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Wheeled Migration

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tour mapIn the summer of 2004, I sold or gave away most of my possessions from my apartment in Minneapolis and hit the road on my bicycle for a year, pulling a trailer full of gear behind me. The idea was to go south through the midwest, spend the winter along the gulf coast, go north along the east coast with the spring, and return to Minnesota via Canada in the summer. Because the movie Winged Migration was popular at the time, I called the Yahoo! Group that I used to communicate with my friends and family during the trip "Wheeled Migration." Below are the messages I sent to that group, in reverse chronological order, but you can find them in chronological order in the menu that will appear at left, or click a pin on the map above.

May 31: Adventures in Montreal

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By Ben | 4:13 PM CDT, Tue May 31, 2005

[posted to the Wheeled Migration Yahoo Group on May 31, 2005] ]

Hello again. I've covered a lot of ground since I last wrote, so I'm going to leave out a lot of details and focus on telling stories which I hope will interest you.

Wheeled Migration
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To Ottawa

By admin | 10:07 AM CDT, Sun May 29, 2005

I got up at dusk this morning and braved the morning fog to make it to church on time.  I thought I was going to make it when I reached the Ottawa River Parkway trail, but it was longer than it looked on the map, and Leela's church was on the far side of town.  I was exactly half an hour late for the start of the service, but just in time for the sermon.

Wheeled Migration
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To Camping Peanut

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By Ben | 10:02 AM CDT, Sat May 28, 2005

I decided to see how far I could go today, to improve my chances of getting to church on time tomorrow morning.  The weather was beautiful, and easy to appreciate after days of rain.

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Montreal - Biodôme

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By Ben | 9:59 AM CDT, Thu May 26, 2005

I had a lot of trouble getting out of bed this morning, as if I were reacting to something in yesterday's lunch.  When I started carrying my gear downstairs, I slipped and fell down the stairs on my back, scraping it painfully.  I decided I was in no condition to travel... e-mailed Leela to say I'd be late, paid for another night, and went back to bed.

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Montreal - Biosphere

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By Ben | 9:57 AM CDT, Wed May 25, 2005

I'm kind of stunned because I just learned I have to leave tomorrow morning instead of Friday.  Fortunately I did most of the things I wanted to do today, but still it's a bummer.

This morning I biked up Mont-Royal for the view.  The mountain is taller than all the buildings in the city below, and it took me 20 minutes just to coast back down!  It's a popular spot.

Wheeled Migration
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To Montreal

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By Ben | 9:54 AM CDT, Tue May 24, 2005

The bike map said that after crossing the border into Canada, I could continue north on Quebec highway 223 "and the Chambly Canal towpath into Montreal."  I asked the border guard, and he confirmed that if I followed 223, I'd see signs for the towpath in about 25 miles.

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To Rouses Point, NY

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By Ben | 9:51 AM CDT, Mon May 23, 2005

I woke in the night with the realization that I'd forgotten to take an enzyme pill with my dinner of lentil soup... just what I need on a cold, rainy afternoon, I thought: fatigue and despair!  But I lucked out and didn't have a reaction.

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To Keeseville, NY

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By Ben | 9:49 AM CDT, Sun May 22, 2005

The mountain pass I had to face today was daunting enough, but I woke to cold, wind, and rain as well.  I had a pretty miserable morning.  My front wheel started making ominous noises around lunchtime, so after lunch I worked it over ... though if the rain keeps up as forecast, I'll be doing that every day!

It was slow going all day; I finally started ascending after 3:00, and it was after 5 by the time I reached the "summit" -- the high point of the pass.  I wish I could say the view was great, but between the forest and the clouds there wasn't much visibility.

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To Crown Point

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By Ben | 9:47 AM CDT, Sat May 21, 2005

In addition to the mountains, I had to contend with a stiff headwind all day, but I made reasonably good time.  Lake Champlain looks to me like an artificial lake, long and narrow with steep shores and little evidence that the water level ever deviates, but apparently it was here when the first European explorers arrived.

I passed through the town of Ticonderoga, which has a living-history fort and a beautiful waterfall and a rich history and a lot of motels attesting to tourist traffic.  It also has a paper mill.  I sincerely hope the wind doesn't shift overnight!

Wheeled Migration
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To Whitehall, NY

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By Ben | 3:31 PM CDT, Fri May 20, 2005

I swear the sun rose earlier this morning up on the plateau... I woke at 5:30 and completed the day's 50-mile ride by 3:30.

The Hudson River and I finally parted ways at the town of Hudson Falls; I followed the connecting Lake Champlain Canal the rest of the way to Whitehall.

I was getting nervous about crossing the mountains tomorrow, so I gave away about two pounds of clothes to some folks who were having a garage sale.  I shouldn't need so many now that it's summer...

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"Blue Boat Home" is the name of a UU hymn by Peter Mayer, about how we are all travelers on the Earth. We have his permission and blessing to use the name for this site.