Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Nothing hard is ever easy: A bicycle tour attempt.

Absolute guaranteed thread of the year.

Stand Proud Birdy..

Update 12:00 pm Texas time, Port Dickinson NY (just east of Binghamton.

Slow start this morning, rolling out of Owego @ 9:00am after taking care of internet business and emails/text to family (thus far the surprise is complete ).

Slow and methodical passage through Binghamton alongside heavy traffic. The familiar crowded, suffocating claustrophobia of NY suburbia, topped with the usual bike route stretch through the wrong side of town. Little Rock was easier. I was thankful I didn't choose to push on to here last night.

About a 30 mile day so far in three hours, not bad considering. Seven hours of daylight remaining.

Still the rule is as long as that front wheel is rolling beneath you, all things will pass.

I met a fellow cyclist who gave me a NY Bike Rt 17 map.

Serious dissonance between mileage by them and on google maps bicycle. According to the NY Bike Rt. 17 map I'm still about 194 miles from Port Jervis NY on that route. Googe maps says it can get me there in 110.

Either way, my route goes through Deposit NY, either 41 or 30 miles from here depending who you wish to believe, for a total of an 86 or a 55 mile day Maybe NY miles are smaller than Google miles I dunno.

My legs tell me Google is right, in a perfect world I make Hancock tonight, otherwise I don't get to Port Jervis until Monday. Not holding my breath.

Birdwatcher

Grand deal Birdy! Keep it up. Almost done!

Enjoyed following this immensely as I had time.

Jeff

Update: 3pm Texas time. Still in Binghamton

Actually its my own damned fault for blindly trusting those little green Bike 17 signs.

Turns out Bike 17 divides in Binghamtom, one goes on a maybe 50 mile loop north, the other goes direct east to Windsor, both are marked identically.

Here I was wondering why Bike 17 was going north, I kept waiting for a right turn to go east. Next problem; try and find a printed map of Binghamton any more. The friendly folks in a local bike shop I came across helped me google up a solution that didn't have me going back through the pits of Binghamton.

Miles lost; maybe seven or eight total. Time lost; two hours.

Stuff happens.

Birdwatcher

Have to admire your attitude and perseverence, Bud.

Day 32/Day 33 Update: Circle E Diner. Hancock NY . 9:00am Texas time. 70 miles from destination (Matamoras Pa)

Quickly got back on track yesterday and followed those green bicycle signs through a serpentine course but quickly picked up old Rt. 17 and a hard climb over the mountains, maybe 15 miles taking me more'n two hours. IIIRC from the main Susquehanna Valley over to the East Susquehanna tributary. On the way I met a very nice couple formerly of Houston and Dallas who plied me with welcome and Gatorades. Then a long downhill to Windsor NY, former site of the storied (to me at least) polyglot Indian/White town of Onoquaga (more about that later).

6:00pm by that time, and I woulda been happy to quit but Windsor, just 12 highway miles from Binghamton, has gone upscale and gentrified. No place for borderline vagrant cyclists. They even fenced off the formerly public river access where me and my dogs walked when last I passed this way with my wife maybe five years back.

Also, I had completed one of three hard climbs on the route, the second and largest lay between my and Deposit, 17 miles to the east. Out of the East Susquehanna drainage and over to the Delaware. I wanted to see it done before I quit for the day.

Knowing how this works by now, I scarfed down a 6� tuna sub and a large Diet Coke at the Subway on the old brick storefront strip in Windsor before heading out. Good thing I ate and caffiened up; fifty continuous minutes laboring upwards in my lowest granny gear, feeling the strain on my knees and going as gentle as possible.

Got some photos from the top, then a long undulating downhill on this narrow old two-lane through the forest, light fading. Seemed too much to hope downhill would go all the way to Deposit but it did. Nearly full dark now. No place to pull off, posted signs right up against the roadway.

This road parallels modern Rt 17/Whatever interstate it is now to varying degrees. Just outside Deposit in the gathering dark I came across a right turn for the west/northbound onramp to the interstate (i.e a state right of way as opposed to private property). A quick look around and I rolled behind the guardrail on the on ramp onto the weedy wooded downslope beyond.

It was steeper than I thought but I lay the bike over and spent the night in that weird gravity world that happens when you're laying on a 45 degree slope. No tent, not even a groundsheet below me else I'd slide right off it. No skeeters at all, slept surprisingly well considering. Had to handle everything slow and careful lest it slide off downhill. And I had to take the bags off the bike before I could haul it back uphill again.

Well its official, first light here is 4:30am Texas time. No one was awake in Deposit except for one guy on his porch who did give me directions to the obscure turn off under the old railroad bridge that leads to the river road on the west/south Pennsylvania side of the Delaware (below Deposit the river valley becomes so narrow the Interstate has occupied all the space, there are no side roads along the river on the NY side between Deposit and Hancock).

A winding, hilly and poorly-marked three-hour sojourn through PA on narrow paved roads. Couldn't stay on the river, ten miles of the riverside road is still dirt, and reportedly rough. It immediately became apparent why nobody cycles through PA; beautiful, but steep and slow. No road signs to speak of, all done by directions from helpful locals, culminating in a spectacular six-mile downhill on a narrow rough road through a winding steep valley following a streambed (I got pics of all these things).

Back to the beautiful Delaware at last, and over to the NY side again to pick up 97 south along the river. 70 miles left, but one more major hill section south of here. A win-win: if I make it I'm there tonight, if not I camp along the river, and the Delaware is special.

Birdwatcher

Mike, I wish you'd stop lollygaggin' around!

Easily!

I have enjoyed this thread probably more than any on the fire. Great accounting of the us, but also of a man.

Mike- We got back from Rome tonight to learn of your recent struggles. I wish it could have been easier for you! I should have mentioned that occasionally along the Delaware the DEC has public fishing access spots. We could have looked them up. There might have been some stealth camping opportunities there.

I'm glad you are almost there. Keep up the good work and asap please rest up a little.

Mike. My formative years were in Delhi/Oneonta.

I know exactly where you are. Keep going buddy!

Mike texted me at 6:30PM, Texas time. He was 25 miles from his final destination and exhausted.

I haven't heard any further, so I'm guessing that he made it and he's busy with family.

What a story!

Ed

...gives real meaning to that phrase, "The stuff of Legend".

There's a good BOOK lurking in the future, If BW were to choose to assemble it.

Kudos Mike !



GTC

...VICTORY.

Give thanks



Revel



Ancient Winged Victory



Be crowned



Pride, Perseverance, Strength



Celebrate



CONGRATULATIONS!!

Mike, thanks for the account of your adventure. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story!

I, too, have enjoyed this thread more than any other and have eagerly looked forward to each new posting from Mike. I admire him almost to the point of envy in his determination to take this on and he's done a remarkable work in his narration of the trip.
Kudos upon kudos to him!

Way to go Birdy!!

I'm with Coleman! By far the coolest thread I've read in quite a while!

Thanks for letting us be part of your adventure.

Mike,
Thanks for taking us along on your adventure! I rode from Seattle to San Francisco several years ago. I tried to keep a journal with pen and paper, but I never did complete all the work to post photos and written journal on the crazyguyonabike web site once I got home. I can appreciate how much time this thread took. Have a great time with your family!

Amazing and inspiring.

Great, great thread.