Neil Fein's Blog

The landlord has decided to cut down the tree in front of our house. It was taller than the house and it cast shade on the picture windows, saving on energy and giving us privacy.

Their plan is to sell the house, and I suppose deforesting the property and exposing the peeling paint and cracked windows will achieve that end... somehow.

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Labels: home, satellite, tree

Our Warner Brothers' studio tour guide told us that, years ago, James Dean had an obnoxious habit of revving his motorcycle outside live soundstages. The perfectly measured reaction to this was to, of course, ban all motorcycles from the Warner Brothers' Burbank lot. There are countless bikes now cruising the lot.

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Labels: bicycle, hollywood

Neil Brennen and I have come to realize that we have different touring needs, and we've decided that Shake, Rattle and Roll has been our last tour together.

I'm sorry to see this happen, but I'm glad we rode together for the time that we did. It's been fun, and we learned a lot from each other over touring 700+ miles together, not to mention day rides and organized rides.

Even if not explicitly stated, NOW has always been at least somewhat about learning and improvement. "What can we do better next time?" was a standard conversation after a tour.

• Packing - I tend to overpack, and I still do. I like to think that I've improved since I brought 4 paniers and a huge camp roll for a 2-day trip.
  
• Climbing - the hills of Chester county (where Neil lives) are truly epic. Our tour to Bethlehem highlighted that there are always steeper hills.
  
• Camping - I've now camped 4 times with NOW, the only camping experience I have to date. I'm at the point where I can set up and break down in a reasonable amount of time, and can get a decent night's sleep in a small tent.
  Planning - Mapping appropriate roads, setting the length of the day to something realistic, and planning to ride in an area that's interesting to begin with are all important things to know how to do if a tour is to be successful.

Labels: bicycle, bike, neilsonwheels, touring

Train across from the campsite. Trains on this line kept us up all night. Campers are advised to bring earplugs.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

Neil B had to bow out of the ride after a fall, but he made it pretty damn far, riding 90 miles on a broken rib.

Neil and Judy followed me in a car, in my mad dash to cover the last 100 miles to DC in one day. They made sure I ate properly, didn't overheat, and drank a lot of water.

Thanks again to everyone who sent donations - I exceeded my target of $1000 for epilepsy research. There are a lot of people who made this ride possible, and thank you to everyone involved!

I have many more pics to sort through, and a journal as soon as I can get it all finished. I filled many notebook pages that I have to type up and edit.

Click on the pictures for a larger version and more information.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

So last night I didn't actually talk to Neil until I was about to go to bed, so I wasn't sure if I could keep my eyes open long enough to post. And by the time I got here tonight, Neil had already posted a bit. But let's see if I can fill in some of the back story.

The big issue yesterday is that Neil got a flat. He had spare tubes -- so no problem, right? Well, actually, since this is a new bike, neither Neil had checked to see if the pumps they were bringing on tour with them worked with the valve. After going through two tubes, they called a guy from bike forums to come meet them. Neil had one tube left, but he also had a rip in the tire sidewall. So they planned to go to a bike store to get him a new tire and another tube. (And a pump that actually works with his bike, I assume.)

So during the day, they crossed the Mason-Dixon Line at the same time that they crossed from Pennsylvania into Maryland. And before they did that, they passed Deale, PA, which is the highest elevation on the trail. They went through the Big Savage Tunnel, which is an old railroad tunnel that's been converted for the trail. It's about 7/10 of a mile long, and it also represents the divide between water that drains to the Atlantic and water that drains to the Gulf of Mexico. (Neil called it the continental divide, but that's in the Rockies.)

After that, it's all downhill from there. Literally -- they got past the highest point. They stopped in Frostburg, MD for the night, and stayed in a dorm at Frostburg State University.

I'll post more for Neil once I actually talk to him. (We've been leaving each other messages all day.) You can also see below for more info.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

I'm in the library in Cumberland, so here's an update. Sorry it's brief. I'm keeping a notebook so I'll have more when we get back. Most of this entry is cannibalized form an post I just made on bikeforums.net.

Neil B took a spill, and he's is resting up in the Bruce House, a local B&B. He seems okay so far and may be able to ride tomorrow, but we'll know a lot more in the AM. We've stopped early in Cumberland, which is just as well since there's a thunderstorm coming and there's a tornado warning - the second we've had on this tour. Much contingency planning is occurring, since this puts us 30 miles behind.

Everyone we've met on the road has been great! It's great to finally put faces to the names.

Neil's trailer is pretty wobbly, and the quick release hitch keeps jamming. It was checked out; apparently the quick-release retaining pins were bent, and forcing the hitch onto the skewer was making it worse.

A sharp rock jumped out to bite my tire on a few miles west of Frostburg. I had to get a new tire in Cumberland, and I rode it around town a little bit while under the full load and it seems fine. I have three spare tubes. I may tour with a spare tire next time. Martha is correct that I could be traveling lighter, I've learned a lot from this tour. We're having a great time, despite the setbacks. (More mechanical issues... sigh.)

It's amazing to see everyone commenting here and keeping the thread going over on bikeforums; I feel pretty pumped from seeing y'all following our progress. Keep it coming! I'll check in again when I can.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

Neil called me tonight from his campsite approximately 15 miles from Confluence. (No, I have no idea where these things are. Apparently Confluence is near Cumberland, if that helps anyone. I think they're still in Pennsylvania.)

During the ride today, the Neils met up with Judy (from Bike Forums) and her 14-year-old daughter Libby. Judy and Libby took the Neils in their car from the trail to visit Falling Water, a famous house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Also joining them was a guy they met on the trail who is doing the same trip. (Sorry, but I forgot to write down the name of the other guy.)

After getting back to the trail, Judy and Libby took all the bags from the Neils and drove on, which meant that the Neils could ride unencumbered for a bit (although Neil says that the bike is holding up well with the load). Then all four of them went about 15 miles up in the mountains to a campsite, where they're going to spend the night.

Tomorrow is going to be what Neil thinks will be the toughest day -- 49 miles over hills. But both Neils decided to mail some stuff home (or in my Neil's case, to DC), including the guitar, which was making PA Neil feel unbalanced. That should make it easier.

Neil's been doing laundry about every other day, and he says that seems to work fine. But he also told me that the guy they visited Falling Water with is doing the same trip with just two panniers and a Solitaire tent. So maybe Neil could reduce his load even further for future tours.

As y'all can probably tell, I finally remembered to take notes tonight, which is why I have details about where they are and who they're with. I'll update again tomorrow night.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

Well, the Neils spent last night at an inn that has recently been refurbished. Apparently there's even a Las Vegas room with lots of Elvis memorabilia. They got caught in a downpour about 5 miles out yesterday, so they arrived soaking and muddy. Luckily, today they found a combination bike shop and restaurant that let them use their hose to clean off their bikes.

They rode on the trail today, and made an average of about 10 miles per hour. (12 or so on the flats.) Both Neils are feeling a bit wobbly as they get used to their equipment: NJ Neil has his new REI bike that he's still breaking in, and PA Neil is dealing with a trailer.

Tonight they're camping at a site on the trail that includes a laundromat. They're having fun and haven't had any major arguments so far. My Neil is considering mailing his guitar back, since he hasn't really used it at all, but he'll make the decision later.

More to come as I hear it.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring

Well, I've heard from Neil, and the trip is underway.

Neil and Neil drove out to Pittsburgh on Friday, and stayed with a guy from the bike forums. This morning, the Neils left Pittsburgh, and biked what my Neil described as the most harrowing day of the trip. That's because the two of them needed to get out of Pittsburgh in order to get to the beginning of the trail that they'll be following most of the way to DC. They're spending the night in a hotel, and tomorrow should start on the trail.

Unfortunately, Neil hasn't been able to talk for long, so he'll give me more details when he gets the chance.

Labels: bicycle, bike, touring