First week on the road

So we've been biking just over a week now. Our first week was more resting than biking, to tell the truth. On Friday Nov 10th, we biked 30 miles south to our friend Claire's farm in West Grove, PA ( www.inverbrook.com if you wanna see pictures!). Her amazing hospitality kept us there for two days. I don't even have words to describe the abundance of good will and good cooking that we encountered - it seemed like every time we turned around, someone was organizing a family gathering centered around more food! On Friday night we had turkey gumbo, and then on Saturday night we had a preview of Thanksgiving. And the table was always full of muffins, scones, sausage, cheese, and endless cups of excellent tea. The other factor keeping us at Inverbrook Farm was Claire's father, Bob. An amateur pilot, Bob delights in keeping well abreast of weather patterns. A few times a day, he would print out a radar map, and show us the low and high pressure systems that he assured us would soak us to the skin the second we left the farm.

We finally managed to get on the road on Monday Nov 13th. It was pouring rain. We stopped for breakfast with our friend Trey, just a few miles down the road. Trey has been farm manager at Maysie's Farm in Chester County for the past growing season, and is now trying his hand at beekeeping. He is caretaker of Walt's Swarmbustin' Honey, while Walt takes a break from beekeeping for the next 15-30 months. The honey operation is 165 hives, and the house is full of treasures. In the livingroom, Trey took a blanket off what looks like a massive ant farm... but is really a hive! The bees have a tunnel through the livingroom wall and go out every day to collect pollen. Then they build the honeycomb inside the plastic panels of the indoor hive. It was awesome to see the bees at work. Trey fed us trout from the pond and homebaked biscuits, and sent us off on the road with a pound of bee pollen for energy.

The rain continued to pour as we slogged across the Mason-Dixon line and into Maryland. It did not let up all day, actually, until we finally reached Ady, MD and Emory Knoll Farm ( www.greenroofplants.com). Emory Knoll grows 10 greenhouses full of a succulent groundcover called sedum... exclusively designed for use on green roofs! So we learned about why it is good to have a green roof: 1) to reduce stormwater run-off by making an absorbent ground-like layer on the roof, 2) to improve air quality with more urban plants, 3) to reduce heat index in cities because of plant transpiration, and 4) because green roofs are cool.

So all that green roofery was interesting. But something totally amazing happened while we stayed at Emory Knoll. When we first pulled in, we were greeted by all the greenhouse workers, including the buoyant Akio. He was thrilled to meet us, because he has done bicycle tours as well, and coincidentally has the same bike as mine... a Surly Cross-Check (yeah baby! it is an awesome bike. www.surlyville.com). Meanwhile, Tom's bike was having a rough time of it. Built as a road bike, his Jamis could not handle saddlebags. So Tom was pulling all of his gear in a rear trailer. But with a combination of 60 pounds in the trailer, heavy rains, and road bike brakes, Tom's ride to Ady, MD was nothing short of terrifying. Akio asked if we wanted to see his Surly bike, and commented that he barely rides it. Tom jokingly asked if he would like to sell it. Akio considered for a moment, and said, "No. I won't sell it to you. But you can have it."

We spent the next day visiting bike shops and the local REI, outfitting the Surly with saddlebags and switching out Tom's saddle and pedals. In the evening, I cooked lasagna with Akio's girlfriend, Cathleen, while the boys hung out on the porch and replaced chains, checked brakes, and did all the things that two boys who used to work in bike shops like to do together. It was a really fun night. As Tom and I walked back through the grassy landscape to our campsite for the night, we kept reminding each other that this was real, this was really happening. The complete and sudden generosity of our new friends made us feel surreal.

On Wednesday Nov 15th we reached Reisterstown, MD and camped at the local Church of the Brethren. And on Thursday Nov 16th we biked through the worst rain yet of our trip. There was a flood watch in effect for the area where we were biking. We put on headlights and backlights and hoped for some semblance of visibility. I ditched my glasses since they kept fogging up, and experimented with different ways of keeping cold hard raindrops from hitting my eyes. Squinting was one option, and blinking rapidly was the other. So far I have to say that blinking rapidly is far superior. The world goes by in strobe fashion, and it is pretty effective at keeping out the rain. But I will let you know if something even better comes my way.

We were heading for Chevy Chase, MD and the warm refuge of my uncle and aunt's house on Dorset Avenue. The last leg of our journey was on the Rock Creek Trail. Right next to Rock Creek, the trail had completely flooded and several sections were under 1-2 feet of water. But several sections were still unflooded, so we proceeded with caution and kept biking. When biking through deep water, make sure to stay on the paved trail. Or else your bike wheel will get caught in the mud and leaves on the side of the trail, and you will crash. Tom kept reminding me of this factoid as we splashed our way through the windy trail. He can be very supportive that way. It was an exhilarating ride.

We got completely soaked. But somehow everything in our bags stayed dry! This could be a good advertisement for Scotch Gard and Ziploc Bags. About three miles before Chevy Chase, we were met on the trail by a park policeman, who told us that the trail was closed, as the water was above waist-level. He gave us street directions, and we completed the last few miles in the full traffic of Wisconsin Avenue. What a relief to finally reach the destination driveway! We actually sat there in the driveway, stunned, for about five minutes, until my aunt Brenda came out to say hello.

We spent another long weekend with my family in Chevy Chase, enjoying Friday night dinner, Saturday morning services, my cousin Jonathan's birthday on Sunday, and all the associated antics. I always visit these folks as part of a big family gathering, so it was great fun to hang out and be part of the household. 11-year-old Leni played electric guitar for us, and helped us figure out our personalities based on star signs, favorite colors, and other foolproof tests. 16-year-old Jonno demonstrated his driving skills, as well as his carefully-calculated tactics to annoy out-of-state drivers. Dan and Brenda were awesome hosts, making us feel completely comfortable even as they whirled around with their breakneck schedules. Thanks, family.

And then on Monday Nov 20th we hit the road again. Last night we camped at a Baptist Church, and tonight we hope to stay with the Methodists. We're about 20 miles north of Fredericksburg, Virginia. There's a synagogue not too far off-route, as well. Hopefully we can manage to stay balanced with all the faiths and denominations.

Well, that was a long post! And I didn't even tell you the half of it. But suffice to say, we are making our way slowly but surely. One day at a time.

All best,
Shira

Here's our route so far. We'll be staying around Independent Hill, VA tonight.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=553222

I'm taking the lint from my pocket,
Placing it upon your floor.
I ain't got no more money to play this game
And I'm headed south this fall.

Ahhhhh. What a week. What a week? What am I doing? Biking in the winter? West? On a racing road bike? Sounds Polish. Yeah, well that's the plan, headed south for the fall and should make it to Florida by winter, after which we'll be headed west to California.

The farm season ended a few weeks ago, and for those of you who don't know, I've decided to bike with my friend Shira to California this fall, winter and spring. We've been on the road for a week and haven't made it too far. We have sorted out a lot of gear that we don't need and have purchased a lot of gear we should have gotten months ago. It was a practice week.

I now sit in Chevy Chase, MD, next to Washington, DC. Along the way we have stayed with our good friend Claire and family in ChesCo, Ed in Street, MD and the Hirsches in Chevy Chase. At each stop we've been pampered. That all ends tomorrow as we cross the frontier into Virginia because we no longer have any contacts until Florida.