Spotted the Pacific Ocean

Today’s target was La Push, WA, the designated jumping off point for the bike trip.

Nando and Helen
Click to Enlarge

However, rather than pulling into La Push, we pulled into Cape Disappointment State Park near Long Beach, WA.  We set up camp and then took a walk on a long, wide and dark-colored sandy beach with the Pacific Ocean lapping at our feet.  After thirteen days of meandering across this beautiful country we finally arrived at our destination to start Jay’s bike ride back to Savannah, GA.  Well, we almost arrived.

Long Beach, WA
World's Longest Beach

Cape Disappointment became our day’s destination when Jay googled campsites in La Push.  Employing knowledge from his pre-trip planning, he thought La Push and Long Beach were “just a few miles” from each other.  Either city would be just fine for a jumping off place. So he switched his search criteria for campsites near Long Beach, WA.  At day’s end we had a great

campsite in Cape Disappointment State Park.  Also, how can one not be drawn to a state park named Cape Disappointment?

The cape was named by the 1700’s fur trader John Meares, the commander a Portuguese ship.  Meares failed to locate a river as noted on his Spanish charts and named the cape to register his frustration.

Apparently Jay was relying on the same Spanish charts used by Meares when he selected Cape Disappointment for our camp stay.  It turns out La Push and Cape Disappointment are not “just a few miles” apart, but 198 miles apart.  Helen is sure his navigation abilities will improve once he starts his bike ride.

Despite our lapse in Washington state geography, our campsite at Cape Disappointment State Park was great.   We could hear the Pacific Ocean roll in and out as we cozied up in our sleeping bags in our tent.

The next day we broke camp and headed to La Push.  Jay starts his ride tomorrow.

More Photos

Long Beach Fry Pan
Largest in Washington State

Helen and Nando in Car

Little Big Horn Battlefield

Picnic shelter at camp site

After breaking camp at the KOA campground in Sheridan, MT we continued west on I-90.  Visiting the Little Big Horn Battlefield was on our tour schedule.

Over 5,000 military graves, from
Little Big Horn to Vietnam
Click to enlarge

We did some pre-reading to expand our understanding beyond the Hollywood storyline as portrayed  in the 1941 film They Died With Their Boots On. A Visitor Center film gave us the national historical context of why this event occurred.

In 1868 a treaty with the plains Indians created the Great Sioux Reservation. The sacred Black Hills were included. A large adjacent tract of land to the west, called the Unceded Indian Territory, was not part of the reservation, but open to the tribes for hunting. Tribes not recognizing the treaty found refuge in the unceded territory.

In 1873 a world economic depression gripped the US.  To the relief of many desperate Americans, gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1874.

Beautiful metal sculpture at Indian Memorial

Hoards of Easterners flooded the sacred Black Hills. The government unsuccessfully attempted to purchase the Black Hills. The Indians responded by raiding white settlements outside the reservation. Custer’s mission was to force the Indians back to the reservation.

In our view, Custer’s failure was as much due to his arrogance as it was his unwillingness to believe his  intelligence sources. Historians noted that Indians had assembled in the flat valley along the Little Big Horn River for the annual Sun Dance ceremony.  Here they gathered to pray for healing.  Individuals made promises and personal sacrifices on behalf of the community. Custer was to face not a few hundred, but thousands of Native American Indians.

Stone Obelisk

The main attraction of the park is the stone
obelisk marking the hill where Custer and the last 40 of his 210 men took their last stand. Nearby is an equally impressive monument to the Native American Indians who fought in the battle.

Quotes from Indian Leaders fill the
stone memorial 

A four mile circular roadway allows one to follow the battle.  At the far end is where Major Reno first attacked the Indian village in the valley and then retreated to higher ground.  Reno’s troops survived due to reinforcements from Captain Benteen. Simultaneously, Custer rode along a ridge paralleling the Little Big Horn River hoping to swoop down on the far end of village to capture woman and children fleeing Reno’s attack. These family members were to be used as hostages to force the warriors to capitulate.

Spot where Custer fell marked black

Stone markers show were Custer’s men fell as they retreated. You can see clusters of 12 or more stones where platoons took a stand.  Sometimes just a single stone is seen. Custer’s marker is just below the ridge line near the obelisk, marked with black for identification.

Battle won, war lost.  The Black Hills were lost, the reservation land reduced, and Custer became a quasi-American hero. Go figure.

Nature's and Man's Artwork

We spent two nights at the Badlands/White River KOA Campground in Interior, SD so we could tour both the Badlands National Park and visit Mount Rushmore.

Tall, jutting spires 
Click to enlarge

We first caught sight of the sharp-edged jutting spires of the Badlands as we headed to the campground.  The road to the campground was on the winding scenic park road.  Thoughtful articulation failed us. We were just gob smacked. 

Colorful layers 

This area of the Badlands is composed of ultra flat mesas, serrated-edged spires and deep rutted valleys.  It took Mother Nature 75 million years to construct this South Dakota national park.  First there was a shallow sea (really).  When the sea dried up deposits were left behind.  The sea gave way to

Swirls and mounds

rivers, teeming with bizarre alligators and other creatures.  Lush tropical forests grew on the rivers’ flood plains and left more deposits, as well as
the bones of the creatures that called this place home. On and on…eon upon eon…more layers added by water, sand and volcanic ash blown from far away.  Layer upon layer formed until about 500,000 ago when erosion took over.  Wind and rains carved valleys, left mesas and ingeniously sculpted towers, exposing million of years of nature’s steady layering work.

No picture or words can adequately describe the awesomeness of the expansive Badlands.  We recommend you get out your bucket list and add another item.  

Mount Rushmore is 90 miles from the Badlands, giving us some time to adjust our mindset.  Being in the spirit of the “big west” we considered that drive “just down the road.”

Four famous Presidents

Mount Rushmore with its images of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln carved into

the Black Hills is a tribute to the American spirit of leadership and unconstrained imagination. We heard that someone has been yakking about “making America great again.”  Gee, that guy really doesn’t have a clue about America’s history.

The visitors center did a good job showing how the mountain’s sculpture, Gutzon Borglum, imagined and adjusted this masterpiece as the work proceeded. Displays and a 14 minute video explained crafting details of TR’s specs and the curl in Lincoln’s beard and then how he used dynamite to “carve” 90% of his art work.   

Entryway with state flags

BTW…Gutzon’s name sounds foreign, doesn’t it?  Well, to that guy who wants to build a wall to keep foreigners out there are tons of unused granite rock at the base of the mountain.  Mexico will be thrilled that they won’t have to pay for materials.

At day’s end we reflected that we had spent the day admiring two works of art; one from Mother Nature and another from a talented man.  Both gifts were given to our amazingly beautiful country.

Devils Tower - Wyoming

Based on a recommendation from a member of Helen’s ukulele group, we made a short detour off I-90 just as we entered Wyoming.  Our destination was Devils Tower.

Devils Tower Rising
Click to Enlarge

Devils Tower is a unique geological formation that appears to just rise from the ground.  It stands 867 feet tall.  For comparison, the St. Louis Arch is 630 feet high.  Geologists have argued over the forces that gave rise to this formation, offering that it may a volcanic plug remnant or a laccolith remnant as well as other theories we don’t fully understand.

However, we found one explanation that seems the most plausible of all.  This explanation comes from Native American lore:

The Kiowa were camping up north in bear country.  One day seven sisters were quite a distance from

Legend of Tower Rock

the village when they were chased by bears.  The girls ran, but the bears kept getting closer.  To escape, the girls jumped on a low rock and prayed to the rock, “Rock, take piety on us, rock save us.”  The rock heard the girls’ cry for help and began to push itself higher and higher.  The bears rushed to the rising rock and leapt upwards only to break their claws as they cut deep grooves into the sides of the rock. The girls were lifted to the heavens and turned into stars known as the Seven Sisters, or Pleiades. 

Not only is the origin of the rock formation a point of controversy, so is its name.

Devils Tower
First US National Monument

Lore has it that the name was a misinterpretation of the local name as “Bad God’s Tower.”  The name Devil’s Tower was derived with the apostrophe later being dropped to conform to geographic naming standards.  Native Americas, however, continue to refer to the rock formation as “Bear’s House” or “Bear’s Lodge.” Attempts to rename the site have been blocked in the US Congress.

The US Congress was involved because President Theodore Roosevelt declared the site the first national monument in 1906.

Devils Tower or Bear’s House has seen other controversies, such as the 1941 parachutist who successfully landed on the approximately one-acre summit.  With war raging in Europe, the jumper wanted to demonstrate that jumpers could land on a small, designated target.  Unfortunately, his 1,000-foot rope dropped from the same plane missed. He was stranded for several days until a climbing expedition reached him.

Helen with Devils Tower
at Picnic Table

We enjoyed the view from our picnic table in a nearby park.  Part of our travel is to have an unhurried lunch.  Lunch gives our dog Nando time to get a drink, romp and run for a bit, then relax next to us.  Overall, this is a pleasant way to live.

Small Town America

In May 16, 2018 we set out on this journey to see America in an unhurried pace.  The “big trip”

All Souls
Bellville, OH

starts when Jay begins riding his bike from Seattle to Savannah.  We are, however, still in the prequel to that adventure.  After attending a weekend Universalist Convocation in Bellville, OH we started our drive to the west coast on Monday, May 21.   We have been in no hurry, but we feel like we have covered a lot of ground. In four days we exited Ohio, crossed Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. We are now on the western side of South Dakota on the edge of the Badlands National Park.  We have logged about 1,200 over those four days.

Albert the Bull

As we travel we have made a point to see local roadside attractions.  Such attractions, we have learned, have been intentionally created to attract travellers to small towns where hopefully some out-of-town dollars will be spent. This search for American kitsch such as Albert the Bull, the World’s Largest Ball of Popcorn, the Pink Elephant with a Martini Glass or the World's Largest Ball of Paint has allowed up to develop a personal view, albeit limited, of small town America.

The small towns we have visited aren’t in any way similar to our hometown of Roswell, GA.  Large grain silos are as frequent as railroad tracks on the edge of town.  Besides visiting roadside attractions our primary interaction in these small towns is food shopping.  We have generally found food selections and fresh produce are limited and prices are higher than at home.  There is a trade off of no traffic and no traffic lights. 

We feel a bit like aliens out here.  Add the sheer extreme expanse of Iowa and South Dakota and you could easily conclude we are “strangers in a strange land.”

UniRoyal Gal, Helen
and Nando

We remain in observation mode.  However, we can conclude that America is truly a beautiful and diverse nation.  So far, so good.

UniRoyal Gal

We will post from time to time our experiences with roadside kitsch such as the Uniroyal gal in Peoria, IL. 

In the 1960’s the Uniroyal tire company commissioned the construction of 17-foot shapely Uniroyal statue to stand in front of tire shops.  During the swimsuit season, they are clad in a revealing red bikini.  Other times, as was our experience, they wear a modest skirt and blouse.  Either way, one can’t help but notice that these gals have great legs! 

First Stop - Universalist Convocation

Convocation Order of Service

The start date of our cross-country trip was selected so we could attend the Universalist Convocation in Bellville, OH.  It was only last year that we learned that Universalists (the second U in our Unitarian Universalist faith) have been holding yearly meetings since the early 1990’s.  These gatherings draw the faithful from churches east of the Mississippi.  Meetings have been held in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Southern states.  Our first convocation in 2017 was held in the small Liberty Universalist Church (established 1848) in Louisville, MS.

Jay’s archiving work introduced him to these meetings.  Attending was a natural extension of his historical research.

Journey to Bellville, Ohio

Levi Jackson Wilderness Road
State Park

We drove and camped one night on our way to Ohio.  Our camping experience at Levi Jackson State Park was a mini journey in itself.   Threatening weather halted our drive earlier than we intended.  We were able to set up our tent just before the heavy rains came.

Upon arrival in Bellville, we stayed with Hayley and Chad, who offered us home hospitality.  Their dog Ralph and Nando at first got along just fine, but a tussle over a food dish resulted in us accepting the hospitality of another church member for our last day.

Universalist Convocation

Banner at All Souls

The yearly convocations are an earnest attempt by aging Universalists to maintain contact with their unique Universalist culture within the larger Unitarian Universalist Association.  The Unitarians and Universalists officially merged in 1961.

Early Universalists delivered a unique and uplifting promise of universal salvation to orthodox church congregants who were repeatedly assured that their sinful nature would  result in eternal

People Attending Convocation

damnation.

The modern version of Universalism is “Love is Love.” All are included in that love.  The text is identical to the general UU message, but the Universalists deliver it with their retained sense of sincere spirit and their heartfelt tradition of inclusiveness.

We expanded our involvement in this Universalist Convocation movement.  Jay accepted the invitation to be President and Helen volunteered to serve as Secretary.  There is clearly more to learn about the Universalist side our religion.  Offering our talent and time to extend the life of these meetings will give others and us more opportunities to experience Universalism in its natural state.

All Souls Church Bellville

Rev Humphrey (Left - dark suit) at Ordination

The convocation was held at All Souls Church, established in 1894.  At the Sunday service, Rev. William Humphrey, an exceptional individual, was formally ordained as the church’s minister.

The Wait Is Over

About seven years ago, this blog was established with an intent as the name implies to see America One Spoke at a Time.   That journey finally commences.

We begin the trip on May 16, 2018 by driving our Prius across the country.  Our first stop is a Universalist Church Convocation in Ohio.  We then meander across the country taking in interesting sights.

By early June we will begin the adventure in La Push, Washington.  We will follow the Northern Tier and North Lakes maps from Adventure Cycling until we hit Michigan's upper peninsula.  After visiting family in the lower peninsula we will head southeast toward Richmond, Viriginia, using Googlemaps bike navigation.  From there we pick up the East Coast Greenway to Savannah.

We expect to be on the road for 10 - 12 weeks.

Genesis 

Inspiration

The genesis of the idea of cycling across America was planted in Jay's head more than 40 years ago when he hitchhiked from New York to Los Angeles and back to the east coast via Canada.

He saw a lone cyclist, similar to the photo on the right, and said, "I need to do that someday."

Well, between "then" and "someday" was college, work, marriage, kids and all the other sundry events that fill our lives.  It was a good life, but now "someday" has arrived.

This cycle adventure is not, however, the youthful solo journey originally envisioned.  Helen, an

Sweet Boy Nando

adventurous soul herself, said, "Hey, I want to go, too!"  Since marrying in 2004, we have travelled the world together.  This adventure should be no different.  Helen, a day rider, offered to drive our Prius as a SAG Wagon.

We had earlier experimented with Helen as a SAG driver on the Natchez Trace when Jay rode the Trace with fellow church members.  Jay had also done a solo Trace ride.  Hmmmm....solo or supported.  When you add into the mix our 80 lb. dog Nando, a supported ride became the ticket.

Besides, if we go, he goes!

RV vs. Carbon Footprint

An earlier version of this trip included purchasing an RV.  After nearly two years of looking and considering sizes, options, etc., we simultaneously reached our epiphany.  "No way!"  The RV was a big financial investment and offered little value to us outside of this coast-to-coast trip.

Besides, we drive hybrid cars, recycle and take seriously our obligations to be good stewards to our Blue Boat Home...Mother Earth.

So we sold our old Prius and purchased a new 2018 Prius as well as investing in updated camping equipment. Jay also found that parts for his 20 year old Trek 5200 were no longer manufactured, so he purchased a new bike.

Americana 

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota

The sights we hope to see on our trip out west and then back to the east coast include the classics such as Mount Rushmore, the Little Big Horn battlefield, Yellowstone National Park and true roadside kitsch such as Salem Sue - World's Largest Fiberglass Cow, The World's Largest Sandhill Crane and other oddities that make up the American landscape.

Salem Sue in Montana

We are also "open for conversation."  We hope to engage others on the road, listen to their stories and share ours.  We share here a closing reading read at our last church covenant group by Robert Fulghum, UU minister and author. 

"Every person passing through this life will unknowingly leave something and take something away. Most of this “something” cannot be seen or heard or numbered or scientifically detected or counted. It’s what we leave in the minds of other people and what they leave in ours. Memory. The census doesn’t count it. Nothing counts without it." 

How to Follow our Blog

We hope to post a new blog entry about two to three times per week.    Our intent is to share the color of the adventure and not the mechanics of mileage, weather and where we ate, although  some of that information will appear.   It will take a few blog posts for us to find "our voice" so please be patient with us.

To receive an email version of new blog posts  

1. Submit your email in the Follow by Email.  
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3. Click Complete Subscription Request
4. Another FeedBurner window will appear indicating your Email Subscription Request has been accepted. Close this window.
5. You will then receive an email from FeedBurner Email Subscriptions with a link you must click to confirm your request to follow America One Spoke at a Time..

Easy peezee!