Pee Wee's Big Adventure

The Mark Fuller Story

Mark is doing a cross country loaded tour with the Adventure Cycling Association.

Part II | Part III | Part IV | Photos | Part V
Photos courtesy of Harry and Dan

Hello All,

Well, the big day is finally here. For those of you that I haven't communicated with in a while, this summer I'm going to be riding my bicycle across the country from Seattle, WA to Bar Harbor, ME. Its something that I've dreamt about for a long time and its a little hard to believe that its going to happen. I'm writing this from Everett, WA where I've been staying with friends Thom and Cindy for the last week in what must be one of the most beautiful regions of the country.

The train trip out from Atlanta was great and taught me 2 very valuable lessons about train travel: 1)buy a ticket for a sleeper car and 2)if you can't buy a ticket for a sleeper car, buy a plane ticket. Traveling coach class for that distance over 4 days was a bit of an exercise in sleep deprivation. Amtrak has a tradition of naming their trains after certain aspects of the routes they travel (e.g., the New Orleans to New York train is known as "The Crescent"). The Chicago to Seattle train is "The Empire Builder" but I will be submitting arguments to have the name changed to "The Character Builder."

The great thing about taking the train was that it gave me the chance to see part of the route we'll be taking this summer, all parts of the country that I had never seen. When you hear of Montana being referred to as Big Sky country, you can believe it. Along the way I saw antelope, deer, buffalo (corralled, unfortunately), eagles, and a grizzly bear (no lie - we saw a medium-sized grizzly by the side of the tracks on our way through Glacier National Park). Washington State was the prize, though. We passed through Wenatchee at sunrise and the views didn't stop until we got to Everett. The Cascades are amazing and the route passed right through them.

Since I got here its been pretty much relaxing, getting all my gear in order, and driving Thom, Cindy, and their daughter Elizabeth crazy with talk about this trip. The cycling out here is great (although I haven't done nearly enough over the last week) and I saw some future trip possibilities when we ferried out to the San Juan Islands.

A few details about the trip: Its organized by a nonprofit group called Adventure Cycling Association that has been doing similar long-distance rides since the mid-1970's. There will be 12 of us (including trip leader) and we'll all be carrying our gear on our bikes. I have 4 panniers (saddlebags), a handlebar bag, tent, sleeping bag, and ground pad. I'm carrying clothes for all kinds of weather, tools for repairs, and spare parts (like a tire, tubes, spokes). The total weight of my bike and gear will be about 75-80 lbs. It will be mostly camping with a few hostels/hotels thrown in. We probably won't ride as one group but more likely break up into groups of 2-3 according to riding preferences. Once a week everyone will take a turn at cooking/food purchasing duties, cooking that night's meal and putting out the next day's breakfast and lunch. Total mileage is around 4300-4500 miles, with an average of 55 miles per day and a range of between 30 to 80 miles per day depending on the terrain. We should have a layover/rest day about every week to 10 days and side trips are allowed (but there is a limit).

That's about it for now. We meet tonight for the first time, hopefully answer a lot of questions, get absolutely no sleep, and hit the road tomorrow morning. I hope to have access to my e-mail every 1-2 weeks so I'll be in touch. If anyone in GCC is receiving this but doesn't want to, please let me know.

So Long,
Mark

Hello All,

It seems like an awfully long time since I last wrote on the eve of this trip, when in fact its only been alittle over 2 weeks on the road as of today. I'm writing this in Libby, Montana after a relatively easy 50 mile day of riding alongside of the Cabinet Mountains and the Kootenai River, exhausted but happy after getting my weekly cooking duties out of the way. Tonight was red beans and rice with smoked sausage, spinach salad, and blueberry shortcake. We are eating well thusfar! Everybody really makes an effort to put out a good spread when its their night in the kitchen (and thats only with 2 burners).

The group is an eclectic bunch, 6 guys and 6 gals (due to some last minute cancellations/additions) ranging in age from 22 to 71 years old. There is Shelly, 22 (going on 45!) year old recent law studies grad from Massachusetts, always upbeat and very quick-witted; Kimberlyn, a 26 year old education specialist from NC, another bundle of energy who's not afraid to speak her mind; Rita, a 36 year old ICU nurse from Holland who's hilarious and a very steady rider; Dave, a 40-something year old geology/history professor from WA who is one of the most experienced and maybe the strongest rider; Mary, a 40-something year old nutritionist from WI, who actually said that we're eating pretty well from a nutritional standpoint (!); Jenella, from TX who just turned 50 years old on June 24 (we celebrated by going out for Thai in Sandpoint, ID) and who never seems to have a down moment and always has a kind word; Bob, a retired state trooper from OH who is the workhorse of the group, always carrying an extra load of the group gear; Rich, a 40-something year old from MI, our resident beer expert and bike trailer tower extraordinaire; Dan, a 70 year old semiretired gent from GA who outclimbs all of us in the hills; Winfried, a 71 year old retiree from Germany who is the most experienced of us all at fully loaded touring, having completed trips from Virginia to Oregon and Montana to Alaska, among others; and finally, there's Candee, a 29 year old mountain bike excursion leader from UT. She's the glue that holds us all together.

As a group we have all come together very well over a short period of time, pretty much a necessity to get through the rigors of this trip. After 2 weeks we have definitely settled into a routine. A typical day for me starts at around 6:00am by getting a quick breakfast and making the day's lunch. After breakfast we break camp (no hotels or hostels yet), pack our panniers (saddlebags) and load our bikes with our gear. Mine includes the group pot set, which includes 2 frying pans, 2 small pots, and a large pot and lid, plus any group food that I can squeeze in. I pretty much have a foolproof bungee system for the pots, although the lid flew off once during a 40 mph decent down Boulder Pass in WA. I usually hit the road after filling up on water.

We usually have a map meeting either the night before or in the morning before riding. Candee covers the route, including mileage, terrain, and water/supply points. The ride begins whenever each person wants, but typically between 7:15am and 8:30am. Mileage has ranged from 27 to 72 miles per day with a typical day being more than 55 miles. There was a time when we did 3 70+ mile days in a row before a much-needed rest day in Sandpoint, ID.

Terrain varies from rolling to flat out steep in the Cascades. Someone tallied the uphill portion of the Loup Loup Pass climb and it came out to be 20+ miles. Climbing Boulder Pass was, without a doubt, the hardest day of riding I've had. Ever. I was almost to the bargaining-with-god stage when I finally crested the summit. But, as they say, what goes up must come down and the descents are fantastic. Forty-plus mph downhills were common in WA. The bike actually handles like a motorcycle going downhill because of the weight (come to think of it, it kinda feels like pedaling a motorcycle uphill, too). Your eyes water, snot runs across your face, and you perpetually scan the road for major potholes, etc.

The next major goal is Going to the Sun Road in Glacier Nat'l Park. Its supposed to be pretty grueling with fully loaded bikes but the views should be spectacular. We hope to have a couple of layover days to hike and whitewater raft in the park. I'll let you know how it went.

For those keeping score at home, here's the itinerary completed so far:

Seattle to Bainbridge and Whidbey Islands to Anacortes to Rockport to Diablo to Winthrop to Riverside to (near) Wauconda to Kettle Falls to Sandpoint (Idaho) to Elk (Montana) to Libby to Colombia Falls (I'm finally getting to type this in Whitefish, MT).

I hope all is well with you,

Mark

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 14:06:15 (EDT)

Hello All,

Greetings from the wild, wild west. We are presently in Glasgow, MT (yes, still Montana . . . its a BIG state) enjoying another day off the bikes. We came in feeling like hammered horse poop after a 94 mile day and a 73 mile day in the hottest temps we've seen so far. Spoiled by the cooler temps in the mountains, we now know that summer is here to stay. Just an example of the fluids I went through on yesterday's 73 miles: 76oz water, 8oz coffee, 20oz sports drink, 28oz root beer, 12oz Pepsi, 40oz of a Snapple-like drink, a 32oz chocolate malt (the curative powers of which are entirely underestimated) and, um, 36oz of beer.

But we DID have the mountains and we were incredibly blessed with the weather during our Going-to-the-Sun Road day (aka beforehand as Highway-to-Hell). We had camped and hiked by the side of beautiful Lake McDonald for a rest day after a little whitewater rafting on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. Yeah, its a tough job but someone's gotta do it. Anyway, the clouds lifted for the ascent and I was treated to the most spectacular views I've seen in my life. Everywhere I turned was another beautiful vista. And the physical part of the climb was not as bad as we had thought (12 miles of 6% grade). Celebrations at the top and the obligatory group picture at the Logan Pass sign were the orders of the day. Oh, and the descent wasn't too hard to take, either.

After Glacier Nat'l Park, we went up to Canada for a few days. Waterton, Alberta, to be exact and on Canada Day (their 4th of July) no less. Canadians are SUPER friendly people and we proudly displayed the small Canadian flags we were given at the park entrance. Admission was free on Canada Day but we were supposed to pay for the second day when we left. Apparently nobody had informed the 2 park employees that I approached about paying. Neither one was sure about the fee payment and they let me pass gratis as they told me "the government has enough of your money, eh" (I must have heard "eh" a few hundred times in 2 days. You almost start saying it yourself!).

After Waterton, things got flat in a hurry. South Alberta has field after field of wheat and cannola. In what hills we did encounter, we saw 3 big bucks jumping a 4-5 foot fence (a memorable moment for me) and these mutant steers that were the size of a Buick Roadmaster. Stopped to have a quick lunch at the Del Bonita grocery store (the only place we'd come across in 30 miles) and read some of the entries in a journal of visting cyclists that the owners have kept since 1991. Quotes along the lines of "the headwinds, oh my god, the headwinds!!" and "will this wind ever stop?" were common, so we counted our lucky stars.

Actually, once back in Montana, we had around 2-3 days of tailwinds. After the Rainy, Washington, and Logan Passes, these were the most memorable Days of riding so far. Crystal clear days with a 15-20mph tailwind made for bike speeds averaging 20-25mph with minimal effort. That same day, however, I experienced my first hailstorm in Chester, MT. We were camped at the city park there (great and FREE!) getting supper ready underneath an aluminum-roofed shelter. You had to yell to be heard but there was (fortunately) no damage to our tents.

So now we are settling into the higher mileage part of the journey. Still pretty nice scenery and the people keep getting friendlier. The views may get a bit more plain as it gets more agricultural but we are finding ways to pass the time, like trying to get the train engineers to sound their whistles in the middle of nowhere (usually successful) and conducting sociological studies of people on the road. I have found it fairly consistent that the following vehicle types will spontaneously wave (i.e., without you waving at them first):

• Montana pickups when the driver is wearing a cowboy hat, 95%
• Motorcycles (waves or thumbs up), 75%
• Campers-on pickup trucks, 25%
• Semi-truck drivers, 15%
• Car-towin', road-hoggin', gas-guzzlin', gargantuan land yacht-lookin', rude-butt retiree-driven RV's, 2% (but they may have been gesturing in another way that I wasn't able to tell)

They are really not that bad but you get a little on edge after getting almost blown off the road by them.

So, that's life on the dusty road these days. Just completed one month and 1442 miles and still having a blast. Thanks for the encouraging e-mails (and I apologize for not being able to reply right away). Internet time is at a premium. The only way I'm getting this out is due to the incredible kindness of the folks at Martronics Information Systems/Clear Decisions (www.cleardecisions.com) who let Winfried, Rita, and me use their computer to compose and send some e-mail. I'm actually completing this in Minot, ND at my usual snail's pace typing speed. I hope all is well with you.

Regards,

Mark

The continued itinerary has been Eureka, MT to Clombia Falls to Lake McDonald (GNP) to St Mary to Waterton, Alberta to Magrath to Cut Bank, MT to Chester to Havre to Malta to Glasgow to Wolf Point (AWESOME rodeo) to Culbertson to Lewis and Clark State Park (20mi E of Williston, ND) to New Town to Minot.

8/8/1998 7:28:06 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Just sitting here on top of mighty Mount Hosmer on the banks of the Mississippi River in Lansing, Iowa waiting out a thunderstorm (well OK, not on top but under a well-placed picnic shelter). Mount Hosmer gives a wonderful view of the river and the surrounding bluffs, if you don't mind turning your legs into hamburger on the way up. I can't complain about the rain since today is the first day in I don't know how long that I've had to get out the rain gear.

We made pretty good time through North Dakota and Minnesota. Trip highlights in ND were provided mostly by the people, who have been the nicest we've met so far. Basically, if you were off exploring a small town in ND, you automatically waved to everyone you came across because you could bet they were going to wave to you. In ND, we also learned to anticipate the towns by looking for either a huge grain elevator or a water tower, or both. If you saw neither, you better keep track of your water supply...

One of the towns we stayed in was Rugby, whose claim to fame is that of being the "Geographical Center of North America." Dave and I, after looking at a map, have our doubts (I think its too far south). It was situated in the seemingly endless wheat fields. If there was a good wind (and fortunately there usually was...in our favor) you could definitely see where the line "...amber waves of grain" came from. I think you could grow just about anything you wanted to in that state. The plowed fields looked like a huge, busted up Hershey's Bar.

Our highest mileage days were also in ND, with one 4-day stretch totaling 68 miles, 93 miles, 104 miles, and 72 miles. Many of those were helped by the prevailing westerly winds that we've enjoyed so far. This was pretty much as expected and I would think twice before tackling this route from east to west (although none of the westbound cyclotourists we've encountered have had too many complaints).

Minnesota was much more scenic and definitely lives up to the billing "Land of 10,000 Lakes." One Minnesotan, when he found out I'm from Florida, said he had read that Florida had more lakes ("Only if they count the mobile home park ponds" was my reply). At Lake Strawberry we were awed by a tornado (viewed at a safe distance) and at Lake Itasca we saw the headwaters of the Mississippi River. We literally waded across the Mississippi River at a calf-deep depth at a place where the lake spilled over into what becomes (what we were to discover later in the trip) a truly mighty river. Being a guy and having absolutely too much time on my hands, I calculated that if I spit into the Mississippi at the headwaters, it would take a little longer than 18 days to reach the Gulf of Mexico, 2,250 miles away. Just thought you might like to know.

Also in Minnesota we were introduced to "frost cracks" or "frost heaves," the Minnesota DOT's way of saying hello every 30-40 feet. Basically, they are full lane cracks that form due to the expansion/contraction of the pavement during Minnesota's weather extremes. Forget about any continuing thought processes while riding on some of the worse-off roads. "Eureka!" (ka-THUNK) "The meaning of life..." (ka-THUNK) "is..." (ka-THUNK) "#@>+!$~ FROST HEAVES...now..." (ka-THUNK) "where was I?" (ka-THUNK).

Since Lake Itasca, we've pretty much paralleled the river, with occasional forays into Wisconsin. With the lower mileages, we're moving into the "stop-and-smell-the-roses" phase of the journey. One such serendipitous stop was at a barn dance Shelly and I lucked into when the rest of the group had taken a detour. It was at Larson's Barn near McGregor, MN and it had bluegrass, R&b, blues, and some rock music in a field by the barn. At 7:30PM, the party moved indoors to the barn loft, which had been converted into a dance floor with a stage, seating, and full bar. The crowd was small, as it was the first year of the festival, but it had the feel of a huge family reunion. Everyone ate, danced, drank, and danced some more. If you're in the neighborhood next year around this time, look it up.

Some of the other more memorable moments lately have been tubing down the Apple River in Wisconsin, drinking homemade root beer in Taylor's Falls (what's in that stuff that makes me crave it?!?!), and having a super-nice couple take me into their home for a couple of nights in Minneapolis when the lodging I thought I'd get fell through. The nice things that people have done for us on this trip so far could fill a small book. For now, we're still having more fun than grown people on bicycles should be allowed.

(Note: I'm typing this in on August 8 at a library in Cambridge, Illinois, where the librarians have been nice enough to allow me to commandeer this computer long enough for me to get this out...and that's a long time! We came further down the Mississippi River into Iowa into some of the steepest climbs we've seen since the mountains out west. The group just had 2 very restful days at Jerry and Marty's house in Davenport and we should be seeing nothing but flat as we head east until Indiana. Time passage has been a very strange thing on this trip. Until now, time has passed slowly at a pace that made you think you'd been on the road forever. Now, with about a month left, time is passing very quickly and we are trying to savor the time we have left. I'll let you know how we do.)

Regards,

Mark

Updated itinerary: Minot, ND to Rugby to Fessenden to Cooperstown to Fargo to Lake Strawberry, MN to Lake Itasca State Park to Pennington to Schoolcraft State Park (outside of Grand Rapids, MN) to McGregor (POLKA, POLKA, POLKA) to Isle to Grandy to Somerset, WI to Minneapolis to Prescott, WI to Minneiska, MN to Brownsville to Harper's Ferry, Iowa to Dyersville to Lowden to Davenport to Cambridge, Illinois

Hello All,

Sorry to be so late in getting this out. Internet access during the last part of the trip was not quite what we had grown used to and I've been occupied with starting "real life" again since we finished. Here goes. . .

Three more days until the end of the journey and its a mixture of excitement, relief, and wistfulness in camp. Excitement at having almost reached our goal, relief that we can finally stop riding/setting up camp/breaking camp EVERY day (yes, it does get old), and sadness at having to say goodbye to the people who have become more than travel companions. We have been blessed with a richly unique group of 12 individuals who have kidded, argued, encouraged, and cooperated their way through 15 states over 3 months. I feel truly privileged to be part of that group.

After the basic terrain of Illinois, Indiana, and northern Ohio (read: corn and soybeans or sometimes soybeans and corn), we got a much needed change of scenery in northeastern Ohio. Hills and rolling farmland challenged our legs and lungs like they hadn't been since Iowa. Amish carriages and covered bridges became fairly common, as did chuckholes and cracks in the road (unfortunately) in northwestern Pennsylvania.

But its been pretty smooth sailing since reaching New York. The state parks are gorgeous and for the most part well-run. We'll always remember Allegheny State Park for one of the best descents of the trip (47 mph on brand new pavement without a car in sight) and Stonybrook SP and Watkins Glen SP for their numerous waterfalls and cascades. Rita and I will always remember Fairhaven and Oswego, NY for the 2 wonderful couples we met there. We had stopped in Fairhaven for our "coffee stop" (in actuality, a tradition the group had developed of having a second breakfast - oink, oink). The scenery in Fairhaven was particularly pretty, located as it is on Lake Ontario. I asked a woman, Nadia, about a place to eat breakfast on the water. After careful consideration, she came to the conclusion that the best place would be at her house! Nadia and her husband Ed hosted us for a DELUXE breakfast with a beautiful view of the bay. Nadia then insisted we go with her by car to see the local bluffs. The bluffs were very pretty and we most certainly would not have found them without Nadia.

Upon leaving Nadia and Ed, we rode on in the heat towards Oswego. Stopping at Ontario Orchards, a produce store that Nadia had told us about, we drank fresh apple juice from a tap and talked about going swimming somewhere. I asked a woman, Sandy, if there was a place to go swimming in the lake nearby. When she answered in the negative, we returned to our apple juice and Gatorade. Sandy returned a few minutes later to verify that we were looking for a place to swim, at which time she extended an offer to swim at her house on Lake Ontario. After Sandy and her husband Herb showed us the cabin to change in and gave us iced water with lemon slices, Rita and I floated on the pool toys, wondering when the meteorite would take us out . . .

After rerouting us to a safer route, they gave us a county map and a recommendation to stop at Rudy's, an Oswego landmark. We did and had fish and chips on the water while we figured out how we'd explain such a day.

From Ticonderoga, NY we ferried across Lake Champlain to Vermont. The scenery (and the hills!) struck me immediately and I look forward to exploring the state once I relocate to New England. The Green Mountains, and especially Branbury Gap, let us know we weren't "over the hump" yet. That was to come in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The climb over Kancamagus Pass wasn't nearly as difficult as some of the climbs we'd faced but symbolically it was the last barrier to finishing the ride. Coasting down the other side for what seemed like forever, it started to sink in that we were almost done.

We still had Maine to go, however, and it proved to be more of a challenge than I had thought. First, there was THE HILL, as in the steepest grade of the trip. It was on the day we left Fryeburg and I remember thinking "OK, another hill". But when my rear wheel would skid on the pedal downstroke and I started wondering if somehow my brakepads were applied to the rims, I realized that it was THE HILL. Grade estimates from the group approached 15-16%. All I know was that it was steep percent.

We finally made ocean at Rockland, ME a couple of days before Bar Harbor. It was a cloudy, drizzly, foggy day and there was no horizon to be seen. I heard that Winfried, who wanted to be absolutely sure it was not a river or lake, dipped a finger, tasted it, and pronounced it, indeed, the ocean.

From there it was a heavily trafficked ride up US1 to Bar Harbor. We rode as a group (for only the third time all summer) for the last miles and stopped riding at the Post Office. Celebrations were rather subdued but genuinely felt. We had our last dinner together that night and then the next day, little by little, said our goodbyes.

I want to thank everyone again for their thoughts and prayers.