Date: September 28th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: England
I spent most of the day updating my blog and waiting for my cards to arrive. I tried to get some basic French lessons in. We will see if they do any good.
Once the cards came, I did head over to Portsmouth to see the HMS Victory. I mean, who wouldn't want to see Admiral Nelson's flagship? Sadly, I didn't go aboard though. They wanted 12.50 for a tour. That is just way to much for my blood. Instead I just walked around it. It is actually a fascinating vessel. Basically the pinnacle of sailing warships.
From there I tried walking over to the channel ferry terminal. I would be taking one of those ferries the next day. So I wanted to know where it is. Plus I was having trouble getting a ticket online. So I was going to pick a ticket up while I was there. Trouble is, I got lost and ended up in Fratton. So what should have been about a 25 minute walk turned into an hour and a half adventure. But I got there in the end and purchased a ticket for 8:00 AM. Better still I found the best way back to the Gosport ferry from the channel terminal. I will will need that tomorrow.
After I got back, Mike had dinner ready. Mmmm, I was hungry. I also got some laundry going. Jeannie and I even found time to watch History Boys. After that it was bed time.
-Dravis
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
My Mini-cards Came!
I ordered some cards for my blog the other day from Moo. They arrived here in Gosport today. Yay! They actually came out really well. I am quite impressed. On the front I put various pictures I have taken. On the back is the location of the blog, name and e-mail address. Here are what the pictures look like.
Me (looking cool)
Wallace Falls
Pond at Yellowstone
Fence in Iceland
Stream in Iceland
Gulfoss
Canal bridge ruins
Hadrian's wall
Houseteds fort on Hadrian's wall
Lake District sunset
So now I have something to give to people when they ask me what I am doing. Let me know what you think. Also, if anyone wants a larger version of any of my pictures, just let me know.
-Dravis
Me (looking cool)
Wallace Falls
Pond at Yellowstone
Fence in Iceland
Stream in Iceland
Gulfoss
Canal bridge ruins
Hadrian's wall
Houseteds fort on Hadrian's wall
Lake District sunset
So now I have something to give to people when they ask me what I am doing. Let me know what you think. Also, if anyone wants a larger version of any of my pictures, just let me know.
-Dravis
Gosport - Day 40
Date: September 27th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: England
Song of the Day: The World Has Turned - Weezer
I had a wonderful and lazy day here at Gosport. Got a couple of things for the bike. I wanted to get a triangle bag to help keep my tools in. I also wanted a trunk bag that I could throw stuff like food in. Plus I wanted something cheap that I could leave on it and not worry about it getting a) wet or b) stolen. Plus I got a bike bottle. I had forgotten mine when I left the states. So I think I would be super ready to hit the continent.
I also had a nice lunch and took a nap. I then got up and finished the book Charlotte had loaned me. Jeannie also arrived back from the farm around this point and by then it was dinner time. Mike had cooked up a wonderful stew and served it with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Yum. I had a couple of helpings.
Mike, Jeannie and I talked for a couple of hours after dinner about various topics. Mike is retired (from the Royal Navy) but is working on a PhD in history. After that I watched a movie and went to bed.
-Dravis
Distance: None
Country: England
Song of the Day: The World Has Turned - Weezer
I had a wonderful and lazy day here at Gosport. Got a couple of things for the bike. I wanted to get a triangle bag to help keep my tools in. I also wanted a trunk bag that I could throw stuff like food in. Plus I wanted something cheap that I could leave on it and not worry about it getting a) wet or b) stolen. Plus I got a bike bottle. I had forgotten mine when I left the states. So I think I would be super ready to hit the continent.
I also had a nice lunch and took a nap. I then got up and finished the book Charlotte had loaned me. Jeannie also arrived back from the farm around this point and by then it was dinner time. Mike had cooked up a wonderful stew and served it with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Yum. I had a couple of helpings.
Mike, Jeannie and I talked for a couple of hours after dinner about various topics. Mike is retired (from the Royal Navy) but is working on a PhD in history. After that I watched a movie and went to bed.
-Dravis
Battle to Gosport - Day 39
Date: September 26th, 2009
Distance: 119 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Stay Gold, Ponyboy - The Get Up Kids
Woke up early and rode to see Battle Abbey. This was created on the site of the Battle of Hastings. I even got more videos for my little short I am putting together.
Hopefully I will have more on that later.
I went back to the campsite and took down my tent. Got all the stuff on the bike and rode off. I next rode down to Pevensy where William the Bastard was to have landed.
From there it was just a long ride all day. I had wanted to get down to Gosport (near Portsmouth) where I had a standing offer from Jeannie to stay. This would be great since I was planning on getting a boat to France from Portsmouth. So it would work out quite well.
What I didn't really think about was how long it was going to take. Longest day so far. Even if you don't count the ten miles I did with no panniers on, that is still 109 miles. I did stop at Brighton for just a bit. They had a "food fair" going on, and, like normal, I was hungry. I ate a venison burger. Mmmmm. Also a scoop of ice cream which I ate on the way out of town. (Getting good at riding and eating at this point.)
I was very happy to finally get to Gosport. It was late (11:00 PM) by this point. Jeannie was back up at the farm visiting her folks, but her husband Mike was in. He took me in and got a bed made up. I took a shower, which after so many miles was excellent. Mike also made me a cup of tea. From there it was off to bed.
-Dravis
Distance: 119 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Stay Gold, Ponyboy - The Get Up Kids
Woke up early and rode to see Battle Abbey. This was created on the site of the Battle of Hastings. I even got more videos for my little short I am putting together.
Hopefully I will have more on that later.I went back to the campsite and took down my tent. Got all the stuff on the bike and rode off. I next rode down to Pevensy where William the Bastard was to have landed.
From there it was just a long ride all day. I had wanted to get down to Gosport (near Portsmouth) where I had a standing offer from Jeannie to stay. This would be great since I was planning on getting a boat to France from Portsmouth. So it would work out quite well.
What I didn't really think about was how long it was going to take. Longest day so far. Even if you don't count the ten miles I did with no panniers on, that is still 109 miles. I did stop at Brighton for just a bit. They had a "food fair" going on, and, like normal, I was hungry. I ate a venison burger. Mmmmm. Also a scoop of ice cream which I ate on the way out of town. (Getting good at riding and eating at this point.)
I was very happy to finally get to Gosport. It was late (11:00 PM) by this point. Jeannie was back up at the farm visiting her folks, but her husband Mike was in. He took me in and got a bed made up. I took a shower, which after so many miles was excellent. Mike also made me a cup of tea. From there it was off to bed.
-Dravis
Dover to Hastings - Day 38
Date: September 25th, 2009
Distance: 52 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Out of Reach - The Get Up Kids (Across the pond / by the dover peaks)
Today was just a day of riding. Didn't really do much. Left the campsite by 10:30 and was on the road. I was making good time for the first two hours. That was right along the seawall. Quite a pleasant way to ride. In a way it reminded me of Venice beach in L.A. Except not quite as many tourists. Then again, it is fall now. Maybe it is worse in the summer.
Stopped for lunch at a cafe in Rye. Quite a cute little town. Had a sandwich in the sun while reading the book Charlotte gave me. I even had some ice cream. Oh, it was so good. I should have had a second one.
Back on the road and I even made it to Hastings early, by 4:30. I started looking around for a place to stay. The first campsite wanted to charge me £13. No thanks. I decided to ride up to Battle, which took a little doing, since it was basically all up hill. I did find a nice little spot that only was charging £5.50. Now that is more like it.
I got out the stove and cooked up some chili-mac. They have mac-and-cheese here in a can. I really wanted to try that. I did get the "dynamyte hot" chili though. This was a bad choice. I wanted something with a little kick, but this clobbered the taste of the cheese. If that wasn't bad enough, I burned the bottom. So not a great first try. Well, better luck next time.
After that I just took a shower and went off to bed.
-Dravis
Distance: 52 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Out of Reach - The Get Up Kids (Across the pond / by the dover peaks)
Today was just a day of riding. Didn't really do much. Left the campsite by 10:30 and was on the road. I was making good time for the first two hours. That was right along the seawall. Quite a pleasant way to ride. In a way it reminded me of Venice beach in L.A. Except not quite as many tourists. Then again, it is fall now. Maybe it is worse in the summer.
Stopped for lunch at a cafe in Rye. Quite a cute little town. Had a sandwich in the sun while reading the book Charlotte gave me. I even had some ice cream. Oh, it was so good. I should have had a second one.
Back on the road and I even made it to Hastings early, by 4:30. I started looking around for a place to stay. The first campsite wanted to charge me £13. No thanks. I decided to ride up to Battle, which took a little doing, since it was basically all up hill. I did find a nice little spot that only was charging £5.50. Now that is more like it.
I got out the stove and cooked up some chili-mac. They have mac-and-cheese here in a can. I really wanted to try that. I did get the "dynamyte hot" chili though. This was a bad choice. I wanted something with a little kick, but this clobbered the taste of the cheese. If that wasn't bad enough, I burned the bottom. So not a great first try. Well, better luck next time.
After that I just took a shower and went off to bed.
-Dravis
Canterbury to Dover - Day 37
Date: September 24th, 2009
Distance: 34 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Save Tonight - Eagle Eye Cherry (To the guy busking outside the cathedral.)
Woke up and broke camp. Way more bugs when wild camping, which is sorta lame. Still I managed to get everything taken down and on the road. First stop Canterbury.
I got into town and went to the cathedral. It cost me £7.50 to get in, but I had come all this way already. Plus they need to pay for repairs somehow. I wandered
around for way to long though. That place is really neat. The main part of the cathedral has something like 5 or 6 terraces. You get the impression the more important you were, the higher up, and closer to the priests, you could go.
They also have the place marked out where Thomas Becket was murdered. His life (and death) are still quite present. There used to be a shrine dedicated to him, but it was destroyed by Henry VII. Actually, I am surprised that any of the stained glass remains after the civil war and the commonwealth period. They do have some older stained glass which is just amazing. The only wall paintings left are down in the crypt though.
Oh, I didn't mention the crypt. That is a cool place too. As if the upstairs wasn't big enough, there is a chapel under the higher terraces. Surrounding that are more chapels. You could have 20 different services in the cathedral and not have them interfere with each other. Outside is the great cloister. They also have the ruins of a priory outside. Really, just a neat place.
From there it was back on the road out to Dover. Fortunately this was pretty easy to get to. I rolled into town around 4:30. Then went to see Dover Castle. I should have gotten their much earlier and spent the day. This place is huge and impressive. In addition it really looks
like a Castle. Huge outer walls, and a moat (now dry). Then their is an inner baily protecting the main keep. Classic medieval fortress. Trying to take that fortress must have been a hell of a challenge.
There were some tunnels dug out as barracks for the Napoleonic wars. During WWII the tunnels were retrofitted to be used as a telephone exchange. They also dug out more bunkers for a hospital and a command center during this time. The site even had tours that you could take, so even though I didn't have much time, being interested in both WWII and bunkers, I took it. Both the "Miracle at Dunkirk" and naval operations for the Normandy Invasion were planned there. So much fun.
If that wasn't enough it also had mounts for cannons from the Napoleonic wars, and anti-aircraft guns from WWII. There was also a thousand year old saxon church and a Roman lighthouse. So much history. Plus it had commanding views of the whole city and the channel. I should have just pitched my tent on their greens and stayed the night. I am not sure the police would have liked that one though... Still I wouldn't have been the first to make camp there.
Instead I went down the road to Folkstone. Riding through a very nice Kent sunset. Found a nice camping spot and went to bed.
-Dravis
Distance: 34 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Save Tonight - Eagle Eye Cherry (To the guy busking outside the cathedral.)
Woke up and broke camp. Way more bugs when wild camping, which is sorta lame. Still I managed to get everything taken down and on the road. First stop Canterbury.
I got into town and went to the cathedral. It cost me £7.50 to get in, but I had come all this way already. Plus they need to pay for repairs somehow. I wandered
around for way to long though. That place is really neat. The main part of the cathedral has something like 5 or 6 terraces. You get the impression the more important you were, the higher up, and closer to the priests, you could go.They also have the place marked out where Thomas Becket was murdered. His life (and death) are still quite present. There used to be a shrine dedicated to him, but it was destroyed by Henry VII. Actually, I am surprised that any of the stained glass remains after the civil war and the commonwealth period. They do have some older stained glass which is just amazing. The only wall paintings left are down in the crypt though.
Oh, I didn't mention the crypt. That is a cool place too. As if the upstairs wasn't big enough, there is a chapel under the higher terraces. Surrounding that are more chapels. You could have 20 different services in the cathedral and not have them interfere with each other. Outside is the great cloister. They also have the ruins of a priory outside. Really, just a neat place.
From there it was back on the road out to Dover. Fortunately this was pretty easy to get to. I rolled into town around 4:30. Then went to see Dover Castle. I should have gotten their much earlier and spent the day. This place is huge and impressive. In addition it really looks
like a Castle. Huge outer walls, and a moat (now dry). Then their is an inner baily protecting the main keep. Classic medieval fortress. Trying to take that fortress must have been a hell of a challenge.There were some tunnels dug out as barracks for the Napoleonic wars. During WWII the tunnels were retrofitted to be used as a telephone exchange. They also dug out more bunkers for a hospital and a command center during this time. The site even had tours that you could take, so even though I didn't have much time, being interested in both WWII and bunkers, I took it. Both the "Miracle at Dunkirk" and naval operations for the Normandy Invasion were planned there. So much fun.
If that wasn't enough it also had mounts for cannons from the Napoleonic wars, and anti-aircraft guns from WWII. There was also a thousand year old saxon church and a Roman lighthouse. So much history. Plus it had commanding views of the whole city and the channel. I should have just pitched my tent on their greens and stayed the night. I am not sure the police would have liked that one though... Still I wouldn't have been the first to make camp there.
Instead I went down the road to Folkstone. Riding through a very nice Kent sunset. Found a nice camping spot and went to bed.
-Dravis
London to Canterbury - Day 36
Date: September 23rd, 2009
Distance: 70 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: In My Tree - Pearl Jam
Woke up and sai
d goodbye to Dasha this morning. Thanks for letting me stay, it has been a blast! Good luck with the jobs.
Next I finally got around to doing the tourist thing. I went over and saw Parliament and Westminster Abbey. I would have gone inside, but they were charging 15 pounds! Geck. Plus I didn't want to stay that long. I needed to get out.
I did have one other place to see just outside of London. I wanted to see the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. I wasn't going to stay long, but the place was great. Not only did they staff help me find a place (behind locked gates) to put my bike, but the stuff they had was fascinating. Well, if you are a science get that is. They Have H1, H2, H3, and H4. The first three are even running. How cool is that? They also have some of the old telescopes used by various people over the years. The best part was, it is free. (I gave a donation of course.)
I really should not have spent so much time there though. It was getting late and I still had lots of miles to cover. I didn't really get going until 3:00. The route out was pretty lame. I fumbled my way out of London with more dead reckoning and asking people for directions. Then got lost about half way out. It turns out that each little town has a "High Street", so be sure to get on the right one. I didn't, but you could learn from my (many) mistakes.
I did stop for a kebab. Which was nice. It was really like a bread sack stuffed with meat, and some veggies. If bet you could do pretty well with a "meat sack" restaurant in the states. Couldn't finish it, so I left half for later. Don't do that. By the time I got back to it, it was cold and gross. I did stop for some milk to go with it, and that was glorious. I love milk. The cold kebab was a bust, but the milk really made up for it and gave me the energy to keep going.
Which I really needed. It was dark for a long time before I got to the camp site. Very glad I got the lights for my bike. I finally got into the campground at around 11:00. When I talked to the guy, he said they were full and sent me down the road to another one. "You can't miss it," he said. Well I did. I spent an hour in the dark looking for this damn place. Frankly, I don't think it exists. I think he just sent me off on a wild goose chase.
Instead I got to experience the joys of wild camping. I found an overgrown track off the A2. I didn't think I was really going to find anyplace because it was covered in bushes and quite hilly, but about a hundred yards down there was a nice flat spot. So I pitched the tent. I didn't want to get into my sleeping bag all gross, so I had a quick sponge bath and got changed. I do like having a nice shower better. It worked though, and I had free a place to stay. But every time a chestnut fell or an animal started rustling around I would wonder what was out there.
-Dravis
Distance: 70 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: In My Tree - Pearl Jam
Woke up and sai
d goodbye to Dasha this morning. Thanks for letting me stay, it has been a blast! Good luck with the jobs.Next I finally got around to doing the tourist thing. I went over and saw Parliament and Westminster Abbey. I would have gone inside, but they were charging 15 pounds! Geck. Plus I didn't want to stay that long. I needed to get out.
I did have one other place to see just outside of London. I wanted to see the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. I wasn't going to stay long, but the place was great. Not only did they staff help me find a place (behind locked gates) to put my bike, but the stuff they had was fascinating. Well, if you are a science get that is. They Have H1, H2, H3, and H4. The first three are even running. How cool is that? They also have some of the old telescopes used by various people over the years. The best part was, it is free. (I gave a donation of course.)
I really should not have spent so much time there though. It was getting late and I still had lots of miles to cover. I didn't really get going until 3:00. The route out was pretty lame. I fumbled my way out of London with more dead reckoning and asking people for directions. Then got lost about half way out. It turns out that each little town has a "High Street", so be sure to get on the right one. I didn't, but you could learn from my (many) mistakes.
I did stop for a kebab. Which was nice. It was really like a bread sack stuffed with meat, and some veggies. If bet you could do pretty well with a "meat sack" restaurant in the states. Couldn't finish it, so I left half for later. Don't do that. By the time I got back to it, it was cold and gross. I did stop for some milk to go with it, and that was glorious. I love milk. The cold kebab was a bust, but the milk really made up for it and gave me the energy to keep going.
Which I really needed. It was dark for a long time before I got to the camp site. Very glad I got the lights for my bike. I finally got into the campground at around 11:00. When I talked to the guy, he said they were full and sent me down the road to another one. "You can't miss it," he said. Well I did. I spent an hour in the dark looking for this damn place. Frankly, I don't think it exists. I think he just sent me off on a wild goose chase.
Instead I got to experience the joys of wild camping. I found an overgrown track off the A2. I didn't think I was really going to find anyplace because it was covered in bushes and quite hilly, but about a hundred yards down there was a nice flat spot. So I pitched the tent. I didn't want to get into my sleeping bag all gross, so I had a quick sponge bath and got changed. I do like having a nice shower better. It worked though, and I had free a place to stay. But every time a chestnut fell or an animal started rustling around I would wonder what was out there.
-Dravis
London - Day 35
Date: September 22nd, 2009
Distance: None
Country: England
Song of the Day: I'm On a Boat - The Lonely Island (Because its a big blue watery road.)
Another lazy day. I did get one thing done. I got some extraneous stuff sent by to my folks. I had a bag that I had been strapping to my rear rack, but I am tired of lugging that around. Plus some extra stuff I really don't need. It is good to loose some weight off the bike. Oooh, I also got a haircut, which I badly needed. Yay!. Feels good to have it nice and short again.
After that I took Jay and Dasha out to dinner. I wanted to make up for accidentally getting them kicked out of the club the previous night. We went to a nice Indian place near Dasha's flat. So good. But I think we all ate a little too much. Still, the walk back to her place helped everything settle.
From there we went out to a club called the "Sports Bar". Had some fun there. Did a little dancing. This is where I heard the song of the day. I am still a terrible dancer, but I was impressed with Jay's ability. From there I bid a fond farewell to Jay. Thanks for everything man.
Then got on the bus with Dasha back to her place.
-Dravis
Distance: None
Country: England
Song of the Day: I'm On a Boat - The Lonely Island (Because its a big blue watery road.)
Another lazy day. I did get one thing done. I got some extraneous stuff sent by to my folks. I had a bag that I had been strapping to my rear rack, but I am tired of lugging that around. Plus some extra stuff I really don't need. It is good to loose some weight off the bike. Oooh, I also got a haircut, which I badly needed. Yay!. Feels good to have it nice and short again.
After that I took Jay and Dasha out to dinner. I wanted to make up for accidentally getting them kicked out of the club the previous night. We went to a nice Indian place near Dasha's flat. So good. But I think we all ate a little too much. Still, the walk back to her place helped everything settle.
From there we went out to a club called the "Sports Bar". Had some fun there. Did a little dancing. This is where I heard the song of the day. I am still a terrible dancer, but I was impressed with Jay's ability. From there I bid a fond farewell to Jay. Thanks for everything man.
Then got on the bus with Dasha back to her place.
-Dravis
London - Day 34
Date: September 21st, 2009
Distance: 26 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Guns of Brixton - The Clash
Had a pretty lazy morning with Jay. Just sat around eating pizza and watching Alan Partridge. Then we went out for a late lunch or early dinner with Dasha. She was going to Kingston (a suburb of London) to go play vollyball and then stay at her mother's place. Coincidentally one of Jay's friends was going to be out there having a party at one of the clubs. So we planned to head out there, and Dasha would meet up with us later.
Of course Jay and I had a bunch of time to kill, so we stopped into a pub near Sloane Square. We had only stopped in for one pint, but ended up joining into the pub quiz mostly by accident. We ended up glomming on with a couple who had just bought a house in Ireland, and were in London celebrating. Jay was impressed that I knew what a dew claw was. I didn't realize that was obscure knowledge. We ended up in third place, but it was still a good time.
After that Jay and I went out to Kingston. We hung out for a while waiting for Dasha. We then headed over to go to the club. I guess it was a student night, though. Jay had his student ID. Dasha and I met people in line who had theirs and would bring us in as guests.
Now this is where things got weird. I got through the first line of bouncers and payed my £5 to get in. Then I stepped up to another bouncer who asked me to turn out my pockets. Okay. So I handed him everything I had. Being a good Boy Scout (and also a fan of MacGyver) I carry a small pocket knife. The bouncer looked at the knife, then looked at everything else. He then brought me over to the manager who pressed £5 into my hand and rudely shoved me out of the club.
I was really confused by all of this. I asked the manager what was up. He told me that I had tried to bring a "weapon" into the club. This is a mischaracterizaiton that I hate. It is a tool, plain and simple. So fine, I was going to lock it up with my bike and come back. The manager said that I had been banned and couldn't get back in. I was incredulous.
At this point Jay called. He and Dasha were already inside. One of the bouncers asked him to hang up the phone, so he said "okay". At that point they shoved him outside. Dasha was pushed out next for no good reason. Because they were kicked out for "disorderly conduct" they wouldn't get their cover refunded.
What a horrible place. I have never been treated so badly, anywhere, by anyone. This includes by the TSA. You really have to work to be more rude and stupid than those guys. So well done Oceana in Kingston. I beg anyone and everyone not to go there. Awful.
After that Dasha went back to her mom's place. Jay and I rode off back to his place.
-Dravis
Distance: 26 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Guns of Brixton - The Clash
Had a pretty lazy morning with Jay. Just sat around eating pizza and watching Alan Partridge. Then we went out for a late lunch or early dinner with Dasha. She was going to Kingston (a suburb of London) to go play vollyball and then stay at her mother's place. Coincidentally one of Jay's friends was going to be out there having a party at one of the clubs. So we planned to head out there, and Dasha would meet up with us later.
Of course Jay and I had a bunch of time to kill, so we stopped into a pub near Sloane Square. We had only stopped in for one pint, but ended up joining into the pub quiz mostly by accident. We ended up glomming on with a couple who had just bought a house in Ireland, and were in London celebrating. Jay was impressed that I knew what a dew claw was. I didn't realize that was obscure knowledge. We ended up in third place, but it was still a good time.
After that Jay and I went out to Kingston. We hung out for a while waiting for Dasha. We then headed over to go to the club. I guess it was a student night, though. Jay had his student ID. Dasha and I met people in line who had theirs and would bring us in as guests.
Now this is where things got weird. I got through the first line of bouncers and payed my £5 to get in. Then I stepped up to another bouncer who asked me to turn out my pockets. Okay. So I handed him everything I had. Being a good Boy Scout (and also a fan of MacGyver) I carry a small pocket knife. The bouncer looked at the knife, then looked at everything else. He then brought me over to the manager who pressed £5 into my hand and rudely shoved me out of the club.
I was really confused by all of this. I asked the manager what was up. He told me that I had tried to bring a "weapon" into the club. This is a mischaracterizaiton that I hate. It is a tool, plain and simple. So fine, I was going to lock it up with my bike and come back. The manager said that I had been banned and couldn't get back in. I was incredulous.
At this point Jay called. He and Dasha were already inside. One of the bouncers asked him to hang up the phone, so he said "okay". At that point they shoved him outside. Dasha was pushed out next for no good reason. Because they were kicked out for "disorderly conduct" they wouldn't get their cover refunded.
What a horrible place. I have never been treated so badly, anywhere, by anyone. This includes by the TSA. You really have to work to be more rude and stupid than those guys. So well done Oceana in Kingston. I beg anyone and everyone not to go there. Awful.
After that Dasha went back to her mom's place. Jay and I rode off back to his place.
-Dravis
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
St. Neots to London - Day 33
Date: September 20th, 2009
Distance: 64 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Superman - R.E.M.
Wow, I cannot believe it has been a week since I got here. I have bee
n having such a great time at Fen End Farm. Really my great uncle is a very wonderful guy. Meeting his wife and kids and grandkids has been really great. Luckily they seemed to enjoy my company as much as I enjoyed theirs. A big thanks to the whole family. I had a fantastic time.
I woke up early and went to church with my great uncle. It was a high church service, or as he calls it "smells and bells". The C of E version is a bit different f
rom the Episcopal version I am used, but I was able to muddle through. The church itself, St. Mary the Virgin Eynesbury, is quite old and pretty. Though like many other local churches it needs a new roof.
From there it was back to the farm. I had some last minute laundry to do. Then I had to pack everything up again. I said goodbye to the family and was off.
Being back on the bike after the week off felt good. But I didn't get on the road until after 3:00. So I wanted to hurry, which didn't help. I was hoping to get to London before the sun went down. Riding through the countryside is still a bit of a challenge. The road signs don't always list the town you want to go too. They also only list the next couple of villages.
Finally I got to the town of Ware and took the same canal path back into London. Really it is a nice way to get into and out of the city. Sadly it did get dark before I could get there. In addition I got a flat on the way in. Really not cool. That was my last tube. I was able to get it replaced okay, but that was just more time wasted.
I did get into town and met up with Jay. Dropped my stuff off at his place and had a quick shower. From there we went out to a pub with a couple of friends of his. They had to leave early and get to work though. So he took me out to a 24 hour bagel shop on Brick Lane. Epic. I was able to get dinner (minus a drink) for less than 2 pounds. If you want to save some money I suggest it.
After that it was time for bed. We headed back to Jay's place for some shut eye.
-Dravis
Distance: 64 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Superman - R.E.M.
Wow, I cannot believe it has been a week since I got here. I have bee
n having such a great time at Fen End Farm. Really my great uncle is a very wonderful guy. Meeting his wife and kids and grandkids has been really great. Luckily they seemed to enjoy my company as much as I enjoyed theirs. A big thanks to the whole family. I had a fantastic time.I woke up early and went to church with my great uncle. It was a high church service, or as he calls it "smells and bells". The C of E version is a bit different f
rom the Episcopal version I am used, but I was able to muddle through. The church itself, St. Mary the Virgin Eynesbury, is quite old and pretty. Though like many other local churches it needs a new roof.From there it was back to the farm. I had some last minute laundry to do. Then I had to pack everything up again. I said goodbye to the family and was off.
Being back on the bike after the week off felt good. But I didn't get on the road until after 3:00. So I wanted to hurry, which didn't help. I was hoping to get to London before the sun went down. Riding through the countryside is still a bit of a challenge. The road signs don't always list the town you want to go too. They also only list the next couple of villages.
Finally I got to the town of Ware and took the same canal path back into London. Really it is a nice way to get into and out of the city. Sadly it did get dark before I could get there. In addition I got a flat on the way in. Really not cool. That was my last tube. I was able to get it replaced okay, but that was just more time wasted.
I did get into town and met up with Jay. Dropped my stuff off at his place and had a quick shower. From there we went out to a pub with a couple of friends of his. They had to leave early and get to work though. So he took me out to a 24 hour bagel shop on Brick Lane. Epic. I was able to get dinner (minus a drink) for less than 2 pounds. If you want to save some money I suggest it.
After that it was time for bed. We headed back to Jay's place for some shut eye.
-Dravis
Cambridge - Day 30
Date: September 17th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: England
Song of the Day: Fiddler's Green - The Tragically Hip
Charlotte took Morgan and I on a tour of Cambridge today. It really is a neat town. The atmosphere s
eemed very relaxed and fun. They are getting more trendy high end shops. For the most part though, the town just oozes historic charm. Charlotte even showed us the college she was attending, Emmanuel. I guess the chapel was even designed by Christopher Wren.
She also explained a little more of how Cambridge University works. Each college is a quasi-independent entity. So you apply to the college you wish to attend. This is based mostly on your feeling of how you would get on with the people there. The college provides you with an advisor who helps work out a path to a degree. You also owe the advisor an essay each week. This could also be some other kind of work depending on the degree (solving equations for physics majors, turning water to wine for divinity students, etc.). The lectures are shared among the colleges, though. So you can get into a lecture with students from different colleges at Cambridge. Then at graduation the degree comes from Cambridge University. It still seems a bit fuzzy to me how everything works. Sort of like explaining the Holy Trinity. (Which you would imagine to be simple for one of the colleges at Cambridge.)
Then it was back to the farm. John (Jr.) was cooking up some burgers. Been a while since I had a nice juicy burger. Mmmmm. Very tasty.
-Dravis
Distance: None
Country: England
Song of the Day: Fiddler's Green - The Tragically Hip
Charlotte took Morgan and I on a tour of Cambridge today. It really is a neat town. The atmosphere s
eemed very relaxed and fun. They are getting more trendy high end shops. For the most part though, the town just oozes historic charm. Charlotte even showed us the college she was attending, Emmanuel. I guess the chapel was even designed by Christopher Wren.She also explained a little more of how Cambridge University works. Each college is a quasi-independent entity. So you apply to the college you wish to attend. This is based mostly on your feeling of how you would get on with the people there. The college provides you with an advisor who helps work out a path to a degree. You also owe the advisor an essay each week. This could also be some other kind of work depending on the degree (solving equations for physics majors, turning water to wine for divinity students, etc.). The lectures are shared among the colleges, though. So you can get into a lecture with students from different colleges at Cambridge. Then at graduation the degree comes from Cambridge University. It still seems a bit fuzzy to me how everything works. Sort of like explaining the Holy Trinity. (Which you would imagine to be simple for one of the colleges at Cambridge.)
Then it was back to the farm. John (Jr.) was cooking up some burgers. Been a while since I had a nice juicy burger. Mmmmm. Very tasty.
-Dravis
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Cambridge - Day 27
Date: September 14th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: England
Song of the Day: Swallowed - Bush
I spent most of the time hanging around with my great uncle. He really likes to talk. He also has a lot to say about "sleepy little Crookston", the town where he grew up. If you get a chance ask him about driving from Northern Minnesota to San Francisco in 1939 to see the International Expo. Lots of fun.
After dinner Jeannie dropped me off at Cambridge to go hashing with her daughter Charlotte (who friends just call Charley). Now the hashing group describes itself as "a drinking club with a running problem". So hashing is pretty much what you would expect. It starts and ends at a pub. In between we went running around Cambridge looking for little blots of flour. The idea I guess is to keep the pack together. The fast runners are supposed to search around for the next trail marker, giving time for the slower runners to catch up. At the end people head back to the pub for some boisterous songs with rude lyrics. Quite a time really. Charley and I closed out the place. I guess it is her favorite pub.
-Dravis
Distance: None
Country: England
Song of the Day: Swallowed - Bush
I spent most of the time hanging around with my great uncle. He really likes to talk. He also has a lot to say about "sleepy little Crookston", the town where he grew up. If you get a chance ask him about driving from Northern Minnesota to San Francisco in 1939 to see the International Expo. Lots of fun.
After dinner Jeannie dropped me off at Cambridge to go hashing with her daughter Charlotte (who friends just call Charley). Now the hashing group describes itself as "a drinking club with a running problem". So hashing is pretty much what you would expect. It starts and ends at a pub. In between we went running around Cambridge looking for little blots of flour. The idea I guess is to keep the pack together. The fast runners are supposed to search around for the next trail marker, giving time for the slower runners to catch up. At the end people head back to the pub for some boisterous songs with rude lyrics. Quite a time really. Charley and I closed out the place. I guess it is her favorite pub.
-Dravis
Edinburgh to St. Neots - Day 26
Date: September 13th, 2009
Distance: Cheating by train!
Country: England
Song of the Day: Belong - REM
Woke up late today. I had meant to get up at 8:00, but ended up getting up after 9:00. No time for breakfast. Damn. I did give the ladies from Canada the address to my blog. One of them was so jealous of the trip, she said she would stow away in by bags. I also gave it out to the girl working the desk at the hostel. From talking with her, she had done some other cycle tours. So hopefully they will have some fun reading along. I am tired of scrounging up a pen and scraps of paper though. I need to create some business cards to give out to people...
Then it was off to the train station. I had tried to get a ticket online the night before, but it wouldn't take my credit card because I didn't have a UK postcode. But I couldn't put in a different post code, because then it wouldn't be the correct address for my american credit card. Poor website design. So I had to get a ticket day of travel, which is more expensive. Oh well. Can't win everything.
From there it was off to Edinburgh castle. I didn't have much time before my train, so I did the quick tour. The castle was pretty cool. It was built on a rock high over the city. Absolutely understandable why you would build a castle there. They did have a bunch of cannon up there as well. Good luck with that. It is nearly impossible to get what is called plunging fire to work. This is why the star forts are set low to the ground. But anyway, the castle was still pretty neat. Definitely worth the time. Plus great views over the whole city.
Then it was off to the train. Seemed like an efficient way to get around the country. In four hours we went through what had taken me a week on the bike. It was cheating, and a bit on the expensive side. I would have spent at least that much money on food and camping sites bicycling back. I can't say that it saved me any money, but it saved about a week traveling. Which is good, because I need to start heading south before it gets too cold.
My great uncle John met me at the train station. What a guy. He is 88 years old and still has a lot of energy. He loves to spin yarns and always has a big smile on. What a hoot. Of course, his knees are bad and he doesn't walk very fast. He seems to manage to get around alright.
He took me back to the farmhouse. I guess it is about 200 years old, but one knows exactly. There are also a number of little out buildings and barns plus a couple of fields. His son John, and daughter Jeannie were there. Their mother, my great aunt Helen, hasn't been feeling well recently and they were helping around the house.
My great aunt went to bed early, and the rest of us had some wonderful dinner. Jeannie insisted that I have a couple of large helpings because of all the fuel I have been burning on the bike. How sweet, and food was wonderful. A nice home cooked meal. Mmmmm.
After dinner one of Jeannie's daughters, Charlotte, showed up. She is taking a masters program at Cambridge. She didn't stay long, but did invite me out for hashing the following evening.
It is amazing how welcoming everyone has been. I know we are all related, but I really couldn't have been made to feel more at home here. Remember that these are people I have never met.
Though I was informed that I had met my great uncle twice before when I was living in Alaska. Once in 1983 and again in 1985. He and I also share an interest in flying and old aircraft. He was an pilot in the Army Air Corps after all. We talked until almost midnight before calling it a day.
-Dravis
Distance: Cheating by train!
Country: England
Song of the Day: Belong - REM
Woke up late today. I had meant to get up at 8:00, but ended up getting up after 9:00. No time for breakfast. Damn. I did give the ladies from Canada the address to my blog. One of them was so jealous of the trip, she said she would stow away in by bags. I also gave it out to the girl working the desk at the hostel. From talking with her, she had done some other cycle tours. So hopefully they will have some fun reading along. I am tired of scrounging up a pen and scraps of paper though. I need to create some business cards to give out to people...
Then it was off to the train station. I had tried to get a ticket online the night before, but it wouldn't take my credit card because I didn't have a UK postcode. But I couldn't put in a different post code, because then it wouldn't be the correct address for my american credit card. Poor website design. So I had to get a ticket day of travel, which is more expensive. Oh well. Can't win everything.
From there it was off to Edinburgh castle. I didn't have much time before my train, so I did the quick tour. The castle was pretty cool. It was built on a rock high over the city. Absolutely understandable why you would build a castle there. They did have a bunch of cannon up there as well. Good luck with that. It is nearly impossible to get what is called plunging fire to work. This is why the star forts are set low to the ground. But anyway, the castle was still pretty neat. Definitely worth the time. Plus great views over the whole city.
Then it was off to the train. Seemed like an efficient way to get around the country. In four hours we went through what had taken me a week on the bike. It was cheating, and a bit on the expensive side. I would have spent at least that much money on food and camping sites bicycling back. I can't say that it saved me any money, but it saved about a week traveling. Which is good, because I need to start heading south before it gets too cold.
My great uncle John met me at the train station. What a guy. He is 88 years old and still has a lot of energy. He loves to spin yarns and always has a big smile on. What a hoot. Of course, his knees are bad and he doesn't walk very fast. He seems to manage to get around alright.
He took me back to the farmhouse. I guess it is about 200 years old, but one knows exactly. There are also a number of little out buildings and barns plus a couple of fields. His son John, and daughter Jeannie were there. Their mother, my great aunt Helen, hasn't been feeling well recently and they were helping around the house.
My great aunt went to bed early, and the rest of us had some wonderful dinner. Jeannie insisted that I have a couple of large helpings because of all the fuel I have been burning on the bike. How sweet, and food was wonderful. A nice home cooked meal. Mmmmm.
After dinner one of Jeannie's daughters, Charlotte, showed up. She is taking a masters program at Cambridge. She didn't stay long, but did invite me out for hashing the following evening.
It is amazing how welcoming everyone has been. I know we are all related, but I really couldn't have been made to feel more at home here. Remember that these are people I have never met.
Though I was informed that I had met my great uncle twice before when I was living in Alaska. Once in 1983 and again in 1985. He and I also share an interest in flying and old aircraft. He was an pilot in the Army Air Corps after all. We talked until almost midnight before calling it a day.
-Dravis
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Glasgow to Edinburgh - Day 25
Date: September 12th, 2009
Distance: 65 miles
Country: Scotland
Song of the Day: Nothing Left to Lose - Edentree
Woke up early and had a big (free) breakfast at the hostel. Just simple stuff, but man I had a lot of it. Toast and cereal and tea. Lots of carbs. Got packed up and left the hostel. Since Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, I thought I might look around for a few supplies. I did find a good camping store in town, basically by accident. One of the things that I was badly in need of was a smaller and faster drying towel. The one I have just isn't cutting it and I am tired of drying off with a cold, damp towel. They had some quick drying towels in a fancy case and everything, but they were pretty expensive. I did find one at the bottom of the rack that was lighter, more compact, and faster drying, all for less money. About 20 bucks. Sold. I also got a small (face) towel that I want to sew up into a drying bag. Something to put damp clothes into while they are in my panniers. This will keep the other clothes from getting wet, and hopefully dry them out a bit.
I also found a bike shop and picked up a spare tube. I was hoping to do something about my pedals, because the toe clips I have fit backwards. Basically I think they were installed incorrectly. I was hoping it would be simple with a socket wrench to swap the pedals around, but no. They have some kind of press fit bearing that I didn't want to mess with. So I just left it alone.
Then I took a short tour of downtown Glasgow. Nice place. Nothing really spectacular though. Oh, they did have a necropolis. That was kind of weird. I don't think I have ever been somewhere with one before.
I was also able to get in touch with some relatives over here. My dad's uncle, so my great uncle, has been living in the UK for I don't know how long. I don't think we have ever met, but if so it was probably when I was very young. I actually ended up talking with his son. So I made some arrangements to meet up with them.
Then it was off to Edinburgh. I found the NCN 75 cycle path out of the city. That was pretty good, right along the river Clyde. There were a few minor problems with it though. First, it did tend to wander with the river. Not exactly a straight line. It would also go over the river and back, then over again. Then it would send you back East around a school, then West again. Frankly, the zig-zagging was a little exasperating. Also, there were tree roots growing up under the path, so it made for a bumpy ride. Not a real problem for mountain tires. But on my slicks with a full load I was worried about pinching my tube. Finally, there were bugs. Huge clouds of them fling into my face. (More reason to keep my mouth shut.) The bugs constantly flying into my nose, hair, and helmet were quite annoying.
After that the path kind of dumped me onto the A8 motorway. It was the right direction, but not how I wanted to travel. I got off and ended up in an industrial park. I did find my way though. Just using the sun (which was out) I could find the way I wanted to go. Eventually this led me to a highway just off the motorway that was going the right direction. Followed that basically all the way into the city.
Now Edinburgh is really a spectacular city. It just seems to scream "We are an old and beautiful city". The Victorian buildings and the castle at the top of a huge rock. Really quite stunning. I found a hostel to stay at close to the Royal Mile. I ended up in a room with a girl from Canada, her mother and two aunts. Let the party begin! Actually, they were really nice. Quite fun to talk with as well. They were staying in hostels, not just because it was an inexpensive way to stay, but also because it is so much more fun to meet people. Better than staying in a hotel and being locked away from everyone else. I couldn't agree more. There was also a guy from Iceland, but he was sleeping when I got in. Didn't talk much after he woke up either.
Headed out to the Grassmarket for dinner. Went to a Kurdish restaurant up on the second level of shops above the ones at street level. If you thought Seattle or San Francisco were hilly, I don't think they have anything on Edinburgh. At least the area around the castle. At first the restaraunt didn't have anywhere to sit. I ended up meeting an American living in Denmark. Very cool guy. I guess he was working for Lego on their next generation of robotic systems. He was in Scotland because the town that Lego is headquartered in is quite small and basically boring. So he just went to the airport and got the first ticket out. We ended up talking about travels and so forth. He even let me take his table after he had left.
I also met a Czech guy who had gone outside to smoke. He had moved to Edinburg a couple of years previously and was working and going to university. He was out for the birthday of a friend. I should mention that I was told nightlife in Edinburgh was dead. That if you wanted to have fun, you go to Glasgow, the bigger city. I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but it seems that the people in Edinburgh are way more wild than those from Glasgow. For one thing, people dress up all the time. Not just in nice clothes, I am talking in full costumes. There were a couple of bachelor or bachelorette parties. Other groups were just dressed up for the hell of it. I saw someone dressed up as spiderman, a couple as paramedics. My Czech friend and his mates were all dressed up as cowboys (some with awesome glue on mustaches).
He invited me out to go to a club with them called Frankenstein. So after dinner I headed over there. They wouldn't let me in because of my shorts. Fortunately I had thought ahead. I was wearing my coverable shorts and had brought the pant legs along (one pair of pants does it all). A couple of quick zips later and I was in. The place was done up like a Victorian era Frakenstein's workshop, so that was cool. The music was terrible though. They had a mashup of Michael Jackson, which would have been okay. The changes were quick and the tempo didn't match up well. So it took a second for everyone to find the rythm again. (I haven't found the rythm since 2003, so it didn't matter to me that much.) Hard to dance to. Then it was selections from Grease. Who wants to dance to Olivia Newton John? Finally some Tom Jones. Maybe that is why Glasgow is better, at least they have good music.
The club closed at 1:00, which I thought a bit early. I said goodbye to my Czech friend, but gave him the address for this blog. (Hopefully I will get more people following along as I travel.) I went next door for a late night snack and got a Scottish tablet. Which is cocoa powder and sugar cooked until it is a caramelized chunk. It was good, but even for someone who likes sugar as much as I do I thought it was a bit much.
Across from the hostel I was staying at, two guys were busking with guitars. Mostly playing Oasis tunes. Gotta say, at least they know what they are doing. Easy to dance to, plus everyone knows the words to sing along. One guy walked into the middle of the crowd and busted some smooth dance moves. He made it over to my side and said "Whew, got thought that" then wandered off. I guess he was just trying to get through the crowd. Nice performance though. I threw the guys with the guitars a bit of change and went to bed.
-Dravis
Distance: 65 miles
Country: Scotland
Song of the Day: Nothing Left to Lose - Edentree
Woke up early and had a big (free) breakfast at the hostel. Just simple stuff, but man I had a lot of it. Toast and cereal and tea. Lots of carbs. Got packed up and left the hostel. Since Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, I thought I might look around for a few supplies. I did find a good camping store in town, basically by accident. One of the things that I was badly in need of was a smaller and faster drying towel. The one I have just isn't cutting it and I am tired of drying off with a cold, damp towel. They had some quick drying towels in a fancy case and everything, but they were pretty expensive. I did find one at the bottom of the rack that was lighter, more compact, and faster drying, all for less money. About 20 bucks. Sold. I also got a small (face) towel that I want to sew up into a drying bag. Something to put damp clothes into while they are in my panniers. This will keep the other clothes from getting wet, and hopefully dry them out a bit.
I also found a bike shop and picked up a spare tube. I was hoping to do something about my pedals, because the toe clips I have fit backwards. Basically I think they were installed incorrectly. I was hoping it would be simple with a socket wrench to swap the pedals around, but no. They have some kind of press fit bearing that I didn't want to mess with. So I just left it alone.
Then I took a short tour of downtown Glasgow. Nice place. Nothing really spectacular though. Oh, they did have a necropolis. That was kind of weird. I don't think I have ever been somewhere with one before.
I was also able to get in touch with some relatives over here. My dad's uncle, so my great uncle, has been living in the UK for I don't know how long. I don't think we have ever met, but if so it was probably when I was very young. I actually ended up talking with his son. So I made some arrangements to meet up with them.
Then it was off to Edinburgh. I found the NCN 75 cycle path out of the city. That was pretty good, right along the river Clyde. There were a few minor problems with it though. First, it did tend to wander with the river. Not exactly a straight line. It would also go over the river and back, then over again. Then it would send you back East around a school, then West again. Frankly, the zig-zagging was a little exasperating. Also, there were tree roots growing up under the path, so it made for a bumpy ride. Not a real problem for mountain tires. But on my slicks with a full load I was worried about pinching my tube. Finally, there were bugs. Huge clouds of them fling into my face. (More reason to keep my mouth shut.) The bugs constantly flying into my nose, hair, and helmet were quite annoying.
After that the path kind of dumped me onto the A8 motorway. It was the right direction, but not how I wanted to travel. I got off and ended up in an industrial park. I did find my way though. Just using the sun (which was out) I could find the way I wanted to go. Eventually this led me to a highway just off the motorway that was going the right direction. Followed that basically all the way into the city.
Now Edinburgh is really a spectacular city. It just seems to scream "We are an old and beautiful city". The Victorian buildings and the castle at the top of a huge rock. Really quite stunning. I found a hostel to stay at close to the Royal Mile. I ended up in a room with a girl from Canada, her mother and two aunts. Let the party begin! Actually, they were really nice. Quite fun to talk with as well. They were staying in hostels, not just because it was an inexpensive way to stay, but also because it is so much more fun to meet people. Better than staying in a hotel and being locked away from everyone else. I couldn't agree more. There was also a guy from Iceland, but he was sleeping when I got in. Didn't talk much after he woke up either.
Headed out to the Grassmarket for dinner. Went to a Kurdish restaurant up on the second level of shops above the ones at street level. If you thought Seattle or San Francisco were hilly, I don't think they have anything on Edinburgh. At least the area around the castle. At first the restaraunt didn't have anywhere to sit. I ended up meeting an American living in Denmark. Very cool guy. I guess he was working for Lego on their next generation of robotic systems. He was in Scotland because the town that Lego is headquartered in is quite small and basically boring. So he just went to the airport and got the first ticket out. We ended up talking about travels and so forth. He even let me take his table after he had left.
I also met a Czech guy who had gone outside to smoke. He had moved to Edinburg a couple of years previously and was working and going to university. He was out for the birthday of a friend. I should mention that I was told nightlife in Edinburgh was dead. That if you wanted to have fun, you go to Glasgow, the bigger city. I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but it seems that the people in Edinburgh are way more wild than those from Glasgow. For one thing, people dress up all the time. Not just in nice clothes, I am talking in full costumes. There were a couple of bachelor or bachelorette parties. Other groups were just dressed up for the hell of it. I saw someone dressed up as spiderman, a couple as paramedics. My Czech friend and his mates were all dressed up as cowboys (some with awesome glue on mustaches).
He invited me out to go to a club with them called Frankenstein. So after dinner I headed over there. They wouldn't let me in because of my shorts. Fortunately I had thought ahead. I was wearing my coverable shorts and had brought the pant legs along (one pair of pants does it all). A couple of quick zips later and I was in. The place was done up like a Victorian era Frakenstein's workshop, so that was cool. The music was terrible though. They had a mashup of Michael Jackson, which would have been okay. The changes were quick and the tempo didn't match up well. So it took a second for everyone to find the rythm again. (I haven't found the rythm since 2003, so it didn't matter to me that much.) Hard to dance to. Then it was selections from Grease. Who wants to dance to Olivia Newton John? Finally some Tom Jones. Maybe that is why Glasgow is better, at least they have good music.
The club closed at 1:00, which I thought a bit early. I said goodbye to my Czech friend, but gave him the address for this blog. (Hopefully I will get more people following along as I travel.) I went next door for a late night snack and got a Scottish tablet. Which is cocoa powder and sugar cooked until it is a caramelized chunk. It was good, but even for someone who likes sugar as much as I do I thought it was a bit much.
Across from the hostel I was staying at, two guys were busking with guitars. Mostly playing Oasis tunes. Gotta say, at least they know what they are doing. Easy to dance to, plus everyone knows the words to sing along. One guy walked into the middle of the crowd and busted some smooth dance moves. He made it over to my side and said "Whew, got thought that" then wandered off. I guess he was just trying to get through the crowd. Nice performance though. I threw the guys with the guitars a bit of change and went to bed.
-Dravis
Carlisle to Glasgow - Day 24
Date: September 11th, 2009
Distance: 99.75 miles
Country: Scotland
Song of the Day: Hand in Hand - Dire Straits
So it was basically another century today. I wasn't really going to do it all in one go, but I somehow lost a day. I thought it was Thursday, but I woke up to it being Friday. I had told my friend Jay that I was going to be in Glasgow on Friday night. He was going to set me up with some of his mates to show me around. So I was determined to get there.
I left the campsite just after 10:00AM. Rode though Carlisle, and then out North. Got a bit lost getting into Scotland. But really, I was heading north, so I couldn't go that far wrong. I know men aren't supposed to ask for directions, but I find it very helpful. So far everyone I have asked has been quite happy to give directions. Even if they don't actually know.
Eventually I found the road I wanted and also the cycle path I wanted to take. And for once it was excellent. The NCN 74 from Carlisle to Glasgow. It goes basically along the M74 motorway. But on a couple of side roads (B7076 and B7078) that go right along the motor way. There are a few more dips and hills than the main road, but overall I have no complaints. The terrain however was a bit of a beast. It reminded me of Snoqualmie Pass for some reason. I didn't see anything that said it was a pass, but it definately was up and over. I was making pretty good time. I was hoping to hit Glasgow by nightfall. So I really had to push. After three weeks of biking basically 50 miles a day (with full kit) my legs feel like they are made of steel. (Then again, tonight they feel a lot like lead.)
About 30 miles out of town, just before the long downhill run, I met a couple of bikers who were going the same route. I guess they were raising some money for charity by biking. They had stopped because their support team, basically other members of the family (include a cheering grandmother), were out there to encourage them along. They were even kind enough to give me a Mars bar (a Milky Way, for people in the states) for energy. Thanks guys. So I thought the least I could do was give a plug for their cause, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
After that it was pretty much down hill. All the work going uphill was finally paying off. Zipping along above 20mph feels great.
Getting into the city however was a pain. No one knew how to get there on a bike. It was all motorways. A nice couple suggested I take the train. Which actually sounded like a good idea. So I did cheat the last 6 miles into the city. In my defense it was getting dark, and I didn't want to fool around for a couple of hours trying to get there on the bike.
Once in the city, I found a hostel to stay at. Unfortunately Jay's mates were out of town, so I was on my own. I just stopped off at a pizza place and ate the whole thing. Mmmmmm. It wasn't like Talarico's big or anything. But I was pretty hungry after the day's ride.
The area near the hostel was pretty hopping around then. I think it was the first week back at university. So there were a lot of people out in bars. I stopped in for a pint of cider, but at that point I wasn't amazing interested in staying at a noisy pub. So I went back to the hostel for a little internet time. Hence the last big posting. I would have gone to bed sooner, but I was talking with some of the people at the hostel. One was an american girl who was taking a semester in London. There was also a Spanish guy who was on holiday. We ended up talking into the wee hours.
-Dravis
Distance: 99.75 miles
Country: Scotland
Song of the Day: Hand in Hand - Dire Straits
So it was basically another century today. I wasn't really going to do it all in one go, but I somehow lost a day. I thought it was Thursday, but I woke up to it being Friday. I had told my friend Jay that I was going to be in Glasgow on Friday night. He was going to set me up with some of his mates to show me around. So I was determined to get there.
I left the campsite just after 10:00AM. Rode though Carlisle, and then out North. Got a bit lost getting into Scotland. But really, I was heading north, so I couldn't go that far wrong. I know men aren't supposed to ask for directions, but I find it very helpful. So far everyone I have asked has been quite happy to give directions. Even if they don't actually know.
Eventually I found the road I wanted and also the cycle path I wanted to take. And for once it was excellent. The NCN 74 from Carlisle to Glasgow. It goes basically along the M74 motorway. But on a couple of side roads (B7076 and B7078) that go right along the motor way. There are a few more dips and hills than the main road, but overall I have no complaints. The terrain however was a bit of a beast. It reminded me of Snoqualmie Pass for some reason. I didn't see anything that said it was a pass, but it definately was up and over. I was making pretty good time. I was hoping to hit Glasgow by nightfall. So I really had to push. After three weeks of biking basically 50 miles a day (with full kit) my legs feel like they are made of steel. (Then again, tonight they feel a lot like lead.)
About 30 miles out of town, just before the long downhill run, I met a couple of bikers who were going the same route. I guess they were raising some money for charity by biking. They had stopped because their support team, basically other members of the family (include a cheering grandmother), were out there to encourage them along. They were even kind enough to give me a Mars bar (a Milky Way, for people in the states) for energy. Thanks guys. So I thought the least I could do was give a plug for their cause, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
After that it was pretty much down hill. All the work going uphill was finally paying off. Zipping along above 20mph feels great.
Getting into the city however was a pain. No one knew how to get there on a bike. It was all motorways. A nice couple suggested I take the train. Which actually sounded like a good idea. So I did cheat the last 6 miles into the city. In my defense it was getting dark, and I didn't want to fool around for a couple of hours trying to get there on the bike.
Once in the city, I found a hostel to stay at. Unfortunately Jay's mates were out of town, so I was on my own. I just stopped off at a pizza place and ate the whole thing. Mmmmmm. It wasn't like Talarico's big or anything. But I was pretty hungry after the day's ride.
The area near the hostel was pretty hopping around then. I think it was the first week back at university. So there were a lot of people out in bars. I stopped in for a pint of cider, but at that point I wasn't amazing interested in staying at a noisy pub. So I went back to the hostel for a little internet time. Hence the last big posting. I would have gone to bed sooner, but I was talking with some of the people at the hostel. One was an american girl who was taking a semester in London. There was also a Spanish guy who was on holiday. We ended up talking into the wee hours.
-Dravis
Who is Dravis Bixel?
I thought I should post something about this. For friends and family who know me, that isn't my real name. It is just my internet alter ego. A nom de plume for the digital age, if you will. Like all good pen names, this allows me a little more creative liberties in what I write and post. Anything posted online will be there forever for anyone to look at. Now my alter ego takes the wrap for any of my misadventures.
For those who have know me for years, or that I have met along the way, welcome. Please feel free to comment as you like. Above all, I hope you enjoy reading about my life and stories.
-Dravis
For those who have know me for years, or that I have met along the way, welcome. Please feel free to comment as you like. Above all, I hope you enjoy reading about my life and stories.
-Dravis
Keswick to Windermere to Penrith to Carlisle - Day 23
Date: September 10th, 2009
Distance: 62 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Simple Life - Actionslacks
The Lakes District. Really they could call it "The Hills District". That would seem a much more appropriate name. I am sure the volume of hills far exceeds the volume of the lakes. But I guess it is better marketing. Still it wasn't too bad out to Windermere. That was south of where I wanted to end up for the day, but I really did want to tour the whole area. Or a reasonable portion thereof. The views were still spectacular. These little lakes nestled in the hills. Trees and streams.
Winderemere was another touristy town. By which I really mean expensive. At least some things. I had a good deal on a huge piece of carrot cake. Mmmmmm. But the soup and sandwich were expensive. Still, the food was nice. And I was starving. I had only eaten two crappy doughnuts for breakfast.
It was a good thing too. The path out to Penrith went to a place called "Kirkstone Pass". When planning your cycle trips, really try to avoid places with "pass" in the name. I didn't, but I never said that I was all that cleaver. Struggled up for about an hour and a half. Averaging something like 4 miles an hour. It felt good to get to the top though. Again, like with the century I did, sense of accomplishment is important.
From there it was downhill. They even had 20% grades. No wonder it was so to
ugh getting up. I even got stuck behind a car who wouldn't go over 30. Go, go, go, man! Probably for the best, though. Some of the turns in there were pretty tight. I almost didn't make them. On a tiny road bike though you could get going 80. Still probably wouldn't be able to make the turns though...
Then it was out though Ullswater Lake. Again, another pretty lake. So great scenery to cycle by. The day was just gorgeous as well. After that it was out to Penrith. From there it was back through the countryside to Carlisle. I followed the NCN 7 cycle path out of the city. But it also started leading me to roads that had lots of hills. So I just followed the signs for Carlisle. Glad I did that. I saw the cycle marking come and go twice. Haha! My way was shorter.
Found a campsite just out of Carlisle. I even bargained the manager down a couple of quid. One little tent shouldn't be that expensive, so don't forget to haggle. Cooked dinner over the stove again. I am getting better at using it. More soup and bread. I will have to try something more exciting next time. Then a shower and off to bed.
-Dravis
Distance: 62 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Simple Life - Actionslacks
The Lakes District. Really they could call it "The Hills District". That would seem a much more appropriate name. I am sure the volume of hills far exceeds the volume of the lakes. But I guess it is better marketing. Still it wasn't too bad out to Windermere. That was south of where I wanted to end up for the day, but I really did want to tour the whole area. Or a reasonable portion thereof. The views were still spectacular. These little lakes nestled in the hills. Trees and streams.
Winderemere was another touristy town. By which I really mean expensive. At least some things. I had a good deal on a huge piece of carrot cake. Mmmmmm. But the soup and sandwich were expensive. Still, the food was nice. And I was starving. I had only eaten two crappy doughnuts for breakfast.
It was a good thing too. The path out to Penrith went to a place called "Kirkstone Pass". When planning your cycle trips, really try to avoid places with "pass" in the name. I didn't, but I never said that I was all that cleaver. Struggled up for about an hour and a half. Averaging something like 4 miles an hour. It felt good to get to the top though. Again, like with the century I did, sense of accomplishment is important.From there it was downhill. They even had 20% grades. No wonder it was so to
ugh getting up. I even got stuck behind a car who wouldn't go over 30. Go, go, go, man! Probably for the best, though. Some of the turns in there were pretty tight. I almost didn't make them. On a tiny road bike though you could get going 80. Still probably wouldn't be able to make the turns though...Then it was out though Ullswater Lake. Again, another pretty lake. So great scenery to cycle by. The day was just gorgeous as well. After that it was out to Penrith. From there it was back through the countryside to Carlisle. I followed the NCN 7 cycle path out of the city. But it also started leading me to roads that had lots of hills. So I just followed the signs for Carlisle. Glad I did that. I saw the cycle marking come and go twice. Haha! My way was shorter.
Found a campsite just out of Carlisle. I even bargained the manager down a couple of quid. One little tent shouldn't be that expensive, so don't forget to haggle. Cooked dinner over the stove again. I am getting better at using it. More soup and bread. I will have to try something more exciting next time. Then a shower and off to bed.
-Dravis
Friday, September 11, 2009
Carlisle to Keswick - Day 22
Date: September 9th, 2009
Distance: 56 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Little Round Mirrors - Harvey Danger
Got up and went to see Carlisle castle. It is a pretty cool place. I guess it was originally built by the Normans. Then the city was part of Scotland then, but later it was taken by the English crown. Edward I used it a few times as a base during his campaigns in Scotland. Quite an interesting history.
From there it was off to Starbucks. I know, lame, but they have wi-fi and I have a card to use up. Planned out the rest of my trip. Since it was going to be sunny for the next couple of days, I decided to head south into the Lakes District. From there I would return to Carlisle (or thereabouts) and head up to Glasgow.
First stop was Keswick. I had actually wanted to get as far and Windermere, but I got a pretty late start (2:00). To get there I was going to take the regional cycle path #10. They were doing construction over part of the route in Carlisle, so I had to just guess where it was going. I did find it and get myself out. The countryside was quite pleasant. Gently rolling pastures.
The cycle path then cuts basically right along the border to the national park area. Let me explain something I have learned about English roads. Most of the major roads in Englad seem to evolve naturally from the fact that they are actually a good way to get somewhere. Not too steep, not too long, etc. Instead of going on the quiet main (read: flat) road, the path had me going over the shoulder of all the hills on the edges of the lake district. Steep hills too. I had to push my bike up a couple of them. Plus I had to squeeze the life out of my breaks on the way down. The roads were so curvy I couldn't see where it was going most of the time. Obviously no one had used a topographic map when planning the route. They were just looking for the most non-trafficked path to use for bikers. "Hey Bob, traffic on this section is really low. Hmmm, wonder why. Oh well, lets have the bike path go through there." Bastards. It made me want to garrote the planners with my brake cable. After a couple of hills I realized that the people who designed it were morons, and I was an idiot for trying to follow. The next time the path went to a main road, I took it. A few more cars, sure. But a lot smoother. When the cycle path diverged to find some quieter more hilly route, I didn't follow. Much better. No more pushing.
From there I went down through the Lake District to Keswick. I could really see why Nels recommended that I go. The scenery was amazing. Hills and lakes and streams. Keswick itself was a pleasant town, but very touristy. I found the location for a camping site just south of town on Castle Rigg. Rigg, by the way, is an English term meaning "You are going to go up a big ass hill." Cheapest campsite so far. Only £4.90. Though show
ers were 50p. I got there just at sunset and took a couple of pictures. I hope they come out well.
I even had enough time to cook a meal on my stove for once. Just a can of soup, but it was good to cook something for myself for once. With some soft rolls I had it was excellent. After that it was a shower and into bed.
-Dravis
Distance: 56 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Little Round Mirrors - Harvey Danger
Got up and went to see Carlisle castle. It is a pretty cool place. I guess it was originally built by the Normans. Then the city was part of Scotland then, but later it was taken by the English crown. Edward I used it a few times as a base during his campaigns in Scotland. Quite an interesting history.
From there it was off to Starbucks. I know, lame, but they have wi-fi and I have a card to use up. Planned out the rest of my trip. Since it was going to be sunny for the next couple of days, I decided to head south into the Lakes District. From there I would return to Carlisle (or thereabouts) and head up to Glasgow.
First stop was Keswick. I had actually wanted to get as far and Windermere, but I got a pretty late start (2:00). To get there I was going to take the regional cycle path #10. They were doing construction over part of the route in Carlisle, so I had to just guess where it was going. I did find it and get myself out. The countryside was quite pleasant. Gently rolling pastures.
The cycle path then cuts basically right along the border to the national park area. Let me explain something I have learned about English roads. Most of the major roads in Englad seem to evolve naturally from the fact that they are actually a good way to get somewhere. Not too steep, not too long, etc. Instead of going on the quiet main (read: flat) road, the path had me going over the shoulder of all the hills on the edges of the lake district. Steep hills too. I had to push my bike up a couple of them. Plus I had to squeeze the life out of my breaks on the way down. The roads were so curvy I couldn't see where it was going most of the time. Obviously no one had used a topographic map when planning the route. They were just looking for the most non-trafficked path to use for bikers. "Hey Bob, traffic on this section is really low. Hmmm, wonder why. Oh well, lets have the bike path go through there." Bastards. It made me want to garrote the planners with my brake cable. After a couple of hills I realized that the people who designed it were morons, and I was an idiot for trying to follow. The next time the path went to a main road, I took it. A few more cars, sure. But a lot smoother. When the cycle path diverged to find some quieter more hilly route, I didn't follow. Much better. No more pushing.
From there I went down through the Lake District to Keswick. I could really see why Nels recommended that I go. The scenery was amazing. Hills and lakes and streams. Keswick itself was a pleasant town, but very touristy. I found the location for a camping site just south of town on Castle Rigg. Rigg, by the way, is an English term meaning "You are going to go up a big ass hill." Cheapest campsite so far. Only £4.90. Though show
ers were 50p. I got there just at sunset and took a couple of pictures. I hope they come out well.I even had enough time to cook a meal on my stove for once. Just a can of soup, but it was good to cook something for myself for once. With some soft rolls I had it was excellent. After that it was a shower and into bed.
-Dravis
Hexham to Carlisle - Day 21
Date: September 8th, 2009
Distance: 46 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Destination Ursa Major - Superdrag
I am an idiot. I should have gone the other direction. Woke up to 20-30 mile an hour headwinds. I did have a hearty breakfast though. That did send me off right. But pushing against the wind was awful. It is hill country around there too. I was struggling to make 4 measly miles an hour most of the time. Then instead of zipping down the other side, was was maybe getting 15 miles per hour. Argh. Nothing to do about it though. I just had to struggle on.
I did keep stopping
every few miles to see the next Roman site. I saw Housesteads, which was the first Roman site I had seen actually along the wall. I guess all Roman forts were laid out the same. The empire was built on organization. After the couple the day before, I had actually become used to what I was seeing.
I also stopped and took some pictures at St
eel Rigg. This is probably the most dramatic section of the wall remaining. The wall was built on the edge of these huge cliffs. Hard to imagine anyone trying to get through there.
I guess the central sections have remained the best because there just aren't that many people there. People tend to steal the stones from the wall for later building projects. Historically the area along the border between England and Scotland was fairly lawless. No laws, no farms, roads or large building projects. So Hadrian's wall was basically overgrown and forgotten about. So now we can see them. But the sections near either coast have fared worse. Farm houses were built. Field walls were built. Castles and cities were built. So nothing is really visible anymore. If anything is left it is probably under a field or house. So I stopped for every tower, mile castle and Fort I could see. All very cool.
In the afternoon the wind died down a bit. But it did that just after it started pouring rain. At Birdoswald it was raining so hard that the map they gave me fell apart. It was a cool place. After the Romans left the site was used by a local cheiftan. Then it fell into ruins. I guess one of the gatehouses was standing until a couple hundred years ago. Then it was torn down to make way for a barn. Shame. Anyway, I was trying to do everything fast because every ounce of me was soaking wet. (Which is weird because an ounce is a liquid measurement...) If you don't keep moving it starts getting very cold. So after only 25 minutes I was back on the road.
I would like now to discuss a slightly vulgar topic. Ladies, avert your eyes. I am talking about poop. All animals do it. As I mentioned the farm gates before, that means that animals are using the path I was riding on. Being animals, they poop on it. Even the regular roads are used by horses or people herding animals across them to be quite spotted with dung. Normally this isn't a big problem. You just avoid as much as you can. In the rain it is a different story. The watter puddles on the road and liquifies the poop. You end up riding through puddles of road grime and poo. Whenever I went faster than about 10, like down a hill, this mess was flying into my face. Less than pleasant. Anyway, enough about that.
So I found my way into Carlisle. The route the bike path took was quite frustrating. I think they were designed to stay off any major roads as much as possible. But that mean zig-zagging around a lot. At one point I was within 5 miles, then rode down the way a bit and was now 9 miles away. The damn path cost me 4 miles. Then again, with all the water on the road I really didn't want to be riding along a busy road and getting splashed every time a car or truck passed. So I guess that was best.
I even made it into town before dark. Which was pretty much a first. I was looking for a youth hostel to go to. After all the wet weather I didn't really feel like pitching a tent. The security guard at McDonals (the only thing still open) was quite helpful and directed me to one. Sadly once I got there, I couldn't find anyone at reception. One of the residents came out (for a smoke) and corrected me. It had stopped being a hostle 4 days before. It was only a hostle during the summer months when school is out. After that it is a dorm for the local colledge. What a pisser.
So now it was dark and I didn't feel like wandering out of the city to find a camping spot, so I stopped at another B&B. It was very nice, but still much more expensive than camping. Oh well, at least I would get a good meal out of it. Sadly no internet, otherwise I would have posted sooner.
-Dravis
Distance: 46 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Destination Ursa Major - Superdrag
I am an idiot. I should have gone the other direction. Woke up to 20-30 mile an hour headwinds. I did have a hearty breakfast though. That did send me off right. But pushing against the wind was awful. It is hill country around there too. I was struggling to make 4 measly miles an hour most of the time. Then instead of zipping down the other side, was was maybe getting 15 miles per hour. Argh. Nothing to do about it though. I just had to struggle on.
I did keep stopping
every few miles to see the next Roman site. I saw Housesteads, which was the first Roman site I had seen actually along the wall. I guess all Roman forts were laid out the same. The empire was built on organization. After the couple the day before, I had actually become used to what I was seeing.I also stopped and took some pictures at St
eel Rigg. This is probably the most dramatic section of the wall remaining. The wall was built on the edge of these huge cliffs. Hard to imagine anyone trying to get through there.I guess the central sections have remained the best because there just aren't that many people there. People tend to steal the stones from the wall for later building projects. Historically the area along the border between England and Scotland was fairly lawless. No laws, no farms, roads or large building projects. So Hadrian's wall was basically overgrown and forgotten about. So now we can see them. But the sections near either coast have fared worse. Farm houses were built. Field walls were built. Castles and cities were built. So nothing is really visible anymore. If anything is left it is probably under a field or house. So I stopped for every tower, mile castle and Fort I could see. All very cool.
In the afternoon the wind died down a bit. But it did that just after it started pouring rain. At Birdoswald it was raining so hard that the map they gave me fell apart. It was a cool place. After the Romans left the site was used by a local cheiftan. Then it fell into ruins. I guess one of the gatehouses was standing until a couple hundred years ago. Then it was torn down to make way for a barn. Shame. Anyway, I was trying to do everything fast because every ounce of me was soaking wet. (Which is weird because an ounce is a liquid measurement...) If you don't keep moving it starts getting very cold. So after only 25 minutes I was back on the road.
I would like now to discuss a slightly vulgar topic. Ladies, avert your eyes. I am talking about poop. All animals do it. As I mentioned the farm gates before, that means that animals are using the path I was riding on. Being animals, they poop on it. Even the regular roads are used by horses or people herding animals across them to be quite spotted with dung. Normally this isn't a big problem. You just avoid as much as you can. In the rain it is a different story. The watter puddles on the road and liquifies the poop. You end up riding through puddles of road grime and poo. Whenever I went faster than about 10, like down a hill, this mess was flying into my face. Less than pleasant. Anyway, enough about that.
So I found my way into Carlisle. The route the bike path took was quite frustrating. I think they were designed to stay off any major roads as much as possible. But that mean zig-zagging around a lot. At one point I was within 5 miles, then rode down the way a bit and was now 9 miles away. The damn path cost me 4 miles. Then again, with all the water on the road I really didn't want to be riding along a busy road and getting splashed every time a car or truck passed. So I guess that was best.
I even made it into town before dark. Which was pretty much a first. I was looking for a youth hostel to go to. After all the wet weather I didn't really feel like pitching a tent. The security guard at McDonals (the only thing still open) was quite helpful and directed me to one. Sadly once I got there, I couldn't find anyone at reception. One of the residents came out (for a smoke) and corrected me. It had stopped being a hostle 4 days before. It was only a hostle during the summer months when school is out. After that it is a dorm for the local colledge. What a pisser.
So now it was dark and I didn't feel like wandering out of the city to find a camping spot, so I stopped at another B&B. It was very nice, but still much more expensive than camping. Oh well, at least I would get a good meal out of it. Sadly no internet, otherwise I would have posted sooner.
-Dravis
South Sheilds to Hexham - Day 20
Date: September 7th, 2009
Distance: 43 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Running Back - Thin Lizzy
I am starting to
get better at getting up early. I was out of the camp site by 9:30. From their it was back into town, where I got lost and ended up wasting a bunch of time. But I found an old roman fort site in town called Arbeia. Very cool, also free which was nice. (I did give a donation.) They had a rebuilt west gate and part of the commanders villa. Pretty cool stuff. Plus some artifacts they had uncovered at the site. Pretty cool stuff.
From there I needed to cross the Tyne. I was taking Hadrian's Cycleway fro
m Newcastle to Carlisle. The best way (from there) was by ferry. So I popped down to the water and grabbed the next crossing.
Then it was out to Wallsend, sort of a suburb of Newcastle (on Tyne, to be propper). There is another fort there called Seagundum, with another museum and a reconstructed
bath house. I couldn't find any way to it from the bike path though. Instead I just got a picture of me next to the remaining section of wall there and moved on.
Didn't see much of the wall for basically the rest of the day. The cycleway doesn't really follow the wall in that area. I guess that is not a big loss since, in most areas, there really isn't anything left to see. The path leads along the waterfront of Newcastle though. This I found quite pleasant, if you could avoid all the other people on the waterfront. Getting out of Newcastle was a bit confusing, but I found my way.
Outside of Newcastle it was mostly on an old railroad grade or farm roads. The path was fairly well marked, but had a tendency to wander back and forth across obstacles, like the river Tyne or train tracks. This got quite annoying. Oh, also lots of areas are also used for grazing livestock. So they have gates. Some are easy enough. Others are nearly impossible on a bike with panniers. Quite frustrating.
I also realized that I was going the wrong way. When Horace Greely said "Go west young man" he wasn't talking about cycling across Briatain. This is because the winds go East. It wasn't too windy though. Just enough to annoy you when going up a steep hill.
I did get out in
time to see Corbridge though. This is a roman fort just off of Hadrian's wall. I guess it was built (originally) during the time of Trajan. Then rebuilt a few times over the years as a rear base for troops along the wall. I also tried to see Chesters, but they were closing in 5 minutes and wouldn't let me in. Too bad really. Plus I had to go up this huge hill to get there. Damn.
From there I found a nice place that said it was a youth hostel, but was really a B&B. I can't really complain though. The people were friendly. Most of them were hiking the wall itself. I didn't envy all that walking. I also go a nice warm dinner and a full breakfast, plus a bed, for £20. Not bad.
-Dravis
Distance: 43 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Running Back - Thin Lizzy
I am starting to
get better at getting up early. I was out of the camp site by 9:30. From their it was back into town, where I got lost and ended up wasting a bunch of time. But I found an old roman fort site in town called Arbeia. Very cool, also free which was nice. (I did give a donation.) They had a rebuilt west gate and part of the commanders villa. Pretty cool stuff. Plus some artifacts they had uncovered at the site. Pretty cool stuff.From there I needed to cross the Tyne. I was taking Hadrian's Cycleway fro
m Newcastle to Carlisle. The best way (from there) was by ferry. So I popped down to the water and grabbed the next crossing.Then it was out to Wallsend, sort of a suburb of Newcastle (on Tyne, to be propper). There is another fort there called Seagundum, with another museum and a reconstructed
bath house. I couldn't find any way to it from the bike path though. Instead I just got a picture of me next to the remaining section of wall there and moved on.Didn't see much of the wall for basically the rest of the day. The cycleway doesn't really follow the wall in that area. I guess that is not a big loss since, in most areas, there really isn't anything left to see. The path leads along the waterfront of Newcastle though. This I found quite pleasant, if you could avoid all the other people on the waterfront. Getting out of Newcastle was a bit confusing, but I found my way.
Outside of Newcastle it was mostly on an old railroad grade or farm roads. The path was fairly well marked, but had a tendency to wander back and forth across obstacles, like the river Tyne or train tracks. This got quite annoying. Oh, also lots of areas are also used for grazing livestock. So they have gates. Some are easy enough. Others are nearly impossible on a bike with panniers. Quite frustrating.
I also realized that I was going the wrong way. When Horace Greely said "Go west young man" he wasn't talking about cycling across Briatain. This is because the winds go East. It wasn't too windy though. Just enough to annoy you when going up a steep hill.
I did get out in
time to see Corbridge though. This is a roman fort just off of Hadrian's wall. I guess it was built (originally) during the time of Trajan. Then rebuilt a few times over the years as a rear base for troops along the wall. I also tried to see Chesters, but they were closing in 5 minutes and wouldn't let me in. Too bad really. Plus I had to go up this huge hill to get there. Damn.From there I found a nice place that said it was a youth hostel, but was really a B&B. I can't really complain though. The people were friendly. Most of them were hiking the wall itself. I didn't envy all that walking. I also go a nice warm dinner and a full breakfast, plus a bed, for £20. Not bad.
-Dravis
York to South Sheilds - Day 19
Date: September 6th, 2009
Song of the Day: Brothers on a Hotel Bed - Death Cab for Cutie
Country: England
Distance: 107 miles
Yeah, did you notice that? 107 miles? That is a century folks. On a bicycle. The English have a delightful way of calling it a "push bike". I think of it more of as a "pedal bike", but it is their language. All of this on a fully loaded touring rig as well. Woo-hoo.
Got up, had breakfast, and packed. I was on my way by 10:00. But I had to stop for some last minute pictures in York. I was actually on the road by about 11:00. From there it was just a slog all day. For most of the day the weather held. Windy, but not bad. The terrain was also fairly flat.
Oh as I was leaving York, I met an older gentleman who told me to go to Du
rham and see the cathedral. That was somewhere around mile 80. By then the terrain had become quite hilly and it had started to rain. Plus the old town of Durham is is on a hill with quite a commanding view of the valley. This is surrounded by water. Let me tell you, going up a steep cobble stone street after 80 miles is really trying. Really made me regret that decision, but not for long. Durham Cathedral was pretty cool. I guess it was started in 1093. Those damn Normans again. It, like every other cathedral I have seen has scaffolding around some part of it. I imagine that keeping up with the repairs is a real pain. I do not envy the 900 year old cathedral repair bills.
I also got directions to Shouth Sheilds (near Newcastle) from a security guard there. He was cool and seemed more than happy to talk. I would have stayed to chat, but it was another 20-30 miles and it was starting to get dark. Fortunately the rain had pretty much stopped at this point. It was dark by the time I got there. I eventually found the camping spot. I was so exhausted I just ate a cold can of soup, took a shower, and went to bed.
I really busted my butt getting there. Literally. It was quite sore. Took me about nine and a half hours of cycling to do. It felt good to accomplish the feat, though.
-Dravis
Song of the Day: Brothers on a Hotel Bed - Death Cab for Cutie
Country: England
Distance: 107 miles
Yeah, did you notice that? 107 miles? That is a century folks. On a bicycle. The English have a delightful way of calling it a "push bike". I think of it more of as a "pedal bike", but it is their language. All of this on a fully loaded touring rig as well. Woo-hoo.
Got up, had breakfast, and packed. I was on my way by 10:00. But I had to stop for some last minute pictures in York. I was actually on the road by about 11:00. From there it was just a slog all day. For most of the day the weather held. Windy, but not bad. The terrain was also fairly flat.
Oh as I was leaving York, I met an older gentleman who told me to go to Du
rham and see the cathedral. That was somewhere around mile 80. By then the terrain had become quite hilly and it had started to rain. Plus the old town of Durham is is on a hill with quite a commanding view of the valley. This is surrounded by water. Let me tell you, going up a steep cobble stone street after 80 miles is really trying. Really made me regret that decision, but not for long. Durham Cathedral was pretty cool. I guess it was started in 1093. Those damn Normans again. It, like every other cathedral I have seen has scaffolding around some part of it. I imagine that keeping up with the repairs is a real pain. I do not envy the 900 year old cathedral repair bills.I also got directions to Shouth Sheilds (near Newcastle) from a security guard there. He was cool and seemed more than happy to talk. I would have stayed to chat, but it was another 20-30 miles and it was starting to get dark. Fortunately the rain had pretty much stopped at this point. It was dark by the time I got there. I eventually found the camping spot. I was so exhausted I just ate a cold can of soup, took a shower, and went to bed.
I really busted my butt getting there. Literally. It was quite sore. Took me about nine and a half hours of cycling to do. It felt good to accomplish the feat, though.
-Dravis
York - Day 18
Date: September 5th, 2009
Distance: 20 miles (around the area)
Country: England
Song of the Day: Northern Birds - Amateur Transplants (For Jay)
Spending a day in York was a good idea actually. Woke up and spent some time doing laundry. Also got in a couple of blog posts. I wouldn't have spent so much time doing it, but it started raining just before noon, and I didn't feel like biking in that weather.
I did go out to Stamford Bridge. This is the site where Harold Godwinson fought Harald Hardrada just a few weeks before going to Hastings and was defeated (more importantly, killed) fighting William of Normandy. I created my first small video for what I hope to be a little film about the correlations between the Norman Invasion and the Invasion of Normandy. So I am going to be taking videos on both sides of the channel and (hopefully) splicing them together to form a consistent narrative. I will let you know how that goes.
From there I rode into York. Wow, what a cool city. If you get there, spend a morning or afternoon walking the city walls. Yep, they just let you march over them as if you were defending the city. I think it is probably the most popular thing to do when visiting the city. Plus it is free! The walls are still up because apparently the second most popular thing to do when visiting York for the last thousand years was to sack the city.
The walls not only give you a good idea of what there is to see, but also how to get around the city. There are little signs up around telling you about the walls and towers. When they were built and why. I guess the first walls were made by the romans in 71 AD. Then the Normans rebuilt the city in their own style. You can't really say how old most of the wall is though. People have apparently been restoring sections of the wall since the 1500s. Still, it makes for a delightful little stroll.
There are also the ruins of St. Mary's abbey in town. It seems weird that there would be a medieval ruin right in the middle of town. Then again, they still have their city walls up. I guess the people of York are more a "we'll get to that later" kind of lot. There is a museum there as well, but it was closed when I got there. So I don't know if it is any good or not.
There is also a cathedral there, York Minster. Very cool. High Gothic styling with flying buttresses and everything. The weird thing is it seemed like there were three more churches within spitting distance. One right across the street. I know, now, the people of Briton have religious freedoms. These all look quite old, though. Built in the days when you went to THE CHURCH. So how do you choose which one to go too? Is it distance? "I could go to the cathedral, but it is 40 feet further from my house, and I am just not feeling it today." Is is it like the good china? Something that you only bring out on special occasions. I don't know. I have seen that in other places as well, and still don't have a good answer.
After that it was some fish and chips, then off to bed.
-Dravis
Distance: 20 miles (around the area)
Country: England
Song of the Day: Northern Birds - Amateur Transplants (For Jay)
Spending a day in York was a good idea actually. Woke up and spent some time doing laundry. Also got in a couple of blog posts. I wouldn't have spent so much time doing it, but it started raining just before noon, and I didn't feel like biking in that weather.
I did go out to Stamford Bridge. This is the site where Harold Godwinson fought Harald Hardrada just a few weeks before going to Hastings and was defeated (more importantly, killed) fighting William of Normandy. I created my first small video for what I hope to be a little film about the correlations between the Norman Invasion and the Invasion of Normandy. So I am going to be taking videos on both sides of the channel and (hopefully) splicing them together to form a consistent narrative. I will let you know how that goes.
From there I rode into York. Wow, what a cool city. If you get there, spend a morning or afternoon walking the city walls. Yep, they just let you march over them as if you were defending the city. I think it is probably the most popular thing to do when visiting the city. Plus it is free! The walls are still up because apparently the second most popular thing to do when visiting York for the last thousand years was to sack the city.
The walls not only give you a good idea of what there is to see, but also how to get around the city. There are little signs up around telling you about the walls and towers. When they were built and why. I guess the first walls were made by the romans in 71 AD. Then the Normans rebuilt the city in their own style. You can't really say how old most of the wall is though. People have apparently been restoring sections of the wall since the 1500s. Still, it makes for a delightful little stroll.
There are also the ruins of St. Mary's abbey in town. It seems weird that there would be a medieval ruin right in the middle of town. Then again, they still have their city walls up. I guess the people of York are more a "we'll get to that later" kind of lot. There is a museum there as well, but it was closed when I got there. So I don't know if it is any good or not.
There is also a cathedral there, York Minster. Very cool. High Gothic styling with flying buttresses and everything. The weird thing is it seemed like there were three more churches within spitting distance. One right across the street. I know, now, the people of Briton have religious freedoms. These all look quite old, though. Built in the days when you went to THE CHURCH. So how do you choose which one to go too? Is it distance? "I could go to the cathedral, but it is 40 feet further from my house, and I am just not feeling it today." Is is it like the good china? Something that you only bring out on special occasions. I don't know. I have seen that in other places as well, and still don't have a good answer.
After that it was some fish and chips, then off to bed.
-Dravis
Friday, September 4, 2009
Lincoln to York - Day 17
Date: September 4th, 2009
Distance: 90 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Smoke - Ben Folds Five
I forgot to mention the breakfast part. It is a bed and breakfast kind of place. The night before the managers of the guest house asked if I was full English. Confused, I told them I was part Norwegian. They were actually asking if I wanted a full English breakfast. I have to say, that made the money more than worth it. Bacon, hash browns, a fried egg, beans, fried tomato, plus I had a couple slices of toast and three glasses of O.J. That really put a good start to the day.
I should say in here that when you are touring, you think about food all the time. You just have to keep that engine running. I try to eat something at least every couple of hours. Candy, I love it. Lots of sugar for energy. Burgers and sandwiches, great. Lots of protein and carbs. It is better to get to a grocery store and pick up stuff for cheap, then go to a restaurant and spend five times as much. But often, it is there. If you are lucky you can get a deal as well. On my way into Lincoln I found a place that had sausage sandwiches and hot chocolate for £2. Wonderful. So yeah, just keep feeding that engine. Frankly, I am going to have to start budgeting more for food...
Anyway, back to where I was. So I don't know why no one comes to Lincoln. Maybe they just never camp there. But the city is actually pretty cool. They have a castle and a cathedral. Again, I wish I had more time to play around. I could probably have spent all day here. Plus the (old) city is high on a hill. Okay, it was a pain to bike up there. It was, however, a beautiful view. So if you go there, plan to stay at least a day in Lincoln.
From there it was off to York. I had written down directions from Google maps. Well, their software isn't the greatest at figuring out English roads. First of all, it seems to forget that they drive on the left. It also have a lot of issues with round abouts. Especially double round abouts. So take all of its directions with a grain of salt.
Oh, and the wind had picked up. I spend a couple of hours heading directly into the wind around noon. Not all that fun. But at least it wasn't as bad as Iceland. Oh, and my boot finally gave out around Stow. I really should have changed it earlier. But with the late nights and late starts I never wanted to spend the time to put the new tire on. So that was one more blown tube. Fortuneatly the rain didn't start until I was just about finished. From there it would sprinkle occasionally until evening.
The countryside was pleasant though. I am amazed at how much of the land here is used for agriculture or something. It is almost like riding through a weird, older version of Kansas.
Also, after I hit Scunthorpe, I started seeing signs for the Tour of Britan. They were just warning people that when it starts next week traffic will be blocked. I followed the route basically all the way into York. I felt pretty good. Here I was on my own tour. Doing 90 miles in a day. Lets see them do that with a full load, and wind! This is the real tour! For those of you who were on the Rock'n Horse, that would by like 4 1/2 times that, with full gear. So you are welcome to be envious of my journey, but don't imagine that it is easy.
-Davis
Distance: 90 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Smoke - Ben Folds Five
I forgot to mention the breakfast part. It is a bed and breakfast kind of place. The night before the managers of the guest house asked if I was full English. Confused, I told them I was part Norwegian. They were actually asking if I wanted a full English breakfast. I have to say, that made the money more than worth it. Bacon, hash browns, a fried egg, beans, fried tomato, plus I had a couple slices of toast and three glasses of O.J. That really put a good start to the day.
I should say in here that when you are touring, you think about food all the time. You just have to keep that engine running. I try to eat something at least every couple of hours. Candy, I love it. Lots of sugar for energy. Burgers and sandwiches, great. Lots of protein and carbs. It is better to get to a grocery store and pick up stuff for cheap, then go to a restaurant and spend five times as much. But often, it is there. If you are lucky you can get a deal as well. On my way into Lincoln I found a place that had sausage sandwiches and hot chocolate for £2. Wonderful. So yeah, just keep feeding that engine. Frankly, I am going to have to start budgeting more for food...
Anyway, back to where I was. So I don't know why no one comes to Lincoln. Maybe they just never camp there. But the city is actually pretty cool. They have a castle and a cathedral. Again, I wish I had more time to play around. I could probably have spent all day here. Plus the (old) city is high on a hill. Okay, it was a pain to bike up there. It was, however, a beautiful view. So if you go there, plan to stay at least a day in Lincoln.
From there it was off to York. I had written down directions from Google maps. Well, their software isn't the greatest at figuring out English roads. First of all, it seems to forget that they drive on the left. It also have a lot of issues with round abouts. Especially double round abouts. So take all of its directions with a grain of salt.
Oh, and the wind had picked up. I spend a couple of hours heading directly into the wind around noon. Not all that fun. But at least it wasn't as bad as Iceland. Oh, and my boot finally gave out around Stow. I really should have changed it earlier. But with the late nights and late starts I never wanted to spend the time to put the new tire on. So that was one more blown tube. Fortuneatly the rain didn't start until I was just about finished. From there it would sprinkle occasionally until evening.
The countryside was pleasant though. I am amazed at how much of the land here is used for agriculture or something. It is almost like riding through a weird, older version of Kansas.
Also, after I hit Scunthorpe, I started seeing signs for the Tour of Britan. They were just warning people that when it starts next week traffic will be blocked. I followed the route basically all the way into York. I felt pretty good. Here I was on my own tour. Doing 90 miles in a day. Lets see them do that with a full load, and wind! This is the real tour! For those of you who were on the Rock'n Horse, that would by like 4 1/2 times that, with full gear. So you are welcome to be envious of my journey, but don't imagine that it is easy.-Davis
Peterborough to Lincoln - Day 16
Date: September 3rd, 2009
Distance: 64 miles
Country: England
Woke up before 10:00 and broke camp. Actually I thought it was an hour earlier because my watch was off. Whoops. Just as I was getting onto the rode I ran into my French friend. So we headed off together. Getting out of the city was a pain. None of the roads actually seemed to lead out. We got there eventually, with the helpful advice of some strangers. Basically we ended up on the A14 and A15 all day. Not a bad way to go, but it is really just a highway. Sometimes there isn't a shoulder so you have to be really careful of cars. It is also a little harder to enjoy the scenery with cars racing by.
The countryside was mostly rolling hills. It got to be really annoying. You would struggle up a hill, and then waste all the potential energy. Then do it again, and again.
I got ahead of my companion outside of Lincoln and must have just lost him. He was going to camp in the wild again that night. Turns out that might have been a better idea. When I got to Lincoln, no one knew of a camping site. "What? No one comes here," they told me. So I ended up finding a bed and breakfast to stay at. I was actually lucky to get in, both because it was late and they had a cancellation. Plus the other places I went to had no vacancies. It was a lot more than a camping spot. But it got me online to plan out my next day and charge my batteries. Plus the family that runs it was very nice. Especially for welcoming a dirty bike rider into their home late at night. So if anyone ever comes to Lincoln, I recommend the Brayford Guest House.
-Dravis
Distance: 64 miles
Country: England
Woke up before 10:00 and broke camp. Actually I thought it was an hour earlier because my watch was off. Whoops. Just as I was getting onto the rode I ran into my French friend. So we headed off together. Getting out of the city was a pain. None of the roads actually seemed to lead out. We got there eventually, with the helpful advice of some strangers. Basically we ended up on the A14 and A15 all day. Not a bad way to go, but it is really just a highway. Sometimes there isn't a shoulder so you have to be really careful of cars. It is also a little harder to enjoy the scenery with cars racing by.
The countryside was mostly rolling hills. It got to be really annoying. You would struggle up a hill, and then waste all the potential energy. Then do it again, and again.
I got ahead of my companion outside of Lincoln and must have just lost him. He was going to camp in the wild again that night. Turns out that might have been a better idea. When I got to Lincoln, no one knew of a camping site. "What? No one comes here," they told me. So I ended up finding a bed and breakfast to stay at. I was actually lucky to get in, both because it was late and they had a cancellation. Plus the other places I went to had no vacancies. It was a lot more than a camping spot. But it got me online to plan out my next day and charge my batteries. Plus the family that runs it was very nice. Especially for welcoming a dirty bike rider into their home late at night. So if anyone ever comes to Lincoln, I recommend the Brayford Guest House.
-Dravis
Cambridge to Peterborough - Day 15
Date: September 2nd, 2009
Distance: 48 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Ahead by a Century - The Tragically Hip
Woke up late again. I don't know why I do this all the time. But the road life really takes it out of you. Was out of the campsite just after noon. Stopped to pick up some much needed food. Mmmmm. Then it was into town.
I have to say Cambridge is a really beautiful city. I really wish I had more time to spend here. It seems like it would be a wonderful place to go to school. (Not to say I would actually get in...) The city and the university and the city are so smushed together after 800 years that it is hard to tell where one ends and another begins. Complicating this is the fact that the university is a collection of different colleges. Each one has its own area. The buildings are quite pretty. Again, I wish I had more time, but I needed to press on.
I did find a bike shop though. I got two extra tubes, a new tire and some lights. Oh, and a bell. Silly I know, but it is a good way to say "hey, there is a bike coming through". Also, I like to ring it sometimes in the middle of nowhere. It makes me giggle. I put the lights and the bell on real quick. I didn't change the tire out, because the boot was holding pretty good. Plus I just wanted to get moving.
It was 3:00 PM when I left Cambridge. Again, the late starts are going to kill me. I found the national cycle route (51) I wanted, which was nice. But it dumped me out onto the A1. Basically a freeway at that point. So the riding was really not that fun. But I was headed in the right direction and making good time.
After Huntington, I decided there has to be a better way. I felt very good that I found the next cycle route (12) that I was supposed to take. I also picked up a Frenchman. He was riding north to Scotland. So I was trying to show him the route north. This wasn't all that easy. A number of occasions I missed a sign and that was it. So we had to turn around and go back. The little blue signs aren't all that easy to see. Especially when they are behind a tree. The route was very nice though. Sure it was a bit windy, but through this wonderful countryside and little, ancient villages. It also started raining as it go on toward evening. Nothing terrible, but it made the ride a little slower and more annoying.
I should mention in here something about the smell. This probably doesn't get mentioned in most travel magazine or books. A field with a fresh layer a manure over it smells awful. You know when you pass one. It just assaults your nostrils. I don't have any advice for a good way to avoid it. But just remember it isn't all fun and games out on the road.
I also had a weird experience, I swear that one of the little towns we went through was the same as one I played in Medal of Honor. The way the road wrapped around the church was eerily similar. I tried explaining this to my French companion, but his English isn't that good, and my French is basically non-existent.
I said goodbye to him about 8 miles outside of Peterborough. A mile later the cycle path I was on vanished. I found the last sign, but there were no turns indicated after that anywhere. Just gone. Leaving me in the middle of nowhere with no indication of where to go. Oh, I should mention that English road signs only seem to mention the very next town. Since every four miles there is some tiny village or other, it isn't easy to tell if you are going the correct direction even. I ended up biking back and forth in the rain trying to find it to no avail. I did run into two other bikers who had good directions to the town and camping.
With all the running around trying to find my path. It was dark by the time I go into Peterborough. I got into town and had a cheap meal at the local pub. After that it was off to the campsite, a quick shower and off to bed.
-Dravis
Distance: 48 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Ahead by a Century - The Tragically Hip
Woke up late again. I don't know why I do this all the time. But the road life really takes it out of you. Was out of the campsite just after noon. Stopped to pick up some much needed food. Mmmmm. Then it was into town.
I have to say Cambridge is a really beautiful city. I really wish I had more time to spend here. It seems like it would be a wonderful place to go to school. (Not to say I would actually get in...) The city and the university and the city are so smushed together after 800 years that it is hard to tell where one ends and another begins. Complicating this is the fact that the university is a collection of different colleges. Each one has its own area. The buildings are quite pretty. Again, I wish I had more time, but I needed to press on.
I did find a bike shop though. I got two extra tubes, a new tire and some lights. Oh, and a bell. Silly I know, but it is a good way to say "hey, there is a bike coming through". Also, I like to ring it sometimes in the middle of nowhere. It makes me giggle. I put the lights and the bell on real quick. I didn't change the tire out, because the boot was holding pretty good. Plus I just wanted to get moving.
It was 3:00 PM when I left Cambridge. Again, the late starts are going to kill me. I found the national cycle route (51) I wanted, which was nice. But it dumped me out onto the A1. Basically a freeway at that point. So the riding was really not that fun. But I was headed in the right direction and making good time.
After Huntington, I decided there has to be a better way. I felt very good that I found the next cycle route (12) that I was supposed to take. I also picked up a Frenchman. He was riding north to Scotland. So I was trying to show him the route north. This wasn't all that easy. A number of occasions I missed a sign and that was it. So we had to turn around and go back. The little blue signs aren't all that easy to see. Especially when they are behind a tree. The route was very nice though. Sure it was a bit windy, but through this wonderful countryside and little, ancient villages. It also started raining as it go on toward evening. Nothing terrible, but it made the ride a little slower and more annoying.
I should mention in here something about the smell. This probably doesn't get mentioned in most travel magazine or books. A field with a fresh layer a manure over it smells awful. You know when you pass one. It just assaults your nostrils. I don't have any advice for a good way to avoid it. But just remember it isn't all fun and games out on the road.
I also had a weird experience, I swear that one of the little towns we went through was the same as one I played in Medal of Honor. The way the road wrapped around the church was eerily similar. I tried explaining this to my French companion, but his English isn't that good, and my French is basically non-existent.
I said goodbye to him about 8 miles outside of Peterborough. A mile later the cycle path I was on vanished. I found the last sign, but there were no turns indicated after that anywhere. Just gone. Leaving me in the middle of nowhere with no indication of where to go. Oh, I should mention that English road signs only seem to mention the very next town. Since every four miles there is some tiny village or other, it isn't easy to tell if you are going the correct direction even. I ended up biking back and forth in the rain trying to find it to no avail. I did run into two other bikers who had good directions to the town and camping.
With all the running around trying to find my path. It was dark by the time I go into Peterborough. I got into town and had a cheap meal at the local pub. After that it was off to the campsite, a quick shower and off to bed.
-Dravis
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
London to Cambridge - Day 14
Date: September 1st, 2009
Distance: 62 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Pretend - Ellen Says No
Woke up late. Jay and I had been up talking and looking up weird stuff on the internet. So it was noon before I got out of bed. From there we went to have breakfast. Eggs and bacon, mmmmmm. It took me a little while after that to get all my stuff ready. So we didn't leave Jay's place until after 3:00. So that was a bit of a mistake.
He showed me the path along the canal. This would take me about half way to Cambridge. After that we said goodbye. Jay, thanks for everything. The route along the canal was pretty amazing. I promise to post some pictures of it soon. The scenerey was pretty. Every few miles they had a set of man powered locks. Really cool. And other than that it was a nice peacful ride. Though the side you were supposed to be on kept switching. Other than that it was great.
I did have one big disaster along the canal though. I lost my hat. I loved that hat. It was cheap, only $6 in L.A. But I got more compliments on that then just about any other clothing I have ever owned. Farewell good friend.
From there on things didn't get much better. I think I pulled something in my knee the last day in Iceland. It tends to hurt a bit when I go stoping around on my bike. So I have been trying to give that a rest. I don't feel anything when I am spinning. But at the same time spinning all day made me a bit saddle sore towards then in.
I also had a flat in a small town. First one of the trip. Turns out my tire wore through exposing the metal part to catch the rim. So that cut through the innertube like butter. I had to create a boot for it so that it wouldn't cut the new one. But that took an hour. By that point it was getting pretty dark.
I really don't like riding on dark country roads at night. Plus I forgot my giant red tail light in S. I also meant to pick up a front light before I left but things got rushed. So I was riding at night with no lights. The bags and my bike do have good reflectors though. At the same time I didn't trust a person to always see them. So when I would hear a car coming (a mile away) I would just pull over and let them pass. This wasn't actually too bad. There were probably less than a dozen cars going by. I also got a little help on the best route from a gas station attendant and customer. Thanks.
When I did get in to the camping site, the manager was very helpful. Plus I was able to get a nice warm shower before crawling into my tent. Tomorrow off to find a bike shop. Need a new tire, some tubes and a light or two. Also, I will try to get some pictures up.
-Dravis
Distance: 62 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Pretend - Ellen Says No
Woke up late. Jay and I had been up talking and looking up weird stuff on the internet. So it was noon before I got out of bed. From there we went to have breakfast. Eggs and bacon, mmmmmm. It took me a little while after that to get all my stuff ready. So we didn't leave Jay's place until after 3:00. So that was a bit of a mistake.
He showed me the path along the canal. This would take me about half way to Cambridge. After that we said goodbye. Jay, thanks for everything. The route along the canal was pretty amazing. I promise to post some pictures of it soon. The scenerey was pretty. Every few miles they had a set of man powered locks. Really cool. And other than that it was a nice peacful ride. Though the side you were supposed to be on kept switching. Other than that it was great.
I did have one big disaster along the canal though. I lost my hat. I loved that hat. It was cheap, only $6 in L.A. But I got more compliments on that then just about any other clothing I have ever owned. Farewell good friend.
From there on things didn't get much better. I think I pulled something in my knee the last day in Iceland. It tends to hurt a bit when I go stoping around on my bike. So I have been trying to give that a rest. I don't feel anything when I am spinning. But at the same time spinning all day made me a bit saddle sore towards then in.
I also had a flat in a small town. First one of the trip. Turns out my tire wore through exposing the metal part to catch the rim. So that cut through the innertube like butter. I had to create a boot for it so that it wouldn't cut the new one. But that took an hour. By that point it was getting pretty dark.
I really don't like riding on dark country roads at night. Plus I forgot my giant red tail light in S. I also meant to pick up a front light before I left but things got rushed. So I was riding at night with no lights. The bags and my bike do have good reflectors though. At the same time I didn't trust a person to always see them. So when I would hear a car coming (a mile away) I would just pull over and let them pass. This wasn't actually too bad. There were probably less than a dozen cars going by. I also got a little help on the best route from a gas station attendant and customer. Thanks.
When I did get in to the camping site, the manager was very helpful. Plus I was able to get a nice warm shower before crawling into my tent. Tomorrow off to find a bike shop. Need a new tire, some tubes and a light or two. Also, I will try to get some pictures up.
-Dravis
London - Day 13
Date: August 31st, 2009
Distance: None
Country: England
Woke up and Jay made us some tea. I can really understand why the drink is so popular here. It feels good on a nice cool morning. Some of his mates were getting together to play cricket. So we got in to his car to pick a few more people up. Actually, I tried to get in the right side first. Wrong side.
From there it was over to pick up James, his brother Sam and Sharief. So we had a full car. Then it was off to Wimbledon. Again there are no straight line in the city, but we did get there.
Now cricket is a strange game. Yes, there are similarities to baseball. Each sport has a bat and is thrown a ball to hit. After a hit the batters run. That is pretty much where the similarities end though. Cricket has 11 men to a team. All of the batters from the first team go, then all the batters from the second team go. End of game.
As a batter your bat is really your lifeline. You can touch it behind the crease (your safe area) to keep from getting out. Dropping you bat after a hit (like I did my first time) is considered bad form and also very funny. You are trying to defend the wicket, if the bowler hits it you are out. So the stance is very strange if you are used to baseball. So my first time up at cricket I scored no runs.
Fielding is a little easier. You don't have gloves like in baseball. Plus the field is open, there is no foul line. So the ball can go anywhere. But I felt like I did pretty well getting the ball and keeping the batsmen from scoring runs. Our team one which felt pretty good. Also, playing cricket on a beautiful London day is something else I can cross off my list. Thanks to all the players, it was a real blast. Thanks to Steve for helping explain the rules.
-Dravis
Distance: None
Country: England
Woke up and Jay made us some tea. I can really understand why the drink is so popular here. It feels good on a nice cool morning. Some of his mates were getting together to play cricket. So we got in to his car to pick a few more people up. Actually, I tried to get in the right side first. Wrong side.
From there it was over to pick up James, his brother Sam and Sharief. So we had a full car. Then it was off to Wimbledon. Again there are no straight line in the city, but we did get there.
Now cricket is a strange game. Yes, there are similarities to baseball. Each sport has a bat and is thrown a ball to hit. After a hit the batters run. That is pretty much where the similarities end though. Cricket has 11 men to a team. All of the batters from the first team go, then all the batters from the second team go. End of game.
As a batter your bat is really your lifeline. You can touch it behind the crease (your safe area) to keep from getting out. Dropping you bat after a hit (like I did my first time) is considered bad form and also very funny. You are trying to defend the wicket, if the bowler hits it you are out. So the stance is very strange if you are used to baseball. So my first time up at cricket I scored no runs.
Fielding is a little easier. You don't have gloves like in baseball. Plus the field is open, there is no foul line. So the ball can go anywhere. But I felt like I did pretty well getting the ball and keeping the batsmen from scoring runs. Our team one which felt pretty good. Also, playing cricket on a beautiful London day is something else I can cross off my list. Thanks to all the players, it was a real blast. Thanks to Steve for helping explain the rules.
-Dravis
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
London - Day 12
Date: August 30th, 2009
Distance: 6 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Pink Bullets - The Shins
Woke up and got my stuff together. Dasha was going out to her mums. My new mate Jay had said he would put me up for a couple of nights until his bike was ready. Then we would head out to Cambridge on Tuesday. So I biked over to his place in east London. Again London is a pretty cool city. But I did end up getting lost a couple of times on the way over. I guess the east end is also supposed to be a bit dodgy. It didn't seem too bad, but I don't think I would have like to be out there with all my stuff at night.
Jay's house is really pretty cool. A Victorian row house. Very nice. We hung out for a while and had some ribs. Then we headed over to Brick Lane. This is a kind of chic neighborhood I guess. Lots of young people and artist types. There were a ton of people out because it was the Sunday night before the bank holiday on Monday. We went to a pub and sat around talking for a while. Good day.
-Dravis
Distance: 6 miles
Country: England
Song of the Day: Pink Bullets - The Shins
Woke up and got my stuff together. Dasha was going out to her mums. My new mate Jay had said he would put me up for a couple of nights until his bike was ready. Then we would head out to Cambridge on Tuesday. So I biked over to his place in east London. Again London is a pretty cool city. But I did end up getting lost a couple of times on the way over. I guess the east end is also supposed to be a bit dodgy. It didn't seem too bad, but I don't think I would have like to be out there with all my stuff at night.
Jay's house is really pretty cool. A Victorian row house. Very nice. We hung out for a while and had some ribs. Then we headed over to Brick Lane. This is a kind of chic neighborhood I guess. Lots of young people and artist types. There were a ton of people out because it was the Sunday night before the bank holiday on Monday. We went to a pub and sat around talking for a while. Good day.
-Dravis
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