Seattle and Baltimore, a big THANK YOU.

Cloud from the gallery of art, Baltimore MD.

When, in a few days, we return to the UK there will be ‘ artists ‘ in the pop chart that we have never heard of, and may only have been at infant school when we left. There will be celebrities of the chef variety and otherwise that we have no idea of the names of or care much about. New cars will have unfamiliar shapes and the bank notes of Scotland will be as baffling to us as any tourist.

Fake branding.

Things will have changed in 3 and a half years and I can only hope that someone has cut the grass. We are older that is just simple mathematics, and there are times when the wrong light makes us look as if the journey has aged us. There are other moments when I can be convinced it has kept us young.

Phyllis – Seattle WA.

Dennis – Seattle WA.

You left us just after we had got to Seattle and were full to the brim with emotions of a project completed. We have now crossed the USA from coast to coast twice, which makes us part of a special club of sorts. If we had to pick, and of course it would be as hard as choosing which one of the twins you would save in a house fire, it would have to be The Northern Tier. The next person you ask on this subject will probably put these the other way around just to confuse you.

From the garden.

Good cheer with fine friends.

We have met wonderful people, crazy people, slightly confused people and people who have just the very vaguest grasp of reality. People who just a moment before have been total strangers have stepped forward to offer us help. We could have made it without them, but my goodness it would have been far, far harder.

Chris Cameron – Seattle WA.

If you set out on a bicycle to travel the world you will make the sort of friends that you can count on. The sort of people you want by your side at a lion hunt. You will be invited into people’s homes without a moment’s hesitation. We are lucky enough to have a whole legion of theses ‘ trail angels ‘. In Seattle we had hospitality beyond our wildest dreams. If you are reading this because you met us on the road somewhere on the journey, we thank you.

My bike renovated by Rosebud – we know he put the front rack on wrong!

Chris Cameron of Rosebud Bicycle Builds came around to give our bikes the bicycle equivalent of a Rock Star Spa weekend. He did the same sort of thing in year one, which is why we look so good after all these miles. We have tried to look good, smell fragrant and smile throughout the more than 31,000 miles and it is thanks to a few good mechanics and the best equipment on planet Earth that we have managed this most of the time. Most of the stuff we use we hand over hard cash for. A few things we get a deal on – Thank you Big Agnes Tents of Colorado USA and Showers Pass Waterproofs of USA. These are the best in the business.

Padding for flight.

Bagging for flight.

If you have stumbled upon the blog while searching for some sportswool socks – welcome. If you are here for a bit of inspiration, or to find a route, get out there and tell them we sent you. There are lots of you reading this who should be working – you need a rest anyway, and will be far more productive in 20 minutes time after a bit of a distraction. If you just can’t sleep, pull up a chair and grab a Scotch. It is good to have you all.

Tom – Baltimore MD.

Kathryn – Baltimore MD.

We are now in Baltimore guests of the wonderful Tom and Kathryn, with our flight back to the UK just 2 days away. Thanks to South West Airlines everything got here and for no extra charge for oversized – a bit of charm helped, and a €150 fee got waved. If Sir Richard’s people do a good job and the bikes come off the other end with everything there and unmolested Virgin Atlantic will remain our favourite way to get across the pond.

Gallery – Baltimore MD.

Church with Poe’s grave – Baltimore MD.

If we can meet any of you on our way from the North of the English Midlands as we ride up to Scotland, make yourselves known. If you are in Scotland, on the West coast or on many of the islands then we will be passing by your door. We will be trying to show you our home country through this blog. I hope it all works out and the sun shines and the wind drops to a breeze that keeps away the midges. This last kick of the ball should be fun. Let’s see what happens and as usual we have almost no plan.

Offerings on the grave of Edgar Allan Poe – Baltimore MD.

Offering on the grave of Edgar Allan Poe – Baltimore MD.

 

 

 

Trans-America bike ride 2014, final prep and panic.

Bunnies.

Cherry blossoms.

Back when music was good and thoughts of nuclear annihilation was dinner party conversation, there was progressive rock and concept albums. I have a sneaky suspicion that the average attention span was longer back then. A three album live offering featuring tracks that stretched close to 20 minutes did not feel too taxing for my teenage self. You set aside close to 2 hours whilst you did your chemistry and physics homework, and away you went on a musical journey.

Second-hand dress.

Washington in early spring.

Now one of the things that you will notice on those live albums, in between the 15 minute drum solos, is the crowd. You had sleeve notes and artwork with these vinyl masterpieces and the mob going crazy is in New York. American crowds did that, and still do that. There would be a couple of guys shouting ” Albatross ” in reference to a Python sketch on the tracks recorded in London but that would be it. America does enthusiasm, and has a limit set high on self-conscious and embarrassment that makes the rest of the world look reserved, timid even.

Rims

4 new rims from the UK.

Milk powder, oats & raisins. Check!

After nearly 27,000 miles on the road we are tired. That is 31 rides Lands End to John O’Groats back to back for goodness sake. We needed people pulling over, getting out of their cars and shouting ” Your awesome!!! “. It had to be a ride back in the USA for our final year, we needed an American crowd this time.

Warren’s Dave Yates Bike, aka Sebastian.

Longer mud flap.

Quietstove – a simmering aid that we could not work with.

The bikes have had their brushes with baggage handlers and scrapes down gnarly brickwork and looked tired. Bits that go round had been doing that for ages and needed replacing. The Big Agnes tent was showing it’s age, waterproofs and tyres were on their last legs and other things we were just bored with. Almost everything we needed had changed in the 3 and a bit years we have been on the road. Shimano does not produce the gear system and hubs we set out with and Schwalbe has dropped the tyres and even my favorite underwear is different now.

Jeff from Aviation Velo, Linthicum, near Baltimore.

Top mechanic Dave, Aviation Velo.

American Flag days.

The geese started to fly north in wide V-shaped skeins as the days lengthened and temperatures picked up. It snowed again. We tried out new bits of kit and some of it worked. We renovated things and washed and dried everything that did not have a care label telling you not to. Some new things worked – mud flaps for the bikes, and some we could not work with – Quietstove. Lots of our kit is still with us just to see how long you can use it before it falls apart. My Rapha shorts have exceeded all of my wildest expectations and are still on the team.

The Big Agnes Copper Spur; new.

No 7303 tram.

No 2187 tram.

No 26 tram.

So, it is time to ride out of the garage here in Catonsville and down the coast to pick up the Trans-America bike route. We have been guests of Amy and Jerry Newman who have treated us like family and are now very much part of ‘ Team Sportswool ‘. If you want to see what it is like to ride across the USA, then join the blog by clicking on the button towards the top left of the page. If you have been with us before, you know the routine.

At the Orioles Park, Baltimore.

The field, Orioles Ball Park, Baltimore.

Big screen, Orioles Ball Park, Baltimore.

USA, one more time.

Washing and drying sleeping bags after 500 sleeps!

” I tell you what, shall I scribble out that zero in the brackets? ” I had been given two places that are on the database of my insurance company, and this was the closest. Since we had arrived here my sinuses had been complaining. It was starting to feel as if I was being pinned down by a woman wearing stilettos. She had got one foot on the floor, but the other had the heel right on the bridge of my nose. We were trying to help the girl at reception make her first international call.

‘ There are too many numbers! ‘. We were trying and failing to get across the concept of telephoning somewhere outside the USA. ‘ It should be like that, ‘ and of course she was pointing at the telephone number of where we were staying. ” This is a number in the UK, England and not anywhere near Baltimore. ”

If she had been a dog in a previous life she would be a Spaniel, that is 100% certain. ” You need all of those numbers, you can’t take any of them off the front or the back, that is the number “. I was starting to doubt that I had used that very number less than an hour ago. For the tenth time, she tried again to dial the number.

To be honest it dawned on us then that it may not be Spaniel girls fault. ” I think your phone will not accept an international number “. ‘ I’m dialling 9 for an outside line though ‘. She was smiling, still eager to do a good job and try again. ” We had the option of coming here or John Hopkins, what would you do? I asked her ” We went to John Hopkins Emergency Room. All I needed was antibiotic nose spray.

$200 for the consultation and $70 for the meds. I could have scored crack cocaine faster and cheaper. The little bottle of clear liquid with the spray pump is more expensive than the single malt 12 year old whiskey that is on sale at the liquor store next to the pharmacy.

Air Malta had treated the bikes well on the flight to London Heathrow. We handed them over to left luggage for a night and went to see Virgin Atlantic. ” Do we have to book them in? ” Virgin Atlantic are our favourite ‘ flying with bikes ‘ airline, and part of the reason we are transiting through London. ” Just turn up and a bike bag up to 23Kg is free “. Richard we love you.

With most of the day to play with, we booked into a hotel and joined the crush of humanity that is a tube ride into central London. You have to stick to a bit of a plan if you arrive at the British Museum or it is a bit like the panic of facing a near empty car park. The choice paralyses you, and you will probably end up in the bookshop or cafe. ‘ A History of The World In 100 Objects ‘ is possibly the best podcast on the WWW. All of the objects are in the museum, including my favourite – Minoan Bull Leaper and we had to see it.

Well done Virgin!- both bikes there and in great conditions.

Virgin Atlantic took the bikes for hand delivery to the plane and we had enough time to relax, drink half a cup of coffee and spill the rest over the departure lounge floor. Also enough time in duty-free to get the first inkling that someone had cloned my credit card.

Washington Dulles airport USA and the horror of immigration. No matter how many times you have checked on the WWW about ESTA requirements and the validity of the visa you have sitting in your passport, the guy at the desk is judge and jury. We have given ourselves 3 days ‘ wiggle room ‘ this time in case our outward flight is delayed.

Walk through the woodland.

We are in. Welcome to the land of zip-lock bags and switches that you flick up for on! Welcome to tumble drying on a summers day, welcome to the best customer service in the world. Welcome to some of the best cycling in the world.

Within 48 hours we are more pleased than I would ever admit to, and getting our sleeping bags laundered. We had pushed the envelope of acceptability on this one, and run up over 500 sleeps on Esther’s bag. It may be as much as 800 sleeps, which is truly disgusting and possibly a record. You need an industrial sized dryer and nerves of steel washing down, and we had one of those. It teaches you to never let your down bag get wet.

My credit card had definitely been cloned. Possibly on Sicily by some Mafia crew, or possibly Malta. We had only used the card over the counter about 3 times this month when we ran low on folding cash. More than three years on the road and always dealing with cash withdraws from the safest looking ATM’s, and now we have let our guard down.

… with the dog.

We are in a good place. N0 what am I saying here, we are in a great place and this could have been a disaster in the depths of China. The snow falls and we take the dog long walks. You can settle down and wait the short amount of time it will take for your scant knowledge of the American Civil War to be found out. I think I could write about half an A4 page on the war. Esther, as a German and from the former East by way of excuse and apology could write her knowledge on a postcard. There would be lots of room left for the address and stamp and kisses at the bottom. In her defence, she knows rather a lot about Marx and Engels.

Annie the dog, I.

Frozen.

We know almost nothing about the battles, but then why should we. I can sit on my bed at home and see the wood where Mary Queen of Scots surrendered to the English forces, and the history of Europe changed forever. There is the site of a Roman camp if I look slightly the other way. There is only so much room for history and I have not even mentioned ‘ The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh ‘, which is just a bit further over. If Clint did not feature in a film about it, then I do not know about it, sorry.

Annie the dog, II.

The winter is a long one here. We have learned the phrase – Polar Vortex, and drop it into conversation over coffee like meteorology graduates. Animals are finding it hard with day after day of sub-zero temperatures. Our nemesis from previous cycling here has paid us a visit.

Stared down by a raccoon on the other side of the window.

If you think about bears and camping, then you must consider Raccoons as an equal adversary. Our panniers have been holed, clasps undone and jerky and cheese stolen by Raccoons. Never ever underestimate them, and certainly try not to let one bite you. They are fearless, cunning, smart and undeniable cute. Do not drop your guard even for a moment. I know we will be outsmarted again, but at the moment it is us looking out the window from a warm room. When humanity finally presses the button and sends us into oblivion it is predicted that only cockroaches will survive. I think you could add Raccoons. Some how, some way they will be there in the smoking rubble, that is a given.

Good beer – we are so predictable… Fat Tire New Belgium Brewing Company – HURRAH.