The Eastern Seaboard Trip - HIghs & Lows

Home Sweet Home

We called this trip the Eastern Seaboard and it really was a treat to drive up a large portion of the East Coast from the Southern tip of New Jersey to the Northern tip of Nova Scotia. We loved the history, people, culture, fishing villages and, of course, the food!

Total Mileage: 11,212

Total Miles Biked: 262
Days on the Road: 50

States Visited: 26
Provinces Visited: 5
Best Meal: Ned - halibut on PEI; Debi - crab cakes in Delaware
Best Bike Ride: Ned - Acadia; Debi - Nickerson Trail, Cape Cod
Best Campground: Cave Mountain Lakes National Forest, VA
Best Surprise Ned: - Jersey Shore -Wildwood cool retro hotels
Best Surprise Debi: - Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge
Best Factory Tour: Videri Chocolate, NC
Best Drive: Ile d'Orleans, Quebec
Best Waterfall: Stone Mountain, NC
Most Picturesque Place: Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia tied with Quebec City
Best Rescuer: Colton, VW Dealer Saco, ME
Best Tourist Attraction: Upper Canada Village
Best Live Music: Pickers at Blue Ridge Music Museum

Worst Meal: Debi Poutine in Charlottetown, PEI; Ned - Rappie Pie in Nova Scotia
Worst Bike Ride: Willard's Bay, Utah
Worst Campground: Cape Henlopen State Park, DE
Worst Tourist Attraction: Natural Bridge, VA
Biggest Disappointment: Shenandoah National Park, VA
Creepiest National Park: Hot Springs, AR
Worst Traffic: Montreal
Most Expensive Cornbeef Sandwich (includes ticket): Montreal
Most Confusing Bridge Tolls: Nova Scotia

Plum Tired Out

Willard Bay State Park, Utah

We spent the morning crossing back and forth between Wyoming and Utah on a really gorgeous road. It followed a river named Henry's Fork and was one of the most bizarre mix of topographies in such a relatively short distance that we've seen. One side of the road was lush with pasture land, big swatches of purple fields and tree lined meandering creek. The other side of the road was parched desert hills with sage or pinion trees dotted here and there. Then it all suddenly changed to badlands that looked like a futuristic science movie. All within about 40 miles. Dang, our country has some pretty unique environments!

We finally crossed into Utah for good and headed for Ogden. We did a little exploring around town, had lunch at Union Station and were going to visit some museums (free today), but the weather was so gorgeous we couldn't bring ourselves to be stuck inside. Instead we headed for our campground planning on spending some time enjoying a little R&R.

A couple of nights ago we realized that we'd be pulling into a populous area on a Saturday night in the dog days of summer so we pulled the trigger and booked a campsite on line. The good news is that we're glad we did cause the camp ground is sold out. The bad news is that we picked a site in the wrong campground. It's the marina campground and is pretty much a parking lot. Fortunately we have the one campsite in the shade and if we face our chairs with the backs to the road, all we can see is dried prairie. Denial is a wonderful thing.

Several years ago when we camped here (in the north campground) we had a great time biking. We decided to see if we could bike to this campground. These two campgrounds are several exits away on the freeway, have a marina and pasture separating them, but we were confident we could find a trail. Looking at the satellite view of the area it looked like a trail was on the levy surrounding the lake. Off we went. Yes, we encountered the marina - no problema we'll bike around. Gate, no problema we'll skirt around - thru high dried out prairie. Hey, we made it to a dirt road. That road ends, no problema we'll just go through this cornfield. The other option was going through the active skeet shooting range, but we're not THAT stupid. The cornfield ended at a feedlot. We tried going around, but the cows were running around like crazy thinking that they were going to get fed. At this point, we decided okay, let's go back and try perhaps the road.

That was when Ned realized he had a flat. Yes, we had a pump, we had a spare tire, but didn't have the bike tool tire pry bar thingy. Ned, being the gentlemen he is, offered to take my bike and ride back to the van. Heck no, and leave me out in this field with a bunch of stampeding hungry cows? I valiantly (ahem) offered to ride back and get it. By the time I reached the van and got back, Ned had managed to find a shady spot under a tree and had already replaced his leaky tire with the new one. (Maybe I wasn't exactly the Pony Express). Just as we were ready to take off, he looked down and said, "Deb, my front tire is flat!!" Apparently, we had picked up quite a lot of thorns riding through the prairie and cornfields. Ned pulled the tire, did a little "Ned mojo" on it, slung the bad tire over over his shoulder and across his chest like a bandolier and shouted, "Poncho Villa rides again!" Ned always cracks me up.

Ned was marveling at the fact that I didn't pick up any thorns, especially since I had ridden through this mess twice. We hadn't ridden more than two feet when I looked down and I had a flat too. Unbelievable! Thank goodness we each carry spare tubes and a patch kit. So far on this trip, between Winnie and our bikes, we've blown 5 tires! Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera so there are no photos to document any of this excursion.

By the time we made it back to the campsite we were pretty tuckered out. It was a short, but brutal 10 miles. A beer was definitely in order. Because we are in Utah we're honoring the occasion with a "Polygamy Porter." Got to love the description. "Why have just one? Polygamy Porter is a smooth, chocolatey, easy-drinkin' brown porter that's more than a little naughty. Take some home to the wives!"

Our bikes are shot, our bodies are tired, we've got a bag full of dirty laundry, the can of bug spray just ran out, and the Yuba River is calling. The only thing between us and home are 10 hours and the bleakness of Nevada. We've survived 2 months on the road, had the time of our lives, great stories to tell and memories of a lifetime. We can do this.

Chillin' on the Border

Flaming Gorge, - Wy & Utah

Waking up to this morning's view was a real treat. Last night's rainstorm was over and what was left were puffy clouds, calm waters and warm weather. As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, several of the overland trails (Mormon, California, Pioneer & Oregon) all passed through this way. Close by are what still remains as evidence, wagon trail tracks etched into the sandstone, located at the historic site aptly named Oregon Ruts and Register Cliffs. Taking the short hike up the trail we encountered deep gouges into the sandstone. These deep ruts result from years of wagon wear and from intentional cutting by emigrants attempting to ease the steep passage up from the level river bottom to the High Plains. I took some goofy pictures of Ned standing in them (for perspective) and showing they were indeed about arm's width. (Ned is ALWAYS such a good sport!)

Driving from Eastern Wyoming to Western Wyoming there aren't many options for taking the backroads. We found an alternate route through a pass at 7000 ft. until finally ending up at Rawlings. This stretch of land was stunningly beautiful with the colors of the prairie grass, wild flowers and cool rock formations. At one point we came across a little town, barely hanging on, called Medicine Bow. In it's heyday it was a main stop on the Old Lincoln Highway. Today we saw just a few building with names such as "The Lincoln Highway Garage" and "Miss Molly's Washhouse" which does indeed look like it still takes in laundry. The town's other claim to fame is the book, "The Virginians" by Owen Wister. It describes the life of a cowboy on a cattle ranch in Wyoming, just outside of Medicine Bow. We were hoping to visit the small museum, but it was closed.

There are not a lot of options to camp along this stretch of Highway 80 and we decided to drop down to Flaming Gorge. It's about 30 minutes south of Green River, Wyoming. With a name like "Flaming Gorge", we had somewhat high expectations. As we drove for the next 30 miles along parched desert we reset those expectations. The most interesting thing about this campground is that the peninsula juts out into the river just far enough to technically be in Utah. As we entered the campground we were still in Wyoming and it wasn't until we turned into this particular campground that we entered Utah. Weird. It was damn cold and somewhat rainy. We secured a site right along the river, but don't get your hopes up for any breathtaking pictures. The only thing I can say is that it's pretty in a bleak sort of way.

The weather finally cleared up enough for us to take a bike ride, but the winds were blowing over 30 mph. Let's just say it was a short ride. Tomorrow we drive a mile back into Wyoming and then head for Salt Lake City. Yes, we'll really be in Utah. We can feel the pull of Nevada City calling to us. I understand it's going to be in the 90's this weekend in Nevada City. Dang, after all the Nova Scotia and cool Canadian weather we've experienced I hope we don't perish.

Tourists, Pioneers & Adventurers

Guernsey State Park, WY

Continuing our drive up the Sand Hill Scenic Highway in the early morning light was beautiful. The subtle breeze swayed the tall prairie grasses and flowers and we were rewarded with greens and yellows of every hue. Our only company was the coal trains that relentlessly rolled on.

We eventually made it into the far western side of Nebraska and pulled into the town of Alliance. (Which we now appreciate all the more since we know it's the birthplace of Janet Lamb - of Lamb's Victorian Inn in Grass Valley!). What makes Alliance so special, beside the just mentioned fact, is wonderful kitschy tourist attractions. First stop was Carhenge. It is a replica of England's Stonehenge and was dedicated on the summer solstice in 1987. As far as roadside attractions go, it really doesn't get better than this. Several vintage cars ('46 Willy's Jeep Truck, '57 Plymouth, '71 Vega - just like Ned's dad owned, '62 Valiant, '70 Gremlin - just for you Cary, and a '59 Cadillac to name a few) all gloriously stacked one on top of the other. It was truly a hoot. Of course we had to pick up a shot glass and t-shirt to commemorate the occasion.

Also in Alliance is Dobby's Frontier Town. This little gem is located in the backyard of "Dobby" Lee. His hobby was collecting buildings and artifacts that would have been destroyed or discarded. It isn't particularly neat and tidy (ahem), but what it lacks in charm it makes up in complete weirdness. It's totally free, you can go into each building and pick-up and touch whatever you want. Dobby says he trusts you to leave things in tact. How can you not love that? As we were wandering through this little "Frontier Land", looking at the Saloon, Post Office, Bank, Old Soda Shop, Hamburger Stand, Gas Station and various stuff strewn all about, we wandered into the General Store. The owner's daughter (I think) was meeting with a gentlemen attired in a bee-keepers hat. I overheard the following conversation, "So, we know there are bees in this wall from the window to the corner of the building. Forty years ago when we got this building from Colorado, it had the bees in it. We didn't want to destroy the bees so as we drove the building here, we kept stopping every few miles to allow the bees to catch up." What?! We had so many questions! And why do you want the bees to be moved now? We asked the gentlemen if he planned on taking the bees. His response, "I guess, at least half of them. Don't know if I need that many." While in the General Store I decided to finish that checker game that I started yesterday. For the record, dad, all that thinking paid off. I won:)

After that little tourist excursion, we were onto Wyoming to learn all about the Overland Trails and see the mighty Scott's Bluff. (Hat tip to my big bro who suggested we stop off here.) The irony did not go unnoticed by us that we were using google map to find it when the pioneers used this mighty bluff to actually GUIDE them on their journeys. Many years ago Ned and I drove the original Route 66. For the record, driving highway 2 in this part of the country is MUCH better for authentic businesses of that era. We were loving the ice cream stand, gas station and bakery we spotted, to just name a few.

Scott's Bluff National Monument is impressive for it's geology, a massive bluff towering 800 feet over the valley floor, and for it's role in the Western Expansion. Many of the overland trails passed through this route - the Mormon Trail, Oregon Trail, California Trail and Pony Express. After taking in a film at the Visitor's Center we decided to take a bike ride, suggested by the park ranger, thru the tall prairie grasses. It was unbelievable and really gave you a feeling of what the pioneers experienced. It was blazing hot, close to 100, and I have to admit that our hour bike ride was a bit much for me.

Continuing our education of the Western expansion, we decided to check out Fort Laramie as well. By the time we arrived there, the weather had changed dramatically from brutal heat beating down on us to a huge storm beginning to brew. Fort Laramie is amazing! The history, the huge expanse, the buildings old and new, truly an interesting place. Again, our first stop was the visitor's center and taking in a movie. During the movie they referenced an iron bridge that we had spotted on our drive in. We had assumed it was part of a bike trail. What we learned was that it was built in 1875 as part of the Calvary's plan to attack the Indians. Pretty impressive to see this bridge still standing today. Our initial plan was to ride our bikes through-out the grounds and check-out all the buildings and the bridge. However, the foreboding skies caused us to hesitate. We spent some time just taking in the black, grey, green and blue skies. We had an amazing viewpoint over a huge vista and watched rain, lightening and streaks of sun pierce the landscape. No sooner had we made it into the car then the heavens opened up and boy did the rain fall. Good thing we held off on that bike ride!

Our campsite tonight is one of the more unique places we have ever camped. It's on a damed part of the Platte River. Driving over the dam and seeing the river rage through a very small gorge gave us goosebumps. We are camped high on a bluff overlooking the river. It's very primitive (no flush toilets, no really designated areas) and we had the place to ourselves for quite awhile. After all the reading about the pioneers, Indians, Calvary, etc. we felt like one of the early settlers making our way on the Pioneer Trail. Just us - the dramatic bluffs, river and ominous skies. That is, until a few minutes ago, when several families, complete with 6 kids and 2 boats decided to share our spot. Oh well, I'll keep living the fantasy. We still have 3 more days of our vacation.

Nebraska Pioneers

Halsey National Forest Campground, Dunning, NE

Ned here again. Our main outing for today was the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, Nebraska. This is principally a living history town, set in 1894 Nebraska. We've been to two outstanding ones (Shearbrook and Upper Canada Village) on this trip, so we knew that those might be hard acts to follow. The first thing we noticed on arriving is the enormous scale of the place. The main reception building, which is surrounded by a huge moat(!) was being remodeled, so we didn't get to hear the introductory video narrated by Henry Fonda. Turns out he was born near here, and one of the houses in the "Railroad Town" is the one he was born in (and later moved to this location). We were shown a map which showed the grand scale of this place, and we asked if we could ride our bikes around it, and much to our surprise we were told that would be a great idea.

On of our favorite places in Railroad Town was the Stolley house, where this very sweet woman was drying apples and making apple butter, with the help of her granddaughter. The woman working in the Millinery was also very nice and helpful in explaining the finer points of women's hat making. We walked into the hardware store and thought a sitting mannequin had been set up behind the main table. When Debi snapped a photo, her flash woke him up from his nap, and he immediately welcomed us to the hardware store! While there, Debi sat down and pretended to puzzle over a game of checkers.

The veterinary clinic was interesting, but really creepy. We visited the doctor's house, and were most fascinated by the posted Bill of Fees. (The cost of an abortion was listed as $5-$20. Treatment of syphilis: $20 upward. Amputation of an arm: $25-$50. While circumcision would run you $10-$30!) When we got to the flour mill, we realized we were really spoiled. The mill we had visited in Upper Canada Village was fully operational, having just finished producing 900 pounds of flour as we arrived there. This Nebraska mill actually had quite a few more sophisticated pieces of equipment set up, but because nothing is ever actually made there, the learning experience doesn't seem nearly as vivid. Another area of the grounds had a Pawnee Earth Lodge, which was interesting because it felt surprisingly open and light inside. I expected it to smell like mold and dirt. Our last stop on the grounds was their antique farm machinery building. My favorite there was a huge old Farmall tractor with cleated steel wheels. I wished our Uncle Bud had been with us for this part of the tour. He would have spent hours in this place.

We then headed out along the Sandhills Scenic Byway. This is a beautiful area, described as "one of the largest grass-stabilized dune systems in the world." This road parallels the railroad tracks the entire way, and we were amazed at the number of trains fully loaded with coal which we passed. I counted the cars on one train and got 140. We saw at least six of those trains as we drove to our campground for tonight at Halsey National Forest. We also found out last night that these trains run all night. I'm seriously considering wearing earplugs tonight. Those engineers are extremely compliant about blowing their horns at every crossing, day or night.

This campground is part of the country's largest hand-planted forest. This results from the dream of a Professor of Botany from University of Nebraska in the early 1900's to plant a forest in the sandy soils of this area to protect it from further erosion. Riding our bikes around the campground tonight we were impressed to see dozens of trees labelled with their species names. Tomorrow we head further west in the Sandhills.

"Hoo but Hoover"

Fremont SRA, Nebraska

We were going to visit a fort today, but were feeling less than enamored with that idea. After a quick internet search we discovered that we were a short 25 miles from the boyhood home and Presidential Museum and Library of Herbert Hoover, the 31st President and first to be born west of the Mississippi. We were like a dog with his ears perking up, "What...squirrel?!"

We spent half a day getting to know quite a lot about Herbert Hoover. Honestly, what little I did know amounted to "Hoover-ville" tent cities during the Great Depression and drawings of him looking like the cartoon Monopoly character, a chubby man wearing a top hat and tails.Turns out Herbert was more complex and a greater humanitarian than I gave him credit for.

He was born in West Branch, Iowa, orphaned by age 9, raised by relatives and was the youngest member of the pioneer class at Stanford University, age 17. He majored in geology and made his fortune touring the world (Australia, China and England) as a mining engineer. He was raised a Quaker and these beliefs guided much of his life. After making his fortune (and then some), he became involved in the Public Sector. His claim to fame was leading the effort to feed the refugees and starving masses in Europe in the wake of World War 1. He believed that helping the poor was imperative, but this should be done by the private sector, through volunteerism and philanthropy, and not thru Government. He ran the U.S Food Administration, revolutionized the Department of Commerce and ministered to victims of the Mississippi Flood.

When he won the Presidential election it was by a landslide 444 to 87 electoral votes. Basically, his platform was keeping the Federal budget balanced and cutting taxes. After the Stock Market crash he expanded public works projects such as the Hoover Dam, called for an increase in the top tax bracket from 25% to 63% and an increase in corporate taxes. Some how, I don't see today's Republican Party supporting that platform! I think one of his greatest achievements under his presidency was expanding our national forests by more then 2 million acres. He was responsible for many of our National Parks. To name just a few, The Arches, Great Sand Dunes, Death Valley, George Washington's Birthplace, Canyon de Chelly, and White Sands.

What a difference 4 short years make. One story states that as the Depression grew worse, due to his Quaker upbringing he was reluctant to display any emotions regarding how badly he felt towards the plight of the common man. He was also reluctant to campaign and believed his proxies should do it. This backfired and he became the scapegoat for all things. As Will Rogers said, "If someone bites an apple and finds a worm, they'll blame it on Hoover." FDR beat him by 472 to 59 electoral votes. Ouch. Ironically, FDR's New Deal was based on many of Hoover's ideas. There was no love lost between these two and Hoover continued to fight the New Deal and rail against FDR for many years.

The museum was filled with great artifacts and numerous detailed displays. Some of my favorite things - the first program from a Stanford vs. Cal game, colorful stories about his time in China, how he saved Belgium Lace during the war, his future wife's dance card from Stanford with his signature (on line 9), and he was the first President to use an early version of the teleprompter, (called the tele-executive) which was on display. There was also a replica of his suite at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC, where he lived for the next 25 years.

At the museum there was a traveling display on all the First Ladies. I was really looking forward to seeing this. Earlier this year I read a book entitled, "Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies". It's written by JB West who was head usher for 3 decades and discusses in detail his memories of working with the First Ladies from Roosevelt to Nixon. This exhibit tied in so nicely with JB West's anecdotes. I loved seeing all their gowns and dresses on display. Mamie Eisenhower loved all things pink, and sure enough there was one of her pink dresses. It was also interesting to see a dress that Mary Todd Lincoln wore and one of Jackie Kennedy's suits. There was an article of clothing from all 44 of the First Ladies. And yes, there was even Lou Hoover's, (wife of Herbert Hoover) cadillac!

Ned and I also enjoyed walking around the grounds which was recreated as Hoover's boyhood village during the 1870's. We saw the microscopic house where he was born, his father's blacksmith shop and the Quaker meeting hall. His mother was a Quaker minister and even tho she died young, her beliefs had a profound effect on young Bert. If you're ever driving near West Branch Iowa, take a couple of hours and stop by. Well worth your time. (unpaid endorsement).

Thanks Iowa for such a fun time. Next time we'll look into the Bridges of Madison County or visiting John Wayne's birthplace. Onto conquering Nebraska.

Tonight we are camped at Fremont State Recreation Area, not too far into Nebraska. It's a series of small lakes with campsites dotting the shores. There are a ton of jet skiers and a couple of water-skiers out, but for the most part it's pretty chill. We got a sweet spot on a small bluff overlooking the lake.