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The Grand Adventure

A bike trip with no end Read more

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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Onto Altoona
June 28 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Up very early to avoid detection 🙄. Start riding, without morning coffee. Barely make it to Dilltown only to find B&B/store not yet open. Make our own coffee and have some breakfast. Feeling much better, gradually continue up along the creek. Surface is a bit soft due to all the rain. With no viable options for sleeping, continue on towards Altoona. On roads it gets much hillier. Finally hit the top and have a great down into Altoona. Check in the Super 8. Get our dinner and watch a movie.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
A day of 4 trails
June 27 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
Start the day on a typical PA pike: 4 lanes, no shoulder and very hilly. Drizzle begins and we duck under supermarket awning. Get food and hop on our first rail trail, Westmoreland Heritage trail. Meander along creek and then hit the unfinished gap. Return after 4 road miles. Next up, West Penn Trail. This begins as a nice wide trail but narrows and steepens. Take a detour before arriving at the dam. Very steep and gravel up as we transverse an island. Rain begins in earnest. Steep down and then the steps. Ugh. Manage to get down and wait out the rain in a tunnel opening. Arrive in Blairsville. Get food and hop on Hoodlebug Trail in search of supposed biker camp spots. Find the park but no camping. Raining again; duck under pavilion and eat dinner. No real options so start on Ghost Town trail. Though camping prohibited and Doug hates breaking rules, find a ditch and set up tent. Manage to stay relatively dry.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Around Pittsburgh
June 26 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
Survive the wet night. Dry out as best as we can and continue he along our rail trail to the river. Ride along the water as we pass by downtown Pittsburgh. Very nice system of dedicated trails for the most part. Come out the other side and head inland to Monroeville. Check in to hotel as no camping options and really need a shower!Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
A 3 state day
June 25 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Leaving Cadiz involves a lot of hill climbing. Decide to take a break and hop on highway. Spot a sign indicating we can’t ride on it. Get off and and recalculate. Back to cycle route 50 and down into Steubenville. Only working bridge across is again on the highway but we risk it, entering into West Virginia and quickly getting off the highway. Short ride on busy roads before hitting the Panhandle trail - a lovely rail trail that gets us into PA. Stop for food and then turn north to meet another rail trail - Montour. It starts to sprinkle just as we pull into trail shelter and little “campground”. Unfortunately for us, someone is already in the shelter. Set up quickly, and eat under cover. Rain begins in earnest and our tent seems to be leaking. Sigh.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Up to Cadiz
June 24 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
More gravel to start our day. But the road is quiet. Stop in Newcomerstown for breakfast. A very steep climb before long ride along a beautiful lake. Too late to stop and it’s clouding up a bit. Big up to the town of Cadiz (Clark Gable’s birthplace). Hey good and go in search of campground. Find park but confused where to camp. Told to just set up on the grass. Works for us and ends up being free.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Hot and hilly day
June 23 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Doug’s Frankenstein wheel seems to be holding. Need to make up some time. Nice start on trail into Dresden. Stop for lunch and tasty ice cream. Hit steep hills soon after which causes me to regret the ice cream. Very rough road and lots of hills. Ride in Amish countryside. Final approach to Lila Lake Campground. Nice site by water though far from the bathroom.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Onto US Bike route 50
June 22 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 22 °C
Quite a stormy night but our tarping keeps us nice and dry. Quickly pack up and finish the drive to Columbus. Drop off car and load up bikes. Meander through nice neighborhoods and golf courses, trying to avoid the rain drops. Doug’s wheel is really falling apart so stop near Newark to try and get it fixed. End up in a hotel so he can McGiver it.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
And we are back
June 21 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
Return to St Louis and our bikes are awaiting us. Get a ride to the car rental to pick up our car. Found that a car was way cheaper than the train. Get out quickly to stay ahead of the storm. Doug drives us outside of Dayton where we opt to stay the night. Manage to set up before the rain hits.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Hitting the pause button
June 9 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
Managed to stay dry though morning skies look threatening. Move quickly to get the tent down and stuff under the pavilion. Fortunately the sun came out. Spend some time organizing for a pause in our journey. Today we head back to Portland to pack up my mom’s apartment. Short ride to Warmshowers host; first stopping for tasty bagels. Clean up our bikes and ourselves and relax a bit before heading to the airport.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Continuing along the Katy Trail
June 8 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
Rainy morning but we are under cover in the pavilion. Wait out the rain and go to breakfast. Tad bit full as we rode along the trail. All the water makes for slower riding. Pick up some dinner supplies and ride to Defiance. Campground is a bit flooded but able to find a dry ish spot.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
A stormy day
June 8 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
While it didn’t rain overnight, it began in earnest as we were preparing to leave. Then the gods started bowling. Waited out the worst of it. First 10 miles were pretty wet with boomers in the near vicinity. Rest of the day was on and off showers. Path was slower due to the rain. We were also low on food as we had missed an opportunity to stock up the day before. Opted to not go into Jefferson City for supplies. Survived on snacks. Enjoyed the wildlife and changing scenery. Arrived in Hermann; first stop - frozen custard!! Find the city park and again set up under cover due to rain. Nice hot showers and a proper meal.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Along the Missouri
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Early am blue skies give way to cloud cover. Back to the Katy Trail and the “hardest section”. 🤣. Cover Lard hill easily (there’s a story that involves a dead pig & greasing the tracks with lard). Quick stop at a farmers market (no produce yet) in Boonville. Cross the mighty Missouri and ride along it for the remainder of the day. Follow in the tracks of Louis & Clarke (though they were in boats). Arrive in Hartsburg. Set up in park, take sink showers and go to The Grand for dinner. Move our tent under the gazebo just in case. Watch fireflies come outRead more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Onto the Katy Trail
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
Winds are a blowing - but at least not in our face. In order to save 10 miles, opt to ride in HWY 50 to get to our trailhead. Bad shoulder and so much road kill. Everything from turtles to armadillos to deer. Finally get to Sedalia, get some good coffee and food and arrive at the entrance to the Katy trail; the longest rail trail in the country (200+ miles). Nice surface and we zoom along under the cover of trees. See few people and only live animals including a 4 foot black rat snake. Make it to Pilot Ridge and find the city park where we can camp for free. Take a quick swim in the nearby pool.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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Sleeping through Kansas … literally
June 4 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Our train took us all the way through Kansas and we disembarked in Kansas City Missouri. Nice route out of the city; even meandering among their stadiums before getting on the Rock Island Trail. Quite a nice one but opted to hop off and head due east. Though we stayed off HWY 50, we found ourselves on some very rough roads with little steep hills. As day went on got tired and hot. Made it to our destination of Warrensburg but with no viable campgrounds ended up in a hotel.Read more
Hannah Boe The sky said, "Happy Pride! 🌈"
6/5/26Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
La Junta town and an Amtrak train
June 3 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
The day seems to be warm and pleasant. Take our time, even having pancakes, as we only have 28 miles to go. Turns out that the wind is particularly strong, blowing us either into the road or it’s in our face. Clouds roll in and rain begins in earnest. Not a very pleasant ride. Make it to La Junta but station is not open and we know our train is late. Finally check in and go get some tasty pizza. Finally board over 2 hours late. Kansas City here we come.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Onto the plains
June 2 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
The wind has died down, but thick clouds are all around. Get an early start as we are worried about more wind. Bit misty as we continue along our cycle path through the buttes of the park. Hit another path along the river into the city of
Pueblo. Cross into town; and not a very nice part. But cycle through and back on Hwy 50. Mostly flat or down as we truly say goodbye to the mountains. Wide open flat land is in front of us. Stop at the tiny town of Fowler and find a very cheap RV park. A bit noisy but pleasant enough.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
The mountains are all behind us
June 1 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Wake to bike horn sheep wandering around our campground. They blend in with the rocks; except for their white butts. Continue down through the canyon until we leave the river and head up. Only 800 feet or so bit but takes us back over 6000 for awhile. Got a plateau and then go screaming down into Canon City; another cute little city. Stock up on food and make our way out of town on a lovely bike path. Wind hits hard as we pedal east. Lots of rollers but finally make it to Lake Pueblo State Park. Another nice cycle path to our campground. Set up and take a very quick dip in the reservoir (no showers). Wind is howling! Tod everything down, huddle behind tent and somehow manage to make and eat dinner.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Arkansas Headwaters
May 31 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Make our way to the tony town of Salida. Quite the hub for all sorts of outdoor activities. Doug rolls into a bike store to get gears fixed. Walk around town a bit. Bike mechanics do what they can, and off we go. Follow the Arkansas River as it cuts its way to form canyons. Nice rolling 40 miles and stop at Five Points campground. Finally put on a bathing suit and get wet! Back to campsite with our filtered water. Make dinner and in the tent before dark.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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Crossing the Continental Divide
May 30 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Wake to frost on the tent. The Sky is clear and the wind has yet to pick up. We have 10 miles to climb to Monarch Pass at 11,300 feet. Wind picks up as we head up but it is generally behind us. Have an easy mile or so and then the climbing starts. Grade isn’t too bad but the altitude is tough. The road hugs the side of the mountain as we slowly ascend. Lots of breaks helps to keep us breathing. Make it to the windy top. Bundle up and relax a bit before plunging 4000 feet to Salida. Terrain gets noticeably drier as we go. Stop for ice cream and then pull into our campsite. Good but challenging day!Read more
Hannah Boe I've skied there!
6/2/26Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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Sargents - a perfectly placed oasis
May 29 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Another short day; our version of a rest day. Day starts out cloudy but does clear. Visit the campground animals before hitting the road. 34 miles along HWY 50 - much of the time into the wind. Yet the gradient is mild and scenery nice. Arrive at the base of tomorrow’s climb where there is a little campground, store and restaurant - Tomichi Creek Trading Post. Still quite windy. Have a nice hot shower and dine in the restaurant.Read more
Hannah Boe Donkey!
5/29/26Reply
Helene RimbergThey were everywhere!
5/30/26Reply
TravelerGorgeous!
5/30/26Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Gunnison
May 28 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Only 24 miles today to town of Gunnison. Beautiful ride along the water and amongst the rocks. We have transitioned back to Hwy 50 and it is much busier but we have a good shoulder. Arrive at the KOA outside of town. Set up and go check out Gunnison. Been here 50+ years ago but don’t remember much. Get food and ice cream! Back to campsite to do laundry and make dinner.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
May 27 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
A monster day awaits us: over 4000 ft of climbing to 9100 feet. Nice morning as sun is out and seems to be little wind. Roll along on as we gradually climb. Some bits get steeper but not too bad. At times lose quite a bit of elevation which is a bit disheartening. The prairie dogs sit up and take notice as we pedal along. Do notice the altitude after 8000 feet or so. Hit the summit and do a bit more rolling until we stop for lunch with a great view of the canyon. Enjoy the views as we make our way down to the reservoir. A few raindrops fall from out of nowhere. Cross the reservoir and find our quiet campground. Long day but worth the climbing.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
We are headed up
May 26 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
A short day planned, only 35 miles but we are climbing up to the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. SR 92 is relatively quiet as we ride towards Hotchkiss. Get last supplies and continue upward. Clouds get darker but not too windy or threatening. Arrive in the town of Crawford and a few miles later the state park. Nice lake but too chilly to swim.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
A blustery day
May 25 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
Slow start as we utilize good internet to do some planning. Finally head out and return to lovely cycle path which leads us out of Grand Junction. Dark clouds all around and it does appear to be raining nearby. Pedal along through barren landscape; rolling up and down the hills. Finally get to the top and almost get knocked over. Thunder is rumbling and rain threatens. After waiting a moment head downward. Skies open for about a minute. And then the rain stops but wind persists. Quick lunch stop and finish ride to Delta. Set up, food shop and eat.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
State #4: Colorado
May 24 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Survive our night in the vast high prairie. Pack up and conserve as much water as possible. Cross into Colorado and still no services. Turn off into Mack and a nice woman gives us Gatorade and water. Make it to next town and have lunch. Pick up cycle trail in Fruta. With limited options, check into spendy hotel.Read more
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