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Karen Fig
Karen Fig

Karen Fig

traveled in 9 countries Read more🇺🇸Chicago
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  • Karen FigUpstate New YorkTraveler

    First day off

    September 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    First REAL day off, I mean, like we rode zero miles on our bikes, didn't even look at the things

    ...It rained most of the day. Typical

    We made the best of it and went for a hike with the cheap emergency umbrellas we bought for our first day "off" in Ithaca. Man these things have come in handy! We also played a lot of dice in the tent and treated ourselves to some tasty sodas for dinner (carried uphill in glass bottles - not an insignifcant task!).

    All in all, not a bad day, and my body needed it - we rode for 14 consecutive days!    Read more

  • Karen FigUpstate New YorkTraveler
    This is what we were riding along. Pure wildernessLook how happy I was when I thought the road was over after a few milesI even took a picture of the pavement....I was wrong. There was MORE. It took HOURS.

    10 miles

    September 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Me: I don't gravel bike, especially on hills
    New York: The hell you don't!

    At least it was good practice, and we didn't run into any bears

  • Karen FigUpstate New YorkTraveler
    2

    Adirondacks ho!

    September 11, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Folks, we have liftoff! We have climbed THOUSANDS of feet (literally) and are in the MOUNTAINS. Look at those trees! Smell that delicious alpiney oxygen! Is it better than regular oxygen? Yes!

    We scheduled a "day off" after our first big climbing day during which we were simply going to move from one campground to another, but one thing led to another and we ended up biking 8 miles through some steep hills. AGAIN. Our second day off in a row which turned out to be fake news. We did eventually find some time to look at a pretty lake in some Adirondack chairs, which aren't like, the most comfortable, but are everywhere around here (weird). We also already saw one bear in our first campground, which was a little disconcerting. The conversation with the ranger at our second campground wasn't heartening:

    Ranger: this is BEAR country. We DEFINITELY have bears. Put your food in your CAR. LOCK your car.

    Us: um, we don't have a car.

    Ranger: oh, well, I wouldn't worry about it then.

    Us: We saw one last night at the campground 5 miles away.

    Ranger: oh...yeah...I mean, they don't come HERE too much...

    🤔    Read more

  • Karen FigUpstate New YorkTraveler

    Cobblestone Castle

    September 10, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    On our way up a mountain we came across "Cobblestone Castle," a delightful and imaginative playground/art installation/repurposed junk world among the trees. The artist, Mike, was there, a really nice guy, doing his best to just create. I thought it was pretty cool. If you ever head into the Adirondacks, stop by!

    I had seen a road killed raccoon with a fairly intact sun bleached skeleton down the road and lamented having to leave it behind. I thought Mike might be able to make some use of it - someone should! He thanked me for the tip :-)    Read more

  • Karen FigUpstate New YorkTraveler

    Have a beautiful now

    September 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Somehow on most of my bike trips I end up staying at some sort of community house at least once and it is always a delight. An acquaintance from long ago (and fellow bike tourer) hosted us at his beautiful artist/activist shared house in Syracuse and it was so wonderful. To sleep in a bed, to use a kitchen, to have a conversation over coffee on a lovely porch and admire the murals. We walked a block to the local Korean joint and impressed the owner with how much food we ordered (and finished).

    Today we're back on the canal. It's undeniably great for turtle and heron watching, and seeing a lock in action was pretty cool, but I'm ready for the mountains ahead    Read more

  • Karen FigUpstate New YorkTraveler

    Harriet Tubman

    September 7, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and purchased a home in Auburn, NY, which she shared with her parents, husband, and cared for others needing safety. She eventually purchased land attached to the property and opened a home for the aged, which she ran and funded herself. Despite serving as a spy, nurse, and commander during the American Civil War, she only ever received a partial military pension over two decades after her service.

    Her home is currently being restored and maintained by one of the families that lived there after she passed. Despite being a "partner" of the National Park Service, the site receives no federal funding. The programming there is excellent and important. I left inspired and amazed at her commitment to justice and freedom. Lincoln gets way too much credit for what a community of abolitionists worked for years to accomplish.    Read more

  • Karen FigUpstate New YorkTraveler

    Ithaca

    September 6, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Our day off was also very wet. We visited Cornell, hoping to see their ornithology lab and botanic gardens, but the weather didn't co-operate. At least we got a nice view at the top of the super steep hill it lives on (so steep I wouldn't bike up OR down it)...

    Ithaca is truly beautiful, you can't shake a stick without seeing a waterfall and they had really great local bread, but after a week on the road my tolerance for urban life is low and I'll be glad to move on.

    The hotel within our budget wasn't a whole lot less damp than our tent anyway and at least our tent isn't haunted    Read more

  • Karen FigUpstate New YorkTraveler
    Most of our day was wet county roads
    Most of our day was wet county roadsThe road that never ends (finger lakes national forest)A welcome sightTaughannock FallsHappy to see the all downhill Black Diamond TrailMy favorite vegetable was an excellent treatToasted

    Drenched

    September 5, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 68 °F

    Yep, called it. We were downright dripping through most of our ride today. It would have been an easy straight-shot 25 miles from our campground to Ithaca today, but we figured, hey, let's go see Finger Lakes National Forest on our way. What's another 10 miles?

    Reader, those ten miles were uphill in pouring rain and dirt road. I could barely see. And for some strange reason, both of us were tired. Like we had biked 60 miles the day before or something. We turned off at the first sign of pavement and sought much appreciated refuge at a coffee shop. Decided we had seen enough of the forest and to go see Taughannock Falls instead (only 3 miles out of the way - at this point more our speed).

    This was a good decision because there was a beautiful 10 mile downhill trail into town after that - a welcome change for the last of our riding.

    The second cheapest hotel in Ithaca is nestled between a Walmart and two oil change shops in the most cyclist-unfriendly spot possible. We were only a couple miles from downtown but decided not to bike since even our rain gear was saturated and it was still raining. The only Lyft driver in the city was unavailable and the bus wasn't for an hour, so we got umbrellas and walked, only to get drenched (again) in our clean dry clothes by a passing car. Then, the restaurant we were heading to, one of the only ones open in town, turned us away because they were too busy. The journey to our 250 mile celebration dinner was turning into a comedy of errors. We ducked into the next open spot and our luck changed. They had two seats outside (well covered). The food was a bit fancy but extremely fairly priced. We feasted on pickled beets, fish sauce glazed brussels sprouts (some of the best I've ever had), brisket and fried chicken sandwiches, and an entire bottle of local wine, from the year of our last bike trip together (2017). The Finger Lakes are apparently the top wine producing region in the country. Given my complete lack of expertise and sample size of 1, I can confirm this!

    After dinner we walked around to look at more waterfalls but it was too dark, so we just listened to them roar. It was nice. The geography of this place seems kind of dangerous for anyone in a drunken condition (lots of gorges right next to the sidewalk! The Ithaca is Gorges people weren't kidding!!) but we survived (I was the only one in danger -half a bottle of wine while tired and dehydrated took it's toll...)

    By 10:30, the Only Lyft Driver in Ithaca was finally available to take us back to our comfy bed (!!) so we didn't have to brave the puddle showers again. Overall, a long but rewarding adventure of a day. More rain tomorrow. We'll see what the day off brings    Read more

  • Karen FigUpstate New YorkTraveler

    It's gonna be a soggy day

    September 5, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 64 °F

    But a dry hotel and a day off waiting for me at the end!

    Also, "rain on tent" is literally one of my favorite calming white noise choices so I am really relishing these moments before getting out of "bed"Read more

  • Karen FigUpstate New YorkTraveler

    Finger Lakes

    September 4, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 64 °F

    Whew! I struggled today. 58 miles of rolling hills. Andrew stayed with me the whole time despite my whining about my swollen wasp-stung leg and generally tired body. We had lunch at a vineyard on Seneca Lake and are spending a rainy night in Cayuga Lake. I think this might be the middle finger??

    Kung Pao Chicken from a bag for dinner, banana nut cake from our RV neighbor Jean who begged us to take it. I'll never turn down free cake on a bike trip. A couple days ago some Seattleites gifted us some gummies. Again, twist my arm! We must really look the part of sore hungry cyclists.    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler

    On top of the world

    September 20, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    I spent a couple days in Germany after I finished biking, with good company and good scenery.

    After skirting the Alps for a week, I finally found myself in them. They were spectacular. We were literally in the clouds. I did not want to leave.

    Bike trips have had a profound effect on my life. They have provided me with access to beauty and adventure that I don't think I would have otherwise ever had. They have allowed me to develop resourcefulness, independence, and a good sense of what my limits are. I never want them to be over, but I also feel a deep appreciation for home and my life when I come back.

    Last year was the ten year anniversary of my first one. In 2008, I rode my bike across the United States. It was my first trip, it was a charity ride where you raised money for Habitat for Humanity and spent some time building houses along the way.

    I did not know that I would end up falling in love with biking, or that I'd end up being an electrician. I feel profoundly lucky that as an 18-year-old, I heard about a crazy opportunity about two things that sounded kinda cool and decided to take it.

    So anyway, I did some math out of curiosity. In the past 11 years, I've bike toured about 8,500 miles, in 9 different countries and 25 states. 2,200 of those miles were with Andrew (who I miss dearly and cannot wait to tour with again). Roughly 2,500 miles were completed alone.

    Not bad for someone who was too afraid to learn how to ride a bike at all until almost high school.

    And, for the record, I may say "alone," but I am forever grateful to people, ranging from strangers to dear friends, who have hosted me, given me rides to and from the airport, fed me, and encouraged me.

    I never feel as free or happy as I do when I am on a bike trip, and if anyone ever wants to find out how to get into it, I am always SUPER excited to talk about it. As far as travel goes, it's manageable with a very reasonable amount of money compared to almost anything else, and is completely accessible to a wider variety of fitness levels than most people assume.

    One of the most cherished memories I will have of Germany is how many people of ALL ages I saw traveling by bike. I turned 31 last month. Of course in the grand scheme of things that's pretty young, but I am excited to know that it is in fact quite realistic to believe that I still have decades of bike touring ahead of me...

    Until next time!    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler
    If you squint hard you can see the alps and they are beautifulRaclette: cheese, carbs, and pickles....the best things in life.

    840

    September 15, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Well, after 1350 kilometers (which sounds more impressive than 840 miles ;-) ), I made it to Zürich, Switzerland.

    Finishing a bike tour alone in a foreign country is a little strange. Nobody knows what I just accomplished, or cares.

    Not that I do it for people to be impressed, but it's a little anti-climactic to spend many, many days thinking of this moment, and then you get to your hostel and they're just like, "ok, here is your key."

    Well *I* know what I did. And it was crazy. I have climbed SEVEN THOUSAND FEET in the past few days. I have descended almost the same amount, on steep, thrilling and terrifying downhills. My legs hurt from climbing. My hands hurt from braking. I don't have any Swiss money, so today I got by on some gas station coffee and snacks for 44 miles, since most small local places don't let you charge and grocery stores are closed on Sundays.

    I am in Switzerland, so when I finally arrived and settled in, I ate cheese for dinner (specifically raclette - cheese melted over things) and had chocolate for dessert (ice cream) and I didn't really know what else to do with myself, so I went for a short bike ride to see the things. Of course.

    Lake Zurich, it turns out, isn't just a Chicago suburb, but an actual Lake, in Zurich, Switzerland. There are lots of swans, and the snowy-peaked alps can be seen in the distance.

    Tomorrow I take a train back to Germany to like, actually vacation for a few days before going back to work. I averaged 62 miles a day on this trip, carting my 100lb bike and gear. My body needs a break.

    I'm going to be filling in everything from the past few hundred miles tonight. More beauty to come.    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler
    beautiful switzerland
    beautiful switzerlandWith 15 miles to go, I still had to walk up and down this stupid mountainI cannot tell you how happy I was to see this sign

    Der Schweiss

    September 15, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    I rode 44 miles through Switzerland to Zürich. The first 30 miles, the scenery was...well...

    The final 14 were literally 95% uphill in 90 degree weather.

    My last day of riding was supposed to be easy, but

    I forgot.

    It's a bike tour.

    Nothing is easy.    Read more

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