The Rolling Home Tour 2010 (The Long Haul for Haiti) followed the Adventure Cycling Association Northern Tier Route from Heron, Montana to Grand Rapids, Minnesota, a distance of about 1,418 miles (2268 km). From Grand Rapids, we made our own way to Mantiwoc, Wisconsin via the beautiful south shore of Lake Superior (Rte., 13) then a southeasterly course through Ashland, Park Falls, Antigo, and Kaukauna and finally to Manitowoc. We would like to thank Scott Davis, whom we met in a camping goods store in Superior, and Mike Brown, who spotted us in the town park in Antigo (looking a bit lost) for their excellent advice on which roads to take. We especially enjoyed parts of Rte 13 and County Road D from Antigo to Clintonville. However, unable to find a place to stay for the night, we wound up pitching our tent behind the Clintonville Motel thanks to the advice of a sympathetic police officer and the very good graces of the motel management.
Two days later in Manitowoc, we loaded the bikes on the SS Badger (a real steamship) for welcome ferry ride across lake Michigan, ending up in Ludington, Michigan. From there we made our way to Luther, where AC Lake Erie Connector map guided us across Michigan and into Ontario (Canada) and then back onto the Northern Tier Route to Ticonderoga, New York. This route was both long (421 mi.) and mountainous in parts, but the Erie Canal Trail offers welcome relief from the traffic and also has some lovely hiker-biker-boater campsites and the views along the route through the Adirondacks is stupendous.
From Ticonderoga, we were at last in familiar territory and able to plan our own route through Poultney and the G Mountains of Vermont. As we were ahead of schedule a few days, we decided to take a slight detour and drop south into Massachusetts (Leverett and Amherst) to visit good friends and then make our way north into New Hampshire and the southwestern edge of the White Mountains to Manchester and finally the last 65 miles to the Atlantic Coast coast at Rye Harbor.
If our calculations are correct, the total distance pedaled from Heron to Rye Harbor was 3,212 miles (5,139 km). We were on the road for 90 days and took rest, drawing and writing days whenever the spirit moved us and/or we were stalled by bad weather or bike breakdowns. Mercifully, we only suffered from minor bruises, bug bites and upset stomachs and were offered shelter, valuable advice and directions every step of the way.
Two days later in Manitowoc, we loaded the bikes on the SS Badger (a real steamship) for welcome ferry ride across lake Michigan, ending up in Ludington, Michigan. From there we made our way to Luther, where AC Lake Erie Connector map guided us across Michigan and into Ontario (Canada) and then back onto the Northern Tier Route to Ticonderoga, New York. This route was both long (421 mi.) and mountainous in parts, but the Erie Canal Trail offers welcome relief from the traffic and also has some lovely hiker-biker-boater campsites and the views along the route through the Adirondacks is stupendous.
From Ticonderoga, we were at last in familiar territory and able to plan our own route through Poultney and the G Mountains of Vermont. As we were ahead of schedule a few days, we decided to take a slight detour and drop south into Massachusetts (Leverett and Amherst) to visit good friends and then make our way north into New Hampshire and the southwestern edge of the White Mountains to Manchester and finally the last 65 miles to the Atlantic Coast coast at Rye Harbor.
If our calculations are correct, the total distance pedaled from Heron to Rye Harbor was 3,212 miles (5,139 km). We were on the road for 90 days and took rest, drawing and writing days whenever the spirit moved us and/or we were stalled by bad weather or bike breakdowns. Mercifully, we only suffered from minor bruises, bug bites and upset stomachs and were offered shelter, valuable advice and directions every step of the way.
Leave Heron, Montana 16 May, then arrive in:
1. Cut Bank, Montana 30 May
2. Minot, North Dakota 15 June
2. Fargo, North Dakota 23 June
3. Grand Rapids, Minnesota 30 June
4. Cornucopia, Wisconsin 4 July
5. Luther, Michigan 15 July
6. Ft. Erie, Ontario (Canada) 30 July
7. Ticonderoga, New York 8 August
8. Amherst, Massachusetts 15 August
9. Rye Harbor, New Hampshire 18 August
8. Amherst, Massachusetts 15 August
9. Rye Harbor, New Hampshire 18 August
As of June 8, we are more or less on schedule. Held up a few days because of rain, and in one case to entertain the customers at the Pastime Lounge with Mike's stunning performance of boogey-woogey combined with good old fashioned rock 'n roll (on June 2, his 64th birthday!)
ReplyDeleteWould have been fun to see a picture of the 'boogey-woogey' dance!
ReplyDeleteWhat you are doing is great! Je suis de tout coeur avec vous et les enfants d'Haiti.
Bon courage and big bisous!
Jaya
Merci, Jaya! You are with us in spirit.
ReplyDelete