Vermont Tour 2018 (Days 1-3)

Finally departed for the Vermont tour I've been planning since early 2016. I was originally planning to travel with my best friend and bicycle touring partner of 25 years, Pat McClintock. He had to decline that year because he was having some serious medical issues that would later take his life. We settled instead for a nice little tour from Decorah, Iowa to Lanesboro, Minnesota and back. That would prove to be Pat's last bike tour. So, this tour became the Pat McClintock memorial bike tour, and I was lucky enough to convince my oldest friend and Navy buddy Dean Mayne to join me. Pat was also along, in the form of several packets that his wife Barb assembled for the journey, to be left in apt locations and recorded on this memorial map.

We decided to leave the car at home and take advantage of Amtrak's new roll-on bike policy to do this tour via rail. Now one can simply hand the bike to an attendant in the baggage car and check it through to your destination. That meant we had to get on board in Galesburg, Illinois because there are no stations in Iowa that allow checked baggage. Seriously. And thanks to our former Governor, Terry Brandstad, who refused to allow Amtrak expansion into the state because it was an Obama administration idea, we're stuck with this third-world infrastructure. Republicans think trains are socialistic and so are hostile to Amtrak. Even more reason to shower Amtrak with money instead of starving it while subsidizing the mighty automobile industry. But I digress.

We took six trains in all: the California Zephyr, 3 hours each way between Galesburg and Chicago; the Capitol Limited from Chicago to Washington (19 hours); the Vermonter from D.C. to Essex Junction-Burlington, Vermont (12 ½ hours); the Vermonter from Essex Junction to Springfield, Mass (5 hours); and the Lake Shore limited from Springfield to Chicago (19 hours).

Waiting for the train in Galesburg's nicely refurbished station.

We had time for a snack and beers between trains in Chicago at the South Branch Grille. I usually don't eat at grilles, because they usually reek of meat, but we landed a patio table so no problem. The food was unmemorable. I had the session ale Founders All Day IPA, from Grand Rapids, MI; Dean had the Half Acre Daisy Cutter from Chicago. 7 bucks. Makes you appreciate the Iowa Beer Tent's prices.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale, one of my favorite beers in the whole wide world, only 6 bucks in the Metropolitan Lounge at Chicago's Union Station.

Settled into our sleeper...

...for the overnight to Washington.

Not my favorite team, but we didn't go by Wrigley.

An obsolete factory Cheeto Mussolini will no doubt reopen. Probably made Conestoga wagons or some such.

Caught sight of a C&O Canal tow path keeper's house. The Capitol Limited runs parallel to the 190 mile tow path at several points from Cumberland, Maryland into D.C.

Another tow path keeper's house.The tow path runs in front, with a foot bridge crossing the canal in front of that.

Wending our way from Union Station to my wife's Aunt and Uncle's place in Bethesda, Maryland, eleven miles or so west of downtown.

The C&O Canal, where I dropped off a bit of Pat. Pat and I biked the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and the C&O Canal Tow Path from Pittsburgh to D.C. in 2013. Here's a map of the many places Pat has been since departing our orb (well, not exactly departing). The Abner Cloud canal keeper's house is in the background.

Washington's rather third worldly Union Station.

We took the Vermonter to Burlington from Washington. They do things a little differently aboard this train. Three passenger cars have racks to vertically hang your bike. Three bikes total for each train. No checked baggage so panniers have to be carried on as well. Dean packed his bags around his bike.

My bike sans bags...

...which were stowed in the nifty Osprey duffel I purchased from REI. The small version of the duffel fits three panniers, my trunk bag, and my camp chair.

A glimpse of NYC on our way to (or from) Penn Station. The Vermonter stops at many major cities on its way to bucolic Vermont, and its terminus in St. Albans on the Canadian border.

First view of Vermont.

First Vermont beer, a Long Trail Ale from  Bridgewater Corners, VT.

First view of the hills that would challenge us in the days to come.

We had to ride 7 miles from the station in Essex Junction to Burlington proper to our Hilton Garden Inn hotel. The train was also an hour late, so we had to settle for 10 o-clock pizza and beer at Ken's. The pizza was no great shakes, but the Fiddlehead IPA, from Shelbourne, Vermont, was delish. With that comment, I think one might detect a theme that will permeate this blog, flogging the local beer. And with good reason—Vermont has more breweries per capita than any other state in the Union.

Bike Touring Kit (Part 5): Really Gonna Carry That?

I decided to edit the contents of my panniers and bags to see if I could eliminate anything, to lighten things up a bit from my 100-pound-plus bike. I also am running out of time before my trip but nevertheless felt compelled to post this time-consuming and very anal blog post. What is wrong with me?

So, the result of my editing? I think I simply discovered a few items I need to add.

When I stepped on the scales with these, I got 200 pounds. Deduct my 130 pounds and I'm left with 70 pounds of gear. About my usual weight. 

I don't really need the Kindle, but I hate reading from an iPhone SE, and if I am anywhere alone for more than five minutes, I need reading material. So it stays.

Truth be told, besides the Alien tool, cables, tire, tube, and tire levers, I could probably leave the rest at home. But I won't; I've always carried suspenders and a belt, and suspenders.

All good.

I suppose the rather heavy Tempur-pedic pillow is not necessary, but a good night's sleep is, so I guess it stays.

I thought long and hard about a few of these items. There really is nothing quite like fresh-ground pepper. The chef's knife and cutting board don't really weigh that much,so they stay. Everything else is simply necessary.

Nothing extravagant here.

I could lose the 2-pound camp chair, but I just bought it and have never traveled with one, so I just have to see.

Bike Touring Kit (Part 4): Ortlieb Panniers

Oregon tour, 2014

I believe Ortlieb makes the absolute best panniers available. Others may prefer Arkel or Robert Beckman, both of which offer quality bags with lots of pockets. However, they suffer the fatal flaw of not being waterproof, although Arkel has recently come out with a waterproof line. I've had my Ortliebs for twenty years. The knock on them by traditionalists (old people) is that they have few if any pockets. However, once you come up with a stuff sack system, the problem sorts itself out. These panniers are nearly indestructible owing, in no small part, to their PVC construction. And this first generation line is fairly heavy, again because of the materials. They have started to make bags from Cordura nylon. They are lighter but also flimsier. And they get heavier in the rain as the Cordura soaks up water (but the inside remains dry). My newer handlebar and trunk bags are made of this material. It also shows the dirt, but I guess they are marginally more environmental.

My original front bags were front rollers (now called sport rollers), which had a roll top like a roll-top boat bag. I much prefer this enclosure as I generally don't find myself submerged in water on bike tours. So, about five years ago, I upgraded from the sport roller classic.

Sport Roller classic.

This is my first-generation bike packer classic. They no longer include the waterproof roll-top side pocket and the mesh outer pocket. However, the new Cordura Bike Packer Plus does have an external pocket.

I added an outer pocket to each pannier about 15 years ago. These I use a lot, especially for small camp kit items I need to find quickly.

Cordura trunk bag. Notice the faded color. The 20-year-old PVC of the rear pannier still retains ia vibrant red hue; the Cordura, only 5 years old, has faded quickly. This bag locks to the rack, a feature I like, and also comes with a built-in strap for when you want to carry it—useful for train travel when you have to remove all bags from the bike. It comes with an innovative mounting system that allows the panniers to ride lower on the rear rack, thus minimizing interference with the trunk bag..

The Ultimate 6 Plus handlebar bag has a lock that deters theft. Capacious. Again, faded Cordura.