Trans American Bicycle Trip - Wolfenberg

City To City: Springfield - Berea Miles: 75 Miles Total: 3,557 Flats: 11 Video: Dinner With Family Mark And Jon-Daniel Thomas Making A Funny Face      Since my dad wanted to arrive in Berea at three in the afternoon to spend time with my other grandparents on my dad's side, we got up early and immediately broke camp because we didn't want our "friend," the sergeant, to come by again. We were pretty sure that we had camped illegally in the state park. The state park was more of a tourist attraction with little cabins and things to do inside them, and it wasn't a place to camp.      Cars kept coming by, so the first thing we did that morning was pack our tents away.  We got on the road earlier than Matt and Mark and told them we'd see them there.      We didn't dilly-dally with our breaks and were hard-pressed to achieve our ambitious goal. For lunch, we stopped at a farm where bikers were allowed to cam...

City To City: McDaniels - Springfield Miles: 83 Miles Total: 3,482 Flats: 11 Video:  https://youtu.be/KXGPkWq5n_0? si=aQZygclnn408nyCO Having Dinner With Matt's Family      Since we separated from Matt and Mark, we have been messaging each other and updating each other on our destinations for the day.  In the morning, we told them we were going to Springfield, KY, and they said they were too!  Matt and Mark had taken the Mammoth loop, which added a bunch of miles to the trail, but they only missed a few miles on the actual trail.  Matt also had family visiting him from Liberty Township, which was not far from Cincinnati.  So, Matt invited us to join them for dinner.      As we started off for the day, I hadn't even made it to the road before my left pedal broke.  So, we changed our route, and instead of going south on the Trail, we went north, off the route, but along the north route, there was a bike shop we could ...

City To City: Sebree - McDaniels Miles: 77 Miles Total: 3,399 Flats: 10 Video:  https://youtu.be/_8o1KEgfJoY? si=ZQ9P4nAEOKL477sO Slurping Milkshakes The Grocery/Restaurant/Hardware Store Eating Delicious Hamburgers The youth pastor, Will, told us that the dairy bar was the place for ice cream right after the youth group ended.  He told us that they had really good milkshakes.  But since we were full after a good dinner and had already had some ice cream that night, we didn't go and instead decided to go the next morning. So, we got up and ate breakfast.  As we were packing up, Henry, thinking about those milkshakes, nudged my dad and me to go faster. When we ordered milkshakes, Henry got a large one!  But since we needed to get going, we did have to slurp them down fast.  Of course, I had to slurp it down faster than my dad and Henry did, even though I got a medium one. No dogs came for us during the entire day, and alon...

City To City: Cave In Village - Sebree Miles: 55 Miles Total: 3,322 Flats: 10 Video:  https://youtu.be/wRItF5DBCYk? si=SGwTBhL7ae98UZp5 One The Ferry The Youth Group Henry's Room Ice Cream      We slept in some and woke up anticipating crossing the ferry.  We got a slow start but weren't hustling because we had a shorter and easier ride than the average day.  We got to the ferry just in time.  All the cars were unloading, and soon, we rolled onto it.  The employees didn't charge us, and we made it to Kentucky shores.      We looked for dogs all along the road, but we didn't see any for the whole day. We stopped for lunch, filled our water bottles at a restaurant, and got a scoop of ice cream to share. We made it early to the church where we were staying for the night, but it worked in our favor because I was able to blog, and we were able to have an early dinner because the youth group...

City To City: Murphysboro - Cave In Village Miles: 97 Miles Total: 3,267 Flats: 10 Video:  https://youtu.be/tnEUfWygwjM? si=Pf63lydJJFdRQNJ8 Dinner The Railroad Tunnel      Jessica made us pancakes and eggs for breakfast. It was delicious and a treat to have a warm breakfast. But we did leave early when Jessica needed to be somewhere, so it was a win-win. The morning had ups and downs, and as the morning usually goes, it was uneventful. During lunch, we stopped at a trailhead, which led to an eight-hundred tunnel that used to be for trains.  It wasn't far from the trailhead, so we rode our bikes on the gravel trail.  Once we were halfway through the tunnel, it got so dark that not one of us could see the ground beneath our wheels.  It also didn't help my dad's and Henry's case that they still were wearing sunglasses, but they didn't know that until they had gone through the tunnel back to the trailhead!  But the only thing ...

City To City: Farmington - Murphysboro Miles: 78 Miles Total: 3,170 Flats: 10 Video:  https://youtu.be/9TuiLZpHodM? si=6E5OCzpltoMi-89f A Flat Tire (The Car's, Not A Bike) Illinois, Baby A Break Before Crossing IL The Mississippi River And The Bridge We Crossed Jessica Relaxing For The Evening      We left at a time that still allowed us to get to our destination for the day. During the car ride up, our dad texted us asking if we noticed something wrong with their tire since Henry and I were riding with our grandparents again.  Sure enough, they had a flat tire. My mom had seen something go flying and immediately suspected something was wrong.  So, about five miles away from Farmington, our starting point, we pulled over and changed the tire.  We took out all our belongings, and once finished, we packed everything back in and went the short distance to the town.  We reluctantly changed in...

Henry On The High Banks Of The Creek My Younger Brothers Having A Blast Resting In The Shade Our time with our family was wonderful. We shared stories of our trip, and they asked questions and made fun of us. Apparently, my dad had lost his towel, so when my mom asked him if he wanted to upgrade from a washcloth-sized towel to a handtowel-sized towel, my dad sheepishly admitted, "Well, I don't really have a choice. I lost mine a week ago." We laughed and asked how he got dried, and my dad said, "I kind of, you know, air dry." My Grandma was in the room, and once she heard, she disapprovingly shook her head while laughing.   On the first day of visiting, it rained almost all morning, so we walked together on the road in the afternoon.  My Grandma helped me and pointed out some helpful tips for my blog, but I could only get one post out because there wasn't a good phone service, and the wifi didn't work.  There were dif...

City To City: Eminence - Farmington Miles: 85 Miles Total: 3,092 Flats: 10 Video:  https://youtu.be/dHkjVTzOHko? si=L6CljusWFVW_XX5X Raizy A Beautiful River Our goal for the day was to be in Farmington by 3 p.m. because today, we would meet our family and grandparents. So, to achieve our goal, we were up by 5 a.m. and on the road an hour later. The sun hadn't even crested the horizon yet, but it was light enough to see the road.  We said our reluctant goodbyes to Mark and Matt and told them we hoped to meet with them again if possible. Our first break was two hours later and very quick.  Everything was rushed.  When lunchtime came, we hurriedly chowed our food and got back on the road quickly.  But because we had so many hills, we couldn't go fast and maintain its speed.  But we did make our goal with time to spare.   We had been worried about where to store our bikes in Farmington, and we originally were going to ask a bik...

City To City: Hartville - Eminence Miles: 82 Miles Total: 3,007 Flats: 10 Video:  https://youtu.be/BcLjv7iiDnE? si=R0n2FuKoQrxUSjsD Swimming In The River Ice Cream For An Appetizer      The morning broke, and we ate breakfast. Again, Matt and Mark traveled together, and we traveled together some ways ahead of them.  We had some encounters with dogs, but they weren't serious about coming after us.  We ate lunch on the side of the road, and as we were finishing up, a mower came by but luckily saw and mowed around us.  But the hills were the same, up and down, with steep grades. Right before getting into our last town for the day, Henry plunged into a clear creek, and I only got my legs wet until Henry splashed me! But if we stayed still, we could see tiny fish in the creek. Of course, Henry had his shirt off so he could feel the fish nibbling on his back and side. And my dad didn't want to get wet, so he instead decided to sleep o...

City To City: Walnut Grove - Hartville Miles: 70 Miles Total: 2,925 Flats: 10 Video:  https://youtu.be/HR_p8Cc68ME? si=I-NyEzg2q2btcx_n Showering At The Splash Pad      July 14th is Mark's birthday, and we all wished him a happy birthday. We were originally going to celebrate at a cafe about twenty miles down the road for brunch, but that was closed, so we decided on lunch at an all-day cafe about forty miles from where we were staying. We packed everything together, left the winery after breakfast, and headed to Mansfield, where we would eat lunch.      We had some road rage, and right before we stopped for lunch, a redneck truck was right behind me, revving his engine, just itching to get past me, and coal-dusted us.  Well, the second he passed us, that's what he did; he coal-dusted us that matched his angry feelings.      We stopped at a Walmart to get dinner supplies, and Matt and Mark caught up with us. Mark bought ...

City To City: Heplier - Walnut Grove Miles: 106 Miles Total: 2,855 Flats: 10 Video:  https://youtu.be/YTG28G1PVzU? si=seOj2BqWgtBD5huB Eating Mouth-Watering Donuts Into Missouri (The Two Of Us) The Winery's Yard The Hillbilly Shower In the morning, we had banana pancakes and scrambled eggs.  It was delicious!  Mid-breakfast, it started to rain, but we didn't notice, so our leather saddles got wet, which isn't good for the leather.  As usual, Matt and Mark didn't know where they were going for the day but said that they, again, probably wouldn't be going as far as us.  But since we knew we were definitely going ninety-eight miles, we needed to be on the road early. When we reached the first town for the day, we stopped at a gas station and filled up our water bottles. In the next lot was a food truck that had freshly made donuts. The second we took a bite of the warm, glazed donut, it melted in our mouths. My dad gr...

City To City: Eureka - Heplier Miles: 94 Miles Total: 2,749 Flats: 9 Mark's Makeshift Camera Stand Henry Ignoring The Cat Mark Petting The Cat We got another early start.  After thirty miles passed like a breeze, we stopped for a snack, and another cat visited us.  The cat wasn't shy around us, and once Matt and Mark got up with us, they went to visit. Mark and Matt got out their snacks, and of course, the cat wanted some, but Mark said to it, "I like you, but not that much!" The cat wandered away, and a man across the street came out and gave us some cold bottled water.  Then, we mounted our bikes and headed off.  We got sixty miles in before having lunch at a gas station.   "We didn't think we'd catch up with you," Mark said.   My dad points at me, "She eats slow, that's why!" "Well, thank you! Because we wouldn't have been able to catch you." Mark then asked us if we wanted a cold dri...

City To City: Newton - Eureka Miles: 76 Miles Total: 2,655 Flats: 9 Video:  https://youtu.be/8Mya95szQlE? si=E1T2E6WRb65yUeHc The Stray Cat Chopping Potatoes And Onions Tending To The Grill It was another morning of early rising and getting on the road. Matt and Mark said they were going to Eureka, too, but we started off earlier than they did. Once we got to the main road, a train was stopped, blocking traffic.  A local biker happened to be passing by, and without asking us where we wanted to go, he shouted to us, "Folllow me.  I'll get you past the train." After about twenty miles, we took a break and were slow to get back on our bikes.  We didn't see Mark or Matt, so we continued.  But after five minutes, we see them riding at a fast pace.  Then Mark says, "We saw you, but then you got back on your bikes and sped away!! We thought you were trying to drop us!!! "No," We replied.  "We didn't see you!" W...

City To City: Great Bend - Newton Miles: 92 Miles Total: 2,579 Flats: 9 Video:  https://youtu.be/cDVyfk_U76Q? si=SkAkXA43_DSGsJ65 Chatting With Stan Large Farming Equipment Passing Us We got up around 6 a.m., the first of the six (Mark, Matt, Neil, and us) to do so.  We ate breakfast and packed up fairly quickly since it would be super hot.  After saying glum goodbyes, we mounted our bikes and set out.  We could take two routes: one ninety miles with more traffic and lane shoulders could get iffy but more towns along the way, or we could go over one hundred with less traffic and fewer services along the way. The morning was pleasant, and unlike most of Kanas, there were several good-sized small towns with good services. The morning passed quickly, and sixty of the ninety miles were over before we knew it.   We ate lunch on the sidewalk of a gas station and filled our water bottles with ice-cold water for free.  With thirty more ...

City To City: Ness City - Great Bend Miles: 65 Miles Total: 2,487 Flats: 9 Video:  https://youtu.be/RIGJkpP9DRQ? si=jdCF66nExg2R_Zgy Us Eating Banana Splits All six, Mark, Matt, Neil and us ate our breakfasts separately but were ready around the same time, though we didn't coordinate our riding schedules.  We were all going to the same place that night because the next place would've been over one hundred miles.  Neil told us he was fine if we wanted to ride together, and my dad agreed again.  Neil had a stop to make, so we waited, and once Neil was ready, we started off.  We eventually caught up with Mark and Matt, who had stopped at the post office.  But all during the ride, we went slower because everyone agreed that yesterday's ride had been too fast.  During the ride, we saw machines pumping oil out of the ground and a small, yellow plane dipping and gliding in the sky.   When we did get to Great Bend, the administrator of th...

City To City: Tribune - Ness City Miles: 103 Miles Total: 2,422 Flats: 9 Video:  https://youtu.be/I8lkZg4zkL0? si=CEJMQ0QbRPAelF4J Our Unplanned Meetup At The Gas Station On Our Last Thirty Miles Stories And Camaraderie Around The Table We left early and headed on our way.  We went around our usual pace forty-five miles away in a small town, where we found Neil and ate lunch in the shade.  Neil asked, "Hey, do you want to ride together?" And, of course, my dad loved the idea and agreed.  So, we set the pace for the next twenty-four miles, averaging around 18 mph.   Neil was planning on staying in the next town, Deighton.  So, we were planning to go on without him. While hanging out at the gas station, we ran into the two men we had met in New Meadows, Idaho, and crossed paths in Missoula, Montana.  One of the guys, Matt, had seen us come into town and came over.  The other guy, Mark, was talking to his wife...

City To City: Hartsell - Tribune Miles: 80 Miles Total: 2,319 Flats: 9 Video:  https://youtu.be/vB7xwg9NXzQ? si=JGOTo6FOcnTvzlZ5 Henry woke up with a headache and a feeling of queasiness.  My dad and I left for the next town and would wait for Henry once he felt better enough to ride.  Once in the next town, Henry quickly caught up to us, feeling one hundred percent himself again. We met another biker, and he left.  We passed him shortly after. Right before breaking for lunch, we saw an older woman sitting in the front passenger seat trying to wave us down and say a string of words that we couldn't hear.  We debated whether to go back to see what the woman needed, and in the end, because so many people had generously helped us along the way, we headed back.  The woman explained that she had a flat tire and she wasn't strong enough to get the screws off the tire.  So, Henry and my dad took turns taking replacing the tire. Once we were done, the woman as...