We are getting ready for our next bicycle adventure. The basic idea is:
July-October 2017: Tromsø, Norway to Bucharest, Romania
November – January 2018: Mumbai, India to Chennai
February – May: Thailand to Hong Kong
June – August: Japan
August 2018: Back home to Calgary
We will post more soon.
Snowbank Lake - home to Grandpa Dan's cabin and three weeks of off-the-grid living. We get our drinking water right out of the lake.
Dinner - northwoods style. It's been three days and four fish meals.
This eagle has been heckling the loon family in our bay, we hearing the loon calls every night as we go to sleep.
Our returns to Minnesota always include a visit to Camp Mishawaka - where Tanya and Rick met how many years ago? (24! She first spied him when he was eating chicken at the Co-ed Barbecue.)
Though we left our Minnesota home six years ago, and love our life now in Calgary, old friends are always with us. It's great to catch up.
ANOTHER POEM BY TANYA
Lakes and trees Mosquitoes, ticks, flies and bees. Friends of gold Good times not old. Time to relax, reflect and ask. To what next do we go? Our past lives we know. Yet experience and time Will bring change we shall find. We follow our hearts, know how we fit in It's knowing we'll awake to another stage Of the life we were in. Just a little bit richer More peace felt and serene. Now capable of more - untold/unforeseen.
Cousin Sali gives Rick a much needed haircut - good times and lots of laughs.
Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, lots of boats. It's been fun to be near big water again. We took a different ship, a ferry, to cross Lake Michigan from Ludington, MI to Wisconsin.
A different type of cart at the grocery cart return.
Loren heard them first, "Ride by on the other side of the road - there's a problem up here." -What he heard was a lot of hissing, by the time we caught up we just saw the sweet faces of two little siblings.
Try some? The Union Star was the first of many cheese factory stops - we even got to tag onto a school field trip at one in Rudolph, WI. Did you know that a dairy cow requires three acres of land a year to produce the food it needs (an acre is about the size of a football field.) That's 90 pounds of feed and 50 gallons of water everyday!
Our travels through Wisconsin were a special treat - our friend Loren Madison, who we met biking on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi, joined us for the ride. Not only was Sampson, Markos and Tarn's experience enriched by the perspective of another adult, but Rick and Tanya got to let someone else answer the twenty-questions-a-minute barrage that occurs periodically throughout each day. Thanks for being such a positive and fun travel companion Loren!
We've reached St. Paul, Minnesota - another guidepost on our route. Sampson, Markos and Tarn were born in Minneapolis and Rick and Tanya lived there for twelve years. Having left six years ago via a moving truck, it felt special to arrive back by bicycle - the two flat tires and continuous rain showers did little to dampen our mood!
The next month will be a break from the bikes and the summer vacation we've envisioned over the last two months - living off the grid, but this time at Tanya's dad's cabin on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Fishing, canoeing and reading books. We'll be back on the bikes mid July for the return cycle to Calgary.
Markos writes: May 31 Today we had cream of wheat with syrup for breakfast. After breakfast we packed up and we were out at 7:45. We didn't do our math because there were too many mosquitoes. Then we put on our helmets and we rode our bikes away. We said goodbye to the guy that let us camp in his back yard. In his back yard there was lots of goose poos that were very stinky. Today we stayed at a couch surfers. Today we thought it was June 1st but it turned out to be May 31st. June 2 Today we had egg sandwiches for breakfast. After breakfast we kicked the ball around and it went in the water a few times. The egg sandwiches for breakfast were very good. Today was different because Loren was biking with us. It was fun. We camped in someone's back yard. Sampson writes: June 3 Today we camped at a city park that had a tether ball and pole game, and a volley ball net. There is also a big red slide and a metal play structure. Today I sent a letter to Grandma Susan because she sent me a letter. We went to a town called Rudolph. There was a cheese factory and I got Mint Zanzibar ice cream that was green and dark brown. We bought lots of cheese: Swiss cheese and string cheese, cheddar cheese and ricotta cheese. Right now Markos is doing his journal and Tarn is writing and Dad is cooking. This morning we had French Toast and played with Lego and Play Mobile. Then I walked on the tight rope and took a picture with Patrick, Laura and us and Karen. We are going to have homemade Mac and Cheese that Dad made. Today Karen biked (us) to the cheese factory and biked back (to her house) without us. Today we saw two baby raccoons that were really, really cute and we didn't see the mom.
June 4 Today we camped at a county park and there was a playground and a shelter at the park. It was raining on and off all day but at the park it got sunny. Today we saw a Bald Eagle flying above the memorial park after lunch. Tomorrow we are going to see Dad's cousin Sali and her kids Jordan and Kyli. The last time I saw them was when I was three or four and they had a little pink jeep. Right now it is really windy and Tarn is playing at the park and Dad is working on the bikes and Markos and I are doing our journals. We are right by a lake with lots of geese. Today we went through a town named Neilsville and we went to the IGA (grocery). We are in Humberg, Wisconsin and in the park.
Tarn seeks relief from the heat at the Millenium Splashpark, Grand Rapids, MI.
We visit the US headquarters of Velocity rims, a company that has helped us out immensely on our trip - including an invitation for a landing spot for a few nights! Thanks!!!
Sampson's journal: Today we saw a Woolly Mammoth that was being dug up by a scientist. When we saw him he was digging up the clavicle or the scapula. He had dug up a tool a couple of weeks ago so he had proof that there were people in the time of the ice age. The Woolly Mammoth was found by a creek in the golf course we camped in. Tomorrow morning the owner is making pancakes for breakfast for us.
Sampson's journal: Today we went from Sandusky to Lindsey. We camped at an old farm where some people were plowing farms with horses like in the olden days. We are going to have burritos for dinner.
Are you as excited as I am? The pattern on this new shirt of mine will disguise the salt/sweat stains and looks classy too! Markos kindly gave the "deep 6" to my old biking shirt, Goodwill re-sale shops are an important support system for this crew!
We've just been riding through this state a few days, but true to form, Michigan has it's own unique characteristics as each of the other States has had. For us, Michigan is lots of green. Big trees, blooming peonies, fragrant air and another style of farmhouse architecture. Lots of brick, huge barns and fields of emerging with corn and soy bean plants. Heat, humidity and mosquitoes are a sharp contrast to the cold snap accompanied by wind and thundershowers that we'd ridden through in Northwestern Ohio.
Markos' journal May 24 Average Speed: 10 miles per hour Ride Time: 4 hours and 7 minutes Starting Place: Eaton Rapids, Michigan Ending Place: Morrison Lake Country Club, Michigan Temperature: 90 degrees Fahrenheit Maximum Speed: 23.9 miles per hour Today we had some cereal and egg dish for breakfast. After breakfast I helped take down the tents and there was a bee in one of the tents. Then we said good-bye (to Warm Showers hosts Mike and Cindy) and we got on the bikes and rode away and the road was dirt for a little bit. The we stopped to put some sun screen on. May 21 Today we had yogurt with granola for breakfast. After breakfast we packed up. Today we saw some mushrooms growing in a circle and they were white. Today we camped out in some one's back yard...then we set up the yellow tarp to dry and we set up to dry too. For lunch we went to a hamburger place and I had a grilled cheese with apple sauce and some milk. It came with a tootsie roll pop.
The Black River rushes towards Lake Erie, just west of Cleveland, Ohio.
Tarn selects only the finest of fresh greens for a tasty feast from Lisa and Ken's garden, Oberlin, Ohio.
Saddlebreds race by at a fast clip clop, a common occurrence at the county fairgrounds where we often camp.
"Look who I found in my shoe!" Morning wake-up at Meramec State Park, Missouri.
Bill and five of his step-great grandchildren, can you believe this healthy young guy turned 100 years old? Bella Vista, Arkansas
Sampson, Markos and Tarn get the "royal" treatment, Mormor and Grandad take us all to a Kansas City Royals game. American baseball at it's best.
Yes, these pictures show quite diverse locations - not really reachable by bike. Sometimes a lot happens in just a few weeks! The 100th birthday party of Bill Wanamaker, Rick's step grandad is a celebration we were honored to attend. The location: Bella Vista, Arkansas. We left our bikes and gear with friends in Cincinnati. The ten hour one-way rental car experience was a rude reminder of the zooming fast pace of life we generally are able to avoid. Fortunately, visits to several of Rick's family were part of our car-trip excursion. Then back to Cincinnati for an excellent send off by way of 70 miles of park land path - the Little Miami River Rails to Trails route. We cycled north/northeast through the back roads of Ohio, arriving near Cleveland, at my sister's home. We head out tomorrow, this time traveling west, making the turn onto a direction that will eventually guide us home to Calgary by mid August.
oHIo
Small farms, white barns, little roads and trails. Honeysuckle, darting birds, water drained from fields. Cool weather, dish gloves, county fairground shelters. Lightning bolts, thunder claps, cold fronts moving through.
Warm hosts, tasty feasts, comfy beds and showers. Steel mills, "brown fields"- industry revealed.
Organ pipes, piano parts, a destination reached. Cousins and fun, and finally, the emergence of the sun.
These large black barns had long hinged vertical openings along the sides to allow air to pass through and cure the tobacco. Quilt patterns painted on their sides preserve the heritage of the region.
Sampson, Markos and Tarn love to share their experience. In Springfield, KY they had the opportunity to speak to a gym packed with students full of questions.
Stormy skies are beautiful to watch, and often lead us to seek out new friends and shelter. Our experience is enriched by the wonderful people who welcome us into their lives.
The interior of a 200 year old southern church. The congregation - close knit families, a community support system.
Spring "killer" lambs and their mother.
"We've crossed the Mississippi (River), the Tennessee River, the Ohio River..." actually Tarn went on to list three or four more rivers too - his grasp of our adventure is baffling.
There's always something to look at and wonder as we travel along the road.
The waitresses of the Corner Cafe, Westmoreland, KY, treated us to an amazing spread of Southern comfort food and hospitality!
Another of Sampson's many animal friends along the way, this time at the Nashville Zoo.
Hollers (hollows) and backbone ridges - Kentucky's built us into steel machines. The tiny rural roads guide us to warm and heartfelt people. The land of Daniel Boone and Abraham Lincoln - dulcimers and American Saddle Bred horses.
Tanya's Song of the South
Texas mesquite, cattle, Black's BBQ Friends and cousins The wind always blew.
Louisiana crawfish, the Cotton Gin Dollar General, levies and bayous Baptist/Pentecostal/Catholicism.
Mississippi Dogwood, Red Bud, Cypress trees The road, RVs and wild turkeys.
Alabama- Markos lost his second tooth Learned of journeys and stones A history unearthed.
Tennessee hills, biscuits more barbecue, Cousin Keri and Mike, a trip to the Nashville Zoo.
Kentucky is families that go way back The quilt trail, two entry houses and 'baccy (tobacco) barns of black.
We're still headed north - one more stop to make then westward bound is the road we'll take.
Sampson's journal April 22 Greenville, KY (guests of the city in the Canoe Trail cabins) Today we woke up and I read my "Harry Potter" book and then I got dressed. Later Dad made eggs and salty ham for breakfast. After breakfast we did school and the Bobby came over and gave us our (business) cards that we ordered. (Bobby was the man that Dad had asked to make the cards.) Then we played in the rocks and water and then left. An hour later we got to Cambelleville and went to the CVS and had a granola bar for snack there. Then we went to a grocery store and Markos and Dad went in and Tarn and I and Mom read some. Later we got to a little country store and got some fresh hamburgers and onion rings for lunch. After lunch we played a little bit of pool at the country store. Later we biked to Springville and a guy invited us to stay in his little community center. It had a mural of Barak Obama and Moses on the side, it read, "The leaders may change, but the rules stay the same." (The Ten Commandments where written between the two leaders.) Later we took a walk around town and then did our journals. We had vegetable soup for dinner.
Markos journal April 23 (Steve and Marianne's, Springfield, KY) Today we had french toast for breakfast and I helped Mom make french toast. After breakfast we did our math work, then we had a muffin outside. Then, we walked to the horse stable and we saw a horse pulling a buggy with a man in it. Today we saw some big horses that were called Saddlebred. April 26 (Steve and Donna's, a family dinner, a dry cozy home and a ride into Cincinnati) Today we had jelly on bread and fruit for a little something to eat before breakfast. Then Donna made eggs and bacon for breakfast. After breakfast we played a little game of hang man and it was fun. Then we went outside in the garage and we put our stuff in the trunk (of the car.)
As we entered Tennessee, waterways flowed over rocks and formed cool pools, quite a contrast to the sloughs further south in Mississippi.
Markos holds a meteorite, one of the hundreds of thousands of individual stones in Tom's Wall, a monument to women, honoring his great, great, great grandmother and her journey on the "Trail of Tears" and return to her former home. The Indian removal from areas east of the Mississippi River to the "Indian Nations" area west of the Mississippi occurred in the 1830's.
Birds, bees and butterflies, quite a few topics of conversation as you travel along by tandem bicycle.
The diverse hardwood forest of Mississippi and Tennessee.
Wisteria vines take over the skeleton of this giant roadside tree.
Beavers and turtles command the waterways here.
A Lunar Moth pays a visit to the Holdiness household, a cool sighting on a warm evening!
No worries, this one is dead. My first up close viewing of a Copperhead!
444 miles of beauty, wildlife and history. Wonderful people and an amazing National Park. The Natchez Trace Parkway gets a solid four stars for bike tour-ability!
Sampson's journal: April 9 Tupelo Visitor Centre Bike Campground - Today we woke up and I read a chapter from Narnia and did my math in the tent. Later I got out and Dad was making coffee and muesli for breakfast. After breakfast we packed up and went on a hike to "Little Mountain" (Jeff Busby Campground) and it was a half a mile. At the top we looked around and read ...(the information boards). Then we hiked back down the hill and left. An hour later we met some bicycles and two were going south and one north. We had a break there. An hour later we got to a historic site and had lunch with Loren (the biker traveling north). After lunch we kept biking and saw a dead water moccasin on the road. It's head was smashed but not it's body. It was black with yellow spots. Later we had some oranges at a bridge. Next we got to Bynum Indian Mounds and walked around. Then we got to Witch Dance and camped there. Loren gave us a science lesson on (how) planes (fly). April 7 Meriwether Lewis Campground - Today I woke up and read some of my book, "Wayside School is Falling Down". Later I got out of the tent and Dad was making egg sandwiches for breakfast. After breakfast we played at the park and then did math. Then we went to the Welcome Center and took a shower. Later we left and we met some bicyclists that were biking the opposite way. Later we stopped at a picnic spot and had a granola bar and built a rock bridge across the creek. After break we biked to a historic site. We had jam and cheese and we waded across the creek. An hour later we got to Meriwether Lewis campground. There was a big monument where Meriwether Lewis was buried.
Markos' journal April 14 Garrison Creek Picnic Area - Today we had pancakes with butter for breakfast. After breakfast we said good-bye to Carol. Then we took a picture. After that we got on the bikes and we rode out of the campground and went back to the main road. April 15 Yesterday when we were biking we saw a big black snake that was alive and the big black snake turned out to be a Water Moccasin. Yesterday too, Mom saw something moving on the side of the road. Then it ran across the road and it was a bobcat. We also saw a wild turkey with a blue head. We had a grasshopper stay on the bike the whole day. April 16 Cousin Keri and Mike's - Today we had eggs and cantaloupe for breakfast. After breakfast we fed the birds and we put some corn on the ground for the turkeys to eat and we put some seeds on the little table for the squirrels and the deer to eat. Then we put some peanuts in a metal cage on the tree for the squirrels to open the top and eat the peanuts.
Sampson, Markos and Tarn learn how the cotton seed is separated from the lint with a cotton gin, Frogmore Plantation, LA.
Sampson tries his hand at picking cotton.
A Cypress swamp. We hear there are lots of alligators, water moccasins and snapping turtles! I think we'll be staying on the pavement!
A wash basin in the family bedroom, Kent Plantation, Alexandria, LA, mid 1800's.
Sampson, Markos and Tarn stand dwarfed beneath a giant two hundred plus - year-old oak.
The McFerrin boys size up dinner - crawfish boiled with Cajun spices, corn on the cob and potatoes. Shipley's donuts for dessert.
The Natchez Trace is 444miles of National Park parkway connecting Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. It follows the path taken by Native Americans, Kaintuck boatmen returning home to Ohio after selling their wares in Natchez and New Orleans, and Civil War soldiers, both Union and Confederate. The parkway traverses cypress swamps, hardwood forests and meadow lands. We've hit the Trace at prime Spring flowering - the white dogwood and red bud trees stand out amongst the dark greens of pines and fresh new leaves of oak and sweet gums. Roadside flowers vary in color: yellow asters, purple vinca, little red "strawberry cone" flowers, we call them, and white English daisies. The pink and red woodland azaleas are just starting to pop out.
It's time to be heading in the northward direction we are now taking - days are getting warmer, 80's and 90's Fahrenheit, 85% humidity. It's pleasant on a bike with the breeze and in the shade of trees when we stop.
Markos' journal: March 31 Alexandria, LA Today we had donuts for breakfast. After breakfast we got a picture with the people that invited us into their house for one night. Then we got on the bikes and rode to a Goodwill and bought a long sleeve and a hoody for me. We left behind my old long sleeve and hoody. Then we got on the road again.
April 4 Today we had grits with honey for breakfast. After breakfast we played Lego and we built lots of things and each set was in a different bag. We did lots of different sets and they had lots of people and some sets had horses and some sets had little boats. There was a bag of sharks.
Sampson's journal:
April 1 (camped behind a Baptist church) Today we woke up and I read a chapter of my Narnia book. Later Dad made grits for breakfast with pineapples and strawberries. Before breakfast we did math. After breakfast we packed up and a sheriff came by and said, "Hi". Then we left and an hour later we got to Jonesville. In Jonesville we went to Family Dollar and bought pipe cleaners (to decorate Easter Baskets) and toilet paper and coffee. The manager let us have lunch at a restaurant across the street for free. So we went there and I got some nachos for lunch. After lunch we biked to the Frogmore Plantation and learned about cotton and how it's made. The we went to Will's (parents') house. (Will is the local newspaper reporter who interviewed us that morning.) We went in their pool. They have two grandsons, Milt and Jace. Later we did journals and Dad made egg dish for dinner. Today is April 1st, (April) Fools Day.
April 2 Ferriday, LA Today I woke up and read a chapter from "The Last Battle", Narnia. Then we fed the baby calf milk. Next Dad made pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast we dug in the dirt and took down the tents, then we went and checked on the cows and said goodbye. Later we got to Ferriday and asked for water at a gas station but they didn't have any. Then we got some trail mix out for snack. Later we went across the Mississippi River and got to Natchez. In Natchez we went to the visitor center and got some maps of Mississippi. Next we went to"Fat Mama's" and got lunch. I got six tamales. After lunch we went to the Longwood House (an 1860 antebellum southern mansion) and went on a tour. Later we got to the Natchez Trace. The Natchez Trace was really beautiful. Then we went up and down to Natchez State Park and camped there. Dad made chili for dinner.
