Just a few suggestions based upon our "Bike" trip (what worked for us, and what might have helped)...and just a final poke at our ridiculousness!
Know how to ride a bike.
Know how to ride a bike with gear.
Know how to get your way, figure things out when they don't work as planned.
Know what kinds of roads you might be biking on, or general area you are going to be exploring.
First aid kit is essential.
Test ride in hospital parking lots with your gear, don't count.
If you can't walk it, you can't ride it (that's what she said).
If you feel so unsafe that you need to take a cab, re-think the bike trip.
Trust your instincts when you think it's a real possibility you might die or be horribly disfigured.
Plan for challenges.
Fall away for semi-trucks, when possible.
Super powers can be helpful, such as Spiderman-like abilities to get out of the way of cars.
Tie shoes tightly.
Make sure you're not riding a unicycle, unless you planned to.
:)
Over and out,
Esther
Thursday, January 6, 2011
In Sumary: A compilation of lists
Well first of all, it is nice to be home!
Before we left (in order to really salvage this trip, and confirm that we really actually had a fantastic time) we decided to write down all the things that happened, things we saw and the like. We laughed until we cried several times in remembering the ridiculousness so I think we're on the right track to remembering this trip in a positive light.
Please keep in mind that these lists are in no particular order based upon importance, but more likely in quasi chronological order/how they stick out.)
The best part is probably the ironies, and I'm sorry if they are lost on you, but you can probably appreciate the list just for the sheer volume (last list).
Expectations of the Trip: (*expectations met, even if not in a way we anticipated):
1. Seeing nature* (see Nature List)
2. Physical labor* (lugging all of our gear and bikes versus riding on them)
3. Rock hard ass/legs
4. Camping
5. Hunger
6. Meeting lots of people*
7. Feeling accomplished
8. Bonding*
9. Having and adventure*
10. Getting lost
11. Falling*
12. Visiting new places*
13. Biking long distances, biking at all really (please note the importance of the lack of *)
14. ...Just for things to work
Now I would say that if you keep in mind that this trip "bombed" we actually were very successful and as a result I'd say we feel accomplished (number 7).
Thank you to the people we met who made the trip what it was:
1. "Oh I forgot" Girl - Amtrak woman at South Station on day 1, who not only showed us her new license since "it's weird", but after she printed our tickets said "Oh I forgot, there is no baggage car, it's broken, your bikes aren't going anywhere today".
2. Helping Hands Amanda - Amtrak girl who helped us box our bikes.
3. Kevin the 'God' - Amtrak baggage man that tried to convince the conductor to let us bring the bikes in the regular car versus having to send them down after us (failed, but valiant effort).
4. Wandalina - Or was it Wandalyn? Either way, she was the Amtrak manager who was nice to us, but also couldn't help us.
5. Old cute Portland couple - entertained us while waiting for our delayed train (after the Greek family dancing).
6. Excuse You Lady - Lady in DC train station, who when anyone with baggage had to maneuver around her (mind you she was directly in the way of foot traffic), she would say "SCUSE you!". She also told Liz to be safe on the train, and blessed us later.
7. Billy Ray - Our first cab driver, who gave us a brief history on Charleston.
8. Victoria (I called her Vanessa) - Manager at the Not So Hostel - Very friendly and helpful.
9. Our lovely Hostel fellow inhabiters from Charleston: a) I Love My Laptop Rachel, b/c) Tyler (who I forgot we met, to his face) & Mary-Anne, d) AJ the Second who works at Merritt Lake, e) Francois (not his real name, we don't know how to pronounce it), f) James "It's only another 30 yards" Pizza Man, g/h/i) There May or May Not Be Intelligent Live Astronomers (Allison & Co!), j) Left Hand Conspiracy Lucy, k) Boston Ben
10. Bird Man - Man you did owel calls for us in a store in Charleston
11. John the Morman - Gave us a brief education on our way to pick up our bikes via the shuttle bus in Charleston
12. Nails - our cabbie, she was very nice when dropping us off at the side of the high way, and also had nails that were 3 inches long each.
13. U-Turn - the old guy that U-Turned on the high way to make sure we were okay.
14. Mumble Grumble - Yet another cabbie
15. Do You Have Coke Dale - No Dale, we don't have coke, please just serve us our food and leave us alone. Oh a shot? Sure we'll take one.
16. Spontaneous Dancing Kent - one of a few NYE highlights
17. Say What!? Enthusiastic Bell Hop - Thank you Hampton Inn
18. I Lost My Cell Phone Marc - Charelston bus station
19. Kenya Kevin - Our marathon running cabbie in Charleston
20. Alaska Derek and "Stir the Pot" Karen at the Charleston Train Station - who helped us with our bikes
21. One Arm Arnie - Cabbie who despite having one arm, it being raining, and him getting lost, he got us to our Pensione in Savannah
22. Brian - our very quirky but kind Pensione (Hostel) Owner
23. Kaylinn - our Savannah Moon River Brewery bartender who grew up in the Boston area
24. Steve - I forget who this is.
25. Dave - motorcyclist that helped us with figuring out our maps were defunked (back in Charleston, sorry out of order like woah)
26. The family/kids who recognized us and kept us fairly entertained on the train ride home from our train ride down south.
AND to all the other people we came across, who checked in on us, our great family, etc!
Places and spaces that stick out:
South Station, train, Union Station, Charleston, battery & swings, Not So Hostel, Tabouli, market, Baked Bakery (x2), Fuel, Pizza Place that was a million miles away, Boston bar, Hampton Inn Charleston, the side of Savannah Highway, La Quinta's lobby, Joe's Pasta, Messenger St, King St, bus stop/visitor center, GA train station, Savannah International Pensione, Savannah History Cemetery, Savannah's many squares, E. Bay Street, River Street, Bull Street, Art exchibits, Espresso Cafe, Christ Church Gregorian Choir, library, Moon River Brewery, thai place, Leopold's Ice Cream, Goose Cafe
Wildlife/Nature/Beauty:
"Hey Liz, I was thinking once we get down there we should totally keep track of all the wildlife we see on this trip!"
Pigeons, birds/Bird Man, "slow" cat, dog, "I believe you" squirrels, red cardinal hellicopter, fountains, squares, trees/moss, walkways, alleyways, architecture, parks. Yep, that's it.
Ironies/Mini tragedies:
1. Initially we were sent the wrong maps, had to be re-sent
2. Blizzard of 2010 delaying our train 2 days
3. No luggage rack for bikes
4. No sleep on 22 hour train
5. No front rack for Liz's bike in stock in Charleston
6. Cheaper bike = more reliable?
7. Taking a cab to side of highway
8. Liz falling off the bike into the highway
9. "Sorry that is a bad address, I can't send a cab there to get you"
10. Misprinted maps
11. Charleston booked for NYE, hard to find somewhere to crash, and forgetting to cancel our previous reservation for NYE in another city entirely
12. So much heavy, useless (due to nature of trip changing) baggage/gear
13. Other people commenting on our biking ("Wow you must love biking", "You must bike a lot", "That is a lot to carry on a bike!" - wow, duh)
14. Not able to get on bus, then no more busses, so having to take YET another cab (with our bikes, obviously)
15. Instinct Attacks vs. Panic Attacks
16. Test drive in a parking lot
17. The only biking that was done was 8 miles in the dark when we picked up our bikes (without gear).
18. Francois ending up in our hostel room after thinking I was 3 or 4 different people...awkward.
20. AJ the Second working at Merritt Lake
21. THE FACT THAT I WROTE A BLOG ABOUT THIS BIKE TRIP IN THE FIRST PLACE FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.
22. All the preparation that actually did go into this trip
23. Delays
24. The south being cold/snowy
25. Having mainly biking clothing to wear for a week around town
Please keep your eyes out for my final entry, coming soon...
In the mean time, thank you for reading and humoring me!
Cheers,
Esther
Before we left (in order to really salvage this trip, and confirm that we really actually had a fantastic time) we decided to write down all the things that happened, things we saw and the like. We laughed until we cried several times in remembering the ridiculousness so I think we're on the right track to remembering this trip in a positive light.
Please keep in mind that these lists are in no particular order based upon importance, but more likely in quasi chronological order/how they stick out.)
The best part is probably the ironies, and I'm sorry if they are lost on you, but you can probably appreciate the list just for the sheer volume (last list).
Expectations of the Trip: (*expectations met, even if not in a way we anticipated):
1. Seeing nature* (see Nature List)
2. Physical labor* (lugging all of our gear and bikes versus riding on them)
3. Rock hard ass/legs
4. Camping
5. Hunger
6. Meeting lots of people*
7. Feeling accomplished
8. Bonding*
9. Having and adventure*
10. Getting lost
11. Falling*
12. Visiting new places*
13. Biking long distances, biking at all really (please note the importance of the lack of *)
14. ...Just for things to work
Now I would say that if you keep in mind that this trip "bombed" we actually were very successful and as a result I'd say we feel accomplished (number 7).
Thank you to the people we met who made the trip what it was:
1. "Oh I forgot" Girl - Amtrak woman at South Station on day 1, who not only showed us her new license since "it's weird", but after she printed our tickets said "Oh I forgot, there is no baggage car, it's broken, your bikes aren't going anywhere today".
2. Helping Hands Amanda - Amtrak girl who helped us box our bikes.
3. Kevin the 'God' - Amtrak baggage man that tried to convince the conductor to let us bring the bikes in the regular car versus having to send them down after us (failed, but valiant effort).
4. Wandalina - Or was it Wandalyn? Either way, she was the Amtrak manager who was nice to us, but also couldn't help us.
5. Old cute Portland couple - entertained us while waiting for our delayed train (after the Greek family dancing).
6. Excuse You Lady - Lady in DC train station, who when anyone with baggage had to maneuver around her (mind you she was directly in the way of foot traffic), she would say "SCUSE you!". She also told Liz to be safe on the train, and blessed us later.
7. Billy Ray - Our first cab driver, who gave us a brief history on Charleston.
8. Victoria (I called her Vanessa) - Manager at the Not So Hostel - Very friendly and helpful.
9. Our lovely Hostel fellow inhabiters from Charleston: a) I Love My Laptop Rachel, b/c) Tyler (who I forgot we met, to his face) & Mary-Anne, d) AJ the Second who works at Merritt Lake, e) Francois (not his real name, we don't know how to pronounce it), f) James "It's only another 30 yards" Pizza Man, g/h/i) There May or May Not Be Intelligent Live Astronomers (Allison & Co!), j) Left Hand Conspiracy Lucy, k) Boston Ben
10. Bird Man - Man you did owel calls for us in a store in Charleston
11. John the Morman - Gave us a brief education on our way to pick up our bikes via the shuttle bus in Charleston
12. Nails - our cabbie, she was very nice when dropping us off at the side of the high way, and also had nails that were 3 inches long each.
13. U-Turn - the old guy that U-Turned on the high way to make sure we were okay.
14. Mumble Grumble - Yet another cabbie
15. Do You Have Coke Dale - No Dale, we don't have coke, please just serve us our food and leave us alone. Oh a shot? Sure we'll take one.
16. Spontaneous Dancing Kent - one of a few NYE highlights
17. Say What!? Enthusiastic Bell Hop - Thank you Hampton Inn
18. I Lost My Cell Phone Marc - Charelston bus station
19. Kenya Kevin - Our marathon running cabbie in Charleston
20. Alaska Derek and "Stir the Pot" Karen at the Charleston Train Station - who helped us with our bikes
21. One Arm Arnie - Cabbie who despite having one arm, it being raining, and him getting lost, he got us to our Pensione in Savannah
22. Brian - our very quirky but kind Pensione (Hostel) Owner
23. Kaylinn - our Savannah Moon River Brewery bartender who grew up in the Boston area
24. Steve - I forget who this is.
25. Dave - motorcyclist that helped us with figuring out our maps were defunked (back in Charleston, sorry out of order like woah)
26. The family/kids who recognized us and kept us fairly entertained on the train ride home from our train ride down south.
AND to all the other people we came across, who checked in on us, our great family, etc!
Places and spaces that stick out:
South Station, train, Union Station, Charleston, battery & swings, Not So Hostel, Tabouli, market, Baked Bakery (x2), Fuel, Pizza Place that was a million miles away, Boston bar, Hampton Inn Charleston, the side of Savannah Highway, La Quinta's lobby, Joe's Pasta, Messenger St, King St, bus stop/visitor center, GA train station, Savannah International Pensione, Savannah History Cemetery, Savannah's many squares, E. Bay Street, River Street, Bull Street, Art exchibits, Espresso Cafe, Christ Church Gregorian Choir, library, Moon River Brewery, thai place, Leopold's Ice Cream, Goose Cafe
Wildlife/Nature/Beauty:
"Hey Liz, I was thinking once we get down there we should totally keep track of all the wildlife we see on this trip!"
Pigeons, birds/Bird Man, "slow" cat, dog, "I believe you" squirrels, red cardinal hellicopter, fountains, squares, trees/moss, walkways, alleyways, architecture, parks. Yep, that's it.
Ironies/Mini tragedies:
1. Initially we were sent the wrong maps, had to be re-sent
2. Blizzard of 2010 delaying our train 2 days
3. No luggage rack for bikes
4. No sleep on 22 hour train
5. No front rack for Liz's bike in stock in Charleston
6. Cheaper bike = more reliable?
7. Taking a cab to side of highway
8. Liz falling off the bike into the highway
9. "Sorry that is a bad address, I can't send a cab there to get you"
10. Misprinted maps
11. Charleston booked for NYE, hard to find somewhere to crash, and forgetting to cancel our previous reservation for NYE in another city entirely
12. So much heavy, useless (due to nature of trip changing) baggage/gear
13. Other people commenting on our biking ("Wow you must love biking", "You must bike a lot", "That is a lot to carry on a bike!" - wow, duh)
14. Not able to get on bus, then no more busses, so having to take YET another cab (with our bikes, obviously)
15. Instinct Attacks vs. Panic Attacks
16. Test drive in a parking lot
17. The only biking that was done was 8 miles in the dark when we picked up our bikes (without gear).
18. Francois ending up in our hostel room after thinking I was 3 or 4 different people...awkward.
20. AJ the Second working at Merritt Lake
21. THE FACT THAT I WROTE A BLOG ABOUT THIS BIKE TRIP IN THE FIRST PLACE FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.
22. All the preparation that actually did go into this trip
23. Delays
24. The south being cold/snowy
25. Having mainly biking clothing to wear for a week around town
Please keep your eyes out for my final entry, coming soon...
In the mean time, thank you for reading and humoring me!
Cheers,
Esther
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I think I'll go to Boston...
To DC, or not to DC? That was the question of the day, yesterday. We had these high hopes of adding another stop to our trip and then once we evaluated it based upon most hostels being booked, it being cold and us only having bike clothes we decided DC is for another trip all together. We will enjoy it more when it isn't tacked onto another trip, especially one that hasn't been smooth since the getgo.
We are on the train north now. I'm feeling tired and ready to sleep in my amazing bed, get back to day to day life and kick this year off.
While I'm still disappointed that this trip didn't pan out remotely as planned a lot of amazing and fun things have been experienced, and for that I don't regret a thing.
Last night we laughed until our stomachs hurt as we made lists of hilariousness from this trip, which further confirmed how the trip was great regardless. I think we both have gotten a lot out of it and it was not remotely a waste of time or energy. At this point though, the time and energy has been spent and it is time to be home again.
I'm looking forward to not having to lug bundles of things around, or box and unbox and rebox our bikes over and over for the trains.
Most of all I'm looking forward to seeing what 2011 has in store for me. 2010 had many high points but overall it was a challenging year. I'm hoping in 2011 things feel like they fall into place for me, but the lesson is that they may not fall into place according to my plans but they fall into a place none the less.
Glimpses of our lists to come later, before we sign over and out...
Cheers,
Esther
We are on the train north now. I'm feeling tired and ready to sleep in my amazing bed, get back to day to day life and kick this year off.
While I'm still disappointed that this trip didn't pan out remotely as planned a lot of amazing and fun things have been experienced, and for that I don't regret a thing.
Last night we laughed until our stomachs hurt as we made lists of hilariousness from this trip, which further confirmed how the trip was great regardless. I think we both have gotten a lot out of it and it was not remotely a waste of time or energy. At this point though, the time and energy has been spent and it is time to be home again.
I'm looking forward to not having to lug bundles of things around, or box and unbox and rebox our bikes over and over for the trains.
Most of all I'm looking forward to seeing what 2011 has in store for me. 2010 had many high points but overall it was a challenging year. I'm hoping in 2011 things feel like they fall into place for me, but the lesson is that they may not fall into place according to my plans but they fall into a place none the less.
Glimpses of our lists to come later, before we sign over and out...
Cheers,
Esther
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Shhhhavannah
So we got into Savannah last night in the rain, and we had a very kind one-armed cabby who gave us a brief history lesson and a reduced fare due to getting slightly lost.
We arrived at our hostel which is a lovely huge home and is very different than the hostel in Charleston. This hostel, like Savannah, feels empty. Liz and I are in a room with 3 bunk beds - one for her, one for me and one for our stuff...so it works. It is kind of disappointing that more people aren't staying here since we had met some great and interesting people in our last hostel. (hey Allison and Colorado crew!)
We explored Savannah today which started with an aimless walk to figure out the city, a yummy breakfast and flipping through the local paper with events and picking things that were interesting.
We went to the main art museum which was not huge but really nice (see picture of modern entry way below).
The rest of the day was spent drinking. Coffees in a quaint coffee shop with a delicious cheese board and some pints at a local brewery.
We actually found ourselves in a church to round out the evening. Yes, you heard me right, these two half-Jews went to church in Georgia. There was a Gregorian choir chanting thing going on which was really beautiful and we stayed for the sermon which was all about "journeys" and "different paths" which was very fitting...so it was actually really moving and nice.
Tomorrow we hope to explore the nature aide of Savannah with the sun high in the sky and weather in the 60s! We will see what that looks like in morning ;)
We are also thinking of heading to DC on our way back to Boston since we have never been! Hopefully that timing works out in the next day or two!
Keep y'all posted!
Cheers,
Esther
We arrived at our hostel which is a lovely huge home and is very different than the hostel in Charleston. This hostel, like Savannah, feels empty. Liz and I are in a room with 3 bunk beds - one for her, one for me and one for our stuff...so it works. It is kind of disappointing that more people aren't staying here since we had met some great and interesting people in our last hostel. (hey Allison and Colorado crew!)
We explored Savannah today which started with an aimless walk to figure out the city, a yummy breakfast and flipping through the local paper with events and picking things that were interesting.
We went to the main art museum which was not huge but really nice (see picture of modern entry way below).
The rest of the day was spent drinking. Coffees in a quaint coffee shop with a delicious cheese board and some pints at a local brewery.
We actually found ourselves in a church to round out the evening. Yes, you heard me right, these two half-Jews went to church in Georgia. There was a Gregorian choir chanting thing going on which was really beautiful and we stayed for the sermon which was all about "journeys" and "different paths" which was very fitting...so it was actually really moving and nice.
Tomorrow we hope to explore the nature aide of Savannah with the sun high in the sky and weather in the 60s! We will see what that looks like in morning ;)
We are also thinking of heading to DC on our way back to Boston since we have never been! Hopefully that timing works out in the next day or two!
Keep y'all posted!
Cheers,
Esther
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Charleston charge...
Of our days and our nights.
Charleston charge of our wrongs and our rights.
And I sing, and I want
Charleston charge of me!
Hey, I thought I was clever haha...onto more important matters.
First of all sorry for the delay and cryptic Facebook statuses we are still reeling from the goings on...but more about that in a bit.
Let me start with the positives as there are a lot about this trip and Charleston, here are some:
We really have been enjoying Charleston. The city is super manageable to walk around and explore, has a strong southern look and feel which is really enjoyable and the people are wonderful!
The southern hospitality is something I had heard of but not yet really experienced (other than being around some of my sweet-as-sweet-tea southern friends).
Liz and I have had greatly inspiring and fascinating encounters with interesting people each step of the way and also we have had intense and enlightening conversations just the two of us.
We have been laughing a lot.
The not as overtly positive (just a few of the issues):
A combination of inexperience, overzealousness and not knowing. We had a lot of weight in our bags since we had anticipated a long trip and the way it was packed ended up being problematic (based upon the type and set up of one of our bikes, leaving it very unsteady and unsafe). Think unicycle with bags strapped to it essentially...
We also thought that since we are super amazing people that 10 days in a row, which I think we can do, was a very tall order for ourselves given so many unknowns such as in a new location with roads we thought would be more scenic but ended up being more like, well, highways.
Without going into too much detail to avoid your boredom and tons of my own embarrassment about the trip not planning out, I'll just share the top line info. Once we got out of Charleston city limits, which was a scary and arduous process (walking bikes over a huge highway overpass as just one example) we thought we might be in the clear.
The road we were to start out on was a 4 lane highway with basically NO shoulder whig means we were driving essentially in a lane on the highway with cars and semis changing lanes to go around us. Once we picked up some speed the baggage weight became a problem that was more noticeable than at slower speeds leading up to this point. With a bike that was unmanageable (looked like it was flapping in the wind, which we now can laugh about, was suddenly clearly weighted wrong for propper steering) which was followed by a scary spill on the highway.
This was very scary but ended up okay as we got off the road quickly. Liz was so brave and legitimately was spiderman-like in how she scrambled off the road almost mid fall. Thankfully she didn't break anything, but has some pretty nasty bruises and scratches that make her look like a total bad ass.
I was behind her with enough distance to make some room so that cars had to go around me in order to make sure she was kind of protected and luckily no cars were in our lane at the time. I was pretty freaked to see her fall but in awe at how the human reflexes work...and beyond thankful it wasn't worse and I was there and could help her). At this point we realized it was just not safe to continue without some major adjustments.
Since we were already 4-5 days behind due to snow and bike arrival delays it made it very challenging and likely impossible to fix up the bike and gear, get on the road and get to our destination in time.
We spent a lot of time brainstorming and attempting to problem solve to make it possible to do some riding but it came down to a time constraint and to be honest an overall deflation of our motivation/drive/confidence/energy/etc.
If this could have been fixed and salvaged we would have but there ia a point that you have to cut your losses, accept that things haven't worked to plan and let it go.
We can also appreciate that with each false start the outcome ended up being a better alternative than had it worked in the first place...and maybe long term this will be the case. When we both muster up the energy and courage to try this again we will be much more experienced and prepared and maybe it will be like the delayed train, broken luggage carrier and other set back that we both agree worked in our favor.
I can't deny that my feelings are all over the board. I'm disappointed that we didn't accomplish all that we had set out to do and that we didn't master this trip and biking as planned. I'm thankful that neither of us was physically disfigured or major injured despite the small accident that occurred. I'm relieved that we quickly learned that this trip wasn't going to be feasible early enough that we could make an educated decision to postpone the adventure. I'm embarrassed that I was so confident in our adventure that it just not working never actually occures to me and that I wrote a blog about it for the world to see. I'm proud that I/we even had the guts and drive to attempt a trip like this in the first place. I'm happy this happened with Liz as I think this experience has brought us closer and more aware of our mutual respect and cousinly love.
So I feel lucky in a lot of ways since I even had the opportunity and, in a way, privilege to even try this.
It's a funny thing to think of that every step of the way that we were just not able to start. Maybe in a cosmic way this trip wasn't meant to happen this way and it is bringing us down another path that is better or we are avoiding some disaster by laying this attempt to rest.
OR it is just simply an attempt that didn't work with some funny, but frustrating, happenstance.
Either way, bikes are boxed up, we are on a train to hang out in Savannah for a couple days and then ship us (and the bikes) back to Boston.
Keep you posted on how Savannah is, I'm sure its lovely...much like Charleston (here are some pictures from around town more to come once I'm home).
Cheers and only cheers, ;)
Esther
ps. please pardon typos as I wrote this on my Droid with auto correct and no proofreading...that goes for my posts via the computer too haha :)
Charleston charge of our wrongs and our rights.
And I sing, and I want
Charleston charge of me!
Hey, I thought I was clever haha...onto more important matters.
First of all sorry for the delay and cryptic Facebook statuses we are still reeling from the goings on...but more about that in a bit.
Let me start with the positives as there are a lot about this trip and Charleston, here are some:
We really have been enjoying Charleston. The city is super manageable to walk around and explore, has a strong southern look and feel which is really enjoyable and the people are wonderful!
The southern hospitality is something I had heard of but not yet really experienced (other than being around some of my sweet-as-sweet-tea southern friends).
Liz and I have had greatly inspiring and fascinating encounters with interesting people each step of the way and also we have had intense and enlightening conversations just the two of us.
We have been laughing a lot.
The not as overtly positive (just a few of the issues):
A combination of inexperience, overzealousness and not knowing. We had a lot of weight in our bags since we had anticipated a long trip and the way it was packed ended up being problematic (based upon the type and set up of one of our bikes, leaving it very unsteady and unsafe). Think unicycle with bags strapped to it essentially...
We also thought that since we are super amazing people that 10 days in a row, which I think we can do, was a very tall order for ourselves given so many unknowns such as in a new location with roads we thought would be more scenic but ended up being more like, well, highways.
Without going into too much detail to avoid your boredom and tons of my own embarrassment about the trip not planning out, I'll just share the top line info. Once we got out of Charleston city limits, which was a scary and arduous process (walking bikes over a huge highway overpass as just one example) we thought we might be in the clear.
The road we were to start out on was a 4 lane highway with basically NO shoulder whig means we were driving essentially in a lane on the highway with cars and semis changing lanes to go around us. Once we picked up some speed the baggage weight became a problem that was more noticeable than at slower speeds leading up to this point. With a bike that was unmanageable (looked like it was flapping in the wind, which we now can laugh about, was suddenly clearly weighted wrong for propper steering) which was followed by a scary spill on the highway.
This was very scary but ended up okay as we got off the road quickly. Liz was so brave and legitimately was spiderman-like in how she scrambled off the road almost mid fall. Thankfully she didn't break anything, but has some pretty nasty bruises and scratches that make her look like a total bad ass.
I was behind her with enough distance to make some room so that cars had to go around me in order to make sure she was kind of protected and luckily no cars were in our lane at the time. I was pretty freaked to see her fall but in awe at how the human reflexes work...and beyond thankful it wasn't worse and I was there and could help her). At this point we realized it was just not safe to continue without some major adjustments.
Since we were already 4-5 days behind due to snow and bike arrival delays it made it very challenging and likely impossible to fix up the bike and gear, get on the road and get to our destination in time.
We spent a lot of time brainstorming and attempting to problem solve to make it possible to do some riding but it came down to a time constraint and to be honest an overall deflation of our motivation/drive/confidence/energy/etc.
If this could have been fixed and salvaged we would have but there ia a point that you have to cut your losses, accept that things haven't worked to plan and let it go.
We can also appreciate that with each false start the outcome ended up being a better alternative than had it worked in the first place...and maybe long term this will be the case. When we both muster up the energy and courage to try this again we will be much more experienced and prepared and maybe it will be like the delayed train, broken luggage carrier and other set back that we both agree worked in our favor.
I can't deny that my feelings are all over the board. I'm disappointed that we didn't accomplish all that we had set out to do and that we didn't master this trip and biking as planned. I'm thankful that neither of us was physically disfigured or major injured despite the small accident that occurred. I'm relieved that we quickly learned that this trip wasn't going to be feasible early enough that we could make an educated decision to postpone the adventure. I'm embarrassed that I was so confident in our adventure that it just not working never actually occures to me and that I wrote a blog about it for the world to see. I'm proud that I/we even had the guts and drive to attempt a trip like this in the first place. I'm happy this happened with Liz as I think this experience has brought us closer and more aware of our mutual respect and cousinly love.
So I feel lucky in a lot of ways since I even had the opportunity and, in a way, privilege to even try this.
It's a funny thing to think of that every step of the way that we were just not able to start. Maybe in a cosmic way this trip wasn't meant to happen this way and it is bringing us down another path that is better or we are avoiding some disaster by laying this attempt to rest.
OR it is just simply an attempt that didn't work with some funny, but frustrating, happenstance.
Either way, bikes are boxed up, we are on a train to hang out in Savannah for a couple days and then ship us (and the bikes) back to Boston.
Keep you posted on how Savannah is, I'm sure its lovely...much like Charleston (here are some pictures from around town more to come once I'm home).
Cheers and only cheers, ;)
Esther
ps. please pardon typos as I wrote this on my Droid with auto correct and no proofreading...that goes for my posts via the computer too haha :)
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
What's in a name?
In theory a bike trip would include a trip...on a bike.
Amtrak must not have completely gotten this concept, but with some southern charm and some strong will I think we got the point across.
In theory.
So the first 14 hours have been eventful. Please be warned I'm on about 4 hours of quasi, upright train sleep as I recount this...
We show up about 2.5 hours before our train so we can break down our bikes (ended up being pedals off and handlebars lowered and swung to the side). We get to the ticket booth to check in and ask about the bike boxes.
The woman at the ticket counter took a phone call on her cell phone, pulled out her wallet to show us her new lisence picture (Liz commented on how my picture was more zoomed in) and then preceded to tell us that there was no luggage cart going with our train and we would not be able to check our bikes.
So we went to baggage to see what the deal was. The crate or whatever for our train was broken from the previous trip or something and no one was able to check baggage. Amanda at baggage was very helpful and apologetic which helped but I was fuming. What kind of bike trip would it be without bikes?
We talked to a manger (Wandelina) and she said no there was nothing they could do, they could not accommodate us for any part of this and that our only real option was to get on he train and trust that they could check it he following day and send it down...
This would mean that we have to spend an extra night in Charleston and not be biking until Friday...keep in mind due to mother nature we are already two days behind.
Our angel Kevin, luggage attendant extraordinair, who said he would talk to the conductor to see if our bikes could just go in one of the regular cars was very sweet. We hope he is married to someone who appreciates him. Anyway. Try as he might due to all the weather stuff there were too many passengers and no room..otherwise the conductor (who we chatted with later, "we're the bike girls!) would have been cool with it.
We weighed our options and decided that our best bet was to get on the train, bum around Charleston for a day and pray our bikes get there tomorrow.
So that's what we are doing. After watching our mothers dance to stay warm in the train station after this escapade we told them to hit the road and about 5 minutes later Kevin yelled "get your bags let's go!) and let us board early with the families with small children...then we were off! Not to mention the train was late, the seats not terribly comfortable and being near delirious. We will get to Charleston tonight and hopefully get our bikes tomorrow night, if they make the next train...we think Amanda and Kevin will make it happen.We just started our train ride to Charleston from DC and it is very pretty...
We might change up our plan and route a bit to better accommodate time and whatnot but we are excited to get this show on the road.
Afterall, a bike trip without a bike, is still a trip! (although cross your fingers our bikes will be on the way)
More to come soon!
Cheers and Spokes, Esther
Amtrak must not have completely gotten this concept, but with some southern charm and some strong will I think we got the point across.
In theory.
So the first 14 hours have been eventful. Please be warned I'm on about 4 hours of quasi, upright train sleep as I recount this...
We show up about 2.5 hours before our train so we can break down our bikes (ended up being pedals off and handlebars lowered and swung to the side). We get to the ticket booth to check in and ask about the bike boxes.
The woman at the ticket counter took a phone call on her cell phone, pulled out her wallet to show us her new lisence picture (Liz commented on how my picture was more zoomed in) and then preceded to tell us that there was no luggage cart going with our train and we would not be able to check our bikes.
So we went to baggage to see what the deal was. The crate or whatever for our train was broken from the previous trip or something and no one was able to check baggage. Amanda at baggage was very helpful and apologetic which helped but I was fuming. What kind of bike trip would it be without bikes?
We talked to a manger (Wandelina) and she said no there was nothing they could do, they could not accommodate us for any part of this and that our only real option was to get on he train and trust that they could check it he following day and send it down...
This would mean that we have to spend an extra night in Charleston and not be biking until Friday...keep in mind due to mother nature we are already two days behind.
Our angel Kevin, luggage attendant extraordinair, who said he would talk to the conductor to see if our bikes could just go in one of the regular cars was very sweet. We hope he is married to someone who appreciates him. Anyway. Try as he might due to all the weather stuff there were too many passengers and no room..otherwise the conductor (who we chatted with later, "we're the bike girls!) would have been cool with it.
We weighed our options and decided that our best bet was to get on the train, bum around Charleston for a day and pray our bikes get there tomorrow.
So that's what we are doing. After watching our mothers dance to stay warm in the train station after this escapade we told them to hit the road and about 5 minutes later Kevin yelled "get your bags let's go!) and let us board early with the families with small children...then we were off! Not to mention the train was late, the seats not terribly comfortable and being near delirious. We will get to Charleston tonight and hopefully get our bikes tomorrow night, if they make the next train...we think Amanda and Kevin will make it happen.We just started our train ride to Charleston from DC and it is very pretty...
We might change up our plan and route a bit to better accommodate time and whatnot but we are excited to get this show on the road.
Afterall, a bike trip without a bike, is still a trip! (although cross your fingers our bikes will be on the way)
More to come soon!
Cheers and Spokes, Esther
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
I'm leaving, on that midnight train to Georgia...
Well, it's really a 9pm train to South Cackalacky. We'll get to Georgia at some point. À bientôt, Boston!
I'm starting to feel very, very excited. Before I was excited but now with the delay, I'm just feeling as though I just want to get there and see what this trip will be like!
I'm pretty excited to be going by train. It will take us about 22 hours with our layover (do they call them that for trains? sitovers?) in D.C. What's funny is neither Liz nor I have been to D.C. before but looks like we'll have about 3 hours in their train station, not sure we want to lug our gear anywhere to rush back.
Anyway, I'm excited to see the countryside from the train. It will feel like we're already on the road trip in a way. I never thought about how much flying is really disconnected from the land you're traveling through, I mean it's obvious, but in terms of the experience it is much different. Think of how amazing it is when you can actually see something like the Grand Canyon or the Rockies from the plane. I don't know about you but I've been mesmerized and guilty of taking pictures through the windows.
Okay so I know we're not going through the Grand Canyon or the Rockies on this trip, but, you get the idea. Trains = better connection to the places you travel through. Let's hope we meet some fun people, or I'll probably finish my book before we even get there! (I'm reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being - I recommend it).
The one thing I'm not thrilled about is we have to take apart our bikes to put into "bike boxes". The thing is we're not sure if we have to take the wheels off, or the pedals off. The website says one thing and the lady on the phone says another. We'll figure it out, but it's annoying either way. Ah well, what can we do?
I hate taking off the back wheel, and for some reason my front wheel is trickier than my old bike, so hopefully that isn't an issue. Taking off the pedals doesn't look too too hard if you have a pedal wrench and a stand...but we'll manage with the 15mm wrench I think, and putting the bikes upside down if we have to do pedals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMG4I_IyzzY
Anyhow, we'll make it work. Now let's hope that the 2 carry on rule ignores the fact that we each have a bundle and 2 panniers...shhh.
Okay off to finish getting prepped physically, emotionally and mentally!
Please keep us company on this trip by riding along with us, it will be great to hear from you all to encourage us to keep pushing even when the hills are killing our thighs and our butts are too sore to sit (never mind go dancing like we hope to!)! haha.
Cheers and spokes,
Esther
Ps. I'm thinking of chopping my hair when I get back (similar to what I've done before). "New me" for 2011? I have a feeling it will be a fantastic year, so just wanting to look the part. ;)
 |
| view from my kitchen on this snowy Tuesday. |
I'm pretty excited to be going by train. It will take us about 22 hours with our layover (do they call them that for trains? sitovers?) in D.C. What's funny is neither Liz nor I have been to D.C. before but looks like we'll have about 3 hours in their train station, not sure we want to lug our gear anywhere to rush back.
Anyway, I'm excited to see the countryside from the train. It will feel like we're already on the road trip in a way. I never thought about how much flying is really disconnected from the land you're traveling through, I mean it's obvious, but in terms of the experience it is much different. Think of how amazing it is when you can actually see something like the Grand Canyon or the Rockies from the plane. I don't know about you but I've been mesmerized and guilty of taking pictures through the windows.
Okay so I know we're not going through the Grand Canyon or the Rockies on this trip, but, you get the idea. Trains = better connection to the places you travel through. Let's hope we meet some fun people, or I'll probably finish my book before we even get there! (I'm reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being - I recommend it).
The one thing I'm not thrilled about is we have to take apart our bikes to put into "bike boxes". The thing is we're not sure if we have to take the wheels off, or the pedals off. The website says one thing and the lady on the phone says another. We'll figure it out, but it's annoying either way. Ah well, what can we do?
I hate taking off the back wheel, and for some reason my front wheel is trickier than my old bike, so hopefully that isn't an issue. Taking off the pedals doesn't look too too hard if you have a pedal wrench and a stand...but we'll manage with the 15mm wrench I think, and putting the bikes upside down if we have to do pedals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMG4I_IyzzY
Anyhow, we'll make it work. Now let's hope that the 2 carry on rule ignores the fact that we each have a bundle and 2 panniers...shhh.
Okay off to finish getting prepped physically, emotionally and mentally!
Please keep us company on this trip by riding along with us, it will be great to hear from you all to encourage us to keep pushing even when the hills are killing our thighs and our butts are too sore to sit (never mind go dancing like we hope to!)! haha.
Cheers and spokes,
Esther
Ps. I'm thinking of chopping my hair when I get back (similar to what I've done before). "New me" for 2011? I have a feeling it will be a fantastic year, so just wanting to look the part. ;)
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