Cedar Point - Road Trip Day 4

Woke up around noon and did some running around. We got some food for lunch and tickets for Cedar Point Amusement Park. We spent most of the afternoon in Soak City, which is their water park. It was a bit smaller than I was expecting. I have to say it was a lot of fun though. I don't think I have been to a water park in over a decade.

There were a couple of things that I did find annoying. I had forgotten how much water flies into your face while going down the slides. This means inevitably you will have to close your eyes to keep out the streams of water. At this point you will be flying blind, so you have no idea what is coming next. You can't open your eyes because of the water that may be flying at your face that you can no longer see. When you hit the pool at the bottom your are totally unprepared and you start snorkeling water through your nose. I am not sure if I missed that stuff as a kid, but it seems like a critical oversight now.

From there we cleaned up and headed back to the coaster park. We started with the Magnum LX-200. This may not have been the best way to start the day. My body was not prepared for the huge drops on this one. The guys waned to go on Top Thrill Dragster, but I was so not ready for that. Like I said, I don't mind heights, I just don't like falling from them. It goes up 420 feet, then right back down 420 feet. That is it. A 420 foot verticle drop was not what I needed. Instead we rode the Mantis, followed by the Corkscrew. We grabbed a couple of shakes, and then went on to the Raptor. I think we all agreed that was probably the best one of the day. Then we went to the Wicked Twister and got out just at closing time. Of course the park didn't actually close at that point. So we snuck back over to the Top Thrill Dragster. I don't know why I thought going 120 miles an hour in the dark would be a good idea. Then again there were little kids in line who couln't have been much older than 10 or 11. Hell if they can do it... Plus the ride really was over fast. It consisted of the thoughts "intense acceleration", "verticle climb", "hey nice view...", "big drop", oh its over. So it actually was not as bad as I thought it would be.

All in all, not a bad day. We wake up early tomorrow to start it over again. Park opens at 10:00 AM.

-Dravis

Syracuse to Sandusky - Road Trip Day 3

Days are a strange way to keep track of a road trip. Or maybe yesterday was just a weird day. It started at noon, and ended at 8:00 AM the next day. We woke up in Syracuse. Big thanks to Dan and Jen for letting us stay with them. From there we headed up to Niagra Falls. I had been there about six years ago, but I had forgotten how huge they were. The falls are quite impressive. You can hear the amazing force they have. No wonder they were harnessed for generating electrical power.

We were about to leave town when our back seat Kenny Rogers saw a casino. He wanted to check out their poker room and before long he was in for a $2-5 game. This left my other companion and I with nothing left to do.

So we went to Canada! This was a real blast. We met a guy while going through the border who was telling us about all the great places to go. He recommended a place called Copa Cabana and even showed us the way. Now from the name, you might guess that this is a Brazillian restaraunt. (I didn't, but you may be faster on the draw.) I have come to learn that Brazillians love grilled meat. So this is a meat place for people who like meat. No menus, so it was somewhat like a buffet. There was a salad bar as well, also like a buffet. But mostly guys would come around with skewers and ask you if you wanted a hunk of meat. "Bacon wrapped filet minon?" Yes, please. "Prime rib?" Yes, please. They also came faster than you could actually finish anything. You find yourself looking down at a plate of 6 different half eaten cuts of meat. I had to say "no" to tasty meat more than I have in the past year. They also had some amazing grilled pineapple. The juices on the outside carmelize, and they added just a hint of cinamon. Perfect!

After that, we headed down to the overlook of the falls on the Candian side. They had spotlights set up to shine on the falls. The colors of the spotlights would slowly change. It was very pretty but doesn't come out well on camera.

We also met a very cool police trainee up there named Adam. We stood around chatting with him for a bit. He told us the best places to go in Niagra Falls. We explained how it didn't rain all the time in Seattle. On his recomendation we headed off for a place called Boston Pizza.

I should mention the town of Niagra Falls, on the Canadian side, is like a mini Las Vegas. They had only a couple of casinos, but their downtown does have tons of bars, clubs, haunted houses, wax museums and other weird attractions. It was pretty lively. If it hadn't been a Wednesday night, I think the place would have really been cooking.

The Boston Pizza place was a bit like a grown up Chuck-E-Cheeze. They had little token games that spit out tickets. You could redeam your tickets for silly prizes. All of this in what is essentially a bar (19 and over in Ontario). They also had bowling and we played a game. I scored a 33. Yee-haw. I can't believe that I still like bowling even though I am so amazingly terrible at it. After that we played some pool, which is a game I have some skill at. I even won 2 out of the 3 games. By that point it was 1:30, so we decided to get back to the U.S.

That turned out to be a little harder than we expected. Apparently two unemployed people can't spend 5 hours in Canada without looking suspicious. They asked us to pull the car into their garadge. We had to wait for about half an hour for them to search it. When they let us get back to the car, everything was still there and in pretty good order. The one interesting thing was all the windows were rolled down. I guess that was to check that we weren't hiding anything in the doors.

After the little delay at the border, we headed back to pick up our gambling friend. He was up about $400 when we got there. We watched for a little while, but it was getting late. So by 3:00 AM we were all back in the car.

I crashed in the back seat and tried to get as much sleap as I could. My companions woke me up at after 5:00 AM. I had slept through the rest of New York state and the small portion of eastern Pennsyvania. The sun wasn't up, and the fog was thick. Not the best conditions for driving. But I opened a can of Super-Happy-Magic-Wake-Up-Go-Go-Juice, and that helped a lot. The sun came up before too long and chased the fog away. The other two were fast asleep by this point. So I had a pleasant drive through Ohio.

There was a bit of an issue in Cleaveland when the mostly sleeping navigator told me to take a local highway instead of the interstate. I shouldn't have listened to him. He later asked for a motel "without vampires", so not in a great state of mind for giving directions. The highway soon ended and I was dumped onto surface streets. This was actually a pleasant drive. For being in the rust belt north Cleveland was very nice. After that the rest of Ohio was a nice steady drive.

We rolled into Sandusky just after 8:00 AM, and went looking for a good motel. This is where the no vampries stipulation was added. We did find a place and decided to sack out for a while before heading to the park.

-Dravis

Manhattan to Syracuse - Road Trip Day 2

So the second day of the road trip has gone well. Spent the morning walking around midtown.

First let me talk about the subway. I really like the subway. It seems to go pretty close to anywhere I want to go. I have missed the East coast mass transit systems. The only bad thing is the stations are hot and humid. It is like walking into a smelly sauna. Fortunately the trains themselves are air conditioned. So it feels pretty good to zip around the city on them.

This morning on the train we missed our stop and ended up in Times Square. It is an interesting place, but seems so commercial. Not really much to do if you don't wan to buy anything. From there we headed over to MoMA, which happens to be closed on Tuesdays. So we grabbed some lunch and went to the Met. I love walking around there. I could spend hours looking at everything. I especially love the classic Greek and Roman sections. The bronze armor is fantastic. Plus the sculpture is amazing. If you get a chance to, spend some time here.

From there we headed back to Columbia University. We had been staying with Dave and his two roomates Patrick and Dobby there. Thanks guys.

From there it was off to Syracuse.

-Dravis.

New York, New York - Road Trip Day 1

So our road trip began yesterday in NYC. I flew out early Monday morning. Then again, I haven't been inside a car since I got here. So I am not sure how much of a road trip that makes it. Mostly we have been hanging out, meeting people, playing Settlers and exploring the city.

I also spent most of my last day finishing off that big tree. Let me tell you, being 50 feet in a tree with a live chainsaw is exciting to say the least. But I got the tree down with no major injuries (cuts and scrapes) and only minor damage (shattered a couple of paving stones). The last 20 feet of the tree fell exactly where I wanted it to. I felt really good about that. I also felt really good that the project was over. Taking down a 75 foot tree in a forest is easy. In a back yard, not so much. That was one of the toughest things I have done in a while.

I have my video camera here, but haven't really used it yet. But I promise more pictures and videos for tomorrow.

-Dravis

Training Day 3

So I didn't go out on Tuesday for a ride. I actually spent the afternoon fighting a tree in the back yard of my folk's house. So today I got out and finished the ride all the way out to Rattlesnake Lake. Even better I finally remembered to bring the camera and got some pictures. I think the next rides I do will be a little something different. Since I know I can get from here to Rattlesnake lake, I will find somewhere else to explore.

I wanted to go back to the end of the Preston-Snoqualmie trail as well. Partially this was to take a picture of the overlook of the falls from there. It isn't much, but I figured I should show what it looks like. I also wanted to find the end of the line so to speak.

I had seen the No Trespassing signs on my last time out there. I thought the gates were funny, in that they didn't actually prevent anyone from passing. The chain link fence only went down to the edges of the old rail bed. But I figured the trail stopped here because of some gap in the rail line. Either a section of the old grade had washed out, or, more likely, a trestle that crossed over a little valley had fallen apart.

So when I got there today, I decided not to let a sign stop me, and rode on. There was even a trail around the edge of the fence. It wasn't much of a trail mind you. Just a place where other scofflaws had beaten down the plants along what I thought was the old rail line. Frankly it was a bit hard to imagine that a railroad had gone through there in some places. Some of the trees along the path were really quite big. I also received a nasty surprise when the trail wandered through a patch of nettles. Frankly if they want people to stay out, just plant a bunch of those things around the gates. I almost turned around after that, but I had come to explore. I wanted to find the gap.

So ignoring the nettle stings, I did find my trestle. It wasn't in as bad a shape as I had thought. There were even some runners along the top that you could probably walk across on. Not that I would do it. I didn't think that my weight would bring it down, but it doesn't seem prudent to stroll across a bridge that is most likely condemned. Still the photos are pretty cool. When I uploaded them to Picasa I added a location for each one. When doing the locations for these two I was able to see the trestle on google maps satellite view. If you want to look at the pictures of my whole ride, they are here.

The ride: Issaquah, Preston, Snoqualmie, North Bend, Rattlesnake Lake.
Distance: 65 miles
Time: 5 hours 30 minutes (Not counting the time it took to stop for a burger and shake.)
Description: Again, this was pretty much the same ride I have been doing. But I rode to the end of the Snoqualmie Valley trail. Most of the trail from North Bend to Rattlesnake lake is a false flat. It doesn't look like anything, but it feels like riding through jello. It can also be really draining if you try and keep up at your normal speed. I know how steep the road up to the lake is from I-90, so this actually didn't feel bad at all. I must have gained a couple of hundred feet of elevation but it really didn't feel like it.

On the way down I was doing about twice the speed though. That is why I always try to ride uphill on the way out. This way I can ride downhill on my way back. I get to push myself harder that way, knowing that things will be a little easier on the way back.

When I got to the Reining bridge there were a bunch of teenagers drinking (Busch) and jumping off into the Snoqualmie river. According to them the best place to jump is about a third of the way along from the stairs. It did look somewhat tempting. Then again, I don't like jumping from heights. Heights I am fine with. (I was 60 feet in a tree yesterday.) I just don't enjoy jumping from them. But that cool water would have felt really nice. It was just as well. This ride took me all afternoon anyway.

I am still glad to know that I can surprise myself. With just a bit of work I was able to cover 65 miles. I know that isn't huge for professionals, but it feels pretty good to me.

-Dravis

Training Day 2

So I went on another training ride today. I went a bit farther this time. Still no weight on the bike. I also forgot my damn camera again. There is a bunch of cool stuff, but I couldn't get pictures, so you will just have to take my word for it.

I was also trying to change my normal pedaling method. I am usually more of a "stomper". That is, standing up and mashing down on the pedals. Normally this is done at a low cadence. But if I want to ride long distances I need to get used to switching up it up with some "spinning". That is, sitting and pushing the pedals at a higher cadence. It seems to work different muscles, or maybe work the same ones differently. Either way I can switch back and forth without killing my legs completely.

The ride: Issaquah, Preston, Snoqualmie.
Distance: 45.2 miles
Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
Description: This ride started the same as the last training ride I did. But this time I used the Preston-Snoqualmie trail to actually get to Snoqualmie. More accurately I used the Whitaker trail to get there. This is a single track that connects to the Snoqualmie Ridge development. They weren't kidding about that name. I mean it goes straigt up the back side of the ridge. After burning along for 16 miles this was awful. Even with my nubby tires on I couldn't get any traction for a lot of it, so I had to walk up the last half mile. What a pain. From there I rode through the neighborhood and got onto the bike path on the Snoqualmie Parkway. That was all downhill, and I lost all of that elevation I had just worked so hard for. At the bottom I crossed the bridge and took Mill Pond Road. There was no shoulder, but I didn't see more than half a dozen cars on it. From there I took the Snoqualmie Valley trail over the river. It is another railroad grade, so the old train bridge is now a bike or pedestrain path. Of course the trestle that used to lead to it is now gone and replaced with a set of metal stairs. Just what you want to see after 20 miles of riding, stairs. So to get to the bridge I had to lug my bike up 25 feet to the bridge. The rest of the trail was great though. I rode down for a few miles to see what it was like before turning around. It was getting kind of late (6:30). My legs were also fairly tired at that point and I knew I would have to fight my way back up along the Snoqualmie Parkway.

I am thinking on Tuesday I want to ride out that way again. This time I want to get all the way out to Rattlesnake Lake. I am will try to stat earlier so that I can take more time with it. And I will bring my camera to get the pictures I keep promising.

-Dravis

Training Day 1

So I have started planning the Iceland portion of my trip. I am really excited about it. However, it does look like I will be doing about 50 miles a day the first couple of days. So I will need to get in shape for it.

Today was my first real training day. I didn't end up putting the panniers on, and putting weight in them. I did get a very good ride in today. I also got out to explore bike trails that I haven't been on before. It actually makes me feel a bit lame for never getting out and doing this before. So here is the summary of the ride.

The ride: Issaquah, Preston, Snoqualmie, Fall City, Preston, Issaquah.
Distance: 37 miles
Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Description: I started at Lake Sammamish state park and took the bike lanes over to the East Lake Sammamish trail. This is an old railroad grade, and has a crushed rock surface. I went South for about half a mile and met up with the Issaquah-Preston trail. This trail starts as a paved surface from Front street along I-90 to the Highlands exit. After that it is another 2 miles of railroad grade. The trail then continues along High Point way, which has no shoulder almost no shoulder in the first half mile. Fortuneatly for me it doesn't seem to see too much traffic. Then I picked up the paved bike path (on the North side of the street) right outside of Preston. That leads right into the Preston-Snoqualmie trail. I flew down the mile or two of paved bike path. I then crossed the Preston-Fall City road to a path separated from the street by jersey barriers. Then up a hell of set of gravel switchbacks. I got up the first two turns okay, but then almost fell off and down into some blackberries. So I decided to walk the rest. At the top I was again riding on pavement. It was pretty flat and I assumed this was an old railroad grade. I made it to the end, which suprisingly is not Snoqualmie. The trail just ends in a set of chain link gates. There is a sort of view of the falls, but it was fairly well obscured by trees. I rode back the way I came and onto the Whitaker trail. This looked like a fun bit of single track, and is supposed to lead into the city of Snoqualmie. I only rode down it a mile or so to satisfy that it did go somewhere. I rode back to the Preston-Fall City road, and down into Fall City. I stopped there for a milkshake and to stretch. The milkshake was excellent, and it fit nicely in my areo bars. From there it was back. The slog up the Preston-Fall City road. Then back up the Preston-Snoqualmie trail, and along High Point way. My legs were getting pretty tired at this point. Once I was back on the gravel part of the Issaquah-Preston trail, it was all down hill. I just zipped along.

I did learn one lesson from this, I need to bring my camera next time. Descriptions are great, but a couple of pictures would really spice up the post. Plus I need to start adding weight, so a couple extra ounces of camera won't hurt a bit.

-Dravis

The Rock'n Horse

I am all set for the Rock'n Horse ride on August 15th. I am hoping this will be the first of what will become an annual event. This is a combination bike ride and camping trip, with a twist. I will be carrying some speakers and blasting tunes the whole way. Feel free to comment with songs you want to scare the wildlife with. This event is open to all, though having a bike that can handle 20+ miles of gravel trail would be a plus.

We will leave on Saturday August 15th, and drive up to Rattlesnake Lake. From there we will bike up to the Snoqualmie tunnel, which is sadly closed. But we can bike down to the Denny Creek campground. We will camp overnight, and bike back to Rattlesnake lake on Sunday morning.

I will be carrying all my gear on my bike. This is because I want to test it all out. This is the dry run for my world bike tour. Between that and the speakers, I am not expecting a very fast ride. The trail is also pretty flat (and slightly up hill), so it shouldn't be bad even for beginner. I am so excited about it. I hope to see you all out on the trail!

-Dravis

The man with the plan

So as you already know, my big plan is to leave the country for a while. This will be my self-imposed exile. A return to a tough and simple vagabond existence. I intend to sell most of my possessions (anyone want a couch?) and leave with only what I can carry on two wheels. I am going to head out on an extended bike tour of the world.

But before that, I still have at least two things to do in the U.S. over the summer.

The first is a road trip from the New York to Seattle. I am flying out there on July 27th to meet two of my friends. From there we will meander across the country (possibly Canada as well) returning sometime around the 12th of August.

From there I will have a couple of days to prepare for the Rock'n Horse trail. This will be the first, but hopefully not the last, bicycle camping trips up the Iron Horse trail while blasting tunes out of a boom box. This will take place on Saturday August 15th and Sunday August 16th. I was hoping to make it through the Snoqualmie tunnel, but it looks like that is now closed. I am pretty bummed about that, as the tunnel was awesome and a real highlight of my trips along the Iron Horse. So instead I think we will be camping out at Denny Creek. This will also be my dry run for my world wide bike tour. I will be using the same gear, and testing everything out to make sure it all works.

That will give me a few more days before my flight out of the country on August 18th. Hopefully that will give me enough time to say my goodbyes and pick up any last minute supplies. I have no return ticket and am not planning to come back for quite some time.

From Seattle I will be going to Iceland for a week. I wish I had more time to bike around there. But I wanted to get to Europe before fall. From there I fly to London. I want to spend a bit of time touring England. Then cross the channel and bike through France, Belgium and the Netherlands. From there I will turn South. The plan is to bike South for the fall. But more on those plans to come later.

-Dravis

Last Day

Today is the big day. It is my last official day at the large corporation I was working for. Since I learned that I was being laid off in May, I have been on "Paid Administrative Leave". I have very much enjoyed the time. They have been giving me money not to come into work or do anything at all. If only I could get that job on a more permanent basis. But alas...

So tomorrow I get to enjoy the wonders of being officially unemployed. It does seem fitting that they chose July 4th, Independence Day, to by my last day. I have no animosity toward them for laying me off. In fact it has been good. I didn't want to leave a job that I used to love and that paid quite well. But my projects had become much less fun and I didn't see any future for me there.

I have also come to realized that the classic notion of being paid for work is incorrect. People trade youth for money. Or as the man says "We're all just selling time". That is the thing that most people miss. Money does you no good if you don't have the time to use it. I have heard that the key to growing wealth is to "pay yourself first". People also need to learn to give time to theirself first. It is a valuable commodity, and I know that I didn't use it as much as I should have. So if you soul is fettered to an office stool, be careful to be guided by this golden rule, get out and enjoy!

-Dravis