Navigating the Mississippi river

The Mississippi river drainage basin is somewhat a large "valley" between the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains. I entered it around Curwensville in Pennsylvania: that was actually the Ohio drainage basin that then flows into the Mississippi river.

It's been quite a ride since as the "valley" spreads across 40% of the US territory. No doubt that it was a greater challenge at the time of the pioneers: Zadok Cramer wrote then one of the first travel guides to help people navigating the Ohio river, find the right settlement spots. The first edition of the Navigator was issued in 1801 and it got so popular that 12 editions followed in 25 years to enrich it and correct it.

Before getting to Moline in Illinois, I crossed the Rock river, one of the many affluents of the Mississippi river. Worth waking up early, isn't it?



Of course, as you ride along the Mississippi river, you have to get a picture of one of these traditional paddle boats (by the way, the bicycle trail in Moline is very nice): just a proof that it's actually the Mississippi river.



Across from the Mississippi river is Davenport in Iowa, linked by a few bridges and a dam that controls the flow of the river:



More info:
* The Navigator by Zadok Cramer, the actual text
* Mississippi drainage basin
* Ohio drainage basin

Note: tonight, I eventually reached Iowa City after a ride of 97 mi, my longest since I left.

Cumming's candy shop in Butler

Time has stopped at Cumming's candy shop. Almost. Already from the outside, it looks slightly different from regular shops; attractive. Tom is the third generation owner; Jason helps me an expresso and a muffin.



That's a real expresso like it's usually difficult to find them in the US! The beans are roasted in Pittsburg, in the traditional american way; I mean slightly more than what we usually roast them back in France.

The candy has been established in 1903 and was last remodeled around the 40's. It's a little dark; you can seat in the second half of the shop on dark wooden benches facing each other apart from a table.



It originally started as a candy shop until after the war, you started to get soda and ice cream. For more than 10 years, you can also drink coffee.

Yet the most exciting piece is the huge mechanical cashier machine. It seats on the side of the candies and Jason told me that from time to time, Tom still runs it.



More info:
* Cummings Candy and Coffee, 146 N Main Street, Butler, PA 16001 T.(724) 287-3287

Scary figures along the road

Last Wednesday, that one almost scared me...



Yet today I've been looking at other figures: this is exactly the 7th days that my ride towards San Francisco has started and I took this Sunday off (biking) to reconcile some facts (and to rest).

View Larger Map

I have ridden more than 700 km (440 mi) in a week; yet when I compare it to the distance I should have ridden according to Google Maps (544 km / 340 mi / option: 'walking'), it looks like I have ridden roughly 150 km (90 mi) that are not "west efficient". Hum, scary figures?

In other words, I estimated to 5,100 km my trip from NYC to San Francisco. If I apply this first experience, it would rather take me 6,700 km. Hum, hum...?

Let's think of that while I do my laundry.



Of course, I got lost a few times. And there's the distance to go and get back from the place where I camp (15 km today, one way!).

Yet a closer analysis day by day outlines that the back roads prove to be inefficient in my progression towards the west.

Hum... I guess you're right Jim:
"There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees"
(from 'The Trees', The Rush)

More info:
* BicyclePA: roads nice to ride and indicated along the way. I took road V but I can't manage to get hold of this PDF map (their ftp thing seems weird...)

Bikers in Kittanning

It's apparently not just a tradition from Daytona beach to have bikers gathering. On the week-end, it is already pretty obvious that they are more numerous on the road. When I stopped for lunch in this lost Deli next to Burnside, I already came across with some of them.



The street along the river of Kittanning was closed for their gathering: Harley's mostly but not only. It's a whole business in this little and quiet city, 40 miles north from Pittsburg, PA.: some are trying to sell their bike; you can buy accessories, t-shirts, food, beer and get tatooed on the spot.



As a biker myself, I still notice that the profile of the biker is very different whether the bike has an engine or not.

Routing strategy thru Pennsylvania

Lessons #3: back roads are too winding and their maps are too uncertain to be biking efficient

For sure, ridding back roads is more enjoyable as there are fewer cars and they allow to have nice views on the countryside of Pennsylvania. Moreover they offer the proof that McDonalds and Starbucks have not yet reached every corner of that country. Neither Internet, nor wireless phones, as people often argue it there.



Yet at the same time, they are difficult to rely on as they are cut by numbers of smaller roads; their name or their direction change whereas it doesn't really show on the map.

In other words, I got lost once again and I even felt that I couldn't get out of a maze where roads were winding in every directions and people were difficult to understand.



Anyhow, Pennsylvania network of roads seems to have been designed in a very European and old fashioned way. I try to think how difficult it must have been then, when the pioneers first travelled thru Pennsylvania, thru the woods, the hills, crossing creeks and rivers.

Dam(ned) it!

Road 192 runs smoothly in some kind of a valley that leads almost to State College, the town where the Pennsylvania State University was settled in 1855. And this morning, past one shower, the sun came out and it was a fine pleasure to let the bike go its way along this road that even got less busy after Center Hall.



Yet something somewhat went wrong when getting to State College. My front tire seemed to have a new leak and I had a hard time stopping while ridding a steep downhill on a quite busy road. Pum-up to make it go a little further. Heading then to Philipsburg, I could not find better way than road 322 which turns into a busy expressway for several miles. It is not formally forbidden to bikes; yet it's a lot less enjoyable to ride on the side of the road with cars passing by.



After fixing my tire at a gas station and exiting Philipsburg, I mistook a road and I was back in Philipsburg... Damned it !

I decided to ask my way to a family standing in front of their house. Tim and Judy where very helpful to explain me the way to Curwensville. As we talked a little, Tim got quite excited when he learnt that I was ridding to San Francisco: he offered me to have a word of prayer to wish me a safe trip; which we had with his wife on the side of the road.

Back on the road: up the hill, find the barn, then the church, make a left... no this is wrong come back... there is the road to Curwensville and its dam where the camp site is located.

Just 12 miles to go, it shouldn't be long now to get to the dam. But in Curwensville I took the wrong side of the lake that avoids the dam. Damned it!



Eventually the proper way offers a pretty steep hill to climb up and down into the recreation area; I still can't find the camp site. Did I miss a road on the right? Damned dam!

More info:
* Philipsburg seemed a depressed city
* Curwensville

In the very middle of Pennsylvania

I just crossed the middle of my map where it folds; and looking north and south, I am in the very middle of this almost rectangle state. Few miles before I got to Rebersburg, I saw this sign and came across with a little kid heading back from town on a little trailer pulled by a poney.



In Rebersburg, the lady who keeps the grocery store lives in Lavonia, a village I went thru right before the middle of the map. She tells me about these three girls she just had for lunch an hour ago. They are students and they also ride bicycle from NYC to San Francisco. It 's a highway of bicycle here!



Still these girls dropped the opportunity to spend the night by a remote cabin that Louis J. Peachey, an Amish entrepreneur, has few away from the town. He runs a quite big factory that manufactures wood pallets and I meet him in his office. We talk. He draws me a map; explains me the way to his cabin.



There's a lot going on here! On the way, I come across with the setup of a consignment auction to take place on Saturday. Quilts, crafts, oak & pine furniture, tack building supplies, trees, shrubs & other nursery items, lawn furniture... everything is to be auctioned for the benefit of hospital bills.



I park my bike against a house, next to a window. Sara is cleaning it, getting the room setup. She tells me more about the auction.
- I was told that Amish food is very good and I should test it. Where can I find any?
- We'll be serving food here in this room on saturday
- Sure, but I'm travelling and I'll be gone by then. Any shop or restaurant ahead of this road?
- Don't know... here, we'll be serving pizza, burgers and french fries...

More info:
* Centre Pallets LLC, Louis J. Peachey, 118 Pallet Dr Rebersburg PA 16872 (814) 349 8693
* Amish in Pennsylvannia

Encounters in Lewisburg

As I was going thru Lewisburg, I saw this bike shop and stopped to get a new spare tube. I also wanted to check for break pads; although I don't really need new ones now, it's not necessarily easy to find the right shape and quality that won't melt on the wheel when you break hard, with the trailer and it' already warm outside.



The shop keeper goes thru a bunch of boxes and mostly come across with used pads. He gives them to me:
- Keep them in case, they may help you.

As I come out, the guy next door looks at my trailer and we start to talk; trip, bikes, trailer... He welcomes me in his shop and offers me a drink
- No just get it, it's for your cause.



His name is Chris. We talk about Bone Marrow Donation. He tells me about growing his hair and cutting them from time to time to make wigs for those people going thru cancer treatment. That's his cause.

More info:
* Corner Pizza & Deli, 225 Market street Lewisburg PA17837 (570) 524 2158
* Lewisburg

Ho Butt !!

This is the local way to say "hey buddy !!"; the red neck way as I was told.

As I was ridding along Susquehanna river towards Danville, looking around for a campground, I found a very welcoming place in Jeff's garden to throw my tent; and he even offered me to take a shower!



His friend Jerry is here as well. They're both big fans of jetskis and work on one of them, fixing the engine. They buy a jetski there, some parts over there, fix them, ride them on the river, sell them back. It could almost be a business.

They told me about "red neck" type of people as they call themselves, a modernized type from the north: laid back, easy going, like to fish and hunt a little in the woods; they enjoy drinking bears while listening to country music, living in the countryside. If I got it right, further into the woods than "red neck" is called "hilly belly".



We spent our time in the garage around mechanical parts. They showed me this hydrogen generator that they have plugged onto their car engine. It's saving gas by half according to their own experiment: and it feels so good to beat the system and the big oil companies!

Many thanks to their "red neck" hospitality !!

More about country as recommended by Jeff & Jerry:
* Don't take the girl by Tim McGraw
* Old red by Blake Shelton

Note: this post was written while seating on a quad in Jeff's garage and talking to Jerry and Jeff. Very cool guys!!

Up & down

Had a hard time to get up today; a hard time as well to get down on my bike seat. Took a run downhill from the campground to Jim Thorpe downtown.



Exiting this once coal mine city is a long way up the hill thru the curves, sweating in the morning sun. Little up, little down and thru the countryside,



... thru the woods,



... and thru this small town of Mainville.

And there are still a few hills to ride up and down as I go west thru the Apalachian Mountains.

I found my way in Nazareth

Of course I could as well have been to Bethelhem,



but I chose to head for Nazareth as I felt that I could find there a mean to communicate with beyond (the Atlantic obviously). And at Nazareth, this nice Café Deli had free wifi.

If you should juge a place by visiting its bathroom, no dout that it ranks #1 in the vicinity; and the food is good; and the wifi is free; and the people are helpful.

I was then heading for Tamaqua; still a long way from Nazareth where I had stopped to grab a sandwitch. As I was talking with the owner on the best way to head for Bath, he suggested me to rather go to Jim Thorpe. It was a little shorter distance and I was getting late. And the place was more interesting to visit. And when I arrived in Jim thorpe, I was happy to have followed this local advice.



More info
* Copiers Inc. Café Internet Deli, Ph: (610) 365 8459
* Pennsylvania: The Keystone State
* Jim Thorpe PA, the coal mine city, or one of in the area

Personal note to the owner of the place:
* I forgot to take a picture of you and your place; if you send it to me at nicointheus (at) gmail.com, I will publish it (400 x 300 minimum)