Snowangels and shuffleboard
It is a short 92 mile ride from Ogallala in Nebraska where we spent last night to our friends on the northside of Denver so after yesterday’s tough ride, we take it easy and leave our motel at 10 am. We know we need to get to Denver by early afternoon as snow is coming according to all weather reports. As we approach the outskirts of Denver, it is looking interesting out there!! Maybe we should have left earlier… We get rain but no snow by the time we arrive at Karen and Mike’s home and we feel frozen to the bone.
We last saw our friends when we came through on our last round the world trip, so it’s great to see them on this trip. We had planned on spending 2 nights there but snow did arrive as forecast and they kindly invite us to stay 4, until the snow has melted, in Denver at least. We make the most of our time to do some minor bike maintenance (we have been tightening my chain everyday and doubt it will last until Vancouver – we might have to get it changed sooner), use the washing machine (rather than hand wash), buy some emergency rations from REI camping store nearby and generally chat and relax. We tried one packet of the freeze dried breakfast skillet which contains scrambled eggs, potato, capsicum or peppers one morning: it was surpringingly as tasty as I had read in online reviews, so we got 7 more packs. Although this food is light, it is horribly bulky. Perfect excuse to reduce the contents of our panniers and ship stuff back.
As forecast, we wake up Saturday morning to snow!! It is wet snow, not the light fluffy type but I can’t resist this:
Anne sleeping again or making her first snow Angel
That was fun!!
Sunday evening out with Mike and Karen’s friends Jeff and Leah introduces us to a new game: shuffleboard. In table shuffleboard, the play area is most commonly a narrow wooden or laminated 22ft, or 6.7m, surface covered with silicone beads (also know as called ‘shuffleboard wax’) to reduce friction. Players propel metal-and-plastic pucks by hand, to come to rest within zones of different values at the other end of the board. It is a variation of the British coin “shove ha’ penny”. The object of the game is to either score or prevent the opponent from scoring by either blocking or hitting their puck off the board. All of us being quite competitive, it is a lively (yes, at times loud) and fun evening.
Playing shuffleboard
With Karen and Mike
Thank you for your hospitality Karen and Mike. Your turn to come to us next time, or stay at our home if we are on the road!
As we get ready to leave, we suddenly make the decision to head to Santa Fe because I made a comment I would like to revisit BMW in Santa Fe as they had been so helpful a couple of years ago with my bike and in fear my chain will not last much longer – we had not fixed our destination until then. It is a gorgeous day, the sky is deep blue, the air is crisp, the clouds fluffy white and the mountains in the distance snow covered. As we head towards Denver with the Rockies to our right, we comment on how stunning the mountains are, how inviting they look. What a pitty to be missing out on crossing them. Shall we give it a go we ask each other through our bluetooth headsets? Yes, let’s. Quick turn off, detour and we join I70 West. A road we have taken so many times over the past 37 years as we managed to combiness business trips with skiing holidays.
As I write this blog and Anthony is watching Star Trek, and I hear: If you always see the road ahead of you, it is not worth the trip – how apt!!!
As we approach Idaho Springs, the sky looks really bad ahead so we turn off: a quick check of the weather radar reveals that it is now raining and -2 centigrade ahead. Not a good combination so we turn back!
I70 West towards Idaho Springs
The weather gradually warms up as we head south but with pretty gusty winds. (Read ‘very’ gusty). We detour via the Garden of the Gods then stop at Pueblo at 4.30 – we are completely done for the day so find ourselves a motel for the night. We have not travelled far at all today but who cares?! My chain is already very loose though: a quick call to BMW Santa Fe and we order a new chain and sprocket. It will be there the next day – perfect – we now have our route for the next couple of days sorted. The plan now is to head towards Taos via Eagle Nest on route 64 tomorrow which should be pretty. I am still hopeful we might find a quaint place to camp before we get to Taos, but a quick check of the weather tells me it will be freezing overnight again.
Garden of the Gods, Colorado
It is amazing to think that a couple of days ago, the I25 road south of Pueblo was closed to all traffic because of a foot of snow. It is all clear now luckily. Shortly south of Ratton we turn off onto the much quieter 64 road which is wonderful but boy is it windy!! My shoulders and neck have barely recovered from yesterday’s winds and now we get some more but the scenery makes up for the discomfort.
Culebra range, Colorado
Cimarron Canyon State Park, New Mexico
We are too early in the season, all is closed
We have made good time and head into Taos. After riding around the town for a couple of minutes, we realise this is not where we stayed a couple of years ago – no wonder we can’t find the hotel, we are in the wrong place!! We had been thinking of Santa Fe!! Thank goodness for McDonalds in every town: free wifi means we can always check for hotels, vacancies, weather etc. Neither of us is not getting a good vibe from Taos, (we have never seen a McDonald with signs saying washing and brushing teeth in the toilets is prohibited) so we decide to go onto Santa Fe and find ourselves a motel on the outskirts of town.
This long day ends meeting a wonderful man in the car park of our motel. Bill is 70 years old, lost his wife of 40 years, Emily, 2 years ago and has done what she asked him to do before she died: got himself a motorcycle to travel. It is always great to meet kindred spirits as we travel…
Traveller Bill
If you are confused about our route, don’t be. As you will have read here, we are making it up as we go along. But for now, we are aiming for warmth and sunshine if possible, with scenery and culture along the way.
– Anne
Westward Ho.
The title ‘Westward Ho’ comes from my recollection of the call of the wagon masters in cowboy movies of the 1940’s and 50’s, and maybe real life as the wagon trains started on their westward journey across the great plains.
We are roughly following one of the routes blazed by the pioneers in the 19th century in wagon trains across Iowa and Nebraska although we cover their daily average of 10-20 miles (16-32 kilometres) in as many minutes as we wiz along Interstate 80 (I80), at up to 70 mph (110 kmh). Denver will be a four day journey for the ‘2slowspeeds’ as we plan to cover up to 300 miles a day. We also have the comfort of motels, gas stations and numerous fast food outlets to aid our journey, something the early pioneers lacked.
The various trails for Western Travellers in the 19th Century
Since leaving our Amish friends, we have skirted to the south of Lake Michigan – note we have now seen all 5 of the great lakes seeing the missing two, Erie and Ontario on this trip – passed Chicago and ridden across Illinois and Iowa. We pass signs with names like Ottawa, Peru, Marseilles plus both Oxford and Cambridge giving us a global tour off one road: should we dive down any of these links, I feel we may end up in that named location. The location names are perhaps an indication of the varied origins of the people who started to settle the Great Plains in significant numbers almost 180 years ago.
When we stop for fuel or food, ‘Streak & Storm’ always attract attention. It may be because we are riding so early in the season, while the local ‘hogs’ (Harley Davidsons) are still sleeping gently in the caves waiting for warmer weather, but more likely is the friendly nature of the people we meet along the way in the USA. If time permitted, I am sure our journey would be at an even slower pace with all these wonderful people to meet.
The winds blasted us as we travelled across central Iowa, gusting up to 35mph (55 kph) which made life interesting as the large trucks (semi trailers) overtook us. With more weight concentrated on the rear of the bikes, our front wheel contact is a little ‘light’ at times. While we are used to winds, having lived and ridden in Cape Town, on one occasion as one particular truck passed both of us, we found our handlebars started to oscillate for a split second. Very disconcerting! Never happened before and not since, must have been a rare combination of wind currents. Hour after hour constant buffeting is tiring especially as we were riding 280 miles (450 kilometres). I admire those who have ventured to the tip of South America to whom this wind would seem like a light breeze, we have experienced that region’s weather while hiking, but not on motorcycles. We will leave that to more adventurous souls.
Foot and Hand warmers today
I am surprised at the gently rolling nature of the landscape as far as Lincoln Nebraska: I had an image of this region as flat as far as the eye could see, but this is not the case to the East of Lincoln. The occasional woodland nestled in the undulating terrain gives us a moments respite from the unrelenting winds. Temperatures are as low as 2 degrees Celsius, 35 degrees Fahrenheit, it is bitterly cold which even six layers of clothing cannot cannot defeat. Our stops are more frequent as we thaw out enough to ride for another 45 minutes at a time. Roll on summer!
We take a break on our westward journey at the Golden Spike Tower, http://www.goldenspiketower.com which has a commanding view over Union Pacific’s (UP) Bailey Yard in North Platte, the largest rail-yard in the world. They have a great live feed on their website for any train buffs. Statistics are impressive, more than 8 miles long, 150 trains and 14,000 wagons per day pass through here. They are sorted, checked, fuelled and have their crews changed. Short trains can only be 8000 feet long to be able to fit on the 9000 foot sidings. Express freights with priority right of way can be any length. Amazing stuff.
Massive rail network at North Platte
There is a plethora of other interesting facts about this location, which you can easily find many online, but a couple of interesting ones I thought are that the eastbound and westbound hump sorting yards are in the same direction, to use the natural fall the land from West to East to save moving large quantities of earth and that during the Second World War the North Platte Canteen was founded as a volunteer and self funded organisation that met each of the troop trains passing through North Platte with coffee and cakes. Over six million military personnel passed though during that time. Even some marriages occurred due to hastily scribbled notes passed from volunteers to military personnel!
Our last full day on the road heading to Denver sees the contrast of clear blue skies and warmer weather that makes me feel I could ride forever, to the thrill/excitement/fear of skirting a massive foreboding storm to the east of I76, watching the lightening forking down to the ground from black clouds so low you feel you could reach out and touch them.
Storm off I76
Our current destination is Denver where we will catch up with friends before deciding on our next move. As some of you may be aware we were keen to return to Alaska, but have decided that we will not be riding there this trip, perhaps another time. A couple of factors have influenced us, firstly while we are enjoying above average temperatures most days, further north has had one of the longest winters on record, snow is expected in Calgary for the next three days and as I write this we are riding with temperature that has dropped to 6 degrees celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit) in the middle of the day. With windchill calculations travelling at 70 mph the effective temperature is -3 degrees celsius (27 degrees Fahrenheit). This has led us to delay our northward move as we hear it has for others who have also planned Alaska trips this spring.
Secondly, we have found it difficult to secure transport for Streak and Storm back from Anchorage to Vancouver: we had planned to ride one way only to give us more time to explore Alaska and have the bikes trucked back to Vancouver. With a deadline to deliver the bikes for their next service, chain, sprocket and tyre change on June 6, we would just be riding long distances daily without time to enjoy the journey in the way we like do. We are also cognisant that we will have 30 days hard riding in Russia and Mongolia to meet our visa restrictions.
We still plan to explore parts of Western Canada but will spend a little more time in the lower 48 states. Where is still to be determined, but both old haunts and new opportunities beckon in warmer climes. We will keep you advised.
– Anthony
Time with our Amish friends
It is 2.5 degrees celcius (36 Fahrenheit) with clear blue skies, early Sunday morning and we are heading to the outskirts of Bremen on Streak and Storm. Slow moving shapes on the side of the road come to life through the cold morning mist as we approach them – people walking in their Sunday best, ladies’ capes blowing in the wind, a few horse and buggies clip-clopping gently along the lane, all waiving at us as we ride by. As we approach our destination, the road is nearly blocked with people: some pulling beautiful woodden open low carts with several children in each, others getting out of buggies. We see several men standing in a line in the front garden, all dressed in black with wide brimmed black hats. Streak and Storm very slowly ride past and turn up the gravel path to the shed awaiting them for the day. Brian and Neil are already there, awaiting our arrival. It is just after 8am and Sunday service starts at 9am. By the time we walk out of the barn, there is a long procession of horse and buggies arriving. Everyone is in their Sunday best. What a sight… We nod to the people arriving and parking their buggies as we walk by in our goretex trousers and motorcycle boots. The day that ensued was simply magical…
Start of a magical day
Going back a few days in time…..
What are we doing here? Some of you may recall that the highlight of our 3 months in the US back in 2015 was meeting David in Nappanee, as described in “An insight into Amish life” https://2slowspeeds.com/2015/08/17/an-insight-into-amish-life/ , and being invited back to his home to meet some of his family and learning more about each other’s culture and life. Since then, apart from the annual Christmas letter exchange, I have stayed in touch with Brian, David’s son-in-law, via email. Email?! Yes, luckily, Brian works for a manufacturing company and his job requires him to use computers etc. so we have been communicating while he is at work. Apart from our departure date from Vancouver in June, our meeting with David, Brian and their families on the 20th April was the only thing we had scheduled on our US/Canada leg of this trip.
Seeing David and Linda again was wonderful and, as so often happens, it felt normal to be seeing our Amish friends again. Brian and Edna and their five children, Amy, Eric, Lydia, Lucas and Amanda, arrived by horse and buggy shortly after we arrived. Dinner is nearly ready but Brian offers to take us for a short buggy ride. You will have seen Anthony’s video. The horse and buggy has one feature we wish we had with Streak and Storm: reverse!! Yes, we did a 3 point turn with the horse and buggy on that little narrow lane to turn back and go home. Well, I can see many more advantages of horse and buggy over Streak and Storm really but that’s another story.
A gentle ride with Brian and Dreamer
Sorry Streak, we have a new steed
We are greated with a huge dinner of barbecued chicken, fresh vegetables, fried potatoes and salads followed by 2 different home made of course, pies. It was such a lively and fun evening. After dinner, David takes us see the large 16 ft trailer that’s sitting in their front yard – what could that be for?! The trailer hold benches of different lengths of 6 to 12 feet long and boxes of hymn books for their bi-weekly church services, and because church is followed by lunch, boxes with all the cuttlery, glasses and table cloths. David and Edna are hosting this Sunday’s service. The Amish hold their church services in their homes and take turns following an annual, but flexible, roster. As an Amish church district is made up of roughly 25 to 35 families on average (at which point a district is split into 2), and families attend different districts’ service on their ‘off’ Sunday, you are never sure how many people will attend the service!!! And of course families have between 5 to 7 children on average each so that makes for huge numbers at any church service. This massive trailer belongs to the church district and is moved between host families by 2 draft horses.
David leads us to the basement of his home where the service will be held: they have different length benches so that they can easily fit in different shapped basements or barns and we are shown how the benches which serve as pews cleverly transform into tables for the lunch after the service: the legs of two benches are sloted into a wooden stand at each end which raises the bench into the table top and one sits on a church bench, so 4 benches turn into one wide and long table and bench seating. David hands me a copy of the Ausbund hymnbook, the oldest songbook in the world still in continuous use, which was first printed in1564 and used in all Amish churches today. It contains centuries-old songs originating with Anabaptist captives held at the Oberhaus castle prison in Passau, located in present-day southeastern Germany. He shows me page 770 and explains that this is always the second hymn sung in every Amish worship service, hymn # 131 “Das Loblied” or “hymn of praise”. The thought of every Amish service singing the same song at the same time gives me goosebumps. I can’t hide the impact that has on me. David asks me if I/we’d like to attend the service on Sunday. What an incredible priviledge to be invited. Of course I would love to!! At the same time, in another part of the basement, Brian asks Anthony if he/we’d like to attend. Funnily but not surprisingly, we both respond exactly the same way: we would love to but need to run it by the other first. How could we miss up such a kind opportunity to witness an important part of Amish culture. We are warned that the service lasts 3 hours and each hymn takes 20 minutes each. The hymn #131 comprises just four seven-line stanzas only – I am getting an idea of how slowly hymns are sung!!
We get back to our hotel, narrowingly missing the fox that ran between our bikes and look at accommodation options for the next 3 nights. For some reason all hotels in the area are 80% booked, including the one we’re staying at but we find one in Warsaw, not far away. That is the beauty of travelling with no fixed plan: a 2 night stay suddenly ends up being 5. Interestingly, we find out that Warsaw is the prosthesis capital of the world. Any of you with a new hip or knee, it most likely comes from Warsaw.
Heading back to our motel in Plymouth
For anyone visiting the area, the Menno-Hof centre, in Shipshewana gives an excellent insight into the history of the Amish and Mennonites. They’ve certainly had a turbulent history. Plan on 2.5 to 3 hours for a visit.
Car park in Shipshewana
Menno-Hof centre in Shipshewana
Knowing we had nothing planned between now and Sunday, Brian kindly invites us to visit him at work if we’d like a tour of the plant. Of course! He works for a company that designs and manufactures aluminium outdoor cabinets. As soon as we enter his office, we are both instantly struck by how incongruous it all seems: all this technology, computers, CAD design, mobile phone yet Brian cycles a little over 6 miles to work, starts at 6am so that he can leave early afternoon, cycle the 6 miles back home and still have the afternoon and evening with his family, living his traditional Amish life. Such life balance. I truly admire this honesty in lifestyle.
Brian’s office
The 2 hour tour of the plant is fascinating – Brian knows every step of the process and knows everyone in the plant. It is funny how only a few days earlier we visited the Honda plant and here we are now in a different plant, on a smaller scale but no less impressive, in a different way. I was particularly intrigued by the powder coating process: the powder is sprayed using an electrostatic gun which imparts a positive electric charge to the powder, which is then sprayed towards a grounded object by the powerful electrostatic charge. The sprayed part is then heated, and the powder melts into a uniform film, and is then cooled to form a hard coating. As we are about to leave, a colleague asks Brian if they can have a meeting once he’s free of his visitors. No, it can wait until Monday morning as it is 2pm, time for Brian to leave work and return to his family. Once again, an example of how important family is. I love that! We will see Brian next on Sunday morning around 8am…
Challenger Designs plant, Nappanee
Returning to the present…….
After leaving Streak and Storm in the barn Sunday morning, Brian leads us to the house. Brian takes Anthony under his wing and stays outside with the men and his wife Edna comes to greet me and leads me inside the house which is already full of women. Women greet each other with a handshake and a kiss. And so do the men. The atmosphere, as people arrive and the room fills, is calm and quiet. Everyone and even kids just whisper. I cannot help but think back to kids that stayed at our hotel and were so noisy, screaming and runing and slamming doors, with their parents either oblivious to the noise or beyond caring….
Just before the service, Brian thoughtfully leads us to the back of the room where the service will be held so that we don’t feel like everyone is staring at us. As people arrive, he quietly explains to Anthony how and why people are seated in the room the way they are.
The three-hour service is spoken entirely in Pennsylvania Dutch and German. It begins with the congregation singing 2 hymns very slowly in German. A male song leader starts the first syllable of each line and then the rest of the congregation joins in, chanting very slow, drawn-out notes, with the last syllable the only short one, ready for the song leader to start his next first note. “Das Loblied”, the 2nd hymn lasted 25′. I was able to join in the chanting after a while as I could read and understand the German but sadly I didn’t understand the hour long sermons – the language and accent too difficult for me although I was surprised at how many English words and expressions were mixed in.
The last part of the service was “business”. This was another fascinating aspect of Amish life. Instead of national health services or medical insurance, they rely on each other to cover medical expenses of members of their church district. Everyone contributes based on their income. A true community.
As soon as the service is over, there is a hive of activity and suddenly, pews converted to tables, tables are layed and lunch is served: coffee, sliced homemade bread, lunchmeat, Amish peanut butter spread with marshmallow cream mixed in, cheese spread, and pickles. And because there are so many people, there are several sittings. Three of Linda’s sisters take me under their wing for lunch. After lunch, the ladies sat in circles in the kitchen and lounge while the men sat outside in one large circle, chatting for a few hours. David introduced Anthony to his son-in-law, then another son-in-law, then another, until it appeared everyone was in on the joke and introduced himself as one of David’s son-in-law. Suddenly, we had spent 7 hours with them all. Time for us to leave.
We cannot thank David, Linda, Brian and Edna enough for their kindness, generosity and trust. It was an incredible priviledge to be able to attend a Sunday service with them. A true connection and friendship has been formed and we are extremely grateful for our friends’ warmth and openess with us. I feel we were more than mere witnesses to their culture. I feel like part of me has been left behind. We are sorry we don’t have any photos of our amazing experience to show you but respecting their culture and beliefs was paramount to us and the images of that Sunday and our time with our friends will never leave us.
– Anne
2slowspeeds 