Post-trip

Spent: $518.89 (food) + $770.66 (lodging) + $23.32 (tubes, laundry, shower fee) = $1,312.87 total for trip.

Heart

Comment

Back in July, as this trip's departure date approached, I'd given some thought to delaying its start by a week. I'm glad I didn't! Eight days after I rode through, the Madison area received heavy rain (on August 20), significantly damaging the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor Trail, which I used when I passed through Middleton. Then, two weeks after I'd used the 400 State Trail and the Elroy-Sparta State Trail, "severe storms and flooding" closed both of them (on August 28). Interestingly, I see those were two days I stayed where I was.

As always, support I received from friends and family and those I met along the way made this trip enjoyable. Thank you! Thanks also to Jeff Arnim for providing this on-line place for my journals, and to CycleBlaze readers who posted comments and/or added 'hearts' to my report.

I'm sure it's no surprise that I really liked this message I read on the evening of Day 20. For me, bicycle touring makes this easy:

"Give thanks for the gift of your life, as you enjoy the beauty here of all life around you." – Columbia Park Tower Committee

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Floyd DovellI read about your kickback trip while hunting for journals of tours made on one and two-speed, vintage style bikes. Your unfailing good humor, articulate narrative, and keen-eyed photography allowed me to enjoy the trip with you. Thanks. I have a '79 Schwinn "heavy Duti"which soon (I hope) will receive a red band kickback hub. I haven't and likely won't tour on it, but I'm curious as to how this strong, stiff Schwinn frame handled while heavily loaded. Secondly , how did those orange tires at the beginning of your tour happen to turn black? Didn't you make another tour on that bike? I'll look for it. I'm glad to have "met" you. Floyd
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4 years ago

Jeff TeelTo Floyd DovellFloyd,
What a fun comment notice to receive! Thanks for your kind words.
Yes, I have been on two other tours with this bike - in 2015 and 2016.
The frame/bike handled well for me. In fact, it's the most comfortable ride I have, at present.
Those orange tires are actually black tires wrapped with orange caution tape. I wrapped them at home to keep the spares clean and dry, and also figure the bright orange helps me be seen. The down side of this is that it takes about twenty minutes to wrap each tire, and close to half that to unwrap them. So, the replaced tires didn't get rewrapped after the tire swap.
From what I'm reading, the Schwinn Heavy-Duti is one tough bike. Best wishes for getting yours set up as a kickback.
Jeff
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4 years ago

Steve H71The 400 and Sparta Elroy trails had sections closed for a few years due to flooding shortly after your trip. You really did luck out.
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1 year ago