ME to Verona Island, ME (50 miles)

Rear Tire Dip

Rear Tire Dip
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Bar Harbor, ME - Today we cycled around the Acadia National Park Loop and we stopped at the Sand Beach to take a ceremonial rear tire dip picture in the Atlantic. While touring the park and Bar Harbor on our bikes, we meet several people who shared their positive energy and good travel tips with us and we would like to thank them:

Frank Platt - Lifeguard at Sand Beach and Unicyclist

Mark & Joan Reiss - An energetic couple from San Francisco who advised us that "The adventure begins when you have to resort to Plan B."

Galen Lowe - Fellow adventure cyclist who lost a son to Leukemia

Jill & Doug - Canadian cyclists who encouraged us to continue our ride to the top of Cadillac Mountain.

Bob & Linda Trimble - Mainers who put our minds to ease about the moose trampling warnings we have received from other travelers.

Will Louis - Freight train hopper from Virginia who lived life outside "The Box" told us he was encoraged by our willingness "to go inside The Box in order to make strong moves outside The Box."

Ernesto & Ron - Hostellers/partiers from Niagara Falls, Canada

Ken - Hard partying Scottish cyclist from Vancouver, Canada.

Ben - Fisherman from Montana who offered to show us the best fishing holes in Montana

Bar Harbor Hostel

Bar Harbor Hostel
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Bar Harbor, ME - We arrived in Bar Harbor this morning after a long 3-1/2 day road trip from Houston. This afternoon we took a walk around town and tonight we are staying at the Bar Harbor Hostel. The hostel has very nice accomodations and we learned from the manager that it is rated the best hostel in America by "Let's Go", a Harvard budget travel review magazine. Tonight we will assemble our bicycles and make final preparations. We plan to head West on our bikes either tomorrow or Sunday and we are very excited to begin the trip.

Cannonball Run Extrodinaire

Bar Harbor, ME - We spent over 16 hours on the road from Pittsburgh to Augusta, Maine. A fellow motorist ripped off their snow plow on a highway guardrail in Hartford and this resulted in a traffic jam that made our drive time longer than expected. We would like to thank Drew's dad, Doug, for driving this incredible distance with us.

Fort Campbell & Napolean Dynamite

Fort Campbell
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Pittsburgh, PA - We stayed at Fort Campbell army base in Kentucky with Sean Stewart and in the morning we saw Sean off since he was departing for Iraq later in the day. We had a Napolean Dynamite time during our visit and were reminded by Napolean to, "Just Follow Your Heart!"

And so their journey begins . . .

Houston Departure
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Houston, TX - Drew and Greg left Houston at 4:00 AM this morning on their way to Bar Harbor, Maine. It was still dark when they drove away, and I thought it fitting that the sun would rise on them as they began their incredible journey.

To Greg and Drew:
I am very proud of both of you. Greg, I have witnessed your kind and giving nature for over 17 years now, and still you amaze me. Drew, your adventurous spirit will lead you on many fantastic voyages throughout your life, and I know that you will relish each one for the gift that it is.

I know everyone joins me in wishing you both the trip of a lifetime. Though we will miss you, we are riding alongside you in spirit.

Pedal on boys, pedal on.

Lori Parkolab

The Gear

The Gear
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Houston, TX - Today we spent much of the day finalizing our gear list and testing different ways to load the gear on our bicycles. Each of us are currently weighing in with a total gear load of around 42 pounds and we are still trying to think of ways to reduce our load . . . is is really necessary to have 3 pair of underwear? (Drew's gear shown on the left and Greg's gear shown on the right).

Richard "Bump" Perry says Meet the People

Richard "Bump" Perry
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Houston, TX - Richard "Bump" Perry is well known in Houston for commuting via bicycle and transporting amazingly large loads with his home-made bicycle racks and trailers. On Sunday we had a chance to meet Richard and ask him for advice for our up-coming ride cross-country. Richard told us that we should, "meet the people." We appreciated his advice and in return we gave him two bicycle wheels to help him complete the fabrication of one of his new bicycles.