Learning along the Way: The Ten Commandments of Our Cross Country Tour

Just a pic of me.  A little tired, but not too bad. 

1.   Be kind to each other.

2.     A day at a time. (One pedal stroke at a time.)

3.      Work together as a team.

4.      Get adequate rest. (Take real rest days.)

5.      Don’t let the small things get to you.

6.      Eat well.

7.      Remember that tomorrow is another day. 

8.      Be generous – especially of spirit.

9.      Assume the best.

10.  Don’t forget the bear!

Before we left, David asked me to write the “Ten Commandments of Our Cross Country Tour” and these are the ones that I came up with at the time.  After over 1500 miles, I think they are still the ones to which I would ascribe, perhaps with a few amendments.

We have learned though, that they are not as easy to follow in reality, although we try.   We have worked out ways to work as a team.  I am the navigator, writer, and cook.  David is the photo journalist, chief mechanic, and mattress blower-upper (thankfully).  Each job is critical if we are going to make it across and document the process.  

Some things are hard just because we are on the road.  Eating well is one of them.  It is hard to get fruits and vegetables that can be carried to camp to be part of dinner.  I have found that broccoli florets will survive a day on the back of the bike, as will an onion.  Bananas don’t survive jersey pockets too well, especially ripe ones.  Oranges and apples are heavy but survive much better. 

Rest can be hard too.  We have been good about rest days, but actual sleep night to night is another issue.  Some nights sleep is elusive, especially when the tent is hot or it is raining.  I have had some nightmares, which don’t seem related to the trip but probably express certain anxieties I have as well as some of the recent losses I have experienced.  Some nights we will have a restful night and it doesn’t seem to have a rhyme or reason, in that we can be camping or in a motel or shelter.  It’s not like one type of shelter provides better rest, but certainly heat plays a role.

I have been really working on taking it one day at a time.  For the most part, all I have left behind can’t be attended to at this time, although it doesn’t always keep me from worrying.  There is nothing to do about most it.  I have to remind myself of this.  I still have to be in the world, pay the phone bill, deal with some things at home, but not like I do when I am home.  Things are much simpler, and that is one of the joys of touring.  Life gets reduced in a good way to riding, eating, and resting. (Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I didn’t have a cell phone and a computer, but I am not ready or willing to unplug that much. . . . but it is a thought.)

I have also been working at not letting the small things get to me.  I can fall into the complaining trap, especially when I am being bitten by bugs or it is 100 degrees out.  (I am sure you can see that heat is a theme here.)  In the big scheme of things though, they are small and there is often nothing to do about it, except put bug spray on and try to find a bit of shade. 

I think the first commandment of “Be kind to each other” might be amended to “Be kind.”  Yes, we need to be kind to each other and most of the time we are, but we also need to be kind to others as we travel (as well as kind to ourselves).  This is related to “assume the best.”  It is sometimes hard to get the city mentality out of us, as we are continually surprised by people’s openness and trust.   

People have been generous to us and I try to be generous back.  I really do believe what you put out in the world you get back, at least three fold.  It is odd to be in a situation where I am in “need” more than I can give.  I hope that I can remember this when the tables are turned and other travelers or outsiders are in need.

Finally, Rosie the Bear is our mascot.  She provides much needed comic relief as we travel along.  She sits on the rack – taking in all of it.

Wenona – “Would you like a cold coke?” There is such a thing as a free lunch…(July 24, 2012)

Jeff, Pata, Matthew and Clare in Wenona IL.

So we roll into a small town called Wenona, IL and before we are even fully stopped, we hear a man call out to us, “Can I get you a cold coke?”  I feel a bit puzzled. (I mean how often does a stranger offer to get you coke?)  He repeated his offer and I said sure.  He sent his son into the local sweet shop to get us each a vanilla coke (which hit the spot!).

We then got talking and learned that his name was Jeff and his two children Matthew who is sixteen and Clare who is seven (I think, please excuse my memory Clare if I am mistaken.) were with him.  He was an accountant who went back to school to become a teacher.  I told him that I had been a teacher and that the first year is the hardest.  He talked about some of the town’s history and how they had a coffee table photography book written by a fellow who had ridden across the Northern Tier route taking pictures of the mayors of the small towns along the way.  Wenona’s mayor was in the book. 

Clare wanted to get back on their bikes and get home and we needed some lunch, so we said our good-byes and thanks and went into a local café for lunch.  As we sat there preparing to order, who should come in but Matthew carrying the book which we had spoke of before.  We were fascinated by the pictures, some of which were quite striking.  Matthew admitted that he had only really looked at the picture of his mayor and enjoyed looking at the pictures with us.  We couldn’t believe he had taken the time to come back and find us to show us the book. 

He left after a while and we finished our lunch.  I went out to get the map and saw him again and he said he had to talk to the owner about something.  I didn’t think twice about it.  Then I went to pay the bill, and the owner said that the Phillip’s had taken care of the bill and told us to have a safe trip.  We couldn’t believe it.  During our initial conversation, I said that if Jeff needed advice during his first year of teaching, I would be happy to assist.  Now, I really hope he takes me up on it.  Thank you so much Jeff, Matthew and Clare for making our day. 

DW: This encounter with these wonderful people was a perfect demonstration of mid-west hospitality; and it happened so spontaneously that afterwards it felt magical to me. It happened too because we rode into town on loaded touring bicycles and they seem to spark the imaginations of people who see them. People know an adventure when they see it. It’s their reaction to what they’re seeing that makes for special moments. 

Downtown Wenona is charming.

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A Sweet Shop customer came out later to view our bikes.

The local restaurant owner is a huge sports fan.

The book Matthew returned with to show us. A cross country cyclist took pictures of Mayors on his ride across country.

A great lunch in here paid for by our new friends. Midwest hospitality is alive and well.

Bayou Bluff’s campground – The Generous Spirit of the Midwest (How Fred saved us from the furnace) (July 23, 2012)

The campground store inside the pavilion.

Our wonderful trailer with the A/C going strong inside.

Fred and Pata on the morning of our departure.

Bayou Bluff’s campground – The Generous Spirit of the Midwest (How Fred saved us from the furnace) (July 23, 2012)

It was a broiling day and we were in the heat much of the day.  We end the day in Cornell, IL at Bayou Bluffs Campground.  We come into the camp down a long road and along the side are some old trailers and campers.  As we get into the main section, we see more trailers and campers that clearly look inhabited.  A big garage space has a sign that says “register here.”  We go in and are greeted by Fred the owner of the place.

I had called earlier and had spoken to his son.  He told me that they had space and showers.  Fred told us that what his son didn’t know and didn’t tell us is that he gives half off to folks on bikes.  So we were chatting, when David asked if he happened to have an open trailer that he would be willing to rent for the night.  (It was sweltering.)  Fred explained that there was one that was rented out, but it needed to be cleaned out and was not fit for inhabitants.  David said, that all we need is a bed.  Fred scratched his head, and said that his daughters and wife were away in Chicago and that his daughter’s trailer open.  When he brought us over, he commented that he was not sure what he was going to find inside.  He opened it up and turned on the air conditioning.  He said that we could sleep there for the night.

David commented that it was better than any five star hotel, and he meant it.  Fred still only charged us half price.  He told us about the visitors from other countries.  (He even pulled out a world map.)  We bought a couple of sodas and took a shower in the bath house. Later in the afternoon the temperature rose to above 100 degrees. The A/C in our trailer was a godsend!

I used the microwave in the camp store to make some pasta, and Fred kindly gave me fresh peaches and tomatoes to accompany our dinner.  The trailer was cool and we slept well for the first night in a few.  Again, the Midwestern hospitality proved to be wonderfully generous.  Fred couldn’t have been kinder and more trusting.  We are grateful for this – meeting people like him make the trip truly worthwhile.

DW: The next morning Fred offered Pata a cup of freshly brewed coffee which she gladly accepted. I filled our 6 water bottles with ice we had prepaid the day before. I took a photograph of Fred next to Pata and then we were off, rolling down the long gravel driveway into the warm morning air. The evening before some other residents of the campground made a comment to me that Fred had a heart of gold. They are right.

Another Nut

She was going East and had a terrific tailwind.  Poor us with the headwind!

This is Tracy another cross-country traveler.  She was from Kansas but had started in Washington State and was going to Maine.  It was nice to see another "nut" on the road.

The Greenhouse B&B (July 22, 2012)

From Iroquois we rode to Kempton Illinois.  We had been told by fellow tourist Ron and Sharon that The Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast was a nice place to stay and that they allowed camping in their yard.  So, as we approached Kempton, I called and talked to Mark who said yes they allowed camping. 

We came up to the house which was literally bright green (unfortunately we didn’t get a picture; In fact, we have few pictures from that day.)  When we arrived we met Mark and Guia the owners.  They offered us water with fresh mint in it and Guia gave us some delicious fruit salad.  We had a lovely chat about their house and the Philippines.  Guia is from there and David had spent some time visiting the island of Bohol in the PI.  After we talked Mark showed us spots to camp and told us if we wanted a meal we needed to speak to Guia who does all the food.

I jumped at the chance to have a real meal.  She is a gourmet cook and caterer.  She made us a scrumptious salad with fresh veggies from their organic garden and some noodles with shrimp in it for David.  It was delightful. 

Later that afternoon, they were going to a pool party of Candice who is a friend of Guia’s and they invited us to go.  David declined but I went and had a lovely time meeting some of their friends and socializing with new people.

We ended up leaving very early in the morning before Mark and Guia were up.  I was sad that we were unable to say good-bye properly, as I so enjoyed meeting both of them.  We wish them much success with their B&B and even mentioned them to another cyclists we met later down the road.

The old barn on The Greenhouse property

You can see the garden on the other side.

Of course, we have to get pics of the bikes!

Sunset at the Greenhouse.

David's fully loaded bike.

A wall of a bar in Kempton early in the morning.

The book store wall.  Wish it were open.

Another of the book store.  I could have used some coffee too.

Front of book store.

Wonder where we will be on August 9th?

Kempton.

Windmills outside of Kempton.

Office of the Mayor: Iroquois, Illinois (July 21, 2012)

We left Indiana and crossed over into Illinois without fanfare, not even a sign.  But we were glad to leave Indiana where we seemed to meet more crabby people and mean dogs than before.  I read on the map that there was camping in the city park and to call the mayor – which I did last night.  He told me to call when I got into town and that there was a building in which we could stay with a shower and air conditioning.  I said that it sounded great and that we would be arriving around 2 PM the next day.

When we got into the park, my phone rang and it was Mayor Jack Karr, calling to see if we were close.  I told him that we were in the park and he said that he would be right over.  He arrived with his Jack Russell dog companion and commented that we were early.  It was about one and I mentioned that I had not accounted for the time zone change. (We are now in Central Time.)  He let us into an office that had cold water in the refrigerator, air conditioning, and a table to work on.  There was also a garage area that housed a tractor and had a shower in the back plus plenty of room for our bicycles and a line of drying laundry.  It turns out that this is not any office – it is the office of  Mayor Karr. 

It’s wonderful how he opens his office to traveling cyclists and allows us to use it as a place to stay!  I try to imagine the same happening in Bedford, or better yet, Boston.  It is unimaginable – but here we are, cool, clean, and able to rest for the night. 

Post Script:  We started off in the morning and were not sure which direction to go to meet the route.  We asked a fellow and he wasn’t sure either.  So, we started out and some of the pieces seemed right so we kept going for about three miles, when we figured out we had headed in the wrong direction.  We turned around and were coming back through town via a busier road, when we heard the barking of a dog and who should pull up but the mayor!  He had come up early in the morning just as we left and saw that we asked directions and then set out in the wrong direction.  He had “chased” us down and set us straight!

Pata in front of Mayor Karr's office & town garage

Put those bikes next to the tractor Mayor Karr instructed.

Rosie the Bear and Pata try out the town's tractor.

Mayor Karr's office small but comfy and gotta love the AC!

After 60 miles in 90+ degrees I am stupified!

Mayor Karr's office chalkboard with a Vegas-style message. Love the "and don't yell" part.

Mayor Karr far right and his 6 predecessors.

This town loves riders.

Pata getting ready for the shower in the back.

Sample comment from a previous visitor.

And another warm message to the Mayor.

DW Mayor Karr astounded me with his level of trust in us, complete strangers on bicycles; but then it all starts to make more sense when I read the journal entries of all the cyclists who had come before us and stayed in the very office we are in. All of those riders upheld the trust placed in them and so the mayor found a positive pattern in us riders. He clearly felt comfortable leaving us in his office with the reminder to “lock up when you leave.” We loved our stay in this town!

Pictures from Exhibit at Salamonie Lake Indiana

This collection is quite impressive.

Owls are large creatures!

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These are all pictures from the Ranger's office at Salamonie Lake, Indiana

Kindly stay out of our tent, badger!

Pata helps promote life jackets on the lake.