Bikepacking Trip
Boulder CO to Syracuse NY
‘When oportunity knocks – you roll with it…’
Met new people – saw new places – gained some perspective – goal at start – restore some faith in humanity…
How it all went down…
ONE
Mike – Pat & The Moving Van
Friends Mike and partner Patricia were moving back to Colorado.
Mike and I packed a couple of storage units worth of stuff into a UHaul
I put my bike and gear in the back
We then drove – a long way – west
and unpacked the stuff into a bigger storage unit in Golden, CO.
INTERMISSION
Took a Day of rest in Chicago.
Thanks to my mother and sister for the nice Air BnB right downtown
with a washer and dryer in the apartment!
In Syracuse New York I made the decision to call the ride “good enough.”
The weather in Florida began to show promise – highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s – perfect weather for the many outdoor projects I save for this time of year…
I rented a car and drove home, taking a semi-scenic route down interstate 81, through the Pennsylvania mountains. I arrived home safely and that’s pretty much it.
Looking back on the trip, the main take away is how tolerant even the most opinionated person was whenever I was pressed to engage in conversation. On several occasions I accepted invitation to take a night’s rest in one person’s house or other and each time I was accepted without apprehension or judgement. And I should say, I stayed with people who were both overtly religious and/or political, some with signs on the wall proclaiming their beliefs – a confirmed atheist, a couple of ministers, and so on. Not once did I feel any of my hosts believed themselves a better person than myself. Now there were several people in vehicles who took the time to “give advice” from their vehicles as they passed, rolling down the window to be sure I got their message, but I digress.
One cyclist in particular is worth a good mention, he was coming the other way on a gravel bike path, a man named Turk from Indianapolis. We wound up chatting for the better part of an hour in the middle of nowhere! Also coming out of Chicago on the bike path I met and rode along with maybe a dozen people…
That day the weather was perfect, sunny and in the high 60s. It was a fantastic and unforgettable experience – something that only happens on a bicycle.
The entire ride ended up being just at 2,200 miles, about 400 of that being off road or gravel.
The quiet nature of the back roads, bike paths, and the giant “snow shoulders” on
most paved roads up north really made for a pleasant experience traffic-wise.
Very much appreciation goes out to the people who belong to the Warm Showers
Organization, a group dedicated to hosting cyclists in their homes. I have been a
warm showers host for years but never utilized the service, I stayed with 4 hosts on
this trip and every stay was a great experience. More on that later.
The end.