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Cyborgs on Bikes – Bike Touring Video (Part 3)

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This is Part 3 of 4 of the video series documenting our 101 day trip cycling across the the U.S. in the summer of 2014. If you missed Part 2, click here to check it out. This section covers from Indiana to the middle of upstate New York.

A gorgeous night on Fletcher Lake in Indiana. Jumped in for a swim and then we watched lightning on the horizon before camping out under a giant maple tree and listening to the rain on the tent.

A gorgeous night on Fletcher Lake in Indiana. Jumped in for a swim and then we watched lightning on the horizon before camping out under a giant maple tree and listening to the rain on the tent.

Three thousand miles into the tour, we are like cyborgs on bikes. With day-to-day routines nailed (except for my elusive rain jacket, which hides in the bottom of a pannier during storms) and legs forged from steely dragon’s teeth, we zip east. Most days, we don’t even break a sweat (<–dirty lie, even cyborgs sweat in 90% humidity).

At this point, we’re both starting to think about Maine, a far-distant mirage in our minds for the first 2/3 of the trip. The realization that we might actually complete the tour without our bodies breaking down feels great. But first, we finish out Indiana, head up toward Cleveland and then skirt along the southern edge of Lake Erie all the way to Niagara Falls before heading east into upstate New York. The magnitude of the effort to get this far sank in as the fall colors of New York beckoned from afar and the days cooled off, a welcome change.

A little metal barn in the middle of nowhere on a back country road in Indiana.

A little metal barn in the middle of nowhere on a back country road in Indiana. Sad news: C’s rainbow socks wore out by the end of the trip. 🙁

You’ll notice I’m goofier in this series. Believe me, all videos are off-the-cuff and I (obviously) don’t employ a joke writer. I think you’ll get a couple chuckles at our random antics as we roll from nowhere Indiana all the way into the NE. If nothing else, it’s a good picture of what the terrain looks like!

Here’s the movie link for email subscribers, or click play below on the embedded video if you visit the site directly. Enjoy.

Dakota

P.S. There are a few more photos below the movie if you want to check those out first.

Between the motorcycle rallies and car shows, we learned quite a bit about vehicles. (Not.)

Between all the motorcycle rallies and car shows we biked through, we learned quite a bit about vehicles. Ok, not really.

A family fishes off a bridge in Ohio.

The thing to do (apparently) in Grand Rapids, Ohio is to go fishing at sunset off a small dam in town.

Cold beans by the side of the road. Accessed with an old-school can opener, no less.

Cold beans by the side of the road (on a hot day at least). Accessed with an old-school can opener, no less.

Always fun to find covered bridges!

Always fun to find covered bridges! This one is in Roann, Indiana.

Falling in Love with New York State

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Descending a long hill on the way to Lake Placid.

Descending a long hill on the way to Lake Placid.

Ah, New York. What a great state. We absolutely will be back for more breathtaking outdoor fun. I suspect a month solely in the Adirondack Mountains would still feel fast and I’m positive we could spend an entire summer in the state no problemo.

Yesterday marked three months on the road and three weeks in the Empire State. I also realized we’ve spent half our cycling trip (46 days) in Montana and New York. Big states mixed with awesome scenery make for a wandering path and no hurry whatsoever. Our goal to slow down for our time in New England is panning out nicely!

A fallen leaf on the corner of an old, scratched dock.

A fallen leaf on the corner of an old, scratched dock.

Here are a few favorite shots from the last week pedaling through blazing red and orange trees with blue lakes twinkling in the fall sun. We’ve seen lots of day cyclists grinning away while ripping up and down the steep climbs. There are also huge numbers of canoes and kayaks on top of cars. I’d love to return to do some paddling or hit some mountain biking trails, which are apparently excellent. Then there’s hiking and running the Adirondack 46, all the peaks over 4,000’ that it seems everyone we talk to has on their bucket list.

Just a short post today before picture backlog sets in. Today is an exploring day in Burlington, Vermont after catching the ferry across Lake Champlain over from New York. The town has a great car-free walking area filled with smiling people, a gorgeous waterfront and bike path, mountain views and excellent food to boot. It feels like a sister city to Portland, Oregon. Next week we hit the coast and the end of our tour, which seems surreal at the moment. Barely 200 miles of pedaling remaining!

Happy Monday,

Dakota

Looking across the Atlantic with a view of Spain. Waiiiit a second, that's just Lake Champlain looking at Vermont.

Looking across the Atlantic with a view of Spain. Waiiiit a second, that’s just Lake Champlain looking at Vermont.

A kayaker on Blue Mountain Lake.

A kayaker on Blue Mountain Lake.

Chelsea crushes another hill with the fall colors cheering her on.

Chelsea crushes another hill with the fall colors cheering her on.

Fall colors reflected on a lake south of the town of Tupper Lake.

Fall colors reflected on a lake south of the town of Tupper Lake.

Two fisherman ply their skills in the early morning NE of Lake Placid.

Two fisherman ply their skills in the early morning NE of Lake Placid.

Fall colors peak through bare tree trunks.

Fall colors peak through bare tree trunks.

A nice view of Tupper Lake.

A nice view of Tupper Lake.

I made a friend! He doesn't talk much, but he is a great listener.

I made a friend! He doesn’t talk much, but he is a great listener.

Enjoying a lunch break on a lake.

Enjoying a lunch break on a lake.

Sunset looking across Lake Champlain after our ferry ride from New York to Vermont. As a new friend in NY joked, "what's the best thing about Vermont? The view of New York!"

Sunset looking across Lake Champlain after our ferry ride from New York to Vermont. As a new friend in NY joked, “what’s the best thing about Vermont? The view of New York!”