After more than 17,000 miles of road tripping, and over 6,000 on the bikes, it was time to sit quietly for a bit.
2013 started with a drive to Nashville, to take part in the first of two, Fuller Center Bike Adventures. The "short one" is just 400 miles, and finishes in Madison, MS. The Natchez Trace Parkway is typically a wonderful place to ride a bike. Two lanes of smooth blacktop. Minimal traffic, and none of it commercial. No homes or businesses. Mostly just trees and swamp. The only downside to this year's first event, was the weather: Cold and rainy. (Looking forward to 2014...because it can't rain that much, two years in a row, right?) Always a good group ride, and the southern hospitality never fails to put a smile on your face, and fill your belly. It's all about the grits and sweet tea.
The next long bike tour, was the Fuller Center summer ride. Savannah, GA to Vancouver, Canada. Starts in June, and ends in August. Plenty of miles, and even more humidity. A very different experience than last year's west coast ride, but a good adventure in its own right. I rode through our arrival in Boise, but decided to spent the remaining two weeks assisting the media crew by taking pictures along the route. It was a nice change from just biking all day, but nothing really replaces time on a bike. Even better, they seemed to like the work I did. (At least, that's what they said...so, I'm going with it.) Hard to believe, but we didn't have a single day of rain on the ride across the country. Well, there was one day with a rather bad storm, but four of arrived in the destination town just before it rolled through. (Whew!) Any time you have people hiding in roadside ditches, you know the weather has taken a turn for the worse.
Between those rides, there were other side trips to places around Idaho.
- A stop in Portland to visit the folks at Renovo bikes. (www.renovo.com) Really pretty road bikes, mountain bikes, and cruisers, with frames made from your choice of hard woods. Makes for very fast furniture.
- A few trips to McCall, Idaho. Good mountain bike riding up there, but an even better bakery. (www.staceycakes.com) They're closed during the first part of the week, but once they open on Wednesday, you really need to get up there. Nice folks in the shop, too.
- Got to visit Utah a couple of times as well. Normally, I stop in Salt Lake when any adventure takes me east, but I didn't get much further east than Park City for those trips. Some of my favorite places to eat are in SLC. The Bayou restaurant, and Sammy's...the home of the original pie shake. Since they're only a block from one another, and close to Little America hotel...where to stay is a pretty easy decision.
- Toledo? Sure. Three times this year. Even went to a Mud Hens game. Nice stadium. If you're around during the season, it's a great way to kill an evening. When you're done, stop at the Bronze Boar. Seems like they always have a terrific band playing, and one of the hardest working bar tenders on the planet. Oh, and don't forget the Toledo Zoo, and the Imagination Station.
So...with all that out of the way, and plenty of pictures to share, it was time to put an end to the 2013 road trip season.
2013 started with a drive to Nashville, to take part in the first of two, Fuller Center Bike Adventures. The "short one" is just 400 miles, and finishes in Madison, MS. The Natchez Trace Parkway is typically a wonderful place to ride a bike. Two lanes of smooth blacktop. Minimal traffic, and none of it commercial. No homes or businesses. Mostly just trees and swamp. The only downside to this year's first event, was the weather: Cold and rainy. (Looking forward to 2014...because it can't rain that much, two years in a row, right?) Always a good group ride, and the southern hospitality never fails to put a smile on your face, and fill your belly. It's all about the grits and sweet tea.
The next long bike tour, was the Fuller Center summer ride. Savannah, GA to Vancouver, Canada. Starts in June, and ends in August. Plenty of miles, and even more humidity. A very different experience than last year's west coast ride, but a good adventure in its own right. I rode through our arrival in Boise, but decided to spent the remaining two weeks assisting the media crew by taking pictures along the route. It was a nice change from just biking all day, but nothing really replaces time on a bike. Even better, they seemed to like the work I did. (At least, that's what they said...so, I'm going with it.) Hard to believe, but we didn't have a single day of rain on the ride across the country. Well, there was one day with a rather bad storm, but four of arrived in the destination town just before it rolled through. (Whew!) Any time you have people hiding in roadside ditches, you know the weather has taken a turn for the worse.
Between those rides, there were other side trips to places around Idaho.
- A stop in Portland to visit the folks at Renovo bikes. (www.renovo.com) Really pretty road bikes, mountain bikes, and cruisers, with frames made from your choice of hard woods. Makes for very fast furniture.
- A few trips to McCall, Idaho. Good mountain bike riding up there, but an even better bakery. (www.staceycakes.com) They're closed during the first part of the week, but once they open on Wednesday, you really need to get up there. Nice folks in the shop, too.
- Got to visit Utah a couple of times as well. Normally, I stop in Salt Lake when any adventure takes me east, but I didn't get much further east than Park City for those trips. Some of my favorite places to eat are in SLC. The Bayou restaurant, and Sammy's...the home of the original pie shake. Since they're only a block from one another, and close to Little America hotel...where to stay is a pretty easy decision.
- Toledo? Sure. Three times this year. Even went to a Mud Hens game. Nice stadium. If you're around during the season, it's a great way to kill an evening. When you're done, stop at the Bronze Boar. Seems like they always have a terrific band playing, and one of the hardest working bar tenders on the planet. Oh, and don't forget the Toledo Zoo, and the Imagination Station.
So...with all that out of the way, and plenty of pictures to share, it was time to put an end to the 2013 road trip season.
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