Greg & Camille Go Bike

Our journey began on Tuesday, August 24th. We had hardly gotten the bikes out the basement door when we met Joe who we recognized from salsa dancing a few weeks ago! He shared some stories with us and wished us well, one of the first of many to do so today. After a sendoff from the house, we went on our way to start the 60-mile day. We followed tree-lined roads along the Brandywine and Schuylkill Rivers for a mostly shady but hot ride, making sure to include our favorite "roller coaster" road (Twadell Mill). Temperatures got up to 90ºF, so a stop at Trek for a needed part and some ice cold water felt incredible. We ended the day staying with Greg's sister who made us a lovely dinner and breakfast.

We set out on the Schuylkill River Trail in the morning to head east. Biking in the city was much easier on a weekday than a weekend, and Camille was super excited that some good design was incorporated into the Spring Garden Street bike lane connections. We crossed the Benjamin Franklin Bridge into Camden and took the Cooper River Trail to Haddonfield, NJ for a refresh at a cafe. Our stop for the evening was at a campground in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. The bugs were a little too friendly, but the night sky view was beautiful.

It was a hot one today! While the open road and forest area in NJ along Route 70 kept us cool and helped us sustain 18 mph for long stretches, the beach area after that had us sweltering. We stayed along the coast, much to the annoyance of beach goers. Surf Taco was our afternoon break for some yummy burritos and air conditioning. After a relaxing ferry ride from Sandy Hook, we arrived in Midtown Manhattan.

After a lazy start to the day and some delicious empanadas, we took a round-about path out of the city, biking alongside Central Park before detouring to the west to explore the Hudson River Greenway. We arrived at Van Cortlandt Park early afternoon and the start of the Empire State Trail. This trail was completed in December 2020 and is apparently now the longest multi-use trail in the US (with 750 miles in total). 

There's a lot we could complain about today: with terrible heat & humidity, over 90 long miles on our bikes and breaking Greg's phone; but despite all of that, we think this was the most enjoyable biking day of the trip so far. For 65 miles, the trail provided low stress biking with rolling hills, ample shade, and stunning views of forest, lakes, and charming towns. We rested for the night at a cottage near Whaley Lake.

We left the cozy cottage around 8 AM for a lovely downhill ride towards Poughkeepsie. Today was our first day of rain which thankfully cleared up as we approached Acropolis Diner. Our two waitresses were a very sweet and friendly mom and daughter duo. The daughter was saving up for trade school to go into the medical field. Passing through downtown was a little heartbreaking; while other areas might be accustomed to having a leaf blower used to tidy up fallen foliage, here a man was using it to push trash away from a storefront.

Long hills and some traffic dotted the rest of the way to Camille's sister's place. The grey cloud coverage was welcome after some scorching days in the heat prior. We passed by Franklin D. Roosevelt's home, stopped at Mills Norrie State Park, and went through the quaint town of Rhinebeck. After getting through traffic from the Dutchess County Fair, we made it to Red Hook and had thali for dinner.

We left Larissa's at around 10 AM after grabbing breakfast at Annabelle's Village Bake Shop just across the street. We'd need the fuel for the monster mountains that faced us on NY-199 and US-44. Stops in Millerton, CT at the Four Brothers Pizza Inn and Harney & Sons Tea helped us as well. The work wasn't without reward; each uphill granted us a rollercoaster rush downhill.

We climbed about 2100 feet in just under 40 miles, earning a nice afternoon reading and sewing in the hammock at Locust Tree Bed & Breakfast. The property consisted of a hill leading up to a charming house overlooking lush greenery and some mountains in the distance.

Our host Heidi was very accommodating and made us a wonderful breakfast before we headed off to our next adventure at American Legion State Forest. The 20-mile route included one more steep climb today, clocking in at a 14% grade. Thunderstorms were due in the afternoon, so we set up camp early before making lunch. We played Hanabi and enjoyed some relaxing reading and sewing. The rain didn't come until around 8 PM. Oh well.

After drying off what we could from last night's storm, we left the campsite and headed to Hartford. The forecast for Wednesday and Thursday called for heavy rain, so we decided to detour into the city for a comfy day off and plan for biking on rail trails during the tail end of the storm.

There were some beautiful views as we left the state forest, including Saville Dam. In Granby, we stopped for ice cream, falafels, and vegetarian poutine at Deep Roots. After lunch, we picked up the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail and enjoyed some relaxing off-road riding until connecting back to the East Coast Greenway. Once in Hartford, we took care of some errands. Camille particularly enjoyed the impromptu Earth, Wind, & Fire karaoke at the local laundromat. We stayed in the city for the night and prepared to wait out the storm.

We had a quiet day catching up on trip planning, projects, and work. The rain didn't seem to stop, lending for a sleepy stay in East Hartford overlooking the Connecticut River.

The path to Canterbury was beautiful and puddle-filled. Following the tails of Ida, we trekked some watery paths on the East Coast Greenway (ECG): detouring through parking lots/dirt paths around the newly formed lake in Charter Oak Park; foolishly carrying our gear across calf-deep running water that had washed out the trail a bit further down the road; and later veering miles off our original course when flooded roads blocked our way. After all of these impediments, we were running a bit behind for the day and decided to skip the Putnam/Pomfrey stretch of the ECG in favor of some local neighborhoods with monster hills.

We arrived safe and somewhat dry at the home of our hosts, Stephen & Kathleen Brown who really made us feel like family. They had a beautiful and charming home with some additions constructed by Stephen: a rustic outhouse, a relaxing outdoor shower, and a chicken coop with 4 hens clucking away. We enjoyed swapping stories fireside after a delicious dinner and ginger snaps made by Kathleen. Later, their daughter Maddie joined while we sipped on delightful, homemade nettle tea. The catdog Florent made intermittent appearances as well. We feel really grateful to have them as our first WarmShowers hosts, and we hope to be as great hosts as they are when we return home.

Kathleen and the cool morning sent us off with ginger snaps and perfect biking weather after a lovely breakfast on the Brown patio. Today's route took us through some elevation in a few small towns, followed by a scenic trail sprinkled with wooden bridges. We stopped at REI and a local library to take care of errands and meandered in Roger Williams Park until we reached Providence.

Somehow we decided that it'd be best to ride straight from Providence to Cape Cod. So we scarfed down donuts, a big pot of oatmeal, and coffee before the 110-mile ride. Although the sun was beating, we were feeling in great shape. On the way, an attractive stand at Dartmouth Orchards lured us to some fresh peaches (we ate three each) and a jar of peach butter to take home. Just as we were packing up to get back on the road, the owner Brian approached us. He was excited about our trip and made certain that we didn't leave without some apples and frozen water.

We took a longer break at the New Bedford Whaling Museum which had some amazing exhibits. It was really neat to see how much the Azores community was involved in the history of the city. Unfortunately, we had to cut our visit shorter than we'd have liked to continue our journey east before sundown. Brian's apples came to the rescue as we approached the Cape, feeling hungrier with every mile. We finally reached Harwich, MA just after dark, grateful for a wonderful meal made by Greg's mom.

We had Cape Cod in mind as a first checkpoint for the trip, and Greg's parents generously hosted us for several days. We took turns cooking, played games, and watched movies together. Steve and Eileen pampered us with delicious meals and homemade beach plum jam while the adorable Nikki kept us company throughout our visit.

While at the Furlongs', we took the opportunity to catch up on some tasks. Greg fixed his phone with the help of a kit sent from home by our housemate Eric. Much to our surprise, he had thoughtfully sent us some snacks as well! We took Greg's bike to Idle Times (a favorite bike shop of ours we once visited 3 times in one day), and it felt brand new once they had serviced it. We also made stops at Greg's grandma and grandpa, enjoying hearing about their childhood on the cape.

Our hosts sent us off with full bellies and bags as they wished us well on our next leg of the journey. Today met us with great weather on the Cape Cod Rail Trail after rain the previous day. Another biker rode with us for a small stretch to ask us about our trip and told us he had done the Transamerica Trail (west to east US coast) many years ago. While stopped at the Lecount Hollow Beach, we also met Wes who was excited about us biking and was looking forward to someday doing the Tour Divide, a ride from Canada to Mexico over the Rockies.

In Provincetown, Greg's Uncle Jimmy treated us to a great meal overlooking the Cape Cod Bay before our ferry ride to Boston. Once in the city, we took a detour to REI where Greg got a new bike seat and joined the many other bikers along the roads and trails. One of them was a lady who was doing a shakedown for her tour around Lake Champlain. As the day winded down and we approached our destination, delicious smells wafted our way. We had palak paneer and dal tadka that night and stayed at the Bedford Plaza Hotel.

Our planned route had us on roads, but we ended up chasing some cyclists into the forest on an unpaved path that went along ample green spaces. Late morning, we met Greg's cousin Katie and her partner Joe for a nice brunch in Groton. We spent a while chatting and munching, discussing our trip so far, Katie's uncle's recent bike trip along the Northern Tier and recommendations along our upcoming route. The brunch spot in Groton didn't have a public bathroom, so the cashier sent us to Dolce Amar where we picked up the most beautiful pecan sticky bun we have ever seen and tasted.

The afternoon proved very difficult with 5 long stops for flat tires on both bikes. The first few stops were especially frustrating as we spent a lot of time trying to find the punctures without much success. Patching scuffed up areas didn't appear to help. Eventually we both replaced the tubes with our only spares. As the day progressed and the mileage on our tracker went up, we realized our original expected distance was pretty far off due to the difference in Google's route (used for an estimate) and the actual route we were following.

Just as the sun was setting, we arrived at Greg's Uncle Mark & Aunt Judy's house joined by Aunt Joanne, Uncle Scott, cousin Lindsay, adorable Isla and a pack of cute doggies. After a long day we were feeling pretty drained but we really excited to see everyone. Over dinner, we talked about upcoming destinations, recommended stops, discovered family history and recounting shared memories, especially about Greg's beloved Grammie.

In the morning, we shared breakfast with Uncle Mark, Aunt Judy, Linsday and Isla, discussing our plans for the next few days. We're looking forward to seeing everyone again in December. We set out expecting a 40-mile day, but we made the same mistake with Google estimates again. The actual route we followed was closer to ~65 miles. Oops.

Early in the morning, we wandered around Exeter and arrived at the shore near Portsmouth, NH. We were so excited to see the ocean that we laid down under a shady tree, watching the crashing waves and catching glimpses of the nearby airshow overhead. We followed the coastline for most of the day with breathtaking views of rocky beaches and cute coastal towns. Two more times we stopped for longer breaks, once to explore the historic Strawberry Banke and again for groceries, snacks & delicious gelato at the Golden Harvest, a cute market in Kittery, ME. As dusk arrived, so did we at our campsite in Moody Beach, but not before another round of ice cream across the street.

While the night was clear, the morning brought some showers that delayed our departure from the campsite a few hours. After a quick breakfast of quinoa and lentils (in addition to the usual coffee, of course), we followed the coast through Kennebunkport, ME where we picked up spare tubes. We really enjoyed the marsh scenery on the way to downtown Saco and Biddeford. In town, we ran into a noisy bunch at the laundromat-cafe LaundryUp. It seemed like most customers were locals who frequented the cafe's bar often and were all acquainted, joking and teasing each other. We continued on with brief stops at the library and Walgreens. Old Orchard Beach was one of our favorites to bike through; a beach town shut down for the season, it was peaceful and charming with only a few dozen people about.

A beautiful sunset over the West Scarborough marshes welcomed us to the Wild Duck Campground. Kevin, another biker who was camping nearby, gave us another welcome shortly after we arrived. He invited us to join him and his wife Monica at the campfire set up near their RV. They were very interested in our trip and told us about some bike events Kevin had done in New Jersey, including a 200+ mile 1-day ride to Cape May. Unfortunately, we didn't get to stay long since we had an early morning the next day, so we tucked in early after planning our subsequent route.

We got up before the sun and hit the road just as its rays were peeking out over the horizon. Greg was cold, Greg wanted coffee, and Greg wanted to sleep, but the sunrise was beautiful over the Eastern Trail.  We were completely surrounded by marshlands and the view was breathtaking.

On the way into Portland, we played leapfrog with other bikers indignant that they could NOT be passed by bikes with so much gear in tow. Greg caught Red Shirt Guy in the end. We got to Portland around 8 and enjoyed coffee, cookies, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches at Coffee ME Up (a play on Maine/ME). We got Greg a new phone and made a TJs run for groceries. On the way out of Portland, we took Joe’s recommendation for delicious treats at The Holy Donut, followed by some delicious views of the city, marshes, and cove on the Back Cove Trail.

We took a detour to Freeport, surrounded by hills, briefly stopping at LL Bean before continuing on.  Shortly afterwards, a pin fell out of Greg’s new derailleur, and it was getting sucked into the spokes.  We were stuck and completely unable to move.  We tried to get a Lyft without success.

Just when we were starting to panic (or prepare to walk the bike seven miles to Brunswick), our hero Fred swooped in with a black pick-up truck sporting cyclist bumper stickers and a Trek Across Maine t-shirt.  He took a look at the bike, told us to hop in the truck, and started driving towards Brunswick.  En route, he connected us with one of the local bike shops, Gorham Ski and Bike, confirmed they had the part needed and dropped us off. We felt so lucky to have crossed paths with Fred! They had the bike fixed up and on the road in less than an hour.  We celebrated with some shrimp shumai and had a relaxing night after the long day.

We enjoyed a nice quiet day, admiring the cloudy skies from indoors while we caught up on our work and projects. Once we'd had enough of our digital errands, we wandered around town for in-person errands. We made it back to our hotel, just in time before the anticipated storm hit.

After a quick but hearty breakfast at the hotel, we rushed out the door to make our reservation to see the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum. Just as we were leaving, Greg unfortunately discovered a flat (our third one this week!). We finally arrived at Bowdoin campus and enjoyed learning about expeditions to the North Pole as well as the communities that lived there.

We made stops at the post office and grocery store and then headed west into New Hampshire again through fields of high and low elevation between farmland. Our favorite part of the route was a waterside road, lined with flora. Motorists were encouraging today, offering peace signs upon encountering them.  The sun began to set over Long Lake, providing us with a great view to our campsite in Naples, ME. We set up at the Four Seasons Campground who gave us a cyclists discount and had showers with great water pressure.

We awoke to a chilly morning and a layer of fog settled over the lake.  After caffeinating Greg, we packed up camp and headed to Ricky's Diner.  We fueled up on omelettes, toast, potatoes, pancakes, french toast and … more coffee!

Continuing on, we biked past signs warning of moose crossings but didn’t manage to catch any in real time. In the distance, we could see beautiful mountains (where they belong), but we got a little too personal with at least one steep hill.

Early afternoon, we stopped at the Conway library for some work time and got a bit too comfy. We ended up needing to scramble to find groceries and cash before racing the sunset to our campsite at Blackberry Crossing Campground. After snacking on some ramen, tuna, and beans for dinner we gave our food to our friendly campsite host (no bears please) and settled in for an early night.

We decided to go to Six Flags Over White Mountain National Forest today where there is exactly one ride: a roller coaster featuring a 15 mile climb and a 15 mile descent. The price of admission (2 bikes, 4 poptarts, hard-working calves, lots of water, and lots of sweat) will get you a decent shoulder up a paved mountain. While the scenery was unmatched by any other view we'd seen thus far, the whizzing cars and motorcyclists tainted the experience. Nonetheless, we were excited about the red pigments increasing in the foliage as our path escalated and the sun beat down. We stopped at an overlook on the way up where some seasoned travellers shared tips about biking and places to visit in New Hampshire.

When we arrived at the top, a gorgeous view of the surrounding peaks met us. We celebrated with poptarts and peanut butter wraps. This seemed to also be the meeting location for a local motorcyclist group; just as we settled into our resting spot, dozens (hundreds!?!?!) of engines roared around us, announcing the bikers' presence. A few kids started helping the riders unload a grill from the back of a pickup truck, and the riders dismounted to join the swarm.

After we'd had enough of the scene and people watching, we began the descent, flying at velocities close to the posted speed limits. The breeze felt exhilarating amid the constant mountain view. As we approached the next town, we began to hear bagpipes. A local told us that the Highland Games were going on! Sadly, it was sold out, so we enjoyed the music from afar as we continued on to Gypsy Cafe for lunch (we'd highly recommend the falafel). We stayed in a cozy cabin for the night, grateful for a refreshing (although cold) shower.

The morning was cool and crisp, sprinkled with gently falling leaves. We began the day with breakfast at the cottage and took care of laundry. Our journey west continued to favor higher elevation and winds as we passed by Mount Moosilauke. A smaller, but steeper climb than yesterday, it was still very tiring. Lost River Gorge and a sparkling lake met us at the top, stunning us for a while. Once we got rolling again, we flew down the other side and wandered into an apple orchard some miles down for a late lunch and some snacks.

Crossing into the next state, we were excited to pick up the Cross Vermont Trail.  A random Trader Joe’s shopper in Portland had recommended it to us as a great experience.  The route alternated between wide shoulders on local, mostly rural roads and off-road trails with mixed terrain.  We moved through some of the unpaved sections pretty slowly and the last section was a constant shallow incline.  Nothing felt especially difficult, but it definitely wore on us.  We ended the day with a steep detour up to 1700 feet, quickly setting up camp to prepare for a cold night.  The temperatures reached a low of 42 F!

The morning was pretty cold, but as soon as the sun was up, we packed up camp.  Just before leaving we finished the last of our food, a first for the trip!  The day started with a rush, dropping almost 1000 ft in the first 5 miles.  Just after passing through Marshfield, we were excited to see a road-side maple syrup stand and spent some time browsing their goods.

The downward trend continued for most of the day, but at a much more gradual pace. Every section of the trail seemed to have its own character: some sections along country roads interspersed between hillside farms and others along off-road trails through deep woods. We had a COVID appointment scheduled in Burlington just after 3 (an entry requirement for Canada) and initially were rushing to meet this deadline, but eventually rescheduled so we could savor the experience.

Towards the end of the trail we realized that we were hungry. Very. Hungry. We stopped at the Hannaford for a quick fuel up of ice cream and sushi. Continuing the last couple miles to the shores of Lake Champlain, there was construction everywhere! After multiple attempts to reroute, we found a patch of beach just in time to enjoy the sunset over the water. Capping off the night, we biked to Costco and bought out the entire store. We precariously balanced all we could, including 24 eggs on the rear rack and repurposing a water bottle holder to a family-size-hummus-and-greek-yogurt-tubs holder. Shopping while hungry is never a good idea...

We spent an off-day in the Burlington area. In the morning, we took the COVID test rescheduled from the day prior and wandered around the shops downtown. In the evening, we met with Greg’s cousin Lindsay, her husband Dan, and baby Isla for a pleasant dinner. We chatted about our trip, caught up on their lives, and just enjoyed each other’s company (and burritos). Before, between and after, we ate. A lot. Really. We’ve never felt more full.

We started the day with laundry and a foolish attempt to finish the perishable food we purchased at Costco. Aside from one missed towel and half a tub of hummus, we mostly succeeded. After another brief stop in downtown Burlington to donate Camille’s copy of Fellowship of the Rings to a little library, we were on our way.

The plan was to take the islands up through Lake Champlain, but the normal route was impassable on our chosen day with a painstaking 100-yard gap only passable by ferry. Regardless, we’d heard the scenery was beautiful and biked to the end of the causeway taking in beautiful views of the Lake Champlain on either side, the Adirondac Mountains on the horizon to the west and the Green Mountains to the east. At the end of the causeway, we doubled back and went the long way around to the islands.

The islands were beautiful with South Hero/Grand Isle having a bit more of a touristy feel. There were vineyards everywhere and multiple sites where weddings were being prepared. As we were leaving the islands, Greg got another flat in his rear tire. With less than 15 miles to go and a slow leak, we tried to nurse it to our destination, but after re-pumping it lasted 4 miles, then 3, then 2 and finally while angrily re-pumping, Greg busted the stem. Just 5 miles from our B&B we resigned ourselves to unpacking the bike and swapping out the tube.

At dusk, we crossed back over into NY near the Canadian border and arrived at Au Bord du Lac. We were absolutely in love. Everything was so charming with antique furniture everywhere in the house and each room a distinctive feel. We went to bed still waiting for our COVID results and strongly considering staying for another day.

We woke to find our negative Covid results in the email!  We were so enamored by the B&B that we really would have liked to have stayed another day, but with the forecast calling for heavy rain and our test results due to expire, we sadly decided to continue.  Our decision was again challenged after eating one of the most delicious breakfasts in memory, sitting on the wraparound porch right within view of Lake Champlain.

Just before noon, we packed up our bikes and rode a few miles to the Canadian border. We'd finally made it! The crossing went smoothly and all of our anxiety about the process proved without cause. Early afternoon was spent biking local roads through farmland and small towns, rarely seeing any cars but always able to see beautiful mountains along the horizon.

At Saint-Jean Sur Richelieu, the trail switched to following local waterways, primarily the Richelieu River. The views were beautiful and we were entirely off-road, but the gnats were oppressive, sticking to every centimeter of our bodies. Just outside of Montreal, we biked several miles alongside Bernard who was excitedly asked about our travels and gave us great advice about the area. As we drew closer to Montreal, activity on the bikeways grew considerably with large numbers of bikers passing in either direction. Construction and a mix up in the address delayed our arrival at the hotel, but with so many dedicated bike lanes and surprisingly low automotive traffic, we’ve never felt safer with city biking.

We had a lazy morning waiting out the rain before we started our sightseeing but peeked out into the drizzle for groceries at Provigo and coffee and donuts at Tim Hortons. Once the sun came out, we strolled down a few miles to Atwater Market where produce and specialty food vendors were entertaining small crowds. We enjoyed a light lunch at a picnic table overlooking the peaceful river beside the pedestrian and bike paths. When we’d had enough of the water, we headed over to Rue Sainte-Catherine and chose one of the many restaurants there for dinner. Sammi & Soupe Dumplings was a wonderful treat! Greg had soup dumplings for the first time, and they did not disappoint.

Although we were feeling tired from a long day of walking, we mustered up enough energy to see McCord Museum. The institution is a small building within McGill College that mainly featured an exhibit on cartoonist Serge Chapleau which showed a bit about Quebec’s recent political history through the lens of his works. The exhibit on Dior fashion was less interesting and the abstract video exhibit left us both confused.

On the way home, Rue Sainte-Catherine was bustling with life. Many amateur musicians were playing crowd favorites to the pedestrian-only streets, and a whole block was dedicated to hours of latin dancing. We tucked in early, ready to rest up from the long day. Sadly, our neighbors didn’t agree with our schedule and kept us up well into the night even after we’d asked them to quiet down.

Montreal beautifully connects diverse landscapes, cultures, and people, and we thoroughly enjoyed a restful stay here. We feel so pampered by all the bike infrastructure and just don't know how we could ever go back to motorist-dominated roads (don't worry; we're still planning to come home, but we'll certainly miss this city). Spaces dedicated to art and nature are abundant, and you can find any food you're craving among the lively and clean grid street system. Cyclists are celebrated downtown, throughout an ample nation-wide trail network, and along scenic (very safe) paths.

We caught the sunrise at Mont Royal for a spectacular view of the city that was most likely named after it (in French, Mont Royal kinda sounds like Montréal). Bernard's recommendation did not disappoint. The wooded mountain was covered with connecting trails and leaves of every color (although still mostly green).

For almost a year now, we'd been talking about seeing an opera together and were excited to learn that the Montréal Ballet-Opéra-Pantomime (BOP) was performing about a mile down the street at the Place des Artes the same weekend we were staying. The performance featured two one-act operas: Riders to the Sea (Vaughan Williams) and Le Flambeau de la nuit (Tanguay-Labrosse, who actually created and directs BOP). Camille was especially eager to hear Vaughan Williams as his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis is one of her favorite pieces. While the two stories portrayed heavy and melancholy themes, the musicians were wonderful. It was a lovely experience to see live music again! We were very thankful Quebec had good COVID protocols in place to make this a safe event for everyone.

Art continued outside the theater on the streets. We were amazed to see people dancing in the streets to salsa music on the weekends and impressed by street performers throughout the day. One of our favorites was a trio of brass musicians and a showy cyclist (enjoy a small clip here!) who had a fun back-and-forth dynamic. What a city full of life!

We coasted along the coast today, about 55 miles to St. Zotique. We were certainly sad to be leaving Montreal but glad to have another night in Quebec. La Route Verte took took us most of the way there through small downtown areas and many parks. For lunch, we enjoyed a focaccia sandwich and some fruit bars while looking out towards the St. Lawrence River.

The chilly air and our hardworking legs competed to keep us cool and warm, resulting in us shedding, reapplying, and reshedding layers throughout the day. We eventually ran into some other tourists who were sporting a folding bike and warmer gear. They came from Ottawa and were biking to Quebec City. 

We had a whole 16-mile trail to ourselves approaching our destination for the night, Camping Te-Pee. The owner was very friendly and expressed her enthusiasm for our travels. As we were the only tent campers in the RV park, we had a huge campsite to ourselves. We settled down quickly, gearing up for a chilly night after dinner (couscous, lentils, and tuna wraps).

The tent was too warm and cozy to leave. We had a slow start to the morning, waiting for the sun to peak out to lend us warmth and dry our gear from last night's storm. There was laundry to be done, coins to be exchanged, and groceries to be got (we couldn't leave without Poptarts). Once all our chores were complete, we headed towards Ontario. We would certainly miss Quebec but were also a little relieved to have a language barrier reduced.

Sunny skies led the way west. Continuing the Waterfront Trail, we rode on wide shoulders and scenic trails to Cornwall where we visited the library to catch up on some computer time. The difference was stark by now; the terminals and staff all used English. Any signs now displayed French secondarily.

We ended the day, hopping through ten of the Long Sault Islands for some incredible views. We set up our tent on the edge of McLaren Island and watched the sun set over the St. Lawrence River right next to our campsite. We settled in early for another chilly night (down to 40 F!).

We awoke to the sun peaking out through the trees, illuminating the shores of the St. Lawrence River. It wasn't nearly as cold as the night before, and we were also glad to wake up to a dry tent. We packed up camp and sought refuge at a diner a mile into the next town. We enjoyed coffee, veggie omelets, potatoes, French toast, and the admiration of nearly everyone in the restaurant. Most diner goers were local regulars who all knew each other and were enthusiastic to hear about our trip.

After a pit stop at a nearby gas station, we were back Waterfront style with more island hopping. The route started with trails through beautiful preserved lands full of chirping wildlife and greenery turning to fall colors. We were so amazed at how many byways were dedicated to bike and pedestrian use! Our luck didn't last too long though; the path forward turned into our worst enemies: sand mixed with bumpy gravel, strong headwinds, steep elevation, and whizzing traffic. We muscled through the conditions, just grateful that it wasn't raining, too.

As we approached Brockville, the roads smoothed out and the shoulders widened. We arrived safe, sound, and hungry at our destination. Island Delight was our refuge, offering delicious Chinese takeout. We ordered sweet and sour shrimp, shrimp with mixed vegetable, shrimp fried rice, and pad thai . . . shrimp. Camille couldn't stop giggling over the phone while she ordered the quadraprawn meal. Sufficient to say, our dinner left us (cru)stationary.

It was a rainy day off in Brockville for catching up on work and errands. Camille enjoyed having a real (although limited) kitchen again at the rental apartment in town! Her famous two-ingredient gnocchi (sweet potatoes + flour) made a special appearance along with some banana nut bread.

We departed the seaside city through winding residential streets and back onto local roads, enjoying our last views of the St Lawrence River as our route transitioned to Lake Ontario along a 20-mile dedicated bike trail. So many tiny islands peaked out (just barely) of the river and often with just enough surface to fit one house on them! How do they not flood?!

We soon arrived in downtown Kingston, a fairly populous city with a lot of character, and took in the waterside view before moving on. We picked up more of our new favorite fruit bars (Sunrype) and some ice cream (mango and chikoo) for some well-earned carbs. 

The end of our day’s route took us on off-road trails near the Kingston airport. We were shocked to come across a flock of turkeys right in our path! They were completely unafraid, and perfectly content to commune around us. A father-son biking duo shortly joined us for a chat while in queue. The dad talked about his own ambitions of bike touring and shared that his son had done a lap around Lake Ontario. We soon had to shoo the turkeys away to continue on. A few miles later, we arrived just outside Kingston for a restful night.

We had sweet potato and peanut butter wraps for breakfast before Camille’s afternoon work call. We got on the road a little later and linked up with the apple orchard-lined route. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop at every one, so we slowed down at Wynn Farms. A FedEx driver in front of us had the same idea and was ahead of us in line. He was excited to hear about our trip and wished he had more time to bike himself. He bid us adieu saying, “see you on the road,” as he left with a jug of cider. We picked up some jams at the stand and went on our way. Sure enough, we passed that driver (now heading in the other direction) from the apple farm just a few miles later!

We then stopped at a nice lookout spot for some views of Lake Ontario. Further along the route, we got a much closer look since we had to take a ferry across a 1-kilometer gap in the road from Adolphustown to Glenora. The 15-minute trip landed us in Prince Edward County, a charming area that was winding down from the peak tourist season.

We soon approached Picton which felt like a summer beach town, but we didn't see any beaches. Maybe they were hiding. What we did find was even better: ice cream sandwiches! Just past downtown, Cindy’s Bed & Breakfast made us welcome. The home and host were so nice and warm! Even Sophie the dog was eager to make friends with us. Ending the evening cozy indoors, Camille worked on her project for Bike Delaware, a non-profit near home, and Greg did some research into our continuing routes and next stops.

We had a delicious breakfast made by Cindy. It was so nice to have a home cooked meal again! She was very generous to accommodate our late checkout since Camille had a late morning call. Once we bid adieu to Cindy and Sophie, we were back in the downtown area for errands. From there, we took the Millennium Trail for a beautiful off-road path that took us on a tour through 28 miles of farmland, woods, waterways, and some marshlands. We planned to have an easier day today, just 35 miles completely away from cars! The trail was unpaved but clean and well packed... until with a few miles in it wasn't. Camille rode into a patch of loose gravel, lost control, and fell, earning scrapes on her hands and knees. Dr. Furlong came to the rescue and fixed her up. He provided stellar care and even handpicked an apple for his patient from a nearby tree.

The rest of the ride was a scenic treat… until with a few miles left it wasn’t. We could choose between the shoulder of a low-traffic road for 2 miles or 4 miles continuing on a trail suggested by OSMAnd. Let's take the safe route off-road, we thought! Once we had gone 2 miles, the dirt road turned into mud pits. There was a never ending series of these giant puddles, most with a foot or less of shoulder separating the puddle from brush lining the side of the trail. Camille unfortunately fell in. Who let her on a bike today??? After moving at such a slow rate through the sludgey terrain, we could finally bail onto some paved residential roads for a longer detour and arrived at Timber House Bed & Breakfast.

Our friendly hosts served us some tasty French toast, pancakes, and eggs in their sunny and charming event hall (they seemed to host many weddings). David, a biker himself, was particularly excited about our trip and wished us a safe journey.

We’d originally planned to bike to New Castle but ultimately decided to cut the route in half since Greg liked the idea of taking it easy, and Camille was still nursing her injuries. We started the day with a beautiful view of Lake Ontario less than a minute from Timber House. We soon arrived in downtown Brighton where we immediately stopped to take care of some chores, namely pizza and laundry. Next stop was the grocery store where a lady in the parking lot offered to bring us home! She was very sweet and talked about her 6-month trip exploring the States.

It was misting most of the day through our rural route to Cobourg. The roads carried very low motor vehicle traffic, and we criss-crossed train tracks over and over. Cobourg overall had a very suburban vibe filled with big box stores and lots of schools. Once we got to our hotel, Camille had her meeting with Bike Delaware that sadly ran into some technical difficulties with the international connection, so she’ll present in December instead. We accidentally had snacks for dinner and did some planning for the next few days.

We took a few busy roads to Waterfront Trail. As we passed through a town on route, we tried to set up at the Port Hope Public Library and were surprised to discover that they serviced residents only. So much for public. We staged ourselves at Dreamers Cafe just down the street where we enjoyed some French music, coffee, lobster rolls, ice cream, and their famous Crazy Cookie (a chocolate chip cookie loaded with caramel, nuts, and more chocolate) at a sidewalk table. Camille chatted with a group of senior Dreamers dressed in biking attire. They were from Bowmanville (our destination for the night) and were on one of their many weekly bike rides. The joyful group had been biking together for a long time and were still kicking butt well into their seventies.

We picked up some postcards from an antique shop nearby and found one from the Wilmington Arts Society in Delaware! We had to send that one home. We got back on the wildflower-lined roads, passing orchard after orchard along the way to Bowmanville. As sunset approached, we were grateful for the view and snacks at the New Castle marina. The flora along the next connecting bike-dedicated trail was getting thicker now, and past trail users had installed some adorable gnome exhibits and painted rock gardens. We made an important stop at Skylight Donuts to buy out their last stock of the day just before reaching our resting place.

In the morning, we were back on the Waterfront Trail marshes, getting up close and personal with the transmission towers. The path winded through a dichotomy of steel and grass. We made many stops throughout the day to enjoy the scenery one of which was at an on-trail bike service station. We topped up our tubes with air, but Greg’s stem pushed through, instantly deflating the tire and requiring a tube change. 

We got on a connecting road to the next part of the trail and unfortunately a rogue staple resulted in another flat tire for Greg’s bike. The trail was getting good use today; many bikers were enjoying the warm weather. While we were fixing the second flat, a couple stopped to ask about our trip and even offered their kids in Toronto as a contact! Soon after we were back on the road, another pair of biker rode with us for a few miles, recounting trips to Budapest.

We finally reached a sandy beach where we had to walk our bikes across, so partway we decided to have tuna wraps and bars for lunch at a picnic table overlooking the shore. A very friendly bird joined us for the great view, and we continued the walk/drag across to pavement. Just as we were about to get on the road again, Greg noticed his back tire had gone out; the patch didn't hold. By now, we were out of tubes and there were no bike shops nearby. Camille biked 8 miles away and back to get more while Greg re-patched the leaky tube. 

The terrain varied much more after that: dirt roads, bridges, grassy meadows, gravely trails, beach side routes, paved bike paths, and one set of stairs took us to Toronto. The hungry bikers realized sunset was quickly approaching as they arrived in the city and picked up Mother's Dumplings on the way to their resting place for the night, a bed and breakfast just north of the University of Toronto.

We started the drizzly morning off with a lovely breakfast at The Jane. Camille then met with her friend Seema. They hadn't seen each other in nearly 8 years! The middle school friends had a great time catching up over lattes and ma’amoul (pastries filled with pistachios and walnuts) while strolling downtown. Greg was the best partner ever and did laundry before meeting the ladies for lunch at Yummy, a true-to-name Korean restaurant.

After browsing Hanji for some beautifully made cards, we visited the textile museum of Canada (Seema's friend's friend was running a show there). They hosted some profound exhibits featuring textiles from Kashmir and Inuit cultures. The evening was filled with more exploring throughout the city, a jazz show, and a light meal at the Rex. Afterwards, we did some errands and picked up more dinner and dessert from H-Mart & Jollibee. The ube pie was a delicious way to end the night.

The day began with another delicious breakfast spread at the Jane followed by a walk down to Kensington Market. There was a jazz festival featuring local students with a nice mix of big band and a slower-paced Julie London style group.

For lunch we went to Greens, a vegetarian Chinese restaurant. This was the best meal of the trip, probably our lives, and we’ve basically decided to move to Toronto some day. It was so good Greg wrote his first Google review just to give them the credit they deserve. We were glad to see other reviewers also chose their home based on proximity to this restaurant.

After completely stuffing ourselves, we wandered around the city more before setting up at a board game cafe. We played Patchwork and YINSH while enjoying some snacks and tea.

It was time to leave Toronto. We cried our eyes out having to leave Greens.

We set out from The Jane biking down to the shore, briefly stopping at the Toronto Music Garden before continuing on the paved bikeways out of the city. Our route took us through many parks, all full of families enjoying the Canadian Thanksgiving Day holiday. It was great to see all the excitement, but dodging all the crowds definitely slowed us down and grew a bit tiresome as the day progressed.

As we approached Hamilton (our destination for the day), our route called for crossing a bridge that appeared to be out. Both Google and OpenStreetMaps wanted to route us through an almost 10-mile detour, but we managed to find another path climbing a steep hill through the nearby botanical gardens.  We were barely moving again before we reached another impediment; we were routed down an absurdly tall set of stairs. With some sweat, exhaustion, and a lot of time, we managed to carry the bikes and our gear all the way to the bottom.

Just before dusk, we arrived with at the home of our Warmshowers hosts, Sarah and Jeff. We shared some pizza with Sarah and cleaned up before sharing an evening walk around the area.  A friend’s doggy Stella joined, and we explored the Hamilton waterfront, meeting Theo the Tugboat before heading back and turning in for the night. We fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.

We pumped up our tires first thing while we chatted with our hosts about what we had planned for the day. We soon heard a hiss coming from the bikes; Greg’s tire had gone flat. After a quick tube swap, we headed out. Sarah recommended Grandad’s Donuts, and Jeffrey recommended biking through the Escarpment, a shallow climb that went through wooded trails. We took both suggestions for a scrumptious and scenic start to the day.

Low traffic streets and rural roads led us to the Romagnoli Farm stand. Jack was a really nice guy; he gave us fruit to sample, and we bought plums and jams to take home. Rain started just a few miles away as we approached our destination at St. Catharines, our last stop in Canada. Mid-pour, an enthusiastic Frank honked at us from his SUV and signaled for us to pull over. He was so excited to give biking advice and a cycling map of the area. Although he seemed disappointed we were leaving Canada so soon, he wished us well on our journey as he drove away in his “TURN OFF YOUR TV RIDE YOUR BIKE” stickered car. 

The rain got worse. Then it got much worse. We actually almost missed the house as we pedaled through our wet socks; our next host John had to wave us down to come back. The Clark family welcomed us into their cozy home even before we walked in. Our hosts made sure our shoes and clothes were dry, and Madeline made a wonderful dinner for us. We were surprised to hear how often they visited the States for day-to-day errands as well as tandem bike rallies. They’d spent many trips biking throughout the east coast and even had a son in Arizona. 

After dinner, John took us on a tour of the town’s unique feature: the Welland Canal locks. We watched an enormous ship inch its way through a narrow channel controlled by careful timing of water flow, gate openings, and supportive technology. We learned so much about the history of the town as well as the Clark family.

We woke up to a yummy breakfast of homemade pancakes and muffins. Late morning, we set out to cross the border with John and Madeline as our personal guides. Leading the way riding tandem, they frequently paused along the route to share with us interesting facts about the community. Stops on the tour included some Niagara vineyards where we learned about the equipment used and sampled grapes as well as (a look at) a ropes course overlooking the Niagara Whirlpool. 

We followed the escarpment and the riverside trail to goodbyes and Rainbow Bridge where we bid our hosts and Canada a very sad adieu. Our tour was much longer than anticipated; we crossed into the US at around 1 PM, leaving 45 miles to our next destination. After a 20-second check from border patrol that we weren’t hooligans, we popped into Goat Island where we bulked up on cold ramen at the top of Niagara Falls. A photographer nearby was amazed we were eating the soup without heat. He and his wife had driven there from California.

We enjoyed the scenery following the Niagara River to Tonawanda and Buffalo. Our next hosts had provided directions that took us on some great trails, one of which was our beloved Empire State Trail! This would be our third time on it (first in Manhattan and then again in Rouses Point). It was smooth sailing until we ran into our first obstacle of the day: a bridge closure whose detour added a few more miles to route. No problem, we thought. Then the rascally flats began. Camille got a flat. Greg got a flat. Camille got another flat. 

By then, it was dark. Camille was out of tubes, and her patch was failing. With just under 5 miles to go, the bikers called for help. Once again, a Fred (this time accompanied by a Sue) came to our rescue for the last leg. Our hosts, good friends of Greg’s parents from grad school, took us in and pampered us with delicious mac & cheese with peach cobbler for dessert. We were amused to learn from them that the sweet smells we experienced earlier in the day came from the General Mills factory along our route! (Just before the bridge closure, a Lucky Charmsesque fragrance wafted through the downtown Buffalo air.) We enjoyed hearing stories about when Sue and Fred were in college with Greg’s parents and how excited they were to catch up again soon. The Harringtons (Jack the dog included) gave us such a warm welcome back to the States. After taking care of laundry, it was time for bed.

Sue served us a wonderful breakfast of coffee, tea, and egg sandwiches. Fred then drove us over to the biggest bike shop (a warehouse, really) we'd ever seen to pick up tubes. The staff didn’t actually seem impressed by our trip. When we got back to the Harrington’s, we packed up and hit the road for just a few miles more. Fred and Sue had recommended we see Graycliff, a Frank Lloyd Wright design near their home. The staff were very knowledgeable about the estate (apparently, the shore behind the house is receding an inch a year!) and the lives of the families that lived in the historic landmark. The beautiful architecture was tainted only by our unfortunate need to cut the tour short to stay on schedule. One of the guides was very sweet and gave us a private abbreviated end to the tour. 

We followed the coast of Lake Erie to Fredonia, PA. On the way, Greg earned his day’s flat in the morning mist. Once we patched the tube under a mostly dry tree and got on the road again, of course, the rain picked up. Luckily, we weren’t wet for long and got to enjoy the route along the water and through the Cattaraugus Seneca Reservation! We were surprised to also find grapes everywhere. It smelled like we were biking by the sixth Great Lake, Lake Welch’s. Mid-afternoon, we had the opportunity to be picked up by our third Fred; a driver stopped in front of us as we were biking near Angola and offered us a ride and a place to stay. Having such a flat and well-paved terrain ahead of us, we politely declined continued on to our destination about 20 miles away. We were excited to be staying near an Aldi’s where we stocked up on protein bars, dried mangoes, and veggie nuggets before turning in for the night.

It was a drizzly day to our next stop just 53 miles away. As vineyards lined the whole route, sweet Welch's grape aromas stayed with us throughout the ride. We anticipated Erie to be more similar to the big cities we’d previously visited, but just staying along safer routes outside the city was a little underwhelming. It became overwhelming when a doo doo driver veered right into the bike lane as they passed us. They did it again a few seconds later! It seemed like they just wanted to show they could occupy it. Lots of kids were getting out of school just as we sat down in Wayne Park for some snackage (this trip was brought to you by more Aldi's dried mangoes). We arrived a little damp at Heartland, a charming bed and breakfast, and Arlene made us feel right at home.

We enjoyed delicious breakfasts and wonderful service at the Heartland Inn including a vegan mushroom & Swiss burger, pumpkin french toast, veggie omelettes, and the most ENORMOUS cinnamon bun we’ve ever witnessed.

We were glad to have missed the worst of a storm passing through the area and the opportunity to take care of indoor errands in such a charming place that was frequented by locals. After a good rest, we were sent off from Girard by the lovely Heartland staff and began a windy and hilly ride to Rose Point Park Campground. It cost 70 miles of fighting the elements and elevation along farmland-lined roads. We set up camp in our second New Castle of the trip and enjoyed a campsite beside a quiet stream.

It was a chilly morning at Rose Point. We awoke to a wet tent and a pair of chickens exploring the cabins nearby. After a couple of protein bars, we packed up and set out to a local diner. The bridge to Route 19, the most direct and safest route, was closed, so we unfortunately had to detour on a busy highway with less than ideal conditions. Just a few miles later, Brown’s Country Kitchen in Portersville was our refuge for coffee, veggie omelettes, french toast, and the most wonderful coconut cream pie. We parked our bikes near the staff break tables, and every time someone came out for a smoke break, they were enthusiastic to learn more about our trip. One staff member was a biker himself in a past life; he only stopped after his third neck injury! 

More hills were in store to Ellwood City where we considered waiting around for a candy shop to open at 1 PM but controlled ourselves and moved on. A few miles down the road, we took a snack break overlooking Beaver River and continued crossing bridges upon bridges throughout the day. As we passed through New Brighton, we kept finding more places to stop at: the library, Rosalind’s Candy Castle (so much for restraining ourselves), and the post office. The rest of PA Bike Route A was quite the embarrassment; Route 51 presented its travellers with four lanes of high speed traffic, most unideal for some weary cyclists. We detoured and took an off-road route suggested by OSMAnd that included a small stretch of good old fashioned trespassing through an abandoned industrial zone, but at least we were safe.

We grew more tired and hungry as we neared Pittsburgh. Just 10 miles away from our destination, we had to muscle through some climbing: first some stairs where we carried our bikes and gear, immediately followed by a steeeeeeep road. We were rewarded by a nice paved bike path as we approached the city as well as a beautiful view of the moon over a few of the many bridges crossing the three rivers (the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela) that surrounded PGH. After 85 miles on the road, we relaxed with some delicious Middle Eastern bowls from Rosewater for dinner and ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

We started the morning off with a visit to Bear Dog, a humble garage-converted-bike shop just across one of the many PGH bridges. Nathan was eager to help diagnose a minor issue Greg was having with his bike, and we enjoyed playing with Marley and Teddy, the shop’s canine helpers. We really appreciated Nathan’s authenticity and expertise! He even gave us a bike map of the area and recommended a route to our new place. 

We enjoyed a sunny day and black bean crunchwrap supremes along some dedicated bike paths. new Airbnb, arepitta, work, Greg feeling off - wait to see how developed before camping in the woods for a week 

yogurt, empanada, Giant Eagle, small bike lane next to whizzing traffic over one of Pittsburgh's many bridges, you strong girl, CVS, ain't no car runnin you over, made veggie meatball stew, Camille took time to polish a development project at work.

Greg woke up feeling a little better but not quite up to speed, so we tried to see if we could stay another night at our current place. Unfortunately, there was no availability, so we moved on after demolishing a hearty omelette.

We picked up the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail which soon took us on a paved and dedicated multi-use path through bridges, greenery, and retail developments. The trail access to the big box stores provided the perfect opportunity for Camille to retire her deceased sandals. We picked out a hotel just 8 miles away from our previous stay. We had more mochi than Camille cared to consume (thanks to Costco-sized portions) for lunch while waiting for our check in. It was another quiet night in, enjoying unlimited access to running water and hot showers before we dived into 300 miles of off road paths in the days to come. We celebrated with lots of dried mangoes from ALDI.

A light rain perpetuated throughout the day which started out nicely but quickly became dreary once the temperature dropped and winds came in. Despite all that, bike tourists populated the trails! We'd never seen so many and were thoroughly impressed. The surrounding community seemed quite supportive of two-wheel culture; volunteer groups maintained the trails, and homemade signs on coolers outside some homes announced free water bottles for bikers and bikers.

The trail was full of hiker-biker campgrounds; these plots with water spigots, bathrooms, and first-come-first-serve elevated wooden shelters dedicated for non-motorized access. As we approached Stewart's Crossing, another tourist came the other way asking about a campsite we'd passed a while back. We thought it was quite curious as Stewart's was only 2 miles away. He said the vibe was weird since it was behind a grocery store and cited some smokers in the area.

We decided to check it out and thought it was fine, although we didn't get a covered shelter (only 4 there). It would've been nice to stay dry for a bit after a continuously wet day. Our new friend Ronald very politely offered to have us share his shelter, but we settled for our more roomy (but chillier) tent in the grass. After tuna, beans, and couscous for dinner, we hit the hay early as the rain pitter-pattered throughout the night.

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We celebrated Greg's annual trip around the sun with some birthday cake flavored protein bars. A biker's dream! Don't worry, the real celebration will come when we get home in a week. We waited for the rain to mostly clear and did our best to dry the tent in one of the shelters that had been vacated that morning. We gathered essential supplies from Martin's Food: caffeine, apples, cocoa almonds, pizza goldfish, and pop tarts. A shopper heard we were biking to Delaware and was impressed. 

The GAP trail was well maintained but still muddy and unpaved, slowing us down with a shallow incline for 65 miles. We kept leap frogging with another tourist pair. We always knew they were coming because one of them would yell, "HOWWWDEEEEE!"

After trudging through 3 miles of sand and crossing a few bridges, it was a nice downhill ride at the Eastern Continental Divide to Frostburg, MD. We didn't quite make it before dark, and as we approached the trail exit, some ATVs joined us on the ride to town. We paid for our miles of coasting with a steep hill up to the Timber Ridge Inn and Campground/Cafe. Sadly, the day ended with a cold shower, but we toasted to our Maryland arrival with many slices of hard-earned Giuseppe's pizza.

We woke up in our cozy cottage, eager to use the amenities at the inn. Unfortunately, we found no one around, no laundry, and most egregiously, no coffee. The inn's phone number went to voicemail. The Cafe part of the Timber Ridge Inn and Cafe was closed. Camille picked up coffee from Mountain City Cafe and Creamery, the only bustling to be heard for miles in this serene town. She quite enjoyed the peacefulness and the great view provided by a main street at such high elevation. After pizza for breakfast, we gave our muddy bikes much needed washes and rode back down to the trail.

The tree-lined path out of Frostburg offered great views for the last few miles of GAP into Cumberland. We flew down the mountain with the sun's rays to warm us despite the windchill. With just 2 miles to go to Cumberland, we managed a flat tire. There were a few passenger trains going by that kept things interesting while we made the fix. We finally rolled into town and immediately found a laundromat. Greg enjoyed playing the one arcade game hosted there: Mrs. Pacman.

The town had many supports built in for trail users; bike shops and outdoor sports stores were plenty as well as water fountains and bike fixing stations. We started the C & O trail in our usual style with another flat. We happened to pull over in front of a house by the trail so as to not impede the path, and the homeowner came over after noticing us. Rex offered help in the form of an electric pump, a kind gesture that would've saved us from our manual labor, but unfortunately, Greg's tire didn't hold its patch. We ended up changing the tube and went on until it failed again a few miles later.

He was beginning to worry that the tire was just damaged. While the product itself was sturdy, by now, it had nearly 5000 miles on it. There was a small hole where a nail had gone through, and it seemed like tiny rocks kept entering the opening and piercing the inner tube. We put a patch on the physical tire, hoping that would help.

We followed the riverside trail until we reached the detour at Paw Paw Tunnel we had read about the night before. Imagine you're pushing a heavy shopping cart up a hill. Make that hill steeper. Make it just a little more steep, but now, your shopping cart has to stay beside you while you're pushing. Someone actually stole two of your wheels, so you've got to make sure you balance it right. Oh, and turn the lights off and scatter piles of leaves in your path.

We were hauling the bikes 375 feet up the Tunnel Bypass Trail for 1.5 miles completely in the dark. The ascent was a workout, but downhill was truly terrifying (think of trying to reign in that shopping cart). We lost control a few times, luckily recovering unscathed. The detour took us about 2 hours. It was surprisingly still warm, and our bike lights were working hard, so we considered biking until morning (you don't have to remind us we're crazy!). Fortunately, we had a little sense and Camille was a little spooked, so we settled for Stickpile Hill Campsite (apparently named for "a local hobo who was killed and was buried under a pile of sticks" according to Canal Trust) a few miles down. We set up camp at around 9 PM and munched on lentil wraps and cocoa almonds for dinner.

It was foggy, and Greg felt groggy. When are we showering? He wondered. Maybe never. The hiker-biker campsites were free: free of charge and free of shower facilities. Camille thought Greg was the old one until she woke up with back pain today. These unpaved roads were rough on her skinny tires and poor posture. There was no cell service, so we decided on a diner listed on OSMAnd about 25 miles out. Before we hit the road, we explored the campsite a little more and found a breathtaking view just through the woods. The terrain sloped down and became sandy, turning into a beach overlooking the Potomac River. Much to our surprise, chunks of ice were floating downstream. Combined with the misty morning covering the mountains in the background, it was quite the serene scene.

Onward to coffee and eggs in Hancock, MD, we switched over to the Western Maryland Rail Trail when we could. Camille was so excited for some paved road!! We cruised at around 18 mph until we got to town where we picked up inner tubes and got breakfast at Park-n-Dine. Luckily they had a table right on the patio, so we didn’t have to take bags in and lock up. We re-humanized with access to running water and enjoyed our go-to diner breakfast: veggie omelets and French toast. After restocking on water and snacks at a gas station up the road, we were back on the trail which to our surprise and delight was being well-used by several other bikers.

We enjoyed ample greenery and great views of the water along the way. When couscous started leaking out of the bag, we certainly appreciated the many picnic tables available on the trail and ate an early dinner. Another construction detour sent us up some hilly (but thankfully paved) neighborhoods in rural Maryland. We figured this might be our last chance for clean water and stopped at the local general store for supplies. The owner seemed very impressed with our tour and amused by our choice of Frosted Flakes.

As we got back on the path, the sun began to set. Rain started, and if that wasn’t enough, the terrain turned into sandy gavel approaching Killiansburg Cave Campsite, slowing us down even more. We put up the tent as quickly as we could there and tried to stay dry through the night.

Things were wet at Killiansburg Cave campsite. We did our best to shake off water and pat down the tent with towels, but we just accepted nothing being 100% dry all the time. Besides, the 25 mph wind would dry us off. Greg’s sister Erika had recommended we explore Shepherdstown, VA, so naturally we hunted down a diner for breakfast on the other side of the Potamac. Betty’s seemed to be one of those community cornerstones; a sign touted Betty Grimes’s long period of dedicated service up until 2021 when she passed. We opted to eat outside much to the concern of the staff as it had been raining off and on in the morning. After our usual omelet, French toast, and coffee, we were back Maryland side on the trail. Shepherdstown was quiet and cute; we certainly hope to return for a longer visit. 

We had a long day ahead of us: 80 miles to DC. We knew it was doable, but we would have to keep moving. Having skipped showers for the past two days, we were eager to fulfill the distance. The trees provided invaluable shield from the wind, but this protection came at a cost. The constantly falling leaves created a picturesque ride, but the falling walnuts were a little more troublesome, especially riding over. We ran into a few fallen trees where we had to cyclocross our bikes. Camille was getting weary by the end of the C & O trail and rejoiced when the trail connected to a paved multi-use path near the city. 

We had dedicated bike lanes almost the entire way traversing through some hilly streets and downtown traffic. Our resting place for the night was a strategic location, just a mile away from Camille’s favorite Ethiopian restaurant. After the most amazing shower, we wandered over to Habesha, catching scenes of the DC drag races on the way. Another milestone down, just two days until we were home!

If you leave Habesha hungry, it’s probably your fault. We enjoyed ample leftovers for breakfast, an impressive amount after two hungry bikers demolished the 15-item veggie combo the night before. As we left the apartment, a neighbor caught up to us to chat about our trip. He had biked recreationally in Maine and was interested to know about the touring side of things. Getting in and out of a city has always been slow for us, and today was no exception.

We were off and on trails and roads to Baltimore, passing through some landmarks in the city. The rolling hills wore us down, so Camille decided we deserved a cinnamon bun at our afternoon grocery pit stop. We had 70 miles to Aberdeen where we planned to take the train first thing (it’s illegal to cross the bridge on bike) and continue riding from Perryville on the other side of the river.

The worst part of the day was a very rude driver occupying a bike lane, and then it was a flat 17 miles from Aberdeen, our destination for the night. At that point, it was getting dark, and we had just gotten out of some narrow roads with high traffic. Unfortunately, the hotel just 0.1 miles away didn’t have any availability. After some deliberation and installing a new tube, we trudged along on the sidewalk to White Marsh, a few miles back. We picked up groceries at MOMs for dinner, enjoying some ramen, veggies, vegan nuggets, and ice cream sandwiches at the end of a long day.

We had breakfast at the hotel and stayed until Camille’s late morning call. Then it was cruising to Aberdeen. Route 17 carried moderate traffic, but the shoulder was plenty wide, making for an easy 18 mph trip to the Aberdeen train station. We pulled up to the front to find that the station was locked during a certain window each day, and we happened to arrive at such window. Our only options were to download the app or find some way inside. Someone at the station came by to chat with us about the tour and let us in when they realized we didn’t have tickets yet. As avid avoiders of downloading apps, we hailed this man as our hero.

The train ride went smoothly; we were actually able to keep all our bags on our bikes and carry them right on board. We arrived in Perryville and continued northeast after a quick pit stop. While we had to tack on yesterday’s leftover distance to today’s, it was fairly negligible as we’d planned for just 42 miles from the station to home. 

East Maryland set a beautiful scene for our final ride; the greenery was just starting to give way to some autumn hues. We rode along some farmlands, small towns, and finally approached Elkton at the Maryland-Delaware border where landmarks became more familiar. Soon came Newark, DE for our last stop to power up for those remaining miles. We’d biked here before and easily navigated from New Castle to the Jack A. Markell (JAM) trail, making sure to give Southeast Kitchen a call before getting into Wilmington. These were our home trails now! We are so lucky to live so close to bike-friendly infrastructure. We picked up our favorite Vietnamese dishes and rolled up right to our doorstep, eager to see our friends at home and put our feet up.