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On the road again...

4/19/2016

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Well, a week ago, after a fantastic farewell show, we pedaled away from Ivy Creek Farm. Back on fully loaded bikes for the first time since October we biked up into the mountains through the towns of Burnsville and Spruce Pine, NC. We rode the Blueridge Parkway for a few miles before turning east and climbing a few hundred feet higher to just under 4,000 ft. Soaked in sweat from the climb we began our inevitable decent down to the Piedmont in 55 degrees. We stopped and changed into dry clothes, and within the first mile we took a right turn onto a gravel forest service road that we would ride for about 25 miles down out of the mountains. This unassuming Pisgah National Forest road had no traffic as it weaved and switched back down the side of the mountain. The views we're incredible. It seemed that you could see for days. Weeks even. Somewhat potholed and washboarded, the road led us down to a deep valley in which Wilson Creek flows: a fly-fishing mecca, a pristine wilderness, and an intensely quiet and peaceful place to spend the night. 


We pedaled along the creek as it wove its way down the valley, wishing it was warmer as we were hardly able to resist our urge to jump in to the beautiful clear water, stopping for lunch on the river rocks. It was the kind of place that takes you in completely. You almost forget there is anything else in the universe besides that beautiful river flowing gently under the soft springtime sun. 

Experiences like biking along Wilson Creek in the Pisgah National Forest after crossing the Appalachian Mountains aren't that common in much of the touring that we do. 

We rolled our way up Yadkin Valley to Wilkesboro, then on towards Winston-Salem, for the first show of the tour. We arrived a day early and gave a shout out to a few fellow cyclists on the Warm Showers network, and were quickly called by a Winston-Salem native who invited us to stay with her for the evening. She turned out to be a local organic farmer, who had worked at the Rodale Institute, where Jen has also worked. They knew a whole slew of the same people, and we had a great time hearing about her farm and felt like old friends when we pedaled away the next day. 

We rode some pretty unfortunate roads through the north west side Winston-Salem in order to reach the Muddy Creek Cafe, the venue for the first show of the tour. High traffic, high speed limits, no shoulder, but we made it. Upon arriving we high-fived in celebration of completing the 200 miles and 12,000 feet of climbing necessary to reach the first venue. 

The first show was a smashing success. A very engaged and supportive crowd, and a fellow named George who was totally obsessed with "Rolling in my Bones" (e.g. He requested it, I played it, and then he requested it again, and sang along) made me feel like Winston-Salem was my hometown. The venue owners were kind and generous, giving us a place to stay, inviting us to a concert the next night and taking us out to dinner. Such good people! We've been overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers on this trip. Strangers can turn into friends in short order.

Just a day's ride from Winston-Salem brought us to the fine city of Greensboro, NC, home of UNCG, a minor league baseball team called the Grasshoppers (ha!), and a really nice environmentally focused library called the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library, which was the location of show #2. Library shows provide a unique opportunity for me: I get to not only perform music, but I also get to practice presenting about the Freedom From Fuel Tour. There is so much to the story at this point, and I have so much music to play that packing everything into a one hour time slot makes for an action packed event. A solid crew of local cyclists, environmentalists, music lovers, and library patrons made it out to the show and we all rocked out. 

Now we're heading on to Durham, Chapel Hill and then on up towards Richmond, VA along US Bike Route 1. Should be a wild ride! More soon,
​
Paul
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Ivy Creek farewell show: "No Woman No Cry", feat. Paul Littman
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Pisgah National Forest View
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Riding along Wilson Creek
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Lunch next to Wilson Creek
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Muddy Creek Cafe
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Our wonderful hosts, Bill and Shana
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Cooking dinner
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Library show!!
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We've arrived in North Carolina!!!

10/23/2015

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We've arrived. We cycled about 3,600 miles to 32 shows this summer, ending here in Barnardsville, NC. Our last day was a bit hilly - 4,570 feet of ascent in just 34 miles. We coasted the last two miles gently along a river, turned left onto a gravel driveway and the ride came to a much anticipated end. It's difficult to find a way to share the depth of emotion connected with culminating a journey of this magnitude, but we'll try. We want thank each and every person who gave us a smile, took us in, set up a show, cooked us a meal, shared their space with us or passed us conscientiously on a busy road this summer. We're thankful to have had a summer like this. We're in a sort of soft disbelief that we've arrived at the next chapter of our trip here at Ivy Creek Farm. We're here until March, farming and recuperating, and then we bike on. Thanks for being a part of our journey,

Paul and Jen 
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Entering the Smoky Mountains

10/22/2015

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We have arrived in the Smoky Mountains after a little more than 3,500 miles of pedaling this summer. We're in great spirits and looking forward to our final day of riding tomorrow. 
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The night rider 

10/13/2015

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Riding into Nashville, TN!

10/9/2015

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My birthday was pretty rad. We biked all day and arrived in Nashville, TN around 7 PM. Riding safely into the Music City for the first time was a great birthday present!
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Breakfast at a church in Marion, KY 

10/6/2015

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We've come upon a church in Marion, KY that has been hosting long distance cyclists since the inaugural Transam ride in 1976. The huge stove has served us well. This is our morning standard: grits with veggies and mushrooms. Oh, and the all important coffee.
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Such sweet revenge to make energy from the wind! 

9/29/2015

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We've biked through some magnificent wind farms in the past few weeks. Such sweet revenge to make energy from the wind! 
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Venturing into illinois

9/23/2015

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Chicago welcomed us with chilly rain, a strong headwind, and rush-hour traffic, but the beautiful city-scape was worth it. We were excited to spend a few days off the bikes, catch up on some computer work, and see some of our Chicago friends and family!

Chicago patchwork farms: Chicago, IL

Katie and Molly run Chicago Patchwork Farms, an urban farm that grows veggies and raises chickens to feed CSA members and market-goers. I met Katie in 2012 while working on a small farm in Texas that we'd both found through WWOOF. Katie is a spunky, fun- and food-loving farmer, and I'm glad she agreed to host a farm party so Paul could share his music in such a unique setting!
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The branches give the chickens a place to hide when predators from the sky swoop down for a meal... The chickens lay eggs in the hand-built chicken coops.
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The farm has two locations; we visited the 1/2 acre Chicago Ave site. Katie said she and Molly learned quickly that dense plantings (upper left) are necessary in order to grow enough food to economically sustain the farm. 

This year, they had ~40 vegetable CSA shares (along with quite a few egg shares) and sold produce at a few local markets. Katie said they'll likely go back to having ~70 veggie shares next year and back off a touch on market sales. She also said that their CSA waiting list has hundreds of people on it and she encourages people to start more urban farms in Chicago- there's a huge demand!

Katie and Molly are committed to sustainable practices and accessible food. They have a living clover mulch between rows (bottom left). Interestingly, they didn't seed it, but selectively weeded for it over many years. Free seeds! They offer CSA shares on a sliding scale, to ensure that anyone can have access to their fresh, nutritious food.
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Thank you to all who came out to the show, and to the other groups who shared their music! Delicious food, great music, and awesome people. We hope it becomes an annual event!

Thanks for having us, Chicago!

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We're grateful for all of our friends and family who made our stay in Chicago wonderful. Katie and her housemates hosted us a couple nights. We also stayed with Trish, my crew coach at Lafayette College, and Amanda. I even got to ride in a launch with Trish to watch a crew practice- that brought back lots of great memories! We visited with my cousin Gary and his family, as well as our friend Shane, who we met a couple months ago in Wisconsin when he and a couple of his friends were biking across the country. Hope to see you all again soon!

-Jen
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Michigan Farms

9/16/2015

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We're finishing up a few rest days in the big city of Chicago, but I wanted to be sure to post about the farms we visited while we were still in mainland Michigan. We loved Michigan, and a big part of that for me was seeing so much food production as we pedaled.

Michigan is a big food crop state; it ranks #1 in the nation in blueberry and pickling cucumber production, #2 in squash, celery, and fresh market carrots, and #3 in apples and asparagus. We saw fields and fields of squash, passed by quite a few asparagus fields (in the fern stage- we were a bit late in the season for asparagus), and saw plenty of berry and tree fruit farms.

The farms we stopped at, though, were a different sort all together. 

Daybreak Dream Farm: East Jordan, MI

Daybreak Dreamfarm is in its first season, run by my friends Kelly and Patrick. I did trail work with Kelly through an AmeriCorps program in 2011, based out of Washington state. Kelly and Patrick are enthusiastic about growing real, fresh food in a sustainable way, and they've hit the ground running in their first season: they have 2 high tunnels, a patch of cut flowers, a fenced in area with a whole slew of vegetables, a flock of chickens and ducks, and a vision for expansion in the coming season.
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Indigo Cherry tomatoes in one of the high tunnels
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Densely planted lettuce looking quite happy after a morning rain
It was chilly and rainy the evening and following morning when we were at their farm, so I didn't walk away with my usual cache of pictures. I was excited to see all of the work my friends have done in the one short year they've been on their land, and excited to hear how happy they are to be doing what they're passionate about. They have their hands full right now, but are already talking about what areas of their land will come into production next year. This year, they sold their produce and eggs at the Boyne City and Harbor Springs markets, both twice a week. We'll see what they get up to next year! It was such a pleasure to reconnect with them and hear about everything that goes along with starting a farm.

Groundswell Community Farm: Zeeland, MI

We biked up to Groundswell Community Farm as a handful of employees were leaving for the day, chatting, smiling and with vegetables in hand. Katie and Tom, co-owners of this 7-acre farm, have been on this muck soil (very high organic matter) land for about a decade, growing veggies for a 160-member CSA and a few farmers' markets.
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Beets! Nice for their greens and their taproot
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Left to right: high tunnel, brassicas, alliums




​They grow an incredible variety of vegetables here (for instance, they grow ~25 varieties of peppers and over 40 varieties of tomatoes!) and prioritize sustainable practices, healthy soil, and well-compensated farm employees. 

One new thing this year: sweet potatoes in their high tunnel (a passively-heated covered structure, as seen in the picture above). Sweet potatoes need a long, hot growing season, so they're interested to see if a high tunnel gives enough additional heat compared to bare ground outside. 
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Brussels sprouts- the farm crew chopped off the top of the plant and stripped the lower leaves to channel the majority of the plant's energy toward producing the lovely, big brussels sprouts we know and love.
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No plastic trays! They have a special tool they pack potting soil into that pops out these bricks, pre-dimpled and ready for seeds, diminishing their consumption of plastic.
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Katie, during the pre-show farm tour, explaining their use of reusable weed cloth instead of one-time-use plastic mulch. It reduces weeding and can be used many years in a row.
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Kale, looking more like palm trees after multiple pickings of lower leaves
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Paul had a quintessential farm setting for the show. The recumbents fit right in...

Green Wagon Farm: Ada, MI

What does Groundswell Community Farm grow besides produce? Farmers! 

Chad, co-owner of Green Wagon Farm, worked at Groundswell Community Farm years ago before deciding to start his own farm. Though he and Heather have been growing and selling produce since 2010, this is only their 2nd year on their current 20-acres.
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Baby kale plants- so cute!
The farm is well thought-out and tidy, as was obvious during the pre-show farm tour. Heather and a couple farm employees led us around the farm, explaining practices and answering questions from CSA members, friends, and other folks who joined the fun. It's obvious that sustainability is of utmost importance to them, and that they truly care for their land, employees, and food!
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Heather, Chad and the farm employees start their work day with a delicious shared breakfast, courtesy of Heather, who also happens to be a trained chef. Quite a few of their employees have spent two or even three seasons working on the farm, and I'm sure the wonderful cooking helps with their retention rates. A new dish to me: sautéed radishes in cayenne and honey. Radishes will never be the same.
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Between the crop rows, a living mulch of oats and clover protects the soil, fixes nitrogen, and keeps down the weed pressure. Frequent mowing keeps the living mulch in check.
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Modified bikes: two-person, pedal-powered weeder! Lie on your stomach on the board, put your feet on the pedals (or the ground), look down, pull weeds.
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Modified bikes: hand carts to transfer veggies from field to wash station or storage.
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Beautiful evening for a farm show
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As a backdrop, the outdoor wash station, attached to the barn. A work in progress, but pretty amazing to already have this structure in the second season on this land!
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A wonderful group of folks came out to the show- we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
We said goodbye to Michigan a few days ago and are now leaving the Chicago area behind. We'll miss Michigan, but are excited to see what Illinois has in store for us! We'll let you know soon.

Jen Tillman
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Goodbye Upper Peninsula!

8/21/2015

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Sunset at Union Bay Campground in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
Our trek across Michigan's gorgeous Upper Peninsula has come to an end this morning. It was such a nice place to bike that I have to admit I felt a bit of sadness as we rode across the Mackinac Bridge this morning. That same sort of soft sadness hit my heart when we turned away from Lake Superior for the last time in Grand Marais, Michigan last week. 

I don't mean to mislead you: biking in the UP came with its share of challenges: exceptionally persistent biting flies and some very heavily trafficked campgrounds will linger in my memory. Riding shoddy gravel roads that give way sporadically to sections of un-rideable loose sand, causing the bike to bind and fall in an instant makes an impression. So does the hospitality of strangers who welcome you to share their campsite in a full campground, or those who give you a bed to sleep in at their house, and then drive 90 miles a day later to support you at your performance. There may have been a limited number of groceries to choose from on the shelves of the old small town groceries, but there was no shortage of adventure, no lack of starlight and no deficiency of smiles and laughter as we made our way. 

The UP is a great place to bike. The campgrounds are more frequent than possibly any area we've cycled through, and if you can't find a campground, you'll find and abundance of lakeshore and forest where you can spend the night listening to the waves break on the big lake. Additionally, the state of Michigan has taken care to include a wide and rideable shoulder on virtually every major road, which makes navigating easy and riding relatively safe. The "multi-use" trails are probably best considered mountain bike trails. A wide tired touring bike can handle half of them or so, and bike-packers would love them for that reason, but a narrow tired bike is not a good match for the rugged, ATV-churned surface. The Iron Ore Trail into Marquette is an exception to this rule however, and is quite rideable and ends in a 8 mile downhill into the west end of Marquette. Yay for Rail Trails!!

We've also had the good fortune of some absolutely wonderful shows at Algomah Acres Meadery in Greenland, MI, Blackrocks Brewery in Marquette, and at the St. Ignace Public Library. Thanks to everyone who put the shows together and came out to listen!

And now, the pictures!


-Paul
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Jen's front tire began splitting and needed to be replaced in Munising, MI. Although there was no bike shop in town, a local hardware store stocked a few bike tires, so Jen is now riding this big treaded mountain bike tire. Perfect for the loose gravel we've been encountering!
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#roadNOTclosed We had to hop a barricade or two, but doing so saved us about a 10 mile detour!
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Even on a bike tour you've got to be a proper gentleman.
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Our first Lake Michigan Sunset
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Iron Ore Rail Trail!
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Riding the shoulder on US-28
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A big meal. Heaven for the touring cyclist.
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Mackinac Bridge!
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Hi Friends! Playing with long exposure in the state forest campground.
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Also, we've become forest rangers!
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    About this Blog

    This blog is written by acoustic musician, cyclist, and environmentalist Paul Doffing. 

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